Willi Whammer Half Marathon

A great day for a run. Fifty-ish and a cold drizzle....doesn't get any better then that.
The Beginning of a tradition?
The Boom Box, Third Thursday, The Willi Whammer Half Marathon

Hurley Building Gets a Developer

Hurley Building Has Savior

A Middletown non profit development organization has agreed to purchase and develop 

the former Hurley block on Main Street.  The Women's Institute for Housing and Economic Development  has a 30 year, successful track record  developing safe, affordable, and supportive housing for individuals and families.

The development deal was facilitated by NCCDC, a Danielson economic development nonprofit lead by Rheo Brouillard. President and CEO of Savings Institute  Bank and Trust. 

The developer's proposal includes include ten market rate apartments, ten apartments reserved for veterans and retail on Main Street. Rehabilitation of the roof and exterior walls are scheduled to begin within weeks. A local bank has agreed to provided short term pre development financing to get this project started.

Where the financing comes from

Unveiling of a Mural: Our town/Our History

Our town/Our history: The evolution of a Willimantic Mural
unvailing: April April 22/12 noon

Oct 31, 2013

Oct 31, 2013

Oct 31, 2013

Nov 14, 2013

Nov 14, 2013

Nov 14, 2013

Nov 21, 2013

Nov 21, 2013

April 8. 2014

April 8. 2004

April 21, 2014

April 21, 2014 

Windham's Micro Grid: Town Officials Didn't Do Their Homework This Time

The Grid Goes Down, The Great Northeast Blackout of 1965

Windham's politicians love freebies, they have never meet a state or federal grant that they haven't drooled over . While many grants have been good to us many have come back to bit us on the butt. 

Town and school official have not done their homework approving, nearly unanimously, a proposal to add  a micro-grid  connecting Sweeney and the Middle school on Quarry St. . A micro grid is a fancy name for a big generator. Along with a solar collector farm it will be a free standing emergency power source . It will serve Windham and Connecticut in times of emergencies. 

The proposal was approved with several questions still unanswered like what will it cost Windham. The state may provide $700,000.00 of the 1.8 million dollar estimated price tag. The board of education  intends to apply for a  $880,000.00 grant from the state board of education leaving the town with a $220,000.00 obligation, funds that may come from the town's fund balance or bonding. 

On April 15th voters will be asked to vote on this proposal, a proposal with several questions remaining unanswered:

• Is the 1.8 million dollar price tag firm?
• If the school grant is approved would these monies be taken away from more important future grants?
• What are the maintenance costs projected into the future?
• Administration costs
• Operation cost when shelters are utilized?
• Who would use  the emergency shelters? Planned as a regional facility, what percentage of Windham's population  would be allowed to utilize the schools gyms and kitchen facilities?
• What are the logistics of providing shelter ? How will it coexist when/if school is in session?
•  The Windham Energy Commission claims the solar collectors will provide a substantial amount of ,day to day, energy in addition to providing energy during emergencies. What percentage of day to day energy will the collectors contribute?
• The Energy Commission claims a five year pay back on the solar collectors opposed to the normal payback time of ten years. Why the difference? Is there more sun on Quarry St.? 

Why would town officials choose Sweeney  and the Middle School for a micro grid project?  History tells us the Quarry Street neighborhood, where the schools are located,  has not lost power from the existing grid since  the Northeast Blackout of 1965. Within 13 hours, New England, New York, New Jersey and parts of Canada were reconnected to the grid. 

Jean de Smet, chairman of Windham's energy commission claims that the electrical infrastructure serving Connecticut is outdated and over taxed. She is concerned with the long term relationship between New England power providers and their energy dependence on Hydro Quebec. She is also concerned that summertime "brown outs," occasionally experienced, could lead to wide spread black outs. As Windham is a designated shelter location in case of a nuclear meltdown at Millstone, deSmet  foresees the possible  arrival of 3,000 refugees from the greater Waterford area
 
She wants Windham to become as energy independent as possible.

Windham has no experience as a emergency shelter provider. Victims of fires have been put up in  motels in the past. Those that suffer from winter storms or summer heat are offered the temporary facilities of town hall to warm up, cool down or recharge their cell phones.We have never had  a citizen loss of life due to a lack of  a town emergency shelter. 

