This
page has "hot links" to subject-areas - updated continually every
day...use internal Google search engine above to find topics and
stories of interest. And historical background.
FIRST DAY OF
SCHOOL: ALL BUILDINGS ON WESTON CENTRAL CAMPUS. L-R WMS, WHS,
WIS, Hurlbutt Elementary School.
Hot weather September 2nd tests ventilation, air-conditioning in
Weston's schools. Which are fully or partially
air-conditioned? Ans.: W.I.S. 100%, WHS 50%, Hurlbutt new
areas.
ABOUT WESTON TABLE OF CONTENTS
with links.
"ABOUT WESTON" SITE MAP . Including
quick links to our global
business, climate change and financial melt-down sub-pages.
"ABOUT
WESTON" ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY of site
including external links. Or use Google Search above!
"About
Weston" is all about Weston, Connecticut.
Web-contact,
click
here: margaret@aboutweston.com
"About
Weston"
provides original research on Weston, Connecticut, links to official
sources, and expresses the opinions
of this Weston,
CT website. Original jokes and political comment by "About
Weston" and original art,
to be on exhibit,
by
"About
Weston" are also on this website.
WE'VE GOT A NEW PLAN!
The
Town of Weston, Connecticut has just completed the once per decade
update of its Plan of Conservation and Development, as mandated by
Connecticut state law. We are privileged to present this valuable
interview with Stephan Grozinger, Esq., chairman of Weston's Planning
& Zoning Commission, who tells us all about the process and its
results!
INNOVATION TO THE FORE!!! GREG CLARK OF
MYDESIGNFOUNDATION AND ARTIFACT DESIGN GROUP - WATCH HERE:
Learn about a wonderful new
Foundation that provides inspiring opportunities for schoolchildren to
develop their creative and innovative skills, and to have fun and earn
recognition in the process. And be sure to also check out the
Foundation's website here.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION!!!
Gail Lavielle
serves as a Commissioner of the Connecticut Public Transportation
Commission, which advises the Governor, the Transportation
Commissioner, and the Transportation Committee of the Connecticut
General Assembly, on public transportation issues. In so doing,
the Commission serves as a conduit for input from the public on these
issues. Learn about important recent developments affecting one
of Connecticut's most important priorities, and about how YOU can
provide inputs to planning and decisions on transportation matters
which WILL be heard by the
key decision-makers. WATCH NOW!
KEEPING
COSTS DOWN AND STANDARDS UP ISN'T EASY IN 2010!
Find out about how Weston's public
school system achieves a balance between continuously improving
educational excellence and fiscal responsibility, from our
Superintendent of Schools and from the school system's Director of
Finance & Operations. Watch
now!
MEET
WESTON'S NEWLY ELECTED FIRST SELECTMAN!
The
Honorable Gayle M. Weinstein was elected in November, 2009 as Weston's
First Selectman. She had also been a member of the three-person
Board of Selectmen for the
previous two years. In this
interview, she provides
valuable insight into the issues facing Weston, and the approaches she
intends to bring to them. Watch
now!
GET
TO KNOW THE WESTON WESTPORT HEALTH DISTRICT! As the eighth year of
"About Town" interviews begins, a three-part series on our health gets
underway. The WWHD was one of the first groups we interviewed,
just after September 11, 2001. Eight years on, the role of the
WWHD has expanded, and for some of its functions, the District's
borders have widened! Learn about H1N1 flu, water quality,
environmental health, emergency
management, and many other topics that are fundamental to maintaining
our health, our environment, and even the value of our homes! - watch now!
"ABOUT TOWN"
INTERVIEWS HON. ROB SIMMONS, CONGRESSMAN 2001-2007 AND CANDIDATE FOR
U.S. SENATE 2010:
The Honorable Rob
Simmons, who represented Connecticut's 2nd Congressional District in
the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2007, is a
recent guest. Mr. Simmons is a candidate for the Republican
nomination for United States
Senator, in the 2010 election. Learn more about Mr. Simmons'
distinguished career of service to his state and country - Watch here!
ON
FILE - SEE THESE AGAIN!
The
Honorable Woody Bliss, shown above at the left, served as Weston's
First Selectman from 2001 to
2009, was a member of the Board of Selectmen for ten years, and served
as chairman of Connecticut's South Western Region
Metropolitan Planning Organization. He chose not to seek
re-election in November, 2009. Watch an exceptional
interview with him, in which he reflects on his years of service, and
provides
valuable insight into the issues facing Weston.
Watch
now!
Watch
this two-part interview with Westonite Jim Lomuscio, shown above second
from left, who
draws on his
distinguished career as a non-fiction author, journalist, editor, and
teacher, to provide us with truly unique insights into the field of
writing, and the state of journalism today. Mr. Lomuscio's books
include "Village of the Dammed: The Fight for Open Space and the
Flooding of a Connecticut Town" (finalist for the 2006 Connecticut Book
Award in Nonfiction), and the McGraw Hill college writing textbook
"Writing with Your Head & Your Heart: Balancing Logic and
Emotion to Create Powerful Nonfiction." He currently serves as
Full Time Professor of Writing in the Department of Writing,
Linguistics, and Creative Process, at Western Connecticut State
University. Watch
now!
Weston's
Superintendent
of Schools,
Jerome R. Belair, and Director of Finance & Operations Dr. Jo-Ann
Keating, give us a rundown on the FY 2010 budget preparation process,
cost containment measures that are being undertaken, and many other
matters of importance to all Westonites! Watch
now!
CT
State Senator Toni Boucher (R-26th) provides
important insight, perspective, and wisdom concerning the major issues facing
Connecticut residents in these challenging times. Watch "About
Town" on YouTube here!
One of
our best interviews yet!!!
Weston's new Police Chief, John Troxell, gives us a rundown on traffic
control planning, safety measures for all forms of vehicles, and the
outlook
for “street life” or pedestrian-friendly improvements for 21st century
Weston, among many other interesting things! - Watch
now!
Director
of Public Works for the Town of Weston, Joe
Lametta, brings us up-to-date on the responsibilities of DPW as we
update the Town Plan!
A wonderful lecture concerning Art
and Painting, by a noted authority
and a really great teacher! See David Dunlop (website www.daviddunlop.com) discussing
"New Materials, New Patterns, New Histories: The Future for
Painting." This lecture was presented on March 1, 2009, at the
Silvermine School of Art, of the Silvermine
Guild Arts Center, New Canaan, CT:
If you are using a cable or dsl
connection, click
here: http://www.aboutweston.com/Silvermine-Dunlop3-1-09CableVersion.wmv (File size is 208 megaBytes; the lecture
comprises 1 hour 39 minutes)
If you are using a dial-up modem
connection, click
here: http://www.aboutweston.com/Silvermine-Dunlop3-1-09ModemVersion.wmv
(File size is 37
megaBytes; the lecture comprises 1 hour 39 minutes)
Nichole
Peyreigne, Mezzo-Soprano,
and Grace Heaphy, Pianist, are two extraordinary
young talents in the field of classical music. Watch them perform
in a very special concert to benefit pediatric brain
tumor research via the Making Headway Foundation, to help support the
research of distinguished neuro-oncologist Dr. Jeffrey Allen of NYU
Medical Center. Watch
now!
"ABOUT TOWN"
interviews Dr. Jeana Wirtenberg, Director of External Relations and
Services at the Institute for Sustainable Enterprise of Fairleigh
Dickinson University: In
this very
special two-part edition of "About Town," a leading authority tells us
all about Enterprise Sustainability, and how corporations can and in
some cases are implementing "win-win-win" strategies that are good for
the environment, for society, and for themselves.--Watch
now!
MAGIC!
So you want to learn to make some? Watch
now! Also, see "Art Through A Poet's
Eye," featuring Adele Kamp, as
well as all
three parts of the Weston High School
tour: click
here!
TABLE OF
CONTENTS:
T O
P
S T O R Y T O D A Y ;
Introduction and topics
of interest; Elections
2010 page here.
Unofficial
notice
of Public Meetings we plan to attend
and our Board of
Selectmen's notes;
ANNOTATED
ACTIONS, Board of Selectmen and other meeting attended by About Town.
New Town
Plan 2010 approved unanimously Low-Impact
Development proposed - already in the regs on Whidbey Island, WA!
Town
of Weston:
Education: .
Connecticut
Government: CT State Election Calendar here.
ABSENTEE BALLOT APPLICATION FOR
NOV. 2 ELECTION HERE.
State of
Connecticut "Responsible" Planning:
Regional
Planning: Watch the "food
fight" at SWRPA Legislative Breakfast
Meeting (Jan. 26, 2010) here.
Planning ideas and matters from elsewhere
Environment:
When it rains it pours department
- some ideas in run-off detention here.
CLIMATE policy
link here.
From
Washington, D.C.: Check
up on Congress here; Census
Bureau report
on income, poverty and health care. Redistribution of the wealth...
What constitutes an emergency? Start here.
HAZARDS
OF ALL KINDS, NATURAL
AND MAN-MADE:
POLICE DEPARTMENT here;
WWHD here.
Emergency
Management page here.
What constitutes and
emergency indeed! Early 2010 session notes: Might be
a new law that would
affect
Emergency Communications...IT WAS PASSED IN AN EVEN MORE ONEROUS
VERSION - link
here. BUT WAIT - GOV. RELL VETOED IT JUNE 8!!!
HER VETO STANDS - THE "VETO SESSION"
COULD NOT OVERRIDE.
Icelandic ash over Europe (remote sensing
map) and frontpage
portrait
of the ash as it moves along high above....
WEST NILE VIRUS
HERE IN 2010
NOTES AND
E-SOURCES:
Annotated
bibliography...please remember
that this WEBsite is not official;
it
views events of the day as may impact good planning ...regional
comparisons
or examples provided...and:
A direct link to the newspaper
who's main office is closest to the Legislature - Hartford Courant;
Internal links organized in "biblio" page here!
Link
to "About Town" television
program information;
OTHER:
Watercolors
by Hannah Ferenbach
NEW "Foggy
Dune"
POWER OUTAGES
CENTRAL HERE!!! SUPER-ACCURATE!
CL&P:
http://www.cl-p.com/home.aspx
-------------------------
EMERGENCY:
WEATHER: background
From
the National Weather Service (simple local report),
NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE - LOCATE DETAILED FORECAST HERE:
http://www.weather.gov/
Report
on traffic.
