Powder Puff tie

No one likes a tie. So I can understand the disappointment over last night’s tie in the Southington/Cheshire powder puff game. These kinds of decisions are not easy, especially when there are no rules to cover the situation. I’m sure the coaches took that into account along with the chilly weather and the reality that after playing four quarters of football it might not have been wise to play another quarter. I’m not defending them, just trying to put myself in their shoes. When I do that, I also consider this decision had to be made quickly before thousands of very partisan fans.
I’ve read some of the comments posted on MyRecordJournal after the game story. Some of them are way over the line. Insulting coaches, players and the town’s they represent is not helpful. It was a hard fought, well-played game. Players, parents, coaches and fans should all be proud.

Pat Melillo died Wednesday at 83

As the years went by, I didn’t hear from Pat Melillo much. As a Wallingford reporter in the mid to late 1980s, I probably saw him at a town meeting or talked to him on the phone once a week. No action by town government seemed to escape him. As I moved from the front lines to the rear guard of the R-J, I kept up with him on the local government access channel. Even though he had no official position, he was my favorite character in the every other week, 3-plus hour, drama known as the Town Council meeting. His unique voice and common sense approach made him stand out. Above all, he was relentless. Most importantly, he cared about his hometown. He was also a Record-Journal watchdog.

Usually when we forget to run something in the R-J, it doesn’t make me happy. But when we left out that small item on town meetings we call “Week Ahead” there was a silver lining. Pat Melillo would notice first thing Monday and call me. Sometimes he’d reach me in person; other times he’d leave me a voicemail. Either way, it pleased me to hear from him. I admired “Mr. Melillo” (When we first met he was about 60 and looked older and I was 22 and looked like a teenager so I couldn’t call him Pat. I continued as a sign of respect). The last time we spoke he was explaining for the umpteenth time how important it was to get the complete meeting schedule in the Monday paper because if we didn’t the residents of Wallingford wouldn’t be able to participate. “Sorry about that Mr. Melillo,” I’d say. “We’ll get it in tomorrow. How have you been?”

A look into the future?

One of the first factors that needs to be considered as Wallingford debates expanding or even moving the police station is the demographic changes that will occur as the baby boomers reach retirement. If trends hold true, Connecticut will look like Florida before the end of the next decade. There will be approximately 2 or 3 seniors for every teen-ager. That should have an influence on police/fire/ambulance calls. There will always be crime and we will always need police. Wallingford is fortunate to have excellent department. But an older population should lead to a decrease in crime. Unfortunately, there will be more calls for heart attacks and other medical emergencies. As the council and mayor consider how much to spend on a new police station, they need to hear from experts on what police and fire departments will look like in 2020 and beyond. One thing to consider is whether career firefighter/paramedics and possibly ambulances should be permanently stationed at all three volunteer fire stations. Statistics show that if a paramedic with the proper equipment can get to you within 5 or 10 minutes, your chances of survival greatly increase. If you are in some parts of Wallingford, this may not be possible with ambulances stationed near the center of town.
The police are using a building that is now around 25 years old. Surely at some point soon it needs to be renovated and expanded. Perhaps it even needs to be moved. But the council would be wise to consider whether this increased need for emergency medical help will require a larger piece of the police/fire spending pie before they double the size of the police station. There are people with more expertise than I that should be heard from. My only intent is to provide some food for thought.

Wallingford paraprofessionals

The union representing the almost 200 paraprofessionals working in the Wallingford school system will be at tonight’s school board meeting in their continuing fight to get health benefits. John Sullivan, my internet radio partner, and I had a chance to interview union president Anne MacDonald Sunday night and learned that the offer headed to arbitration has the union agreeing to pay 50 percent of the cost of benefits in the first year. The union is asking in subsequent years for the percentage to decrease 10 percent until “paras” are paying 20 percent of the cost of insurance. MacDonald estimates it will cost the town about $900,000 the first year. According to MacDonald, there is very little union solidarity on the issue. That’s disappointing. The powerful teacher’s union, which for decades fought for basic rights for workers, apparently doesn’t think these paras deserve vocal support. If you would like to hear more of the interview go to http://sullivanoneonone.com/ and click the AUDIO ON-DEMAND ICON. When the Player appears click on "Paraprofessional.
Check out Tuesday’s Record-Journal for any developments at tonight’s Board of Education meeting.

Animal problems

I read with great interest Tuesday’s page one story on the Wallingford resident who could find any local or state agency to help him with the dead deer found in his condominium complex over the long Columbus Day weekend.
My wife and I spent a several hours on the phone on Labor Day trying to get some help for a live parakeet that landed in my pool area and wouldn’t leave. I called police, the dog warden, public works, the state DEP and several other agencies. We even called neighbors to see if one of them had a parakeet escape. Everyone was sympathetic, but no one could help. Out of desperation my wife called Petco in Wallingford. Andrea, a Petco empoloyee, said that if we could trap the parakeet and bring it to her, she would care for it. We were grateful for the offer, but a little worried about trapping the bird. It turned out to be easier than we thought. A half hour after we spoke to Andrea, the bird was secure in a box in the back of my Toyota Highlander and we were driving to Petco. Andrea came out and took the bird from us. Last I heard it was doing fine. Andrea was a lifesaver. Petco is fortunate to have such caring and dedicated employees.