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Showing posts from March, 2023

Enfield Can’t Outsource Its Conscience

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  Community Conversation forum May 7 2025 Sometimes you have to explain yourself. At the Community Conversations last night, I was slightly angry when speaking about the waste outsourcing issue—especially when I demanded the release of the “damn” consulting report. That was rude of me, and I felt bad afterward. Still, my anger over outsourcing comes from years of experience. I don’t fault the Council Republicans or Mayor Ken Nelson, who received my quiet anger, for investigating outsourcing. It’s the government's job to explore options. Many towns outsource; many reject it. But if this town thinks residents will approve it in a referendum, they’re not reading the room. Anyone who’s worked for a sizable company likely knows someone affected by outsourcing. Few speak well of it. As a former tech reporter at Computerworld, I covered IT management, which often meant reporting on outsourcing. Companies rarely wanted to talk. My job was to find the IT workers losing their jobs and repor...

Enfield Street residents are on the verge of setting the town's future

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Planning and Zoning Commission capture from video on YouTube. Pastel effect added. The Felician Sisters senior and workforce housing project prompted a backlash in Enfield. Enfield Street area residents organized effectively against it. They lined a long stretch of the street with signs in opposition and turned out at various Planning and Zoning Commission hearings to speak against it. They defeated the project and moved on to a new target: Enfield's future.  The goal is to make building any type of multi-family housing difficult. Multi-family has become the key to the town's economic future.  There is a fight in this community over something you need to be aware of, the Plan of Conversation and Development or POCD. This document will set the town's planning direction for the next ten years, and its recommendations are consequential.  The Enfield I grew up in the 1960s is radically different today. We had many, many children back then. In the 1960s, only 13% of household...

Enfield's future is being decided now

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  The local chapter of SURJ, which discusses and seeks solutions to Enfield's social justice and economic issues, will update the status of the town's Plan of Conservation and Development at its meeting on Wednesday. This plan will set the direction of the town for the next decade, and it is controversial because of the direction it sets on the future of housing. This backgrounder explains some key issues and includes comments from the town's recent public hearing. The public is always invited to SURJ meetings.  SURJ MEETING WEDNESDAY Enfield Chapter 15 March 2023 6:30-8:00 p.m. Via Zoom link below: Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82068793924... Meeting ID: 820 6879 3924 Passcode: 664288 Enfield POCD Housing Backgrounder Enfield is in the final stages of updating its Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD). This document will set Enfield's development direction for the next decade. The most controversial area is multifamily and affordable housing. The PO...