Need
a calendar? http://www.timeanddate.com/
Focus
on our neighbor to the south? Read
about Westport now...
Silvermine Guild
and Art School here...
Sound
Cycling.
News of Matthew Zachary in concert: http://matthewzachary.com/nyc/
N o
w a G O O G L E a d v i s o r . . .
I'M
TOO
YOUNG FOR
THIS: Beginning
Monday, January 5, 2009, Matthew has
moved to BLOGTALKRADIO: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/stupidcancershow
TIME
Magazine rates the site...PRACTICE-A-THON
'08 A BIG SUCCESS!!!
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1633488_1633530_1633566,00.html
THINK COOL -
THAT'S LAST WINTER IN CT... AND
CHA CHA, SP KENNEL RED TEAM
NUMERO UNO LEADER - AND A WOOF
TO HOMEBREW & ANWR, TOO!!!
CLICK HERE
FOR LINK TO GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT BREAST CANCER...AND INFO ABOUT
NORWALK HOSPITAL CANCER WALK
Breast cancer
survivor Dee Dee Jonrow shown above left, finished fourth in Iditarod
2006! Cancer survivor Lance Mackey wins
both Yukon Quest AND Iditerod
in 2007 and is now, in 2010, a
four-peat winner of Iditarod.
N
E W W E B S I T E
Remember
this FORUM
very special article?
Unless otherwise
noted,
"top story" from CT MIRROR.
TOP STORY TODAY
Picture from previous event some years ago
No sign of oil spill after
Gulf platform fire
YAHOO
By ALAN SAYRE, Associated Press Writer
2 September 2010
NEW ORLEANS, La. – The Coast Guard is saying there are no immediate
signs of a spill from an oil platform fire in the Gulf of Mexico off
the Louisiana coast.
All 13 crew members were rescued from the water in the second such
disaster in the Gulf in less than five months.
The Coast Guard initially reported an oil sheen a mile long and 100
feet wide had begun to spread from the site of the fire, about 200
miles west of the site of BP's massive spill. But officials said at a
Thursday afternoon news conference that boats at the platform have not
seen any oil sheen.
Oops! Sorry folks...
Oil sheen spreading from Gulf platform
explosion
YAHOO
By ALAN SAYRE, Associated Press Writer
2 September 2010
NEW ORLEANS, La. – A mile-long oil sheen spread Thursday from an
offshore petroleum platform burning in the Gulf of Mexico off Lousiana,
west of the site of BP's massive spill.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Coklough said the sheen, about 100 feet
wide, was spotted near the platform owned by Houston-based Mariner
Energy Inc. He said Mariner had deployed three firefighting
vessels to the site and one already was in place fighting the
blaze. The Coast Guard says no one was killed in the explosion
and fire, which was reported by a commercial helicopter flying over the
site around 9 a.m. CDT. All 13 people aboard the rig were rescued as
they floated in the nearby water in survival outfits called gumby suits.
The platform is in about 340 feet of water and about 100 miles south of
Vermilion Bay on the central Louisiana coast. It's location is
considered shallow water, much less than the approximately 5,000 feet
where BP's well spewed oil and gas for three months after an April rig
explosion.
All 13 people aboard the rig were found floating in the water, sticking
close together, Coast Guard spokesman Chief Petty Officer John Edwards
said.
"These guys had the presence of mind, used their training to get into
those gumby suits before they entered the water. It speaks volumes to
safety training and the importance of it because beyond getting off the
rig there's all the hazards of the water such as hypothermia and things
of that nature," Edwards said.
All were being flown to a hospital in Houma to be checked over. Coast
Guard Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesau said one person was injured, but the
platform's owner, Houston-based Mariner Energy, Inc., said there were
no injuries.
"Mariner has notified and is working with regulatory authorities in
response to this incident. The cause is not known, and an investigation
will be undertaken," the company said in a statement. It said the
platform was located on Vermilion Block 380, approximately 100 miles
off the Louisiana coast. The platform is a fixed petroleum
platform that was in production at the time of the fire, according to a
homeland security operational update obtained by The Associated Press.
The update said the platform was producing about 58,800 gallons of oil
and 900,000 cubic feet of gas per day. The platform can store 4,200
gallons of oil. Seven Coast Guard helicopters, two airplanes and
three cutters were dispatched to the scene from New Orleans, Houston
and Mobile, Ala., Ben-Iesau said. She said authorities do not know
whether oil was leaking from the site.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama
was in a national security meeting and did not know whether Obama had
been informed of the explosion.
"We obviously have response assets ready for deployment should we
receive reports of pollution in the water," Gibbs said.
Mariner Energy focuses on oil and gas exploration and production in the
Gulf of Mexico. In April, Apache Corp., another independent petroleum
company, announced plans to buy Mariner in a cash-and-stock deal valued
at $3.9 billion, including the assumption of about $1.2 billion of
Mariner's debt. That deal is pending. Apache spokesman Bob Dye
said the platform is in shallow water. Responding to any oil spill in
shallow water would be much easier than in deep water, where crews
depend on remote-operated vehicles access equipment on the sea floor.
Mariner said in initial flyover for no hydrocarbon spill.
A company report said the well was drilled in the third quarter of 2008.
The platform is about 200 miles west of BP's blown-out well. On Friday,
BP was expected to begin the process of removing the cap and failed
blowout preventer, another step toward completion of a relief well that
would put a final seal on the well. The BP-leased rig Deepwater Horizon
exploded April 20, killing 11 people and setting off a three-month leak
that totaled 206 million gallons of oil .
BOARD
OF SELECTMEN NEWS. AND RELATED NEWS FROM OTHER BOARDS
& COMMISSIONS.
Selectmen:
FIRST, NICE
THINGS, THEN AUGUST
5 SUMMER
TURBULENCE DEPARTMENT: After appointments and other business (and
after, STEAP grant), the
Selectmen and the public vented. Reputations
falling left and right, ill will politely, for the most
part, kept in check. Board of Selectmen each eviscerated Board of
Education Chair. Previous evening "outing" at Special Board of
Education Executive Session - the power of the agenda to confuse...
Building
Committee recommends to the Board of Selectmen contract for
Library roof and Owner's Rep discussion and decision; report on Middle
School Roof.
Capital Planning Committee met at 7:30am August 4th and
discusses approaches to upcoming budget cycle - more here.
Board of Education: August 23: Vote taken was bipartisan affirmation of
original vote supporting the salary increases to top
administrators. The "yes" votes were: Uzenoff, Wolf, Stack
and Levin; "no" votes by Bochinski, Harvey and Schaefer. Five
(5) members of the public spoke, although there were perhaps two
dozen or so present. After hearing from the public, the Board
entertained a motion which was
seconded, not to change their previous decision (Uzenoff, Levin).
An amendment to that motion was offerred and seconded (Bochinski,
Harvey); discussion ensued and the vote on the amendment to the
motion was 5-2 against. Then the main motion was voted
upon. Each member of the Board
spoke, and the vote was 4-3 in favor - to reaffirm the July 26 decision.
Earlier,
another Executive Session scheduled
for Wednesday, August 19, 2010 at 7:30pm, Board of Education Annex on
School Road; meeting
July 26 unanimously awarded top 3 administrators raises. Board
members
go on the
record with individual comments. So far, enrollment up by 5 over
NESDEC prediction.
Board of Selectmen got
report July 8 on how a cemetery might work out here. Afterward,
they asked the Committee to prepare
a questionnaire to determine if the
people really want a Town cemetery. P&Z Chair. in the
audience, noting that his Commission
is addressing the cemetery issue through zoning regs on private
property, P&Z Public Hearings in September. Library (old
photo above)
Roof contract approved.
There
was an EMERGENCY MEETING of the Board of Selectmen
Wednesday, June 30,
2010 at 4:15pm in the Town Hall Meeting Room to establish a School
Building Committee consisting of the members of the Building Committee
for the purpose of getting the windows and doors projects at WMS and
WHS moving and qualify for SFU$$$ ("EDO49"),
which the Special Town Meeting
March 23, 2010
approved
Special Board of Finance
Tuesday June 29, 2010
action, after long discussion - which to the casual observer seemed to
indicate that everyone present from the Board of Finance did not want
to do another study that recommended the same thing that Milone and
MacBroom's did (which would require more than a million dollars).
Previously:
Long
discussion of Revson Field at Board
of Selectmen June 3rd.
JOINT
MEETING OF BOARDS OF FINANCE, SELECTMEN AND EDUCATION June 14,
2010
with lots of opportunity for public comment - reports here and here. First Selectperson
notes that permits in the Building Office last year and this year are
down for remodeling (16 - 6), new construction (8 - 2); but
activity picking up. Unemployment currently at 4.8%, foreclosures
last year were 11, this year 6. Town Clerks' fees up a small
amount. NOTE: Legislature has not shown any sign of
restoring Conveyance Tax money.
Continuation of the Special
Board of Selectmen's Monday, April 26 meeting until
Thursday, April 29, 2010 at 2pm "awarding of the contract" for WMS
roof/done - work begins Monday, May 3. Changes to the contract
include Building Committee addition of wording for "staging" plan and
locations. If Barrett agrees, minor changes re: insurance will be
made.
----------------------------------
Postcards From
Weston. Take a virtual visit
to Morehouse Farm Park!
Weston Town Hall (l) and new Town Plan
(c).
Valley
Forge Bridge work begins! Map of road closure: http://www.westonct.gov/media/file/westonmap.pdf
TOWN
OF WESTON:
Schedule
of Selectmen's meetings for 2010; Read
about Internet posting rules for towns.
"SPEAK
UP 2010"
NOW ONLINE HERE:
Length:
1 hour 41 minutes 32
seconds
NEW
land
sale/mapping link on Town Website: http://www.westonct.gov/townhall/27652/28144/28210
VALLEY
FORGE ROAD BRIDGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION - latest FORUM story here.
Date
Posted: 4-16-10, Townof
Weston website:
The
Valley Forge Road Bridge
will be under construction from April 26, 2010 - December 2010.
