Today’s story on the end of the epic property war between the Pequonnock Yacht Club and Bridgeport.
Archive for November, 2012
900 UI customers in Bridgeport to lose power
The power is going off in Bridgeport again on Sunday.
Relax, don’t panic because it’s a planned power outage that should affect about 900 customers in a small area of Bridgeport.
It can be a problem if you’re one of those 900 customers who won’t have electricity for up to four hours on Sunday.
Here’s what UI is telling us:
“The United Illuminating Company will temporarily cut electric service to a small area of Bridgeport on Sunday morning, Dec. 2, as it upgrades and improves its electric system.
UI has notified approximately 900 customers who will be affected by the outage, which is scheduled for 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Sunday.
The planned service outage will affect portions of the following streets: Arlington Street, Capitol Avenue, Cleveland Avenue, Garfield Avenue, Jackson Avenue, Lincoln Avenue, Lincoln Boulevard, Madison Avenue, Madison Terrace, Main Street, Park Avenue, Salem Street and Turner Street.
The outage is necessary as UI converts its Jackson Avenue Substation from 4.16 to 13.8 kilovolts, part of a series of upgrades UI is undertaking to provide safe, reliable electric service to all customers.”
Bridgeport Council members in Beantown for national conference
Over half of Bridgeport’s 20-person City Council was either in Boston today or en route for a National League of Cities’ conference.
“There are a number of us on committees. I’m on the Economic Development Committee and we determine at this meeting what is going to be the priority lobbying for the next year,” Council President Thomas McCarthy, D-133, said by phone Wednesday night. “The other thing is it provides a lot of training for council members. It gives you best practices … And part of it is making sure the city of Bridgeport’s concerns are being lobbied for on a national level.”
Their bills are paid with the $9,000 stipend each council member receives annually for work-related expenses.
I asked whether council members really have to head to these conferences. Can’t a lot of the same stuff get accomplished back home on a computer?
“They’re trying to do some online stuff, but never underestimate the power of sitting in a room of people that are in a similar type of situation, throwing out a problem, and having a similar discussion going to lunch later with those people and saying, ‘How do you guys solve this?’” McCarthy said.
For example he noted one subgroup is composed of elected officials from cities that host universities. Bridgeport has a handful.
“So, say, how do you deal with college students living in neighborhoods?” McCarthy said.
The Bridgeport delegation should ask how their peers deal with a mayor who has 20-year feud with a local university.
Here’s the list of city council members McCarthy said are also attending the NLC event, which runs into the weekend:
Susan Brannelly, D-130, Denese Taylor-Moye, D-131, John Olson, D-132, M. Evette Brantley, D-132, Michelle Lyons, D-134, Amy Marie Vizzo-Paniccia, D-134, Carlos Silva, D-136, Lydia Martinez, D-137, Robert Curwen, D-138, Richard Paoletto, D-138, and James Holloway, D-139.
Grid operator’s 9.3 percent budget hike draws Conn. protest
Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen, Consumer Counsel Elin Swanson Katz and the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority said Wednesday the state will file a protest with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission against ISO New England Inc.’s 9.3 percent budget increase that will be paid for by electric customers.
ISO-NE operates New England’s regional transmission grid and electricity markets. Currently, no New England public utility commission has any formal oversight role regarding ISO-NE’s budget, even though ISO-NE is funded directly and indirectly by New England ratepayers. Connecticut officials are particularly concerned the grid operator has added 100 high-paying jobs in the last five years.
Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, also asked FERC to require ISO-NE to file its budget with New England state utility commissions 60 days prior to filing with FERC.
“Connecticut’s electric rates are among the highest in the nation. FERC needs to determine why ISO-NE seeks to increase its burden on ratepayers by nearly 10 percent, when electricity demand is flat or declining,” Attorney General Jepsen said. “Connecticut and other New England states should have the opportunity to review the ISO-NE budget and provide input on whether the agency is acting reasonably to control costs,” he said.
