Staying Current

The Hartford Courant has a reputation for being biased against Waterbury. This is something that can be seen going back decades. I don't know what started this "tradition" at the Courant, but maybe one of the reasons it continues is that they haven't bothered to stay up-to-date on what's happening here. Take, for example, their official description of Waterbury on their website: "Principal industries are manufacture of brass and copper products, clocks, and watches."

I'd say that puts their knowledge of Waterbury at least thirty years behind the times.

Doomed

(photos taken in 2007)

A lot of factory buildings tend to be ugly behomeths, especially if they were built during the 20th century. During the 19th century, factory buildings were typically beautiful brick structures. Many have been rehabilitated, converted into dynamic apartments, condos and shops. Many others have been demolished, and it seems that Waterbury is about to lose another one. The abandoned factories at North Elm and Cherry Streets are going to be replaced with a new facility. It's a real shame. For years, I've been hoping that someone would rescue them. Rehabbing them is on my wish list of things I would do if I won Powerball.









A portion of the old watch factory was converted to Enterprise Apartments, and, as you can see from the photo, it looks really nice:





By contrast, here's the depressingly hideous, cement-block, bunker-style housing on the opposite side of North Elm Street (why does it seem like the ugly architecture stays forever, while the attractive architecture gets destroyed?):




I don't know for certain, but the neighboring Benrus factory might also be not long for this world:






Last, but certainly not least, here is the main office building for the factory complex, designed to look like a miniature mansion. I don't have a lot of hope remaining for its future.

Good Music

After I moved to Scovill Row last year, I kept hearing some fantastic music being played in the neighborhood. I did some online searching and finally discovered that what I was hearing was Bachata, a style of music from the Dominican Republic. My favorite bachata musician is Zacarias Ferreira--his Dime Que Falto CD (I almost called it an album...) is fantastic.

A couple of weeks ago, I started to notice a flyer cropping up all over Waterbury and Hartford (and presumably all the other cities in Connecticut). Ferreira is going to be putting on a concert in Waterbury on November 16 at Salon La Fatima (Our Lady of Fatima Church) on Baldwin Street.

If you aren't familiar with his music, here are some good links to listen to:
Dime Que Falto
Ay Amor
Es Tan Dificil
Se Marcho El Amor

The Local Public House

I've had a terrible time remembering the new name of T. Pic's bar, probably because they haven't gotten new signs up yet. So here it is: The Local Public House. Conjures up images of old Irish pubs.



When I was there the other day, I got a little history lesson from my fellow drinkers. Before it was T. Pic's, it was 457 (after the street address). Before that, it was No Fish Today. Before that, it was something I can't remember now (sorry!).

There used to be a bar just down the street, in a building that was lost to fire, that had the longest bar in Connecticut. It is believed that the bar was purchased and moved out of state.

Mattatuck Cafe Reopens

The Mattatuck Museum has been without a cafe for several years, but they are finally re-opening it this week, Wednesday, November 5. This time around, the cafe will be run by the Bunker Hill Deli. Sandwiches, soups, salads, all available Tuesday through Saturday, 11:30 - 2:30.

If you still haven't stopped by to see the new history exhibit, now's the perfect time--see the history, eat some lunch, and if the weather is nice, borrow one of the MP3 players and a map, and tour some of downtown's architecture.

Merchandise!

After much nagging, pestering and good advice, I'm finally giving merchandising of my art a try. Marketing my own work falls outside my comfort zone, so please forgive my awkwardness and buy some stuff!

Postcards, prints, mugs and other items are available through cafepress (click here to view).

Once I finish a painting, I will add its image to the store. If you would like a specific product that is not included in my store, just let me know, and I will add it.

The Impact

I've been working from home for about a month, starting when the Wall Street collapse began. This past week, I was back to riding the train to NYC again, and was shocked to see a very noticeable decrease in the number of suited passengers. Stamford is normally the busiest stop, with swarms of men and women in high-end business attire getting on and off the train. Now there's hardly anyone. Normally the morning train is standing-room only, with five or six people standing in every doorway. Now there's plenty of empty seats.

The news reports I've read have all been focused on the bail-out and on how the banks are currently spending money. There have been plenty of incendiary reports about bankers being given raises and bonuses, and exposés of corporate partying. What I wasn't aware of until this week are the huge numbers of layoffs. So far approximately 110,000 people connected to Wall Street have lost their jobs, with more layoffs anticipated. No wonder the train wasn't crowded. No wonder Stamford looks like a ghost town.

