Cove River runs from Savin Rock past Ken Strong Stadium and the High School to halfway up through the backside of Painter Park. There are large patches of marshy land on both sides of it. It’s all designated open space land. There is an entrance to it through a trail off of Platt Avenue to the left of the gas station. My understanding is that people go in there from time to time to look for ancient Indian artifacts like arrowheads, and to do a variety of research.

Barbara Barry, Land Trust President, will kick off the evening at 7pm and Catherine Iaccarino will follow her with a lecture on the historic background of the Cover River site. At 7:30 Kevin Dickson, WHHS Environmental Science and Ecology teacher, will talk about the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) initiative and how a course instructed by Southern Connecticut State University Professor Scott Graves has led to WHHS students performing research that contributes to the Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program. GLOBE is a worldwide hands-on, primary and secondary school-based science and education program. It’s vision promotes and supports students, teachers and scientists to collaborate on inquiry-based investigations of the environment and the Earth system working in close partnership with NASA, NOAA and NSF Earth System Science Projects in study and research about the dynamics of Earth’s environment.

You can see the projects WHHS students have done by going to http://www.globe.gov/explore-science/student-zone/project-spotlights. It really is pretty impressive. Some of the projects include: The Effect of Fox Inhabitance on Cove River Sustainability; The Effects of Runoff on the Water Quality of Cove River; Land Use at the Cove River Historical Site from the Time of Indigenous Societies through Modern Day; Invasive Plant Species at Cove River; and The Impact of Climate Change on Canopy Growth.

I have lived relatively close to the Cove River for most of my life and I have never explored it. Mostly because it seems like a big swamp to me. It doesn’t look like it would be easy to get around in it, and it seems a little scary to me, too. Never know who or what’s in there. But of course that’s my ignorance. So I am looking forward to learning more about the Cove River and the land around it with the hope of getting enough of a comfort level to go in there and take a look around. The presentations at the meeting should be interesting, so I hope to see you there.

“West Haven school uniform policy working” is the headline. It has been just one month that the kids have been in school and already success is at hand? What does “working” mean exactly? That everyone (except the few poor families who can’t afford it) has kowtowed to the command and make their children wear the uniforms? Forest School principal Tom Hunt is quoted in the Register saying, “As the days go by, the compliance is greater and greater.” I’m a Star Trek fan and this reminds me of the Borg’s mantra “resistance is futile.” The Borg are cybernetic organisms that take over other species and “assimilate” them into the collective and connect them to “the hive mind.” Watch out kids, you will be assimilated.

Let’s keep in mind that Forest School is an elementary school. The oldest children are in the fourth grade and 10 years old. Are the kids there so out of control that the only course of action is to mandate uniforms like they are in jail? I simply can’t imagine that is the case.

The one thing I find interesting about the article is that the “school board had previously considered a uniform guideline for the entire district, but many parents fought it.” So the BOE decided to push it through at Forest. Why? Curiously that school has the highest percentage of minority students at 76%. By the way, that’s what I would call a majority. I can’t help but wonder if all the parents there – not just the vocal few in favor of the uniforms – feel comfortable voicing their opinions or making waves.

According to Principal Hunt, “I have no dissenters at all in the building.” That’s because my child no longer goes to Forest. But when she was at Forest for the first two days of school, she did not wear a uniform. I told School Superintendent Neil Cavallaro that it would take no less than a court order to force my child to wear a uniform. I guess we will have to see what the “data” shows from what I fear will be a very anecdotical rather than rigorous study. According to Hunt, the staff is “seeing a change in kids” and that the uniforms have a “calming effect, almost.” Really? And it’s all due to the uniforms the kids have been wearing for a mere 30 days. Just remarkable.

I can’t help but wonder about what hell will break loose when they try this at Carrigan, Bailey, and the High School.

A Pew Research Poll done in 2010 states that 23% of people in this country have a tattoo. That’s just about one out of every four people.  It breaks out by age like this:  18-29: 38%; 30-45: 32%; 46-64: 15%; 65+: 6%.  The number of people with tattoos has grown exponentially in the past few years. One trip to the beach and you realize just how ubiquitous tattoos have become – and those are just the ones you can see. It’s a huge industry with impressive revenue attached to it.

