In Your Neighborhood: South Meadows
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Category: South Meadows
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48 Hours Later
By Kerri Provost, February 11, 2013 1:58 pm
Trinity Street in downtown has been plowed several times. Residents in some neighborhoods are still waiting for one plow.
The snowfall stopped two days ago, but residents are reporting that a number of streets have yet to see a plow. Streets described as not “open,” with open being defined “as the plow opening up the middle of road” were posted by residents on the Hartford Fire Department’s Facebook page. It is safe to assume that this is an incomplete report, as not everyone has access to Facebook.
If you want to know exactly which streets were reported as “not open” — which areas receive service and which do not — check out the map created by Real Hartford. The streets included on the map — marked with snowflake icons — were reported on Monday morning and early afternoon.
Hartford Voting Guide
By Kerri Provost, October 31, 2012 10:44 am
On Tuesday, November 6th, as with every election, the polls are expected to be open from 6am-8pm on Election Day.
This year’s ballot question (yes or no) asks whether or not more funds should be appropriated for the massive MDC project. According to The Hartford Votes-Hartford Vota Coalition, the question — in layperson’s terms — reads:
Approval for the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) to appropriate an additional $800 million for Phase 2 of the Clean Water Project, which is being implemented to comply with a Federal consent decree and State consent order requiring the reduction of sewage overflows. The appropriation is to be financed through grants, loans, and MDC issuance of bonds.
But on MDC literature, it is stated as follows:
Shall the appropriation of an additional $800,000,000, to be financed, in part, by the
issuance of bonds and Clean Water Fund grants and loans, for Phase II of the Metropolitan
District’s combined sewer overflow, sanitary sewer overflow and nitrogen removal programs to decrease levels of pollution in Metropolitan District member towns, the Connecticut River and its tributaries, and Long Island Sound to comply with a consent decree of the United States District Court of the District of Connecticut and a consent order of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, be approved?
Currently, diluted sewage is sent into the Connecticut River and its tributaries. The Clean Water Project will deal with the “approximately 1 billion gallons of combined wastewater and storm water currently released each year to area waterways,” says the MDC. Residents of Bloomfield, East Hartford, Newington, Rocky Hill, West Hartford, Wethersfield and Windsor will also be able to vote on this question.
As for the candidates, voters should have taken responsibility to learn about their options by now; however, one’s choices might seem limited if a person’s total knowledge of the process comes from advertisements, commercials, and phone calls. Besides the choices listed on the ballot, it is possible to write in candidates. The Registrar of Voters is not required to have the names of all candidates listed on the ballot; in other words, it is up to the voter to know the names of write-in candidates when they enter the polling place. The Hartford Votes-Hartford Vota Coalition has provided a list of options:
In addition to the listed candidates for President, it is possible to write-in Stephen Durham, James E. Harris, Tom Hoefling, Raymond Sizemore, Jill Stein, and Gerald Warner.
Stephen Durham is an openly gay candidate running with the Freedom Socialist Party; his running mate is feminist Christina López.
Tom Hoefling is an America’s Party candidate; this party believes that abortion and euthanasia violate the U.S. Constitution.
Jill Stein, Green Party candidate, is running with Cheri Honkala.
Individuals do not need to vote along party lines. For example, a registered Democrat can vote for a Libertarian candidate if he feels so inclined. Voters can also choose not to vote, either in general or for any position or question. Even if only one choice is provided for a particular seat, there is no obligation to cast a vote for that candidate. While this seems like commonsense, less informed voters are sometimes given misinformation by cheerleaders standing outside of polling places, and worse, by poll workers. Continue reading 'Hartford Voting Guide'»
2012 Farmers’ Market Season
By Kerri Provost, May 20, 2012 1:25 am
The addition of a farmers’ market at the Chrysalis Center on Homestead Avenue will bring the number of such markets in Hartford up to seven — eight, if you include the one at the regional market.
This breaks down to two markets in downtown, two in Frog Hollow, and one each in the Upper Albany, West End, and North East neighborhoods. Hartford’s Regional Market is in the South Meadows.
While the Billings Forge Farmers’ Market operates year-round, others will be starting their seasons shortly.
On June 27th the North End Farmers’ Market opening celebration will include music by the Congo Square Ramblers, face painting for children, and a cooking demonstration. Continue reading '2012 Farmers’ Market Season'»
Spike in Crime?
Comments Off It has been reported that a sharp increase in crime is the reason for the controversial discussions about possible security measures at Trinity College .
Statistics provided by the Hartford Police Department suggest a slight increase — rather than spike — in crime for the district this campus is in:
A Guide to Getting What You Need for Growing Your Own
By Kerri Provost, June 1, 2011 2:36 pm
Lack of imagination is what creates limitations for people. We observe this in folks who see cities as mere expanses of concrete and asphalt. These are the ones who have trouble viewing anything as a success if it lacks the structure of the standard suburban shopping mall surrounded by a sea of parking spaces; predictably, this vision, this type of American Dream, is held onto most tightly by those who spend very little time in cities.They are also the ones who are surprised, if not in out-and-out denial, by the news that urban dwellers can garden. Some people have backyards that can compete with most in West Hartford, Wethersfield, or Newington. Others, like myself, have smaller yards. I like to think of mine as comparable to the “fun size” candy bars– enough to satisfy, but not so much that I feel gross when I’m done with it. Some only have windowsills or balconies to work from, though a way around this is to rent space for something like $25 per year in a community garden. At $25, without needing to fork over anything for property tax or water bills, this is a bargain. After establishing what space one will have, the next step is to plan for how it should look and where you will get your plants from. Phase one and two should probably take up most of your time, but if you are new to an area or just new to gardening, you might be just as lost about phase three (phase four, of course, is planting the goods and then maintaining them). Here is a review of some places in the area to obtain materials for the garden/yard/windowsill.
