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                                                                                                                                         November 2003 

                    'Sea' To The Green        

   An Update of the East Norwalk Neighborhood Association's

                                           Neighborhood Issues Committee

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Upcoming meeting:  Regular monthly ENNA-NIC meeting was held on Sunday, November 23 at 3:30 PM at 20 Raymond Terrace

 

Attendees at November 23 meeting: Laurel Lindstrom (Chair), Tony Rossi (Raymond Terrace), Laurel Anderson (City Scan Coordinator)

 

Update since October 26 meeting

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ENNA consulted with Rep. Bob Duff on October 28 re Phase 2 power lines. An alternate route to the preferred underground route along the Post Road would involve a second set of overhead wires and poles running north along Route 7 from the Norwalk substation, mirroring the lines and poles running south that were approved in Phase 1. Not a good thing!  Let's insist on the preferred underground route along Rte. 1.

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ENNA present at Traffic Authority meeting on October 29 when speed bumps were approved on specific streets.  Click here for email sent out to members.

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November 4 Local Elections

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City Scans conducted on Carothers, Leann and First Street area

 

Minutes/Key items discussed at November 23 meeting


 1. Neighborhood zoning concerns
a) 89B Strawberry Hill Avenue nonconforming Contractor's Yard - update on negotiations to conform to zoning regulations

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Laurel L gave update.  Zoning inspector Jim Bradley will soon have the signed agreement in place.

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Discussion from those present regarding improving the ZBA process, vacancies on board and new chair to be elected in December.

b) Partners Cafe

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Laurel L said that she had again brought it up at the Mayors Neighborhood Preservation Committee meeting (Nov) re illegal parking and now illegal paving over public walkway in order to extend the parking

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Both Laurels will email Dick Linnartz, Acting Director of Public Works, to have information available at Dec. 3 MNPC meeting.  Letter from them already sent to him last month with no response.


2. Traffic
a) Olmstead Place and East Avenue traffic issue - revisit

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No word on any immediate improvements


3. ENNA involvements in 'Beautification'
a) ENNA Adopt-A-Spot in center median on East Avenue at City Hall - winter & spring plans

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Not discussed


4. City scan
a) Update on scans recently done on ENNA streets (Carothers, Leann and First Street area)

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Laurel A and Laurel L will arrange to meet with Northeast Utilities who owns the power plant structure on Leann where the barbed wire fencing is lower that the legal 6 foot height from the ground.  Also to discuss screening with evergreens.  Other issues were presented to the MNPC in Nov and Zoning and Police will provide update at Dec. meeting.

 

b) and those to be done (Old Saugatuck, Edlie and Heather)

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pending


5. Proposed Power lines (Phase 2) from Norwalk to Middletown will pass through 24 towns
" Northeast Utilities (NU) submitted its application to the Connecticut Siting Council last month
" The current proposed route through Norwalk is underground, following the Post Road. The alternate proposal is for overhead lines up Route 7 and then east.
" The Listening Session (public hearing) for our area has now been scheduled. Monday, January 5, 2004 is the date set for Norwalk/Westport. It will be held in Westport at Bedford Middle School 88 North Avenue. Time TBA
" It is important that you attend the Siting Council Listening Session to speak, or submit written documentation, to go on record as supporting the underground line proposal because once the Listening Session is over it will be too late for the public to have input, but NU can do an about-face and argue for overhead lines after the public has lost anymore opportunity to speak. The Siting Council will accept arguments from the public related to environmental, historical, cultural and architectural impact. Property values and health reasons are not currently accepted as valid argument. The City CEOs (Mayor Knopp, in the case of Norwalk) are involved in arranging for submission of technical evidence related to the comparable reliability and cost of underground versus overhead wires. Mayor Knopp has already spoken in support of the all underground proposal.

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Laurel L clarified that the best option through Norwalk is underground (under Route 1).  But the neighborhoods along Route 7 and then through Weston and Wilton have the most to lose if NU decides to ask the Siting Council to go overhead because the overhead route would travel through those neighborhoods and not along the Post Road.


6. Nat's Garage

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Laurel L received an email this A.M. from a resident living near Nat's.

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Laurel A and Laurel L went out earlier this afternoon and did a scan of some illegally parked trucks belonging to Nat's.

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Laurel L will introduce Nat's onto the agenda of the Dec. 3 MNPC meeting.  Nat's had been scheduled to be on the agenda of the October meeting after the mayor received an email from another resident complaining of several apparent zoning violations at Nat's, but it was never discussed.

 

Next meeting:  Sunday, December 28 at 3:30 PM at 20 Raymond Terrace

 

Contact numbers:

Phone: 855-7668                                                                                     

E-mail: SeaToTheGreen@cs.com                         

Website: CalmTraffic.org

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