Enfield Things

Charter Revision Commission meeting CORRECTION FROM ORIGINAL POST:  In my initial analysis, I incorrectly connected two distinct fiscal years when discussing budget increases and tax impacts. This fixes it. Here's what happened: The 4.5% tax increase in 2022 was based on the FY2023 budget ( July 2022 - June 2023 ). Town spending decreased by 1.19% in FY2023 , but taxes still went up because the 2021 revaluation shifted the tax burden to homeowners . When residents opened their tax bills in July 2022, they saw the 4.5% tax increase. Using a sample 1,200 SF single family house Southwood Acres, property taxes went from  $4,265 → $4,457 or a $192 increase. [For context, Social Security recipients received an 8.7% Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for their 2023 benefits, reflecting the high inflation of 2022.] 📌 Cause: This tax hike was driven by the 2021 revaluation , which shifted more of the tax burden from commercial to residential properties, not by increased spending ....

Enfield Town Hall, May 19, 2024 The Town Council is scheduled to adopt a budget tonight without a tax increase. The proposed mill rate will remain at 30.56, the same as this year. Despite this, the meeting is expected to be contentious. The Board of Education members will face off with the council in a final appeal, warning of layoffs, increased class sizes, and other problems if additional funding is not provided. The budget vote is expected to split along party lines, with Republicans supporting no change and Democrats seeking an increase. The budget proposal defers capital improvements, including repairs and new equipment purchases for schools, reducing spending by about $1.5 million. The largest offset are new police vehicles at $750,000.* However, this merely postpones costs into the future and is not something to take credit for. This budget will keep Enfield's per-pupil spending on the low end for the state. Enfield ranks low in Net Current Expenditure Per Pupil (NCEP) s...

  Late day glow, Enfield, Cora Street, Jan. 18, 2023 We could still get a lot of snow. The Blizzard of 1978 struck on Feb. 5 and dumped some two feet of snow. But there's no getting around the realization that our winters in Enfield are warmer, and so far, this Connecticut winter is pathetic.  Connecticut's temperature will see a five-degree Fahrenheit increase in annual temperature by 2050, according to the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA), and fewer frost days, from 124 days to 85. The number of days of rain will increase, but most of that will be in the spring and winter. The summer climate will be dry.  Climate Central ranks Connecticut eighth among states that are warming the most, reporting a 3.2°F increase since 1970. The overall temperature rise in the U.S. is 2.6°F.  Connecticut and New England states, especially New Jersey, rank high because of the slowing of the Gulf Stream, which is increasing the warm water near us. T...

Brainerd Park, January 16, 2023 The Agnes Brainerd Memorial Park may be one of Enfield's most underappreciated assets because of its location near the Massachusetts border. It's reasonable to believe that the most significant users of the park are people who live near it or play sports and not those who reside in the town's more distant neighborhoods. Enfield has no central park, and recreational spaces are throughout the town.  But now that a developer is proposing taking some significant part of this park for a sports complex , we'll learn a lot more about this park in the months ahead. This might increase townwide interest in Brainerd Park and even prompt more people to check it out. The town is considering a proposal to convert the Mass Mutual property into a sports complex of 11 playing fields, hotels, restaurants, retail, a fitness center, and other entertainment. But the plan includes taking some part of Brainerd Park for the fields, including a new softball fiel...

The hearing on this legislation is Monday, March 15. Here is my submitted testimony:  Dear Sen. Cassano, and Rep. McCarthy Vahey, and members of the Planning and Development Committee. I'm writing concerning bill S.B. 1024 , specifically its provision to increase density around transit and middle housing. I fully support these provisions. Thank you for the opportunity to comment. We are in the early stages of catastrophic climate change. We see rising temperatures, storms of enormous power, unusual weather generally, drying conditions that fuel fires, rising seas, and other climate-related problems. Over the coming decades, climate changes will prompt a northern migration. It may well be the most significant driver of growth in our state in the next 50 years. Climate change is our problem as well. Our average temperature has increased 2.8 degrees Fahrenheit from 1970-2018. (See Climate Central April 2019, Earth Day report). Along with Rhode Island, Connecticut is one of the faste...

In my bicycle travels, I've come across a few of these signs. I love them.  Climate change is especially problematic, and "Science is Real" hits home. The message here is about climate change.  In the most recent debate, Joe Biden talked about how climate change is an "existential threat" to humankind. He was honest with Americans.  Now, let's talk about Connecticut.  Connecticut is in a hot zone -- one of the hottest in the lower 48 states. (All figures are in Fahrenheit) Since 1970, Connecticut's average temperature has increased by 2.84°F, the nation's 10th highest state, according to  data by Climate Central . Rhode Island is 9th, and Vermont, 8th, all with similar temperature rises.  A Washington Post  analysis of temperature changes  since 1895 reported that Hartford County's temperature increased by 3°F.  New London County temperature has increased by 3.6°F over this same period. Rhode Island's Washington County, which abuts New Londo...

