Thunderstorm Topples Trees; 2,700 Middletown Customers Lose Power

UPDATE: At 10am on Wednesday, reported outages were down to 691. 

An uprooted tree on the Wesleyan campus.

Eversource crew on Country Club Rd about 8pm.

A quick but fierce summer thunderstorm blew through town Tuesday, uprooting trees, snapping power lines and snarling rush hour traffic.  Just before 5pm, thunder rumbled and the skies darkened. Twenty minutes later the storm was gone, but danger and chaos remained in its wake.

Mayor Dan Drew said some minor injuries from car accidents and other storm-related incidents were reported, but he was not aware of any serious health threats.

"The outages are slowly but steadily coming down" he said. "We're hoping everyone will be restored by some time in the morning. We'll have to see."

As of 10:30 pm, the Eversource energy company listed 2,262 customers (about 10% of Middletown customers) as without power. That was down from a peak of 2700 according to the mayor, who told The Eye that the South Farms section of town was particularly hard hit. Route 9 southbound near CVH was blocked due to storm damage, with reports of traffic backed up from Silver Street all the way into Cromwell.

But damage was widespread. Shortly after 5pm, Westfield Street was closed, with east-bound traffic diverted to Route 66/Washington Street at Ballfall Road. Drivers headed downtown soon found out that Washington Street was also shut down, between Butternut St. and Newfield St (Route 3). A normally 20-minute drive across town became an almost hour-long crawl through side streets.

Tree branches litter Veterans' Green.
(Click to embiggen.)

Drew said he ordered the city's Emergency Operations Center opened about 5:15, just after the storm hit the city. By 7pm, city dispatchers had handled 496 calls about situations that required police, firefighters, or other emergency services. The 496 number includes multiple calls for the same incident (for instance, several calls for one downed power line). Still, it was an intense rush of serious calls, spread throughout the city, and virtually all at once.

The EOC was closed down at about 10pm. The mayor said extra police were called in to safeguard hazards and direct traffic. He said Eversource had told him they were sending additional line crews to speed repairs.

(Click to embiggen.)

Trees branches littered Veterans Green along Washington Terrace, and large trees were snapped or uprooted near Wesleyan's Center for the Arts.

Surrounding towns were also hard hit.  The Middletown Press reported that Coginchaug High School's graduation ceremony was postponed due to the widespread power outages in Durham.

Looking for a silver lining? The forecast for Wednesday is beautiful.

Governor In Middletown Today For Riverfront Redevelopment Announcement

There'll be dueling Dans down by the river today.

Governor Dan Malloy and Mayor Dan Drew will hold a press conference at 11:30 a.m. at the gazebo next to the Mattabesett Canoe Club to make an announcement about Middletown's Riverfront Redevelopment plans. 

The city has been working on plans to redevelop the "South Cove" area of the river once the existing sewage treatment plant there has been dismantled.

In July, when the Middletown Riverfront Redevelopment Commission submitted its final plans, Mayor Drew told the Middletown Press he had begun "preliminary overtures" to the governor’s office to seek financial assistance, but "had a ways to go before delivering a formal application to the state."

Schools Administrators Address Challenging Budget Questions

Ed Dypa decried the ever increasing education budget, and asked Gene Nocera, Patricia Charles, and Dan Drew when it would be held constant from one year to the next. He said that his pension was constant, and the relentless increase in taxes for the schools might force seniors like himself out of their homes.

Dypa's question came after a 30 minute presentation at the quarterly Westfield Residents Association meeting, by Superintendent Charles on the schools and the budget request.

Mayor Invites Public To Thursday Budget Address

From the Mayor's Office:
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Mayor Daniel T. Drew will be giving his budget address on Thursday, March 28, 2013, at 7 pm. in the Council Chamber. The Mayor will be inviting the Council Members, Board of Education Members, Planning & Zoning Members, Teachers unions, PTA presidents, Fire Union, Police Union, Local 466 and Teamsters. Members of the public are invited.

Mayor's Update on Snow Removal

At 11:17 am this morning, I received the following pre-recorded phone update from Mayor Dan Drew, just as the plow was finally getting to our street.  We live way out in Westfield, off Atkins Street, and I knew we were not anywhere close to the top of the plowing priority list.  Just the same, it was a welcome update from the Mayor, and it was just plain fun to watch a "super plow" do its work!  Hopefully, you received the same phone call, but here's the text reprinted, and it is posted on the City's website as well.

