I came across an interesting interactive website that gave me pause when I thought about the efforts so many of us are making to improve our cities and towns as the 21st Century marches on. We talk a lot about smart growth, economic development, leveraging of demographic trends and sometimes it all comes down to being lucky, or so it seems.
Check this out for yourself and make a list of how many of any ten places you pick have MORE people moving into your area/neighborhood rather than being a part of the exodus for elsewhere. Sobering is a word that comes to mind, and daunting is another.
On to more cheerful topics: At five o'clock this afternoon in Room 209 of City Hall is a special meeting of the Volunteer Fireman's Relief Fund Committee. The City Council meets later, at 7:30, in Council chambers with what looks to be a 'light' agenda- which, after the struggle of refining the city budget at recent meetings, is more than likely a welcome relief for all of those involved.
Tuesday afternoon at five in the City Manager's office in City Hall, also known as Room 219, is a regular meeting of the Harbor Advisory Committee, who must think it's July 1st already as the minutes of their 25 May meeting have yet to make it to the city's website. Still ten days to go before the statute mandating their posting within seven days is relaxed to mean 'as quickly as possible'-I can't wait to see how many shades of meaning that phrase ends up with.
I was at Howard Brown Park Saturday around the time of the Juneteenth celebrations and discovered I'm not the only one still unhappy the Heritage Trail remains closed under the Sweeney Bridge. I'm sure the committee is just as impatient as the rest of us are to get the current construction completed so we can use the trail in its entirety. Again.
Wednesday is full day of various meetings to include an 8 AM meeting of the South East Connecticut Enterprise Region (Executive Committee) in their building at 190 Governor Winthrop Boulevard. It's sort of a delayed twofer as at one in the afternoon, it's a regular meeting of the Thames Maritime Committee as well.
At 4:30, and by now I know better than to look for either copies of minutes or anything approximating an agenda, it's a special meeting (because their 9 June regular meeting was postponed) of the Housing Authority at 10 Westwood Park. Speaking of a casual relationship with meeting minutes' postings, at 5:30 in the basement conference room of the Planing Department, it's a regular meeting of the Board of Review of Dangerous Buildings which, seemingly hasn't met since January.
If you're heading to that meeting, stick around because at 6:30 in that very same conference room it's a twi-night doubleheader, of sorts, with the 21st West Thames Street Advisory Committee meeting at 6:15 followed at 6:30 (plus minus whenever) by a meeting of the 751 North Main Street Advisory Committee. As I'm sure you've realized, the latter two are action teams comprised of the same volunteers who are on the Board of Review of Dangerous Buildings.
At 7 PM, there's a (regular?) meeting of the Eastern Connecticut Emergency Medical Service Council, though I'm unclear as to where this is going on. It seems to me in light of the scattered populations across the region and the varying levels of state and federal reimbursement for medical services, especially emergency services, the council is fulfilling a critical need for many of us and while I confess to not being familiar (yet) with their efforts and actions, I'll try to make myself smarter as to their mission and purpose.
Also at seven in their facilities on New London Turnpike, it's a regular meeting of the Norwich Golf Course Authority who, it appears haven't met since April-to judge by the posting of their meeting minutes.
Finally at seven thirty Thursday morning in their conference room at 77 Main Street, it's a regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the Norwich Community Development Corporation-whose minutes are available by dropping a note to Shelley C at admin@askncdc.com.
Summer begins today, says the calendar and hopefully the weatherman will agree. But because we are in the hazy, lazy days of it doesn't mean those helping out across our city can't use our interest and support as they work towards the betterment of our city. So find your passion and lend a hand. You'll end up with more than a tan and we'll all be the better for your efforts.
-bill kenny
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