New Entry Way to Tunnel to Riverfront Closed Until Completion

Designed by local  Middletown  resident & Architect Lee Osborne, the new structure at the entry way of the tunnel located in Melilli Plaza that runs under  Route 9 going into interstate 91 to the river front was open for the Fourth of July celebrations, but,  now temporarily closed until all the finishing touches are complete. These include painting the railings and security cameras. The structure was paid for by grant money  at a cost of $675,000 in order to make the tunnel to the park handicap accessible. The City had applied for this grant about six years ago during the previous administration, and now the hard work has come to fruition. The slopes of the long ramps now comply with the American Disabilities Act meeting regulations that allow for safe use by persons in wheel chairs. Frequently the tunnel is subject to graffiti and because of the shelter it provides, the homeless use this as a place to sleep out of the elements. The drains in the tunnel which are in place to help floods reside, have become targets of people urinating in the tunnel. New security cameras and additional lighting seek to eliminate this problem. 

The tunnel, open over the weekend, has been locked from the gate at the park side entrance. The grant did not cover work inside the tunnel, however the tunnel has received a new coat of paint.Ironically, we started a draft of the same topic before we saw the article on Patch. Please find additional details about the security cameras is provided in a great article by Cassandra Day at Middletown Patch: http://middletown-ct.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/harbor-park-walkway-tunnel-closed-for-electrical-work

Please see our pictures below of views inside the new structure.

Walls with built in lighting inside new ramp structure at riverfront tunnel entry

Handicap Accessible ramp.

Clerestory looking up inside the new structure at Melilli Plaza leading to tunnel under the highway.

Happy Birthday Local Blogger Cassandra Day!

From the staff of the Insider we would like to wish fellow blogger Journalist extraordinaire Cassandra Day, editor of Middletown Patch a happy birthday!

Around M-Town: Events this Weekend In Middletown

Middletown High School Vocational Agriculture
 Center Annual Mother's Day Plan Sale
May 11, 2013 9-2

Four Barns by Cassandra Day
Photography by local Middletown local artists are featured in the "Hear More, See More" The opening reception (free) is May 10, 2013 6-9 pm at MAC 650 Gallery Main Street.

Middletown Remix project. A Festival of Sight and Sound. Read a map of installations
 that are part of this free event below . THis event received support from the
Middletown  Council of the Arts

.http://www.wesleyan.edu/creativecampus/crossingdisciplines/music_and_public_life/mpl
_images/MiddletownRemixFestivalScheduleMap.pdf

Middletown School Propoganda: For the Children or Waste of Money?

Existing App for News from MPS

Blue Prints is a student run newspaper at Middletown High School and has been for over a decade.Blue Prints is a Gold Medallist winner from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. The newspaper, run entirely by students, is funded through local advertisers. According to the Middletown public schools website "it  is a traditional newspaper to inform, entertain, and serve as open forum for student/community opinion."

Are there still not enough ways to find out MPS news?

It was run for years by teacher Jim Bransfield during his tenure at Middletown High. Bransfield also was a featured sports writer for the Middletown Press and celebrated announcer at Palmer Field for many years. Bransfield, now retired from being a high school politics teacher, is  now a para-educator at the Board of Education. Patch a subsidiary of AOL-Time Warner run by editor and veteran journalist Cassandra Day. Patch features blog articles by guest writers and some paid staff bloggers. The Insider find the Patch of the most unbias media publications in Middletown, and a refreshing alternative to other blogs and papers.

Is there really anyone against education?

 In the past few weeks, various feel good articles touting Middletown Public Schools many activities and accomplishments have popped up on Patch written by Bransfield. See an example here: http://middletown-ct.patch.com/announcements/mhs-dance-team-wins-state-title-again The writing quality of Bransfield is unquestionably superb, we at the Insider recognize that, hear- but is this expense needed? The BOE is paying to toot it's own horn.

 However, the question is why are these not being written by students such as those writing for Blue Prints? The board of education is paying a professional writer, who happens to be Bransfield, to write these press releases and attend the events. Is this a  necessary communication tool to the community?

