April Fools Day 2015

I love April Fool's Day!  Probably because I enjoy practical jokes.  Nothing mean, nothing dangerous, just some good clean fun.  Having 3 kids, I'm never in need of a mark to play a trick on.  My kids know this, so as April First rolls around each year, their RADAR goes up.  So this year, I'm playing the long-con!

Ahh, the single serving DORITOS snack pack!

For the most part, our kids eat somewhat healthy lunches.  Rarely do we put something like single-serving DORITOS snack packs in their lunch.  So, when I took one of my daughter's to the grocery store on Saturday, as we walked down the snack aisle, I casually asked her if we should get a 6-pack of single-serving DORITOS for their lunch.

Instantly, she said YES!  It was on!  Of course, she had no idea that my CON GAME had started.  By the time we got home, she had already forgotten about the lunch treat and I stored them in the back of the pantry.

As we prepared their Monday lunches on Sunday evening, they didn't even ask (or remember).  They are so used to the same thing every day, it didn't even occur to them!

On Monday, I move the bag towards the front of the pantry so they can see it as they go about their afternoon and evening.  Their subconscious is working in my favor!  On Monday evening, as we're preparing Tuesday's lunch, one of them asks "Hey Dad, can we have those DORITOS in our lunch for tomorrow".  SURE, I say, knowing that a 6 pack will last 2 days--with April Fools' this year on Wednesday, it will give me just enough to get them hook-line-and sinker!

All the pieces are ready!

Monday evening, after they're in bed, begins the next stage of the plan.  I get out the rest of the DORITOS, the mini carrots, and my hot-glue gun.

Opening each packet from the bottom, I carefully pulled out the DELICIOUS doritos and set them aside (OK, I actually ate some).  I placed a few carrots in each packet, puffed them full of air, and glued them shut.

Ready to go!

I then placed the individual packets back in the big package, placed them in the pantry and waited!

Tuesday night, we're packing lunches for Wednesday (4/1) and they ask "Can we have more DORITOS?"

"Of course".  I grab the big package, and they each grab an individual serving and place it in their lunchbox, and then off to bed they go!

I did feel a little remorse in that here they will be at school, so looking forward to having delicious DORITOS and they'll be bait-and-switched into mini carrots, so I gave each of them a dollar to buy a 'snack'.  I told them it was because they had a half day and it was to celebrate the beginning of their Spring Break!

Ready....set....GO!

So, they're off to school as I write this.  I'll update after they get off the bus with the result!

AFTER SCHOOL UPDATE:

"Varenna, how was your lunch today?"  She spoke not a word, but her expression was priceless!

"Cracked Furnace Blues"

It's a Clinker! That blasted stupid furnace dadgummit!

Last Thursday we woke, ‘twas 30 degrees

That’s inside the house, felt like a deep-freeze.

I quickly called maintenance, “Get down here right quick!”

They're always real smart, know just the trick.

This time however, “The weather has defeated.

Unfortunately for you, your house won't be heated”

Those words from the heat tech, like a kick from an ass.

Make a decision, and make it real fast.

For this week was the coldest it’s been all damn year.

When we'll have heat, wasn't really clear.

I knew I was in for an expensive repair.

“How much it would be?” I felt such despair

Several quotes later, the temp in my house,

"Almost 40" said my dear, sweet, loving spouse.

The forecast, I’m dreading, will be less than zero

Our trusty old wood stove, was playing the hero.

A long cold weekend, then H-VAC experts arrived.

Into a maze of old pipes they lovingly dived.

Taken apart, and removed the old Clinker.

Sweating new pipes, like a well seasoned tinker.

Three days later, still without heat.

Was beginning to think of admitting defeat.

The blowtorch turned off, and pipes pressurized

For a moment I sat there, totally mesmerized.

Then came a drip, a pipe must have burst.

I gritted my teeth and prepared for the worst.

Seven in all, burst pipes that they found

Searching for more, we looked all around.

“To fix them all now, it's too late in the day.”

"We'll come back tomorrow" is what they did say.

More wood on the fire, we've hit fifty degrees.

Our friends are all saying “Come stay with us please.”

