Maya McFadden Photo
East Shore Senior Center.
East Shore neighbors pressed Mayor Justin Elicker at an online community meeting not to proceed with a threatened closing of their senior center.
The urging took place at the latest monthly East Shore Community Management Team (CMT) meeting, which took place online this past Tuesday evening.
Elicker appeared at the meeting to field questions about the city’s operating budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. Elicker has actually proposed two versions of the budget. One, the “crisis” version, would include closing the East Shore Senior Center on Townsend Avenue, the Whitney Avenue firehouse, and the Mitchell branch library in Westville if $53 million in new outside municipal aid fails to materialize.
Neighbors at the meeting urged Elicker to ditch plans to close the senior center and library and to raise taxes.
Elicker at Tuesday’s management team meeting.
Elicker claimed to be on the same side of the residents in not wanting to see those outcomes. He said the prospect of the closings or tax hikes should motivate citizens to press for more aid to the city.
“These are all really, really bad decisions,” Elicker said. “That’s why it’s so important for all of us to push the state and Yale University to address our revenue problems.”
Elicker has a committee negotiating increased voluntary payments from Yale. The state legislature is weighing increased aid to New Haven under a revised Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) program. The federal government is sending around $100 million to New Haven through the newly passed $1.9 trillion stimulus bill, though Elicker said most of that money is earmarked for uses separate from the city’s operating budget.
“You got 1,100 votes out here,” Nicholas Colavolpe told Elicker, in reference to the senior center plan. “Do you know that’s it’s not just for Ward 18?”
Seniors rely on the center for weekly hot meals, tax help, transportation, help with scheduling doctor appointments, and an intergenerational after-school program with Nathan Hale School students, Colavolpe noted.
“None of the things in that crisis budget are things that I want to do,” Elicker said. (Click here for a previous story about reaction in Westville to the “crisis” budget.)
CMT Chair Lisa Milone raised concerns about the long-term effects of both budgets. She said New Haven has a history of making decisions to fix present problems without tackling long-term challenges. “What about 10 years from now if Yale decides, ‘We’re not going to do that much’ because they don’t have to?” she said.
“In your budget, are you taking into consideration, which I’m assuming yes, long-term goals and long term plans?” she asked Elicker.
Elicker agreed that the city must work to avoid making one-time fixes when it comes to the budget. “The long term way to address this is not to continue cutting,” he responded. “We do not have an expense problem in New Haven we have a revenue problem.” Elicker’s budget, for instance, dramatically increases payments to the city’s underfunded pension accounts. Elicker told Milone that he sees the PILOT change as an example of longer-term strategy.
Sara and Riley: We need libraries.
Other neighbors echoed the concerns during interviews later in the week. While walking her dog Riley Thursday afternoon in the Cove, Sara, 24 who lives on the East Haven-New Haven border, said she hopes Yale give the city more money so the crisis budget can be eliminated. “Libraries are the heart of the community and a lifeline for a lot of people,” she said.
Sara (who declined to give her last name) works at a library in Branford. She said she felt “disheartened” about the possible closing of Mitchell branch library. During the pandemic Sara has helped people visiting her library get access to movies, printing, resume making, and Covid testing.
As for the senior center, Sara said she feels comfortable in the Morris Cove and wouldn’t want her neighbors to have to leave the neighborhood to get resources that the center currently offers.
“I wish Yale could tell us why they won’t give more money,” she said. “Because we all know New Haven needs work.”
Bill Gaudette on his Thursday walk.
Bill Gaudette moved to to the Morris Cove about two years ago from Cheshire. One reason Gaudette was attracted to move to the city was the presence of Yale. “It [Yale] gets people to the city but doesn’t help keep them,” he said. “I don’t get why Yale wouldn’t want to throw something In the till.”
The crisis budget proposes a 7.75 percent tax increase. “The taxes here are pretty high already. I pay about the same here as before, and my house is 2.5 times smaller than my home was in Cheshire,” Gaudette said.
Tuesday’s CMT meeting.
At the CMT meeting, neighbors also asked about road repaving. Elicker responded that Lighthouse Road and Townsend Avenue are part of the city’s commercial corridor initiative, which aims to improve traffic safety infrastructure and road quality.
Howie Blau asked Elicker what he has learned as mayor in the past near two years about the city’s relationship with Tweed New Haven Airport and Yale University.
“With Tweed, there is a real problem with trust,” Elicker responded. He added that New Haven should not continue to subsidize the airport in the future. As for Yale. Elicker said the university should recognize its financial commitment to the city.
Chuck Mascola agreed with Elicker and added that “it’s a fallacy that the city is in need of commercial travel in order to attract business.”
“If a significant airport is so important to the future of New Haven, why are Hartford and Springfield not excelling in growth and attracting business as they have what’s a real airport available to them?” Mascola asked.
“I think it’s important that the airport be able to fly on its own,” Elicker responded. Click here for a story about the new master plan for expanding the airport, and here for a story about neighborhood reaction.
this really just a scare tactic so that he can raise taxes and relieve everyone that he didn't close the library, a senior center or a firehouse. He strategically selected something in the three most vocal and organized parts of the city so that he could keep their support when he doesnt offend them by keeping their facilities around and then say but I had to raise taxes to do this for you. It was your choice..I said it two year ago and I say it now WOLF in Sheep's clothes