I cannot help but notice that some Stamford gas stations have the highest pricing in THE NATION! Particularly the few stations who are close to the Merritt on Long Ridge and High Ridge. These stations often charge 20 cents more than stations closer to downtown. Could it be they are some how colluding to fix there prices higher than other area stations? Also, why are all these stations full service? Can’t they offer the option to fill yourself?

I just don’t buy that their fixed costs are higher and thus need to charge more. Afterall, gas stations in Manhattan, with extraordinary real estate costs, are still cheaper. A short drive to Norwalk or even some stations in Greenwich and you can find cheaper gas. I have seen gas stations in Hawaii that charge less. You can get gas for $2.50 a gallon in NJ, yet it costs $3.30 in CT??

Can someone please explain to me why gas is so expensive in this small 3 mile radius?

Sad news today that Stamford has decided to cancel its 4th of July Fireworks show. The annual fireworks show in Cummings Park has not been canceled in over 50 years. While the show only costs roughly $40,000, the total cost to the city is much higher when you account for police, fire, and sanitation overtime costs.

I am actually glad to see that the new mayor is able to make some of these unpopular decisions and slash spending versus just raising our taxes. He has also made other recent cuts in the budget by proposing a 10% decrease in the city’s workforce.

With over 50% of Stamford without power for the past several days, what kind of effect will it have on March sales? The town has been virtually shut down in some areas and schools will be closed tomorrow for the third day in a row. I personally have been without power or water since Saturday. North Stamford appears to be the worst hit along with the neighboring towns of Greenwich and New Canaan.

I will take a look at the MLS over the next several days to try to gauge the impact the storm has had on local sales. Many homes on the market will have major clean up before they can be shown again.

Anyone familiar with a home which received structural damage?

[More to come once I get my electricity back!]

William Tong, one of Stamford’s State Representatives, recently provided some useful information for those homes in North Stamford looking to have their water tested. As you may know, the City recently decided to stop covering the costs of testing homes near the Scofieldtown dump, leaving homeowners with the responsibility. So for those of you looking to have your home tested (or testing the water for a customer), here is what William Tong had to say:

The city of Stamford has determined that it will not extend testing to homes that have not already been tested.  However, the city did negotiate with a local water testing company to provide testing for all Stamford residents with wells at a discounted price.  The company is Environmental Analysis Corporation, which is based in New Canaan.  The contact is John Vorhiees, and his telephone number is (203) 966-5144.   I have had my water tested by Mr. Vorhiees, and I waiting for my results.  Here’s a breakdown of what the testing entails:

505 TEST ($250). The test is designed to detect the presence of certain pesticides, including Dieldrin and Chlordane, and it is known to be a very sensitive test.

METALS ($100). This test is designed to detect the presence of certain metals, including uranium, lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury.

524.2 TEST ($100). This test is designed to detect the presence of volatile organic compounds, and is generally associated with testing for common residential contaminants.

I am continuing to push the Governor to release state bond funding to address the problem.  Needless to say, this is an urgent matter and I hope that the Governor hears out concerns.

I appreciate William Tong’s continued efforts in helping the residents of North Stamford. Thankfully the city has recently approved funding to have UCONN conduct research to further evaluate the situation. You can read more about the plan here.

Another article in today’s Stamford Advocate highlights the growing concern about contaminated drinking wells in and around Scofieldtown. I have been following this investigation closely and it surprised me to see city officials quickly try to pass blame for the contamination of these wells. All early signs pointed to the old Scofieldtown dump as being the source of local water well contamination. However, now the city claims that the real source was the over zealous use of pesticides. This even after an earlier report written by Orion that stated contamination found in wells was far too potent and widespread to be caused by routine use of pesticides.

The city has been mired in the toxic problem since the summer, when federal report of contaminated soil in Scofieldtown Park led city officials to test nearby wells for toxins. Since then, the city has found 33 wells contaminated with one or more of the toxic pesticides chlordane and dieldrin. The city undertook a project to connect water lines to nine affected streets in the fall, at a cost of $3.4 million.

Last month, in a conclusion that upset some nearby homeowners, an environmental consultant hired by the city, TRC Environmental, said groundwater testing carried out by the firm did not show evidence that nearby well contamination was caused by the dump.

The city has already run city water lines to those houses that tested positive. Inst that already an admission of guilt? How can they now get away with halting testing all together? There are houses next door to houses which tested positive which the city has failed to test due to some imaginary line they drew on a map. Seems to me the city is not making these residents health a priority. Not further addressing the issue now will just mean greater liability down the road.