There’s other stuff going around town, so get inspired to comment.
Open Thread
by turfgrrl
April 8th, 2008 · 26 Comments
Tags: Current affairs
26 Responses so far ↓ “Open Thread”
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It must be a slow news day or Turfgirl is just tired this morning….
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The Maritime Aquarium was a keystone in the revitalization but not the total impetus. Basically what happened is, Norwalk took a single street and sold it to a real estate conglomerate who worked hand-in-glove with the city to rebuild storefronts, redesign the street layout with new sidewalks and lighting, and enticed a large community of artists and crafters to open galleries and antique stores there. Washington Street used to be a haven for the arts crowd of lower Fairfield County, with one or two interesting restaurants thrown into the mix just for something different.
When the real estate company began raising its rents, a lot of the galleries and antique stores were forced to move out. These stores were replaced by “niche” businesses and LOTS of really excellent restaurants, many of which spilled over onto North Main Street and Water Street — SoNo Caffeine, El Acapulco (a family-run Mexican restaurant that had been in Norwalk since the late 1960s), Porterhouse, Ocean Sea Grill, Rattlesnake, SoNo Seafood, Kazu, O’Neill’s Irish Pub, Barcelona, Jeff’s Cuisine, and many others, some of whom have since gone out of business. When some of these restaurants failed, trendy clubs with nightlife that attracted the 20-something crowd moved in. And today, you have a combination of really interesting ethnic shops featuring all kinds of foods and goods from areas like Holland or Italy, fantasic restaurants offering great seafood, tapas, Japanese hibachi, Mexican, Irish pub food, etc., art galleries, a nationally renowned aquarium, an award-winning children’s museum (Stepping Stones) and much revitalized history.
There are three giant music-and-arts events in SoNo too - the Norwalk Harbor Splash! Festival in June; the SoNo Arts Festival in August; and the Norwalk Seaport Oyster Festival in September.
what has changed in the last year or so? Do we have a out of control crime rate effecting success?
If it took twenty years to get here how long will it take to ruin what has been started?
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The Brien McMahon Senators Community Foundation has successfully lobbied the city school district to conduct background checks on volunteers and challenged security measures in the U.S. Postal Service’s Dear Santa program.
Now, the group is turning its attention to summer camps licensed by the state
Kocienda said a group of five students initially chose child abuse as its focus because the number of abused children in Norwalk was high - several years ago, there were more than 500 open child abuse cases.
“People are amazed” by the group’s efforts, Kordas said. “It’s not just a bag, it’s not just a chair, it’s a child’s life. It hits very hard.”
something positive by kids in Norwalk thank you
Brien McMahon Senators Community Foundation
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As part of the Mayor’s Initiatives to Create a Healthy Housing Market the Department runs programs that address homelessness, eliminate blight, assist first-time home buyers, address housing for People with AIDS, and rehabilitate houses and apartment buildings.
Whether you are a local resident, a renter, a homeowner, a landlord or a developer, we encourage you to pick a program and participate!
something positive too bad its in Bridgeport.
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The average price for a two-bedroom apartment in Norwalk is $2,093 a month, he said. This is great news if you have a rental.
The study, released yesterday by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, found that the hourly wage required to afford a market-rate, two-bedroom apartment in the Stamford and Norwalk area is $31.58, nearly double the national average and about five times the federal minimum wage of $5.85 an hour and four times the state’s minimum wage of $7.65 an hour.
Not so good if you rent
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Nice. Now if you could get rid of subsidizing it, the prices would fall.
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Yeah, why should the government subsidize affordable housing when it can bail out all those huge banks that made bad decisions when they financed risky loans?
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nothing idicates Norwalk will get any better once the 350 units go in, simply give crime a new place to happen.
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An expensive housing market combined with falling income is making it increasingly difficult for some residents to live comfortably in Norwalk, according to two new studies.
This was in the Hour, figures they would have to read it somewhere else to figure it out and report on it, so friggin sad isn’t it?
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The beautiful thing about America is when you lose your job or can’t afford to live in a particular area, you are free to pack up and move to a new location where the jobs are and can chose the location based on where it is most cost effective to live.
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But when Norwalk becomes yuppy heaven where will all the sushi servers live?
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I think they come in from NYC like the Chinese restaurant workers. Check with Darien, Westport, etc. Seems to work for them.
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A prospective study of the effects of unemployment on drinking behaviour
Most places in Norwalk won’t hire the unemployed, driving the rate even higher. When hiring outside of the city they are getting employees who can afford to park eat and shop downtown.
Your right #10 move its the only way to survive. -
Why do I have to be subjected to 120 decibel noise from four simultaneous leaf blowers for the past two hours becacuse the 17 year old who lives there is too LAZY to pick up a rake?
I cannot use my phone even with the windows closed!
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#14 - could be worse. Could be a shiftless Asian or Latino trucked in from New York because they can’t afford to live here for lack of an MBA.
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#15- gee do we have a problem with asians and latino’s? that was a pretty pathetic remark. There are alot of people who live in Norwalk that do not have MBA’s but they do quite nicely and live quite well so why the need to categorize? I’ve seen an awful lot of white people pushing lawn movers and raking leaves so whats your point?
#14-why not talk to your neighbor and tell them that the sounds is just way over the top and very distrupting. Then tell to get his lazy @#$ kid up and show him how to use a rake.
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#16- why don’t you ask #15 or F***ed Up that question? I think their postings beg it. I posted it as an ironic comment since Fairfield County couldn’t survive without the underclasses yet won’t tolerate the idea of providing for them.
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#17-I wasn’t picking on the post in 14- nut I was on 15 because of their stupid biased comment.
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There are rules governing the noise level of things like leaf blowers. If there were four running at once and they were as loud as you say, they were breaking the law and somebody should have called the police. These things all come with mufflers and governors which are not always maintained, but are required. Leaf blowers all make some noise, but what you are complaining about is unreasonable, and illegal.
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I just came from then bus station what terrible thing just happened? I’ve never seen so many cop cars.
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I heard that a group of 250,000 dollar condo owners had a big gang fight at the bus stop. STOP Condo development.
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why fight? City hall and The Hour decides who builds what and when not the gangs. The gangs can’t wait for condo’s they are easy pickings, crime can’t exist unless the city supplies more victims.That is simple city logistics.
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So what did happen at the bus station today? I’m told kids fighting kids and its hasn’t stopped all night in the city of brotherly love.No we have no philly steak as well it was simply an expression.A shame the police dept has to work this hard for so little progress it will be the same tommorrow night.
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what did the kids have tonight to do, were all the parks lit and were all the basketball courts filled?
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Ad’s are not allowed. TG can you deleate #25.
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Please do
