Seen and heard in Norwalk: Oak Hills Park

NORWALK, Conn. – Here are some items of interest that were seen or heard recently in Norwalk:

Coming to a woods near you?

It was a heart-stopping moment for one new Oak Hills Park Authority member Thursday when Exceutive Director Shelley Guyer combined an environmentally conscious concept with an environmentally sensitive location that she has fought to protect.

Park Superintendent Jim Schell said he wished they could find a source of water on the property, leading Guyer to comment that the water bill is currently double what is was last year at this time.

“It’s insanely expensive to search and find a good source of water,” Schell said.

“You’re not a dowser?” Ernie Desrochers asked.

“A what?” Schell asked, clearly confused.

A citizen who was watching mentioned divining rods. Schell still didn’t get it. “Different generation,” Derochers said.

“As I was driving in from White Plains I was thinking it’s raining, I wonder how much (water is going down the drain),” Clyde Mount said.

“You’re hooked now, buddy,” Desrochers said.

“Can’t you build a cistern? That’s what they use in the Caribbean to get water,” Pamela Block Works said.

“Where are you going to put it?” Guyer asked. “Behind the restaurant?”

As hearty laughter erupted, Elsa Peterson Obuchowski comically put her head in her hands.

The horror!

Honoring a citizen

Common Council members voted Tuesday not to name a Magnolia Avenue traffic island after the late Dianne Witkowski – but only due to a technical problem.

The idea had to go to the Land Use Committee to get the right paperwork behind it, Councilman David McCarthy (R-District E) said.

McCarthy chairs the Public Works Committee. The committee’s agenda contains this explanation of why Witkowski deserves recognition:

“Dianne Witkowski, who passed away on Oct. 28, 2013, was a long-time leader and driver of the Spring Hill/Hospital Area Neighborhood Association, deeply involved in numerous activities designed to improve the quality of life in Norwalk, and one of the first and longest-serving tree liasons. In this latter role, she was personally responsible for the maintenance pruning of existing trees and the planting of new trees throughout her neighborhood, as well as across the city of Norwalk. She attended meetings of the Norwalk Tree Advisory Committee religiously, always participating fully and always offering sound advice and offering creative suggestions. Her contributions were key to the city’s constant re-certification as a Tree City USA and to its consistent qualification for the annual Growth Award.

“Improvement of the island of Magnolia Avenue, at the intersection of Truman Street … was a personal goal of Dianne’s. It was her perseverance that resulted in the removal of the old diseased trees from the site and the planting of new healthy trees in the location.”

Not so much

Norwalk Deputy Democratic Registrar Bob Sodaro says if you want to lodge a protest vote in the next election, you might as well vote for yourself.

Hey, maybe you’re more qualified for that guy the major parties put up.

“If enough people who vote for people who can’t win, then maybe the parties that are putting up less-than-qualified candidates will go, ‘You know what? Maybe we need to change our platform, maybe we need to get more qualified candidates.’”

Now about that landslide concept:

“I love it when they go, ‘There’s a majority.” No. You know what? There are 80,000 people in town. There are 40,000 who are registered voters. There are 20,000 people who come out to the election and 59 percent of those people voted for you. That’s not a landslide, that’s half of half of half of 1 percent. Yeah, 10 people voted – are you serious? There sometimes is a disconnect because we think that means something. You know the old Will Rogers line: ‘There’s lies, there’s damn lies and then there’s statistics.”

Seen in Norwalk: National champions. The U10 and U13 Norwalk Packers cheerleading squad made an appearance at Tuesday’s Common Council meeting, where Mayor Harry Rilling read a proclamation honoring them for coming in first place in December at the 2013 American Youth Cheer National Championships. “They brought national recognition to the city of Norwalk as so many of our citizens have done,” he said.