WEB Seeds Public Art, Gardening, & Lit

The Whalley, Edgewood, and Beaver Hills neighborhoods are in for a number of community engagement-driven initiatives including a literacy festival, a community mural, park trail repairs, and a community garden.

That is the result of a vote Tuesday night by members of the Whalley, Edgewood, and Beaver Hills (WEB) community management team on how to spend a $15,575 budget from LCI’s Neighborhood Public Improvement Program (NPIP).

The meeting took place at the Whalley Avenue police substation.

Four projects were presented during the monthly meeting, and all were approved.

This year the NPIP funding for each of the city’s community management teams was raised to $20,000, raised from $10,000 the year before. Tuesday night the vote concerned how to spend much of $15,575 remaining in this year’s budget after money has already been spent on 2019 Armory Community Garden weekly consultations and WEB fitness classes hosted every Saturday. The city will take back its funding if not spent by June 30.

Stephanie FitzGerald, a volunteer leader for the friends of Edgewood Park Group, proposed the team invest in making $5,000 worth of repairs to the stairs near Whalley and West Park Avenue. The stairs provide access to the Edgewood trail. The approved repairs will improve the look of the park and safety for its users, FitzGerald said.

When FitzGerald asked who has used the stairs, more than half of the members in the room raised their hands.

To construct the plan for the repairs FitzGerald met with city chief landscape Architect Katherine Jacobs and Outdoor Adventures Coordinator Martin Torresquintero in advance.

For the project, FitzGerald plans to host a meeting at the site for bidders to attend and learn the job parameters. The job will then be offered to the lowest bidder. The project will provide funding to repair eight stairs in the park, each 12 feet wide.

Lauren Anderson, co-founder of People Get Ready, a bookspace on Whalley Avenue that opened in October 2019, received approval from neighbors for a community mural that is literacy and community themed.

With the goal of providing more vibrancy along the Whalley corridor, Anderson was approved to spend $1,800.

The project will be done in three phases, Anderson said. The plan is to start in April or May with selecting the site and receiving city permission for the creation of the mural with the inclusion of having a community input process.

The second phase will be the design and development process, during which an artist will be selected with the help of the community in May or June.

Finally, in June or July, the third phase will include the installation of the mural and public unveiling through a community celebration.

“It [mural] can deepen and extend a sense of belonging among diverse groups,” Anderson said.

After the project was approved by the members, neighbor David Santiago made the suggestion for the project planners to consider investing in lighting for the mural and a protection plan to avoid and/or repair any defacing.

A call for writers from the WEB neighborhoods will be put out in the near future by IfeMichelle Gardin for a literacy-infused community event.

Gardin won approval to pay two writers to present at an inaugural Elm City Lit Fest on April 25.

The festival will celebrate literature and local artists at the Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology (CONNCAT).

Nadine Horton, WEB Management Team chair, got the community yes for a request of $2,225 to maintain the Armory Community Garden. Horton’s plan is to compensate Root Life LLC founder Dishaun Harris, also known as Native Praxis, for the garden’s management services for the growing season. The funds will also be used to purchase the garden’s seeds and other supplies. When the garden was first established in 2017 Praxis provided his services for free.

“If it was anyone else we would pay them, so he deserves the money,” Horton said.

The garden will be invested in for another year to inspire healthful eating in the community.

“Not only do we grow food, but we also grow relationships,” Horton said.

After the four approvals, a total of $9,525 will be used from the NPIP budget, leaving a substantial portion of money still left. After her calulations, Horton extended the team’s deadline for project proposals to next months meeting.

One possible proposal to look forward to at the March meeting will be a community block party, which Edgewood Alder Evette Hamilton suggested during the meeting.