Posted by Bob on November 22, 2011 under Daily Blogs, Naugatuck High School Renovation | 
Borough Comptroller and Board of Education Business Manager issued the following information clarifying the process moving forward with regard to the Naugatuck High School Renovate-as-New project:
“The Building Committee has published an RFQ and fee proposal (request for qualifications) for the submission by architectural firms to design the project. The RFQ submissions are due on November 30, 2011. The Borough Purchasing Agent will open the proposals, review them for completeness and submit them to the Building Committee. A subcommittee of the Building Committee will meet on the 30th to review the submissions and select four firms to be interviewed by the full committee on December 7, 2011. Subsequent to the interviews and presentations of the four firms the committee will select one firm. It is expected that the committee will perform a due diligence review of the selected firm. If everything is in order to the satisfaction of the full committee that firm will be presented for approval by the Borough Board at a special meeting of the Borough Board on December 14, 2011.
Once approved, the selected firm will begin the process of document and design preparation for submission to the state for approval. The state reviews all aspects of the project to ensure that it meets Building Code requirements, Health and Safety requirements, ADA requirements etc.
The application for this project allows the state’s review team to schedule sufficient time to review the multitude of documents required for this project. One component of the review process will be for the state to determine the eligible and ineligible costs for the project. Eligible costs are those costs that are reimbursable by the state. The estimate of reimbursable costs will be known upon completion of the final document review. Final reimbursement will be determined after the state audit of the completed project.”
Mr. McAllister is also a member of the Building Committee.
Posted by Bob on November 21, 2011 under Daily Blogs |
The Naugatuck Educational Foundation will be hosting an “Alums and Chums” fundraiser this Friday, 
November 25, 2011, from 7:00 PM to 12:00 Midnight at Jesse Camille’s Restaurant, 615 North Church Street, Naugatuck, CT 06770. Tickets for the fundraiser are TWENTY and 00/100THS ($20.00) DOLLARS, and may be purchased at the door. The event includes appetizers, a cash bar, raffle prizes and music. Attendees are urged to wear garnet and grey to the fundraiser.
The Naugatuck Educational Foundation (“NEF”) is a not profit organization which supports excellence and creativity in the Borough schools by funding innovative programs and projects. The NEF is affiliated with the Connecticut Consortium of Education Foundations.
Posted by Bob on November 10, 2011 under Daily Blogs |
The annual Naugatuck Veterans Day Parade will take place promptly at 2:00 PM on Friday, November 11, 2011. The parade begins from the Naugatuck Savings Bank (“NSB”) parking lot at 87 Church Street, Naugatuck, CT 06770, and proceeds North on Church Street to the Naugatuck Green. Those participating in the parade should assemble at the NSB parking lot at 1:45 PM.
Please show your support for Naugatuck’s Veterans by attending the parade and the brief ceremony immediately following.
Posted by Bob on under Daily Blogs |
The Naugatuck Department of Public Works has issued a statement indicating that traffic on Rubber Avenue will be detoured on Thursday, November 10, 2011, as additional repairs are performed on the Rubber Avenue Bridge. The news release reads as follows:
Borough of Naugatuck CT
Department of Public Works
Rubber Avenue at Edward Street will be closed on Thursday, November 10, 2011 from 8:30 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. for additional work on the Rubber Avenue Bridge. A detour will be in effect during the closure. The detour will include Andrew Avenue, Scott Street and Melbourne Street. Please seek alternate roads during these hours. One additional day closure is planned during the week of November 14 Through November 18. Additional Information will be provided when that date has been determined. Please direct any questions to The Public Works Department 246 Rubber Avenue, (203) 720 7071.
Posted by Bob on November 6, 2011 under Daily Blogs |
(While information regarding government matters is often made available on the site, www.bobmezzo.com has always been and continues to be my personal blog. The following reflects my personal position on the upcoming school referendum, and should not be construed as an official position of local government).
Whether or not I knew it or not, the first smells that hit my nose when my parents brought me home from the hospital were that of rubber and whatever chemicals were dumped into the Naugatuck River on that day forty some years ago. I grew-up in a very different Naugatuck economically than exists today, but those days were numbered.
