Thomas Breen photo
Dixwell Alder Jeanette Morrison speaking in support of the skate park.
Alders voted unanimously to accept two grants totaling $75,000 to build out a new skate park in Dixwell’s Scantlebury Park.
That vote took place Monday night during the regular full Board of Alders meeting in the Aldermanic Chambers on the second floor of City Hall.
With a unanimous vote led by Dixwell Alder Jeanette Morrison, the board cast its support in favor of the construction of a new skate park which advocates say will encourage physical activity, outdoor recreation, and community building in Dixwell, and critics say will bring unwanted noise and traffic to an already crowded park.
Steve Roberts.
The project, spearheaded by local skateboarders Steve Roberts and J. Joseph, is slated to receive a $50,000 from the Could Be Fund, a $25,000 grant from Yale’s Schwarzman Center, and another $25,000 in capital fund dollars from the city parks department.
Morrison pitched her colleagues on the notion that this skate park will encourage teenagers to put down electronics and come outside, “sweat a little, get dirty,” and build relationships. The skate park will also be used as a stage and concert venue, she said, allowing former tenants of the Ashmun Street public housing complex that used to stand on the site of that very park to host reunions on a platform that doubles as a venue for skates.
Plus, she said, skateboarding will be an Olympic sport in the 2020 games. “In voting for the skate park,” she said, “you might be voting for our next Olympic winner.”
Affordable Housing Commission, Street Corner Renamings Passed
East Rock Alder Charles Decker speaking in support of the Affordable Housing Commission.
The alders also voted unanimously Monday night to create a new permanent Affordable Housing Commission, following up on the recommendations of the Affordable Housing Task Force.
The new body, charged with researching and proposing policies regarding the creation and preservation of affordable housing, will consist of 15 members, six of whom must have “specific and relevant lived experience as tenants or occupants of affordable housing and who reflect the diversity of the City,” per the language of the ordinance.
This new commission will help the city realize its goal of providing “additional safe, quality affordable housing,” Dwight Alder and Community Development Committee Chair Frank Douglass said. East Rock Alder Charles Decker added how proud he is that this commission will have spots for people with specific, lived experience related to the issue at hand, so that those closest to the problem have a say over how the city goes about crafting a solution.
Jeffie Frazier.
And the alders unanimously voted to rename two street corners after local living legends. They voted to rename the corner of Rock Street and Grace Street as “Betty Thomspon Corner,” after the longtime Cedar Hill neighborhood advocate.
They also voted to rename the entry to Wexler Grant School Parking Lot on Foote Street, across from Adam Claytown Powell Place, as “Jeffie Frazier Way,” in honor of the lifelong Dixwell educator and former Grant School principal.
Jeffie Frazier is in my hall of fame. She is the last of a group of educators created by the Civil Rights Movement. She spoke truth to power at all times including wayward parents who were not raising their children properly. She deserves everything we can give her while she can enjoy it.