Each school principal produces a parent newsletter available on the Middletown Public Schools website of good things happening at each school on a monthly basis, so why not use this information? 

Is the BOE really spending taxpayer money wisely paying a professional writer to produce propoganda? If it is for the children, how does this help their education when it seems an opportunity to have students write being squandered?

Guest blog: Spittoons On the Downtown Middletown Sidewalk's A Necessity, Not a Luxury - Also a Revenue Generator?

Guest blog by one of our favorites Fred Carrol.
Guest blog pieces do not necessarily reflect those of the Middletown Inside and are published as a courtesy for readers.
 Although this guest blog was written before the Middletown Patch article by Cassandra Day having to do with Mayor Drew asking City personnel on ways the City could make more money in revenue,  Carrol has thought up some create ways the City that could not only clean up the streets downtown, something he feels very passionate about, but  coincidentally also fill City coffer's.
 Probably not Carroll's original intent, but we think ticketing spitter's is as splendid an idea as any combat depleting municipal funds.

Scary thing is, it is only February, and with the additions to the BOE budget that call for a 2.4 mil tax hike, just about monthly requests for appropriations from City Departments for various items not included in the Mayor's  budget, the City budget that would raise taxes at least another 1 mils, the grand list decreasing by $11 million, the Serracrat's Spendacratic tendencies,  and Mayor Drew's unsuccessful trip to China to sell the Aetna property (no one saw that coming, year right)
Mayor Drew is already apparently is looking for more ways to squeeze money out of tax payers! 

Read the article from  Middletown Patch here where Mayor Drew asks personnel for ideas on ways to increase City Revenue! That's money from your pocket!: http://middletown-ct.patch.com/articles/get-creative-middletown-how-can-city-fill-its-coffers

In Carroll's own words:

Spittoons On The Downtown Middletown Sidewalk's-A necessity, Not A Luxury

    It was brought to my attention once that an upturned soda bottle cap is "more dangerous than a banana peel", well, how stupid would you feel if your foot went out from under you consequent to stepping in a glomn of some inconsiderate dopes "lung butter"? Pardon me, but exactly what are we talking about here? Look, and you'll see it, listen, and you'll hear it....the sound of expectoration......especially the dopes you see standing around all day who eat some hydro oily, high fructosey, dairy rich diets, but most folks if I'm not mistaken, eat a highly "mucus forming" diet, and while not everyone expectorates recklessly on the ground, a hell of a lot of people do. Meanwhile, back at the Center For Disease Control.......don't even think about going barefoot, but what seems to not be apprehended is that one will surely track this expectorant everywhere, the precious car, the house, or "dwelling place"...so why is it a. tolerated and not ticketed, and b. not accommodated for by pertinent parties. Health Department tells Police "Ticket sidewalk spitters", right? Something.......but first install spittoons.
      
Dr. Freddy H. Carroll

Middletown Digs Out: Blizzard 2013

Middletown received around 36" inches of snow Friday night into Saturday morning. Luckily, there have been no reported casualties in the area. Staff at the Insider would like to thank the Public Works Department, first responders, fire departments, police, dispatchers, and all others involved in the clean up that is taking place around the clock as we speak.



reader submitted photo of City plows.

reader submitted, high drifts

reader submitted photo, person is 6 ft- snow very high

Little information has come from the Mayor's office as what strategy was followed or what is going on. Nothing on the city website at this time gives any clue, until a post today at 3:30 today. It appears this storm is not as bad as far as power outages & ice as the 2011 snow storm which left many without power  for up to five days. Other towns have updates on local news networks and their city websites, but so far little communication other than a robo call late this afternoon has emerged. , Mayor Drew spoke with Patch editor Cassandra Day and says all roads should be cleared by the end of today. Many residents have reported that their streets have not been plowed at all- over 50 comments have been posted to that article & we have received dozens of emails.

