The Army fails public relations 101

If the Army wanted to demonstrate their incompetence in handling public relations and communications, they couldn't have done better than their performance Thursday at a closed-door press conference at the Inn at Middletown.

To begin with, they excluded three important town representatives from the meeting. Mayor Sebastian Giuliano, State Senator Paul Doyle and State Representative Joe Serra were all prevented from entering the meeting to observe, leaving them stewing in the hallway. Attorney General Dick Blumenthal was allowed in, apparently because he called ahead and asked permission. So before the press conference had even begun, the Army further alienated town and state officials whom they need on their side.

Then the Army Corps of Engineers and the Army Reserve went about the task of clarifying the facts. They claimed that there was a lot of false information being bandied about. Unfortunately for the Army, they don't have a stellar reputation for being straightforward. These past seven years have shown a disgraceful disregard for the truth as the Pentagon attempted to assist the President in spinning their misguided misadventures in Iraq. And now the Army is going to set the record straight?

Here's how they did it.

In every meeting up until this one the Army claimed the base would support 800 reservists visiting the site on weekends each month, and that the base would have 150 full-time employees. Those claims were made to support the argument that the Training Center would have a positive economic impact on the city. Now that the Army is addressing charges that the base would put an undue traffic burden on country roads, they've decided that there will only be 70 full-time employees and 400 reservists and guardsmen for monthly visits. So, the original inaccuracies were disseminated not by passionate opponents to the site, but by the Army itself.

In their prepared statement to the press at the meeting, the Army declared that they would be good neighbors, and would work with the city because they were bound to "go above and beyond" do the right thing. But when questioned by a correspondent from the Middletown Eye about exactly how many homes adjoined the site, no one in the room - not one representative of the group who were claiming to be good neighbors, and who declared they were doing a thorough job - no one knew the answer. In fact, all of the homes on Atkins, Old Farms East and Timber Ridge will be affected either directly, or indirectly by the construction of the facility.

The Army Corps of Engineers also declared that, as opposed to public impression, there would be no live ammunition, and no outside military exercises conducted on the site. That would go under the heading of "correcting a misinterpretation which didn't exist." I've been to most of the meetings with the Corps, and know that the question has consistently been asked - "What will the Army be doing on the site?" The answer has always been, "Classroom training, and training on vehicle maintenance." No where - in the press, on blogs, in public meetings - has anyone protested because the army would be using live ammunition, or conducting outdoor military exercises.

The Corps also described the facility as something like "Wesleyan University." Well, unless they intend to immediately disregard their "don't ask, don't tell" policy, I can guarantee it won't be anything like Wesleyan University (though probably unbeknownst to the Army Reserve, the original buildings at Wesleyan University began as a military school!). The building will be more like a WalMart with a huge parking lot then it will ever be like Wesleyan University.

The Army also allowed a representative of the current owners of the property to speak. Pedro Wasmer, of Fairfield, represents a group of real estate investors which includes, by his own account, pharmacists, doctors, and people like that, who are, in fact, Middletown taxpayers, but who don't live in town. The group has not been able to lure any other development to the hard-to-develop site, so they support the Army's plan. Wasmer conjured up the "grand military history" of the state of Connecticut to lend support to the plans. Of course, his real interest in the Army's plans is not the "grand military history" but the benefit to his own group of investors.

So at the end of the day, the Army, which hoped to use the press conference to bolster support, ended up angering state and local officials, engaging a formidable new opponent in the person of Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, getting their lock-out of local officials as lead-stories on local newscasts and in local papers, further generating local public opposition and altering their presentation with a new set of facts to align with their current strategy.

Oops, doesn't seem like a good communications day to me.

UPDATE: BTW, I love the way the Army is helping the poor farm animals. The Army realizes that the fate of furry creatures is often more important to readers and viewers, then the fate of human beings. So, they're going to make an effort to help pay for the transfer of the animals to a nice new farm - where they'll be happy and free!!! And no puppies will be killed in the construction of the new facility.