I have also read a Forbes report on towns most likely to suffer during this economic whatever-you-want-to-call-it. They cite the small town (25,500 people) of Zanesville, Ohio, which has an unemployment rate of 8.9% (Waterbury's is 8.6%, according to city-data.com), a poverty rate of 16.2% (35% of Waterbury households earn less than $25,000 per year), and an education statistic of 18% with an associates degree or higher (compared to 23% in Waterbury).

Zanesville's mayor is optimistic about his town's future, pointing out that they have plans for more than $250 million in school and downtown development construction over the next two years (sound familiar?). The article, not surprisingly for Forbes, does not spell out exactly what dangers Zanesville and other vulnerable towns face, nor does it in any way suggest what actions might be prudent for vulnerable towns. I would like to know those details, especially since it sounds like Waterbury could also be considered vulnerable. We've already seen fallout from the mortgage fiasco--foreclosures on homeowners who couldn't make payments when their subprime mortgages adjusted to higher rates, and numerous properties purchased by real estate speculators who drove the prices up without adding value and have now abandoned the properties, leaving pockets of blight throughout the city.

In that regard, maybe Waterbury has already seen the worst of the mortgage fall-out (just don't expect to get a good price if you're selling a house right now). Unemployment could very well increase. We're seeing a steady decline in the number of big stores, not just in Waterbury. We've lost two grocery stores, and it looks like they won't be replaced. The national chains are steadily going under: Steve & Barry's declared bankruptcy and closed their Waterbury store; Linens N Things declared bankruptcy and is closing its Waterbury store. When the plaza with Linens N Things first opened, there was a craft supply store on the other side of Stop & Shop which closed almost immediately and has yet to be replaced. I doubt that Linens N Things will be replaced. Waterbury is turning into a town of half-empty plazas.

On the bright side, the prices of gasoline and heating oil have decreased significantly. But that's probably not much consolation for anyone who's lost their job because their employer went bankrupt or lost their house because the bank increased their mortgage interest rates so much that they couldn't make their payments.

Your State Tax Dollars At Work

Here's a shot of the notorious State Government shuttle van idling outside the Buckingham Parking Garage. When the Rowland Government Center was being constructed, the state employees who were scheduled to be relocated to Waterbury were apparently horrified by the prospect of having to walk all the way from the garage to their office building. To placate them, the state agreed to operate a shuttle van. In the morning, the van sits waiting on Cottage Place with the engine running. When I took this photograph, it was there for five minutes before one woman arrived. The van then drove her to the Rowland building, then returned to idle some more. I don't know what the van's specific schedule is, but it's probably safe to assume it operates for one or two hours twice a day during the week. With the engine running the whole time, even if it's just sitting at the curb.

The distance from the parking garage to the Rowland building is about a thousand feet. One-fifth of a mile. The average person needs four minutes to walk that distance. But the state of Connecticut is willing to spend tax dollars on a shuttle van.

You can't even argue that it's for safety. At 8 a.m. on a weekday, walking along Grand Street in front of the Post Office or, on the other side of the street, in front of several small cafés, a dry cleaner, and a pizza place; then turning down Leavenworth Street, walking in front of law offices and restaurants before reaching the Rowland building at the end of the street--what could be safer?

It's ironic that the shuttle van is green in color; it's very not green in environmental terms.

[I should also add, before anyone asks, the Rowland building is not named for the former Governor. It is named for his grandfather, Sherwood Rowland, who helped expose (and halt) political corruption during the 1930s. While I'm on the topic of clarification, Rowland Park was named for Rowlands who were not related to those Rowlands. The mini-park was donated by the Chase family--Elsie Rowland Chase came to Waterbury in the late 19th century, when her father, Rev. Dr. Edmund Rowland, was appointed to St. John's Episcopal Church.]

Anya Thai

I've been meaning to try the Thai restaurant on Meriden Road in Wolcott for years, and last night I finally did. Yum! It was delicious! There is something about a Thai curry that is emotionally soothing--for whatever reason, it's comfort food for me. I had a hot curry soup with shrimp, balanced very nicely with a vegetable roll, followed by a green curry chicken dish. It was so good, I could eat there every day. I can't believe it took me this long to try them!

The one downside is that they don't serve alcohol, but considering that I have to drive so far to get to the restaurant, that's probably just as well. It certainly didn't impair my enjoyment of the food!