The large factories that employed generations of Borough residents, including all of my grandparents, slowly and painfully began to close. First Uniroyal Rubber, then Lewis Engineering, Risdon, Uniroyal Chemical and finally Peter Paul. Bustling businesses in downtown and along Rubber Avenue, supported by the paychecks of factory workers, began to leave as well. If I could go back in time, I would relish the opportunity to Christmas shop at Murphy’s, have my Grandmother serve me a milkshake sitting on a swiveling stool at Donovan’s and watch a movie at the Salem Theater . Such days are gone and remain alive on in our memories.
Since those years, Naugatuck has struggled. We can all argue why; there are many reasons, many missed opportunities, changing forces in a worldwide economy we could not control and a few poor and shortsighted decisions along the way. Like many communities in the Valley, longtime residents like myself long for the community of their youth, and mix with newcomers wondering why things do not improve.
On Tuesday, November 8, 2011, this community will decide whether or not it wishes to renovate the flagship school in our district, Naugatuck High School. Lively debate has ensued in various forums and online communications. I remember vividly one communication from a blogger who made the point that such a project was wrong in “this town”. While this was just one of many comments on the subject, it struck a chord with me because I know exactly what “this town” means.
People throughout the state, most never even having visited the Borough, hold perceptions about Naugatuck as a community as a town whose best days are behind it. It is a perception that stigmatizes Naugatuck and other Valley communities, as recently evidenced by Connecticut Magazines latest disparaging remarks about our region (an article in the Valley Independent Sentinal about the feature can be read here). I do not know exactly when I first became aware of such perceptions, but I do remember comments vividly at the American Legion Boys State program I attended in high school.
It was the first time many of us were grouped with people throughout the state. Naturally those of us from Naugatuck gravitated toward students from Ansonia and Seymour. While me might have tried to knock the snot out of each other on a football field, there was a grudging respect that we had for each other and a pride that we came from a place comprised of decent, hard-working people who helped build a Nation. I remember a comment to the effect of “there must be something in the water down there”, and started to realize that people thought differently about our hometowns. Throughout the years, such jokes became commonplace. In college and after in the working world, jokes about being from “The Valley” become part of everyday life. We laugh, humbly in good-nature, but know that such perceptions hurt us economically, in our housing values and in the sense of pride that was once so strong.
I guess there are people among us who do not believe that a first class educational facility for our high school students belongs in “this town”. Despite historically low interest rates, a down construction market, an increased Borough bond rating, relatively low debt, a significantly (up to 75%) high state reimbursement rate, widespread support by elected officials from both parties and a solid repayment plan that minimizes the impact to taxpayers; some believe that the time is not right in “this town”. I can not disagree more.
We can not control the economy. We have no say what happens in Greece, China or even on Wall Street. A plan to revitalize our entire downtown has been stymied by the worst recession of most our lives. What we can control, however, is what kind of community we want to be in the future.
When I ran for office, I promised change to how our government operates. We continue to make these changes; not for short-term convenience, but for long term sustainability. Changes have been made to reduce our long term pension obligations, combat the impact of rapidly raising health care costs, reorganize our entire Department of Public Works and improve efficiency through increased collaboration between the municipal government and board of education. Our Finance Department, the entity that has produced the bond repayment plan for the high school renovation project, works tirelessly to ensure that the Borough is managed properly not only for today, but our future. The benefits of much of what we are trying to do as a local government will likely make a future mayor’s job a bit easier, but the time for short term fixes at the expense of long term solutions needs to end.
Our Borough needs a facility to educate high school students that not only improves education, safety and maintenance; but one that adds value to the community as a whole. People make decisions as to where to live and businesses make decisions about where to locate based on the quality of a community’s schools. In its current state, Naugatuck High School is making a statement to anyone who cares to listen that we do not think enough of ourselves to invest in our future. If we believe we are “this town”, we can not expect others to think any differently.
Despite facts indicating otherwise, people will say it is a bad time. When other communities around us were investing in their schools during good times, we said it was a bad time. The poor decisions we have made in the past have economic consequences for us today and in the future. It is time that we make smart business decisions about our infrastructure that are commonplace in the private sector.
There are those that say just fix the cracks in the walls and be done with the high school, despite the fact that the state reimbursement rates provide a tremendous addition of value by performing a complete renovation. A high school is not simply a building housing desks and blackboards. It is a place where kids learn and grow into young men and women through the arts and athletics just as much as in a classroom. It is no shock approximately forty six (46%) percent of students on the honor roll participate in some form of athletics, arts, music, drama or other extracurricular activity, according to the our athletic director. Naugatuck High School is used by the entire community, from kids to seniors, and experiences the most traffic of any public building in Naugatuck. Putting a band-aid on a problem will cost us more money later, and we will be doing ourselves and future generations an injustice by accepting such shortsightedness.