Also, at one point, one of the Army reps said that residents of the state should be thankful that federal dollars and not state dollars will be used to build the facility. That's a relief, because I pay state taxes, and the federal money comes from....hey, wait a minute!

More detailed and complex reporting on the meeting, including environmental impact and other issues will be discussed in a following post.

The titanic battle of press conferences

Stephen Devoto describes the dueling press conferences this week in Middletown as "weird bookends."

On Monday, Congresswoman Rosa Delauro held a private meeting with concerned citizens and local government officials to address the issues surrounding the proposed Army Reserve Training Center in Middletown. The press was locked out of the meeting, and in the case of Middletown Press reporter Sloan Brewster, asked to leave when she had the audacity to enter the room during citizen testimony. A press conference was held after the meeting complete with a podium that held the official seal of the US Congress.

Today, the Army Corps of Engineers will return a volley with press conference of their own, which is "press only" and not open to the public, or to public officials. In fact, when questioned, the Army representative indicated that members of the press will be asked to show credentials - something which rarely happens outside of top-security visits from high heads of state.

According to an article in yesterday's Middletown Press by Brewster, the Army seems a bit confused as to the resistance they are encountering. Still, they seem adamant that the Boardman Lane site is perfect for their needs. A large contingent of townspeople, and elected officials happen to disagree.

In town, there's an official position that the Army is welcome, if they will consider building on two recommended sites (one on River Rd, and one on Saybrook Rd - both technically in Maromas), or on another site, owned by Pratt and Whitney, on River Road.

Still, there are many in town opposed to the construction of the training center in Middletown, anywhere, because it is one more large parcel off the grand list, and a parcel which will then be outside of local regulation. I'm one of those who think the Army should look elsewhere.

As for how this will all be settled? It appears that at least part of it will be argued in the press.

Shots on Main Street

(Director Jeff Lipsky directs Drea DeMatteo on Main Street)

The movie crews rolled into town early this morning, and Main Street from Washington to College was shut down to accommodate the shooting of Once More With Feeling, directed by Jeff Lipsky.



(Mayor Sebastian Giuliano on set)

The crews, mostly from New York City, all t-shirts and tattoos, set up for two hours before cameras rolled for the first time. The initial shot involved shooting from the corner of Main and Washington, on the North of Main, from a dolly. This was not something town officials anticipated, and the mayor was not completely happy that the result was a Route 66 traffic jam which was stopped all the way West to Middlefield. Beachgoes honked their horns in frustration over the delay for shooting. Even after the first scene was shot, traffic, on a perfect beach day, was slow for hours.


(Councilman Ron Klattenberg speaks with producer Paul Jarret)


The first scene involved the character played by Drea DeMatteo being stopped by a policeman for a traffic violation, and then roaring off in her car in anger. It was shot from several angles before the cast and crew broke for lunch and a company move down the block for the shooting of a second scene, involving a tour bus.

While there was a lot of excitement having four grip trucks, a generator truck, lights, camera equipment, crew and actors on the street, most observers found that watching a film being made is like watching paint dry, only slower, and with more assistants.

It was definitely an unusual occurrence for Main Street, and Middletown officials. The lack of organization, the extreme traffic tie-up, and the informal communication between the movie makers and the police, were indications that the set wasn't swimming with experience. The traffic issues could have been solved with simple detours through other neighborhoods. The film company needed a strong line producer to make sure town officials new what to expect. At one point I found myself informing the crew that the camera car (the tow truck used to tow a moving car and crew) had arrived and was causing a major traffic problem on Washington Street.

Shooting was expected to be completed by 4 p.m. at which time Main Street will be reopened once again for traffic.

A report from Channel 8 will appear on the 6 p.m. news.

The right way, the wrong way, the army way

(The Army's Diane McCartin- Pearce Pinch, file photo)

And so it begins.

Residents of Westfield have voiced their opposition to siting an Army Reserve Training Center in Westfield on Boardman Lane.

According to a report in the Middletown Press today, the Army Corps of Engineers is "adamant" about building the center in the Westfield section, despite a letter from Representative Rosa DeLauro which cites several reasons why the location is undesirable.

