Enfield Things

The General Assembly is holding a hearing Feb. 26 on several bills to expand gambling in Connecticut. I've written in opposition to this plan: Dear lawmakers, I live in Enfield near the planned East Windsor casino and dread its arrival. And that’s why I’m writing. I wish to express concern about legislation that will expand gambling in Connecticut I am submitting this testimony in opposition to H.B. 7055: An Act Creating the Connecticut Gambling Commission and Creating a Competitive Bidding Process for a Resort Casino and I am also opposed to S.B. 11 An Act Concerning the Authorization of a Casino Gaming Facility in East Windsor. I am also opposed to S.B.17 An Act Authorizing Sports Wagering, Internet Gambling and Internet Keno. I’m also opposed to S.B. 665 An Act Concerning Sports Wagering. A little background: There was no demand in Northern Connecticut for a casino. None. Many residents oppose it and there is a feeling that it was forced upon us. You may think, wh...

Enfield

Enfield Enfield is probably typical to many other suburban towns. It has a large number of people who see climate change as a liberal conspiracy and plot to take "control" of the economy. You can see a little of this on the Enfield community forum on Facebook. The responses to my recent post on Enfield's climate risks illustrates this to a degree.  It's very easy to turn a Facebook post into a name-calling festival. The admins of the community open forum do a very good job trying to moderate this risk. But the reactions to the climate change problem can be discouraging. The discussion mirrors the broader, national response. There's a paralysis on the issue and outright hostility to the science lead by President Trump.  This was my response on Facebook:  The amount of C02 in our thin atmosphere is increasing at a rate that the planet hasn't seen before. We know this and we know the cause. There's nothing natural about the increase or its cause....

Enfield The National Climate Assessment report released Friday provides a broad outline of how climate change may impact us. This report breaks the impacts down by region, and Connecticut is part of the Northeast region. It doesn't mention  Enfield s pecifically, but from this report it's possible to outline how climate change will impact our town. The major concern for us will be an increase risk of flooding. In our region, climate change is increasing the amount of rainfall -- especially heavy rainfalls. It is raising temperatures. Our winters will be shorter. Here is a link to the  Northeast chapter . Enfield's flooding risk is directly associated with powerful hurricanes and hurricanes are getting more intense. The  1955 flood  is probably our best and most recent illustration of how a severe storm may impact the town. Climate change is expected to increase the risk of big storms.  The report notes : First, the ability of four hurricanes—...

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.  ...

John F. Kennedy Middle School, Enfield, CT, Nov. 6, 2018  Enfield generally voted Republican in the mid-term contest. It was not surprising. The town backed Trump in 2016 and this time gave the Republican gubernatorial candidate, Bob Stefanowski, 52% of the vote versus 41% for the Democrat, Ned Lamont. Enfield is part of a pattern of suburban, working class and rural towns in this state voting Republican. A major driver of this pattern is anger over taxes. It was easy to see how this might spill over to the JFK referendum. It didn't. The school bond passed by a wide margin after its 2017 defeat. Why did voters approve it? The proponents seemed organized. They did a good job posting signs around town. They were active on Facebook and countered opponent claims with clear facts. Posting photos of the school's temporary boiler, a truck parked with dryer-type hot air vents running into building, was visual gold. The problems at the school were well documented and the ...