Monday

Monday, Monday .... So good to me ....

Whoever wrote that clearly doesn't know what the word Monday means.



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Working to Solve Hamden Pension Crisis

By Ann DeMatteo, Register Staff adematteo@nhregister.com / Twitter: @annddematteo HAMDEN — The Legislative Council took initial steps Wednesday night toward finding a solution for the drastically underfunded pension fund, but answers won’t come for another six months. A council committee unanimously agreed to a bid waiver to hire The Segal Co. as a pension plan design consultant for $90,000. The full council will take action Monday. Council members wanting to be sure the information would be available before the 2013-14 budget is final asked how long it would take to get the information. Curt Leng, Mayor Scott D. Jackson’s chief aide, said it would take about six months. In response to another question, Leng said he believes “information will flow” about what the consultant is learning as time goes on. Already, he said, the mayor has had discussions with unions and is looking at working collaboratively with council members. “Without the unions being partners, a comprehensive solution can’t be reached,” Leng said. Leng said the mayor was seeking a bid waiver because Segal, based in Atlanta, already is working for the town on health insurance and pension matters. “They’re very good at this and we want experts with good qualifications to develop a comprehensive solution,” he said.

Fixing Hamden Pension Fund #1 Priority

By Ann DeMatteo, Register Staff adematteo@nhregister.com / Twitter: @annddematteo HAMDEN — A new report on the town’s failing pension fund says that the fund will be broke in four years if nothing is done to improve the situation. The financial nightmare can only be avoided if comprehensive solutions are found, Mayor Scott D. Jackson said in a May 1 memorandum to the Legislative Council. Tonight , the council will meet with financial advisers about the pension, pension obligation bonds and current investment returns. The council will vote on the budget Wednesday night. Jackson gave the council the pension cash flow analysis that reviews the scenario with and without pension obligation bonds. The document was created by the Hamden Retirement Board’s new financial adviser, David Lee of Dahab Associates. Solving the pension crisis in a “comprehensive and well-planned manner” is the town’s top priority in the coming fiscal year, according to the mayor. According to the report, the fund now has $62.5 million and pays out about $20 million a year. According to Jackson and the report, the fund will be in deficit by 2016 if only regular contributions from the town and employees are used. The budget would also have to include enough money for a “pay-as-you-go” pension program and the town’s contribution of $20 million. Even with a $90 million infusion of pension obligation bonds, the fund will be in deficit by 2023, without a comprehensive solution, according to Jackson. Under the $90 million pension obligation bond scenario, with no comprehensive solution, the town would have to contribute between $13 and $18 million from the operating budget from now to 2022, on top of a $7.5 million debt service per year for 20 years for the bonds. Curt Leng, Jackson’s chief aide, said a comprehensive program would have to include changes in union contracts, as well as possibly changing the age and years of service someone would need in order to collect. “The town would also have to put in a significant amount of capital outlay and get all of the parties to do their part,” he said. The Legislative Council has been meeting on the mayor’s proposed $192 million budget, and a full discussion on how to handle the pension has yet to be held. As it stands now, the council has added about $1 million to the mayor’s budget, or .29 mills higher than the tax rate of the 36.85 mills proposed by Jackson for 2012-13. Council members want the budget to be lower, but have been having a difficult time making cuts. Last week, on the motion of Republicans Betty Wetmore and Austin Cesare, the council eliminated a part-time position for a traffic director. Jackson proposed the $35,000 position to assist with implementing the town’s traffic calming efforts. Instead, the money would go toward consultants and traffic calming tools. The council voted to cut $200,000 from the Fire Department sub-straight time and $70,000 from police overtime. Councilman Harry Gagliardi, D-2, asked Leng to provide the council with a list of all discretionary funds in an attempt to figure out what else can be cut because he doesn’t want to raise taxes. A motion he made to eliminate two of the three police deputy chiefs and to add two patrol officers instead was rejected. Leng reported to the council that a retirement incentive plan for town employees is still in the works. It doesn’t appear as if council members are willing to touch the $80.3 million the mayor has recommended for the Board of Education. Cesare called the number “very critical” and questioned whether things would move forward if the school budget were to be cut. “I will not vote to reduce it even more. It’s tough times for everybody, but the $80.3 million doesn’t begin to meet the costs” necessary to provide every student an education, said Scott Harris, D-9.