Under the present proposal the shelter would be utilized short term for weather events or long term for disasters  such as  New Orleans's Katrina, a nuclear meltdown at Millstone or a complete breakdown of the electric grid. 

The shelter proposal would not amount to a pee hole in the snow. It would be surprising if schools could accommodate more then 100 guests over night. 

The logic of this project is illogical. Why build it in an area that historically enjoys 24/7 electrical service.? Would it not be more feasible  to build the micro grid in an area that suffers electric service interruption  such as Windham? Wouldn't The Barrows Magnet School be a more appropriate location? North Windham or Windham Center School could be tied into Barrows free standing grid.

 Does Windham want to host a regional emergency shelter? Do we want, or can we manage up to 3000 "traumatized" guests on a long term basis?

Windham  is the  region's social service center. It has been for years and will probably will be forever.Towns send their problems to us. Do we  want the responsibility of being  the regions "emergency shelter Innkeeper"?

John Monaghan

U.S. Census Bureau say UConn will go all the way

Today at 2:51 PM

Census Bureau Profile America Facts for Features - 2014 NCAA Men's Final Four: April 5-7 CB14-FF.10 April 1, 2014 2014 NCAA Men’s Final Four: April 5-7 The NCAA Final Four men’s college basketball games will be played April 5 and April 7 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Sometimes known as March Madness or the Big Dance, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament has grown from an eight-team tournament in 1939 to a 68-team, single-elimination playoff with mass appeal. The semifinals and championship games are each expecting more than 100,000 fans, and about 15 million viewers are expected to watch each game on TV. To commemorate this occasion, the Census Bureau has compiled a collection of facts examining the demographics of the host city, as well as the cities represented by the four remaining teams — Madison, Wis. (University of Wisconsin), Gainesville, Fla. (University of Florida), Storrs, Conn. (University of Connecticut) and Lexington-Fayette, Ky. (University of Kentucky). Game Trends 7      Out of the past 10 national championship games, the school from the city with a smaller population has won seven times (70 percent). Source: QuickFacts, Population Estimates and NCAA <http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/index.html>, <http://www.ncaa.com/final-four>   50% Out of the past 10 years of national semifinal games, the school from the city with a smaller population has won half (10 out of 20) of the games. Source: QuickFacts, Population Estimates and NCAA <http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/index.html>, <http://www.ncaa.com/final-four> Arlington, Texas (Home of AT&T Stadium, site of the Men’s Final Four) Population: 375,600 Median household income: $53,341 Percentage completed high school or higher (25 and older): 84.2% Percentage bachelor’s degree or higher (25 and older): 28.7% Source: QuickFacts <http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/48/4804000.html> Gainesville, Fla. (Home of the University of Florida Gators) Population: 126,047 Median household income: $32,145 Percentage completed high school or higher (25 and older): 90.9% Percentage bachelor’s degree or higher (25 and older): 43.7% Source: QuickFacts <http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/12/1225175.html> Storrs, Conn. (Home of the University of Connecticut Huskies) Population: 14,031 Median household income: $34,924 Percentage completed high school or higher (25 and older): 95.0% Percentage bachelor’s degree or higher (25 and older): 49.4% Source: QuickFacts and 2008-2012 American Community Survey<http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/09/0973980.html> <http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_12_5YR_B01003&prodType=table> Madison, Wis. (Home of the University of Wisconsin Badgers) Population: 240,323 Median household income: $53,958 Percentage completed high school or higher (25 and older): 94.8% Percentage bachelor’s degree or higher (25 and older): 53.3% Source: QuickFacts <http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/55/5548000.html> Lexington-Fayette, Ky. (Home of the University of Kentucky Wildcats) Population: 305,489 Median household income: $48,779 Percentage completed high school or higher (25 and older): 88.7% Percentage bachelor’s degree or higher (25 and older): 39.9% Source: QuickFacts <http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/21/2146027.html> Some estimates presented here are derived from sample data, and thus have sampling error that may render some apparent differences between geographies statistically indistinguishable. Go to <http://quickfacts.census.gov> and click the “i” icon beside any label to learn about its sampling error.