The Committee to Strengthen the Sheldon/Charter Oak Neighborhood, Inc. (CSS/CON) MONTHLY BOARD MEETING (Virtual, via Zoom)
CSS/CON DIRECTOS PRESENT:
Chris McArdle, President; Cheryl Zeiner, Director; Emily Wolfe, Director, Sheldon Charter Oak; Kathy Shaw, Director; Donna Williams, Secretary; Kate Pacelle, Director; Jack Hale, Director, Church of the Good Shepherd; Michael Zaleski, Riverfront Recapture; Bernadine Silvers, Vice President
CSS/CON DIRECTORS NOT PRESENT:
Kim Sinclair, Resident; Donna Swarr, Colt Park
RESIDENTS, STAKEHOLDERS, AND OTHERS PRESENT:
Sgt. Joe Mauro, Hartford Police Department; Annette Sanderson, Housing Authority; Kim Gauthier, Hartford Next; Georgia Fales, Trinity College; Ivelisse Acevedo, Catholic Charities; Alexander Castro, City of Hartford, Dept. of Development Services; Kyle Krupka, Resident; Luis Santiago, Southend Equity Center/Catholic Charities; Jose Rivera, Hartford Fire Department; James Collins, Dillon Place; Kimberly Alexander, City of Hartford; Kenny Gonzalez, Hartford Parking Authority
The November 2023 meeting was called to order by Chris McArdle at 5:34 pm; Roll call was taken by Kim Gauthier and a quorum was present.
Election of Directors for the Term of 2023-2026
Proposed for election: Eric Lusa, Resident; Chris McArdle, Resident; Kate Pacelle, Resident
Anne Snyder, Resident
A motion to elect the abovenamed directors was brought by Bernadine Silvers and seconded by Michael Zaleski. There were no objections, no abstentions, and the individuals were elected unanimously.
New Business Items for the Board
- Establish a quarterly treasurer’s report. Donna Williams and Kathy Shaw will compile and present the report.
- Change monthly reports by Hartford Police Department and Hartford Fire Department to quarterly reports.
- Approve the meeting schedule for 2024 as the second Monday of each month except August, which will be at the President’s discretion.
A motion to accept items 1, 2, and 3 was made by Cheryl Zeiner and seconded by Kathy Shaw. There were no objections, abstentions, or discussion and the motion passed.
There is discussion about changing the fiscal year for CSSCON from calendar year (January-December) to a fiscal year (July 1 to June 30). Michael, Kathy, and Donna W. will talk about the impact of the change. Kim Gauthier will contact David MacDonald of Asylum Hill for possible accountants to work with CSSCON. A vote for the change will take place in an upcoming meeting.
Annette Sanderson, Housing Authority of the City of Hartford
The housing authority owns and operates approximately 1,000 units of public housing in Hartford. In CSSCON, HACOH owns Smith Towers, for elderly/disabled persons which has 200 units and Dutch Point with 127 units. For 15 years, Dutch Point was under the ownership and management of TCB (The Community Builders). Two years ago, the Hartford Housing Authority took over its ownership and closed on the purchase in March 2023. The Housing Authority is doing a needs assessment, making improvements to the development, and may add homeownership units. Bernadine provided background on Dutch Point and the role CSSCON played in its development.
Donna Williams is a resident at Dutch Point and will consult with Annette Sanderson for residents. Annette will be included in upcoming CSSCON meetings as the development continues. Chris will distribute the contact information for Sabine, the on-site manager for Dutch Point.
Georgia Fales, Trinity College, Liberal Arts Action Lab
[Georgia had technical issues and provided this written information]
I am Georgia Fales with the Trinity College’s Liberal Arts Action Lab working on the Recreation access project. My team is currently researching the lifeguard shortage in Hartford. Our goal is to help the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission to create well-staffed and fully operational public pools for the summers.
In the Action Lab, we value the opinions of the community to guide our research and recommendations. We have created a community feedback form where you can let your voice be heard in as little as five minutes. Your opinions will be invaluable to our research and will help us keep Hartford’s pools open and safe!
Sgt. Joe Mauro, Hartford Police Department
Most Part 1 crimes are down: aggravated assaults down 6%, shootings down 36%, robberies down 25%, robberies with firearms are up 16%; auto thefts are up 153%, burglaries down 19%, larceny down 34%. Overall, Part 1 crimes are down 12% in the southeast area. In the Charter Oak area, property crimes seem most prevalent. There were 240 calls for service in October.
Contact information:
Sergeant Joseph Mauro, maurj001@hartford.gov, 959-282-5566
Officer Anthony Gaudino, gauda001@hartford.gov, 860-757-4310
Capt. Jose Rivera, Hartford Fire Department
Capt. Rivera gave the statistics for the month of October. There were three fires of note
- 390 Franklin Avenue: a Molotov cocktail was thrown into a smoke shop
- 715 Wethersfield Avenue: vacant building, fire started by squatters accidentally
- 46 Eastview Street: space heater left plugged in
Reminders from the Fire Marshal is to keep space heaters away from flammable items, plug them in the wall not in an extension cord. Be cautious during Thanksgiving to avoid cooking fires. The smoke alarm replacement program continues; renter’s insurance is also recommended.
Alexander Castro, COH, Dept. of Development Services
Three applications since October most administrative; there is a significant permit and variance application. The variance application will go before the board December 5th, the special permit after, and then the application for actual construction. There is a text amendment related to the use of a residence use for childcare.
Kimberly Alexander, COH, Office of Community Engagement
A couple of bulky waste and street sign calls on 311. Details were given regarding curbside and bag pickup. Specific details are available at www.hartford.gov/leaf-collection. City Hall is closed Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving. The annual toy giveaway is December 16 at various locations around the city.
Old Business
The issue of buses idling in school areas in Charter Oak was brought up by Bernadine. There is a state ordinance prohibiting idling buses and signs are posted. Chris suggested reaching out to the board of education and superintendent to ask them to remind the bus company that it is a concern for the neighborhood. There is a secondary concern about traffic management on South Prospect to prevent disrupting the flow of traffic.
CSSCON is against turning the South Green into a dog park; there doesn’t seem to be much support in local government as well. CSSCON will make recommendations on use for the space. There are concerns about the homeless encampments which should be addressed. Luis seconded Kyle’s concern as well. Bernadine suggested Pulaski Mall is another area of concern related to homeless encampments. The police department has a homeless outreach officer who will follow up.
Kimberly Alexander is working with DPW to remove bulky waste. She encouraged people to continue to send photos of bulk waste and use the app. For homeless issues, Jimmy Barrett from the HPD is the contact.
Chris asked for a motion to adjourn. The motion to adjourn was made by Donna Williams and seconded by Kate Pacelle.
The meeting adjourned at 7:04 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Kim Gauthier, Hartford Next
Accepted by _________________________________ Date ____________________________