What I find remarkable about the whole sad situation is the reaction of some in our city. In reading the article in the Register, I was appalled by the remarks the Board of Education Chairman Mark Palmieri made. “The thing is, there’s nothing going on.” Really? I think the videos prove otherwise. Fellow BOE member Dorinda Borer had the common sense and concern as a parent to notify the police when she was made aware of the situation. For this she gets criticism? As Ms. Borer points out, “this is a national issue that was occurring in our backyard. You can’t address issues if you don’t recognize them.”

Palmieri says he is “concerned about ‘copycat issues’ since other students may hear about the videotaped fights.” I think Mr. Palmieri is out of touch with reality. Teenagers have been fighting since the dawn of time. They have sex and drink and do drugs, too. Some do more than others. Of course, some don’t do any of it, but they are in the minority. Add easy access to technology into the mix and you get videos of them fighting and being naked. It is naive and just plain old dumb to think it doesn’t happen. The recent firestorm around these fight videos provide the perfect opportunity for parents and teachers to talk to teenagers about all of these issues. We should be coming together as a community to figure out how to deal with the situation instead of pointing fingers.

The Italian Festival has been pushed to Sunday, same time, due to high wind forecast for Saturday.

There are two fun events coming up  – West Haven Italian Street Festival is scheduled for this Saturday, Sept. 8, and a benefit concert will take place the following Saturday, Sept 15, for WHEAT food bank. I am looking forward to going to both of them and are keeping my fingers crossed that the weather cooperates.

The West Haven Italian Street Festival takes place on lower Campbell Avenue, and runs from noon till 10 p.m. It will feature Italian music, a variety of food booths that cook up some of the best food in West Haven, crafts and other vendors, as well as amusements for kids. So bring the whole family for lunch or dinner! I try to go every year and I always have a great time. I also usually run into some friends I haven’t seen in awhile and that’s always a good thing.

And the following Saturday, Sept.15, the city is holding a benefit concert for WHEAT because it has recently experienced a food shortage. In fact, it shut its doors for the first time in 38 years on July 31. Luckily some very generous residents of West Haven and Connecticut Food Bank scrambled to stock the shelves and WHEAT reopened the next day. But we don’t want to see that happen again! So please come out on Sept. 15  and support this event. There are now 3,000 households in our city counting on us to help them with food and other necessities.

The four-hour show will feature two bands and will take place in Old Grove Park. My favorite local band – The Navels – will be playing. They cover a lot of Stevie Nicks plus some other great rock-n-roll, too. Be sure to bring the kids because they can go up and play the tambourine with the band. My daughter and I have had a lot of fun with them over the years. They kick off the party at 6pm, followed by a set played by Fast Lane at 8pm. The rain date is Sept. 17.

Please be aware that to park, both residents and non-residents will need to pony up a $5 contribution, and all that money will go to WHEAT. In addition, it would be really appreciated if people could bring nonperishable food, too. Every little bit helps, so please do what you “can.”

Both events are a wonderful way to enjoy these last beautiful days of summer!

As for the Allingtown Fire Department, I will give the mayor a pat on the back for not re-upping the existing commission members, with the exception of current Chairman Ronald Walters. He was kept for the sake of continuity. Fingers crossed he has the mental capacity to keep things on the straight and narrow so we won’t end up with yet another debacle on our hands. I am concerned, however, that the mayor has picked Stella Cretella and Martha Bell to be on this commission, too. Both were appointed to the Housing Authority Commission. Are there no other people in our city of more than 55,000 that can serve on a commission without overlap? Is the mayor so concerned about losing control that the needs to have this level of overlap on commissions? I have been told that Cretella has known Picard since he was a little tiny baby. In the past, Picard has tried to push her on the Police Commission no less than three times to no avail. Let’s hope she has the credentials to do the job and not just kowtow to what the mayor tells her to do. But I fear I may be expecting too much.

I think the biggest shocker for me, after learning about Siwek’s exorbitant pay, is that a nineTEEN year old is being appointed to the commission. I certainly do not want to be accused of ageism, but come on. How much experience and wisdom is a 19 year old going to be bringing to the table? Again, are there no other people better qualified for this role? I agree with At-large council member David Forsyth’s quote in the Register – “I don’t think working on a mayor campaign qualifies you for a commission.” Or is that exactly what it does take?

A drum roll please! The winner of the primary contest is Paul Studdard. Congratulations Paul! Paul guessed 1,800 residents would come out to vote. He was the closest to the 3,739 (plus about 350 absentee ballots) that voted in total.

