Holly Days

This is the week on the calander that really brings home the idea that time races by. It doesn't seem all that long ago we were making plans for summer vacation and now we're staring into the shopper's abyss that is Black Friday. Where has this year gone?

It's a reasonably full calendar of municipal meetings in The Rose of New England with the Senior Affairs Commission meeting at nine this morning in the Rose City Senior Center. If the city's website is up to date (deep breath), they haven't met since April and have only had two meetings since last November (they meet six times a year).

The final convening of the current City Council is tonight at 7:30 in Council Chambers in City Hall. The agenda makes me smile a bit as we had a lot of snow last winter, a lot of snow that never seemed to get removed from sidewalks as someone who does a lot of walking would notice. The solution, looking at the Council's agenda, is not to enforce the current ordinance but to quadruple the amount of time people have to (NOT) clear snow from their walkways.

I wouldn't be surprised if the police wrote zero tickets last year for failing to comply with either the removal or the parking ordinances. And now we'll positively reinforce and reward negative behavior but then wonder why sidewalks still don't get cleaned or streets cleared. I'd like to see us use NYC's alternate side of the street parking rule for snow removal where you park on the odd or even side of the street depending on the calendar date so the public works crews can clean the entire street. But not to worry, it'll never happen.

There are a lot of housekeeping resolutions on the agenda and since I don't know when otherwise I'll get the chance, thank you to Rabbi Charles Arian for your work on the Ethics Commission. We are a better city for your efforts and those of your colleagues. And speaking of a better city, very sad to read about Resolution 10 (which, I suspect, is why there's an Executive Session on the agenda) though item 4 may bring some closure.

Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 in the Central Office, still known by many as the John Mason School, is a regular meeting of the Board of Education Policy Committee, though it doesn't show up on the school's website (because they're held every other month). None of the minutes of any previously held meetings are posted because they are only added every other year (my guess is as good as yours, maybe better).

The Harbor Management Commission meeting is cancelled but I can offer you a double header, kind of, as the Board of Public Utilities Commissioners and Sewer Authority meet at six in the offices of the Norwich Public Utilities at 16 Golden Street. The postings of the most recent meeting minutes of both boards on the NPU website are not in compliance with public law as they are out of date, and I'm probably not making friends by pointing that out.

The Golf Course Authority meets at seven in their clubhouse on New London Turnpike. They held a special meeting last week, at which they got nothing done. I guess there's just not enough hours in the day....might want to update the expiration dates of the members' appointments on the city's website-though if they're accurate it would help explain the absence of a budget.

Wednesday afternoon at 3:30 in the Central Office conference room, it's a regular meeting of the Board of Education Building and Space Committee (we've gotten the word on the March 2010 convening, thanks). And there's no point in heading to the BOE website in search of meeting minutes as there are none, again.

Wednesday evening the Recreation Advisory Board meets at six in the Recreation Department at Dickenman Field. There no postings of meeting minutes or agenda for the entire calendar year of 2011-have to admire the consistency of effort to achieve that, because what else can you do.

Sort of as a second dessert after Thanksgiving and a kick-off to the holiday season, on Saturday afternoon, it's the Winterfest Parade, starting at 1:30 in Chelsea Parade and finishing in Franklin Square. From there, it's a short hike to City Hall for festivities that start at 2:30, capped by the Lighting of City Hall at 6:00. Always a great time for the young and for those who are young at heart, and the perfect time to recapture your own sense of childlike wonder and sing the changes. Speaking of which, if your mom lets you cross the street, see you at something? Happy Holidays!

-bill kenny