At Chestnut

Last Thursday I attended the press conference at the former Chestnut Junior High School, which was all about how the school is hopefully going to be renovated and reused as housing. The press conference itself didn't have much in the way of new information about the project, but at least it gave everyone a chance to celebrate the proposal at the site itself. For the first time in years the front doors of the old school stood open for public entry. 

Upon entering I saw that a good sized crowd had already arrived.

I wandered around a bit before the press conference began, checking out the old main office. I wonder how many tardy passes were passed out over that counter over the decades?

The press conference itself was held in one of the classrooms, which had been fitted out with an American and Puerto Rican flag and a bunch of metal folding chairs that had PARK DEPT stenciled on the back. Mayor Charles V. Ryan spoke, and using one of his favorite metaphors, described the possible rehab of Chestnut as "a home run" for the city.

 

Also in attendance was State Representative Cheryl Coakley-Rivera, who has recently been in an awkward relationship with Ryan, due to her role in causing the resignation of Ryan's top aide Michelle Webber. Surprising Ryan and everyone else, Rivera gave Ryan a big hug and a kiss!

 

Rivera, as usual, gave a funny and enthusiastic speech. As much as Rep. Rivera sometimes annoys me politically, I can never stay mad at her. Critics said that Rivera wouldn't be able to survive in politics after the death of her mother, the powerful activist Barbara Rivera. In fact, she has done well in establishing her own identity while still holding together her mother's powerbase. Rivera apparently has inherited more of her mother's talent than people realized. In any case, I'm glad to see no permanent rift developed between Ryan and Rivera over the Webber incident. That willingness to put aside differences in order to work for the greater good has not always been possible in Springfield.

Among those present was the ambitious and photogenic City Councilor Dom Sarno.

The gathering was also a who's who of economic development types, such as Dave Panagore and Juan Gerena.

At one point someone whispered in my ear, "Half the people in this room can't stand the other half!" To which I replied, "That's Springfield!"

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Remember a few posts back I was talking about all the Tom Devines in the world? Well here is a video by a Tom Devine in Australia, a nation you may recall that was originally founded by criminals from the jails of England and Ireland. I'm sure some of my relatives fell into the criminal class, so I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that the Tom Devine in this video is a blood relative. In his video, Tom Devine imagines himself as "The Tominator" and chases his friends all around trying to shoot them. In other words, another Tom Devine who's just another nut with a gun.