Hamden Finally Has a New Police HQ

Hamden Police Department moves to new home By Ann DeMatteo, Register Staff adematteo@nhregister.com / Twitter: @annddematteo HAMDEN — While the Police Department moves into its new digs, the Legislative Council is getting ready to approve another contract for Diggs Construction. Police Chief Thomas J. Wydra told the Legislative Council Monday night that central communications and 911 were moved to the new police station during the day. Detectives also moved in. Wydra later credited Utility Communications and AT&T for “fine work” in Monday’s transition, as well as to the New Haven Police Department for handling the town’s 911 calls. “Ninety percent of the property is moved in from the old buildings. The rest will happen over the next two days,” the chief said later. He said all will be in the new building by Thursday. For the last 2½ years, the old Memorial Town Hall at Dixwell and Whitney avenues has been under construction, with the adjacent Fire Department space being renovated, and the new police station added to the newly renovated 1924 structure. It is expected the Fire Department will move in next month. The council’s Planning and Development Committee Monday night approved an agreement to keep Diggs Construction of Hartford as the town’s construction consultant and owner’s representative for the remainder of the renovation. The company already has been paid about $160,000 and will be paid just under $300,000 through the rest of the project, said Curt Leng, chief administrative officer. The money will come from the $40 million project allocation, which hasn’t exceeded its bonding limit, Leng said. Diggs serves as a liaison between the Town Building Committee, the administration and A.P. Construction of Stamford, which is the construction manager and adviser. “If we didn’t have the assistance of Diggs on this project, there’s no way the Police Department would have moved in this week. Their services have been exemplary,” especially in terms of developing an accurate construction schedule, Leng said. The Police Department received a temporary occupancy permit Friday from the Building Department, Leng said.

Traffic Calming in Hamden

By Ann DeMatteo, Register Staff adematteo@nhregister.com / Twitter: @annddematteo HAMDEN — The town, in cooperation with residents, is moving ahead with “traffic calming.” A plan to improve east-west traffic flow in the Spring Glen and Whitneyville neighborhoods has been completed, and other “calming” options are being pursued. Some roads already have been painted with directional lines and symbols, aimed at getting traffic to slow down, said Curt Balzano Leng, the town’s chief administrative officer. “Throughout Spring Glen and Whitneyville, we will do our best to implement paint-only and in-street signage, stop bars and crosswalks,” keeping costs down, Leng said. A steering committee, made up of town officials and civic association representatives, has reviewed the east-west transportation study by Fitzgerald & Halliday Inc. and some recommendations will be implemented, Leng said. For example, a small traffic circle will be installed at Connolly Parkway, Thornton and Elgin streets to help prevent drivers from running stop signs. Traffic calming has been a focus in the administration of Mayor Scott D. Jackson, as requested by residents. The South Central Regional Council of Governments paid $40,000 for the east-west study. It recommends spending more than $1 million over five years on traffic improvements. Plans to begin a traffic study of the Hamden Plains and Wintergreen Avenue area are under way, according to COG Executive Director Carl Amento. Once a company is hired to perform the study, it will run from September 2012 to June 2013, he said. The town will pay $15,000 for a study of the West Woods neighborhood. The east-west study recommends a variety of traffic-calming methods, most of which are inexpensive, Amento said. Some can be temporary, to determine their effectiveness, before proceeding. For instance, rubber humps can be used before pavement humps are installed. All are intended to get drivers to be more attentive and slow down, Amento said. Francisco Gomes of Fitzgerald & Halliday presented the east-west transportation study at Miller Library Senior Hall. Hamden has limited east-west connectivity, the report notes. Traffic is increasing along those routes as drivers try to avoid north-south congestion, it says. Roads studied were Ardmore, Armory, Augur, Elgin, Haverford, Mather, Treadwell, Waite, Putnam and Connolly Parkway. Woodlawn Street residents, irritated that their street wasn’t included, were at the meeting. They said it didn’t make sense to exclude Woodlawn because it connects to Whitney Avenue and has no stop signs. “Speeding is bad. Our stretch is way longer. How could they not see that?” asked Jan Hagens. Officials have said that just because Woodlawn wasn’t included doesn’t mean it won’t get improvements. “It’s important to understand this isn’t the final chapter. It’s the prologue, a jumping off point. It doesn’t mean you’re not eligible for traffic calming,” said Julie Smith, deputy chief administrative officer. Hagens maintained, however, that “an entire neighborhood needs to be looked at in a systematic, wholistic way so ... street is not pitted against street.” Eileen M. O’Neill, a Gordon Street resident affiliated with civic associations and the townwide steering committee, said she will attend a Woodlawn meeting and “get them into the game.” It will be Saturday at the home of Carol Cheney. O’Neill said she doesn’t like the consultant’s proposal for a “T” intersection at Waite and Mather streets. The report says that would simplify the intersection, reduce speeds and provide space for sidewalks. “My dream is to make it a park-recreation setting. I don’t know if my dreams will come true, but it’s a treasure to be able to walk along Lake Whitney.”