The Corp's Diane McCartin addressed the objections, but her responses, as reported by the Press are less than convincing. The Army "promises" traffic studies (and we are to believe the results of a traffic study conducted by the army?). The Army is convinced the center will be an economic boon to Middletown (though it will take the property off the tax base, be located closer to commercial districts in Cromwell and Meriden, and only concedes that local businesses will be "allowed to bid" on services needed at the Center).

McCartin also insists that the law requires the center to be built in Middletown, though as several knowledgeable people have pointed out, that's true only if a "suitable site" is found. When a townspeople agrees that the chosen site is not suitable, I would think it's not suitable.

DeLauro is upset at the inflexibility of the Army. If you think the Army is inflexible now, consider what will happen once they acquire a site.

The big asses, the little asses and the party of the ass

I was happy to see the media pay some attention to the siting plans of the Army Corps of Engineers for an Army Reserve Training Center on Boardman Lane in Westfield. Happier still to see that the Middletown Eye, had a more complete accounting (Eye reporters tend to stay until the end of important meetings and events, and as residents, observe with a different concern than most reporters).

Undoubtedly, Common Council member understand how important it is to keep the residents of Westfield happy. They are a large, cohesive, vocal, voting block. And right now, they are pissed. Democratic council members seem clear about how important it is to keep the WRA on their side. Not so sure about the Republican members.

It's also becoming clear that despite the many professions of patriotism and cooperation, there aren't many neighborhoods in town which want to host a gargantuan military training base which, in the end, will have a negative economic impact on town.

And now, the Army needs to get the message loud and clear - look elsewhere.

What struck me simultaneously as hilarious and tragic, is the angle taken by the Middletown Press, and by Channel 3. With all the negative impact that this army base might have, both of these news organizations focused on the poor farm animals that will be displaced. Typically Americans seem more apt to react strongly to some distress experienced by a cat, dog, dolphin, bear or donkey, then they will to a starving family in Darfur. And the members of the media understand this. So we get front page photos of the poor miniature donkeys who will be sent far from their homes and lead stories on the 11 0'clock news covering the same thing.

But if these asses can prevent other asses from building an Army Reserve Training Center that townspeople don't want, then I'll be the first to kiss those asses.

Back by the Cochinchaug

After the paddle up the Cochinchaug River, I decided to take my morning walk through Veteran's Park, which forms the Northern border of a stretch of the Cochinchaug which is stressed due to the commercial development on its border along Route 66.

I started out walking through Wesleyan, and noticed a tree removal posting on two hundred-year plus specimens in front of the Wesleyan Film Center. The Buildings and Grounds Department have made it a practice to post notices on trees which are about to be taken down because they are diseased, dead, or severely stressed. The only problem with the posting is that you have to be on foot to notice them, and if your regular route doesn't take you by a posted tree, you might not notice it in the week or two the postings are up. In addition, these postings are pretty nondescript, black print on regular white printer paper, and after a rain shower or two, they devolve into a wrinkly, unreadable mass.

The two trees in front of the Film Center are definitely stressed, and likely won't make it a few more years. And to be frank, trees, especially city trees, don't last forever. However, what's not implicit in the posting to cut the trees is that the construction of buildings, walks and driveways around the trees probably had a lot to do with their weakened state.

I've said it before, and I've said it to Dave Hall, head of Wesleyan buildings and grounds, that I'm not always convinced of the effort taken to help trees, especially trees that stand in the way of some proposed building, or which interfere with regular groundskeeping. A half a block away from these trees is a blank spot where an old variety apple tree stood a few years ago. I used to pick apples from this tree for applesauce and pie, and it was a bit ragged, and the rotting fruit was messy and attracted yellow jacket wasps. It's my contention that sometimes this tree removal is a way to make mechanical powermowing easier for the groundskeeping contractors.