It has been alleged that Executive Director Michael Siwek took $22,000 via a business credit card and profited by using his personal business to do Housing Authority repairs. Apparently the West Haven Housing Authority has been under surveillance for several months and these accusations are in the HUD report. The first thing that comes to my mind is how does this happen? The answer is that there has been no proper oversight of the West Haven Housing Authority for quite some time now. Whose fault is that do you think? Could it be Mayor Picard’s fault? He is supposed to be leading and managing our city. And are there any other organizations in our city that need better oversight? At the very least, I hope this embarrassing scandal prompts the mayor to take a good look around town.

The mayor is quoted in the Register saying “The Executive Director has announced his plan to retire at the end of the summer. I am now requesting the voluntary resignations from all the Commissioners so that we can move forward with a goal of greater oversight, management and accountability at the Housing Authority.” Way too little, way too late. I am curious why Siwek gets to retire, and was not fired? I also find it interesting that the Commissioners’ names are not mentioned in the Register article, nor in the mayor’s press release, and no one seems to want to say Siwek’s name either, they just refer to the “Executive Director.” Why is that? The commissioners’ names are Genevieve Canny, Theresa Sansone, Jasmine Nugent, Willie Holmes, and Adrienne Hurlburt. They all reside in West Haven. I have to laugh at the “goal of greater oversight . .” part of Mayor Picard’s quote. Since there clearly has been ZERO oversight, I think that any oversight would be an improvement.

I agree with former City Council Chair Ed O’Brien, and mayoral candidate in the upcoming November election, when he stated in the Register comments section online, “It actually took a federal law enforcement agency to raid the Housing Authority offices to motivate the mayor to do something about this? This is not leadership! If the raid never happened, would the mayor have ever put a stop to it? Oversight was and is never a priority to Mayor Picard, but this time he cannot say he didn’t know.”

So, what about that primary? I spoke with democratic registrar Michelle Hufcut and she said that there was only about a 25 percent voter turnout of registered democrats and republicans. Shameful. However, one positive thing to come out of the primary is that the residents of the 116th District got a choice of candidates. Dave Forsyth and Lou Esposito are just one vote apart (in favor of Esposito), so there will be a recount. I think that is saying the folks in Allingtown aren’t all that pleased these days with the incumbent.

Deb Evangeliste lost the race for democratic registrar by only 227 votes. Luckily for Patty Horvath, who will be the new democratic registrar come January, the mayor’s supporters in the 9th and 10th districts came out to vote. In the past few elections the numbers have been getting closer and closer and it seems like the mayor is losing some ground. You only have to read my previous posts to understand why that is happening.

The lucky winner of the primary contest announced in a previous post here in my blog (the person guessing closest to, without going over, the total number of primary voters, wins lunch with me) will be announced the week of August 27!

There are two races that are particularly contentious – Democratic Registrar and State Representative for the 116th District. Patty Horvath and Debby Evangelista are running for registrar. It is a 25 hour a week part-time position. Currently the hours for the office are: Republican Registrar 9 a.m.- 1 p.m.; Democratic Registrar 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. I try to be as informed as possible when casting my vote, so when I saw Patty’s election statement on FaceBook (FB), I thought it would be a good opportunity to ask her a few questions about her candidacy. I have known her from her many years as a staunch supporter of former Mayor Richard Borer. Patty works as a school paraprofessional from 9am-3pm, so I was curious to know how she would perform the registrar duties without relinquishing the school job. She would only have two hours left in the day for the registrar job if it continues on the same hours of operation. How will she find the time to manage the office? Her only response to me was: “In West Haven, many of the paras work two jobs.” I am aware of that, but I am not aware of any that hold elected or appointed positions in West Haven that have set hours to meet with the public. In her FB statement she states “I will focus on the high level of professionalism, preparedness and transparency that West Haven and her residents so richly deserve.” I certainly agree that we do deserve that, but I have to question the transparency of her response to me. I asked a fair and reasonable question, but she did not afford me a fair and reasonable explanation of how she plans on having the time to do justice to the position. The current administration lacks transparency at the top, as well as in many other areas, and I will not cast my vote to continue that tradition.