Baseball

Baseball season is here, friends. Can't wait to see the new Sox in action. Predictions for winners?

New Playground Coming!

By Ann DeMatteo, Register Staff
adematteo@nhregister.com / Twitter: @annddematteo

HAMDEN — The town’s most popular play area for children, Larry’s Playground, is going to be refurbished and relocated at Bassett Field.

“It’s part of the plans for a revitalized Bassett Field and safety improvements,” said Curt Leng, chief administrative officer.

The Legislative Council voted Monday night to allow Mayor Scott D. Jackson to apply for state capital improvement aid that will pay for the work. The town will spend up to $259,215 in state money.

Existing playground equipment will be removed and new equipment from GameTime will be installed in an adjacent area to avoid the drainage problem the playground has.


According to town Grants Administrator Florence Villano, the current site, opened in 1995, has developed serious drainage issues, leaving a large section of the playground unusable for a good part of the year. The original playground equipment, made of pressure-treated wood, has outlived its useful life. The old location will be graded and seeded and used for passive recreation, Villano wrote in a memo to Jackson.

Julie Smith, deputy chief administrative officer, said the work should start in mid-May after the town seeks bids through the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance, the leading national government purchasing cooperative. The town now will apply for the state grant.

The new playground will have a rubber safety surface, access for those with disabilities and other improvements.

Also in the coming months, the town plans to improve Bassett Field, according to Leng. New sidewalks will be installed along Ridge Road and Waite Street, and parking will be added across from the field, adjacent to the Hamden Dog Park.

“We will expand the size of the parking on Waite Street, gaining 20 to 30 spaces,” Leng said.

High sidewalks along the park side of Waite Street will prevent patrons from parking on the road, improving safety, Leng said. People will be able to access the park at the corner of Waite and Ridge, or at a new crosswalk planned for Waite Street. Speed tables will be installed on Waite to reduce speeding near the park.

Learning

We learn more and more
about more things every day if we try.


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Santorum???

Really?



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How Can We Improve Our Town

In 2012?



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Live VH Concert Thursday?

Check out www.vhnd.com for info about a possible small venue live show from the boys on Thursday in New York.

Info at the following Rolling Stone link:


http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/van-halen-to-perform-at-new-yorks-cafe-wha-this-thursday-20120102

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Music News - Van Halen Press Conference Tomorrow?