Access to Trout Brook Valley from Weston (Bradley Road Parking) will be
accessible from lower Valley Forge Road at the intersection of Davis
Hill, Lyons Plain, and Kellogg Hill
CONNECTICUT
MUNICIPAL FISCAL INDICATORS (FYE 2008)
From the horses
mouth...click link above. Overall, of the Connecticut 169
municipalities, the average per capita
debt was $2139; the median debt per capita was $1547. Guess
who is #1 in debt per capita? Weston ($7124). And
following are Easton ($6135) and Westport ($5811). Greenwich,
which used to have no debt, now has $751 per capita.And who has the
lowest number? Putnam ($39). Followed by
Winchester ($110), Hampton ($149) and Pomfret ($188).
WESTON ELECTION 2009 STORY HERE
SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
ON VALLEY FORGE BRIDGE STORY HERE;
Will health effects of turf fields be an issue in
Weston? Elsewhere in CT...
Household Hazardous
Waste Collection Day in Weston was April 24 - 170 plus cars (with 35%
of townspeople on school vacation) - see
photos here;
BUDGET
PROCESS: what can we look to
this year? What went on during the entire process last year?
OPPOSITION
TO BUDGET
APPEARED AND CARRIED THE DAY:
http://www.westonfiscalresponsibility.com/
--------------------
STILL
IN PROGRESS JUNE 2010: Full
steam ahead on
Bleachers/Booster Barn and Lyons Plains Firehouse, as Board of Finance votes
"yes" on both! Got OK and input from Building Committee...now
what?
Board of
Selectmen meeting Sept. 4 OK's modified (only new cars) fuel efficient
car tax policy on a Party-line vote.
Lachat property back
for another try as "gateway" to Devil's Den - new Ad Hoc Committee to
form...not yet, to our knowledge! And the Cemetery
Committee gets new blood, reports, and then nothing doing, as
preferred site frowned upon by Aquarion/Macquarie Bank of Sydney, down
under.
Town Hall in the Spring, l, Town Hall Annex in the
"Kinderland" portable buildings, r.
BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AND
REGIONAL OR MULTI-TOWN ENTITIES PLUS
PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS WE WATCH:
BOARD
OF SELECTMEN;
BUILDING COMMITTEE;
Going solar, fuel cells, anything
else that works GREEN: its now disbanded Alternative Energy
subcommittee;
BOARD OF
FINANCE and its role in the the budget
process;
WESTON
PLANNING AND ZONING - background
Aquifer Protection zone
location and regulations
approved
by Planning and Zoning May 6, 2008, after Public Hearing, effective
date - AUGUST 15th, 2008 - Surely a building block in the
new Town Plan!
Aerial photos of Weston
(fly over town and find YOUR HOUSE) and the rest of Connecticut online
at CLEAR!
Population Projections from UCONN:http://ctsdc.uconn.edu/
Town
Att'y's 2005
letter...the story of when, why
and how the Town of
Weston exempted itself from its
own Zoning
Regulations and...research topics;
The Center of Town has special
features of note.
OTHERS:
Next new initiative: Selectmen
finishing the Booster
Barn and
home-side stands;
Cemetery Committee (most
recently revived August 13, 2009);
Arts Commission news;
WestonArts.org:
the folks concerned about the theatrical and arts/music part of a
Weston education.
Lachat
Building & Maintenance Committee
Older reports:
Select
Committee on
Legal Review reports to Selectmen in June; time extended
until after the summer for submission of final report, which was
submitted and thanks given all around.
See news of
upcoming claim on fund balance in this
FORUM story.
Veterans'
Tax Relief
(well explained in this FORUM article) approved Jan. 17,
'08;
Elderly
Tax Relief
changes had comment at PUBLIC
HEARING,
Thurday, April 3 at 7pm in Town Hall - no negatives,
Board of Selectmen approves! Post-employment Benefits ordinance
approved by Selectmen April 24, 2008.
What
to do for
intellectual exercise...
Chief
Troxell
favored unanimously by Police Commission; officially
selected January 2008 at a public meeting and now to be signed to a
contract.
Kaestle
Boos study in
draft form Friday, December 7, 2007 - reviewed by Facilities
Committee of the Board of Education - items appear in Town Capital
Budget partially funded (eg. $250,000 for Library Roof;
questions asked at ATBM re: school projects).
New
stop signs OK'd by Police
Commission.
Taxation
STIMULUS
FOR VALLEY FORGE?
Cartbridge
replacement open. Story here.
TRIBAL
RECOGNITION ACTIONS: Board of Selectmen voted to join Att'y
General
Blumenthal in opposing more tribal casino/recognition.
New info on line - real property sales data:
FOR
"ABOUT TOWN" RESEARCH PAGE ON RE-EVALUATIONS, CLICK HERE.
REVAL
COMPANY WEBSITE (ASSESSMENT
APPEALS BOARD MEETINGS OVER); and
if you want to go to the web page
for Weston: http://data.visionappraisal.com/WestonCT/DEFAULT.asp
At
the Board of Selectmen Thursday, March 5, 2009, Town Assessor explained
the reval process as it took place in Weston in these difficult times,
and some highlights.
The
2008 revaluation...notices...online at www.visionappraisal.com
by clicking the "Online Database Access" button, then "Connecticut",
and finally, "Weston, CT". Click here for more information. Not sure
yet? click Here for revaluation chart showing
value trends from 2003 - 2008.
Special
Town Meetings notice and ATBM PAGE
Environment
Read
the final draft of the Morehouse Farm Park "Drinking Water Quality
Management Plan."
Where
the DWQMP began...Consent
Agreement with CTDPH.
PUBLIC
HEARING held Tuesday, May 23rd for two hours (approx.)...Pro and Con
heard, many out-of-towners spoke. Read proposed "deer management"
Committee
report and recommendations here.
Price
of gasoline over the top? Check out
the issue here: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/
Greenhouse
gas inventory;
People
Sister
City;
Click
here to go to the CT Register and Manual for names of elected and
appointed
Town Officials and staff (it is slightly out of date since it is
published
annually).
Freedom
of Information Commission:
Interesting decision in 2005 (i.e. definition of public
body). Greenwich opinion re:
Boards of Ethics.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER
2ND, FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
W.I.S.
CAFETORIUM...Report
on Board of Education outreach, FY2011 Budget meeting here. Board of Education; COST
REDUCTION PROGRAM A SUCCESS
BOARD
OF EDUCATION NEWS...
Weston
numbers on CMT & CAPT 2010 tests: link to comparison
with Westport.
BOARD
OF ED BUDGET
FY2010-2011, WESTON LIBRARY: Bd of Ed votes a
1.64% increase Jan. 19th ($44,697,023). At the
first of
three
meetings Education staff had requested a 1.57%
increase. Please
note that the entire proposed budget including detail now online!!!
Phil Schaefer new Chairman; School Road is the grand
boulevard in Weston - all
non-governmental
community life centers here... and since the Town Hall
Annex is now sharing the portable next to the Administration building,
"town and gown" are even closer! Summer project at Weston High
School Science wing - on a grant from WestonArts produces 100-foot long
mural: read all about it here.
SUPER-GREAT Board
of Ed
website: http://www.westonk12-ct.org/
EDUCATION (our view):
News: BIRTH RATES STATE BY STATE: At
this link;
AUDITORIUM
OPEN...Camera Photo
Oct. 29, 2008...and so, the show went on!!! Remember the
W.I.S. in 2004?
Referendum project...The Plan and
new Superintendent Jerome Belair;
latest on turf issue; Booster Barn
design gets green light from Building
Committee - more details and $$ required for original finishes,
especially after WWHD review; School
Bus Study public review, at right.
LINK
TO WESTON
SCHOOL BUS ROUTES 2008-2009 (will have produced digitized map - maybe
the P&Z can use this in the update for the Plan?)
FAIRFIELD
COUNTY'S
GUIDE TO ALTERNATIVE ENERGY: a class project at Weston High School 2008.
Turf fields - are they a good
investment? Are
they safe? "Fields" article from 2007 New London
DAY. In
Weston, a report on the history of some fields in
Weston;
See World
Bank
report on Arab Education (Dr. Pierson, in photo second from left,
now resigned from Weston
post, in Abu Dhabi).
CMT RESULTS BY TOWN
NATIONAL
STUDY: "Regional Shift Seen in Education Gap" here.
Will
this bring on a SHEFF 2?
----------------------
NESDEC
October
2008 enrollments; estimates and projections; then...check
out latest
history of K-5 enrollment;
Report
to the Weston Public Schools - Oct. 15, 2007 - Enrollment
History and
Projections
-----------------------------------------
"One Mile
of Safety" - Board of
Education develops traffic plan for School Road,
including maps: click here.
-----------------------------
On the
Internet - 2005-2006 Data
from the "Strategic
School Profile":
Weston
Strategic School Profile: http://www.csde.state.ct.us/public/der/ssp/dist0506/dist106.pdf
Link to individual schools here: http://www.csde.state.ct.us/public/der/ssp/SCH0506/dist108.htm
Special Education: http://www.csde.state.ct.us/public/der/ssp/dist0506/dist106.pdf
Articles
from
elsewhere in CT...oldies but goodies...what makes Weston Weston:
"Bullying"in
Weston raises its head at the School
Bus tier meeting; Greenwich fields of dreams and other
matters - lighted
fields...again...and
"racial
imbalance"
in Norwalk.Football, farm animals
(no
more free lunch for cows), school bus and lots of 4th graders
listen
to Olympian Leah O'Brien-Amico (guest of Parent Corps)...on being
yourself
and trying new things!A
tool for Weston schools?Good
source for
children to take part in construction-project-like play: http://www.kindertrains.com/plan-city.html
Read of new
State Education classification
system!
RESPONSIBLE PLANNING
C O M M U N I T Y
R E S O U R C E
I N V E N T O R Y :
Above,
Hubble Telescope link. All
the
data - left- and the "how-to" directions, right, for studying Weston's
natural characteristics. Governor's
thinking: "clear" need for responsible development in CT. CSDC the
source for data in Connecticut.
Plan to give first responders
access to highway cameras fades to black
Martin B. Cassidy, Stamford ADVOCATE Staff Writer
Published: 10:21 p.m., Wednesday, May 5, 2010
A long running, intermittent effort to give police and
firefighters
direct access to images from a state highway camera system on
Interstate 95 is dormant again as state transportation officials say
they lack both permission and funding for a Web-based system for first
responders. Westport First Selectman Gordon Joseloff said access
is long overdue and area leaders will urge the state Department of
Transportation to find a way to fund the work.
