Hi Downtown and Wooster Square Community,
Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our July DWSCMT meeting! Below are the minutes from the meeting.
We hope to see you at our next meeting on August 20th at 6pm in City Hall, Meeting Room #2.
Neighborhood Public Improvement Program funding has been approved for the current fiscal year 2019-’20: $20,000 for each management team, June 20, 2020 funding allocation deadline, all expenditures must be approved by LCI
Civilian Review Board -- Neighbor Steve Hamm has been appointed as representative from our CMT district by the Mayor's Office; August 5th at City Hall there will be a vote on all nominees at Alder meeting
New Haven Elections Task Force will be meeting 2x more in July, 6pm at 200 Orange Street Room G-2: July 24th @ 6PM, July 31st @ 6PM
Mayoral election AND Board of Ed election (District 2): Wards 1, 7 and 9 are in District 2 and will be voting for BOE rep in the primary/general. Ward 8 is outside the district.
New Haven Police Department
1 car break-in per week, down from 5-6 per week at last check-in
Residential burglary on Temple Street last week: No signs of forcible entry, Isolated incident for now
Peace Squad Officer Booth will likely be leaving the department for another department
Green Initiative has been reduced due to staffing issues; PD attempting to maintain strong presence, at surrounding restaurants
Officers Cole and Mortalie attending meeting to get to know the neighborhood
What’s being done about dirt-biking? Our policy is to not engage in pursuit due to increased risks. Assistant Chief Karl Jacobson will be piloting some new drone policies
Homeless people on Grand Avenue doing drugs at the bus stop -- what’s being done? Officers have been at the church daily. However Ferraro’s is out of the district. Lt. O’Neill will follow up on this.
Livable Cities Initiative
Carmen has been getting rid of illegal debris -- more volume than usual. People who want to get rid of bulk trash must schedule an appointment with Public Works
New graffiti at Jefferson and Grand, at Project MORE, will be removed by LCI
Bill Carone at Parks Department has promised to get ping-pong tables up within 2 weeks.
State / Grove is totally overgrown with weeds. What’s the plan? Carmen will mention it to their team.
There’s a bench in Wooster Square Park stating that it has been donated by the management team, has some graffiti on it - Carmen will follow up on this.
Various break-ins at blighted property at 601 Chapel Street -- how can we prevent this building from getting burned up? Carmen has issued citations to building owner and will try to follow up
Town Green Special Services District
Happy hour every Thursday 4-7pm, Friday 4-7pm. Free event. Kid and dog friendly. Games from Elm City Games.
Flights of Fancy coming up July 25. Tickets available online, downtownnewhaven.com
Windowed World fliers -- accepting artist proposals. Deadline July 31st. Application online.
From Intersection to Connection: Following up on April event, 5-6:30pm July 16th @ Trinity Bar and restaurant
Flower program is up and running. Increased planters on Chapel, 22 more planters to go from College to Church. Goal is to create a more cohesive look / feel. Around 2400 plants currently
Will fountains in the Green be fixed? Will tables get put out? That fountain doesn’t belong to the Town Green District. Tables + chairs were put out for a number of months, but they were misused which violated TGD’s agreement. No safety ambassadors to help monitor the area. TGD in talks with proprietors to put tables + chairs out on the Green.
On Wooster Street by the park there used to be a piano -- will that be coming back? That’s out of TGD’s district, however Arts Council has placed a piano in Temple Plaza AND on Audubon bump-out. Daniel Fitzmaurice from the Arts Council would be able to swap these out / get them fixed. Lauren Brown is working on finding a coordinator for the Wooster Square piano
Will any new planters be on Crown between Church and Orange? Yes! ASAP...maybe not this year. They’ll probably be closer to Orange / Ninth Square area.
For the Green, can we have a synthetic ice rink in the winter? TGD will bring it up / research it.
Library partnering with Yale New Haven Hospital. Every newborn baby who is resident of NHV will receive a library card. Information attached to card printed in English and Spanish
Many events this summer, check nhfpl.org
Children’s room full of activities every day
For adults, “The Public” will be screening at the library on Saturday, July 27th. Followed by discussion
Tuesday July 23rd, Amazon will be in the library hiring workers for new North Haven facility
Ives Squared will be hosting virtual reality workshops in August
Welcome to Brenda Harris, new Ward 8 Alder
BOA meets monthly on first Monday June, July August
August 5th @ 7PM next meeting
Held a meeting with Y2Y late June. City Plan Commission allowed them approval to build second story addition
Brenda Harris’s number is 203-640-5436
Tenants at Farnam Courts are being moved out for new Mill River Crossing development
Ward Committee Meeting held meeting last night with all new mayoral candidates
Ellen Cupo is running for Ward 8 alder and was endorsed by ward committee
Mayor’s “5 year budget” was supposed to be submitted by July 15th
A meeting has been requested on the topic of electric bikes in the city
Orange Street will be closed from Wall to Grove to cars (not to pedestrians) July 27th - August 11th due to Frontier construction (this may be postponed to later in August)
Justin Elicker, Mayoral Candidate
Learn more about Justin's platform here.
Phone number: 203-500-2969
Youth Hostel, Paul Hammer
Paul Hammer -- bringing a youth hostel to Wooster Square
Would need to be downtown or downtown-adjacent
Inexpensive accommodation for international travelers
Currently in the process of looking for sites
This hostel would be privately owned + affiliated
It would be easiest to do this project in a commercial zone
People who stay in a hostel typically stay for ~3 days
The fact that New Haven is a transportation hub / home to many colleges and universities is a huge draw.
How many hostelers per room? 2 sex-segregated dormitories (male + female). Each with 10 bunks; 4-6 bunks per room. Possibility for 1-2 handicap-accessible private spaces
Are there any other hostels in New Haven? No. Yale students would be into the idea of a hostel.
Would there be food service? Maybe.
Is there an onsite person managing the place? Yes.
Read more about the project in the New Haven Independent here