Maybe to announce tour plans and album - stay tuned!

The Van Halen News Desk (VHND.com) has breaking news on all things surrounding the much anticipated new Van Halen album! Here’s the schedule of events leading up to the new album’s release:

JANUARY 3rd:
*CONCERT DATES & CITIES ANNOUNCED for first wave of tour

JANUARY 10th:
*FIRST SINGLE PREMIERE
*FIRST MUSIC VIDEO PREMIERE
*CONCERT TICKETS GO ON SALE

FEBRUARY 7th:
NEW ALBUM RELEASE DATE

ALBUM TITLE: “The Future” is not the album title, as rumored. Stay tuned to VHND.com for an update on the actual album and song titles.

Happy New Year 2012

Working on blogging more for 2012, politics, as usual - but also with music, movies and sports. First attempt to update is today with the addition of my live twitter feed to the website. Enjoy and pass it along if you like it!

Tough on Blight

L
By Ann DeMatteo, Assistant Metro Editor

HAMDEN — Bradley Avenue residents are upset by the overgrown grass and weeds at the former Colonial Funeral Home, and the same goes for neighbors of properties on the town’s Top 12 anti-blight list.

Linda Robertson-Matson has been pulling and sweeping away weeds in the street in front of Colonial at Bradley and Circular avenues. Weeds and tall grass circle the building and grow on lots nearby.

Similar sites can be seen at 1372 Dixwell Ave., 25 and 83 Collins St., 104 Dix St., 55 Merritt St., 17 Dest Drive, 1470 Shepard Ave., 50 Maplewood Terrace, 69 Bradley Ave., and 831 Wintergreen Ave., addresses that are on the radar of the Anti-Blight Task Force, according to Curt Balzano Leng, chief administrative officer to Mayor Scott D. Jackson.

“The town is really tired of dealing with continually blighted properties and is taking a tough stance,” Leng said of the properties. All but the Wintergreen Avenue address are vacant, according to the task force list.

Violators can face notices of violation, citations, fines, liens, foreclosures and arrest, depending on the situation and which town agency has jurisdiction, Leng said.

People on Bradley and Circular avenues have been calling about the former funeral home’s condition. According to town and state records, the property is owned by Twenty-Seven Blake Enterprises LLC, whose agent is Paul Moraski of Country Hills Road.

Leng said the town will be hiring a contractor “as soon as possible” to clean up the funeral home and parking lot. Liens will be taken out to pay for the cleanup, he said.

Moraski didn’t return a phone call seeking comment.

Robertson-Matson on Monday said she and others are concerned that if properties aren’t taken care of, they attract “crime, violence and more of a police presence.”

On July 7, Assistant Zoning Enforcement Officer Adam Zona sent anti-blight and property maintenance violation notices to Moraski, who lost his funeral home license in 2006. Both the Superior and Supreme courts rejected his appeals.

“A citation is going out this afternoon,” Zona said Monday.

Despite the town’s action, Robertson-Matson isn’t satisfied.

“It’s too slow a process. I wrote a letter to the mayor last year. Why do things take so long? You’re tired of driving by that every day.”

The town also has sent violation notices and citations to Leona Rogers Sealy of North Carolina, owner of 50 Maplewood Terrace. She has been fined $100 a day since June 30, according to Zona. Sealy couldn’t be reached.

The Planning and Zoning Department is having the planting strips on the property lines mowed and liens will be put on the property for the cost of mowing, Leng said.

Contact Ann DeMatteo at 203-789-5716. Follow her on Twitter at AnnDDeMatteo. To receive breaking news first, simply text the word nhnews to 22700. Standard msg+data rates may apply.


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Transfer Station Open for Business with Town Employees at a Cost Savings to the Town!

Transfer Station to Remain Under Town Control; Rink Workers Still in Limbo

The town has come to an agreement that keeps town workers running the transfer station, still dealing with ice rink workers who must return to work by court order.

