Rebuilding Milford, Our City Continues To Improve

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.

Sierra Club Hosts a “Post-Carbon Economy” Discussion Aug. 5th

What would a “post-carbon economy” be like? This intriguing climate protection issue will be discussed at the South Central (CT) Sierra Club’s August 5th get-together on Wednesday evening from 6 - 8:30 PM, at the Smart Living Center, 297 Boston Post Road, Orange.

Local, regional, national and international initiatives are underway to reduce the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere from current levels of near 390 parts per million back down to a more sustainably appropriate 350 part per million. One such initiative which the City of Milford joined a few years ago is the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Program. “Across the country, voluntary coalitions of municipal officials, businesses and residents alike are making measurable progress towards reducing fossil-fuel-based energy consumption,” says Sierra Club staff member Patrice Gilliespie. “We are learning together about what strides individuals can take, and how community-wide efforts can affect national security, and create more choices in energy resources and new ‘green jobs.’ We invite the public and our municipal officials in the region to come to our informal program at the Smart Living Center, and share ideas.”

Refreshments will be served. Anyone interested in attending should contact Diane Lentakis, chairperson of the South Central group, at deerspirit@sbcglobal.net or 203.783.0686 by August 3rd.

Milford Independent Party Wants You!

Last night was a truly exciting meeting of the Independent Party here in Milford. We have certainly grown very fast. In 2008, just a short year ago we had only two candidates on the ballot , today we have a dozen. We also have a truly incredible, qualified and honest candidate for Mayor Mr. Peter Spalthoff. This is a truly remarkable milestone that deserves our continued support and enthusiasm. It speaks to the current mindset and heartfelt direction our town is embracing. For decades, the the two party paradigm had their opportunity yet their controversial choices has caused them to become severely challenged. With that said, there is no better time to volunteer to make a difference. If you love Milford have been disappointed with our mainstream leadership and are a passionate individual who would like to see real change, we would like to help you put that positive energy to good use in a non-partisan and independent way.

Please consider running for a post in our community you may contact me by replying to this blog or call (203) 247-4357. Let me know what areas of interest you would like to serve. We have positions still available for Zoning and Planning, the Board of Education, Board of Alderman, and (provided you prevail) even some paid positions. If you personally would not like to run at this time, then at the very least forward this Blog to a friend who you feel may be a good candidate.

Thank you for your past and present support, we look forward to your future contributions, advice and votes. We are also eager to offer our unconditional support to all our prospective candidates. In closing, remember that the success of the Independent Party rests with your support and we are humbly counting on your dedication to our mission.

Milford Gets "Capped & Traded" India gets 22,000 Green Jobs

Barack Obama and his green guru, Van Jones, have a green-collar job plan that they believe will solve the two biggest crises of our time: 5 million new green-collar jobs will directly stimulate the economy and will contribute to a more sustainable future in the face of coming climate change. But the 2009 Green Outsourcing Report, an annual industry study conducted by Brown-Wilson Group, found that green technology jobs are being created faster in India than in the US since Obama took office.

The report, which was released two weeks ago, surveyed 4,000 businesses around the world, including Xerox, Accenture, IBM Global, CSC, Capgemini, Oracle, HP/ ED S, Aramark, SITEL and Perot. Doug Brown, co-author of the Green Outsourcing Report, told The New Indian Express, “We see the (green job offshoring) trend increasing. There are few suppliers who match credentials and outcomes of Indian firms.”

Soaring energy costs and regulatory pressure have put pressure on firms in the US and Europe to embrace green technologies. 84% of companies outsourcing green jobs are doing so because of skyrocketing energy costs, compared to 12% and 18% in the past few years, respectively. Most corporations seeking to outsource a service or product require impeccable green credentials in their suppliers before handing over work, the report says.

US corporations, focusing on survival strategies during the long-lasting recession, have offshored more than 22,000 new green-collar jobs to India alone. Firms seeking stabilized energy and labor costs while trying to convince consumers of their eco-friendly practices are more often turning to Indian green-collar workers than American ones, according to Brown-Wilson Group. Indian labor suppliers have become popular with American businesses over the last few years by aggressively investing in appropriate hardware, waste disposal, recycling, eco-friendly buildings and other green technologies.

Surprisingly, just a year ago, India was remarked to be among the world’s highest polluting nations and suffering from offshore aversion and reverse outsourcing.

Gov. Says Saving Energy Takes Just "One Thing"

Governor Rell here in our state has launched a energy saving campaign some time ago called "One Thing" while the name can be cathchy I recently discovered that some people did not exactly know what this "one thing" was.

This blog today will hopefully make it clear as to the intentions behind the Governors campaign, now featured on highway billboards, newspapers, and just about everywhere you could get the word out. The purpose of the campaign is to promote energy conservation here in our state.

