Make Me a Deal

If Tomorrow's a Song Away then we really only have time for about half the chorus before today arrives, so let's make it snappy even if it this ain't no Roxy Music. Here in Norwich, Connecticut we should have a lot of people clearing their sidewalks from the weekend's snows even though we have an ordinance on the books that says they should have already done so. Another inconvenient rule we follow only when we wish and enforce only reluctantly (and keep your hands off that cell phone while driving unless you can dial with your feet. Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel).

As someone who spent time on both Saturday and Sunday driving behind folks who'd cleared portholes on their windshields so they could get underway because clearing all the snow from your car would take too long, thank you. Oh, "thank" wasn't my first choice of words to go in front of 'you' but unless you were one of those drivers you probably guessed that already. I really have no reason to be surprised that so many sidewalks across the city looked as badly cleared as the snow-covered cars-I think it's called protective coloration.

The municipal meeting calendar is getting up to speed, slowly I concede, but there's no reason to move to Mach Three only ten days into 2011, right? This afternoon at four, in Room 319 of City Hall it's a regular meeting of the Community Development Advisory Committee, whose members' appointments expired last month.

At five there are dual meetings, next door to one another in City Hall (cue Eric Weissberg; strange how there's problems with drivers there, too). The Volunteer Firefighter's Relief Fund Committee is in Room 209 with the Ethics Review Commission in Room 210. This is where, on our new polyglot municipal website, this afternoon's meeting agenda or at least the minutes of the previous meeting of the former would be posted, (though only in English) except they're not. Again. El Año Nuevo, igual perfora; 新年，同样操练. Not sure into what language to translate The Song Remains the Same but it's got a good beat and you can dance to it.

Meanwhile, the agenda for the Ethics Review Commission is here and the minutes of their special December meeting are here. I love the consistency with which material is posted on the city's website. I'm not especially about how the City Council doesn't respond to letters from its own committees asking for clarification and assistance. Our alderpersons, and all of us, need to do better. I wonder how some might respond at the ballot box in November?

At five-thirty in the Community Room of the Otis Library is the inaugural meeting of the Greeneville Family Zone's initiative to establish the first public Montessori Charter School in Connecticut.

The Youth and Family Service Advisory Board meets tomorrow morning at 8:30 in Room 335. They meet every other month so the minutes of their previous meeting are from November and are here. At five, it's the first regular meeting of the year of the Public Works and Capital Improvements Committee, held in the Director of Public Works' office at 50 Clinton Avenue.

At five-thirty, in the Kelly Middle School Library, it's a regular meeting of the Board of Education. This is where the minutes of the December meeting are required by CT Public Law to be, but aren't. Tell me about the snow removing rabbits, George. Also at five thirty, says the website, is a regular bi-monthly meeting of the Public Parking Commission whose November meeting was cancelled. It's a little too cold for this, which is my (admittedly unkind) impression but as near as I can determine, I'm no longer alone in that opinion.

At seven Tuesday evening in the basement conference room of the Planning Department at 23 Union Street it's a regular meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals whose last meeting was in November of 2010.

At six Wednesday evening it's a regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the Uncas Health District, in the Campbell Building on their campus, at 401 West Thames Street. Also at six in Room 210 of City Hall, it's the first regular meeting of the year for the Baseball Stadium Authority who, according to the website, last met in October of 2010. Also at six in the Wonder Bar Restaurant it's a regular monthly meeting of the Greeneville Revitalization Zone Committee whose previous meeting minutes posted to the website are from November 2010, though there is a mention of a December meeting but no cancellation notice is posted.

At seven in the Taftville Fire House is a regular meeting of the Public Safety Committee, whose December minutes provide some fascinating background on the enhancements to the retirement fund approved last Monday by the City Council. I was raised to believe the reward for volunteering and doing a good job was the knowledge you had done a good job. Je ne suis pas d'ici; 나는 여기에서 이지 않는다; No soy de aquí; 我不是从这里. Yes, I realize you can see my point. I'm not wearing a hat.

Thursday evening at six in Room 210 of City Hall. it's the first regular meeting of 2011 of the Mohegan Park Improvement and Advisory Committee, who meet every other month. The online archive of meeting minutes resembles a train wreck, only neater. My personal favorite moment being fourteen months ago at a cancelled meeting where minutes from a meeting four months earlier were approved.

The public meeting with the Mayor and City Council at Occum Fire House that was cancelled last Saturday because of the snow has not been rescheduled for this Saturday so you may want to keep your shovel and sled dogs near at hand. I hope the dogs don't bark so loud they drown out Marley's chains we forged in life because I fear we have a few links left to go.

-bill kenny