CABLEVISION story
above (c)
on the AFTER THE
STORM program. The Witt Associates'
report HERE.
Moderator of first Forum on Demand.
Weston FORUM article here.
TWO STORM PANEL RECOMMENDATIONS
Forum
on
Demand: An
idea whose time has come.
In
1992,
the
League of Women Voters of Weston envisioned the day when
the people would need a platform to express themselves
"on demand" and not wait for "Speak Up" to fill in their
political leaders...on what actions are needed
NOW.
Used only once before, to discuss the Lachat Property and its future,
this year's "After the Storm" program proved to be of
broad interest - even Cablevision sent a cameraman and a
reporter!
After
the Storm: November 19, 2011, 10:30am to 12
noon. Who knew what to expect?
THE PANEL
L-r: Charlene Chaing-Hillman, Director of Social
Services; Dr. Colleen Palmer and Chairman of the
Board of Education Phil Schaefer; First Selectman
Gayle Weinstein;
Police Chief John
Troxell; Fire Department representative
and P&Z Chair. Stephan Grozinger. Paula
Savignol of the Weston LWV Steering Committee
moderated...
THE
AUDIENCE
Moderated by Paula Savignol of the LWV
of Weston (above right), everyone got their turn...
------------
A Picture Story from
Saturday morning November 19, 2011 "Forum on
Demand..."
And so it began, on time, and ran over a bit because,
as we expected, people had a lot to say!
ON
TV TONIGHT? YES! And shown live on Town TV
plus reruns...
Cablevision sent a reporter and a cameraman.
Some well thought out observations, some fear for
the winter to come with no solutions at hand, and
clear, cold anger.
Recommendations
flowed
From audience to panel
and back again on how exactly the power lines
related to one another and to...generators &
cable towers...what did the Governor's TWO STORM
PANEL come up with?
Storm
panel adopts 82 recommendations
Ken Dixon,
Staff Writer, CT POST
Updated 10:44
a.m., Monday, January 9, 2012
HARTFORD --
The governor's Two Storm Panel adopted a list of 82
recommendations Monday morning aimed at preparing the
state for the next big storm. The top
suggestion calls for "reasonable performance
standards" for utility recovery and restoration.
The recommendations, in eight chapters, also call for
revisions to state engineering standards to anticipate
higher sea levels due to climate changes.
It took the
eight-member panel less than 10 minutes to adopt the
recommendations prior to a news conference held by
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. The report "strongly"
recommends better communications between utility
workers and management. Also suggested: Better
standards for backup power requirements and
communication infrastructure. The report was
prepared after eight meetings that began in September.
"It really
moved the state forward in preparing for the next
storm," said Joseph McGee, co-chairman of the panel,
which disbanded after the session.
[Please read the rest of this article in the archives at the CT POST website]
BUDGET IMPLICATIONS
Dr. Palmer was spectacularly clear and leaderly.
No nonsense. She explained exactly WHY decisions
are made the way they are about school closings.
The high school will be the Town's emergency location
in future storms at her suggestion. She noted
that its capacity to service the 21st century
Westonites' needs was up to date! There
are boys and girls showers there, the auditorium can
seat @600 and she said that some home businesses had
to operate out of its Library (we know some folks used
the Town Hall and the Town Library in addition).
Stephan Grozinger pointed out that since August there
have been about 70 applications for large
generators. In his official capacity as Fire
Department representative on this panel he pointed out
the fire hazards that exist when operating small
generators not "licensed" by P&Z - or maybe they
are and no one comes in for a permit? First
Selectman Weinstein, about to start the Town budget
process, seems to be calculating the increases in next
year's budget (FY'13)...
PERSONAL
RESPONSIBILITY
All in all, it was a good first step to gaining the
trust of the people of Weston, who will have to endure
the winter and pay for a great deal out of
pocket. One Westonite who actually saw "arcing"
shares that chilling experience. Another
Westonite has a raft of suggestions for organizational
change. This is just the beginning of finding a
way forward - "deregulation" may need some adjustment,
as one or more participants suggested. Vice
Chair. of the Board of Education ponders the whole
scope of what she heard in this League meeting which
was live on Channel 79 and on a re-run schedule of 2pm
every day...
Lessons learned in Weston
'After the Storm'
Weston FORUM
Written by Kimberly Donnelly
Tuesday, 22 November 2011 11:46
There could have been a lot of whining and complaining
and finger-pointing at the League of Women Voters of
Weston’s After the Storm forum last Saturday. But
there wasn’t.
Instead, residents shared ideas and information, and
tried to focus on how things might be made better in
the future if — and most agreed it was more a matter
of when — another weather event hits town.
The league asked a panel of town officials to address
residents’ comments and questions, but the mood was
informal, convivial, and information passed back and
forth between the panel and those in the audience.
First Selectman Gayle Weinstein said what she took
away from the forum more than anything was that
“anyone with a dog in the fight” — CL&P, the phone
companies, cable, the town, schools and residents —
“needs to coordinate their efforts a little better.”
She suggested that some of the emergency tabletop
exercises done on a regional basis should include more
players, such as the utilities, phone companies
(including wireless providers) and state agencies.
In addition, it’s clear that maintenance of power
lines and the trees that surround them need more
attention, she said.
[Please read the rest of this article in the archives at the Weston FORUM website]
Forum on Demand #1
Lachat property: Public sends message
to revive the building committee
Weston FORUM
by PATRICIA GAY
Jun 21, 2006
Selectman Glenn Major heard
loud and clear that people want an idle building
committee to be revitalized so it can come up with a new
plan for the Lachat property.
On Wednesday, June 14, a
public forum called Lachat: What Now? sponsored by the
League of Women Voters of Weston was attended by about
50 people at the Weston Public Library to discuss the
next steps to take in the development of the Lachat
property off Godfrey Road.
Several members of the
audience asked if the building committee for the
project, which was orignally made up of representatives
from the Nature Conservancy and representatives from the
town, could be reactivated with additional members
appointed to provide more diversity.
Mr. Major took that request
to the selectmen the next day. He recommended a review
of the present makeup of the Lachat building committee
and proposed expanding it to include members of the
public and certain interest groups.
At the forum, different
sides of the Lachat issue were presented by a panel of
speakers, followed by a question and answer session with
the audience. It was moderated by Richard Troxell.
The panel included Mr.
Major, George Guidera, former first selectman, Carolyn
Mulcahey of the Lachat Preservation Alliance, a group
opposed to the town’s plan of development for the
property, and Steve Patton, the director of The Nature
Conservancy’s Devil’s Den Preserve.
[Please read the rest of this article in the archives at the Weston FORUM website]