Learn To Kayak In A Nice Warm Pool (Friday Eve.)

The CT chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club is running a whitewater kayaking course Friday night (Jan 17th) at Woodrow Wilson Middle School.

There probably won't be any whitewater in the pool, but you can learn basic skills like the Eskimo roll, etc.  Plenty of instructors for one-on-one training, but limited spots and registration required.  

Here's the link for details:  http://activities.outdoors.org/search/index.cfm/action/details/id/72237

Support Forest and Parks

from the CT Forest and Parks Association http://www.ctwoodlands.org/

Don't miss out on a chance to win this kayak!

Help CFPA further its mission by purchasing a raffle ticket for a handcrafted cedar strip kayak. The kayak is a little over 18 feet long, yet weighs just under 40 lbs. The boat is of Aleut Eskimo design, called a baidarka, which features a split or bifurcated bow. The lower half is a cutwater, parting the waves or flatwater for a smooth flow over the hull. This lower vertical edge also improves tracking as it slices into waves keeping the bow from being deflected by winds. The upper half of the bow flares outward. Waves hitting this surface create lift and coupled with the great volume of the forward hull, lift the kayak over waves. Two large volume cargo holds will more than accommodate camping gear for overnight or longer trips. Its strength and durability are sure to provide many years of enjoyment.

Purchase your ticket now as only 400 tickets will be sold.

Tickets $25 -Drawing on June 3, 2011 at 4pm at 16 Meriden Road, Rockfall CT. Need not be present to win. 1 prize to be awarded

To purchase tickets call CFPA at 860-346-2372 or email info@ctwoodlands.org

Kayak Launch Supported and Parking Director Gets Shot at Melilli

The Economic Development Committee lent its support to a land transfer in exchange for kayak launching, a parking garage on Melilli Plaza instead of the arcade, a tax abatement, WiFi on Main Street, and renewal of a contract for lobbying in Washington.

Kayak and Canoe Launching

The EDC unanimously supported the transfer of city-owned land to Paul Szewzyck, in exchange for access to the river through the back of Szewzyck's land at 161 Johnson Street, and construction of an 8 vehicle parking lot on city-owned land. Under the deal Szewzyck would receive title to 172 Johnson Street, an 80' X 136' lot adjacent to the rail line which crosses Johnson Street in front of the City's recycling station. Szewzyck would provide a conservation easement on a portion of his land, that is adjacent to (and in some seasons even within) the river.

Richard Kearney, Economic Development Specialist in the City Planning Office, told the EDC that the city-owned property is worth about $30,000 and that after Szewzyck built a vehicle maintenance building on the lot, he would be paying between $2500 and $3500 in taxes to the

city.

In exchange for this city-owned lot, Szewzyck would also pave an 8 car parking lot adjacent to the Johnson Street Pumping station (the small brick building which houses a sewer pump), and he would create a 370 feet path from this parking lot to the river, for the purpose of launching canoes and kayaks into the Coginchaug.

John Hall, Director of the Jonah Center and long-time proponent of improving Middletown's connection with the rivers which course through our city, expressed his strong support for the land swap. "There are only two places [in the city] on the Coginchaug where you can access the river without excavation." He said that the city had rejected the other option, on the North End Peninsula.

Tax Abatement For LEED Certified Building on Industrial Park Road.

Tall Properties, LLC, was granted a tax abatement for their Centerpoint Office Condominium project which will be built to LEED silver standards of environmentally responsible construction. Leonard Leibenhaut, Manager of Tall Properties, applied for a tax abatement and a waiver of the building permit fees, under a city program to promote development. Attorney Ralph Wilson represented Tall Properties at the meeting.

A member of the EDC asked how much the building permit would cost, and Kearney was unable to provide that figure. Despite this, Tall Properties was granted the permit fee waiver. In addition, they were given a substantial tax abatement, which is based on the dollar value of the improvements to the lot. Over the first 4 years, Tall Properties will pay just $78k in taxes, instead of the projected taxes of $267k. Following those first 4 years, Tall Properties will pay the full rate.