One more night in the cold, it could be much worse

The weatherman said "SNOW" and boy did I curse!

No school for the kids who by now go to bed,

dressed like an Eskimo from their toes to their head.

H-VAC experts come and get straight to their work.

If they find any more holes I might go berserk.

Slowly they test, no more holes are exposed.

Maybe this cold chapter will soon be closed!

Its starting to warm and I can now feel my toes.

At the end of my poem, but not from my woes.

For you see the ending, it comes with a bill.

And that my fellow reader is worse than the chill.

But it’s now getting warm in this old drafty house.

And I’ve finally got a smiling spouse.

My friends, they are real, these “Cracked Furnace Blues.”

On my enemies, this fate I would never choose.

I bid you good day and thank you for spending.

Your time reading this all the way to the ending.

726 Barrels of Oil!

The Town of Centreville's Solar Array has cleanly generated the equivalent energy as burning over 726 barrels of oil.

The Town of Centreville's Solar Array has been online since November 2013.  In that time, it has generated approximately 1,182,887 (as of January 13, 2015) kilowatt hours. 

You can visit the Town's solar array chart here:

How do we quantify how much solar electricity is this?  There is a neat online calculator where you can convert kilowatt hours to other energy units.

Go here to calculate it yourself:  https://www.unitjuggler.com/convert-energy-from-kWh-to-boe.html


Plug in the current kWh generated, and it will provide the equivalent number of barrels of oil.

According to econtrader.com, A barrel of crude oil can make about 19 US gallons of gasoline, 10 gallons of diesel, 4 gallons of jet fuel and another 9 gallons of other oil products such as liquid petroleum gas, plastics, lubricants or heating oil.

So, 726 barrels of oil can make about:

13,794 gallons of gas
7,260 gallons of diesel
2904 gallons of jet fuel
6,534 of other oil products

Thanks SUN!

Facade Improvement Check Presented

From Left to Right: Alton Darling, Contractor; JoAnne Baker, Torchio Architects; Jim Beauchamp, Town Council Member; Jack Ashley, Property Owner; George "Smokey" Sigler, Town Council President; Tim McCluskey, Town Council Vice President; and Steve Walls, Town Manager.

Centreville Town Council President George “Smokey” Sigler presents Jack Ashley a check in the amount of $10,000 for façade improvements he is making to his building at the corner of Water & Commerce Streets in Centreville. The check is a portion of a grant the Town received through the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development's Community Legacy Program. This grant program provides local governments with funding for projects aimed at strengthening communities through activities such as business retention and attraction, encouraging homeownership and commercial revitalization. The town received a $50,000 grant and funding is available for any commercial business in the designated Sustainable Community area who wishes to improve their façade. This grant requires a dollar for dollar cash match from the property/business owner with a cap of $10,000.
If you are interested in improving the facade of your building, please contact Carolyn Brinkley at 410-758-1180 or cbrinkley@townofcentreville.org for more information.

Centreville Celebrates Arbor Day

DNR Arborist Terri Batchelor presents the Tree City Plaque

National Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday in April.  This year, we had a lot to celebrate.  We were named a "Tree City USA" and we dedicated a "Liberty Tree".

The Town of Centreville has pursued the Tree City USA designation over the past several years.  Some of the requirements include:

1. We had to establish a Volunteer Tree Board, who is responsible for the care and management of the community's trees.  The Town Parks Advisory Board members function in this capacity.
2. We enacted a Tree Care Ordinance that designated the establishment of a tree board responsible for writing and implementing an annual community forestry work plan.
3. We established a tree program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita with evidence that the community has established a community forestry program that is supported by that annual budget. (This amount can be utilized as in-kind expenditures, including labor costs from Public Works, etc)
4. We must hold an annual Arbor Day observance and proclamation with a simple tree planting event or an award ceremony that honors leading tree planters.

The planting of the Liberty Elm tree

We also planted a "Liberty Elm" tree, which will provide shade for generations to come.

Council Vice President Sigler reading his Liberty Elm speech

Council Vice President Smokey Sigler spearheaded this program, and here is the text of his speech explaining and commemorating the tree:

"The first, famous Liberty Tree stood on the Boston Common, an American Elm with a political history.  The elm was a commons tree in the pre-Norman ‘English borough’ tradition:  A place for the people of the shire to gather on their own terms and for their own purposes.

