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Tuesday, May 17, 2016

WHAT NOW? YARD GOATS DEADLINE PASSES

Whatever happened to ACMAT. You remember them, the New Britain Company based in the same town we stole a baseball team from.





Does it look complete?

It has been a while since I have heard their ads but the tagline was always "on budget and on time". Isn't that a novel idea. Instead  we got Landino and Centerplan. Maybe their tagline should be " no completion without litigation".

Centerplan has been a disaster from the start and the Dunkin Donuts Stadium was most likely a project they were never equipped to tackle from the beginning.

A quick trip around the perimeter of the project today should tell anyone that they are in over their head. The video below shows how far the project is from completion. Some contractors I spoke with today at the site suggested August might be a more reasonable completion time.

The big question is where to go now? I think everyone will agree that Mayor Luke Bronin inherited a major mistake when he took office. With that being said, he now has to fix it. The project was too far along and we were already on the hook for Segarra's Follies to back out in December.

But now it is Luke's. I don't think Mayor Bronin can pass the mess off on the previous Council and Mayor any longer. Bronin has to accept ownership and he has several remedies open to him to gain the trust back from his constituents., To do nothing and coast hoping completion will eventually happen is not one of those options.

As I said before, Centerplan is a disaster. Landino was never equipped to do projects of this size. Just because you are a former State Rep. and have political connections does not necessarily make someone a developer. It might grease the skids to be awarded government contracts, but Landino has already proven he can't deliver on several State of Connecticut projects.

But yet Deller and Segarra awarded him one , if not the, largest development project in Hartford in years. And once again, Landino failed. Even if there is no baseball played in Hartford this year ( which I am told there will not be) Landino and Centerplan needs to be sent on their way tomorrow and the performance bond they provided needs to be called and recover as much as possible of Hartford's potential losses.

I am not optimistic that Saundra Kee-Borges and Pedro Segarra protected us well enough legally to prevent major losses.  Something tells me the Solomon's had better lawyers than SKB to protect their interests.

The Stadium Authority should have been replaced months ago by people that recognized a B/S storm when they were fed one. Anyone that knew anything about construction should have known months ago this wasn't going to happen. Too many critical deadlines were missed and just walking by the site, any of the Authority members should have seen the construction was not progressing properly.

Name me one member of that Authority who has ever been involved in a project of this size before or even has any construction experience.  When Police Officers working outside the site tell me it was the most disorganized project they have ever seen months ago, someone on the Authority should have been hearing the same thing, and been concerned.

I. Charles Matthews has been a total failure to the people of Hartford when he was entrusted to chair the Stadium Authority.

The law suits will begin flowing soon on this one, and Mayor Bronin needs to be a Mayor of action on this one, not a politician rewarding people that delivered votes and donations. Too much is riding on the reputation of our City to sit balk and just talk.

The time for talk has long passed, the plan of action  should have been already worked on and  in place to start tomorrow to remedy the situation. This requires some tough and decisive actions on the part of Mayor Bronin but he was elected to protect the interests of the people of the City of Hartford and not Landino or Centerplan or anyone else.

Go YardGoats, goodbye  Centerplan.

Sunday, May 15, 2016

A HEARTFELT THANK YOU

Some of Andrew's medals on display last night

I was just wanted to put up a quick posting to thank all of those people that turned out last night to support my nephew Andrew in his quest to qualify for the 2018 Paralympics in South Korea. Just the travel expenses for training and qualifications are expensive, never mind the equipment  requirements.

Your support and donations are helping Andrew to realize his dreams and show that even with Cerebral Palsy, anything is possible. Andrew is an inspiration to many.

It  was great to see Hartford faces there and top hear from blog readers. One person that came in said he saw it on the blog and immediately put it on his calendar to attend. After I introduced him to Andrew, he wrote out another check for a donation. One of the Hartford people, who shall remain nameless, cleaned up on  the raffle prizes, and no it wasn't rigged. I guess that is what happens when you buy over $100.00 in raffle tickets.

Another person showed up as the event was breaking up, but  he wanted to drop off a check  to "Andrew Races" for $250.00.