The lack of access leaves area public safety workers at a
disadvantage
in planning how to deploy first responders to locations of car crashes
and other emergencies, Joseloff said.
"Here we are in 2010 and we are dealing with 1995 technology,"
Joseloff
said. "We should have long ago had access to the images to better
respond to accidents and other problems." Full story here.
REGIONAL THINKER GRIEBEL...PLANNING REGIONS IN CT 2010...
"Oz" Griebel, recently endorsed by
Senator McKinney, for Republican nomination for Governor, addressing
the topic of regional
economics. The Short Session
over, businesses lose ground - part of the same discussion?
MUTUALLY SHARED SERVICES
FORUM: CT Regional Economic Development
Thursday, January 15, 2010 at CCSU, discussions among municipal
officials, planners (APACT), OPM, CARPO, ACIR and more organizations,
we suspect (we saw CCM there). CT-N videotaped the keynote and
the opening session on affordable housing.
OPM Secretary Bob Genuario gave that keynote address; it was
noted that the "Rainy Day" fund was appropriately emptied out ($1.4
billion) in October, similarly to the $600,000 spent in one night at a
previous crisis point some years back. The next 2-year budget
will be written without any "Rainy Day" or Federal "Stimulous" money to
fall back upon. The good news is that we are in better shape than
California, Michigan, Massachusetts and a host of other states - we
should benefit if and when any new programs from DC come along...
"Oz" Griebel addresses planners and business persons regarding regional
economic development "break-out" session panel. "Over the next
four years" Mr. Griebel suggests that policies change to encourage
business; Joint Development the only way to go, with
overbearing COG not the answer, says another presenter. Old
mills, small town revitalization also discussed. It is pointed
out that "CEDS" are in 8 areas in CT covering 138 towns, but that 30
plus other communities are not so organized. This makes
for a fragmented-looking state and less likely, thus, to attract
Federal $$ - that's the way we heard it!
CRISIS: many hands in the pot...
-------
"Responsible
Growth" - bill signing story. Further
improvements to
"Responsible Growth" in 2008 "short session" fail..but so does a bad
bill (from the LWVCT website description): however, 2009 is
seeing a big push for change...but dollars speak louder than change
this session. LINK TO
OPM OFFICE OF RESPONSIBLE GROWTH HERE.
"SMART GROWTH PASSES IN 2009!
IN
CONNECTICUT, THE PLACE TO GO FOR DATA: http://ctsdc.uconn.edu/
The
information about Weston provided at the NEMO link below is not
detailed or accurate enough, but that is why "About Town" recommends an
independent "windshield survey" approach when doing a Town Plan.
On-line environmental, virtual course
of study for the University of Connecticut...NEMO!!!
For those who follow the
Legislature...for the record...passed House then the Senate, at 11:40pm
June 6,
2007 "An
Act Concerning Responsible Growth" H.B. 7090
It was amended at the end - bi-partisan
amendment here.
CT State and Southwestern Region's Plans of
Conservation and
Development maps...above: State
Plan of Conservation & Development 2005-2010, (Weston shown at
left), and as it applies to SWRPA. The South Western Regional
Planning Agency is an eight-town Region from Greenwich, Stamford,
Darien, Norwalk and Westport and north of the Merritt Parkway including
New Canaan, Wilton and Weston.
Its latest Plan was
adopted in February, 2006.
SWRPA (South
Western Regional Planning Agency on the WEB)
Regionalism:
See SWRPA Sewer Service Map 2009
HERE.
Here
it is Election
2008 and the Courant is still at it...2005
thought
piece-editorial by Hartford
Courant
Regional
Maps of SWRPA eight-town area: 1995 SWR Plan (l.) and
from 2005-2010
State of CT Plan
of C&D next, from an early draft of the on-going Housing Study
(follow-up to
Regional Plan 2006-2015 of SWRPA)--a map of where there is sewer or water service; Latest CTDOT train/bus
data. Down to
the see in ships a thing of the past? Will there ever be
intra-state rail commuting--and when
will we see new cars on Metro-North?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Another
great story...
The Connecticut
Department of Transportation - A PAGE ALL TO ITS OWN!
"...On
June 28, 1983, a section of I-95 highway bridge over the Mianus
River in Greenwich collapsed, killing three people and seriously
injuring three more. The tangle of bodies and mangled vehicles that
fell 70 feet to the peaceful little river sent a horrific message that
Connecticut's transportation system was in dire need of
repair..." Read full, seven page story here.
Regional
Housing Needs and Supply Assessment 2007 (long download, l.) and Regional Legislative
Breakfast 2010
(c.) and Regional
Watersheds,
July 24, 2008.
Interesting
story 21 November 2007
explains the housing industry in U.S.A. by I-BBC here.
FOR
A PREVIEW
OF THINGS TO COME (VIRTUAL LAND USE): http://www.communityviz.com/
SWRPA(South
Western Regional Planning Agency on the WEB)
"Responsible
Growth" bill
sHB7090 passed and this is the section that spoke to Economic
Development...
Congestion
Pricing coming
to N.Y.C.? Not so fast...but CT is going to study
alternatives state-wide next year
M.P.O.
takes action opposing Broadwater!
PUBLIC INFORMATION
MEETING: Pro-con on BROADWATER...Norwalk HOUR report--Governor Rell's action following;
Reportsof
special meeting April 20, 2005 (Wednesday evening) at 7:30 p.m. in the
Senior Center Auditorium, Stamford Government Center (2nd floor): discussion
among Mayors, First Selectmen, P&Z Commissioners.
A
fight between I-95 and Metro-North for $$?
Regionalism:
some recent developments...
letter from
Norwalk Transit District;
REGIONAL
PLAN ASSOCIATION ("RPA") - read their tax-land use
proposals for New Jersey; Fairfield County projects...
Latest
in intersection/traffic calming? How about alternative
fuels?
GOVERNOR'S BILL ON
REGIONALIZATION:
http://www.cga.ct.gov/2009/TOB/H/2009HB-06389-R00-HB.htm
Read all about the
Westport public meeting on housing opportunities and concepts, pictured
at left.
Read all about
SWRPA 2009 Housing Summit...
SWRPA
Housing Needs and Supply Assessment (August 2007): how it may fit into
Weston's planning...
To
download the various sections (text, maps and related documents) of
this report for yourself, please visit the SWRPA website, and go to the
Housing Committee page:
http://www.swrpa.org/swrpa/housing_cmte.htm
May 2009 - David Fink reports to SWRPA on
affordable housing event at two locations including Housatonic
Community College: http://bridgeportvisden.eventbrite.com/
Rell: Towns Will Receive Help Planning
Affordable Housing
By LORETTA
WALDMAN | The Hartford Courant
11:35 AM EST,
November 11, 2008
The Capitol Region
Council of Governments, a regional planning agency
representing Hartford-area municipalities, has been awarded federal
assistance to develop responsible growth strategies for affordable
housing, Gov. M. Jodi Rell has announced.
CRCOG will receive
direct technical assistance valued at approximately
$45,000 from a team of national experts organized by the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), Rell said. The largest of the state's 15
regional planning agencies, CRCOG has long been a proponent of the
environment, social, and economic benefits of smart growth and will use
the funds to enact "incentive housing zones" that encourage affordable
housing development. CRCOG requested EPA assistance with technical
policy analysis and public participation processes to develop and
promote model smart growth regulations that include provisions for
incentive housing zones in rural, suburban, and urban areas in the
Capitol region.
"This assistance
will help Hartford area towns promote a regional
approach for combating sprawl," Rell said. "By developing zoning
regulations based on responsible growth, we will be able to promote
more affordable housing options in the greater Hartford area."
Other communities
receiving the funding are Miami-Dade, Florida and New
York City. Connecticut Communities represented by CRCOG are: Andover,
Avon, Bloomfield, Canton, East Granby, East Hartford, East Windsor,
Ellington, Enfield, Farmington, Glastonbury, Granby, Hartford, Hebron,
Manchester, Marlborough, Newington, Rocky Hill, Simsbury, Somers, South
Windsor, Suffield, Tolland, Vernon, West Hartford, Wethersfield,
Windsor and Windsor Locks.
One of the
recommendations to come out of Rell's Responsible Growth
Task Force last year was to develop models of smart grown zoning
regulations that could be used by Connecticut's municipalities and
regional planning organizations.
"If left
unchecked, sprawl will continue to chop up the landscape and
impair our ability to remain economically competitive," she said.
"Responsible development ensures that we protect valuable natural
resources at the same time we take important steps to grow and
strengthen our economy."
More information
about the communities receiving EPA smart growth
technical assistance: http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/sgia2008.htm
.
Other sources:
LINCOLN INSTITUTE OF LAND USE
POLICY link to "Visualizing Density" abstract: http://www.lincolninst.edu/pubs/pubdetail.aspx?pubid=1178
Good ideas here!
HOUSING
CRISIS IN
U.S.A.? Read I-BBC
report here.
Think tank link: http://www.ctpartnershiphousing.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=181&Itemid=62
"About Weston" ideas and
research (unofficial) here.
"Think piece" on the
subject here: http://www.businessfairfield.com/affordablehousing.htm
Island County, WA recent
history on the subject: http://www.islandcounty.net/planning/docket.htm
"As the world
turns..." on
the Federal Level...to
the cabinet" and other links...any new developments in open beach
policies?
U.S.
CENSUS BUREAU ON-LINE:
U.S.
Census Bureau WEBsite: Fairfield County Data
AMERICAN
FACTFINDER an official place for tabular data, GEOGRAPHIC link
American
Factfinder
tabular data link to Weston
U.S. Census 2000
NEW - Annual Capital
Expenditures
Survey:
http://www.census.gov/csd/ace/
Estimates of the
Population for
Minor Civil Divisions in CT, lisited alphabetically within
County, April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005: http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2005-05-09.xls
Pyramid
of population projections 2000-2010 for Connecticut from the
U.S. Census Bureau (0-5 age cohort down statewide):
http://www.census.gov/population/projections/07PyrmdCT1.pdf
Map
of Weston
down to Block
Level - some sample data for
Weston.
U.S. Census page on
estimates and methodology: http://www.census.gov/popest/estimates.php
Estimates
of population.
