How Do Middletown's Fireworks Look From The Bridge?

http://youtu.be/DXj7LhKm7ww

Last year, Middletown's fireworks were postponed a day due to weather. For 2015 though, the scheduled night was cool and clear.

The display Friday night lasted over 25 minutes. Check out just 4+ of those minutes, as viewed from the Arrigoni Bridge. 

(I must admit, seeing the railroad trestle illuminated in flashes did remind me of that bridge scene in 'Apocalypse Now'.  But I was not cradling a small dog, and everyone made it home.)

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."

River Cleanup this Saturday

COME ON! Get your feet wet, your hands dirty, and make the rivers cleaner! 

 SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 29th 2012 

Join thousands of individuals, clubs, troops, students, towns and businesses to clean up the Connecticut River and its tributaries. The Source to Sea Cleanup is a one-day, coordinated effort in four states to highlight a cleaner Connecticut River. We’d love your help! Come to your local CT River watershed cleanup for the COGINCHAUG RIVER at: 

VETERANS PARK 10AM TO 12PM 

hosted by Middletown Regional Agricultural Science and Technology Center 

Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District 

Questions? Contact: Ms. Courtney Johnson, 860.704.4599 ext 4049 

OR 

Ms. Jane Brawerman, 860.346.3282 

Dress for messy work, e.g. boots, long pants, long-sleeved shirt. 

Bring water, extra clothes, and friends and family too!!

Cleanup supplies (trash bags and gloves) will be provided.

A program of the Connecticut River Watershed Council - www.ctriver.org

Council Postpones Decision on River Road Apartment Tax Abatement

Breaking news.
The Common Council voted 8-3 to postpone discussion and a decision on a resolution to offer a large tax abatement and fee reduction to a developer proposing to build luxury apartments on River Road. The Council will take up the matter at its December 3rd meeting.

Return to The Eye later for more details of the developer's presentation to the Council, public comments, and the Council deliberations.

Large Subsidy To Developer To Be Considered By Council Tomorrow

The Common Council will vote at its meeting Tuesday (7PM) on a resolution granting fee waivers and property tax relief to a developer, Waterhouse Development Company, for a proposed luxury apartment project on River Road. The resolution was endorsed by the Economic Development Commission at its August meeting (The Hartford Courant covered the EDC meeting HERE). The proposed subsidy is between $3M and $4M.

The Economic Development Commission based its endorsement in part on a presentation on the "upscale residential" River Road Apartments from Martin Smith, who is one of the founders of Waterhouse and in charge of land acquisition. According to the draft minutes of EDC, there would be "176-200 units depending on bedroom mix", and the project will cost $36M with a value of $25M in buildings. The developers will also be applying for State and Federal subsidies for environmentally responsible building.

The resolution, if passed, would provide two forms of city subsidy to the Waterhouse Company: an immediate reduction in construction costs of perhaps $500,000, and 7 year tax subsidy of at least $3.2M.

There is still room on board!

Join the fun by October 27^th

Stories in Stone:
The Rockfall Foundation’s

Autumn Benefit Cruise

along the CT River

Oct. 30, 2010

1:00 pm to 3:00 pm (boarding at 12:45 pm)

Boarding and landing at Eagle Landing, Haddam

There is still time and room on the Essex Riverboat Becky Thatcher. Please join us for a guided tour of the CT River--north from Haddam and back-- with geologist, author and Wesleyan Professor Emeritus Jelle de Boer.

The cruise will run--rain or shine. Two of the Becky Thatcher's three viewing decks are enclosed and the talk will be broadcast throughout the boat. Complimentary light refreshments and a cash bar will be available. Copies of Stories in Stone will also be on board for purchase.

Proceeds from the book sales and Dr. de Boer's tour will benefit The Rockfall Foundation's Green Grants and educational programs.

Come help us celebrate Rockfall's 75 years along the CT River!

To reserve your place: Cost is $45 per person and includes light hors d'oeuvres. Space is limited; . Deadline: October 27^th. For reservations, and directions to Eagle Landing, please visit www.rockfallfoundation.org, "News and Events" page; or call the foundation's offices (860)347-0340

... Questions? Please call The Rockfall Foundation office (860)347-0340 or email Claire Rusowicz crusowicz@rockfallfoundation.org

Stories In Stone - Rockfall Foundation’s 75th Anniversary benefit cruise

Stories in Stone

Along the Connecticut River

October 30, 2010

1:00 pm to 3:00 pm (boarding at 12:45)

Boarding and landing at Eagle Landing, Haddam

Please join members and friends of The Rockfall Foundation for a guided tour of the Connecticut River with noted geologist, author and Wesleyan professor emeritus Jelle de Boer aboard the Essex Riverboat Becky Thatcher.

