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By Kerri Provost, January 11, 2012 2:55 pm

rendering courtesy of iQuilt

As barrels of trash heaved into the pond in Bushnell Park remain there for nearly a week and as the water feature in the playground nearby continues to be broken for years on end, residents and stakeholders were presented with the iQuilt’s dream plan of bring flowing water through the park.

Using identity strategy and enculturation to rally support, those leading this project dismissed skeptics as lacking vision. As much was said twice yesterday at a mini-presentation during a Rising Star Breakfast and in the evening before the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. The presentation included codewords,  as several supporters described selves as “believers” and even went so far as to say that bring flowing water back into the park would be good for our “souls.”

The presentation included visual appeals to nostalgia and romance. The lovely, verdant design renderings seduced the participant into imagining a pristine urban paradise in which those seeking recreation can choose to wade across a 50-100 foot wide brook, meander through pop up studios and greenhouses, or linger on any of the nine bridges that would be added to Bushnell Park.

Urban design presentations, as a whole, dazzle those from whom they want support, but fail to provide real answers that concerned residents have about what is slated to happen in our backyards.

Prior to the presentation, Real Hartford readers submitted questions they had about this project, which are marked in bold and are direct quotes, unless noted otherwise.

Who is doing the planning?

The iQuilt, in the works for several years now, is described as a “culture based urban design plan for Downtown Hartford.”

The iQuilt is a private/public partnership which receives support from various institutions including the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, Bushnell Park Foundation, CIGNA, City of Hartford, State of Connecticut, MDC, Riverfront Recapture, Connecticut Light & Power, Northeast Utilities, Travelers, and United Illuminating. Suisman Urban Design has been leading the iQuilt design team. A 501(c)3 was formed recently. Continue reading 'iQuilt: Dotting i’s'»

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By Kerri Provost,

There was a lot of buzz yesterday about the iQuilt project, which many had not heard of despite it being in existence since 2008.

One space this plan focuses on is Bushnell Park.

The photos below were taken on Tuesday, the same day as when Doug Suisman of Suisman Urban Design shared many ambitious ideas about how the iQuilt plan can impact the park. These photos are taken from the perspective of a pedestrian/cyclist commuter, though an effort was made to include some of the park’s attractions. These photographs show the range of conditions and maintenance in Bushnell Park as of January 2012.

Part of the East Coast Greenway runs between the Armory and the Legislative Office Building. This path continues over a highway on-ramp, along the railroad tracks and viaduct, and into Bushnell Park. Sand continuously covers part of this path because of poor maintenance. None of the neighboring entities (Bushnell Park, State of Connecticut, Amtrak, etc.) take consistent responsibility for dealing with the erosion issues.

Continue reading 'Walking Tour of Bushnell Park'»

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By Kerri Provost, November 28, 2011 7:00 am

Making 'Of Lamb' on display at Real Art Ways through December 11th

December tends to be a whirlwind of activity, between festive events, office parties, and the gatherings for family and friends. Here are just a few of December’s open-to-the-public highlights:

December 1, 2011

December 1st is World AIDS Day, which means it is also The Day With(out) Art. Real Art Ways will be participating by screening Untitled all day. This is free. While there, check out the “Making ‘Of Lamb’” exhibit.

In the evening, there is the opening reception for Andres Chaparro’s artwork at Theatreworks (233 Pearl Street) from 5-7:30pm. Continue reading 'Your Guide to December'»

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By Kerri Provost, November 20, 2011 6:34 pm

The decision to remove a second-generation scion of the Charter Oak was bittersweet for many parishioners at Center Church, but in September, the tree at the corner of Main and Gold was taken down. Now, a milled slab of it is on display at the Connecticut Historical Society as part of the New Life for Connecticut Trees exhibit.

It’s in good company.

Also on display: furniture made from a tree that stood in front of the Ivoryton Playhouse. That former tree’s story? In its shade, Marlon Brando and Katharine Hepburn used to run through their lines. Continue reading 'Upcycling Urban Trees'»

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By Kerri Provost, November 10, 2011 6:42 pm

On November 19th, there will be a free regional training session for those wishing to work for environmental justice. Lunch, child care, and Spanish language translation will be available for participants.

This training will take place at Central Baptist Church (457 Main) from 10-3.

You can register for the New England Environmental Justice Forum’s Hartford Regional Training here.