PLANNING & ZONING: Please
remember
that this is not official information, nor does it purport to represent
the opinions of anyone but the author of these pages. A source
for
basic urban planning education is: http://www.planning.org/
BAD NEWS IN 2009 - "Shovel
ready" may mean burying this fine idea...planning
process take too long or was it just the ways things work? There
may be some news of a positive sort soon...and that word came from
former lead staff who noted at a SWRPA meeting that the scale of any
development and the timing, while bad for the project, will create less
upset in neighboring communities through constrtuction.
Weston land use 1999 next. Georgetown Land
Development gets "smart growth" award
and now funding
comes through for green design at
Gilbert & Bennett - see CLEAR aerial photo and official UK
greenbelt next...for
overview
of the Weston Plan itself, click HERE.
PLANNING
& ZONING:
NEWS:
P&Z to go to
Selectmen tent. Monday, May 10 (a
"special") to get their comments. DRAFT is on the
Town Website; the Selectmen may hold their own Public
Hearing; deadline for finishing in time to get SWRPA
comments and the 65-day comment from the general public is supposed to
be June 30, 2010.
NOT
SO NEW NEWS: Here is
Planimetrics'
review of where we're at with
the Town Plan - click
here for their report.
Unofficial
update of Town
Plan begun
(first things first: develop an existing land use map...)
ANYTHING NEW
OUT THERE? ENERGY IMPROVEMENT
DISTRICTS -
link here and scroll down
to sections 21-36 for the official word, or click
here to go to this website's version (Weston's unofficial
planning process as well as a look at a few places far away.)
Cool map of
"tear-downs" in Westport HERE
(thanks to WESTPORTNOW.COM)
Ideas;
density bonus
legislation/special taxing district
Change
agents;
Action;Facts.
Related
Weston
Town Plan 2000 information - unofficial
Town Plan illustration.
Unofficial
version
of the Town Plan's maps;
Postcards
from Weston.
CT
Plan of Conservation
& Development 2004-2009 link HERE;
Outdoor
Recreation in CT; go directly to information on "SCORP" HERE;
NEMO
land cover
map for Weston HERE.
CLEAR interactive and explanation of remote sensing data HERE
for Weston.
Wetlands:
what are they and how many different types can you think of...
Out-of-town
projects;
Nature
Center at Lachat news...
Regional
Planning and data link to U.S. Census Bureau
State
of Connecticut: latest CT
PLAN OF C&D - easy
to read version.
Special
Permit Zoning gives
people the last
say...latest (things happen slowly in
Weston...):
LACHAT
AGAIN!
At left, concept;
center, the site of P&Z Special
Permit public hearing; at right, ATBM
considers cut to funding...and they did; another
Committee formed - "Lachat
Advisory Committee."
LACHAT: something is up...Committee (not sure which
one) is to
meet, we think, on June 18, 2009 at Lachat.
NEW COMMITTEE
REVIVED PLAN -
Public Hearings September 12 and 25, 2006 came up with modest proposal;
Juliana
Lachat
Preserve Master
Plan presented first Dec. 4, 2003, then...
June
17, 2004
Special Town Meeting says "YES" to $1.5
million Town share of funding plan...and then project is
withdrawn
after first night of Special Permit Public Hearing at Planning and
Zoning...ATBM cuts all funding for FY07.; WHAT NEXT?
Cultural,
historic, architectural
and natural preservation...
Click
(l.)
above for history of G&B.
Built
environment -
click
(next) for Whidbey Island, WA news; and our Seattle
page.
Mt. St. Helen's
outside Seattle,
2004--nature takes a hand...in other places,
too.
How to start...inside
as well as outside (of Weston proper): check out P.A.05-205;
Historic Presevation:
Georgetown,
CT: a work in progress; elsewhere
in New England:
Site
Plan Public Hearing for Georgetown
Development at former Gilbert&Bennett Property;
Gilbert
& Bennett history; Georgetown Land
Development press:
http://www.georgetownland.com/news.asp
Georgetown and the Flood of 1955;
Georgetown
CT New Urbanism?
Neighborhood plans/revitalization:
West Hartford, CT:
Blue Back Square news...
Seattle,
WA:
a cool place
to
emulate? Maybe not...
NEWS here.
Check up on third count of votes in
gubernatorial
election HERE;
On
Whidbey Island, WA., cultural activity is an accepted way to build
community (supporting its arts community). Ideas from
Whidbey Island HERE.
Seattle,
WA incorporates urban design into its planning; check
out
Whidbey Island research HERE
R-e-s-p-e-c-t
nature's impact: Mount
St. Helen's virtual tour...
Urban
design in Redding:
We think the Central
Part of Weston needs some: some ideas;
Any
development
consequences of Zenon
plant use?
CT
SITING COUNCIL...cell towers, 345kV lines regulators;
U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers on power to Long Island; other (not
Weston)
History
of School Construction: HOW
DID THIS MEGA-PROJECT develop?Army
Corps projects;
Open space
planning - both active and passive open space - involving transit:
Seattle
neighborhoods to be linked by bike trail - how does
SAFETEA-LU (Federal Highway Bill) relate to this?
SEATTLE
POST-INTELLIGENCER
STAFF
Tuesday,
June
21, 2005
The
City Council
yesterday approved a measure that will allow hikers and bicyclists to
travel
between Magnolia and Fremont by trail. The Ship Canal Trail's
link
at the Ballard Bridge will now connect to the Lake Union waterfront. In
1996, the city acquired property as part of the Lake Union Ship Canal
Trail
Project, allowing the trail to be extended from near the Fremont Bridge
to Sixth Avenue West. The measure transfers property from
Burlington
Northern Santa Fe Railway Co. to the city to complete the trail. The
city
will extend the trail westward from Sixth Avenue and connect it to the
existing bicycle path along West Emerson Street. Cyclists will be
able to travel between Seattle and Redmond almost entirely by
trail.
(Redmond=Microsoft)
High points in Weston open space purchasing
(but by no means the whole story)...
"Village
of the Dammed" a great history of why Weston is the way it is!!!
Special
Town Meeting
Jan. 9, 2003 votes "yes" twice and takes well-established open space
purchase
policy one step further--begins
landbanking program.
Check
out location of Fromson-Strassler and Elizabeth Luce Moore "land
bank"
properties; link to
Aspectuck Land Trust.
The
power of www.aboutweston.com
- 2002 bike map from the State of Connecticut (lower Fairfield County)
now uploaded!
"ABOUT TOWN"
HAD ITS OWN PLAN IDEAS...This website's original
(original as any plan ever is!) unofficial
e-document, online planning, mapping
& research here.
CLICK
HERE FOR TEXT OF OFFICAL WESTON TOWN PLAN 2010: Plan
process this year, 2010 (above, l to r in reverse
chronological order). Previously...
- Special P&Z
meeting June 28 approves new Town Plan of C&D 2010 UNANIMOUSLY; official existing land use map, School
Road pedestrianization 1994, Fromson-Strassler, across from the
"commercial" hub;
- Board of Selectmen meets with P&Z to go over
page-by-page review of new Town Plan Monday, June 21, 2010, including
long discussion of use of Town land in the center of town now
under the control of the Board of Education.
- The three Boards (Finance, Selectmen and Education) who
take the lead on the budget
exercise met extra early (June 14), offering comment on scheduling next
year's budget process to allow for the eventuality of another
Referendum. Which isn't really part of the Town Plan, but shows
how other Boards in town think - not at all like P&Z!
- P&Z meets with LWV in May, next...
- At "Speak Up 2010" in February, the Chair. of P&Z,
Stephan
Grozinger
announced, in response to a League question, the new Town Plan draft
should be available in 60 days or so. Since "Speak Up" there has
been a flurry of comparative data collected by the Selectmen's Office -
click here for report.
Watershed,
Sub-watersheds map plus others displayed
("limitations for development" below, right).
HOW DID JOINT P&Z-SELECTMEN PUBLIC
HEARING ON THE NEW TOWN PLAN DRAFT GO?
WHO SHOWED UP?
Prepared Westonites who had done their homework! The only
citizens who spoke, and this was a lot for any meeting in Weston,
either had written comments referencing pages from the online version -
print copies available at the PH - minimal presentation by P&Z and
Selectmen (it was for the people to speak up this evening).
JOINT SELECTMEN/P&Z TOWN PLAN
PUBLIC HEARING Monday evening went 90 minutes, 16 speakers,
reminded us of why we moved here! What a great town - its the
people!!! Yes, the peace and quiet, beauty and 1940's look
of Weston Center (a remark made by a young resident who brought his
mother to see his Weston home) here in the 21st century makes us
special, too!
IDEAS/QUESTIONS:
Track use, bicycle plan, how much land is left to subdivide, cost of
development v. benefits, some need to relieve tax burden, economic
development, bus to train, neighborhood parks, tree removal ordinance
and ENFORCEMENT, against chicken coops and goats, litmus test on
development or tax relief ideas, schools willing to work with town to
use facilities, gathering place needed, no sense of community - we need
more, CONSERVATION & Development this time, Weston is "best kept
secret" and bravo to the individual who's mother had made the
"1940's-like"
remark, CLUB
WESTON idea picked
up by P&Z!!!
WHAT'S
NEXT? A REVISED TOWN PLAN DRAFT WHICH IS NOW THE ADOPTED PLAN -
HERE
Formal P&Z Public Hearing on June 24th, adoption on June
28th. Read
the now superceded 2010 Plan online and let P&Z know what you
think!
Ideas
not questioned but explained at the end included the concept of renting
town-owned land - which would require a Town Meeting to approve the
contract.
THE UNOFFICIAL MAPS
(first 2) AND TOWN PLAN MAPS OF "LIMITATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT" AND
WATERSHEDS, SUB-WATERSHEDS, WESTON, CONNECTICUT
Left, Weston, Connecticut @1996 by
"About Town" (prior to website). Legend for
1996 here; 2008 version "Existing
Land Use Map"...
"Limitations
for Development" and "Watersheds" 2010.
OK,
we'll started the
ball rolling:
- What land is still vacant? This question is
still being mulled over at P&Z;
- Our source in this
numbers game (we color as "developed" anything that has been
subdivided): the Town Tax
Assessor's maps;
- And then the
corresponding data to
review which uses the land is devoted to, in case we have any
questions...
If the
GOALS of the new Plan are to
both maintain the relatively rural
nature of Weston while both making
the schools even more of a focus, while not bankrupting the taxpayers,
then...
POLICIES of the PLAN should enhance
them...including
sewer avoidance,
heavily enforced and creative
environmental
protection policies,
consistent Town spending on and
maintenance of "education village"and education programs, buildings and
infrastructure improvements.
Results of
the SURVEY taken by P&Z at the end of 2009; looks as if
we are in step with the responding population!
SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION: Census of Children
What has been done in this area in the past: http://www.aboutweston.com/towncen00.htm
And even longer ago: http://www.aboutweston.com/TWN00.htm
Please
remember that this website is
unofficial...
Planimetrics' analysis of the process
undertaken by the P&Z...
SWRPA Study of Saugatuck coming soon...
At
the top, Planimetrics
conducts Feb. 26, 2009 meeting to determine what people consider
important to emphasize in the Town Plan revision (r.). Natural
Resources discussion March 25th at the Library very thoughtful and
input from DEP as well as citizens knowledgeable about
environment. The
new Lunch Box decor, the old
Revson Field an opportunity area - how about new thoughts???
And NEMO/CLEAR
State of Connecticut advisor...now retired.
PUBLIC
INVOLVEMENT...GOING THE EXTRA STEP...LATEST ON SURVEY RESULTS HERE!
--------------------------------------
AN ACT CONCERNING ELECTRICITY
AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY: read
all about the section devoted to ENERGY
IMPROVEMENT
DISTRICTS in
Public Act 07-242!
SAMPLE
QUESTION:
How can Revson Field (shown above in a photo BEFORE the
Referendum) be the key to developing a more coordinated, centralized
approach to energy
policy for the Town of
Weston? ANSWER: By making it part of an
Energy Improvement District!
MOVING AHEAD!!! citizens'
call for "sports complex" heard by
Selectmen; movement
gaining steam to build Booster Barn/home stands/press box (never
accomplished with the $80 million from the Nov. 15, 2001
Referendum). Keep your fingers crossed and hope for Booster Barn
by Sept. 30th of 2009! Nope. But there is always Sept. 2010!
"About
Town" Original
Town Plan 2010 - 2020
includes: link to "Village
District" map proposed -
compare to our Central
Part of Town "hub"
map.
REMEMBER CLUB WESTON?
QUESTION:
What is the story on migration? In other places in America there
is out-migration...if
birth rates go down too, that is 1990 ("there are no more children")
all over again!
ONLINE
"About Town's" unofficial EXISTING
LAND USE MAP 2008 (still in progress);
ONLINE
DOCUMENTATION: Our
own, unofficial historical Land Use
Maps here (1986
to 1999); our own Land Use analysis 1999.
ONLINE
RESEARCH: NEMO
doing regression analysis based on newer data -
should
be helpful in Town Plan update...measuring the effects of incremental
construction (NEMO leader above, at right, who spoke to P&Z this
Spring)?
COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH: include
10-year look into public finance and capital expenses as part of
Town Plan of Conservation and Development.
VIDEO
interviews with information sources.
Town
Planning not done
locally across the pond. "Knock
downs," UK
definition of "brownfield" and
UK discussion of planning: http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7190000/newsid_7197500/7197538.stm?bw=nb&mp=rm&asb=1&news=1&bbcws=1
RESEARCH
SOURCES and ideas on related challenges for Weston: map above left
links to "land
use change" page...at right, a previous NEMO map of the
State by Census Tracts (1990). NOTE: top two-thirds of Weston in
the low development category--and much of that is the Nature
Conservancy and the Reservoir.
Ideas
and topics from out there
(including
"visual issues" ): how do do a Plan...
Wildlife in crisis...in Weston!
CAN WESTON
MAKE THE TOWN-SCHOOL SUPERBLOCK INTO AN ENERGY
IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT?
How
does
"Responsible Growth" implementation, now the law,
apply in Weston? Perhaps
the new Town Plan can address this?
Research
to date (what
has happened since Year 2000);
GIS
system for Weston coming (not before Town Plan is due for update,
tho'); can SWRPA help?
Long-range
population projections from
UCONN: go to CT Data Center here: http://ctsdc.uconn.edu/; and
enrollment projections here: NESDEC10-15007.pdf
What relationship
is
there between the State of
Connecticut Long-Range Transportation Plan and Weston's Town
Plan?
Where do bicycles fit in...Energy
Options
to the forefront?
New use for high school roof? GLOBAL
WARMING - National
Conversation came to Weston H.S. cafeteria Oct. 4 - click here for pix.
Global
Warming
before the Supreme Court! How is Weston
affected by this
decision? And for Connecticut especially, "green
policy" wins the case!
Should the new Plan include any other ideas,
such as the ones in red Italic here?
From across
the
pond...always a good place to check for new ideas.
MAKING CHANGE
The
economy:
Very much in the news, don't you think?
Scramble for water?
What
was that you said? I
couldn't hear you over the noise of low flying jumbo jets...FAA issue;
Power
issues: New England Governors and Canadian Premiers Conference;report
#2 is about day 2 of that conference, re: region's
prospects. So
how does the U.S.A.plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
Growth
enablers: power supply, generation and delivery systems.
Long
Island Sound: Liquified Natural Gas ("LNG")
facilities- where
are they in the U.S.A.?
Utopia
Studios and the further redevelopment of South Eastern CT; base-closing
in
Groton...didn't happen...what is the Plan for Southeastern CT economy
now?
Investment
by
outside "agencies" - for example, art
in Everett, WA;
University
of
Connecticut/NEMO; here you will
find maps for Weston (of
land cover and basins)
- COOL MAPS!C.L.E.A.R.
"Smart
Growth/Property
Tax Commission" - link
to CCM summary; download full report from there;
civil rights lawsuits reviving.
How
about global
warming and the Kyoto Protocol? I-BBC article here.
TAKING ACTION ("so how do we
do anything about solving problems?")
CTDOT
reform panel website;
Bridgeport
newspaper's editorialson
housing
policies...
Check
out equivalent
of "village
district"in
another part of CT.
BLUE
RIBBON COMMISSION REPORT; local control of zoning...METROPATTERNS.
Affordable
Housing History... news reports; Norwalk HOUR series HERE;
ANTI-BIG
HOUSES
REPORT:
latest article; old article HERE; later
report HERE;
Some
LAND
USE LEGAL DECISIONS...Legislature passes "Poirier" relief bill. Substitute
Senate Bill 448 history...signed by Governor June 1, 2004.
KNOW THE FACTS
TERRASERVA:
Aerial photographs and U.S.G.S. maps;
CLEAR
maps from University of Connecticut;
Center for Population Studies at UCONN: http://popcenter.uconn.edu/
U.S.
CENSUS 2010
WEBPAGE: Census 2000 NewEstimate for
2004...regional
Census link;
Hartford
Courant/U.S.
Census 2000 selected data for
the State of Connecticut.
...AND
SOME MORE FACTS
Weston's block
group ("neighborhood") maps from U.S.Census 2000...Profile
of selected economic characteristics, U.S. Census 2000 for Weston,
CT -
The
major
CT source on the Internet and the latest report of interest:
http://www.ct.gov/
http://www.conndot.ct.gov/pttrans/index.html
HOW
DOES WESTON
RELATE TO EVENTS AND TOPICS OUTSIDE ITS BORDERS?
Eminent domain: U.S.
Supreme Court Kelo v. City of
New London--click
here for commentary; eminent
domain ruling in New London sets up CT Legislative debate in
Special Session
- CT POST editorial; new
proposal in legislature never saw the light in '04. DAY
editorial on New London urban
renewal...CT
Legislature
asked to empower Zoning Boards re: site
plan powers - didn't pass 2005...
Legal
issue other than eminent domain:
Farmland
tax breaks in court; a victory for farm preservation (Falls Village).
Farmland
de-classification
elsewhere in CT (importance of Board of Assessment Appeals);
How Lyme
does land preservation.
When
is a gift
of open space not forever? (Answer: when you don't
follow
the tax rules closely?);
Wetlands
litigation.
Sprawl
as a health issue?
"...study
found no link between
suburban
sprawl and a greater incidence of mental health problems. Regions
considered to have the worst suburban sprawl included Atlanta;
Riverside-San
Bernardino, Calif.; Winston-Salem, N.C.; West Palm Beach, Fla.; and
Bridgeport-Danbury-Stamford,
Conn., the report said. Regions with the least amount of sprawl
included
New York City, San Francisco, Boston and Portland, Ore...
Property Tax and taxes
in general department:
Discussions
in CT
Tax Study by Program Review
and Investigation
Latest
NJ PRESS RELEASE:
How New Jersey study PART THREE reads;
PART TWO by
R.P.A.
came out...
Review part
one
here (issued during the recent election campaign for Governor of New
Jersey); please note that the victorious candidate, now Governor,
over the July 4th weekend, closed down the State of New Jersey in a
battle with the Legislature over increasing the sales tax to pay for his
budget.
Other:
Could
Weston learn
anything from Missoula, Montana? From
Seattle?The
Citizen-Planner
info source, horses mouth variety: http://www.plannersweb.com/.
Intersection and
highways design thoughts...roundabouts
on
Whidbey Island (Oak Harbor)? How about visiting ANWR and learning to be a musher?
Planning
ideas from...across the pond.
In Weston's next Plan? Examples of greenbelt,
roundabout and
parking gargage...just below!
"LOOK LIKE..." (but these are across the pond): North
of the Merritt, roundabout in the news on the Greenwich-Stamford border
and the Stamford parking garage, perhaps?
Outreach by About Town:
we can learn from other
places (classic English ideas above)!
IN CONNECTICUT: looking east along Long
Island Sound and generally in an easterly direction:
Utopia - the
project, as it was; related
to
Utopia. Casino
expansion...
East
Norwalk Neighborhood Association (ENNA);
FROM THE COURTS... LATEST WORD
ON URBAN RENEWAL LAW! Photographic
essays from Brooklyn by
talented artist/urbanist. Latest: http://www.brooklynfootprints.com/home.html
I-BBC take on urbanization:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/world/2006/urbanisation/
Architecture can make a difference:
http://www.newhampshire.com/article.cfm?ArticleID=1839
Arvada, CO - a place we did long-distance
consulting
about street-closings for a mall (many years ago)
news;
Scottsdale, Arizona
our newest e-place to visit!
We're
a bit behind on this one...
Missoula, Montana a recent e-place for research (related to
WILD THINGS farm
team)!
Weston,
CT sometimes might be mistaken for...Palo Alto, CA!
Seattle, plus tourism
and "visioning" on Whidbey Island; E-Land
Use Planning
on Whidbey
Island,
WA; open
space and preserving history important on Whidbey Island; compare
South Whidbey Schools to Weston's (U.S. Census 2000) - click here to
read about their school
construction issues.
American
Planning
Association (APA) in China - pre-earthquake:
urbanization: create
communities of lasting value.
CT
GENERAL
ELECTION : HOW BAD $TATE$' $ITUATION$ ARE,
FROM NYTIME$ .
Final numbers available
for CT Primaries (turnout) here
What
is the the next Governor
of Connecticut planning re: unfunded pension liabilities?
--------------------------------
How
are all the other states doing? http://www.rockinst.org/pdf/government_finance/state_revenue_report/2009-07-17-SRR_76.pdf
CONNECTICUT
GOVERNMENT(our view)
www.ct.gov,
website for CT
government; Governor Rell;
legislature C.G.A.;
transportation T.S.B.;
analysis: O.L.R. &
O.F.A.; CT
Government TV CT-N.
Conn.
governor's TV speech to focus on
budget woes - her
budget address here. Her budget here.
And here.
Governor's
Regionalizing idea, Friday the 13th: http://www.cga.ct.gov/2009/TOB/H/2009HB-06389-R00-HB.htm
News...
"Connecticut
ranks among eight states in which at least one-third of the
liability remains unfunded. Illinois is in last place, with 54 percent
of its pension system funded, followed by Kansas at 59 percent. Rhode
Island and Oklahoma are tied at 61 percent, and Connecticut is next at
62 percent."
NJ settles SEC fraud charges
over bond sales
YAHOO
By MARCY GORDON, AP Business Writer
18 August 2010
WASHINGTON – The state of New Jersey has settled federal civil
fraud
charges of failing to inform bond investors that it had not met
obligations to its largest pension plans, federal regulators said
Wednesday.
In announcing the settlement, the Securities and Exchange
Commission
said New Jersey did not give municipal bond investors enough
information to fully assess the state's financial picture.
New Jersey was the first state ever charged for violations of
the
securities laws. New Jersey neither admitted nor denied the
allegations. It did agree to refrain from future violations of the
securities laws.
No financial penalty was levied against the state. The SEC said
it took
into account state authorities' cooperation in its investigation and
action taken by the state to correct the situation.
The case marked the latest action by the SEC touching on the
$2.7
trillion bond market, used to finance schools, roads and hospitals
around the country. Retail investors increasingly participate in the
market, seeking safe investments with reliable returns. At the same
time, crises in several municipalities have underscored the importance
of the municipal bond market.
The SEC had charged that New Jersey sold more than $26 billion
in
municipal bonds between 2001 and 2007 to raise money for economic
development projects, such as roads and power lines. But the bond sale
documents didn't disclose that the state had failed to meet its
financial obligations to two state employee pension funds. New Jersey
likely couldn't contribute to the pension funds without raising taxes
or cutting services, the SEC said.
As a result, investors in New Jersey's bonds lacked sufficient
information to assess the state's financial status, the SEC said.
"All issuers of municipal securities, including states, are
obligated
to provide investors with the information necessary to evaluate
material risks," Robert Khuzami, the SEC's enforcement director, said
in a statement. "The state of New Jersey didn't give its municipal
investors a fair shake, withholding and misrepresenting pertinent
information about its financial situation."
The SEC last year proposed requiring brokers in municipal bonds
to make
fuller and more timely disclosures to investors.
Many states around the country have been unable to fully fund
their
public employee pension plans in the financial crisis.
"It is an area of concern," Elaine Greenberg, chief of the SEC's
municipal securities and public pensions unit, said in a telephone
interview. "We want to make sure that states and municipalities are
adequately disclosing" their pension fund liabilities, she said.
--------------------
Did sub-prime problem hit CT
investments?
Click
here for Treasurer's message; click
here for Manchester Journal Inquirer report.
Relationship
between poverty
and health care...we're number 3, after New Hampshire ("Live Free
or Die") and Utah.
--------
T R
A N S I T O R I E N T E D D E V E L O P M
E N T :
Weston
T.O.D.? The best example
of this might be: http://www.cga.ct.gov/2007/ACT/PA/2007PA-00242-R00HB-07432-PA.htm
Connecticut
Department of
Transportation (CTDOT) - "...the highwayman came riding, riding,"
riding...
Reprise of problems
with "Big Dig" in Boston.
Sub-page on TRUCK TRAFFIC
& SAFETY here...
Or as we say across the pond, "transport."
Property tax going to get a re-do in 2009, 2008
Sessions? And last Session before that...and the one even before
that...
OPM
PRESENTATION - The
Appropriations Committee held a briefing on the Governor's
proposed budget Thursday, February 8, 2007 LOB. OPM Secretary Robert
Genuario made the presentation
to the Committee. Was anybody listening? Governor
Rell's budget - link
here.
WARNING:
main page to Legislative Branch should now read (as prefix to specific
locations with CGA) http://www.cga.ct.gov
PRESERVING
THE ENVIRONMENT: what
about "supply and demand" cycles here? Life and death?
Money matters more in '09?
THE OIL-SPILL HISTORY: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/10/us/20100510_OIL_TIMELINE.html?ref=earth
WATER
SUPPLY NEWS;
POWER;
ENERGY;
OIL;
NEW
FORMS of energy or improved
ones (that may reduce air pollution, for example); biodiesel? WIND? Read
answers to fuel
cell questions re: health here.
SOLAR
POWER DEFINED
FOR MAN-IN-THE-STREET.
I-BBC
ON CLIMATE CHANGE...
I-BBC link to climate change
post Copenhagen: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8394886.stm
Climate
change latest
news breaks from I-BBC;
NEW:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/documentary_archive/7075560.stm
Graphic: climate
change around the world (I-BBC): http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/629/629/6528979.stm
I-BBC
indepth:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/sci_tech/2004/climate_change/default.stm.
More I-BBC direct to an issue: Fuelling
the future.
LINKS:
ONE
DEVELOPMENT CONSEQUENCE
Beach
report in CT;
"Climate change"
page inspired by
economists - yet another sensational British
government report;
Broadwater proposal and the Coast
Guard decision...
New
in Weston:Geothermal
house!
Energy
supplies:
Alternative
power (other than oil) available;
Long
Island Sound bi-state bill now
CT law! "Cross-Sound" natural gas idea dead in 2009.
H20;
U.S.G.S. stream flow in CT; how
about global
warming
- and what about floods or drought?
Air
pollution;
Power
lines.
Natural
Disasters: hurricane (i.e. New Orleans); tsunami (Indian Ocean); earthquake and volcano, and Chernobyl
- not a natural, but plenty disastrous (20 year anniversary April 26,
1986)!
WATER SUPPLY
BACKGROUND/NEWS:
GLOBAL
PICTURE:
UN Report: Nature Best
Controls Climate Gases
NYTIMES
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 9:23 a.m. ETJune
5, 2009
AMSTERDAM (AP) -- The U.N. Environment Program says nature's way
is
best for controlling the gases responsible for climate change.
A UNEP report says better management of forests, more careful
agricultural practices and the restoration of peatlands could soak up
significant amounts of carbon dioxide, the most common gas blamed for
global warming.
It says millions of dollars are being invested in research on
capturing
and burying carbon emitted from power stations, but investing in
ecosystems could achieve cheaper results. It also would have the added
effects of preserving biodiversity, improving water supplies and
boosting livelihoods.
The U.N. agency released the report Friday at U.N. climate talks
in
Bonn, Germany. The event was Web cast worldwide.
---------------
FROM
THE WORLD
ECONOMIC FORUM, January 29, 2008:
DAVOS, Switzerland (AFP) —
Warnings of a water and food crisis seemed
incongruous among the lavish hospitality of Davos this year, but the
danger was stressed repeatedly to the assembled world elite. Scarcity of water was named
by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as a
top priority at the World Economic Forum and he warned that conflicts
lay ahead if the provision of the vital resource could not be assured.
"Population growth will
make the problem worse. So will climate change.
As the global economy grows, so will its thirst. Many more conflicts
lie just over the horizon," he said in a speech on Thursday.
Ban reminded the gathering
of the world's wealthy powerbrokers in Davos
that the conflict in Darfur in Sudan was touched off by a drought. "Too
often where we need water, we find guns," he said.
Rising food prices are also
causing problems in emerging countries,
with demonstrations and violence witnessed in a host of countries
including Mexico and African nations Mauritania, Morocco,
Senegal. Indian Trade Minister Kamal Nath warned earlier in the
week that prices of some foodstuffs had doubled in his country at a
time when 25 million people in India were estimated to have moved from
taking one to two meals a day.
"What does 25 million
people moving from one to two meals a day do for
prices?" he asked a room of corporate bigwigs and policymakers who pay
thousands of dollars to attend the exclusive get-together here.
Referring to the challenge
of providing food at affordable prices, he
said: "Next year in Davos we'll be discussing this..."
Link
to Hartford Courant S-P-R-A-W-L page...how about
thinking "out of the box" but downward?
AQUARION:
Drought dought
2007:
Greenwich story worse than in some other parts of CT?
Down under? Macquarie Bank Limited of Australia
must go to DPUC...
Aquarion goes for a rate
hike in '07;
DPUC
says "no"
to Aquarion request for rate increase Oct. '04 - story HERE (despite
what Greenwich TIME article says, this not
as big an issue for Weston as in some other towns--private wells for
most of town - see SWRPA water/sewer
service
map);
Rate
hike for
Aquarion customers coming: full
story.
News from
U.S.G.S. study in Greenwich (CONCLUSION:
water use too high
on large lots);
Check
out latest
Aquarion CT map HERE...
"SMART
GROWTH"...(according to OLR researcher in CT):
I-BBC
climate change scenario map;
GLOBAL
WARMING on the front burner. Read BBC article HERE.
General
Electric
gets into the H2O
game...
Take
a water use
test HERE;
Is
there H2Oenough
for all?
"Where
will we be in 2015?" Explore development issues with I-BBC.
"Planet
Under Pressure" - another I-BBC series...
Local
Government
Sustainability link...