Condos

Condos are not universally bad. You wouldn't know it from the way people in Waterbury have been talking lately, but it's true. Locally, take a look at Heritage Village. That was built many decades ago, but is still high quality and very park-like, with the winding roads and dense woods.

The problem is that condos in Waterbury are almost always built with the cheapest materials and methods. They are some of the ugliest buildings you will ever see, easily considered a blight even when they are well maintained. Bradley Gardens is one of the worst and is a proven fire hazard, but it is certainly not the only example of shoddy condo construction in Waterbury.

Residents of the "nicer" neighborhoods have been complaining loudly about how they don't want condo developments, but I suspect that it's not condos in general they are opposed to, it's the slum-like condos that typically get built in Waterbury that they are resisting.

Building codes typically deal with safety issues. Aesthetics are harder to pin down and enforce. But what about enforcing a minimum ratio of built acres to landscaped acres? How about enforcing a certain number of shade trees per landscaped acres? While I'm at it, how about requiring any new building development to construct sidewalks?

I could keep going with the wish list for a while!

Mixmaster

Last year, I went to the DOT's public hearings about their plans to rebuild the highway interchange in Waterbury, and I thought there would be one more, once they finally narrowed down the options. Instead, they're asking that the city give them an opinion on two options by Wednesday. Neither option is great. I really dislike the idea of spreading out 84 as it cuts through the heart of the city. It's really sort of offensive, as if the DOT is trying to wipe out as much of Waterbury as possible. 84 has to be a double decker through Waterbury, to minimize the impact on the city.

I'm also offended by the DOT's efforts to sugar-coat their proposal. Last year they were very reluctant to state which business would lose their buildings because of highway construction. Now they are giving fractions: 43% of Jarjura's Market, 76% of CL&P, 70% of YankeeGas. Are we really supposed to believe that these businesses would continue to operate with only a partial property? Plain and simple, those are 100% losses. The highway construction will take out businesses that have been reliable taxpayers for a very long time. There is no guarantee that they will relocate within Waterbury. The DOT tries to smooth this over by claiming that new developments will somehow bring in millions of dollars in yearly taxes. What, exactly, are these magical developments and how in the world can the DOT promise that they will happen?

Bonding

Bonding seems to come up frequently here in Waterbury, as if it were the magic solution to many problems. I wonder how many city residents understand what bonding is. For example, the Mayor has proposed purchasing the Wachovia building for $5 million through bonding. What the newspaper left out is the explanation of how much debt the city would accrue in doing this. How many years will it take to pay off the five million and how many millions more will we have to pay in interest?

When a city makes major purchases through bonding, it's not much different than an individual person making major purchases on a credit card. Given what's been going on with the economy recently, it seems like now is a good time to be much more cautious and frugal.

There have been times when I have had to rely on credit cards to cover my necessary expenses. I learned early on that you have to be careful about how much debt you accumulate--if you have too much debt, you won't have enough money to cover your monthly payments. This could happen to Waterbury with bonding. Too much bonding, and we won't have enough money to make our payments and keep up with other expenses. As I understand it, the interest rate paid by the city is variable. Which means monthly payments could get larger. Can a city declare bankruptcy?

The way I see it, there has to be a limit to how much debt Waterbury can afford, while it seems there is no limit to the number of things the city could spend money on. If the Wachovia building can be acquired without increasing the city's expenses (compare the bonding costs to the rent money saved, then factor in the lost taxes and any ongoing maintenance costs), then it's probably a good plan.

Draw!

This year's Downtown Draw is Saturday morning, with judging in the early afternoon. This year's theme is to tie in with The Big Read. It's always a fun event, and it's very cool to see what can be done with chalk. The weather is supposed to be good, so stop by the Green to what's happening!

Photos from last year

Official Website

Parks vs. Parking

I've spent the past several days thinking about open space issues in Waterbury, and stumbled onto an intriguing question: how many acres of parking lots are there in Waterbury? There are 905 acres of parks, which Mayor Jarjura says is "enough" (I strongly disagree). Jarjura, a developer, has encouraged the conversion of outlying woodlands into new office and retail spaces with ample parking lots (next weekend I think I'll be ruminating on urban sprawl). If all of the unprotected woods and fields in Waterbury were turned into parking lots and nondescript buildings, what would the ratio of pavement to greenery be?

During the hot summer months, I'm always acutely aware of parking lots. All of that open pavement radiates heat, making the summer hotter, while in the shade of the forest, the summer is cooler. In the winter, the cold wind blows freely across parking lots, while woodland trees offer a little bit of protection from the biting cold.