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By Kerri Provost, November 3, 2011 5:13 pm

Removal of brush and dangerous limbs was underway this afternoon in Bushnell Park.

No word if the territorial geese in Pope Park allowed people to remove debris there.

The City of Hartford reports that CL&P is focusing on restoring power to the area “Tower Avenue, Coventry Street, Blue Hills Avenue, Vine Street, and Maple Avenue” today.

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By Kerri Provost, November 2, 2011 12:21 pm

The City of Hartford has been providing periodic updates for residents who are temporarily living without electricity. The latest press release states:

Schools are high on the priority list when it comes to restoring power to the City of Hartford.  CL&P officials have also assured all town and city leaders that municipal offices and large industrial and commercial sites are high on the list as crews work to get electricity back on line.

“These areas are critical to our residents as we work to get back to some sense of normalcy.  Please remember that downed lines need to be treated as energized lines, so please do not go near them.  To help ensure public safety, police, fire, and public works are all teaming-up with CL&P crews to restore power as quickly and as safely as possible, but we need your cooperation,”  said Mayor Segarra reiterated.

Committed resources include 5 CL&P crews with an additional 6 going active about 1:00 p.m., this will bring 11 total crews active by day’s end.  They will be focusing their efforts along Prospect Avenue, Kane Street, Reserve Road, Maple Avenue, Nelson Street, and Blue Hills Avenue, among others. In addition, 8 city and contracted crews will be working to remove debris and open roads. Two of those crews are dedicated to the Blue Hills neighborhood, which is one of the hardest hit neighborhoods in Hartford.

Hartford residents are reminded that even without power, we have advantages that those in rural areas do not. Continue reading 'Power Restoration'»

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By Kerri Provost, October 31, 2011 4:59 pm

Although many areas in the state have experienced complete devastation, other sections were relatively untouched. A walk from Frog Hollow to the Connecticut River involved no fallen power lines, a few down trees, and many branches strewn about.

All businesses appeared to be open.

Roads were clogged — particularly around gas stations — with impatient and careless drivers. Late last night, the lines at the pumps were only two or three cars deep. East of the Connecticut River, only a few gas stations were open because of the power outage.

Damage could be seen on the State Capitol grounds, in parks, and in residential areas alike. Continue reading 'Storm Alfred: Wreckage and Beauty'»

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By Kerri Provost, August 26, 2011 9:51 am

On Tuesday, Connecticut residents were preoccupied with the earthquake, which did little damage here. On Twitter, people sounded frantic about the possibility of aftershocks. This concern was rarely for/by those near the epicenter, where some property damage occurred. For perspective, a Richmond news site had no stories about the earthquake “above the fold” that evening, while every mainstream news outlet in Connecticut had it posted as the top story.

As Hurricane Irene became a formidable threat, again, the news jumped on it, making it a top story. Announcements, such as the one that Malloy declared a “state of emergency” are rarely accompanied with information about what this actually means. All people see is the word “emergency” and get their emotions stirred further. When it is declared, it means a disaster is believed to be imminent, or, it has already occurred; but, the intention is to secure funds and temporary powers to assist with the situation. Remember when a State of Emergency was declared last winter after all that snow fall? Nobody was out rioting in the streets, but removing all the snow cost a lot of money. The declaration was to help defray the cost.

Here is an explanation of the Declaration of Emergency, from the Governor’s website:

For those constantly tuned in for news updates, they are barraged with “breaking stories” — often of marginal importance — lots of red, flashing, scrolling data, dramatic music, and even graphics prepared for the occasion. Something that should be treated with attention and concern is converted into a spectacle of obsession. Continue reading 'Preparation without Panic'»

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By Kerri Provost, August 25, 2011 11:32 am

About half the seats were filled at the start of Wednesday’s forum; by the end, only a few dozen people remained, and many of those were candidates’ families, or, candidates running with the Republican and Working Families parties. Two of the ten Democrats running for City Council did not attend. It was a rare event that finished early in spite of many questions from the audience.

The forum provided Democrats with the opportunity to distinguish themselves from the other candidates; few bothered to do so. Instead, candidates were quick to agree with each other, rarely adding anything meaningful to previous comments; a few candidates gave rambling responses to most questions, stumping the audience as to the point being made. Continue reading 'Council Primary Candidates Forum'»