Connecticut Gasoline Gouge

Angela Carella: A bumpy road to street repair

It's been a year and a half since an electrical line fell in front of John Marinelli 's house during a storm, arcing and exploding in the rain all night before the power company, overwhelmed with calls, cut the juice.

The live line left a slice in Alpine Street about 3 inches wide, 12 feet long and 10 feet deep, Marinelli estimates. He calls it "the fault line."

But pavement problems on Alpine Street, off Cedar Heights Road in High Ridge, began 15 years ago after a city contractor ripped up the pavement and pulled out huge rocks to install sewer lines, Marinelli said. It probably wasn't backfilled properly because, a year later, a water line cracked and, after that, sinkholes appeared, he said.

Now, besides the sinkholes, the section of Alpine Street near Marinelli's house is bumpy with potholes and asphalt patches that mark the city's attempts to smooth it.

The sinkholes are dangerous, Marinelli said.

"There are a lot of kids on this street. One of them was riding his bike, hit the dip in the pavement and fell over the handlebars onto his face," said Marinelli, an architect and father of three. "I have an 800-pound motorcycle and I almost fell, too."

He began calling the city about five years before the March 2010 wind and rain storm dropped power lines and a transformer, flaming and buzzing, onto Alpine Street.

Many taxpayers will relate to his lament.

"I'm sure the city is overwhelmed with work, but I don't know how long I have to cry before somebody hears me," Marinelli said.

Somebody heard. Work is slated for this year, but Alpine Street will be patched, not resurfaced.

City Engineer Lou Casolo said that, besides the routine repair of potholes handled by the Highways Department , the Engineering Bureau runs two road repair programs.

The first is for streets that are in such bad shape that they must be stripped and resurfaced. One example this year is busy Oaklawn Avenue, which connects High Ridge Road and Newfield Avenue.

Consumers Warned About Price Gouging During Hurricane Irene ...

With panicked consumers scrambling for crucial supplies in the final hours before Hurricane Irene reaches Connecticut, officials were warning both consumers and businesses Friday about the state laws against price gouging.

Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney said the legislature took action after Hurricane Gloria in 1985 resulted in price-gouging for consumer goods - such as dry ice and generators to provide electricity for homeowners' freezers to keep food from spoiling. Lawmakers are concerned that contractors might try to charge excessive prices to pump out basements and remove tree limbs in the coming days after Irene passes on Sunday.

"The current price-gouging law was passed in 1986, and it was spurred by people's experiences in Hurricane Gloria in September 1985,'' Looney told Capitol Watch in an interview Friday. "We have a separate set of statutes regarding gasoline and energy products. ... I'm sure there will be people walking around [next week] with chainsaws, saying they will cut up that branch. They know you're in a tight spot and you're at a disadvantage in the negotiation.''

The state Senate passed a new, anti-gouging bill this year after some contractors tried to charge consumers $1,000 or more to remove snow from their roofs during the difficult winter. But that version never received approval in the state House of Representatives, and the bill died on the final day of the legislative session.

From the attorney general to top lawmakers, officials were warning consumers Friday to be careful - citing the laws that are already on the books for various products like gasoline.

"The vast majority of retailers and businesses are going the extra mile to help consumers right now," said Senate President Pro Tem Donald E. Williams, Jr. of Brooklyn. "Unfortunately, there are always a few cases of consumers being taken advantage of during emergencies. We want to make sure the public has all the information it needs to protect itself from physical and financial harm.

Connecticut, The Constitution State

Connecticut

Connecticut, a study of a commonwealth-democracy

Connecticut

Connecticut, her constitutions, 1635-1935. 1638-1662, The fundamental orders; 1650, Preamble to the code of laws; 1662-1818, The royal charter; 1776, The first resolution of the General assembly; 1787, The Constitution of the United States; 1818, The constitution of Connecticut