|
|
Heading to the shore this holiday weekend?
Keep an eye on the conditions and crowds at the state’s beaches as the holiday weekend commences via their Twitter steams: @CTsherwoodislnd (Sherwood Island in Westport), @CTHammonasset (Hammonasset Beach in Madison) and @CTrockyneck (Rocky Neck State Park in East Lyme).
More than 100,000 CL&P customers were without power across the state as of 6:30 p.m., including 2,300 customers in Greenwich.
Power was knocked out about the same time for nearly 900 United Illuminating customers in Trumbull. There are currently 376 UI customers in Fairfield without power.
The Baldwin Senior Center in Stratford is open from noon to 9 p.m. today for use as a cooling center by any town citizen in need of a respite from the excessive heat.
The Baldwin Senior Center is on West Broad Street.
As hot temperatures continue this week, town officials will assess the need for a cooling center on a day-by-day.
After all those month wishing the snow and cold would just go away, we’ve gotten our wish: temperatures are expected to go into the 90s today, and the heat is expected to stick around the next few days.Aside from being sticky and uncomfortable, the rising mercury carries with it some serious health risks. Here are some tips for keeping yourself healthy in the heat.
A home with a rain barrel sounds like something out of the Dust Bowl era, but rain barrels actually are handy devices, even here in the soggy Northeast.
The Aquarion Water Company, which supplies water to most of southern Fairfield County, is handing out blue plastic 55-gallon rain barrels at reduced cost –– $75.95. They typically go for $119. “We’re not making any money on this,” said Lorraine Bukowski, a water company spokeswoman.
Rain barrels important, particularly in Bridgeport. Why? Because much of the city has storm sewers that flow into the sanitary sewer system, and this storm runoff, because it enters the waste treatment plant, wastes energy and money, and causes pollution in Long Island Sound as well.
Besides, free, collected rainwater can be used to water lawns and gardens, and for washing your car. In August, after a dry spell, that water in your barrel will come in handy. Just a quarter-inch of rainfall on an average roof will fill the barrel and provide free water to use during dry periods.
But you’ll have to act fast. The rain barrel program for this year (the program is in its third year) ends on May 31, 2011. Aquarion says that it has sold about 400 in the first two years of the program.
The barrels are manufactured in the USA from heavy-duty, recycled plastic and they come with a five-foot hose that connects to a brass spigot near the bottom of the barrel. Another spigot near the top releases overflow, and several safety features prevent children and pets from getting inside, while also keeping insects and debris out. They’re actually recycled from the barrels used by the Coca-Cola company, and an outfit in Massachusetts adds the necessary fittings and modifications to turn them into rain barrels.
The blue color helps prevent the growth of algae, too.
To order, visit to www.aquarionwater.com by May 31 and click on the rain barrel link at the left side of the home page. The barrels will be available for pick-up Saturday, June 4, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Trumbull Town Hall, 5866 Main St., Trumbull.
Stratford, a town with a history of flooding problems, was mostly spared by flooding following a rain storm Sunday and Monday.
Main Street near Sikorsky Memorial Airport had some flooding early in the day. The water dried up by mid-afternoon.
“The Housatonic River is like lightening; it’s moving that fast,” said Mayor John A. Harkins, who said he traveled around town early in the day but did not find any locations with notable flooding.
A parking ban is in effect in Stratford Monday to aid snow removal from town roadways. The ban requires that residents park on the opposite side of the street as noticed on street signs. On even-numbered days, residents should park on the side of the road with even street numbers. On odd-numbered days, residents should park on the side of the road with odd street numbers.
From the office of Bill Finch, mayor of Bridgeport:
Break in Weather Gives Crews Time to Fill Potholes
BRIDGEPORT, CT (February 10, 2011) – A week without snowstorms has allowed City public works crews to tackle hundreds of potholes that are littering City streets, and Mayor Bill Finch is urging residents to report potholes that need attention to the 203.576.1311.
“Mother Nature has wreaked havoc on our streets,” said Mayor Finch, “but our public works crews are out there every day filling and patching potholes as fast we find them, or as they are reported to our Citizen Service phone number or through our website.”
The Mayor and Public Facilities Director Charles Carroll took a ride through the City on Thursday morning to check on road conditions, and found several areas warranting immediate attention. Those areas where crews will be working include: Beechmont Avenue, Lindley and Vincellette Streets, Madison Avenue between Wayne and Westfield, and Lakeside Drive.
Since late December, the City has used 80 tons of cold patch, according to Public Facilities Director Charles Carroll. Crews will be picking up another several tons of cold patch from Tilcon in Branford on Friday.
Residents can report a pothole by calling 203-576-1311, or online by logging on to the City’s web site, www.bridgeportct.gov and clicking on Citizen Service Request in the right-hand side of the homepage.
Copyright © 2013 Hearst Communications Inc.