I wish I knew how many acres of parking lots there are in Waterbury. I could probably figure out an estimate from a map, but that would be very time consuming, so how about just a preliminary list of lots (I'm not including the parking lot between the library and City Hall because the huge old trees there make it just as much a park as a parking lot):

Buckingham Ramparage
Palace Theater/WAMS parking garage
UConn parking garage
Prospect Street parking garage
the train station parking lot and the newspaper parking lot and garage
Meadow Street parking lot (below Library Park)
Home Depot/Sports Authority
parking garages at both hospitals
Colonial Plaza
every single small shopping site in town--CVS, Walgreens, Frankie's, McDonald's, etc.
Brass Mill Mall
Wal-Mart and Stop & Shop
Marshall's and the former Shop-Rite center
the new Shop-Rite
K-Mart
Target/Stop & Shop mini-mall
the long strip of businesses on Lakewood Road
every condo complex

There are plenty more that I could add to the list. I would not be at all surprised to learn that there are more acres of parking lots than of parks, even though parks add much more to the city's quality of life. Obviously, businesses need parking lots, but I think they need to be less utilitarian and less sprawling.

More Trains!

Metro-North has finally added one train each way on the weekends for Waterbury, which means a new weekend schedule. Starting in October, we will now have five trains each way (not great, but definitely a step in the right direction!).

Tragically, the last train leaving Grand Central for Waterbury is still the 9:07 p.m. WHEN will they figure out that we need a later train???

I-84 "Wins", Waterbury Loses

I'm currently watching the state Department of Transportation's latest report on their plans for rebuilding the highway interchange through Waterbury. Most of their proposed plans would decimate the center of the city, even worse than what happened when the highways were first built forty years ago. The South End has never recovered from the last highway construction--the presentation immediately preceding the DOT presentation was the Loyola Development group's proposal for rebuilding the South End.

We lost the battle against the power plant and its pollution (DePillo's "compromise" amounts to nothing more than tossing a dog a bone), and now we're about to get shafted by the DOT.

[Update, 9:45 p.m.]
And, speaking of getting shafted, I can't help wondering why the Independents are spending so much time complaining about not being treated with as much respect as they want. I expect my elected officials to focus on government, but Waterbury's Independents seem to spend all their time trying to get into a fight with the Democrats, hampering the progress of government. Whining achieves nothing. Whatever happened to "sticks and stones"? They seem to be more concerned with their egos than with helping Waterbury, which means they are hurting the city they claim to work for.

Migration

Here's a snapshot I took at Hamilton Park two Saturdays ago. Flocks of Canada Geese are always a sign of changing seasons.

Colors

Every so often, I get to catch a glimpse of an amazing sunrise or sunset in Waterbury. When I lived on Johnson Street, I had a great view of the sunset, but my current home is angled just wrong for viewing the dramatic colors of the sky.

This morning, however, the sunrise was at its best right when I was hurrying to leave for the train station. If I hadn't been so worried about missing my train, I would have tried to take a photo.

There were spectacular bright pink clouds filling the sky, becoming a grayish-lavender further up, with a bright white full moon shining behind them. It was an impressive start to the day!

Cycling, part two

Rode my bicycle to the train this morning. I got up half an hour early to make sure I had enough time, but it turns out that bicycling to downtown takes the same amount of time as driving. So I had plenty of time to get breakfast at Barci's and write this post.

The train station doesn't have a bike rack, just a chain link fence, so I decided to lock up my bike at the library, where there is a lot more supervision. Leaving it there all day might annoy them, but there aren't a lot of other options.

Cycling

Today I start using my bicycle to get around town. It's something I've been meaning to do, but until now I've let myself be lazy and drive. Last night, however, I did some very dramatic driving on Route 20, just before merging with 91-S, narrowly escaped death (the Good Samaritan who stopped to help couldn't believe I was uninjured, never mind still alive), and messed up my suspension, so I'm feeling very motivated to bicycle instead of drive.

One of my pitiful excuses for not bicycling around town is that "it's SO far" to get to anything. But when I used Google maps just now to see how long it might take to get where I want to go today, I realized that it's only four miles to Straits Turnpike. When I go to Cheshire to use the linear park, I routinely bicycle 20 miles. Four miles is nothing, even with the hills.

It's a beautiful Sunday afternoon, so I'm heading off to enjoy the day while I run my errands.