I just love the Enfield Public Library. Everything about it. The catalog system is easy to use. You can get books from regional libraries if Enfield doesn’t have it. Its research page is very useful, especially is you need to use newspaper archives. The staff is super, and they have done a great job managing the pandemic.  I’ve been using the curbside pickup mostly. For those unfamiliar, you put in reserve and when the book is ready, give them a call. You then arrange for a pickup time and the book will be waiting in a paper bag on a table. How great is that? But a week ago, I went inside the library, the first time since March. Wonderful. The pandemic has taken so much of our old normal away, that any little slice of it seems like gold.  They have set up plexiglass screens to protect the librarians at the checkout, but otherwise, all seemed unchanged. You can browse books.  The Pearl Street library is more restricted, it seems, based on this sign out front. Haven’t bee...

  Political signs are probably a poor indication of how a candidate is doing. The Trump supporters are definitely more active, with the flags and banners, but generally don't see many political signs overall. Maybe it's the lack of a town council election. Local candidates are usually sign-crazy. I'm sure there's some Biden signs, but can't recall any. The Trump supporters tend to big about signs. One fellow has had a Trump banner on his porch since the 2016 election. There are few with large Trump flags attached to pick-up trucks. But overall, despite a banner here and a there, and a some modest law signs (see above), there aren't manny. Can the number of signs say anything meaningful about how people are feeling in town? Doubt it. Interest in this election seem very high, perhaps the highest in some time. It may be that most feel everyone has made up their minds, so what's the point of putting up a lawn sign? Why irritate neighbors (no matter who you suppo...

The state believes population in our cities will double in 25 years or so. This op-ed in the Courant (hopefully, it isn't paywalled) argues that Connecticut's population will see increases because of climate change. The impact of rising temperatures and sea levels on Southern states, as well as heat and water shortages in the Southwest, will make northern tier areas attractive as places to live. How will Enfield do? A wetter than normal climate is expected in our region. Temps will increase some in the valley, and the number of 90+ degrees annually will rise. https://www.courant.com/opinion/insight/hc-op-insight-assadourian-connecticut-cities-population-0202-20200131-5dod4i525zak5fhj6jjeevtbem-story.html

I can imagine mowing my lawn by next weekend, which seems early. Already the weeds are racing ahead. This is not surprising. Temperatures in Connecticut have increased 2.8 degrees since 1970 . Our average annual temp that year was about 48, it's now nearing 51. This coincides with a  dramatic rise in CO2. In 1970, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere was at 325 ppm; it's now at about 410 ppm. Pre-industrial was 280 ppm.  Connecticut is ranked 10th among fastest warming states by Climate Central. Alaska is first. I'm not entirely sure why Connecticut, along with Rhode Island and Vermont, are seeing faster temperature rises. Clearly, we're seeing an increase in extreme weather in the U.S., which includes fires. We have been fairly lucky so far in Connecticut. It's hard to know for sure what climate change will mean for Connecticut specifically. But a 3 degree increase since 1970 does not bode well. We're doing nothing globally to address the problem, and ...

Enfield Square Mall, Nov. 16, 2018 Enfield Square Mall, a 63 acre site, is up for auction with a minimum bid of $3.8 million.  This is more than a retail shopping space. It occupies Enfield's commercial heart and it helps to shape how the community thinks of itself. People see a mall emptying out and may wonder about leaving as well. But the mall area has enormous potential. The mall is between two highway exits. It's close to a major regional airport. It is arguably the town's most prime location, but this doesn't mean the auction will lead to a positive change. A winning bidder may not have the town's best interest in mind, and that's why the town and state need to be proactive. Municipalities wrestling with similarly troubled malls are trying to recreate them into mixed use facilities, with housing, hotels, office space, restaurants and shops. That's what the city of Harper Woods, Michigan is attempting. In September, Harper Woods released...

Broadbrook Road, Enfield, just south of the Jarmoc Farms entrance. I don't know if photo is showing part of the actual array site, but it does say something of the character of the area.  The Reddit group named " Collapse " is as depressing as it gets. Its posts are about climate change mostly, but it welcomes anything alarming. The premise is that "collapse" -- societal, environmental, economic -- is inevitable. The only remaining issue to debate is its timing. An outcome of this discussion are posts by people describing their dread and hopelessness over the future. I tell myself that the worst-case climate change disaster is not inevitable. I half suspect that the people who truly accept "collapse" may have something wrong with them, but also wonder if I'm lying to myself. Bill McKibben, the environmental writer and activist, sees the globe on pace for a 3.5 degree Celsius increase (about 7 degrees Fahrenheit) in temperature by 2100.  ...

JFK Middle School, Enfield CT Enfield voters are being asked to approve $84 million to renovate the John F. Kennedy Middle School . The town’s share of the cost is $27 million. The state is paying for 70 percent of the work. Whether town voters will approve it is a major problem. The referendum failed in 2017 , about 3,640 votes to 3,200. The town trimmed back the project from $95 million. The town share was reduced from $35 million. It’s hard to know whether the reduction in cost has made a difference in support. The opposition is in evidence on Facebook Enfield CT Open Forum . It’s frustrating. The opponents are mostly just complaining about taxes, and accusing the town of mismanagement. The big risk is state funding. The state kept its 70% reimbursement in place, despite the 2017 referendum rejection. That’s a hefty commitment by the state. If the referendum fails a second time, it’s possible -- probably very likely -- that the state will withdraw its commitment. Th...