New Haven Independent

GAVA Eyes Special Services District

by Allan Appel | April 4, 2008 8:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

nhifhmgnt%20006.JPG Gabriela Campos has big plans for Fair Haven, including launching a mirror image of the downtown Town Green Special Services District.

Campos (on the right in photo) is the new executive director of the Grand Avenue Village Association (GAVA).

On the job only two weeks from previous assignment as an organizer with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Campos spoke, along with longtime GAVA board co-chair Norma Franceschi, to the Fair Haven management team on Thursday.

They both wanted to focus on the short term, which is bright with new street lights for the avenue, and with planters of flowers adorning Grand approximately from Ferry to James. The planters, which will be obtained through the same vendor as the one working with the Town Green Special Services District, will adorn the street as early as later this spring.

Longer term, the pair wants to create the special services district, which would collect money from merchants for dedicated public-improvement projects.

GAVA received $20,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven to study the plan’s feasibility. Established in 1999, GAVA is a membership-based non-profit supporting local business.

“A special district has many benefits,” Francheschi said, “like more policing, more clean-up.” She also cited the small crew of uniformed “ambassadors” who provide maintenance, security, and a friendly face to the Town Green area.

That, of course, comes with a price — more taxes. Self-taxation indeed is what’s required for the merchants to agree to support this mutual effort. Some 54 businesses, along with non-commercial property owners, would need to agree to the plan. So the effort, according to Franceschi, “is in diapers,” meaning the very early stages.

Campos was brought on to move the plan out of diapers. She has already been in conversation with Kelly Murphy, the city’s economic development administrator. The initial thinking is to rally the GAVA and other merchants in stages. Stage one of the special district might be to conceive of the district “from bridge to bridge” — that is, stretching from the Grand Avenue Bridge at Front Street to the bridge over the Mill River, where Grand Avenue Paint resides.

A second phase might include enlisting the establishments running from the Mill River down to Olive Street.

“As soon as we have preliminary plans laid out, we’ll have meetings and solicit public input,” Campos said.

In the meantime, she’s focused on getting those lights and planters out there. GAVA’s single employee will be in charge of maintaining the new planters. “All of you,” said Franceschi, “are too young to remember how wonderful Grand Avenue was 30 years ago. We need to make it that way again.”

She said that with Campos on board, the hope is to move close enough to special district” status” so that Grand Avenue will be connected in a new way to downtown New Haven within two years.”

Campos is originally from Peru. She has lived in New Haven for only year. She came to town with her husband Sean Matteson, the mayor’s chief of staff.

Share this story

Share |

Comments

Posted by: gabriela | April 4, 2008 1:36 PM

The Grant for the planters comes from Empower New Haven. We are very thankful for their continued support. If anyone wants to lend their support to GAVA and our beautiful Fair Haven please email us with your ideas, gava@att.net. Thank You.

Posted by: Walt | April 6, 2008 2:05 PM

The story first suggests a laudable self- help project with those benefitting, as special district members, paying an extra tax to support their own special treatments and expenses

Then it deteriorates, indicating it is actually just a new business-welfare group, seeking special treatment paid for via Empower New Haven, which appears to be really using taxpayer $$$ from places other than Fair Haven, New Haven, or even CT,very far from self-help as originally misleadingly described..

Added funds are to be kicked in by the Community Foundation and more taxpayer bucks (local State and federal) via the City's taxpayer supported programs.

Which is it?

Your story indicates both and is thus very confusing.

Possibly not one single buck will be raised from the Grand Ave businesses which are the beneficiaries of the lights and flower boses!!!

A smaller rip-off of the taxpayers, but very similar to the Shubert funding

Posted by: Walt | April 6, 2008 3:07 PM

Sorry. "Flower boxes" of course.

Plus

Couldn't the Grand Ave merchants at least water the flowers so that other taxpayers would not have to hire someone to do so?

Leeches or entrepreneurs?

Posted by: Gabriela | April 7, 2008 3:36 PM

The Grand Avenue Village Association is a non-profit organization. Like every non-profit it functions with a combination of membership dues, donations and grants. GAVA is not currently a Special Service District, but is exploring the possibilities of becoming one in order to collectively be able to do more for the avenue. GAVA is made up of individuals who have a stake in the community and are deeply committed to it. Walt, I hope this clarifies some of your questions. my email is posted above, feel free to email me.

Posted by: Walt | April 7, 2008 5:59 PM

Gabriela

Thanks, but I have no interest in paying more taxes or making more donations in order to provide more amenities for Grand Avenue merchants,

The idea of forming a Special Services District to improve the area sounds good , but currently plans are just to improve the area with my, and other folks, dough instead of their own,

Good luck in getting them to pay at least -part of their own expenses. Why retailers consider themselves worthy of business welfare is something I have never understood.

It is similar to the non-Shubert attendees among New Haven taxpayers being forced to pay Shubert expenses through their taxes, instead of making its beneficiaries,the attendees, the bars and restaurants Downtown who are raking in the dough, pay the expenses,

I don't expect these wasteful expenditures to stop, but I'll continue to point out its unfairness when the occasion arises.

Do not need any more info, but thanks for the offer.

Posted by: Ned | April 9, 2008 10:52 AM

What's stopping property owners from planting some flowers or sweeping the sidewalks/gutters in front of their stores now? How long do you think before the planters turn into garbage bins and or boxes of dead plants full of dirt?

GAVA Eyes Special Services District

Comments

Sorry, Comments are closed for this entry

Sections

Neighborhood News

Special Sections

Legal Notices

Some Favorite Sites

Government/ Community Links

Flyerboard

Sponsors

N.H.I. Site Design & Development

NHI Store

News Feed