By Kathleen Ramunni | Email the author | 3:00pm


Efforts to privatize the town's transfer station have been abandoned, Mayor Scott Jackson's Chief Administrative Officer Curt Leng told the Legislative Council this week.

Last year Jackson indicated a desire to bring in an outside company to run the station after problems arose there, and had been trying to strike an agreement with Trash Master, the company that collects residential garbage and recyclables, to run it.

Also at that time the operation of the Lou Astorino Rink was privatized but the State Labor Board recently ruled that was done illegally and the town must bring back the four town employees who lost their jobs because of it.

"The transfer station is coming to a very sound resolution," Leng said. "I want to thank the Public Works Union for working with the town over the last several months crafting this money-saving agreement."

Beginning next year, the new agreement is expected to save the town $150,000, Leng said, and improve service at the station, including added hours two Saturdays a month. The station will be run with three employees rather than the five that have worked there in the past.

"The short term message to the public is the transfer station is open for business and run at a lower cost," he said. "It's a win-win for the town."

But what will happen with the displaced rink workers is still being determined, Leng said. The town is appealing the Labor Board's ruling. Read more about it here.

"Negotiations and discussions with the union are ongoing," Leng said. "The council will get the recommendations which will be submitted in July to [the council]."

Concern Over Potential Loss of State Funds to Hamden

Town Officials Worried About State Union Vote

If state unions reject concessions, aid to cities and towns could be cut.

By Kathleen Ramunni | Email the author | June 23, 2011

News Wednesday that two major state unions had rejected proposed concessions aimed at closing a $1.6 million state budget gap sent shivers up the spines of local officials who fear the rejected concessions could cost town taxpayers.

Gov. Dannel Malloy crafted his 2011-12 state budget assuming the savings from the state employee unions and has said if those concessions aren't approved, thousands of state employees will receive pink slips.

But layoffs won't fill the entire budget gap, and Malloy also has said that cutting state aid to cities and towns is an option to balance the budget, something town officials said could be disasterous.

"Cuts to Hamden's state promised municipal aid would be extremely harmful toour taxpayers and to the town's financial stability," Mayor Scott Jackson's Chief Administrative Officer Curt Balzano Leng said Wednesday.

"We base our town budget and set a mill rate based on what the state allocates the town," he said. "A major cut after the new fiscal year begins would be a disaster."

The new fiscal year begins a week from Friday -- July 1 --when tax bills carrying a mill rate of 34.66 will go out to taxpayers.

Two state unions have rejected Malloy's proposed concessions, and more will vote Thursday and Friday. The two unions who rejected the agreements represent 8,300 of the 45,000 state workers, according to the Hartford Courant. An outright rejection would leave the governor with $700 million to scrap up for the next fiscal year.

Leng said the town's state delegation -- which includes Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney and state House Majority Leader Brendan Sharkey -- will be working overtime to avoid the scenario that includes cuts to municipal aid.

"I am confident that our state delegation, with their leadership positions in both houses of the State Legislature, will work to avoid this and protect our town and our residents," Leng said.

For more information about Hamden and Curt Leng, please follow @townofhamden and @curtleng on twitter of friend/like Curt Leng and Town of Hamden on Facebook.

Union Concessions Approved

Union Concession Packages Complete
Agreements with municipal unions will save the town almost $1.5 million.
By Kathleen Ramunni | 1:18am
The last of the municipal union concessions for the next fiscal year have been negotiated and approved, saving the town almost $1.5 million for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

At a special meeting Monday and after two executive sessions, the council approved the packages with the unions representing workers in the Government Center, crossing guards, the library and the police and fire departments. It had earlier approved concessions from the Public Works, Recreation and Supervisor's unions.

The Town Hall, crossing guards and library unions agreed to take four unpaid furlough days, as well as postpone their 2 percent raises until Jan. 1, rather than getting them July 1 of this year.

