Quality Of Life Tackled Back In Real Life

The wind whipped. Flyers scattered. A generator roared from Lucky’s Star Bus Cafe. Passing engines vroomed.

Some news under discussion was good news. Some, like rising gun violence, cause for concern.

None of it could dampen the mood of celebration Tuesday night as 40 people gathered on the grounds of Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School. They were doing something they hadn’t done in more than a year of Covid-19: hold a Hill South Committee Management Team meeting in person. Not on Zoom.

There was a lot of hard work to do to address quality of life in the Hill, and enthusiasm to do it in real life, freer of pandemic restrictions.

It was, as team stalwart Angela Hatley put it, ​“a celebration of getting back to life, not just life, but quality of life.”

Dirt Bikes & Walking Beats

First up was Sgt. Justin Marshall, district commander for both the Hill South and Hill North police districts. (Hill North CMT was also in attendance; they two teams traditionally hold their monthly meeting jointly in June .)

Marshall reported on property crime, including burglaries on commercial properties being constructed from vacant houses. ​“We do see a trend here, of drug-dependent individuals breaking into these properties and stealing the tools that are there,” he said.

He said there’s also been a trend toward property stolen from cars, and asked people to lock their vehicles and refrain from leaving their valuables in their cars. ​“I’m going to keep banging that drum,” he said.

Marshall then addressed dirt bike issues in the Hill.

“Yeah,” a woman called out. ​“They’re speeding like 110 miles per hour.” There was a chorus of agreement in the audience.

Marshall nodded. ​“They go a little faster than a police car, and we’re not too good on the grass, but we are aware of the issue and we are working on it,” he said.

As if on cue, a dirt bike revved and vroomed, drowning out the rest of his words. Someone groaned. 

Marshall then reported on new police walking beats in the area, a response to the steep increase in gun violence in the area. It’s part of a citywide ​“Summer Reset” initiative funded by federal pandemic relief.

He said he would be walking with another officer between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on a different street every night. ​“I’m going to be looking for specific areas affected by violence, as well as other crimes.”

“We’re going to be out there for engagement, talking with people, seeing what their issues are, but we can’t do it ourselves,” he said. ​“We need you out there with us, saying hi to your neighbors, asking them how they’re doing.”

He called on those at the meeting to join him. A few at the meeting expressed interest. Marshall said he would apprise the alders and management chairs of his location each night.

Marshall then announced the recent revival and expansion of a regional law-enforcement shooting task force, another response to the local and nationwide spike in violence. The city held a press conference about that a day earlier. (Read about that here.)

“I think that might help quell the violence,” he said.

With that, Suzan Henriquez-Whitted spoke up. Upon learning that the task force would be made up only of law enforcement officers, she voiced concern. ​“Who is watching to make sure the task force is doing the right thing?” she asked. A lively interchange with Marshall ensued until McIver called for order.

Wilson Library & Juneteenth

Meghan Currey, the new branch manager at Wilson Branch Library, then took the floor.

“It’s your library,” she said. ​“That means every single program we plan, every book that we buy, everything that we do is for you.”

She announced a Juneteenth celebration hosted by this library on Saturday, June 19. The event, which will take place at Five Star Laundromat, will feature local artists and poets, and a line-up of community speakers to celebrate the unveiling of New Haven’s Hill Mural. (Read more about that project in this previous article.)

The mural includes a rendering of Coretta Scott King and a poem from Sun Queen, as well as ​“Black Boy Joy,” an original work by Isaac Bloodworth. ​“It really brightens up the Hill and brings beauty to our streets,” Currey said.

From the back, Tommie Shaw stood up from her folding chair.

“Madame Chair, if I may, I’d like to add that the U.S. Senate yesterday passed a bill that Juneteenth is to be a federal holiday,” she said, her voice shaking with emotion. The crowd applauded.

Concrete Details

Next up was Ralph Mauro of Concrete Creations LLC. In December 2019, he won a density variance from the Board of Zoning Appeals to allow his company to build 10 apartments on the 14,000 square-foot combined lot on 232 – 238 Columbus Ave. (Click here to read a previous story about that.)

Mauro reported the project is going forward and is set for zoning approval in July.

“May I speak?” a member of the management team’s housing committee, Angela Hatley, asked McIver. She said their main concern has always been one of density. ​“If we learned anything during Covid in this neighborhood, it’s that ten units is way too dense for that little lot. Six units we can live with, but not ten.”

Mauro said his company went with the denser plan at the direction of the city.

“Those same city officials told us that this project was not going to go forward until we met and ironed out our concerns,” Hatley responded. Then came the pandemic, and ​“all of a sudden, you’re buying the property, and this wasn’t supposed to happen until we actually met.”

Mauro agreed to meet with the housing committee next week for further discussion. 

Traffic-Calming

City Engineer Giovanni Zinn provided an update on Howard Avenue improvements. (Click here to read a previous article about that.)

Zinn reported that the city is awaiting approval from the state for the final of five signalized intersections, this one at Columbus Avenue. ​“It’s a state road,” he said, ​“so it requires a little extra review.”

He said the city anticipates getting all the final sign-offs this summer, a final contract, and ​“fingers crossed, something in the ground before winter.”

Addressing speed humps, he said the city will be adding 60 to 80 across New Haven, some in the Hill.

“We don’t need them in the Hill,” someone called out. Another woman said she couldn’t see the sign warning her of a speed bump because it was blocked by branches.

Zinn encouraged her to use SeeClickFix to report the problem.

And Then Celebration

“Can we have a motion to adjourn and celebrate?” McIver asked after she’d dispatched of old and new business.

“Amen to that,” someone said.

As a spirited gospel version of ​“Stand by Me” rose above the cacophony of the dirt bikes, meeting-goers bumped elbows and hugged, and the aroma of fried chicken floated through the air from Lucky’s Star Bus Cafe.

Awaiting her meal, Henriquez-Whitted, who’d earlier registered concerns about the Shooting Task Force, said she had spoken with Sgt. Marshall.

“We didn’t work it out, but we had a conversation, so that’s a beginning,” she said. ​“A conversation is a beginning.”