  Downtown is plowed, with a snow pile down the center line of the street being over fifteen feet in height. Several payloaders are loading snow and digging out parking stalls & sidewalks along Main Street. Middletown Public Works have plowed the parking garage adjacent to the courthouse. Residents report that Carabetta's truck (owners of the apartment complexes) sent to plow out Woodbury Circle and Summer Hill  got stuck on the city road into the complex and is unable to be towed out. Several  neighborhoods such as Julia Terrace, Long Hill Estates, Milardo Lane, Lawn Ave., Bailey Road, Maromas, Smith Street, Windy Hill, Cranberry Lane,Brush Hill area, Coleman Rd., and dozens of others have not been plowed. Main arteries close to the city center such as High Street, South & East Main, Randolph Road, Saybrook Road, Russel Ave., Middle Street, Newfield, Washington, and Main were cleared first, with off-shoots remaining unplowed until today. Highways are cleared allowing those who commute outside of the city to go to work on Monday that is if they can get to the highways. Whether all local roads will be passable is still a concern for many at this time.



Blogger SteadyJohn, Washington Street view.

Needless to say, tensions among citizens are running high and reports from City Yard say snow plow drivers are exhausted, but managing and doing the best they can. We appreciate the effort from the plow drivers and encourage readers to be patient. Help your neighbors & stay safe. The Patch reported that the City has two snow plow trucks broken down. In the Patch articles,  In comments on the Patch, people are saying that the City declined to hire private contractors  in anticipation of the storm, that is why things are taking longer than they could have because of staffing levels, others say the delay is shear volume of snow and no amount of preparedness could have changed the outcome. Still others contend because central Connecticut typically does not get this much snow, unlike say Rochester NY or northern Massachusetts, and local equipment is unable to handle this volume of snow - more continuous efforts would have been futile.

readers submitted photo

reader submitted photo

reader submitted, Woodbury Circle unplowed.

reader submitted photo

A message from Councilwoman Kleckowski's (who sits on the Public Safety Committee) facebook page: Good Morning! I have received all your texts, emails and phone calls about your concerns that your roads are not plowed. I have contacted Mayor Drew. Please try to be a bit more patient. I will forward to you any information. Be safe!  Councilwoman Deborah Kleckowski

Many citizens have reported to us that they did not hear plows at all until Sunday or have still yet to see them in their neighborhood. Some criticize that if plows had run continuously throughout Friday night, instead of waiting til the end of the storm as it appears according to residents' accounts we received, they believe things could have gone smoother.  In a robo call at 3:35 pm Sunday, Mayor Drew told residents in the recording that plows have been running since Friday morning around the clock, 85% of streets are cleared, and  he asked everyone to stay off the streets until further notice.

Brush Hill neighborhood, reader submitted

 In Mayor Drew's latest statements on the City website and to Patch he blames pedestrians and  people not obeying the City parking ban as to why clean up has taken longer than expected.
 Bottom line: there is 36 inches of snow out there and no place to put it!  Certainly, a post analysis is called for.

Readers: Please send us your snow photos: middletowninsider@gmail.com.
What do you think of the clean up strategy? Post a comment here or on the Patch articles:
 http://middletown-ct.patch.com/articles/snow-4a1ad139

Thank you to Patch Editor Cassandra Day for the on-going coverage- 7 pm.UPDATE: Mayor Drew has stated to Patch 100% of streets are passable at this time. http://middletown-ct.patch.com/articles/s-ced44c1f#photo-13325207

The City of Middletown Office of Emergency Management's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/City-of-Middletown-CT-Office-of-Emergency-Management/456465817737649
Last message from OEM: "Attention: Middletown Residents please bear with the plowing, any further question or comment please contact 860-347-2848"

Mayor Drew Thinks Bookstore is a Good Idea

Originally published at:  http://wesleying.org/2012/11/17/mayor-drew-thinks-bookstore-move-is-a-good-idea/