It does not take an expert to open an electric bill look at the amount due for just 30 days and realize something is alarmingly wrong, high energy expenses in Connecticut has already crippled our economy, and contributed to a boom in foreclosures. Rep. Cafero said Connecticut is ranked 50th out of 50 states, dead last, for being the least favorable state in America to conduct business in. Our leaders in Hartford for the first time in a long time are showing signs that our state finances are unraveling as a result, and the state is now taking on new debt and being forced into spending its surplus money.

The "One Thing" program asks you and your family to practice energy conservation, Rell believes that if every person in the state turned off one or two lights each day that would be over one million lights out, over the course of a year this could add up to billions of lights out saving an enourmous amount of energy.

By simply turning off a light each day you are helping your family save on energy, helping the environment by reducing greenhouse gas, and helping others by reducing demand for energy. Reduced demand will make future energy more affordable.

Turning off our lights is not a matter of "cheapness or stinginess" but rather an issue of "ignorance and selfishness" on the part of those who wrecklessly disregard others or trivialize the true impact a person can have on the environment.

Rell's program, is just a start and I personally believe that it is a great program if we follow it. Please talk to your family and kids about energy conservation and get as many as you can onboard. See the "One Thing" Website.

Gayle Slossberg Onboard Fighting UI

Letter From Gayle To UI's Customers:

Dear Friend;

The state Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) has decided to let United Illuminating open its 2006 rate case. The only reason to open the case is to request a rate increase which will increase the long-term cost of electricity. We cannot allow that to happen.

Last year, United Illuminating customers saw their electric bills nearly double. We cannot afford another increase in our rates. An increase now will hurt families, business's and municipalities that are struggling already to make ends meet. At time when the cost of everything-from groceries to gasoline-is on the rise, we've all had to tighten our belts and make due with less. United Illuminating needs to do the same.

However, unless we all come together and take a strong stand against this unjust and unreasonable request, the department may give United Illuminating shareholders the raise they want. We must take action, and we do it now.

Please visit my Website, download a letter to the DPUC commissioners, and tell them you will not tolerate another increase in electric rates. Connecticut ratepayers cannot live with another electric rate increase. Together, we will make our voices heard and we will fight this hike.

Sincerely,
Gayle Slossberg
State Senator

Website: www.SenatorSlossberg.cga.ct.gov

To switch from UI Go to www.ctenergyinfo.com click on shopping for electricity and begin saving money.

Heat Wave Bakes Milford

Today and yesterday were bad days to try and discredit global warming. The temperature here in town soared to a record 98 Degrees and our towns kids were dripping in sweat as they sat in classrooms without air conditioning.

Our staff contacted the school superintendent and expressed concern over the extreme heat, especially after several schools either let their students out early or just took the day off all together.

Milford's Superintendent, Polanski said he spent a good part of his day walking around asking teachers and students how they were coping with the extreme heat. He gave an encouraging report, indicating that the kids and teachers were doing well.

This, however was not what some of the local kids said to me at the bus stop this morning. The consensus was that only two classrooms they were aware of had air conditioning, and they said that during their final exams they found the heat a to be a major distraction to their testing.

When I mentioned that I called their Superintendent to express their concern, one student sarcastically replied, "easy for him to say that, his office is one of the few that has air conditioning."

Parents expressed concern over the fact that the schools were even open at all during this excessively hot day, some did not understand why the school could not afford air conditioning in such extreme weather; at the very least it should be turned on in the event of an emergency.

The high cost of energy, combined with crippling property tax increases, declining ED funding and forced cutbacks to save our teachers jobs, in my opinion is what has led to this bad situation. Some time ago I wrote a blog stating that just this would happen if the city and state did not initiate a conservation program, and begin to install solar panels and budget friendly technologies in our city buildings.

A energy conservation expert at TriCity said that if the city abandoned its current technology in favor of geothermal heat pumps alone, this would cut the cities energy consumption by nearly 1/3 shortly after it get turned on. The problem is not recognizing the merit of this technology, it is getting the city to come up with money to begin installing it. If they do not do it now, then over the next decade they will have paid for it just through the current inefficient system.

Gov. May Suspend The Increase In The Gas Tax

The tax in Connecticut is known as the Gross Receipts tax, and Governor Rell has called its timing "not good." The increase in this tax was proposed some time ago before the current energy crisis and seemed like a good idea. The money was supposed to be used to make improvements to the public transportation system that is now reaching full capacity during peak hours.

The tax was expected to go up from 7% to 7.5%. This would have marked an increase of yet another 3 or 4 cents per gallon. Governor Rell who told the legislature that she cannot control the price of oil or what goes on in the world market, has merely relayed our concerns to federal leaders in Washington.