It was a great, well attended event. The food was very good, and plenty of it. On behalf of my family and especially Andrew, I would like to thank everyone that showed up, my blog readers and all. This is why I always tell people why I love living in Hartford, I have met so many great people here, and continue to see the good in our City every day.

You can learn more about Andrew  or keep track of his endeavor's at http://andrewraces.com

AN EASY WAY TO SOLVE THE DIBELLA DECEPTION

The question is once again rising to the surface, like raw sewage from a broken MDC pipe.

Where does William DiBella call home? It is a key issue because Dibella, as Chairman of the MDC, is required to reside in a member town. Old Saybrook, Connecticut is not an MDC member town. The Fed's listed Dibella's address in a federal investigation several years ago as "William A. Dibella, a resident of Old Saybrook, Connecticut". Yet Dibella still claims Hartford residency.

 Dibella also claims to be a Hartford resident since he pays Hartford taxes on a 2012 Hyundai. I thought Dibella drove a Jag, but I could be wrong, For some reason I don't see Bill DiBella as a Hyundai type guy.

I guess some people might be willing to believe that Dibella sleeps on a futon in the living room of the Condo of his son Marc and Marc's  wife instead of at his $3 million dollar plus home on Connecticut'\s shoreline in Old Saybrook. It is kind of like Santa Claus, we all want to believe, but eventually we accept reality and admit it was all a myth.

In this day of technology, this should be pretty simple to track down. People all the time are using their cell phone "pings " to prove an alibi, and police also use those same "pings" to track a criminal's whereabouts.

 A release from William Dibella to access his phone records should be able to prove where his phone is "pinging" at night and the location of the cell tower it is hitting most nights. Is it a tower in Hartford or a tower in Old Saybrook. Lets go back a few months and see who is telling the truth.

If Dibella comes forth with the records, I think it might show he is telling the truth, If he refuses, I think that is all the answer  you need as to who is trustworthy.

I went before the MDC Commission several years ago and testified regarding Dibella's residency issues ,  That fell on deaf ears before the Democratically controlled Board, but several of the Republican's in attendance also told me that they knew I was right and Dibella was not a Hartford resident.

 A Hartford City Councilman also admitted that the majority of the Hartford City Council knew Dibella lived in Old Saybrook, but they ignored it and reappointed him because they didn't want to lose his "clout" politically. That same Councilman last year introduced the resolution to reappoint Dibella to the MDC, knowing full well that Dibella was not a Hartford resident.

How much has that "clout" served Hartford's residents? I think the answer would be very little, unless of course you are a politician , and that is where Dibella's "clout" really lies, in the political favors he delivers.

This matter is now before the Hartford City Council to look into Dibella's claims, in the form of a resolution brought forward by Councilman Larry Deutsch. Duetsch is a Working Families Party member not beholding to Dibella (except maybe for the water that flows into his home, but I think he would be entitled to that even as a Republican) but the Majority of the Council are,beholding to Dibella and his son Marc, who is  also the chairman of Hartford's Democratic Town Committee.
(more on how that is even allowed is a story for another day)

Many of Hartford's politicians owe  their positions to the DiBella-esque style politics that have had a stranglehold on Hartford's Democratic party for years.

If Hartford is ever going to move forward, this Council needs to make a statement that integrity matters , they need to push that handle down and flush this matter once and for all, unless of course they enjoy the stink.

You can read more on the Dibella issue in Jon Lender's recent article in the Courant   http://www.courant.com/politics/hc-lender-dibella-residence-0515-20160514-column.htmlue

Friday, May 13, 2016

COUNTDOWN TO SUBSTANTIAL COMPLETION


https://countingdownto.com

The Hartford  Yard Goats Stadium is supposed to be "substantially complete" by Tuesday May 17. 2016. I drove by and checked it out tonight , and I don't see it being done in the next month, never mind by Tuesday. There are many areas that appear incomplete, not the least of which  being the exterior walls, the stairwells , apparently many life safety systems are incomplete, including the fire alarms and emergency lighting, as well as lighting throughout the public areas. More on this  tomorrow as well as some photos and video to prove my point,  as well as my thoughts on the finger pointing  and the blame game

rJo, SOMETIMES THE LIPS DON'T KEEP PACE WITH THE BRAIN

thank you to "Overheard In Downtown" group on Facebook for posting the picture
 
 I think is a problem we all have at times,  but it seems that one Councilperson is afflicted with it more than others.
 