“This town” has produced many great people that have been educated at Naugatuck High School through the years. We stand now at a crossroads when the Industrial Era has ended, and the Information Age is upon us. ”This town” did pretty well for itself during the Industrial Era, building things that were used throughout the world, in times of war and times of peace. It is time to educate the next generation of learners in a facility that can allow us to compete in an age where information dominants, and the technological infrastructure exists inside our school buildings.
I have been honored to work with so many people from so many different backgrounds and ideologies the past few months to bring the Naugatuck High School Renovate-as-New Project to this referendum. It is symbolic of a change that I have witnessed occurring in the past few years. Never before in my life have can I recall public officials from different political parties working together in such a non-partisan manner to get things done. It is a lesson that needs to be learned in Hartford and Washington, and one that gives me great hope for Naugatuck’s future.
We have all made a great effort to convey as much information as possible about this project. Electronic media allow residents access to all kinds of detailed information at the click of a finger. Numerous reports, graphs, plans, cost projections and renderings about the project are instantly available to anyone with access to the internet. At some point, however, residents need to examine the quality of people who have been entrusted to make decisions for our community and ask the following questions: Do I trust that these persons are making the best business decision for the Borough of Naugatuck, its taxpayers and students? Do I trust that local officials have led lives that indicate they care about this community? Do I trust that the elected officials who support this project have analysed all options and put forth a sound business plan that not only will improve education in Naugatuck, but will yield tangible economic benefits for our future? Having worked with so many fantastic local leaders from both parties on this project, I can answer each and every question with a resounding yes.
I love “this town”. I always will. My life will never be defined by anything I do as your mayor. While it is an honor an privilege to serve in that capacity, my life will be defined by the blessings of my family and the numerous friends and acquaintances, past and present, that I have made in “this town”. I am who I am because of the great people in “this town”. To those that like to make jokes about being from Naugatuck and the Valley, I wear it as a badge of honor. To those that think we are not good enough in “this town” for a completely renovated flagship institution, I say you are wrong. As a graduate of Naugatuck High School, I take deep pride in that building, its memories and the importance of life’s lessons learned in its halls and on its grounds. I hope that my children can say the same when they graduate from Naugatuck High School. While everyone wants change, I am fully aware that change can be scary. We can not, however, continue to do the same things the same way in Naugatuck and expect to make “this town” the best community it can be. On Tuesday we have a choice that can move Naugatuck forward and tell everyone who cares to listen that we, those of us who love and care deeply for “this town”, are willing to invest in it and our future. Let us say YES on Tuesday.
Posted by Bob on November 5, 2011 under Daily Blogs |
Almost ninety nine (99%) percent of Naugatuck has power, but approximately two hundred thirty eight (238) customers remain without power in isolated areas spread throughout the Borough. A Connecticut Light and Power crew is working in Naugatuck currently on streets on or near Lewis Street and Cold Spring Circle.
A specialized crew is assigned to Nicole Drive to repair the remaining houses serviced by underground lines.
If you remain without power, please report outages directly to Connecticut Light and Power (“CL&P”) at 1-800-286-5000. While we believe some of the information conveyed by CL&P’s customer service department is unreliable with regard to restoration times, outage reports are recorded accurately in CL&P’s internal system.
Any damage to the exterior connections to individual homes is the responsibility of the homeowner. CL&P will repair the line to the home, but not any connections attached to the house. Please call a licensed electrician if this affects your home.
Please contact the Naugatuck Fire Department at 203-720-7082, or 203-720-7083, if you are in need of food, water or transportation to an out-of-town shelter. Residents may charge cell phone at the Naugatuck Fire Department or Naugatuck Police Department.
We are urging residents to celebrate Halloween trick or treating tonight (11/5/2011) in neighborhoods that have power. We strongly recommend that parents accompany all children trick or treating and exercise a heightened sense of awareness for downed and/or low hanging wires and downed trees. The American Legion / Naugatuck Firefighters Parade Halloween Parade will take place tonight (11/5/2011) at 4:30 PM. Those wishing to participate should assemble in costume at the Naugatuck Savings Bank parking lot at 87 Church Street, Naugatuck, CT 06770, shortly before 4:30 PM.
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