When we last looked in on the BOE and the amazing out of control constructions costs, there was rumbling in the BOE that $6 million wasn’t just going to be transferred, without explantion or detail, as per Opdahl’s request, and that the planning commission wasn’t buying the cpatial requests put forward. The latter is a good thing, since the BOE was split on the cpaital request budget. So, we get this report from The Hour:

[Read more →]

Inspiring short film about Paul Rand (1914-1996) on design.

[Read more →]

So let’s see, all of a sudden use of an asset is a criteria for reducing or eliminating property taxes?

Handrinos hopes they will not have to pay their latest tax bill, which he said runs close to $11,000.

“We appealed the (latest) taxes. We have already applied for (an abatement) and we have an April 15 appointment,” Handrinos said. “We cannot use the property the way we see fit — or for any purpose. It’s not economically feasible for us to fix it and we don’t intend to fix it.”

[Read more →]

Looks like tomorrow we to see the revised, and apparently agreed upon, cloverleaf interchange that will connect the route 7 connector to the Merritt. From the Advocate:

The state and the Merritt Parkway Conservancy have reached an agreement in their long-running dispute over how to redesign a busy interchange in Norwalk.

The state Department of Transportation has settled on a “cloverleaf” design for the interchange of Route 7 and the Merritt Parkway, the plan favored by the conservancy.

The conservancy, in turn, has accepted state proposals to replace the historic bridge over Main Avenue near the interchange, as long as its character is maintained.

[Read more →]

The capital budget moves forward through the Mayor’s office. When we last checked in, the planning commission was making adjustments to the department requests. They passed along their recommendations and the Mayor has made some tweaks. From his letter:

[Read more →]

Isn’t it interesting that State Rep Bruce Morris, he of the no time tracked BOE job, managed to present at a LWV forum the $14 million in state aide to Norwalk, seemingly already allocated to Education? Now, why is it that the state aide that Morris is so aware of, is not included in the BOE budget. Will the BET take a look at that when it comes to formulating the budget cap?

[Read more →]

Interesting article about the development progress Hartford is meeting. From the Courant:

Part of the bet on downtown Hartford’s revival was that young professionals and suburban empty-nesters would migrate into the city’s newly built apartments. Half of that formula has panned out — young people like Healey looking for smaller, less-expensive units and the action of a downtown have come, making it hard to find studio and one-bedroom apartments.

Healey’s building has two-bedroom units to rent right now and nothing else; the waiting list for a studio is 10-deep. At the Lofts at Main and Temple, on the site of the old Sage-Allen building, all of the studios and one-bedrooms are spoken for while four of 19 two-bedrooms are unoccupied.

[Read more →]

The only decent thing that keep me from pining over the absence of football, although I’m really liking my Cleveland Browns off season moves (except Stallworth), is the arrival of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Otherwise known as March Madness. I don’t pay all that much attention to the regular season, but now is the time to get a look at teams playing in conference playoffs.

Thus when the Child Guidance Center of Mid-Fairfield County announced a fundraising event tied to watching the NCAA Regional Finals on big screen TVs at Aitoro, I figured why not. So Thursday March 27th 6-9 PM, tickets are $50 and you can call (203)299-1315 for more details.

[Read more →]

NEW ARTWORK IN THE GALLERY!Featuring:Susan McCaslinJourneys: A Closer Look? Artwork will be on display March 11th - 28th, 2008?Public Opening Reception ?Saturday March 15th, from 6 - 9 PM?(Wine and cheese will be served)For Darien artist Susan McCaslin, the current exhibit at The Flow of Art Gallery in Norwalk offers a chance to examine how each journey one takes, in art and in life, encourages a “closer look.” The works on display illustrate, though collages, monotypes and oil pastels, how important symbols and iconography can be on these varied excursions. Journeys: A Closer Look is open now through March 28. A public opening reception for the artist will be held on Saturday, March 15th from 6pm to 9pm. Hope to see you there!The Story Behind Susan McCaslin:“I became interested in the language of symbols and iconography in a 10th grade Medieval history class,” McCaslin explains.  “I was intrigued by the hidden meanings and their interpretation by people in different parts of society.”That interest was heightened in the early 1970s, when she lived in Southern California and was exposed to the visual motifs of the vibrant Mexican and Native American cultures.  The result was a series of dolls that owed their heritage to Native American dolls and kachinas, as well as using wood as a painting media and including carving and attached found objects to the painting.Arriving in Connecticut in the early 1908s, her fascination with iconography exhibited itself in both colorful, outsider-type works that expressed contemporary women’s issues—feminism, mothering and womanhood, as well as the frailties and frustrations of being a “new” woman in an “old” world.At the same time, her award-winning work as a graphic designer led her to include new elements in her work—photographs, printed pieces, letters and type elements.  The results range from small and intimate collages, to monotypes that enable the artist to let the idea “find its own path”, to oil pastels that employ deep and vibrant colors to invite a closer look.“I am learning to follow and trust my instincts,” McCaslin notes, “and am learning to recognize that the most important moment in each piece comes just before the solution.”Please join us for this Exhibit?March 11th - March 28th ??For more information contact:Lindsey Ward: lward@flow-of-art.comMike Spizzirri: mike@flow-of-art.comChristien Ducker: christien@flow-of-art.comThe Flow of Art Gallery    16 River Street,    Norwalk, CT 06850     203-838-0500(River & Wall Street)

[Read more →]

Mauricio Higuera, Kelly Bigelow Becerra, and Alexsandr Razin will give an ‘ARTISTS TALK’ this SATURDAY, MARCH 15 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the gallery. Free admission. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served. Talk starts at 7pm. Seating is limited. (Standing is fine too!)

22 Haviland Street Gallery / 22 Haviland Street / South Norwalk, CT. 06854 / 203.852.6727

“HUNTING and GATHERING: Survival Stories for a Long Year” (Feb 29-March 30, 2008)
Gallery Hours: Fridays 6-9pm, Sat/Sun 1-5pm or by appointment during the week: 203.852.6727

[Read more →]