Thumbs up, thumbs down

Thumbs up to a potential finish line on Merritt Parkway improvements. The state Department of Transportation will hold a public information meeting on proposed upgrades next week at Norwalk City Hall. This would be the the eighth and final project in a series of corridor improvement projects on the historic parkway, dating back to recommendations prepared all the way back in 1994. Construction is anticipated to begin next year, provided funding is available, and when completed should cap off a long stretch of road work on one of the state’s busiest throughways. Just don’t expect those rush hour commutes to get any easier.

Thumbs down to confusion over various school consolidation plans in Hartford. The notion has already proven to be a lightning rod across the state, with a variety of groups rising in opposition to anyone proposing to remove local control of school districts. But with at least three competing plans, none of which would do what opponents say they most oppose, it’s no wonder there’s confusion. One map that shows school districts lined up with state probate court jurisdictions has caused particular consternation, though there is no plan to make that happen. Lawmakers need to be more careful with their proposals.

Thumbs up to a hope for better days ahead in Derby. It was a bittersweet occasion for many city residents to see the demolition of four Main Street buildings for the widening of Route 34 last week. There’s hope that the road project along with new development can give a jolt to the city’s economy, but there’s also plenty of history that was lost as the wrecking balls did their work. The days when Main Street was a thriving commercial corridor have long past, but it can still be sad to see the ultimate ending come so abruptly. Derby has many assets, including its riverfront and train station, and everyone in the community is hoping to see it return to its former prominence.

Thumbs down to a lack of specific information on measles. After CTNewsJunkie last month requested town data from the state Department of Public Health on the number of unvaccinated children, the DPH denied the request, citing state law. Information is made available on a statewide or county-level basis. The state needs to follow the law, but town data is something that ought to be available, especially with new measles cases in the news. Some people who cannot be vaccinated could be at risk and need to know more about their surroundings.

Thumbs down to a worldwide shift in the recycling market that is being felt in towns and cities across Connecticut. A policy change in China last year means it is not taking in nearly as much recyclable material as in years past, meaning there is now no large-scale market for items like aluminum, glass and plastic. As the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities has warned, where towns were previously able to recover some of their waste disposal costs through revenue from recycling programs, that possibility is now closed for the time being.

Thumbs down to an uncertain future for a necessary program. The state’s Treatment Pathways Program, which began in Bridgeport and has spread to courts around the state, works by screening lowlevel offenders as to whether the drug rehab program would be a good fit. The program is voluntary, and candidates must be nonviolent and demonstrate they are motivated to achieve sobriety. It’s been credited with saving Connecticut $9 million since 2015 in incarceration costs for low-level offenders, but it could fall victim to budget cuts as funding is mostly set to run out next year.