Monday, July 18, 2011

A New Week, Another Chance

One year, a long time ago, I had a wall calendar that began the week on Monday, much as I did and still do. I was more than half way through the year before I got even close to comfortable with that arrangement-just habit, I guess.

So much of our lives work on a Monday through Friday rhythm even though many of us enjoy lives that reach and stretch beyond those blocks on the calendar and more and more of us are working in environments where days of the week are more notional than viable. Meanwhile, here on earth, the business of government, at all levels, discussions on calendars aside, continues as we reach the near mid-point of the summer (already?).

At high noon today in the Planning Department's conference room at 23 Union Street, it's a special meeting of the Commission on the City Plan, probably driven by agenda item L1.

At seven thirty tonight is a regular meeting of the City Council (I think we can do away with the resolution from the December 7th 2009 meeting now)-you'll find the full agenda here, and I wonder, when reading Resolution 8, what is/has been the interaction between the public safety leadership and the committee revising the Plan of Development (possibly the same amount with the Board of Education).

Tuesday afternoon at 5:30 in the Buckingham Memorial Building, it's a regular meeting of the Public Parking Commission, whose last meeting, I assume, based on the posted minutes was in May (and whose convenings so far this year have been less than regular).

Tuesday night at six, in Room 319 of City Hall, it's a regular meeting of the Personnel and Pension Board, whose memberships have all lapsed, at least online. The Board always has a full schedule of activities and decisions as a check of their June meeting minutes underscores.

And at seven, in the Planning Department's conference room at 23 Union Street, it's a regular meeting of the Commission on the City Plan whose June minutes help demonstrate and illustrate how inter-connected the various volunteer and elected boards across the city are with one another. If you sense a pitch to help out when you hear of a vacancy on an agency or a committee, you're right, that's exactly what this is. As long as you and I are here, put it there.

Wednesday morning at 8:30 in their offices in the Norwich Business Park it's a regular meeting of the Full Council of the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments whose July agenda is not available on line but whose June meeting minutes are right here (If I presume the meeting will call on Governor Malloy to restore his proposed budget cuts and (also) NOT increase taxes would you think I'm cynical or planning a run for office?).

Also Wednesday morning and lacking an agenda but also absent any form of meeting minutes of any kind, it's the Norwich School Readiness Council (Children First) meeting in the Dime Bank's Community Room, beginning at 9 AM. If the road to a very warm place is paved with the best of intentions, it would help explain why the road to the meeting is so nice and why it never needs to be plowed in the winter.

On your way to or from one of those meetings, remember between ten and two to stop by the Norwich Waterfront Farmer's Market at Howard T. Brown Park; and, same location, later in the day, starting at six, it's Rock the Docks with Eight to the Bar. Suspect I can guess one song Collin doesn't play.

The Downtown Neighborhood Revitalization Zone meets at 5:30 in the Norwich Arts Council Coop Gallery. The June agenda is on the city's website meeting announcement perhaps to compensate for the continuing absence of meeting minutes (and when posting minutes, please update the members' terms of office, too).

It's not on the City's website, but one of the local newspapers reports there's a Republican Town Committee at seven, possibly in Room 335 (that's my guess). The same paper also lists a Democratic Town Committee meeting on Thursday at seven that the city's website doesn't mention. I think this election season, instead of candidate interviews, there should be auditions. You must be able to tap dance, sing show tunes, do card tricks or juggle-stuff those (few) of us who go to municipal meetings would enjoy. Bring out the lions and open the cage.

Thursday afternoon at five, it's a regular meeting of the Historic District Commission, whose role in helping tourism become an engine of economic development cannot be overstated. Here's their agenda and though the note says the June meeting minutes are enclosed as well, they're not. Those you will find here (I'd love to read a LOT more about item C. b. and a plan to make it a reality).

At six, the Ice Rink Authority has a regular meeting at The Rink on New London Turnpike, the first one since April, judging from the posted meeting minutes. The Rink very successfully hosted the twenty-first annual ISI championships this time a month ago.

A Saturday activity, close to home, historical and a lot of fun, is a visit to the Leffingwell House Museum (noon to four). Sometimes it's easier to see where we're going when you can sneak a peek at where we've been, instead of running headlong into tomorrow with our eyes closed. Only close-up is the future frightening ..."everything looks perfect from far away. 'Come down now,' but we will stay..." See you at something?
-bill kenny

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