RANDOM THOUGHTS NOV 15

Today's paper (Friday) has an article about Verizon's plan to stop paying its taxes on its poles and switching equipment to municipalities. Apparently, there has been a significant drop in land line phones in favor of cell phones, which makes the phone company feel it can evoke a clause in the old law which would exempt it from taxation if it were no longer the leading supplier of phone service. I am sure that Verizon does not count all the other providers that lease the lines for their service.

There are other parameters; Who owns the poles, PSE&G or Verizon? Which company does Comcast pay for its cable? Comcast supposedly pays the city a franchise tax fee based on Customers, does Verizon consider the fiber optic cables installed for its FIOS exempt from franchise tax or any other city levy? The poles are on city property, what ordinance or state laws authorized the use of that land? It wold be nice to have some answers, we have always taken those poles for granted.

If the poles are in place through a city ordinance, was any mention of tax for each pole, or rent for the property in which the pole is placed. If all is so vague perhaps the municipality should exercise eminent domain rights and lease each pole back to the company(s) using it.

I was reading the item about the street reconstruction on the city's site and ran across this, which I have copied.The italics are mine.

"By early September, the City Council can expect to see a request to award an additional construction contract for Phase III-Year 2 Construction. This contract will provide for improvements to the following roads:
• (Phase II Year 2 Construction) consisting of 653 linear feet of Court Street
from Watchung Avenue to Roosevelt Avenue; 6,563 linear feet of West 8th
Street running from Park Avenue to the City Limits; 5,449 linear feet of
Kengsington Avenue running from East 7th Street to Park Avenue; Watchung Avenue and 2,460 linear feet of Watchung Avenue running from East 7th Street to Park Avenue. (boldface mine)

By late September, the City Council can expect to see a request to award a contract
for the reconstruction of 2,165 linear feet of West 4th Street running from City Limits to Halsey Street.

It is expected that all of the above reconstruction will be completed by January of
2009."

Although we are now still finishing the second year of a plan that is in its fourth year it would be nice to have a report on what has been accomplished. I don't have reason any more to travel Kennsington Ave which was my route to my office, so I don't know if that deteriorated street has been rebuilt. I hope somebody can identify that "Watchung Ave" which is referred to in the bold face sentence. Was it meant to be from east 7th to Leland? It sure needs resurfacing.

For anyone who may be disapointed that I have not posted today any outstanding views of France,bear with me.Software programs have a life of their own, and slides that are decades old do lose color and detail. Kodachrome has held up the best, Ektachrom , Agfachrome ,Ansachrome, Fugi,Perutz slides have not done as well. Some are impossible to tweak and it is also time consuming to scan and transfer to CD disc.

Thus two that have unique features. Both were taken from a moving bus. The first one if you enlarge th epurple are will note vinyards, plus a village in the upper left. The second one if you can ignore the reflextion on the bus window is a beautiful view of some dead bushes.