New language in the workman's compensation sections of the agreements also reduces the percentage of pay the town is responsible for, Chief Administrative Officer Curt Leng said, which will save the town money. Rather than paying 100 percent of wages, it will now pay 80 percent, he said.

Workman's comp wages aren't taxable, Leng said, so those receiving it actually received more since the taxes aren't taken out, leaving little incentive for those on it to return to work.

The Fire Department employees won't get a raise this year, Leng said, but will get this year's and next year's raise -- 4.5 percent -- next year. As a guardian service, they can't take furlough days, he said, but have agreed to give up four paid holidays.

The Police Department employees will get their 2.5 percent raises but agreed to give up 13 paid holidays, Leng said, and will have higher medical copays.

Both the police and fire departments also can take part in a sick pay buyback, Leng said. Under their contracts, upon retirement they can cash in up to 97 banked sick days, resulting in large payouts at retirement. Under the buyback, they can exchange those days for pension credits -- 45 days for one year, 90 days for two years and 140 days for three years.

"That reduces the payout of sick time," Leng said, and when they retire those hired to replace them are hired at a lower rate.

The concessions extend the contracts by two years, Leng said, and in September, town officials will begin negotiations with the unions over changes to the medical insurance and pension provisions in the contracts that he said are unsustainable into the future.

"If we don't do some changes, we will be in the same situation next year," Leng said.

"I would like to say thank you to all of the unions for coming to the table and helping out in these tough economic times," council member Kath Schomaker said.

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11-12 Budget Approved - average tax increase $45 for entire year!

Hamden Patch:

The Legislative Council Thursday approved its 2011-12 town and education budget that sets the mill rate at 34.66 mills but increases taxes only slightly for the average homeowner.

The current 31.16 mill rate will go up 3.6 mills but for most homeowners, that won't translate into a large tax increase because 90 percent of homes decreased in value after last year's revaluation. But for the 10 percent whose values went up, taxes will rise.

They also will rise for business owners whose assessments also increased as a result of revaluation.

"For the first time in recent Hamden history, commercial assessments went up, shifting some of the tax burden from residential to commercial," Chief Administrative Officer Curt Balzano Leng said.

But that won't be the case for most homeowners, he said. The average home in Hamden carries an assessment of $167,510, he said. That homeowner will pay only about $40 more next year, less than $4 a month.

The 34.66 mill rate means that property owners will pay $34.66 for every $1,000 worth of assessment. A property assessed at $200,000 will pay 200 x 34.66, or $6,932.

That same property, assessed at $220,000 before revaluation, paid $6,855 this year. That tax bill will rise by $77 this year.

It was in large part because of concessions made by six of seven town union bargaining units that taxes were able to be kept level, Leng said. The dispatcher's union was the only one not to agree to concessions, he said, and will likely see layoffs as a result.

But the other unions all agreed to accept furlough days except for the police and fire unions, which are by law not able to give back days. Instead the Police Union agreed to give up a number of paid holidays, saving $400,000. That was $40,000 more than Mayor Scott Jackson had requested, Leng said, and that extra savings will be applied to the town's pension fund.

The Fire Department has agreed to operate next year on a zero percent increased budget, Leng said.

Non-union town workers also are taking furlough days, Leng said, saving $189,000. Jackson declined to accept any raise, he said.

The concessions still need union approval, Leng said, which is expected to come soon.







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Hamden Provides Tax Relief to Seniors!

By Ann DeMatteo, Assistant Metro Editor
adematteo@nhregister.com

HAMDEN — The Legislative Council added a new member Wednesday night, and with Republican Raeanne V. Curtis on board, there was a unanimous vote to provide a second year of tax relief for elderly and disabled residents.

The tax relief program would be equivalent to a tax freeze for the 2011-12 fiscal year. Some senior and disabled residents may even see a tax reduction if the value of their houses declined enough during revaluation, officials said.

