Monday the Common Council approved the construction of an Emergency Access Road at Middletown High School. The road, which will only be used for emergency access, will connect the high school parking lot to Cynthia Lane.
The roadway was part of the original plan for the high school but was never built.
"This road was never removed from the plans," majority leader Thomas Serra said. "I want the people of Middletown to know that there is money in the project plans for this road."
The Council also approved expenditures of CDBG funds for a number of projects, including the development of a small-business incubator at the former Remington Rand building.
Money that had been earmarked for construction of a new senior center in the old St. Sebastian School will now be devoted to the creation of the business incubator. City leaders are now working to create funding for the new senior center through bonding.
The move proved controversial because it stripped funding from legal services, a move that Council member Deborah Kleckowski argued would be detrimental to residents who have no where else to turn for such services.
"To take a legal voice away form people who have no other place to go is so irresponsible," Kleckowski argued.
Council member Bob Santangelo agreed with Kleckowski's objection.
Councilman David Bauer also argued that in light of residents fighting foreclosure on property due to predatory lending practices, the legal services could make a vital difference.
Kleckowski, Santangelo and Bauer were the only Council members to vote against the proposed distribution of the CDBG fund.
Bauer also took some time to explain his consistent vote against the regular motion to "pay all city bills."
"People have said I've made a joke of it," Bauer said. He went on to explain that the rote approval was either a vestigal reaction to a process that had been written out of the city charter, or an ongoing act of irresponsibility by a council which never asked to see proof that bills were being paid.
So, we buy the catholic school for a senior center then use money earmarked for it for something else. "City leaders are now working to create funding for the new senior center through bonding."
ReplyDeleteThe deal stunk then and stinks worse now as it was sold on how we need to take care of our seniors. They've put up with so little for so long. Looks like they're screwed once again and so were we. The church made out ok, though. Let's see whose hands are out first for CDBG monies. That will tell us lot.