"Despite all the brouhaha over the potential Wesleyan bookstore relocation—including dissenting voices from Middletown resident Jen Alexander ’88 and Red & Black owner Ed Thorndike ’89—Mayor Dan Drew remains committed to supporting the development on economic grounds. In a press conference on Wednesday, Drew praised developer Bob Landino’s proposal as a potential job-creator in Middletown. As Middletown Patch reports:

“This will bring a $6 million influx of funds into the Middletown economy,” said Mayor Dan Drew. “It will create 30 full-time jobs in the development complex.”
Joining Drew at a press conference in council chamber of city hall were Robert A. Landino, president and CEO of Centerplan Construction; Gerry Daley, longtime chair of the Economic Development Commission; and Larry McHugh, president of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce.

Drew also compared the model to William and Mary College (though this slab of Washington Street is at least a few blocks from Middletown’s “historic downtown”) and praised Landino’s connections to the Middletown community (read: he’s not from “New York or Boston or Chicago”):

“It’s a model extremely similar to what’s been done at William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.,” Drew said — a university bookstore in the heart of an historic downtown. [ . . . ]
“If this were a developer swooping in from New York or Boston or Chicago that we didn’t know, it would create a tremendous amount of concern,” but, Drew said, Landino is a “known quantity” working with local Realtors, local architects and engineering firms.

Many of the reader comments, interestingly, are in favor of the move—and less in favor of Wesleyan’s involvement with it. As one “Jane” voices:

cant say I trust Wesleyan much with it’s promises to our town- those jobs will probably go to their students not what they call “townies”- people have a short term memory with promises to open the athletic center to our community- its not as accessible as they had us believe-"

For more on the controversies surrounding the bookstore proposal, click here or here.

Kleckowski Has Independent Voter Support

To the Editor:
     I should point out that one of the reasons I am an Independent is that I agree with different points on both sides. As a member of Middletown’s Independent Party, I was in attendance at the meeting when my party voted in favor of endorsing Deborah Kleckowski for State Representative of the 100th District over the incumbent.
     In her acceptance, Deb said, “This nomination is important because I believe the issues are community-based and not party-based and we all need to work to ensure the problems that we face are reconciled through solutions and not party ideology.”
     These are my sentiments exactly. Deb is a Middletown taxpayer and homeowner. She is the mother of twin boys, and her husband, Tom, is a small business owner in Middletown, and a Navy veteran.
     Deb is in touch with the day-to-day issues that we all face each day. Deb is a two-term councilwoman and holds a job as an adjunct professor at Middlesex Community College. Deb volunteers her time as an advocate for Middletown residents like you and me.
     I’m voting for Deb Kleckowski because she actively supports suspension of the state’s early prison release program and she actively supports reduction of the state tax on gasoline.
     Deb was on the forefront, relentlessly pursuing the Middletown Board of Education in regards to the “scream rooms” as well as the debacle of the BOE's financial well-being.
     During Storm Alfred, Deb placed her political hat aside and did right by the citizens of Middletown by volunteering diligently at the shelter at Middletown High School. After spending hours at the shelter she still persevered in keeping up with her job at MXCC, her family needs and her duties as a councilwoman.
     Deb Kleckowski is a huge advocate for special needs students and their families.  It is one thing to “be on” and/or “support” an education committee. It is another to “act on” ones principles and get the job done like Deb does!

     Now I know that there are a few organizations within Middletown who have backed Deb’s opponent, even though it was Deb who was the one that went to bat for them. To this I simply say, when you vote, consider whether you want someone who will help you get things done or just support the effort?
     We need a representative for the 100th District who understands the issues Middletown residents are concerned with and who will go to bat for them regardless of party politics.
     If you want fiscal responsibility, vote for Deb Kleckowski. If you want a person who is a true advocate for her constituents, vote for Deb Kleckowski! As a resident of Middletown, I for one would be honored to be one of Deb’s constituents.
     Respectfully,
Christine Carta, Middletown, Independent Party member

It's ok to Hate & Persecute Conservatives

We can all agree racial and religious discrimination is wrong,
but how are we taught to treat others with differing political views?