In the race for State Representative in the 116th are Lou Esposito and Dave Forsyth. Dave is serving his second term on the City Council. He is an up and comer and has a real desire to revitalize the Allingtown community. He feels it has been stagnating over the years. Lou has been the incumbent for 20 years. I’m not 100% sure, but I believe most of those years have been unchallenged. Is it time to breathe some new life into the Allingtown community? If so, then I think you know who to vote for.

Please vote because your vote does matter. Tuesday, August 14. Polls are open from 6am to 8pm.

There are some quotes from Mayor Picard and Open Space Commission President Mary Jane McQuarrie in today’s article that I found interesting. Of course I realize the city is cash-strapped. The community garden will not be developed using city money. I have said this over and over and over to everyone. A site plan was created by the city’s engineering department. The land will be cleared by the state for free. The one cost will be for the fence, roughly $9,000. Perhaps the raise and tuition money totaling $7,220 the Mayor received and is paying back can be used toward it? Very cheeky of me I know, but I bring it up because it’s not a lot of money comparatively speaking. There are donations that can be used, grant money is available and can be sought, and perhaps West Haven’s great benefactor, Yale, can chip in some money, too.

In the article McQuarrie states, “that particular piece of land is really out of the way, so protecting it is difficult.” I did not select it. It was identified to me by City Council members and the Open Space Commission. It’s in the middle of a residential neighborhood. A house and farm was situated on the property at one point, so I am not understanding how, or why, it will be difficult to protect. There will be a 7.5 foot fence around it with a gate. Of course, there are plenty of community gardens that are out of the way, depending on your definition of “out of the way.” Peter’s Rock in North Haven comes to mind. They have a fine garden that is flourishing.

According to the article, Mayor Picard thinks the garden should start on a smaller piece of land. Really? Like what, my back yard? Seriously though, I am very curious to know where the Mayor would suggest for a smaller piece of land. And why? I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that I don’t think he knows the first thing about this garden project.

For the first time in 38 years, the West Haven Emergency Assistance Taskforce (WHEAT) closed its doors to residents in need due to lack of food to give out. While it was only closed a short time, families with children do rely on its resources. According to Rose Majestic, WHEAT Director, WHEAT assists about 3,000 households every year in our city. During the summer months, the community garden could help to provide fresh produce to these families in need. But food donation is just one part of the community garden project. Education is another part of it. Wouldn’t it be great if children could be taught how to grow food, how to cook with it, and the nutritional value of it?

Community gardens only benefit the communities they are in. Besides producing nutritious food, they improve the quality of life for people in the garden; stimulates social interaction; encourages self-reliance; reduces family food budgets; reduces crime; creates opportunity for recreation, exercise, therapy, and education; provides opportunities for intergenerational and cross-cultural connections, and the list goes on and on.

It’s sad and frustrating that the city has been unable to come together to work on this very worthwhile project and make it happen for the good of the residents.

Here’s the story that appeared in today’s Register: http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2012/08/03/news/metro/doc501b2ff65a6f6315348654.txt?viewmode=fullstory

I started to make some noise about our city having a community garden project five years ago. I have been trying in earnest to get the project off the ground for the last two years. I am sad and disappointed to say that not much progress has been made up to this point. Of course everyone at City Hall agrees that it is a great idea in principle, but it’s all a lot of lip service and not a whole lot of action. City Councilman Michael Last has been the most helpful with the project. He was able to secure the machinery to clear the land, one of the larger tasks of the project. We were all set to go, but then things came to a grinding halt once Michael, myself, and City Councilwoman Gail Burns met with the Open Space Commission (OSC) to share the garden plans with them.

Apparently there are no rules or regulations for any of the Open Space properties owned by the city. Go figure. Since 2000 the city has had a Conservation and Open Space Land Commission. All of this came to light as a result of the community garden project. Cove River, the city’s other large open space property, has groups coming in and out of there looking for Native American treasure and to do environmental research with some frequency. One of the groups dug holes and now those holes need to be filled but there’s no money to do so.

Several weeks ago, the OSC’s leaders met with Mayor Picard and VIPs from Parks and Recreation to talk about all of these issues and got nowhere. I asked to see the minutes from the meeting and was told there weren’t any.

So where do we go from here? I have no idea, and from what I am hearing, neither does anyone else. But do not fear, it will be a cold day in hell before I give up on this very worthwhile project. West Haven will have a community garden. I just can’t say with any certainty when it will happen.

By the way, here’s what’s going on at 100 Plainfield Avenue now: