Its Share of Shovin'

What makes a city a city; a town a town; where you live a place to call home? Infrastructure, I suspect, is how many of us would answer. Items such as sidewalks, streetlights, sewers, schools, public safety, the list goes on and yet is incomplete because first and foremost would have to be in Norwich, as it is where you live, too, those who give of themselves on advisories, boards, commissions and committees. Many hands make light work, sharing the burden, whatever you call the (Hamburger) Helpers in your town.

We have lots of different folks who help and our city's website is pretty good at tracking them and sharing meeting agendas and minutes. This week is no exception, except maybe for a bit more crunchiness underfoot as you walk around. And wouldn't it be nice if more of us actually shoveled our drives and cleaned our sidewalks, like we're supposed to (and how common courtesy would seem to suggest we should) and if you think I'm talking about the Blackstone Apartments on the corner of Washington and Sachem (complete with a fallen tree blocking the sidewalk on Lincoln Avenue), yep, you're right. Thanks, Neighbors.

At noon today is a Special meeting of the full Southeastern Connecticut Council of Government at their building in the Norwich Industrial (oops! Business) Park with Congressman Joe Courtney to discuss the present economy and also the stimulus package. I am assuming, we're talking about one or more of the proposed stimuli packages as NONE of them have been enacted and we do love to talk things to death around here.

This afternoon at five, in Room 209 of City Hall, the Volunteer Firefighters' Relief Fund Committee meets, though those responsible on this committee for telling the rest of us what they are doing are NOT doing a good job.

Speaking of close-mouthed with public information, Tuesday afternoon at 5:30 the Board of Education meets at Kelly Middle School (this is a new day for their meetings, by the way), and despite assurances at their November meeting, I'd have to agree with Andy D many aspects of their website remain disorganized and outdated. In light of how much of the total city budget the Board of Education receives, it makes sense to me to appease the shareholders and maintain an excellent and vibrant (and current) communications channels. One example? It's now 2009, ladies and gentlemen. Do the math.

I'm a bit confused on what else is going on Tuesday as a local newspaper has a meeting of the Sachem Fund Committee at 5:30 in room 335 of City Hall but there's nothing about it on the city's schedule of meetings on the website nor any agenda (or minutes of a December meeting if it were held; previous meeting seems to have been in June of 2008).

Also Tuesday is a 5:15 PM (gotta love those quarter-hour starts!) meeting of the Public Parking Commission at Buckingham Memorial (in downtown, almost across the street from Rose City Renaissance) and a 6:45 PM meeting (it's nice we've found a use for that other quarter hour, I suppose) of the Down Revitalization Zone Committee in the Otis Library. And yes, this is all the information on them there is. Amen.

The Zoning Board of Appeals, NOT to be confused with the Building/Housing Code of Appeals (who are having a special meeting Tuesday afternoon at 4 at 23 Union Street, next door to City Hall), meets Tuesday evening at 7 also at 23 Union Street. Wednesday morning at 8:45 (insert quarter hour joke here) at 23 Union Street is a meeting of the Rehabilitation Review Committee. Here's what went on at their December meeting.

There's a newspaper report of a 5 PM Board of Education Expenditure Committee meeting at the Central Office in the John Mason School (though I find it mentioned nowhere else). And, don't let the snow fool you, the Boys of Summer will be here soon enough which is one of the reasons why the Baseball Stadium Authority will be meeting at 6 PM in room 210 of City Hall (not sure how seven members present at the December meeting could pass agenda items by a unanimous, 8 to zero vote, but I live and learn, though NOT in equal amounts).

And Thursday, at 5 PM, the Historic District Commission meets in room 319 of City Hall. They met in November, but, it seems NOT in December (and thankfully, NOT on the quarter hour). And the Ice Arena Authority meets at 6 PM at The Rink, mugs of warming cocoa available for a small consideration I suspect, though minutes of previous meetings and agenda all absent.

All in all a busy, and hopefully productive week in My Town. So clench a fist, nod your head to the beat and go do something, somewhere."East side, West side--give up, or surrender--been down, But I still rock on..."
-bill kenny