Markeshia Ricks Photo
Marjorie Wiener and WVRA’s Lizzy Donius pitch for Westville/West Hills …
… while Lena Largie goes to bat for Hill North.
After months of planning, neighborhood leaders from all over town served up a sample of what you can expect from their efforts to create a summer of fun — affordable fun — all over the city.
The leaders of the city’s 12 community management teams — who have formed a new “One City Initiative” — offered up that sample City Hall Thursday to showcase some of the activities planned for 60 days in all 12 neighborhoods.
The initiative kicks off with a “Family Fun Expo: June 28 at the New Haven Field House on Sherman Parkway, continues with the 60 days of neighborhood events, then culminates with a closing ceremony on the New Haven Green Aug. 26.
Fire Chief John Alston Jr. working on some future recruits.
During those 60 days, you can stop by the firehouses in each neighborhood and receive fire safety training. You can head to Westville to enter the Hi-Fi Pie Fest and enjoy the summer concert series in Beecher Park. You can learn to skateboard at Stetson Library or get your Zumba on in Dixwell. You can eat sundaes with your kids and read books from the library bookmobile on Mondays in Newhallville.
Mayor Toni Harp said that all of the activities planned under the One City Initiative will make certain that this will be “a summer to remember.”
Mayor Harp said this will be “a summer to remember.”
“New Haven is rich with talent, enthusiasm, and ambition,” she said. “This summer’s One City Initiative is building the community from within — adventures to be shared in every corner of our city with an invitation for all residents to attend and enjoy samples of the creative talents that will be on display this summer.”
Harris said One City Initiative is about building strong communities.
The idea to unite the city’s management teams to create affordable opportunities for families all over the city and encourage people to get out and explore the city was the brainchild of Newhallville Management Team Co-Chair Kim Harris, who said it took a village and team to make the whole thing come together.
City arts czar Andy Wolf and Wiener.
“It’s about building stronger communities through shared ideas and solutions,” Harris said of the initiative. “Newhallville is no different than any other neighborhood. We all need and want opportunities and access and examples and samples and just sharing ideas and solutions in order to make a difference.”
Claudine Wilkins-Chambers and Alder Delphine Clyburn speak with Stetson Librarian Diane Brown.
In addition to tons of fun, there will be training opportunities. The Newhallville Management Team with the support of the Newhallville Safe Neighborhood Initiative will host free, comprehensive training throughout the next three months for people who want to become leaders of their neighborhood management teams. The series will include an all-day youth conference on leadership and conflict resolution held in June; an adult training on the same topic will be held in July. In August, a workshop on creating a 501(c)(3) will be conducted by the Yale Law Clinic and the New Haven Legal Assistance Association. TA Management Team 101 training for new and established leaders will be taught by former Fair Haven Management Team co-chair Lee Cruz.
Former Hill Alder Johnny Dye.
Children who come to the family expo later this month will go home with tons of goodies including a book, thanks to Marjorie Wiener, co-chair of the Westville/West Hills Management Team, who collected 400 books from libraries in New Haven, Bethany, and Woodbridge. And you’ll be able to help stimulate the local economy and get a small discount at certain stores in the city thanks to a One City Initiative club card that you will be able to get at the expo.
Chief Alston and the world’s youngest volunteer firefighters.
Mayor Harp thanked all the management teams for coming up with creative and innovative ideas to showcase the city and their neighborhoods.
“The census says we’re the area that looks most like America demographically and what we’re showing the rest of America is that we can work together, have fun together and create community together,” she said. “I believe that once we do this, we will do it for years to come and show other cities how to become one city and one community.”
To learn more about the One City Initiative, check out the website here.
Read previous coverage of the initiative below.
• Neighborhoods Join Forces
• ‘One City’ Initiative Takes Shape
• How Neighborhoods Started Joining Forces
• Orange, Minus Cars
Click the Facebook Live vide below to see the press conference at City Hall and recent “One City” appearances of the management teams on WNNH’s Dateline New Haven Program.
Individuals and groups that want to post events can go to https://www.onecityinitiative.org. The more, the merrier!