On Washington Court, where the apple tree was, a new ornamental maple has been planted. But near Russell House, where two apple tree were taken down, there were no replacements of any kind, and the power mowers zip up and down the hill, unimpeded by low hanging apple branches or rotten fruit.

I think the Wesleyan crew has got to consider the value of the old trees it has, and the concessions it makes for modern groundskeeping. Currently, the grounds crew has been observed, and confronted, because they pour the very toxic RoundUp (glyphosate) at the base of trees so that the grass and other plants will die, and trimming will not be necessary. While RoundUp is purported to only affect broad leaf grasses, one only needs to do a Google search to see that the effect of having a herbicide poured on a tree's roots cannot be healthy for the trees, or the people, birds, insects and animals who come in contact with the area around those trees. There are a lot of stressed curbside trees around campus. What's more, the runoff from the trees, inevitably end up in the local stream and rivers, where glyphosate has been proven to affect amphibian life.

In addition, while Wesleyan painters are doing a great job making some Wesleyan-owned properties look spiffy with new paint jobs, I've noticed that some of the painting contractors have given up on the reliable ladder and scaffold method of reaching paintable heights, for the rolling boom lift, or crane. While these cranes can get painters to tough-to-reach spots, evidence can be found that these heavy vehicles are compacting earth around the mature, though ecologically fragile old trees on campus. Witness the deep tire tracks next to an ancient tree near the Russell House. Will we be seeing "notices to remove" flapping from these tree trunks in a few years?

Once past Wesleyan, and my worry about the trees there, I continued on to Veterans' Park. I walked through parking lots adjacent to the Cochinchaug and remembered how Wesleyan professor Barry Chernoff described dead spots in the river as it runs through the park because of the way rainwater sheets off these parking lots (and the parking lots of existing, and being-built commercial properties along route 66). The river is beautiful from the park, and I saw a few small brook trout swimming.

As I walked through the Palmer Field parking lot (the expansion of which was prevented by Chernoff's testimony to the Zoning Board), I noticed a small brook which feeds into the Cochinchaug. Grey water flowed through the brook, which was filled with litter. A little further upstream, an ugly algae bloom was in progress (perhaps the result contamination by goose feces in the pond which feeds this stream at Butternut Park), and just before the culvert that runs below route 66, a muskrat was gathering new grass, and a small garter snake swam along the surface.

Walking back up Washington Street my mood was brightened considerably by a mimosa tree in full bloom in front of one of the homes there. The flowers are spectacular to see and smell. The homeowner, who was sweeping her walk, explained that she transplanted a sapling many years ago from her former apartment building in Hartford, and that the tree blooms all day and night, wafting its lovely fragrance on the night breeze.

The last of the mulberry cobbler

On a long morning walk a few weeks ago, I discovered a mulberry tree growing at the rear of St. John's churchyard cemetary on Portland Street. The tree actually grows inside the cemetary fence, but drooping branches make fruit available to anyone passing by.

By the shape of the leaves, the mulberry is either a black mulberry or a white mulberry, both of which are native to Asia, and were imported into this country to use the leaves as feed in an attempt at colonial-era silkmaking. The white mulberry is now considered a pest tree and an invasive species, and was identified as such in a very interesting article about weeds, greenhouse gases and invasive species a few weeks ago in the New York Times Magazine. The red mulberry is native to this part of the country, but apparently relatively rare.

The mulberry is apparently high in vitamins C and K, iron, riboflavin, magnesium and potassium. They taste good too.

I remember eating mulberries as a kid in New Britain. The tree was near my cousin's house, and we could climb and eat until our hands were purple and our stomachs ached.

Eating a handful of berries from the tree on Portland Street reminded me of their distinct taste. They look like a blackberry, but their taste is more complex.

I thought the berries would make a great pie.

So, I took Aidan and Dermot to the churchyard to do some picking and eating. They ate, for sure, but the branches were too high for them to do much picking. I picked for nearly an hour, and still didn't have enough to fill a pie crust. At that point, Aidan barked his knee on a headstone, and, with six hands sticky and stained purple we headed home.

