Progress in our Town I hope that everyone is enjoying the first few nice, cool days of fall. In today's E-Gov Newsletter I wanted to give a few updates on positive projects happening in Town. If anyone has any questions about these or any other project, please feel free to drop me an e-mail.
On to the show:
The Hamden Middle School
As promised, our new Hamden Middle School opened on-time and on-budget. The School Building Committee is continuing to work with the various contractors and vendors to finish “punch-list” items and put on finishing touches.
The Town has taken over the landfill/tornado materials removal aspect of the project and is expected to move the materials to our Town’s Transfer Station where it will be properly capped via Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) standards.
It’s been a great feeling to get e-mails and a few phone calls from parents and students who are enjoying their first weeks in this modern new facility. And, the best part, the State of Connecticut is paying for 2/3 of the school cost through our education cost sharing grant – leaving only 1/3 of the cost on Hamden taxpayer wallets.
Town Finances
Hamden, while still in murky fiscal waters, has taken strides to move from crisis to a manageably problem. Independent municipal bonding agencies complemented the Town recently on its non-deficit budgets prepared by the last two Legislative Council sessions, for its increase in the pension funding and stabilizing of the undesignated fund balance.
In addition, they noted that Hamden appeared to be moving in the right direction with the new Financial Team and strategies being implemented.
A major Town computer overhaul and upgrade is taking place.
It is updating a 20-year old computer program so archaic that it wouldn’t allow the Town to implement some of the creative tax strategies that we wanted to consider this year to help with the too high residential property tax.
Once finished, we will have the chance to implement such progressive programs during next year’s budget process in the spring of 2007.
Hamden Police Department
The Hamden Police Department, under the leadership of new Police Chief Wydra is making excellent strides. A recently implemented “Selective Enforcement Team” (SET) has been formed to introduce an improved Police presence in several neighborhoods. The team has had the success of not only getting to know many of our Town’s residents better, but they’ve also made an impressive number of arrests.
Revaluation of Property Taxes
Many of us were hit hard in the pocketbook this year because of a flawed Revaluation process. Over the last several months a citizen organization, the Town and the Legislative Council have been discussing and debating potential Revaluation Phase-In options and how the options would impact our Town and our residents. Most important, we were exploring what was feasible with our current computer system and tax collection process.
The most recent update was a letter that I sent to State Senator Martin Looney and Joseph Crisco asking for additional information that the Hamden Homeowners for Tax Relief had asked about.
I await the information and will report it here when received.
Hamden Town Green Update
The Hamden Town Green Committee, headed by Councilman Matt Fitch, in conjunction with the Town, is finalizing its selection of consultants for the Town Green Project.
Some of the initial ideas the Committee is recommending include a walking trail connected to the
Farmington Canal, winter ice skating and other passive recreation uses.
It will be wonderful for Hamden to finally have on official Town Green. In addition to the very popular concert series, which we hope to expand, we’ve been exploring the idea of showing some movies on the Green in the way that New Haven does in the summer.
The naming of the land at the former Meadowbrook golf course is undecided at this time – my vote goes to calling it the Hamden Town Green or the Meadowbrook Town Green.
Keefe Community Center
The Keefe Community Center, the Town’s main community center where many human services are offered, is getting some much needed improvements this month, including boiler repairs for heat.
Hamden High School
Quick update – the air conditioning project is in the final stages – for the entire building - and will finally be ready for the 2007 spring and summer seasons. Staff and students will have the long awaited relief they deserve and the more comfortable environment to cultivate learning.
As you can see, along with some of the not so perfect things happening in Hamden, there’s progress and achievement to point to. Sometimes a person can become so consumed with looking for faults that he/she loses perspective on the good occurring.
Often, people with this mindset also forget to work to solve problems since they spend so much time just attacking political opponents. Attacking is easy – finding a solution is hard. A wise piece of advice was given to me a long time ago … if you oppose a project or idea, then you should be ready to propose an alternative. Some of the critics don’t take this advice.
Sure there are bumps in the road – but I think we’re back on the right track.