Hartley to Present Melilli Plaza Parking Garage Idea to council.

The EDC voted to move a resolution to the full Common Council which would direct the City to design a Parking Garage on Melilli Plaza instead of on the currently planned arcade behind the police station.

Parking Director Tom Hartley told the Committee that parking demand and supply made Melilli a more logical choice for a multi-level parking structure, and that it would be easier to construct such a parking garage if the arcade remained functional during construction. Moreover, he said that if the arcade was not rebuilt with federal dollars, it would not be required to be public, making it available for private development.

Hartley as well as the councilmen agreed that the arcade needed maintenance to make it safe for the next 5 years, in addition to whatever was done on Melilli.

Other actions

The EDC lent their support to the renewal of the contract of Panuzio and Giordano Public Affairs, for lobbying in Washington on behalf of Middletown. Their fee of $24,000 per year will come out of the economic development fund.

Kearney told the councilmen that it would cost about $100,000 to demolish three blighted houses, 2 on Wadsworth Street and 1 on Portland Street. The EDC voted to have them boarded up and asked the Planning Office to get detailed quotes on the demolition.

Marie Kalita-Leary, Director of the Downtown Business District, told the Commission that the Downtown Business District would pay about $7,000 to restore WiFi coverage to the part of Main Street which is currently covered. The EDC voted to spend about $14,000 to expand the coverage nearly "church to church," with 14 new transmitters north of Washington Street. The money will come from the economic development fund. Roughly the same amount of money, previously set aside for cable access on Industrial Park Road, will not be spent.

Kearney said that Harbor Park Restaurant was still under the same management as before, that the closing for sale of the lease was not yet complete. He speculated on the reason why there might be a delay, "This is the season to make money." Daley suggested that the sale of a lease for Harbor Park is a "complicated thing."

Block Island Daycation

Tuesday, August 25, Dave (below) Beth, and Tim left home at 6:45 to catch the 9am High Speed Ferry http://www.blockislandferry.com/ to Block Island, 13 miles off shore of Rhode Island. We arrived on Island http://seagrant.gso.uri.edu/daytrip/block_island.html by 9:30 with our bikes (plenty of places to rent bikes as well), water bottles, helmets, swim suits, a camera and our light wind rain/jackets just in case, and a list of plenty of things to do for a day.

My brother Dave was visiting from CA, and had never been on the Block. Our first choice day trip to NYC, was nixed after we found tickets were sold out to the Statue of the Liberty museum and the stair climb to her crown http://www.nps.gov/STLI/index.htm . My thought was, it was just as well, as the heat in NYC would have been unbearable on Tuesday; so instead we welcomed a bright sunny, almost clear sky, reflecting the beautiful colors and hues of the Island. In the morning we rented kayaks

From Pond and Beyond kayak tours, http://www.blockisland.com/kayakbi/ and paddled out of New Harbor staying in the confines of the 1700 acre Great Salt Pond. During our paddle adventure we learned that the Great Salt Pond, used to be a daily dumping ground for the more than 1000 boats that can fill the harbor on any given day in the summer. Now thanks to the Federal Clean Water Act in 1972, combined with Rhode Island designating the Great Salt Pond as a "No Discharge" zone in 1993, the water is cleaner. For a pump-out, you contact one of the marinas or the town-operated floating pump-out station. Three years later shell-fish beds which had been closed since 1983 where reopened for harvesting. We paddled by one of the two small oyster farms on Island that provide mostly for the town’s restaurant business. The photo shows the terns hanging out in the bed. We where impressed to learn that more than 40% of the Island is preserved as open space, and that there is a strict moratorium on building any new docks or piers on the Islands waters. The later is currently being tested in the courts. http://www.biconservancy.org/CGSP.html

I was pushing to paddle ocean side, but that was nixed in favor of more time to ride, and a chance to see other parts of the Island and gain some beach time. Maybe I’ll get back later this fall to join the ConnYak http://connyak.org/ paddlers on their 18 mile paddle around Block Island.