Easy enough to eat one at a time, cleaning for use in pie was painful. Each berry comes off the tree with its stem intact - a single, thin, sharp needle that is difficult to extract, and painful to ingest. An hour later I had the berries clean. If I was making jelly, a simple straining would have separated the useful fruit from the stems. But for pie texture, a simple straining would have been disastrous, from a texture standpoint.

I didn't have enough fruit to fill a crust, so on July 4, I combined the mulberries with some fresh blueberries and made a sweet-crust cobbler for a backyard cookout. My innate pie-sense was correct.

The cobbler was a hit. The mulberries added just enough complexity of sweet and sour to liven up the usual bland and predictable blueberriness of blueberries, especially cultivated blueberries.

I'm not sure I'll ever take the time to pick and clean enough mulberries for a pie, but the resulting clamor for seconds is some encouragement.

I love to eat and cook with found fruit. There are many abandoned apple and cherry trees around town, and I was much disturbed when Stonehenge nurseries took down two old variety apple trees on the grounds of the Russell House so that the field could more easily be cut with power mowers. The groundspeople at Wesleyan, upon hearing my complaint, declared that the trees were damage. I picked apples from them for six years, and there was nothing wrong with them. BTW, the plum trees on the Western border of Union Park (South Green) are heavy with fruit, but when they turn sweet you'll be competing with the Greek and Italian women who I often encounter picking bags full of fruit. The competition can be fierce.

Of note Middletown, they're not good neighbors

Umm, mayor, councilors, patriots of all stripes. Those "nice" folks from the Army who want to build an Army Reserve Training Center in Middletown? Better check their environmental record, and their willingness to do what's right. Did you know that the Defense Department is the nation's biggest polluter. I didn't see that in their PowerPoint presentation.

That's $1882 a month

A longterm sweetheart deal was perpetuated after a negotiated settlement between the city of Middletown and Harbor Park lessor, Frank Maratta.

While the mayor has been talking tough for months about ejecting Maratta from his long-term lease, and a promised additional 25 year renewal, it seems that Maratta's threat of lawsuit may have prompted the mayor to negotiate. (Be sure to read the "comments" section in the originally posted, on-line Courant article - thanks Vijay)

The deal is laughable. A 25 year extension of a lease for a tenant who has repeatedly ignored city noise ordinances, and has done little to improve the musty interior of the restaurant through which the Connecticut River runs most Springtimes, seems shameful. But inevitable. Maratta apparently won the extension in negotiations which included his promise to improve the site, and make design changes to lessen noise from rock bands who play outside on the deck in the evening.

The most ridiculous clause in the agreement is the lease amount - $22, 624 annually. That's less than many Middletown residents pay for monthly mortgage payments, and Maratta has a prime location, on prime real estate fronting the River.

Yet another example of bad deals done by the city which never tires of bad deals.

A walk in the middle

I've begun walking again for exercise, and I realize how good it is for my mind, and for understanding the neighborhoods around my own.

This morning, I headed South down Main, and Main Street Extension (why, BTW, isn't it just Main Street?).

I passed the South Green where Perry's Hot Food had already taken up a prime location for the lunchtime crowd.

Across the street from Middlesex Hospital's new ER, the steep bank which leads down to the little league ball field, is filled with early summer wildflowers. Most of us pull these plants out of our lawns and flower beds, but when left to thrive, they actually have a wild beauty of their own. These weeds become wildflowers. I was particularly taken with a plant that had base leaves that are similar to dandelion leaves, but a large spindly stalk topped with delicate blue flowers. These particular flowers were everywhere for a block, growing out of cracks in the sidewalk, and pushing up through gravel. But there were also wild roses, sweetpea, digitalis and other blooming vines I didn't recognize.

I stopped briefly to watch the hidden mill stream that runs between Main Street Extension and Mill Street, and headed up Mill, past Marino Crane, the Middletown Road and Rifle Club (that looks peculiarly like a zydeco dance hall from Louisiana), and past a quiet meadow that seems an anomaly on this industrial passage just blocks from the main drag.

