If all we're willing to do as the Jell-O wrestling in the Halls of Congress comes back to the home districts during the recess is watch, we'll never get ourselves back on track. For things to work well at the national level, we've got to keep the machine in order at the grassroots level and that means you and me, in the here and now.
This afternoon at 4:30 in Room 335 of City Hall is a special meeting of the Ethics Commission, actually a public hearing on a pair of complaints that the Commission has been charged with investigating.
At seven, in Council Chambers at City Hall, is an informational session on Harbor Area Improvements, to be funded by a publicly approved bond (should the Council so decide), that has generated an enormous amount of heat though, so far, very little light. Maybe we'll get some of the latter at the informational hearing. Come early, bring a date and dine by the whites of their eyes.
And remember, kids, the seven thirty show is completely different! Actually at seven thirty it's a regular meeting of the City Council-you may want to bring Sunday's front page story from one of the newspapers with you to keep track though I'd suggest a review of the meeting minutes from August First and a glance at tonight's meeting agenda. ("New Business, Item 1" underscores the criticality of growing the grand list especially to support an essential function of government, education)
Tuesday afternoon at five-thirty in the Central Office (across from the Norwichtown Green), it's a special meeting of the Board of Education-with a relatively short agenda one item of which should be of interest to everyone, even those of us without school-age children (and, no, I'm not talking about renting the auditorium).
Also at five-thirty, in the Latham Science Center on the Norwich Free Academy campus, it's a regular meeting of the NFA Board of Trustees.
At six, in Room 319 of City Hall, it's a regular meeting of the Personnel and Pension Board-here's their meeting's agenda, and here's their previous meeting's minutes. My motto: if you're gonna go, go informed.
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 with an opportunity to preview the next generation of the Norwichtown Mall.
Wednesday morning at nine in The Dime Banks' Community Room on Route 82, it's a regular meeting of the School Readiness Council (Children First) who did such a marvelous job in facilitating new student registrations for the Norwich Public Schools over this summer but whose website is so outdated and obsolete it's impossible to know what other projects they are working on or how any of us can help. I'm hoping maybe Jill B will intervene and persuade them to maintain a current informational bridge.
Don't forget, even as the summer days dwindle down, there's the Norwich Downtown Farmers Market at Howard T. Brown Park every Wednesday from ten until two with a few more folks stopping in to visit with every passing Wednesday, which is good for the vendors and artisans as well as our downtown. Think of it as a fruits and vegetables adoption service, for money, if that helps.
At five thirty in the Norwich Arts Council Coop Gallery, it's a regular meeting of the Downtown Revitalization Zone, whose initiative also include the Farmers' Market, but whose meetings continue to NOT make it to the city's municipal website (so I guess there's a consistency thing going on there). The city's website has all the members' appointments as having expired anyway so perhaps I should take the hint.
And because of a rain-out on a previous Wednesday, the Rock the Docks concert series continues tonight at six with Jay Dempsey and Highway Call who are here, it seems, for the party (hopefully without folks walking in front of your view of the stage) so consider yourself warned.
Thursday afternoon at three in Room 319 of City Hall, it's a special meeting of the Committee of the City Council who, I expect, will go into executive session because of the rights of personal privacy and nature of their discussions right after convening.
At five, also in Room 319, it's a regular meeting of the Historic District Commission. And at six, in the conference room at The Rink, it's a regular meeting of the Ice Arena Authority, whose members' appointments expired in 2007 and last meeting minutes are from April.
Friday morning at nine, in Room 319 of City Hall, it's a regular meeting of the Chelsea Gardens Foundation and that's all the information on the meeting or the foundation that's available, which does seem a little skimpy in terms of folks receiving public funds, but maybe that's just me.
Saturday morning, it's a One City Forum at nine in the Central Fire House with an opportunity to ask (more) questions about the proposed Harbor Improvement Program, get an update on the Downtown Redevelopment or the Norwichtown Mall Rehabilitation, ask about the more aggressive collection of delinquent taxes, plead for pony rides for bloggers who have April birthdays and/or a myriad of other items.
Or you can stay home and wonder what's going on where we all live and hope a neighbor will stop by and tell you. "I was getting more frustrated at the longer that I waited...Monday morning always comes around too soon." Though for some of us, never soon enough.
-bill kenny
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