The Criteria:
- convenience of location: is this in a residential part of Hartford, another part of Hartford, out of town, on a bus line, or way out in the sticks?
- convenience of hours: does this vendor hold normal business hours, times geared toward morning people, or are they open when the planets are all aligned and the moon is in Venus?
- ambiance: no frills? warehouse? an oasis of inspiration? Is this a place that you would visit to linger, even when not seeking to purchase plants? Is this a destination or a quick stop?
- cost: dirt cheap or do they inflate the price of potting soil?
- the goods: obviously, all the above criteria doesn’t matter if the vendor does not have what you need. Is there a wide variety of plants, or just the standards? Are the plants healthy? What do they have besides plants?
- eco cred: selling plants does not automatically earn a person green cred. Are all or even some plants organically grown? Does this vendor use or sell lawn poison? Do they recycle? Do they use earth-friendly pots?
The Contenders: Continue reading 'A Guide to Getting What You Need for Growing Your Own'»
The 311 Data Dump: What Do Hartfordians Worry About? (part 3/3)
By Kerri Provost, November 24, 2010 1:01 am
On Monday we looked at what residents are concerned about in the Upper Albany, Clay Arsenal, North East, Blue Hills, West End, and Parkville neighborhoods; yesterday, we examined the data from Downtown, and from South Green, Sheldon/Charter Oak, South Meadows, South End, and South West neighborhoods. Today, we’re going to look at the rest: Behind the Rocks, Barry Square, Frog Hollow, and Asylum Hill.
Behind the Rocks’ three most frequent 311 cases are related to pesky trees, graffiti, and housing concerns. Housing concerns were the major cause of complaint for folks in Barry Square — almost three times as many as the next highest item of concern, trees. The top two issues for Frog Hollow right now are housing complaints and bedbugs. There are 28 cases related to housing in Asylum Hill; all other 311 cases in that neighborhood currently total in at 28. Continue reading 'The 311 Data Dump: What Do Hartfordians Worry About? (part 3/3)'»
access, Asylum Hill, Barry Square, Behind the Rocks, blight, Blue Hills, Clay Arsenal, commentary/editorial, community, downtown, Frog Hollow, Hartford, neighborhoods, North East, North Meadows, Parkville, quality of life, Sheldon/Charter Oak, South End, south green, South Meadows, South West, Upper Albany, West End
The 311 Data Dump: What Do Hartfordians Worry About? (part 2/3)
By Kerri Provost, November 23, 2010 1:30 am
Yesterday, we looked at 311 data for most of the city’s North neighborhoods. Today, we’re going to look at two separate sets of data: Downtown; South End, South West, South Meadows, South Green, and Sheldon/Charter Oak neighborhoods.
Downtown is a creature unto itself. There are only 31 active 311 cases for downtown, and many were issued by the same person. What’s interesting about the downtown data is what’s not on the list: parking. Since there are items listed as “active” that were submitted months ago, one would expect that something that is discussed daily as a problem would have appeared on the complaint registry at some point.
The complaints get more diversified and interesting when one adds more people to the mix. In the South End, someone was irritated by a person parking his/her vehicle on the front lawn. Continue reading 'The 311 Data Dump: What Do Hartfordians Worry About? (part 2/3)'»
Developing Connective Tissue in Downtown
By Kerri Provost, September 28, 2010 9:22 am
Nobody argued when David Panagore announced that “We are the epitome of the Eisenhower Interstate system.” Those with an interest in downtowns would be hard-pressed to justify any continuation of advocacy for the poor designs that have dissected cities, sucking the life force out of them. Today, we are given the task of recreating a vibrant downtown, which means addressing issues like walkability.
Hartford’s Chief Operating Officer, David Panagore, participated on Monday evening in a HYPE (Hartford Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs) sponsored discussion regarding the direction of development in downtown. The MetroHartford Alliance Conference Room on Pratt Street was filled, allowing for a fairly intimate conversation between about two dozen individuals who had some interest — they live, work, or recreate — in downtown.
Panagore explained how the “Six Pillars” were a fine goal to have at one point, but now, to complete the economic development, these pieces (Connecticut Convention Center, Capital Community College moving into former G.Fox building, etc.) must be connected. Continue reading 'Developing Connective Tissue in Downtown'»
access, arts, blight, class, commentary/editorial, community, crime/justice, design, downtown, education/schools, environment, food, Frog Hollow, fun, Hartford, housing, hpd, library, mayor, money, myth busting, parks, perception bias, photos, pocd, politics/government, privilege, quality of life, shopping, south green, South Meadows, suburbia, tax money in action, transportation, urban renewal
Sentimental about Cinema City
Comments Off Last week Cinema City closed at its Brainard Road location and reopened as a wing inside of the Palace 17 & Odyssey Theater complex on New Park Avenue. When Bow Tie was opening in Blue Back Square, they promised to play art films and backed out of that promise, sticking to mainstream blockbusters. There has been concern that something similar will occur to Cinema City at its new site, that the art films its known for will be phased out in favor of popular moneymakers. Most of us know this part of the story.
Homefront provides another perspective about what has been lost by the decision to close the Brainard Road cinema, as well as some photos taken on the last night it was open.