I continued my walk past the Henry Clay Work house, wondering what he might make of the SUV's on the lawn, and the satellite dish on the roof.

At the end of Mill, there's a pedestal missing its hero.

On the corner of South Main, across from Union park, there are two vintage homes (one which belonged to a renowned Middletown pewter master), which, when viewed from the right angle, allows you to travel back in time when homes with this kind of rare beauty were the common denominators on the streets of town.

Why Ralph Nader is necessary

Okay, I'll admit that I've been seduced by the power of Barack Obama's speeches. By the promise of his messages of hope and change. By his charismatic ability to lift people up and attract them to the polls.

I don't think his ambition to create a better America, together, is insincere.

But he isn't perfect. And he is a politician. And he could use improvement.

I hope he has the good sense to sit down with Ralph Nader. I hope he has the integrity to allow Ralph Nader to be part of the national debate.

Last night I went to hear Ralph Nader speak at a fundraising meeting in Middletown. There's no question about how he inspires - with the truth - as ugly as it can be.

Ralph Nader will tell you what's still wrong with this country - corporate power and politicking, disastrous foreign policymaking, lack of sense in environmental rulings, a broken health-care system, an exclusionary two-party system, and a citizenry who unfortunately seems willing to accept the worst in our leaders, without question.

And he'll suggest ways we could make it better.

Nader spoke, and accepted questions and comments, for nearly two hours. He is brilliant in his command of the facts of government, politics and history. He is scathing in his criticism of the current administration, which he calls "criminal" and of our president, who he suggests is a "messianic warrior."

He spoke with a passion which demonstrated his frustration with the facts of life in America. He railed against our leaders, political and corporate. He excoriated judges who have given undue power to corporate giants while stripping power from individuals. He lambasted John McCain for his bellicose cheerleading of an immoral war. And he scolded Obama for caving to the hawkish lobbyists of AIPAC, claiming that the majority of Jews in Israel and America want peace and a two-party solution, while the extremists are willing to balkanize the Palestinians behind a countrywide wall.

At lunch yesterday, I told some co-workers that I was going to rush back from Vermont to Connecticut to hear Ralph speak. They laughed at the prospect. But it's no laughing matter. Ralph Nader has been made a joke by those who are unwilling to think about the truth of what he says.

Ralph Nader is essential to America. He reminds us, despite our unwillingness to think on about it, that America could be a much better place, that we as individuals are not powerless, that our leaders serve us, and not the other way around. He makes us confront what we are unwilling to confront, that corporations have no limit in their commercial thirst, except those limits which we place upon them; that we all deserve the kind of health care and education that other countries provide their citizens; that an individual, with determination can change the world.

Nader quoted an ancient Chinese proverb that summed up his message - "To know, and not to do is not to know."

He knows he will not win the Presidential election, but Ralph Nader deserves to be on the ballot in every state. He deserves the right to debate John McCain and Barack Obama (and they would both be better candidates for the debate). He deserves respect for suggesting that our two-party system is a travesty.

I went to the speech last night because I consider Ralph Nader to be a living American hero. I went to the meeting intending to vote for Barack Obama in the presidential election. As Nader suggested, I will be a smart tactical voter and not tell you who I will vote for. But know this, Ralph Nader may have changed my mind.

(Photos by Pearse Pinch)

The Ralph perspective comes to Middletown

No matter how you feel about Ralph Nader (and I think he's an American hero), his point of view is always bluntly honest, corrective and enlightening. Okay, so you may be voting for Obama, but Obama, you know, ain't perfect. And Ralph can tell you why.

It's vital to have people like Ralph Nader in a political system that is closed to anybody but millionaires and party insiders. If nothing else, Nader constantly reminds you to check your own point of view, and way of life.

Nader will be speaking in Middletown tonight as part of his campaign for president.

First Church of Christ Parish Hall
190 Court St. Middletown, CT 06457
Contribution $10/ $5 Student
(203) 430-9342 or events@votenader.org

Thanks to Jennifer Saines for reminding me of the event.