The filter that is supposed to control what comes off the lips doesn't always work.
 
Councilwoman rJo Winch made a comment earlier this week that it was hard finding a Police Officer doing something good. She must have forgotten about this picture. It sure looks like this officer is doing something good.
 
rJo,  please get the filter fixed, or maybe at least try  to keep the lips closed a little more and take a few seconds to let the brain catch up first.
 
Thank you

Thursday, May 12, 2016

AN ANDREW UPDATE FROM TODAY'S JOURNAL INQUIRER

Andrew is my nephew that many of you have read about here


Weekend fundraiser will help Enfield man get to Paralympic Games

ENFIELD — Andrew Haraghey is used to overcoming obstacles, though for his latest challenge, he’s looking to the community for help.
The 20-year-old — who has become an accomplished alpine ski racer despite having cerebral palsy that affects movement in his lower extremities — is holding a pasta dinner May 14 to raise funds to help him train to make the U.S. Paralympic Ski Team, which will compete in the 2018 Paralympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.
Haraghey, a graduate from Enrico Fermi High School who just finished his sophomore year at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah, has been skiing competitively for five years. He has had strong showings in U.S. national skiing events, including a bronze medal finish in the slalom two seasons ago, and another bronze in the “super combined” and “super G” events this past season.
But Haraghey’s path to skiing glory was tougher than most people’s.
He was diagnosed with cerebral palsy after coming down with viral encephalitis when he was 6 months old. The disorder affected his gait and made moving around difficult. When he was about 8 years old, however, his mother, Sheryl Haraghey, took him to Ski Sundown in New Hartford and started teaching him how to ski.
Initially, he said, it was very hard for him, and he began by gripping a pole held by his mother. Over time, his balance and leg strength improved to the point where he’s now able to reach speeds of up to 80 miles per hour assisted only by poles modified with “outriggers” that look like small skis.
Haraghey said skiing at a young age likely played a role in his ability to walk unassisted today.
“Skiing definitely made me stronger,” he said. “When I started, I wasn’t strong enough to stand on my own, but as I was skiing, over time I was steadily building strength.”
Haraghey started skiing competitively in the 2011-12 season, skiing in regional events in Connecticut, Vermont, and New Hampshire. It was at the end of that season that he set his goal for the 2018 Paralympics.
“The 2014 games would have been a stretch, but 2018 was a more realistic goal,” he said.
Following Haraghey’s success skiing, his mother wrote and illustrated a children’s book about him, called “Andrew Can Ski.” The book tells of the boy’s perseverance to become a great skier, in hopes of inspiring young people and increasing their “ability awareness.” A disability advocate and motivational speaker, Sheryl Haraghey goes into schools to tell her son’s story, and further promote awareness through her “Awareness Games” program, in which she teaches children to use adaptive sports equipment.
When he’s around, Haraghey participates in the events and tells his story firsthand.
“It’s nice to see the kids at the end of the day understand and leave with a new experience and a new way of seeing things,” he said.
Unfortunately, Haraghey recently had a setback in his quest to make the Paralympic Games. In late February, at the World Cup Finals in Aspen, Colorado, he broke his leg during a training run. Though he’s been sidelined since then, Haraghey expects to be back on the slopes in November, and said he didn’t expect the injury to impact his goal significantly.
The pasta supper will be held Saturday, May 14, at Enfield Elks Lodge 2222 located at 138 N. Maple St., from 4 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person, which includes dinner of pasta and meatballs, salad, and dessert. There also will be music and dancing, and a raffle featuring a two-day “stay-and-ski” at Mt. Snow and gift cards from local businesses.
Those interested in donating to Haraghey’s training can do so at
Haraghey said a donation of any amount would help his training, which he said is very expensive.
“It’s definitely not the cheapest sport around,” he said.
To learn more about Haraghey, go to his website
or Sheryl Haraghey’s website