Upcoming Meetings

Town Council 6:00 pm 10/27 -- last meeting before Election Day:
http://www2.sec.state.ri.us/omfiling/pdffiles/notices/4232/2008/64496.pdf

School Committee 7:00 pm 10/28:
http://www2.sec.state.ri.us/omfiling/pdffiles/notices/4248/2008/64394.pdf

Site Walk Nov. 8 - Low Income Housing Project

I attended the 10/22 Planning Commission meeting and took notes on the following agenda item:
Pre-Application: “Coventry Housing Associates Corp.”; Director Julie Leddy Comprehensive Permit for Low/Mod Housing Project
AP 38, Lot 100; Zone GB and AP 30, Lot 161; Zone R-20 Tiogue Avenue

Coventry Housing was represented by atty Arthur Capaldi. There are some plans available for review for this development. The applicant had a pre-hearing meeting with the Planning Director. Mr. Capaldi stated that the proposed project is 44 units of low/moderate income housing, similar to the Crossroads development near Old North Rd. A site walk is planned for Saturday Nov. 8 at 10:00 am. Meet to the left of the Hollywood Video store. Rain date is Nov. 15, 10 am same meeting spot.

Are You Better Off Now Than You Were Two Years Ago?

A letter on the need for better access to public records:
http://www.projo.com/opinion/contributors/content/CT_lloyd22_10-22-08_O4BSLEN_v13.3e28305.html

I fully support the need for complete transparency in government and the public's ability to easily and cheaply obtain public information. Converting all public records to electronic documents is the way to go.


On Ending the Nightmare after Halloween (vote for new representation)
http://www.projo.com/opinion/columnists/content/CL_achorn21_10-21-08_O4BV0MM_v16.3e2a968.html

Before you vote on Nov. 4, please ask yourself these questions (borrowed from President Reagan) "Are you better off than you were two years ago?" and "Is our state better off then it was two years ago?" If the answer to either of these is "no", then please vote for all new people at the Federal, State and Local level to represent you. We need some new faces and fresh ideas in the US Senate, US Congress, State government and on our Town Council & School Committee. Remember, in a democracy the people get the government they deserve. I think we deserve better, so vote for change.

Meetings This Week

Sewer Subcommittee 10/20:
http://www2.sec.state.ri.us/omfiling/pdffiles/notices/4247/2008/64089.pdf

Tax Assessment Review Board 10/20:
http://www2.sec.state.ri.us/omfiling/pdffiles/notices/4236/2008/64124.pdf

Planning Comm. 10/22:
http://www2.sec.state.ri.us/omfiling/pdffiles/notices/4233/2008/64260.pdf

Under "SITE WALKS TO BE SCHEDULED" one of the agenda items is called:
Pre-Application: “Coventry Housing Associates Corp.”; Director Julie
Leddy
Comprehensive Permit for Low/Mod Housing Project
AP 38, Lot 100; Zone GB and AP 30, Lot 161; Zone R-20
Tiogue Avenue
-- My comments --
1. Plat 30 lot 161 is a 6.5 acre lot at the western end of Overview Drive and near Haywood Dr., Hilltop Ave., Larchwood Dr., Oak Rd. and Pine Rd., off of Arnold Road just north of Little Tiogue Lake. Per the Town of Coventry web site the owner is listed as Arnold Kaufman.
2. Plat 38 lot 100 is a 6 acre parcel on the south side of Tiogue Ave. just to the west of the intersection of Tiogue and Arnold Road. Currently there is a commercial building on the site that houses several businesses including Hollywood Video and the Dollar Store. Per the Town of Coventry web site the owner is listed as Arnold Kaufman. This lot is adjacent to P-30 L-161 which is just to the south, so these two parcels together would total over 12 acres of potential low and moderate housing.
3. These properties are in District 4; it's unfortunate that there is no TC member in this district right now to represent the neighbors in this situation. I hope that both D4 TC candidates will take notice of this and plan to attend the site walk.

A Prayer for the Nation

A Prayer for Our Nation

We ask you to join with us wherever you are, for prayer and meditation for the future of your nation, with the following prayer:

May we as nation be guided by the Divine to rediscover the sacred flame of our national heritage, which so many have given their lives to safeguard;
Let the wounds of separation and division be healed by opening our hearts to listen to the truth on all sides, allowing us to find a higher truth that includes us all;
May we learn to honor and enjoy our diversity and differences as a people, even as we more deeply touch our fundamental unity;
May we, as a people, undergo a transformation that will draw forth individuals to lead our nation who embody courage, compassion and a higher vision;
May our leaders inspire us, and we so inspire each other with our potential as individuals and as a nation, that a new spirit of forgiveness, caring and honesty be born in our nation;
May we, as a united people, move with clear, directed purpose to take our place within the community of nations to help build a better future for all humankind;
May we as a nation rededicate ourselves to truly living as one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all;
And may God's Will be done for the United States, as we, the people, align with that Will.

By Gordon Davidson and Corinne McLaughlin

from http://www.visionarylead.org/sp/prayer_nation.htm

More Meetings

Town Council Thursday Oct. 17th at 1:00 PM:
http://www2.sec.state.ri.us/omfiling/pdffiles/notices/4232/2008/64054.pdf

Sewer Subcommittee Monday 10/20:
http://www2.sec.state.ri.us/omfiling/pdffiles/notices/4247/2008/64089.pdf

Coventry Assessment Review Board - October 20, 2008 at 06:30 PM
The link to the meeting agenda is not working on the S of S web site nor the town web site (at least for me it's not working).