The problem now becomes what will the state do to address “the Office of Policy and Management who advised Governor Rell that the next fiscal year - which begins July 1 - was projected to face a shortfall of about $150 million." The increase on the gas tax was expected to regain 25 Million of that loss.

There were few critics of the Governors plan, except for one person. According to Christine Stuart a reporter at the state capitol "Jonathan Pelto, a former state legislator turned public relations specialist, said in an email that already the gross receipts tax is bringing millions more into the state than initially anticipated in 2007 when the current state budget was passed.

He said when the legislature passed the budget it expected to bring in $287 million in 2008 and $311 million in 2009 on the gross receipts tax. Because the tax is a percentage of the wholesale price of gasoline, the budget estimates were based on the wholesale price of gas at $2.41. He said today the wholesale price of gas is $3.40, which means it will bring in at least $53 million more than expected this year.

“Even if gas prices don’t increase at all from this point forward—the most basic simplistic assessment reveals that in FY 09, the General Fund will not receive the $311 million (that was projected last June) but will actually receive well over $410 million,” Pelto said in an emailed statement titled, “Reality Check on Gas Tax Issue.”

The people of our state are already burdened with the highest gas prices in America, Connecticut is losing business and trucking companies are going under. The entire recreational boating industry has also been impacted negatively and there appears to be no relief in sight.

The federal government appears to be imposing new energy and greenhouse gas regulations that are only going to impede the price of gas further. The quagmire we are now in is so desperate that analysts at "Goldman Sachs" are expecting oil to reach as high as $150-$200 a barrel.

Congress thus far has threatened a lawsuit against OPEC, ostracized the top executives at the big oil companies, is attempting to bar speculative investors in oil, and in a chilling cliche imposed strict environmental standards that prevent the exploration of oil in our own country. Clearly our country appears to be paralyzed by its own internal strife between consumers and environmentalists.

The question here remains is whether or not our state truly did receive all that extra cash, or did Connecticut just break even due to people driving less? I have no knowledge of Peto's assessment relative to consumer driving habits in this high price environment. If consumers are like the typical people I know, then they have indeed cut back on driving, as many local gas station operators have also suggested has happened. The immutable laws of supply and demand also apply to the state and Connecticut should be aware that raising gas prices will push consumers into energy conservation that will result in even less sales revenue and higher future taxes.

All it takes is for one to look out their own window and see the surge in 30+ MPG cars, and the decline of the SUV now worth less than ever before. Ford has even indicated that their gas guzzlers, like bad mortgages are "upside down" time to pay attention to the big picture, and not "band aid" holes in the budget.

The problem is difficult, but solvable through innovative means in these troubling times, including a serious effort to eliminate government waste and questionable jobs and departments.

Maintaining Strength and Innovation in Our Community

The cost of energy still appears to be swelling, and as such many people are being put into situations of having to decide if they should drive less, not eat out, or buy medicine. The choices are difficult but not insurmountable. The most difficult part of our rapidly changing world is the speed at which it is happening. Not years, but rather months and weeks are going by with major changes in the cost of energy.

These times call for every person in town to begin thinking "outside of the box" to make those changes that reduce not only our energy consumption but dramatically change the way we use energy. For many this will mean selling the gas guzzler and purchasing a car that has higher energy efficiency, for others it may mean renting out part of their very large homes, installing energy efficient technologies, or trading down to a more affordable smaller home.

No matter what each person ultimately decides, know that if you are not economically faring well than you must do all that you can to avert a potentially devastating situation. Hard times call for hard solutions, and often struggling to hold on to what you can no longer afford can have more dire consequences than if you reach an early epiphany.

For the first time in my memory a shocking 80% of Americans feel our country is headed in the wrong direction, and we must now take matters into our own hands and not rely on our national leaders to fix the insurmountable problems that have taken decades of bad monetary policy and poor legislation to occur. I am hopeful that these problems will be sorted out at some future point when we elect better leaders. However, I am not hopeful that this will happen fast enough to keep many people out of the "red."

This national rut the country is in should be viewed as our opportunity to reinvent ourselves into being a town that creates new opportunities locally and within our state. This is the time to start using the best tool we have our minds and passion to succeed; consequentially inventing new ways to trade locally and create basic jobs.

One thing I thought about recently is that this must be one of the greatest times to be a provider of energy conservation technologies, and local organic farming. As times change, new opportunities emerge and I challenge everyone here in town to find and embrace those opportunities. Success will bring about emulation, or in my opinion the highest form of flattery.

Nicholas Pritchard, 10, waters heirloom tomato seedlings growing... (Photo From CT Post)

Such gardening programs are available for beginners at Eisenhower Park in Milford CT, many have found this to be a fun way to grow food learn farming and save money.