Dr. de Boer taught the geology of CT for more than 30 years and is the former Harold T. Stearns Professor of Earth Science at Wesleyan University. He is widely known for his lively presentations and published works, most recently Stories in Stone, a collection of essays that reveal the fascinating interrelationships between CT's landscape and human history. His talk will captivate the seasoned scholar/ scientist and those with even the most casual interest.

The cruise will run--rain or shine-- from the boarding dock at Haddam up to Middletown and then back. Complimentary light refreshments and a cash bar will be available. Copies of Stories in Stone will also be on board for purchase.

Proceeds from the book sales and Dr. de Boer's tour will benefit The Rockfall Foundation’s Green Grants and educational programs.

To reserve your place: Cost is $45 per person and includes light hors d'oeuvres. Space is limited; reservations are first-come, first-served. Deadline: October 20^th. For reservations, and driving directions to Eagle Landing, please visit www.rockfallfoundation.org, "News and Events" page; or call the foundation's offices (860)347-0340.

"A common rock or mineral ... should sit on everyone's mantelpiece, bookshelf or windowsill to remind the whole family of the beauty that exists in the thin crust that supports our civilization..."-- from Stories in Stone, Jelle de Boer

Rollin' On the River

There was a time when the Connecticut River was thick with commerce, but except for the occasional oil barge, the watery highway doesn't carry the traffic it once did.

This morning, turbine components for Kleen Energy were unloaded from a huge barge docked just South of Harbor Park.

Cherish the Day

To quote my 16-year-old:

"It's autumn, I love this time of year, and I plan to spend every minute I can outside."

This was Saturday:

9:30 am
Early morning in the garden, then over to Portland, where the Eggs Up Grill caters to those of us eating gluten-free.





Pancakes, eggs, toast, homefries, and a line out the door.







10:51 am
On the riverfront, where the Middletown High Crew Team just finished practice. A few team members [one of whom we know rather well] run obligatory laps.

11:55 am
In the backyard of the Middlesex County Historical Society, visiting the Civil War Encampment. My 6-year-old gets a union blue cap and tries the drum.





3:01 pm

Wesleyan starts the 2nd half at a tie, raising hopes of a Homecoming Weekend victory. Alas, not to be fulfilled.






4:37 pm
The campus at its most charming, helped along by the late afternoon light.







4:49 pm
And I thought students weren't allowed to chalk offensive slogans on campus sidewalks anymore! Doug Bennet would have put a stop to this nonsense!








4:57 pm

Walking through the Lo-rise dorms, something more in line with our expectations.






5:10
Back on Main Street








5:31 pm
Heading home with our bags from the Fruitery, filled with the first local Fuji apples and dark chocolate. 

5:39 pm

The sun begins to set. We make friends with a caterpillar who has taken up residence in our geraniums.

Fall Foliage & River Cleanup a Huge Splash

Sixteen paddlers showed up today for a trip up the Connecticut River to explore the Mattabasset, enjoy the fall colors, commune with the wildlife, and pick up garbage. John Hall and Kate Miller of the Jonah Center for Earth and Art led the way. All in all it was a great day on the river. We started at Harbor Park at 10 a.m., and made it back around 1:30 p.m. Sightings included a few great blue herons, some belted kingfishers, one or two egrets, and a peregrine falcon (perched on a girder under the Arrigoni Bridge). The group first stopped at Wilcox Island for a brief discussion of the local ecosystem, the nature of the Connecticut River watershed, and the impact of pollutants and invasive species. Then we headed up to the Mattabasset and enjoyed the scenery, occasionally snagging whatever garbage came our way. After stopping briefly at an area of wild rice near the landfill, we arrived at an old beaver 'dam', where we ate our lunches and collected garbage in earnest.

Photo credit: John Hall











It was a perfect day for a jaunt on the river. We also came across some fishermen, who looked like they couldn't be happier.

In case you're looking for an excuse to spend time by the river tomorrow (12 October), you might consider watching the Head of the Connecticut Regatta, currently in its 34th year.

Paddling up the Mattabessett

It was a good turnout of about 50 canoers/kayakers to accompany Wesleyan environmental sciences and biology professor, and president of the Johan center Barry Chernoff and Jonah Center founder John Hall for a tour of the confluence of the Connecticut, Mattabessett and Cochingchaug Rivers. Cheroff has studied the river and the wetlands for years.

The group gathered at the Middletown boat launch at 9, and travelled upriver to the mouth of the Mattabessett which is marked by a highway overpass for Route 9. At the first bend in the river, Chernoff began the first of his informative talks about the river, and its flora and fauna.

Where we floated, just north of the old Remington Rand plant, and site of the Jonah Center, Chernoff explained that the three rivers, and the associated wetlands were a rare example of an ecological system which has all but disappeared in Connecticut. These rivers are the breeding grounds for a variety of fish, amphibians and bird life, as well as numerous mammals.

