Facade Collapses At Wesfield Mall Injuring Shopper

MILFORD -- A facade at the Westfield Connecticut Post mall partially collapsed Monday morning, slightly injuring a shopper and forcing several stores to close.

About 200 linear feet of a dry wall facade fell on the shopping center's upper level about 11:15 a.m., striking a 27-year-old male shopper, said Capt. Chris Zak, spokesman for the Milford Fire Department. The man suffered minor abrasions on his back, and was treated at the scene by firefighters. He was later transported to Milford Hospital, officials said. His name was not immediately available.

The façade has a metal frame behind it, and has "substantial weight,'' Zak said. Wires hung from the framing and broken pieces of drywall were lying on the floor in front of PCX, a youth apparel store that had opened July 1.

The façade had also peeled from the front of three adjoining stores: Motherhood Maternity, Gymboree and Hot Topic.

Thomas Raucci, the city building inspector, ordered the fifth store in that area, Lane Bryant, closed as a precaution.

Raucci inspected the section of the mall for structural damage Monday afternoon. The four stores would be allowed to reopen as soon as the debris was removed and the area determined to be safe, officials said. That could happen as soon as Tuesday morning, Assistant Fire Chief Robert Healey said.

The section of the mall where the facade fell was last renovated prior to 2000, mall spokeswoman Lee Sterling said. "The cause is under investigation and the mall is cooperating fully,'' she said.

The rest of the mall remained open for business as usual, she said.

Yellow caution tape blocked off a set of stairs leading to the affected stores from Door 4, the closest mall entrance, but a seating area and an escalator at that entrance were available.

A series of kiosks in the center of the lower level, below where the drywall had fallen, were also cordoned off for safety reasons. That area included a T-Mobile counter, a photo booth and beverage vending machines.

Zak said that a row of columns that flank the corridor in front of the five affected stores will be checked to make sure that no structural damage occurred. The columns appear to support the skylight and dome that enclosed the mall in the late 1980s.

There was no construction going on in the area where the section of facade collapsed on Monday. A man-lift was in the center of the mall, enclosed by metal gates, as part of a project to remove an escalator that led to the old food court, mall officials said. A new food court was built as part of the 2006 expansion.

Plastic sheeting covered a portion of the damaged wall in front of the affected stores on Monday, as air handlers removed dust from the area.

Most shoppers appeared to be unaware of the incident.

ORIGINAL POST

Milford's Churches Take Part In 1st Amendment Lawsuit

Friday, May 29, 2009, 3:00 p.m. – In United States District Court today, attorneys representing the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport filed a lawsuit against officials of the State of Connecticut Office of State Ethics (OSE), seeking a court order to stop them from an unconstitutional application of state lobbying laws.

These officials are requiring the Diocese – and presumably all other organizations – to register as a lobbyist in order to engage in activities such as a rally at the State Capitol or using its website to encourage its members to contact their elected representatives. Application of the law in this manner would subject the First Amendment rights of Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, and Freedom of Assembly to government oversight and penalties.

First Amendment Response

Bishop William E. Lori stated today, "Following the surprise introduction of Bill 1098, a proposal that singled out Catholic parishes and would have forced them to reorganize contrary to Church law and the First Amendment, our Diocese responded in the most natural, spontaneous, and frankly, American, of ways: we alerted our membership – in person and through our website; we encouraged them to exercise their free speech by contacting their elected representatives; and, we organized a rally at the State Capitol. How can this possibly be called lobbying?"

"This cannot possibly be what our Legislature had in mind when it sought to bring more transparency and oversight to a legislative process that has been corrupted by special interests and back-room deals. If it is, then it should shock the conscience of all citizens of the Constitution State," Bishop Lori added.

Background

On April 23, 2009, the Diocese received a letter from Thomas K. Jones, Ethics Enforcement Officer for the OSE, stating that it was "the subject of an Office of State Ethics evaluation," which was "being conducted to ascertain whether the Diocese had violated [Connecticut General Statutes Sections] 1-94, 1-95 and 1-96 by failing to register as a lobbyist in Connecticut, by failing to submit all other appropriate lobbyist filings, and by failing to follow all applicable registration procedures."