So we covered the distance of the Island on our bikes, stopping for lunch and some views of the ocean. Our last stop on the ride was the beach at Mohegan Bluffs.

First we rested up for the climb back up the 200 foot cliff side at Mohegan Bluffs.

To end our day we dined in town (NewShoreham), paying the bill in time to make the 7:45 ferry back to Point Judith, and what seemed like a short drive home to Middletown while I slept. We learned to late that the state beach has shower facilities we could have taken advantage of after working up a pretty good sweat during the day. Turns out there was no jacket needed on Island, even with an ocean breeze, it was still hot humid and reaching into the high 80’s. It was a great get-away for the day and we left with plenty more to see and do next time we get back to Block Island.

A Sunday in August on the Coginchaug River

All the rain this last week, brought the Connecticut River to near flood stage. In the spring you are just about guaranteed a chance to paddle the river and her tributaries; the Mattabesset and Coginchaug at or above flood stage, but this is somewhat unusual for the month of August, so we took advantage of this on Sunday heading out from Harbor Park, Our goal was to paddle the Coginchaug to Veterans Park.

A month earlier paddling with an outing organized by the Jonah Center for Earth an Art, www.thejonahcenter.org/ the Coginchaug had just a trickle of water and we found that two sections of downed trees made it impossible to reach Veterans park, more than a half mile further upstream.

Paddling on these tributaries, at different times of the year, and with high and low water, offers unique views of the
natural landscape and her inhabitants. 

Today we saw three of the seasonal camps, now abandoned because of the high water. A month ago, it was clear folks where living there, but almost everything is gone now. We
noted the remnants’ of camps among the “floating meadows” lodged among the bulrush and wildrice. Still there was a bird feeder swaying against a breeze, in one of the abandoned camps. Living on the banks of the river in the summer, has an appeal be it by choice, or by the fact of being homeless. I'm not going to begrudge anyone who does so, except to say that living on the river bank, or in our city along the river carries an obligation of doing one's part to keep the river clean, and healthy.

George’s outdoor basement, just behind the old Remington Rand Factory building, and the power plant the city evicted him from, looked to just miss being underwater. Has anyone heard how George is doing on his trip south to Key West. Conservacity blog was last news I’ve heard. http://conservacity.blogspot.com/2008/06/dugout-paddlers-off-for-florida.html


 On our return home we found his vacant houseboat being explored by the power-boaters, who had just speed by us at open throttle, throwing up a huge, mighty wash. We were not so polite in reminding them, with anger in our voice that they were well above the 6mph speed limit for the length of the waterways that is posted with signage as you enter the Mattabesset. Their response, not surprisingly was that they did not know. Not that I’m inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt, though I would ask, why the sign is not bigger, and note that, of the many waterways I’ve been on, this speed limit sign is the smallest one I’ve ever seen, and does not do much to get your attention. Paddling back to the docks in Harbor Park I was able to speak to officers of Middletown's harbor patrol unit, and they indicated that they would head towards the Meriden Boatclub, where we later observed them docking.

I'm always surprised that we do not see more non-motorized users on the river.
It is nice to be just about the only paddlers out on this stretch of river on a
Sunday afternoon,  I'm not complaining, but at the same time it feels selfish
to keep the knowledge of this destination under wraps. Middletown and Cromwell residents have an on the water recreational playground in our respective backyards, and it is a shame so few take advantage of it. If you choose to paddle, remember to bring your bug spray, sun screen, and life jackets. If you can, take home more than you set off with, by picking up some lightweight floating trash, and do a part in helping to keep our backyard treasure just that.

You can find a map of the Mattabesset and Coginchaug River here: www.mrwa-ct.org/canoe.htm
You can find the Mattabesset canoe/Kayak trail on line here: file:///Users/elizabet/Desktop/MattabessetCanoe.pdf

More  photos of the Rivers are available on my flicker site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/93775143@N00/collections/72157606585136931/