In the decade of agitation that fed into the American Revolution, Boston radicals rallied beneath the tree’s canopy, speaking against imperial authorities and calling for home rule in the colonies.  

After the speeches, the people marched.  In one case, hundreds of marchers ended their protest at the docks, where they cheered on scores of activists as they dumped East Indies Trading Company tea into the harbor.  In another case, the march ended in a volley fired from imperial rifles, martyring Crispus Attucks and four others as the first casualties of the dawning revolution.

In the first months of the Revolutionary War, imperial troops occupied Boston, and cut the elm to the ground.  Yet the Liberty Tree lived on.  In hundreds of towns, and in every colony, the revolutionaries consecrated new Liberty Trees and Liberty Poles, and flew their likenesses on their flags. 

Thomas Paine wrote of the Liberty Tree in poetry and prose, and soon the tree was an international symbol.  The French revolutionaries hailed the tree, as did the Irish republicans.  In Haiti, the great Toussaint L’Ouverture prophesied:

By overthrowing me, you have succeeded in cutting down the tree of liberty of the blacks in Santo Domingo, but have failed to destroy the roots that are deep and strong. The tree will grow again."

It is our hope that this tree will continue to grow roots, provide shade, and promote liberty to all who encounter it.  So, next time you're down at the Wharf, look for it and sit on the bench next to it, and ponder the meaning of the tree.

Tree City USA Flag!

League of Women Voter's Candidate Forum available Online

Here is a great way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon. J

If you were unable to attend last Tuesday night’s League of Women Voter’s Candidate Forum, it is now available online.  You can also watch it on TV (the listings are below).

The entire forum is about 1 hour and 9 minutes long.  In my opinion, this forum is particularly important, as I believe it clearly shows the contrast between our policies. I believe that I am the only candidate prepared to continue to move Centreville forward.

I would urge you to watch the entire forum, but if your time is short, just scroll to the questions you are most interested in, based on the timeline below.

Here is the link to the forum: (this link is available to watch anytime)

http://origin.peg.tv/pegtv_player/index/affiliate1?autostart=true&height=480&noplaylistskin=true&video=51743&width=640

Candidate Opening Statements

6:13    McCluskey

8:00    Lins

Question 1:    How do you feel about the current state of the Wharf and what do you see as its role in the future of Centreville?

9:30    Lins

11:45  McCluskey

Question 2:    With the rapid growth in Centreville in the last 8-10 years, what services are we providing to our citizens that fit the needs of our various neighborhoods?  Are those services adequate?  If not, what additional services would you provide?

14:00  McCluskey

16:00  Lins

Question 3:    What steps would you have the town take to improve communication with citizens?

17:25  Lins

19:10  McCluskey

Question 4:    How can we preserve Centreville’s small town atmosphere while encouraging economic development with a friendly, concerned business environment?

21:25  McCluskey

23:15  Lins

Question 5:    Federal, State and County governments are facing fiscal problems and cannot provide the support they have in the past.  How would you help the town address financial stability?

24:40  Lins

26:25  McCluskey

Question 6:    What is your vision for the town ten years hence?  If elected, how would you make your vision a reality?

28:45  McCluskey

30:20  Lins

Questions from the audience:

1.         Royce Herman: What will you do to incentivize non-retail businesses to come to town? (33:05)

            34:00  McCluskey

            35:05  Lins

2.         Bob Elliott:     How is the town being run now?  Do you think it’s positive or negative and why? (36:30)

            36:55  Lins

            38:20  McCluskey

3.         Dick Smith:    What has been your plan over the last 3 years to bring in revenue at the Wharf? (40:00)

            40:20  McCluskey

            41:40  Lins

4.         Corey Jenkins:          Do you want to cut taxes and if so, do you plan on selling the Wharf or postpone infrastructure such as

Railroad Avenue

improvements? (42:30)

            42:55  Lins

            43:50  McCluskey

5.         Mary Margaret Goodwin:     Does the Don Braden letter represent your campaign?  How many Town Council meetings over the past 18 months have you attended to prepare for this position?   (44:45)

           

6.         Greg Kavanagh:        What is your current understanding of previously proposed subsidized housing projects from last year?

