Gina Newman, a Bristol hairdresser and salon manager, is the new chairman of the Bristol Zoning Commission. She's 39, a graduate of St. Paul Catholic High School and a hairdressing academy. She's been on city land use boards as a commissioner or alternate for the better part of a decade and is really excited about taking the reins.
She's taking the job vacated by Frank Johnson, who gave it 20 years before he came to his senses. I hear he's no longer dwelling on dwelling units or muttering phrases like "you need to get a special permit" in his sleep.
Showing posts with label Bristol Zoning Commission. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bristol Zoning Commission. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Zoning Buddies
I met a couple of real nice gents at the Bristol Zoning Commission meeting Wednesday. These two guys, Richard Chapman and Pete Roseen, showed up out of concern for the project on the corner of Middle Street and Mountain Road.
They were quite dedicated, as they waited nearly four hours to have a chance to speak about the proposal.
Quite a few newcomers were on the zoning board that night, and things weren't exactly speedy. Former Chairman Frank Johnson and former Vice Chairman John Lodovico, who had both been on the board since Moby Dick was a sardine, recently stepped down as their terms ended. They're still active in a lot of community stuff, most visibly the Bristol Downtown Development Corp.
But let's get back to my new zoning pals. These are guys after my own heart. They patiently sat through long presentations on a couple of other projects, including testimony by the ever-riveting traffic engineers.
Mr. Roseen, who said the meeting was going on WAY past his bedtime, told me it was "like watching grass grow."
Mr. Chapman, whose daughter, Patty Chapman, recently retired from the city treasurer's office, is a former state police officer who has seen his share of ugly.
"Autopsies are more fun," he said, than zoning meetings.
I couldn't resist asking them if this experience didn't make them appreciate newspaper reporters just a little bit more.
It did, they said.
After that, I shared my candy with them, making it a better evening all around.
They were quite dedicated, as they waited nearly four hours to have a chance to speak about the proposal.
Quite a few newcomers were on the zoning board that night, and things weren't exactly speedy. Former Chairman Frank Johnson and former Vice Chairman John Lodovico, who had both been on the board since Moby Dick was a sardine, recently stepped down as their terms ended. They're still active in a lot of community stuff, most visibly the Bristol Downtown Development Corp.
But let's get back to my new zoning pals. These are guys after my own heart. They patiently sat through long presentations on a couple of other projects, including testimony by the ever-riveting traffic engineers.
Mr. Roseen, who said the meeting was going on WAY past his bedtime, told me it was "like watching grass grow."
Mr. Chapman, whose daughter, Patty Chapman, recently retired from the city treasurer's office, is a former state police officer who has seen his share of ugly.
"Autopsies are more fun," he said, than zoning meetings.
I couldn't resist asking them if this experience didn't make them appreciate newspaper reporters just a little bit more.
It did, they said.
After that, I shared my candy with them, making it a better evening all around.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Daring Duo of Zoning Stepping Down
Frank Johnson and John Lodovico, who together have served nearly 50 years on the Bristol Zoning Commission, are stepping down from the board after their terms end in June.
Each of them has plenty of other volunteer commitments in the community, from serving Bristol Hospital to the Tunxis Community College Foundation and more.
They've made some people mad along the way, but if they hadn't, well, they wouldn't have been doing their unpaid jobs for the city. It's kind of like my job that way.
I know both of these men pretty well and while I haven't always agreed with the decisions they've made (but most of the time they seem right to me) I have never believed they had any interest other than that of their community at heart.
Let me put it another way: they have Bristol's long term good in heart and mind when they make decisions. The town ought to say thanks to John and Frank for their diligence.
They've taken the time to learn about land use and have spent countless hours at meetings that have gone into the wee hours. They've gone out on their own to look at properties and the sites of proposed projects, checking out claims of developers and opponents for themselves.
They helped rewrite the zoning regulations, and for that alone, any volunteer ought to get a medal.
I wrote a story that ran in today's edition of The Bristol Press about their long tenure on the zoning board. Check it out at www.bristolpress.com.
And thanks, guys. You've made zoning meetings more interesting (and that's a tall order, too) for me for the last 16+ years. It won't be the same when you're gone.
Each of them has plenty of other volunteer commitments in the community, from serving Bristol Hospital to the Tunxis Community College Foundation and more.
They've made some people mad along the way, but if they hadn't, well, they wouldn't have been doing their unpaid jobs for the city. It's kind of like my job that way.
I know both of these men pretty well and while I haven't always agreed with the decisions they've made (but most of the time they seem right to me) I have never believed they had any interest other than that of their community at heart.
Let me put it another way: they have Bristol's long term good in heart and mind when they make decisions. The town ought to say thanks to John and Frank for their diligence.
They've taken the time to learn about land use and have spent countless hours at meetings that have gone into the wee hours. They've gone out on their own to look at properties and the sites of proposed projects, checking out claims of developers and opponents for themselves.
They helped rewrite the zoning regulations, and for that alone, any volunteer ought to get a medal.
I wrote a story that ran in today's edition of The Bristol Press about their long tenure on the zoning board. Check it out at www.bristolpress.com.
And thanks, guys. You've made zoning meetings more interesting (and that's a tall order, too) for me for the last 16+ years. It won't be the same when you're gone.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Will Zoning Commission Give Church a Workout?
Hillside Community Church wants to move into the former Body Shoppe at the junction of Broad and Emmett streets. They need two special permits and a site plan approval. The public hearing is Wednesday, March 10 at 7 at City Hall.
I wrote about it for Tuesday's edition of The Bristol Press (www.bristolpress.com) so that's all I can say. I think you'll soon find the application on the city's website. The land use office is really good about that kind of thing. They often have the applications themselves up for anyone to see online, which is cool and very public-friendly.
By the way, I have no reason to think the zoning board will be tough on the church. I just couldn't resist a good headline.
I wrote about it for Tuesday's edition of The Bristol Press (www.bristolpress.com) so that's all I can say. I think you'll soon find the application on the city's website. The land use office is really good about that kind of thing. They often have the applications themselves up for anyone to see online, which is cool and very public-friendly.
By the way, I have no reason to think the zoning board will be tough on the church. I just couldn't resist a good headline.
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