Not going down without some noise in the Noiseless Typewriter Building debate

It's most recently known as the Remington-Rand building, and it's the site of some important Middletown industrial history, and national labor history.

After some questions were raised and resolved about his reputation, Middletown's Economic Development Committee has recommended that the award for sale and development of the building go to Thomas Briggs, who has restored the Piano Factory building in Essex.

However, Evan Blum, a well-known and well-regarded dealer in architectural restoration circles, and owner of Irreplaceable Artifacts, and another bidder for the factory, is not going down without a fight.

In a letter to the Common Council, which he also released to the press, Blum makes his case. Below is the letter in full. The disposition of the factory will be discussed and voted on at Monday's Common Council meeting.

It has become quite apparent that my proposal and intentions have not been properly understood. It will be a travesty to you and to us if I do not get this space. My proposal and ideas clearly leave the city much further ahead, and the fact that you look the other way is completely mind-boggling and most troubling.

Within 30 days of the sale, I will have the building fully occupied and will be bringing a number of new businesses to the town. One of the new businesses that I am going to set up is a window factory to replicate extinct wooden windows for historic buildings. In fact, the first customer is me. There are several hundred windows that need to be replicated in that building alone and we will manufacture them right there. Why wouldn’t you want that? After that project is completed, I have five other buildings that need repair and replication and several clients of mine want their buildings done also. That alone would create five years worth of work and at least six full time jobs or more. The other new businesses that will take place at this space include a film archiving company. They will employ approx. 6 full time and part time employees.

Then, there is my own business. It will be a significant retail establishment that people will travel from all over the world to visit and that addition will create approx. 17 new jobs. My business, at present, contributes to approximately $200,000 that is spent in town at other businesses. If I get the Remington Building, this will, at the very least, triple. I have been restoring old buildings for 36 years, and I will restore this building more appropriately than anyone else, as it is my business.

This building will be restored incorporating the following:
1. Securing it properly and providing 24 hour security
2. Making it watertight
3. Landscaping it to improve its appearance – remove all debris and do extensive planting
4. Re-lighting the whole building with authentic lighting
5. Addressing the mechanical systems

What gets me is that I have the most unique business in town, which greatly improves the reasons for people to come to Middletown. I actually bring in a good, wealthy crowd, so why am I not being treated fairly? The city should be working with me with a vested interest. I am a business that is in desperate need to expand and I am being ignored. I guess no one cares. Is that so? It certainly seems that way. Remember when the city spent so much time, money and effort to get the Goodspeed to Middletown? If you only put a small fraction of that effort towards me, I will do more for Middletown that the Goodspeed ever would have. I clearly see that you do not have a grasp of what I am all about and what I can do. You are about to make a poor decision and I will have to move out of town.

Given the unfavorable position I was put in, I did not have the luxury of going out and documenting all of the support for this that I have and can get, which is more significant that the competing offer. Speaking of competing offers, if he was allowed to adjust his bid upward after the fact to top mine, why can’t I do the same?

I will up my offer to $1.5 million. Now, the city will yield a much higher net amount – no deductions for brokers’ fees, which will still put your net amount less than my previous offer. That should put the city ahead about $400,000.

What do I have to do to convey what the merits of going with me are? What don’t you understand? I ask anyone with any questions to e-mail me back immediately so I can clear up any doubts before an uninformed decision and vote occurs. Why is it so important to vote away your best deals/talent so fast? Why don’t you vote to put it off for a while until you get the opportunity to really understand how I outweigh anything else that you have?

If this does not happen for me after all the hard work and money that I spent in Middletown, why would you want me to seek space in another municipality and that another municipality will get my business and get that benefit by me moving there. You will most likely have some ordinary replacement or vacancy happen in my place on main street if we move. Would you really want me to move all my business out of the Remington building that I occupy and my building on Main street?

I am also flexible in the fact that I can close in the next budget year and that will also give you time to do the proper due diligence and see that I am still the best suitor for Middletown’s best interest and that building. Either way a transition should be seamless. Please consider putting this off for another day when all these issues can be better looked into.