The OSE claims the Diocese acted as a "lobbyist" by: participating in a March 11, 2009, State Capitol rally against Raised Bill 1098 (the unconstitutional attempt to reorganize Catholic parishes contrary to Catholic teaching and tradition); making statements on its website urging its members to contact their elected representatives to oppose Raised Bill 1098; and making statements on its website urging its members to contact their legislators to oppose another bill, Raised Bill 899 (regarding same-sex marriage).

Taking Stands

"I certainly did not consider any of my or the Diocese’s activities in opposing Raised Bill 1098 and seeking religious-freedom amendments to Raised Bill 899 to be 'lobbying,'" Bishop Lori said in an affidavit filed in court today. "In undertaking those activities, the Diocese was merely defending itself from unconstitutional interference by the state. The Diocese was not seeking special treatment or financial advantages from the Connecticut legislature. Never did I imagine that our activities defending ourselves from a government attack on our right of religious self-governance would be met with another government action subjecting our Church to an ‘evaluation’ for those activities!"

"The Diocese is not a registered lobbyist and does not devote itself primarily to legislative or political matters," Bishop Lori continued. "Nonetheless, from time to time, the Diocese’s religious mission compels me and the pastors within the Diocese to take stands, consistent with our religious beliefs, on legislation that concerns the moral issues of the day, and to urge our parishioners to act on the basis of Church teachings. We communicate these messages to our parishioners through the Diocese’s website, in newsletters, at Mass and other religious services, and through a variety of other means."

Court Order

The Diocese maintains that a court order barring the OSE from applying the lobbying laws to the Diocese in this manner is essential to preserving its First Amendment rights.

"I believe the OSE’s extension of the lobbying laws to these activities will interfere with the Diocese's ability to mobilize its members and, if necessary, to urge them to rally at the Capitol, in the event the General Assembly again introduces legislation resembling Raised Bill 1098 or otherwise tries to interfere with the internal workings of the Diocese or its parishes or to attack the Church," Bishop Lori said.

"I believe that an order from the Court barring Mr. Jones and his colleagues at the OSE from applying the lobbying laws to the Diocese in this manner is necessary to enable the Diocese to continue to carry out its mission without fear of incurring civil penalties, exposure to possible criminal prosecution, burdensome administrative requirements, and intrusive oversight by the State," Bishop Lori concluded.

Walmart Targed On CT Post Blogs And TV

Walmart recently was scolded for conduct that even the most aggressive people must of found outright cruel. Walmart is today's topic because they just recently opened up in town and already have created a fuss on the Topix portion of the CT Post Blog board.

Accusations have been flying amok, one in particular is their reputation for lying. The current theme directs viewers to a website called walmartthemovie.com. The website features a documentary that you must pay for, however it is free to watch on google videos. Click HERE.

The Walmart phenomenon, was particularly disconcerting to me because recently a blogger accused Mayor Richetelli of making an agreement abating "three years property taxes" for the positive effects of their presence here in Milford.

This seemed downright odd and suspicious, so this morning I contacted the town Assessors office and spoke with Dan Thomas who called the allegation "false" that no one is exempt from property taxes and that included Walmart. He said the town only offers two exemptions for property taxes. One is "enterprise zones" like in Bridgeport, the other exemption is for "pollution control equipment" like that found in heavy industry.

In either case, the town or its budget has not been impacted, and the remarks directed at our mayor are "baseless" and "False." One thing the bloggers did succeed in doing is bringing this news clip to my attention, and without a doubt that is shamefully true. The Walmart Movie is disheartening, but one thing I do recommend and that is at the very least you take a good long and hard look at Walmart. Then decide if you think they are good for our community.

Many towns have "booted" them outright, because they provide inadequate security, poor health care benefits, oppose unions, and pay low wages. Walmart and its owners are among the wealthiest people in the world, and as such, the inequities of management and labor are always at odds. They also have become the focus of the Presidential race as Hillary Clinton was openly slandered for her past employement in their legal offices.

This is the video that I think is a modicum of evidence causing a firestorm of debate. Watch it and decide for yourself.



To end this blog on a good note, the news is that all the public pressure appears to be working because some concession was reached for the Shank family.