Politics Get Local

Update at 1:10pm:  My apologies for leaving out the 13th State Senate District candidates.


Former U.S. Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill coined the phrase, "all politics is local," referring to the connection between a politician's grasp of the issues and concerns of his or her constituents and said politician's success in office.  A diligent citizen could voice an opinion by calling each of the candidates, writing a letter or email, or even attending a campaign event.  But why not let the candidates come to you?

The Westfield Residents Association (WRA) is delighted to sponsor a Meet The Candidates Night this Monday, October 22nd, at 7:30pm at the Third Congregational Church on Miner Street.  Middletown voters will be casting ballots for a representative in the State House and Senate as well as a representative for the U.S. House and Senate.  Additionally, voters will decide on a $37M bond referendum to pay for construction costs associated with joining the Mattabesset regional sewer plant.

Everyone is welcome to attend: this is not a debate and there will be refreshments and Q&A time to allow you to present your concerns to your elected representatives and their challengers.  The following candidates have confirmed their attendance:

State House, 33rd       State Senate, 9th        State House, 100th               U.S. House, 3rd  
Joseph Serra (D)         Paul Doyle (D)          Matthew Lesser (D)             Rosa DeLauro (D) 
Callie Grippo (R)        Joe Dinunzio (R)       Deborah Kleckowski (R)    Wayne Winsley (R)

State Senate, 13th
Len Suzio (R)
Dante Bartolomeo (D)

Mayor Drew will also be present to speak on the bond referendum for the Mattabassett regionalization project as well as the $4.8M for the renovation of Eckersley Hall into a Senior Center.

There will be a brief WRA business meeting at 7pm to elect a new slate of officers for the WRA Executive Committee, and then Candidate introductions will begin at 7:30pm.

The Third Congregational Church is located at 94 Miner Street in Middletown, just down from the Fire Station on the corner of Miner Street and East Street (or 217).  The meeting will be held in the Fellowship Hall located next to the church.

Construction of Middletown Canoe & Kayak Launch Begins

By John Hall and Kate Miller

Middletown’s Department of Public Works recently broke ground on the access driveway to the proposed canoe and kayak launch on the Coginchaug River. Located at the North End Peninsula along the west edge of the City’s Recycling Center, the launch will access the Coginchaug River just half a mile upstream from its confluence with the Mattabesset River and the Floating Meadows, an important freshwater tidal marsh. The area is a rare ecological gem in an urban setting, critical habitat for a wide diversity of plant and animal life including osprey, heron, wild rice, beaver, and native fish. 

The construction, which began last week, represents a significant milestone in the project’s long history. The Jonah Center for Earth and Art initially proposed the launch in 2005 and in 2007 helped the City secure a $50,000 U.S. Dept. of Transportation grant. The project was then shelved by the City indefinitely. The Coginchaug River Access Group (CRAG, a committee of the Jonah Center for Earth and Art) and the City’s Department of Planning, Conservation and Development resurrected the proposal in 2010 and determined the best location and design. The project is under construction now due to the commitment of Mayor Dan Drew, the support of CRAG members, and hard work by City staff. Final State DEEP regulatory approvals are now being sought.

The launch will be accessed near the entrance to the City’s Recycling Center at Johnson and North Main Streets (see the yellow dot on the aerial view photo). The driveway will go west, between the edge of the Recycling Center and railroad tracks to the launch ramp at the Coginchaug River (see the red dot on the aerial photo).

Mayor Dan Drew and Director of Public Works Bill Russo have agreed to use city resources to clear and pave the entrance way so that work closer to the water can be completed next spring or summer after all the DEEP permits have been approved. The goal is to have a functional launch by next season. Interlocking concrete pavers will be installed near the water’s edge to provide a safe, stable ramp where the public can launch small boats. Larger boats on trailers behind vehicles will not be allowed.

Construction of the ramp and turnaround near the water next summer will depend in part on some volunteer labor. Anyone interested and able to assist, especially those who can safely lift the 25 lb interlocking pavers, should contact the Jonah Center and CRAG through the website (here) or by calling 860-398-3771 to speak with John Hall.

The Jonah Center and CRAG wish to thank all those who have provided critical assistance with project to date, especially Mayor Dan Drew, the Mayor’s Chief of Staff Joe Samolis, City Planner Bill Warner, Environmental Specialist Matt Dodge, Public Works Director Bill Russo, and Engineer Joe Wren.