Town meetings this week

As posted on the Sec'ty of State web site:

School Committee 10/14/08:
http://www2.sec.state.ri.us/omfiling/pdffiles/notices/4248/2008/63779.pdf

Housing Authority 10/15/08:
http://www2.sec.state.ri.us/omfiling/pdffiles/notices/4242/2008/63927.pdf

A Prayer for Help with Our Country's Financial Crises

No time today for finger-pointing or the blame game for our country's financial crises. Let's all unite in a prayer to only One who can help us out of this mess:

For a Better Economy

O God, I pray in the Name of Your Son, Jesus, for our country's economy. I know that even more than a strong military, a strong economy helps keep a nation powerful. Father, I ask that You would raise up people of skill and wisdom who will affect our financial future. Give them inspired ideas and a voice with the powers that be. Cause Congress to vote aright in these matters. Give them foresight so that provision might be made for our nation's future, not just its present. Father, as the people continue to finance the spread of Your Word and help the poor all over the world, I pray that You would continue to prosper us more and more so that we may continue to assist others less fortunate, in this country and across the globe. Amen.

-- from http://www.2heartsnetwork.org

Political Science 101

In case you haven't seen this e-mail being passed around...


Political Science 101 --

DEMOCRAT
> You have two cows.
> Your neighbor has none.
> You feel guilty for being successful.
> You push for higher taxes so the government can provide cows for
everyone.
>
> REPUBLICAN
> You have two cows.
> Your neighbor has none.
> So?
>
> SOCIALIST
> You have two cows.
> The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor.
> You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow.
>
> COMMUNIST
> You have two cows.
> The government seizes both and provides you with milk.
> You wait in line for hours to get it. It is expensive and sour.
>
> CAPITALISM, AMERICAN STYLE
> You have two cows.
> You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.
>
> BUREAUCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE
> You have two cows.
> Under the new farm program the government pays you to shoot one,
milk the other, and then pours the
> milk down the drain.
>
> AMERICAN CORPORATION
> You have two cows.
> You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on the
second one. You force the two cows to
> produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when one cow
drops dead. You spin an announcement
> to the analysts stating you have downsized and are reducing
expenses. Your stock goes up.
>
> FRENCH CORPORATION
> You have two cows.
> You go on strike because you want three cows. You go to lunch
and drink wine.
> Life is good.
>
> JAPANESE CORPORATION
> You have two cows.
> You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary
cow and produce twenty times the milk.
> They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains.
> Most are at the top of their class at cow school.
>
> GERMAN CORPORATION
> You have two cows.
> You engineer them so they are all blond, drink lots of beer,
give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred
> miles an hour. Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of
vacation per year.
>
> ITALIAN CORPORATION
> You have two cows but you don't know where they are.
> You break for lunch.
> Life is good.
>
> RUSSIAN CORPORATION
> You have two cows.
> You have some vodka. You count them and learn you have five
cows.
> You have some more vodka. You count them again and learn you
have 42 cows.
> The Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really
have.
>
> TALIBAN CORPORATION
> You have all the cows in Afghanistan, which are two.
> You don't milk them because you cannot touch any creature's
private parts. You get a $40 million grant
> from the U.S. government to find alternatives to milk production
but use the money to buy weapons.
>
AL-QAEDA CORPORATION
> You have two cows.
> They go into hiding.
> They send radio tapes of their mooing.
>
> POLISH CORPORATION
> You have two bulls.
> Employees are regularly maimed and killed attempting to milk
them.
>
> BELGIAN CORPORATION
> You have one cow.
> The cow is schizophrenic.
> Sometimes the cow thinks he's French, other times he's Flemish.
> The Flemish cow won't share with the French cow. The French cow
wants control of the Flemish cow's milk.
> The cow asks permission to be cut in half. The cow dies happy.
>
> FLORIDA CORPORATION
> You have a black cow and a brown cow.
> Everyone votes for the best looking one.
> Some of the people who actually like the brown one best
accidentally vote for the black one.
> Some people vote for both. Some people vote for neither.
> Some people can't figure out how to vote at all.
> Finally, a bunch of guys from out-of-state tell you which one
you think is the best-looking cow.
>
> CALIFORNIA CORPORATION
> You have millions of cows.
> They make real California cheese.
> Only five speak English. Most are illegal.
> Arnold likes the ones with the big udders.
>

Coventry - Residents Opinion Survey

I received an email from a TC candidate today, asking Coventry residents to take a survey being conducted by the CRTC:

http://www.bizgrader.com/

At the website, in the upper right hand side box type in the code word "opinion" to take the survey. I did not have to provide my name, address or any other identifying information in order to take the survey.

I did the survey, which consisted of a series of questions asking about the performance of the Town Council, with a few about the School Committee, Schools, TIF and some ideas on some changes to terms of elected office. I don't think some of the questions could be answered with a straight yes or no, and would have liked an option for "sometimes".

I asked the candidate to advise if the results of the survey would be made public, no matter what the outcome. I hope to be able to share results with you.
***** Update 10/03/08 I was told by the candidate that the results of the survey will be made public, no matter what the outcome is.

It can't hurt to do the survey; at least someone is asking what Cov. residents think about certain local issues.

If the CDTC sets up a survey or already has one setup, I would be glad to post about it on this blog, just forward the info about it to me.