The popular Downtown Cafe, closed just soon after Dunkin Donuts shut their doors. Cafe Atlantique, however closed for a much different reason, as the signs on the windows clearly indicate. The Coffee shop has been sold and is now under new management. The establishment will re-open after renovations are complete.
Although we have not had an opportunity to speak with the new owners, we have been told that the establishment will still cater to the old customers and their coffee needs. The computer that was so popularly used and provided to the old establishment free of charge will no longer be there.
We sincerely hope that the allure of wireless Internet, great coffee and meeting place will continue under the new management. Cafe Atlantique has been for sale for some time, and was advertised in a few online venues. We can only assume that with the closure of Dunkin Donuts, the task of completing a sale was greatly simplified.
Milford certainly has made progress over the last few years and its important to note that despite the new found blight complaints our city has continued to improve. Some of the most notable improvements have been in Devon. These improvements include all those streetscapes that involve new lighting, parks and yes the Bridgeport Flyer Diner is now a "stellar" place to dine at.
Down in Walnut Beach, a new boardwalk is out for bid, and a developer built brand new town houses right across from the beach. Travelling north, Bridgeport Steel once a plighted property has now received a new face lift and is nearing completion.
On the green, Peter Spalthoff dramatically improved his property and his neighbor Harrison's hardware is set for a rebirth into a restaurant and retail establishment. Further north the Sikorski memorial bridge was beautifully redone, and the good news recently arrived that the I95 bridge spanning into Milford over the Housatonic is set to be rebuilt. And most recently, the New Aldi's supermarket (On the Post Rd.) recieved a nice welcome.
Jonathan Law High School is also getting a brand new wing, marking growth and improvement in our schools and local activists like the ECC are encouraging energy saving technologies to all our city buildings.
The greatest single improvement to our city has been the rebuilding of the former Jai Alai into a new Lowes, the addition put on the Mall, two new hotels and the redevelopment of the old trailer park into a Barnes and Noble, and Walmart Plaza's.
These modern improvements are in fact very exciting, but some fear that not enough emphasis is being placed on restoring Milford's historic architecture. Thankfully, and much to the credit of the voters that message was heard "loud and clear" and now provisions and safeguards have been put in place to make sure Milford's History is carefully preserved and protected.
Many thanks to all those people who have worked so hard to improve Milford, I sincerely hope that everyone's energy, investment and drive continue long into the future. Milford, through this kind of "Incrementalism" can improve its place on the coastline, and become the model for a modern metropolis.
As a final note I would also like to mention that the progress being incrementally made here in town is in fact wonderful. However, as the economy continues to "wind down," and the state grants arrive to their conclusion, it will be up to our city business leaders and elected officials to maintain what has been built and to continue to do so into that turbulent future.
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.
Just a few short days ago I was at city hall fighting for the Jonathan law expansion with Peter Spalthoff, and the city Alderman agreed with us that education is important. The Alderman Voted in favor of the Bonding and the kids of Milford scored a small victory.
This Boardwalk story today is a parody of this subject, and in lieu of those events has brought me a smile with some great irony. The irony here is that Lambert was absent at the Jonathan Law Meeting, she made no known comment on the school cutbacks, while Richetelli said the city is struggling and this is not the "right time" to be spending money on fixing up our schools.
Jonathan Law's Principal along with a platoon of concerned citizens asked for our kids to have proper facilities built including one Law student who said the condition of the restrooms are of grave concern and somewhat of a "joke" with the student body.
Still yet these important issues, (and after a few short days) are long forgotten, because Lambert and Richetelli would rather ignore the issue of Jonathan Law students being educated on carts, and "fly" down to the beach to demand our financially strapped state build Milford a giant Boardwalk.
Lambert has been heavily favored by the elderly here in town, as she herself is a volunteer and a senior at the Milford senior center. It is no secret that seniors in Milford are Anti-Education as they have made their voices heard loud and clear during the last tax increase. Lambert also received much needed support from seniors and has done little to push for a world class school system here in Milford. Lambert appears to support much of what seniors want.
While I must sit back in awe, as I watch this politically motivated beach spectacle take place, I must also stand dumbfounded that our leaders actually believe the state is going to build us a boardwalk ahead of fixing this states health care fiasco.
Rell already vetoed two bills, and CT has a 9 Billion Dollar Budget gap that is growing every day. One really has to wonder if our Lambert and Richetelli have any basis in reality on this boardwalk issue. While they both enjoyed some free press, I must sadly say... "Sorry Ms. Lambert and Mr. Richetelli if we cant afford schools, than it stands to reason that Milford cant afford a luxurious boardwalk."
This week ended with the tear down of 173 Seaside Ave. in Milford Connecticut. Out with old and in with the new breed of million dollar plus homes with views of the sound. A group of onlookers watched with awe as construction workers rocked the house and tore down walls to get this old home to drop. The plummet did not come easy, a small "dozer" was going full steam pulling with all its might as the wheels just spun and dug into the sand with no success.
Chains were then attached to the wood framing as courageous workers ran in and out of the unstable structure to get it to collapse. Finally the job was done and everyone in the neighborhood was relieved. But no one was more relieved than the neighbor just to the left of this home. His house just a few feet away was completely unscathed not even a scratch. This was a professional well done job.
The popular Downtown Cafe, closed just soon after Dunkin Donuts shut their doors. Cafe Atlantique, however closed for a much different reason, as the signs on the windows clearly indicate. The Coffee shop has been sold and is now under new management. The establishment will re-open after renovations are complete.