A few months ago, the Insider published some right wing  and left wing propaganda that had been circulating around facebook to generate discussion. As a result- one of our anti-fans published a essay in the local Patch blog telling the world the Insider advocated hate  in an exaggerated essay titled "Local Blog Advocates Ignorance & Hate". At the Insider, we are in fact fans of the Middletown Patch and Editor Cassandra Day. Day does a fairly good job of covering both sides of the local political spectrum; a lesson the local print papers won't ever seem to learn. The fore mentioned piece pretty much didn't phase us one bit- after all its free speech (albeit nonsensical); in fact it helped spike our readership! The issue continues in the media. When right-leaning folks offer a critical view point of opposing views in a analytical comparison or comical way, as done on this blog for example, it's almost always considered mean spirited & mud slinging. On the contrary,  a piece slamming a GOP politician or believe system it is accepted as fact so much so that readers rarely raise an eye brow- a double standard clearly exists that most readers aren't even aware of.  Read the piece below. After you are done substitute in the names of President Obama and VP Biden. Now what is the tone and your general reaction? If doing this exercise you are disturbed you may be prejudice towards conservatives and not even be aware. 

http://middletown-ct.patch.com/blog_posts/how-empathic-is-your-psychiatrist-is-the-republican-party-the-anti-empathy-party

After the primary the Insider made a joke (ok, not a great joke) about losing Democratic candidate Susan Bysiewicz's platform  which was based on the "every woman" tactic to liken herself to the middle class. The reaction to this comment on our facebook page from friends was astounding.From the reaction one would think  we attacked a patron saint or tripped Mother Teresa, clubbed a baby seal or something. In actuality, a intelligent discussion thread resulted. The above article makes a MASS generalization about conservative citizens as inferior HUMAN beings. Most comments thus far listed below it condone this. Cue the crickets. In grade school, American students are all taught racial, religious, gender, cultural etc etc discrimination is wrong. But what about discrimination based on how one perceives authority and government - how one believes society should function- ie political beliefs. What does this say about what we are teaching our children about tolerance of others with different thought processes? Should we all behave and not be critical?  Or, should be all grow a thicker skin? Many conclusions can be drawn.

On August 17, 2012 cartoonist Bob Englehart of Middletown published a cartoon in the Hartford Courant calling  GOP Presidential candidate Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan "Mitt & Twitt." He also writes: "The great thing about moderates and liberals is that they can change their minds after learning new information, or understanding justice and fairness.Conservatives cannot, under any circumstance, change their minds. The old way is the best way, every man for himself, I got mine and nobody helped me, now you get yours the same way;  you failed, it's your own damn fault. What a wonderful world it would be."

Englehart  is a talented, clever guy and we would never deny him his right to free speech. Maybe he will do a guest cartoon for the Insider some day? Doubtful . But there is a point: Englehart basically eludes to, and says with out saying that the reader should conclude Conservative minded people are stupid and inferior-  conservatives  cannot process simple thoughts such as drawing different conclusions- ie changing of ones mind. If the Insider say, said this about liberals would there be no reaction? Would a cartoon of a parody of the Obama name with a certain like sounding middle-eastern name be as funny and acceptable?

Though D's and R's have different view points as far as government structure- and really when you get down to it the driving force behind this is how money should be spent-( it is what makes the world go round) are we that different to be so divided? The Insider concludes that both groups love their families, value community, and are charitable- just in different ways. We checked to find research done by a credible academic group on whether 'mud slinging' campaign tactics used by candidates has produced any relevant general conclusions  The only conclusion we could find was that  it is a case by case situation without any general rules being discovered. There is a phrase "mud slinging is as American as apple pie." There is also the phrase "two wrongs don't make a right." Most voters have said they do not like candidates who mud slinging, however, the average person, we think can't tell the difference when facts are skewed in subtle ways by the main stream media; especially when in local media a clear practice of prejudice against conservatives in Middletown has been a common practice for years.

The question is - should we all behave or is there room for the mud to fly?