Tuesday, July 5, 2011

It's a Flawed Work of Art

Short weeks screw me all up. When we skip a Monday, my week is like Groundhog's Day since I spend most of it trying to get out of the starting blocks. In my case, I cheated even more since I took Friday off as well and so all the stuff I normally get done on Fridays, and should have made some effort to accomplish on Thursday, I didn't and so it sat until today. Ooof! Hope your holiday came to a more gradual, rather than abrupt, end and that you're easing back into the work harness without a lot of strain.

It's a compact and compressed week of municipal meetings in our neck of the woods, and there's a lot to be said for that, I suppose, since these are supposed to be the lazy, hazy days of summer (and I hope they are for you).

Tonight in Council chambers at City Hall, starting at 7:30, is the first regular meeting of the City Council in July with a full agenda (partially as a result of only one regular meeting in June) to include a public hearing on bonding money to demolish two schools we've closed in recent years (I would expect we'll hear various versions of the closures' history as people speak on the one aspect, what next, that has nothing to do with the reasons). I hate to sound uncaring (I know, 'Really? Since when?' OUCH) but even as the dogs bark, the caravan moves on.

I'd suggest in light of the (immediate) future to include that property tax bill you may have received (and what that could look like in future years if we keep doing nothing) you should consider remaining for a presentation on the Downtown Revitalization Program as well as the discussion and vote on item 8 under new resolutions (most of the Council missed a presentation by the Redevelopment Authority two weeks ago on this very topic). Some of us have allergies to making informed decisions; for everyone else there's Claritin (or not).

Wednesday morning at ten is the Farmers' Market in the Howard T. Brown Park.

Later that afternoon at 5:30 though not in the location outlined on the City's website but, rather, in the Kelly Middle School library, is a regular meeting of the (Kelly Middle) School Building Committee; you'll find their June 1 meeting minutes here. I was disquieted to read in the minutes, as I understand them, the auditorium was more than half of the entire new construction square footage.

At seven, in Howard T. Brown Park, it's the second installment of the "Rock the Docks" concert series, featuring The Fat Cats. Karen B, who knows all about this stuff, says they are very good and that you should show up and be in one of the pictures that ends up on Facebook (unless you're Whitey Bulger, in which case, never mind).

Also at seven, says the municipal website, there's a Republican Town Committee meeting in Room 335 of City Hall (and a note about their March meeting that probably never needed to be posted and now most certainly can be removed).

Not listed on the calendar, because technically, it's not a municipal meeting, is a public hearing in City Council Chambers at seven by the bipartisan Reapportionment Committee of the General Assembly to collect input on redistricting required as a result of population shifts reflected in the 2010 census. I found a 'gee, that's interesting but what does it mean?' document from four years ago that made projections about last November's national elections but I haven't come across a state-wide proposal for the here and now. Human nature being what it is, someone, somewhere has a blueprint for what the next Statehouse representation schematic should be; the question is when that will be shared with the class.

Thursday at seven in the Planning Department's conference room at 23 Union Street, it's a regular meeting of the Inlands Wetlands, Water Courses and Conservation Commission, whose May meeting minutes are the most current posted document; based on the length of that meeting, if you're planning on attending, do NOT be late because it could be over.

And Saturday morning starting at nine, it's the next installment of the One City Forum which is a less formal opportunity for anyone, anywhere in the city to share information, ask a question, get an update, petition for a pony ride (and not get it) and basically discover that there's more than just a handful of us trying to sort ourselves out and take back the city. See you at something?
-bill kenny

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