Diary of Old News, June 9 to May 17

June 9th
Teresa Opalacz takes the gavel
at the Chamber of Commerce
Starting with an extraordinary and inspiring blessing from the new Rabbi at Congregation Adath Israel, and ending with the announcement that Teresa Opalacz is the new chair, the annual Chamber dinner was a great night out. The Distinguished Citizen awards went to four people who have made our community better in immeasurable ways - Lee Osborne, Howard & Sari Rosenbaum, and Gerry Dyar. I know the first three well from various community projects - Howard and Sari are such constant supporters of positive efforts in the community, and it was especially wonderful to hear of Sari's journey that started with a focus on projects at the synagogue, and then expanded to work with the hospital, building affordable housing, and saving Portland's riverfront!

Lee is one of my favorite people in Middletown (we served together on P&Z in the mid-1990's when Main Street was in the dumps) and we should all be grateful for the way he took on the thankless task of implementing the construction plans for the new Middletown High as chair of that building committee. (Lee and Gerry were somewhat unwillingly photographed here...sorry about that!). I'll confess that I never heard of Mr. Dyar before this evening's awards - proof that I need to get out more. He's a streetcar and transportation maven from Westbrook, among his many other accomplishments, and I hope to run into him soon!

June 8th
Oh no, not again.
Longtime readers of the Eye may recognize this stairwell on Hartford Avenue (the exit road between O'Rourke's & St. John's). Yes, that's a new piece of graffiti on this no-man's land -- the work on the stairwell on the south side is even more elaborate! Last time this area got tagged, it took many months and the concerted efforts of a variety of public officials to get the DOT to make the cleanup a priority -- even though this is such an important gateway for our Main Street. If anyone in a position of authority has some beige paint, please stop by.

June 6th
Another New Businesses Coming
The signs in the window of the Downtown Bar & Grill (replacing the old Public), promise Bud Light and a Thursday, June 10th opening. Rumor has it that Karaoke will be on tap, though not every night, because that would just be too much of a good thing. On Friday, they are hosting a band called "Alpha Males."

June 2nd
New Business Coming
At the Main Street Market building, owner Mike Stone is doing an amazing job renovating the old "It's Only Natural Market" space. Word is that the "New England Emporium", which will serve food and offer crafts, jam and other local items for sale, should be opening around June 16th. From what I can see through the window, it should be one of the more aesthetically pleasing spots for lunch in town.

May 30th
Vecchitto's is open
It's hard to understand how we could have missed the very first day of the season at Vecchitto's Italian Ice on DeKoven Drive, but at least we made it there on the second. Here's a close-up of the menu board just in case you were thinking of resisting. Our family's devotion to this summer tradition can be summed up in this way: instead of wedding cake, we served 4 flavors of Vecchitto's when we got married.

Here are the kids getting their first scoop of the summer -- they grow up so quickly. One of my kids has graduated from watermelon to almond. Makes me all misty.


May 29th
Middletown enters the 21st Century
You may have noticed these technicolor parking meters on the East side of Main between Court and Washington (the Malloves/Javapalooza block). They take both old (cash) and new (plastic) currency. The new parking director, Tom Hartley, is testing the response to these meters for a 3-month period (at no cost to the city), so be sure to let him know in the comments to this post if you have an opinion.

May 18th
Watch Out, You Abusers of Handicap Parking Permits!
One of our Main Street Parking Attendants has been diligent over the past 10 months in collecting handicap permits from people who are using expired permits (belonging to their deceased relatives!) to avoid paying for parking or to fill the limited number of legitimate spaces for people with disabilities. At the last parking department meeting, he fanned out over 60 that he has confiscated - which should make things easier for people who actually need those reserved spaces.

May 17
It's Not Easy Being Green....In Middletown
These three mature honey locust trees on Main Street are targeted for removal in the coming weeks. They survived the long period of demolition (Middletown Press) and construction (the Rite Aid/Landino building) over the past few years, here on the corner of Union & Main. But Public Works is planning a sidewalk replacement, and they've gotten approval to remove the trees.

By some calculations, it's easier to put in a new tree than work around the existing ones. This is standard practice in Middletown, under the assumption that a tree might get damaged in the sidewalk construction (though it might not) and then we'd find ourselves replacing it in a few years. My experience several years ago in advocating for the tree in front of Thai Gardens (corner of College and Main - it was slated for removal but after protest, it was retained and is still thriving) taught me that it's actually possible for a construction company to take some precautions, and not cause damage to the trees, though this does vary somewhat by variety.

I know that there are sometimes practical reasons for the removal of an otherwise healthy street tree, but I think Middletown lacks an adequate system of checks and balances that would prevent tree removal for reasons of convenience and short-term economy. I haven't seen a recent notice on these trees - typically an X paper is posted on the tree, with a short delay period where the public can protest the upcoming removal. And our Urban Forestry board is generally not involved in decisions about which trees should be removed - that's a shame.

Although these might not be the most significant trees on Main Street, I mourn their loss for two reasons:

1. We have a lousy track record of putting in trees of a significant caliper and appropriate variety...if they can do it in Blue Back Square, why can't we?

2. Main Street needs trees for economic development reasons, as well as environmental ones. This is New England! The tree-lined street is our brand - and we are squandering our advantage over the strip malls and big boxes -- not to mention the more enlightened town centers. (See Blue Back Square, above.)

Personally I'd rather see alternative methods of sidewalk construction, or a bigger investment in significant new street trees, when replacement is unavoidable. To do otherwise is Penny Wise and Pound Foolish, since it hurts the value of our Main Street. But I'm just one person here...what do you think, readers?