Arthur H. House, PURA Chairman, said that “the ratepayers who pay ISO-NE’s expenses must have a meaningful opportunity to review ISO-NE’s annual budgets. The current system with no required state regulator review has resulted in unchecked growth by the ISO. FERC should receive and consider state utility regulator input from states actually served by ISO-NE before issuing any decisions approving annual budgets.”
Highlights of ISO-New England’s budget and operational highlights:
- Operating budget of $165 million, up almost 9.3 percent over its $151 million budget this year.
- More than 80 percent of ISO-NE’s budget goes to staff and outside professional services.
- The number of full-time employees also has increased from 180 in 1997 to 563 proposed for 2013.
- If approved, ISO-NE will have added 100 full-time positions just in the past five years.
- In 2012, 275 of the 524 ISO-NE’s employees were paid more than $100,000 annually as base pay.
- Employees last year received an average yearly merit bonus of 9 percent per employee.
Public comments on ISO-NE’s 2013 rate increase must be filed with the FERC by Nov. 30, 2012. FERC will then decide whether to hold a hearing or simply allow the rate increase to go into effect on Jan.1, 2013.
Source: Press Release Conn. Agencies
Hartford Mayor makes headlines for limiting press access, but Bridgeport beat him to it
Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra generated some unwanted headlines earlier this month when his spokesman instructed city department heads to contact her office before talking to the media.
The Hartford Courant questioned whether the policy fits in with Segarra’s promises to bring transparency to the office.
I had to smile a bit at the hubbub, considering a similar rule is already in place here in Bridgeport.
I got a gentle reminder of it today when I approached the Human Resources Department with a pretty simple question and was instructed by HR Manager Janet Finch in an email to reach out to the mayor’s spokesman:
Dear Brian:
All media questions need to be addressed to Elaine Ficarra. I’m copying her on this for her review and response. Thanks.
Janet Finch
Lauralton Hall’s Christmas Concert set for Wednesday
Lauralton Hall Advanced Vocal Ensemble rehearses its upcoming "Christmas in Song" concert, set for Wednesday, Nov. 28.
We recently recieved this press release from the Academy of Our Lady of Mercy, Lauralton Hall school in Milford:
MILFORD — Lauralton Hall’s highly anticipated annual Christmas concert, Christmas in Song, will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 28, in the Parsons Complex Auditorium, 70 West River Street, Milford. The public is invited to this free event which will feature Lauralton Hall’s Concert Choir, Advanced Vocal Ensemble, Freshman Choir and Instrumental Ensemble.
The students will perform songs from Handel, Ives and Rutter, as well as traditional carols and popular holiday favorites such as “Sleigh Ride” and “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,”
Donations of non-perishable food items will be accepted at the door to be given to local residents in need.
Firefighters extinguish roof fire in Westport
Hot embers from a chimney landing on wooden shingles ignited a house fire Sunday morning in Westport.
A neighbor who spotted the fire dancing on the Washington Avenue roof at 9:30 called the fire department and alerted the home’s occupants, who had smelled smoke but were not aware of the fire. The fire department said smoke detectors in the home were not activated because the fire occurred in an unfinished attic area that did not have a smoke alarm.
The home sustained roof damage and minor smoke and water damage to the second floor. The 24 firefighters who responded to the blaze were off the scene by 11:15.
Shelton police holding annual toy drive
Donations of new, unwrapped toys can be dropped off at the Shelton police department, 85 Wheeler St., or at the Outback Steakhouse at 698 Bridgeport Ave.
The police department has teamed up with the restaurant for its annual toy drive, which runs until Dec. 19. The items collected will be distributed to local families in need.
Outback Steakhouse is giving away a free appetizer or dessert to any customer who brings in a new unwrapped toy for the toy drive. Any questions related to the toy drive should be directed to Officer John Petrillo at (203) 924-1544 ext. 349.