Sierra
Club "Thirst" link...
WHERE
GOVERNMENT
FITS IN:
U.S.G.S. site: http://water.usgs.gov/data.html
At the State level, DPH looks
over DEP's shoulder on
Erskine Road in North Stamford (Greenwich gets water supply from Mianus
River, we think);
Town
of Weston
UNSIGNED COPY of the consent order in the matter of "Morehouse Farm
Park
Development" HERE;
Island
County,
WA story on remediating arsenic in groundwater HERE.
Water
battles
an old Western tradition - new;
Whidbey
Island, WA is active here!
Thoughtful
article from the New London DAY...and some editorial thinking on Southeastern
region water planning...
Water
Supply Around CT...last drought story. NOW A NEW ONE?
CT
DEP web site: http://dep.state.ct.us/
WATER
POLLUTION: Latest...in
Norwalk, at former Norden site - here
How about Stamford, CT
issue for "close to home" in 2009?
HOW
ABOUT
URANIUM IN
CT WELLS? Story here.
India
has problem with arsenic pollution
in groundwater...
Next article down, read of China report on pollution
there;
Sewage
Treatment, State of Washington style;
Article
from the Whidbey News-Times (State of Washington) - reminds me of
the
Weston Water Study (booklet published in 1993 - testing @1989).
GLOBAL PICTURE
- War caused
by drought?
HOW ABOUT FLOODS? HOW ABOUT WAVE POWER?
I-BBC describes the problem in England here;
IS IT TIME FOR A NEW
APPROACH TO FLOOD PLAIN MANAGEMENT?
POWER:
Powerline news (bottom right, via
Woodlands Coalition); latest
link to relate to Westonites and/or are E-general info
sources. (Some no longer in service)
Gas pipeline under
L.I.Sound; gas pipelines
in Europe news;
A new
related area of involvement...BROADWATER application
at FERC...latest!
One way to
get out your environmental message - do good P.R. (i.e.
know what you are talking about)
A
long story...one-year cost reprieve and an older story...SHARED COST;
Read
of CT
Siting Council decision on Phase II HERE...
"Nano-technology" is getting attention: http://www.batteriesdigest.com/lithium_air.htm
DEEP
BACKGROUND:
CLICK HERE FOR
NEWS:
Ben Franklin would have loved this photo on left!
Natural electric power (great storm photo taken in Norwalk by
the Stamford ADVOCATE, July 19, 2006). "Czech" and balance in EU
carbon trading story
here.
SO WHAT IS A FUEL CELL? Could one work in
Weston?
U.T.C. supplies
animation here...
How
about vegetable auto
power?
Summertime
CT POST article summarizes
status for ordinary citizens...read official CT Siting Council
announcement: http://www.woodlandscoalition.com/
NOTE: the
photo above
(l.) does not indicate the opinion of "About Town" - but it is a
great and actual visual! ANOTHER USE FOR
THE
SOUND. The rain in Spain apparently does not stay on the plain -
see "solar thermal energy" set up there (r.)! A wind farm in
U.S.A. And more hot air, perhaps (CAP & TRADE)? The
word, from Cool
ACC...
ENERGY:
ENERGY
(other than powerlines in CT):
CNN
(please consider the source) report below:
http://www.greenfudge.org/2010/03/14/solar-powered-spain/
Earlier
CNN
report here.
Spain Reportedly To Cut Solar
Subsidy 30% For Existing Plants
By
Eric Savitz, BARRONS
Wednesday, June 16, 2010 ET
Spain is proposing
to cut the subsidies it pays solar plants by 30% for
existing plants, 45% for future ground-mounted units, 25% for large
future roof-mounted sites and 5% for smaller roofs, according to
various wire service reports, citing comments from industry lobbyists.
Reuters notes that
Tomas Diaz, a spokesman for the Spanish solar lobby
ASIF, said that the proposal would “destroy the government’s
renewables-friendly policy and kill us all off.”
The government wants
to close the big gap between the real cost of
producing power and the subsidized price consumers pay for it.
Copyright
2010 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Biodiesel
in the new
administration?
McCain idea
for
making a big dent in the fuel crisis;
Domestic gas across the pond
story.
Gasoline?
Wind? I-BBC
reports that proposal is coming ("White Cliffs of Dover" to be
obscured?); read about Texas-sized project;
Solar
thermal power in Spain; modified version for
Weston? And how about latest
glider technology (like a Swiss watch)?
New
in Weston: geothermal
heating for residences.
LATEST BROADWATER
NEWS:
BREAKING NEWS:
April 13, 2009, U.S. Department of Commerce upheld N.Y.State on
appeal!!!
Governor Paterson
of New York joins Governor Rell
in saying "no way" to BROADWATER (which appealed)!!!
From Save the Sound and CFE - it is
now up to Governor Spitzer of New
York...oops!
Older report - FERC 3-1 OK given to Weavers
Cove
proposal in Fall River, Massachusetts July 15, 2005...new news there;
(Answer:
bad news - OK'd; discussed at SWRPA meeting
August 1, 2005.)
Coast
Guard hearings
pre-report;
"LNG" - what
is it?
Watch industry
videos HERE;
Safety
concerns: http://www.lngfacts.org/About-LNG/Safety.asp
-------------------------------------------------
GLOBAL
WARMING, ON AN EXPLOSIVE PLANET, HERE'S LOOKING AT YOU, KID - HUGE
ICEBERG, SIZE OF
MANHATTAN FOUND IN
CANADIAN ARCTIC; July 2008 VIDEO.
Bad news for bears - who are now, in 2008,
an endangered species...I-BBC
report.
AIR POLLUTION,
ECONOMY,
BIODIVERSITY, ETC. AND THE
LATEST;
Click
above to get the New York TIMES page on the U.S. Supreme Court
OUR LINKS:
U.S.
Supreme
Court: previous to last terms; 2006-2007 term; and 2007-2008: unanimous Duke
Energy; bigger one - Massachusetts
decision...
"What me worry" department...oil, global warming
and now nuclear warfare - "who's on first/" "No more fish"
story here.
Plainfield
Proposal Raises Concerns For Environment; Opposition To Power Plant Is
'Overblown,' Company Official Says
DAY
By Ted Mann
Published on 10/25/2007
A coalition of state environmental groups urged regulators to
block a
proposed power plant in Plainfield that would burn construction and
demolition debris to generate electricity...for full story, click here.
Hartford Courant articles:
http://www.courant.com/news/nationworld/hc-global-sg,0,2341101.storygallery?coll=hc-headlines-home
I-BBC indepth on
Fuelling the Future: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/sci_tech/2006/energy/default.stm.
Check
out current air pollution
here; Clean
Air, Cool
Planet:
http://cleanair-coolplanet.org/
I-BBC
on
biodiversity;
OIL: Pipeline woes in Alaska
(August 2006 - Republican Gubernatorial Primary turns out incumbent); new sources of oil in or offshore America? I-BBC report on Caspian
development here...
How about nuclear testing under and/or over the
ground?
I-BBC backgrounder here.
Newest
notes from above; melting matters here.
Related topics: on the global
economy; how is China doing?
A thoughtful report on world oil supply, from 2004, we have saved it here; or go
to it directly on the net: World
Oil Supply.
I-BBC video on oil
and its relationship
will modern life.
BUILDING
COMMITTEE page
REPLACEMENT OF MIDDLE
SCHOOL ROOF (SHOULD HAVE STARTED)
HISTORY...At
the
Building Committee: the Auditorium
project...in August 2008...
Clerk of the works for High School Auditorium project
on board.
Multi-Year Capital Plan:
Kaestle Boos to
evaluate Town and School buildings for long-range capital planning
purposes; on-going work on Town and School facilities with Town
and School staff in addition to study.
Revson Field in meeting
notes;
Refresh
your memory of what happened when in the School Construction saga,
which isn't quite over...and latest Town
projects.
SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE (r.i.p.) /
BUILDING
COMMITTEE:
Auditorium opens for winter concert - seats, alterations
for sound, replacement of worn-out rigging and other elements (i.e.
hand-made "thrust" stage from 40 years ago) - air conditioning
operational we think;
"Fields"
issue elsewhere. And in
Weston, a report (considering
that we may be asked to
participate in building homefield stands, press box and booster barn
with changing areas) - in Selectmen's hands.
At
right, the new and old parts of Weston High School - different but the
same--both as modern and functional - with post-Referendum work
replacing roof on old section (done) and renovating auditorium and
stage
spaces (underway summer '08 into the winter term);
MASTER
PLAN FOR SCHOOLS & FIELDS (l.):
COMPLETED...just a few ends to tidy up (Booster Barn and home field
stands)!
Tertiary
treatment
plant now working properly (no overflows). Intermediate
School open for business.
Revson
Field was undergoing repair; see history here.
How about reliving those early days of the school project?
Click here: http://www.aboutweston.com/hurlbutt.html
THE
SCHOOLS
& FIELDS PROJECTS: QUICK
LINK
to unofficial
meeting notices/notes. HISTORY
LESSON:
how we got to where we are...the Referendum of November 15, 2001 for
$79 million and change is just about over...last claim in the
works. REMEMBER THIS ONE? ON
A REALLY HOT NIGHT AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR 2008, THE
AUDITORIUM GOT
A BIG YES VOTE (THE FIRST WORK TO BE DONE ON THE SPACE
IN 40 YEARS)...congrats to all who worked to make this a successful
conclusion to the project approval.
OUR
FAVORITES FROM I-BBC:
A NEW PAGE - OIL AND WATER:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/americas/2010/oil_disaster/default.stm
...ONE SMALL STEP FOR
MAN,
ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8133835.stm
G-20
news: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/business/2009/g20/7897719.stm
MAKING
CHANGE IN U.S. LESS
FUZZY: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7657473.stm
GLOBAL CREDIT CRUNCH TIMELINE:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7521250.stm
THE 'BIG
BANG' SUPERCOLLIDER
STORY IN
FULL
HERE
Global warming sidelight: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7494305.stm
GREEN: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/documentary_archive/7075560.stm
Confused
over the names of
countries? Changing
world here.
Big ships: the
pix; how about the Titanic? the present story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6377633.stm
From across the pond:
The Gulf of Mexico oil disaster could cost BP
$40bn, analysts say; at right, earlier leak and its implications
for a good result.
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Weston" site was
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