The first bend in the river is a deep one, and Chernoff explained that the pool beneath the bend, which in a relatively shallow river, is 60 feet deep, and contains some very large specimens of river bottom fish like catfish, sucker and carp. Chernoff also said that the river is home to some very large pickerel.

Chernoff noted that once we rounded the bend we would be in "another world" where the noise from the highway would all but disappear, and we would be surrounded by a cathedral of giant trees which bend over the banks of the river.

Just down river the ecosystem changes to "floating" meadows, which help the wetlands absorb the unneeded, and unwanted nutrients and other impurities which float down the Mattabessett from Berlin and New Britain. During the spring freshet, where the wetlands appear like a giant lake, the sediments are caught by these grasslands, and the water flowing back into the river is purer for it.

At the grasslands stop, Chernoff pointed out the acres of wild rice, which, in the fall is a feedlot for thousands of birds, "who help to replant the rice," Chernoff noted.

We saw a giant egret, a blue heron, several osprey who were inhabiting a man-made nest.

Chernoff called the three rivers and their wetlands the Noah's Ark of Connecticut waterlife. Apparently Connecticut has 48 species of native freshwater fish, and 23 of those species can be found here.

The rivers are home to some invasive species like the carp, which unlike the sucker - also introduced to bottom clean the river - is indiscriminate in it's suction of the river bottom, contributing to a muddy flow, and disturbing the nests and eggs of other species.

Another problem in the wetlands is poaching. Poachers trap muskrat and mink, but the snapping turtle poachers may be the biggest problem. Chernoff explained that the snapping turtle, which is never dangerous in the water, is trapped in large cages for their meat. A few ounces of meat from a five year old turtle will gather a high-price from turtle soup connoisseurs in Manhattan. The five year olds, which can weigh twenty pounds, will not be sexually mature for another 15 years (large snappers can live 100 years), and so, the poaching is interfering with propagation of future generations of snappers. The snapper traps look like large chicken wire coops, and should be reported to the DEP. They are illegal, and any trapped turtle is likely to be angry and dangerous.

Turning up the Cochinchaug, the river got narrower, and shallower as we passed the abandoned landfill, a towering mound of festering methane and waste. We stopped at a landing and Chernoff turned over rocks to exhibit some of the important freshwater river life including leeches, clams, snails, and muscles. Upon request, he also found a water penny, the larval stage of the water penny beetle.

The trip ended with a relaxed return downriver, and a disaster for me. The photos I took here, are likely the last from this camera, which was dunked when I fell into the river upon disembarking from my kayak.

Questions about Harbor Park

This email, written by LK Godburn, and published with his permission, raises question about the lease deal between the City of Middletown and the current and future leaseholder of Harbor Park.




Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:24:22 -0400
Subject: Somethings fishy on the Ct. River
To: Governor.Rell@ct.gov
CC: cwproctor@courant.com

There has been no official comment from the public on this Harbor Park fiasco because frankly no one believed a governing City body in it's right mind would have re-leased the property, so people were caught unaware. That is now changed. If you would like to hear public outcry get ready. We want to know how and why Harbor Park has been allowed to operate with the violations of it's last lease for so long without the City taking action. We want to know what, if any, benefit the tax payers of Middletown are receiving for their hard earned tax dollars going to foster this bar. We would like to know why after all this time in business and the millions of dollars earned by this property Middletown needs to financially help it along. If we are forced to live with this new lease we would like to know what the City intends to do so we don't have to deal with another 25 years of the best location in town being misused and prostituted. We want to know why in a town that is known for it's restaurants the City is financially, unfairly, helping only one. We want to know what the taxpayers liability is going to be when someone finally sues for a drunk driving accident, and we want to know what right the City has to force the guilt of such a tragedy on us. We want to know when a City feels it is appropriate to own and be partnered in a bar. We want to know how appropriate it is to have a former Mayor's husband be the negotiator for this lease. We want to know why budgets are being cut for schools and arts but we have money for a bar. We demand to know the terms of this lease and if it includes the private boat dock for the Marratta yacht and why Frank Marratta has the right to charge other boats docking fees. We want to know what part of this expenditure benefits the taxpaying family. We want to know why it is felt that a low class bar is the best use of our priceless waterfront property. We want to know why other restaurants or developers were not given the opportunity to present other plans for use. And last but not least we want to know why this whole thing seems so shady?

Please tell all you know to call, write, E-mail City Hall www.Mayor@cityofmiddletown.com to let them know we are not just blindly approving this. Start and or sign petitions stating that you are not in agreement with this arrangement. Let's all meet at the meeting City Council should have to discuss this public expenditure and talk about the best use of this property. I don't know about you but my taxes are too high and my money to hard to make to see it being spent like this.