Yours Truly, Evan Blum-Irreplaceable Artifacts

The mystery of the plaque, solved

I arrived at the AWARE group's annual potluck last night and Jennifer Alexander made her way to me to tell me that she had solved the mystery of the Middlesex Mutual sidewalk plaque.

She called Tom Ford, who manages the insurance company's "skyscraper" in Middletown, and he told her that it had been a victim of frost heave through the New England winters, and that finally this year, it became so loose, he had it removed. Plans are in place to re-seat the plaque. We hope that it will be replaced in its original position, and not repositioned to be part of the sidewalk for the newer headquarters across the street.

AWARE, is a group of Wesleyan neighbors, some of whom are Wesleyan staff, who organized many years ago to address issues of noise, re-shaping of the neighborhood with university building, and other general neighbor issues. Last night's gathering saw a good turnout for Michael Roth's first appearance at a meeting as Wesleyan president.

Who took the Middlesex Mutual plaque?

For years, embedded in the sidewalk in front of the old Middlesex Mutual Building on Court Street was a beautiful metal (bronze?) plaque commemorating the founding of this Middletown insurance company.

Just in the past few weeks, I've noticed it's gone.

Anyone know what happened to it? Was it the victim of a metal thief? The result of an errant snowplow job? Did Middlesex Mutual grab it for their archives? Was it an antiques heist? (They steal the statuary from Cities of the Dead in New Orleans, the weathervanes from barns in Vermont, and the pages from ancient books in the Beinecke, so why not a handsome plaque?)

I called the Department of Public Works, and no one in the office was aware that it was missing, however, sidewalk inspector Rick Romano was out, and he is the authoritative voice.

The DPW did confirm that the sidewalks, and thereby the plaque, belong to the city of Middletown, and that it should not have been removed without permission.

The detritus of education

Don't tell me we don't live in a spend and waste culture.

As I took my morning walk I passed mounds of garbage discarded by the seniors of Wesleyan University as they abandoned their academic careers in Middletown.

The walk which began as I startled a large blue heron in the holding pond across the street from the former Wilcox-Crittenden forge. As I approached the Wesleyan student neighborhood of Miles, Brainard and Homes Streets I began to see the piles of trash left behind by departing students.

At first, you're struck by the sheer volume, but that's because what has been relatively neatly gathered, is then pulled apart by scavengers looking for treasures. My assumption is that anything in the possession of a college student for four years is likely not rescuing, but friends have told me that they have found perfectly good pieces of furniture and clothing, unused kitchen utensils and items like microwaves and TV's that are too bulky to transport cross-country. The university has created a system where portable storage pods are placed in parking lots so that big items can be discarded and recycled.

One can only imagine this scene repeated at universities across the country.

The most savvy scavengers arose early Monday morning, after seniors had departed, to prowl the curbs and pull the most useful items from the piles of used goods left behind.

By the time I passed this morning, there was little left but the real garbage, much of it able to be recycled, but unlikely to be. And it was strewn from pillar to post by those in search of something of value.

I found these remainders of an academic career sad and beautiful in equal degrees. Entire contents of refrigerators heaped together. Unwanted wall decorations which now yoked Picasso with Janis curbside. Prodigious evidence that the students enjoyed the consumption of alcohol. The kitschy pitched carelessly with the pithy. And the well-worn carcasses of large upholstered chairs and sofas.

While Lucy forbids me carrying even one more chair-in-need-of-repair into our house, I did a bit of superficial dumpster diving near the fine arts complex where desperate students sometimes discard unwieldy masterpieces before they head out for careers in bohemian hovels in NY and Paris.

I'm hoping that the art, which now hangs on my office wall, will someday belong to the oeuvre of a well-regarded painter with a Whitney opening.

I had an idea while walking. I challenge one or more of the many non-profits in Middletown to organize an end-of-semester tag sale in town in which they could collect worthwhile items from departing students, bring it to a single location for sale, and make money for their organization while helping students with their clean-up.