            46:40  McCluskey

            47:29  Lins

7.         Fred McNeil:  What are your ideas to deal with the burden of traffic in town and heavy vehicles at high speed? (49:40)

            50:33  Lins

            51:40  McCluskey

8.         Jean Moore:  What can you do to see if the State Roads department will put painted arrows on

Water Street

at the intersection of Water & Liberty Streets? (53:40)    

            54:38  McCluskey

            55:30  Penny

9.         Kara Snyder: How do you plan on being a present, daily face in this town to serve it’s citizens? (55:50)

            56:35  Lins

            57:14  McCluskey

10.       Joe Brown:     What kind of a plan do we have to repair some of our roads that are in really bad shape? (58:38)

            58:55  McCluskey

            1:00:30           Lins

11.       Lauri Giordano:         Does that town have plans to repave Kidwell in the same manner of

Chesterfield Ave

? (1:00:40)

            1:01:00           McCluskey

            1:01:29           Lins

12.       Mary Roby:     Can you speak about the constant yield? (1:01:40)

            1:02:00           McCluskey

            1:03:05           Lins

13.       Jim Kindle:     What are your ideas on the constant tax rate with all the growth? (1:03:20)

            1:03:42           McCluskey

            1:04:35           Lins

Closing Statements:

1:05:25           Lins

1:06:50           McCluskey

The election is on MONDAY, APRIL 2^nd.  The polling location is the Goodwill Fire Company, 212 Broadway.  Polls will be open from 12:00 p.m. through 7:00 p.m.

This is an important election.  If you believe that Centreville has moved forward over the past 3 years, I urge you to stay the course and re-elect me to another term.

I am available anytime if you have any questions.

I welcome your comments and critique on my performance in this forum, and I look forward to seeing you at the polls.

Centreville earns "Main Street" Designation!

Downtown Centreville

Just this week, the Governor announced that Centreville was one of only three Maryland Communities to join "Main Street Maryland".

Main Street Maryland is comprehensive downtown revitalization program, which has been nationally recognized model for Smart Growth.

This program was created in 1998, and before Centreville was added, there were 23 communities in 16 counties statewide.  This is the first Main Street Maryland designation in Queen Anne's County.  According to the Maryland Department of Housing & Community Development, this program has resulted in the opening of 1,392 new businesses and the creation of 5,574 new jobs.

One of the successful downtown Block Parties on West Water St.

"Paint the Town Pink" Breast Cancer Awareness Event

This effort was started in 2009, with the creation of "Centreville Alive!", a downtown business association.  Centreville Alive (www.centrevillealive.org), has sponsored many annual activities, including a summer time block party, "Paint the Town Pink" events, Fall Festivals, Christmas Tree decorating on Lawyer's Row, and "A Taste of Centreville".

Kara Snyder, President of Centreville Alive, along with Centreville Alive Board Member Gene Magary present a $4000.00 check to the Town Council to help defer costs for the annual 4th of July Fireworks

This designation will enable the town to be eligible for special state grants for economic revitalization.  We will also hire a Main Street Manager who will be responsible for economic redevelopment, attracting new businesses to town, and coordinating town & business activities.

"Strong main streets with thriving business districts and neighborhoods are the foundation for healthy, sustainable communities," said Governor Martin O’Malley. "These three towns will be great additions to the Main Street Maryland program due to their strong commitment to downtown revitalization, and they will surely serve as great examples of Smart, Green & Growing communities."

"I’m happy to welcome Centreville, Ocean City and Sykesville to the Main Street Maryland program," said Maryland DHCD Secretary Raymond Skinner. "With public and private investment in our traditional commercial districts, we can enable entrepreneurship and job creation in these communities. The Main Street Maryland program has a proven track record of using precious state resources to support local strategies and expertise as well as leveraging community resources to create a better future for our cities and towns."

The Town Council looks forward to it's continued commitment to the economic revitalization of Downtown Centreville, and the entire commercial district.