龙快乐的一年

Welcome to 4712,  the Year of the Dragon. If you're one who observes such customs, much fun and happiness with only a small portion of dragon (save room for dessert), unless that's considered poor form.

It's a busy week in these parts and not just in shoveling snow and other four letter words starting with 's.'

This morning at 7:30 unless the snow has changed their plans, it's an annual meeting of the Regional Planning Commission of the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments in their building in the Norwich Business Park. I did, to tell the truth, expect an agenda but would have been surprised had it actually been on their website.

At five, in Room 210 of City it's a regular meeting of the Redevelopment Agency, who are in the process of adding deeds to words, as evidenced by their agenda. .

Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 in their offices at 90 Town Street, it's a regular meeting of the Norwich Public Schools Board of Education Policy Committee, who last met, if their website posting of minutes is accurate (capital I and capital F), last June. Might want to work on rewriting the sentence at the top of the page, too.

At four, if necessary (i.e., a meeting is requested by someone appealing a decision), in the Planning Department conference Room, conveniently located in the Planning Department at 23 Union Street, it's a regular meeting of the Building Code Board of Appeals, whose page on the city's website is old and obsolete (unless, of course, it really is January of 2010).

At five, in Room 219 of City Hall it's a regular meeting of the Harbor Management Commission, whose agenda is very ambitious (and should be, or what's a heaven for) which is all the proof you should need that much must be done.

At six, in the conference room of the Norwich Public Utilities at 16 Golden Street, it's a doubleheader, as the Board of Public Utilities Commissioners and the Sewer Authority meet. I'm disappointed the excellent maintenance of the NPU website for meeting agenda and minutes is now a thing of the past, the distant past, as nothing has been updated since October(ish).

Also at six, in the Buckingham Memorial, it's a regular meeting of the Public Parking Commission, (I was taught to spell meetings with a silent and invisible Q) whose November minutes are here.

There's a note on the city's municipal meeting calendar for Wednesday about a 3:30 meeting of the Board of Education's Building and Space Committee but the note doesn't make a lot of sense (what was cancelled and when?) while a visit to the Norwich Public Schools' website makes even less sense. I enjoyed September 2010 immensely-not enough to want to stay there, but to each his own.

Wednesday, afternoon at five, in Room 319 of City Hall it's a regular meeting of the Emancipation Proclamation Commemorative Committee, whose listing on the city's website will occur, I'd hope, (if only) shortly before the actual 150th anniversary.

At 5:30 in the planning department conference room at 23 Union Street it's a regular meeting of the Dangerous Buildings Board of Review, whose most recent meeting minutes posted on line, November, are here. I think there should be a contest entitled "what does this mean" or perhaps "what language was this written in?" for Item 6 Public Comments.

At 6:00, as in o'clock  rather than million, is a regular meeting of the Reid & Hughes Committee whose report to the City Council last week, will be the subject of a public hearing at a Council meeting on February 21st. I'd point out the entries on the city's website are woefully outdated, but you suspected as much.

Also at six, in the Recreation Department offices at Dickenman Field, it's a regular meeting of the Recreation  Advisory Board. According to the city's website, the last meeting was, seemingly, in December of 2010. I'm happy they're not waiting any longer in this decade to hold a follow-up.

At seven, in their offices (the Mark Twain Pavilion?) on New London Turnpike, it's a regular meeting of the Norwich Golf Course whose December meeting minutes are here.

Thursday morning at 7:30, in the Norwich Inn and Spa (on Route 32), it's the annual meeting of the Norwich Community Development Corporation Board of Directors, whose regular meeting  minutes and agenda are available after accomplishing a mailing address request found here.

And at seven in the evening, in Room 335 of City Hall, it's a regular meeting of  Norwich Democratic Town Committee; maybe tonight's when they become their name.

If you have pictures of Norwich, here's your chance to let the rest of us see what you do. And if we all have to buy bigger wallets, maybe that's a store that could wind up in downtown(?)
  
Suspect more than a few of us are reconsidering that "I want a sled" wish we made at Christmas, but the exchange and refund window is closed for the season. We'll have to make the best of what we have, as has always been the case. Like most places on earth, we are a work in progress and can use all the helping hands we can get, to include yours. Put it there. See you at something?
-bill kenny