The council recently tabled the tax relief ordinance, though it was approved in committee, because the town attorney needed to review some wording in the ordinance.

Last year, 752 families participated in the program, producing a revenue loss of about $800,000. The cost to extend the freeze for a second year is $60,430.

Tax relief will be $1,000 to $1,500, depending on income. Single people whose income is less than $16,151 would receive $1,500 in tax relief. The same goes for a married couple earning less than $19,751.

Single applicants whose income is $16,151 to $32,300 will get $1,000, and those who are married and earn $19,751 to $39,500 would get $1,000.

The ordinance has a provision that any eligible applicant whose July 1 tax bill increases by more than $500 will receive a tax credit equal to that increase.

“If tax bills are greater than in 2010, there will be an additional benefit,” said Chief Administrative Officer Curt Balzano Leng.

Council members said they were happy the town was able to provide the relief for another year.

“This is one of the best programs we have in the town,” said council President James Pascarella, D-at large. “I’m please to see it’s utilized. It’s critical to provide this assistance, and I hope those eligible realize it’s there.

People should contact the assessor’s office for more information.

Last week, Republican Craig Cesare resigned his council seat because he is now the town public works director. Also last week, the Republican Town Committee nominated Curtis to fill the vacancy. The council then unanimously certified the selection, and Curtis was sworn in by Judge of Probate Salvatore Diglio.



Curtis first served Hamden as chief aide to the late Mayor John DeNicola Jr. from 1985-87. She later was chief of staff for the state Consumer Protection and Public Works departments; deputy commissioner for the state Department of Transportation; and state Department of Public Works commissioner for three years until December.

Democrats and Republicans said they were impressed with her resume. They also thanked Cesare for his work on the council the last three years. Cesare, who was in the audience, told the council he couldn’t think of a better person to fill his seat. “She has a resume a mile long; lengths beyond most of us.”

“In bipartisan fashion, I would like to welcome her. We met many moons ago when I was a Republican. She’s accumulated an absolutely fabulous resume,” said Councilwoman Carol Noble, D-at large.

“Thank you for your kind words. I look forward to working with all of you because I know we all share and have feelings for what’s good for the town and its people,” Curtis said before taking her seat at the council table.

During a caucus after the meeting, Republicans chose Curtis to be minority leader, a role that belonged to Cesare. Curtis now serves on the Police Commission, but hasn’t decided whether she’ll resign. She will decide in a few months whether she will seek election to the council.

Call Ann DeMatteo at 203-789-5716.

Traffic Calming Safety Initiative Funding Approved

Article from HamdenPatch.com

Traffic calming has been identified by town officials as being a priority for residents, so on Monday the Legislative Council authorized Mayor Scott Jackson to spend almost $100,000 in LOCIP funds on doing just that.

The council authorized Jackson to "apply for, accept and expend funding up to $99,766 in state of Connecticut Local Capital Improvement Program funds for Traffic Calming Phase I projects."

The money will go towards what have been identified as problem areas -- specifically, areas in and around both private and public schools, as well as at Farmington Canal crosswalks.

"Improvements include additional signage, new reflective bars for increased visibility, in-street message painting, new crosswalk painting, the installation of "in-street" signs (crossing totems), the purchase and installation of permanent speed compliance units, the purchase of traffic humps/pads and other calming tools," Jackson wrote in a memo to the council.

"As traffic calming is a top priority of our residents, I urge your review and approval of this grant allocation so that we can begin implementing these safety improvements immediately," Jackson wrote.

Jackson gauged the public's interest in the project at a community forum held with state Rep. Peter Villano last spring, where "we received excellent reports and testimony from numerous civic associations and other stakeholders," he said.

Jackson said he has created a "citizen's working group" that will oversee the first phase of the project and plan for the second phase.

"Their input has been extremely valuable," Jackson said.

Phase one of the project has two parts: the School Zone and Neighborhood Traffic Calming and Pedestrian Safety Project, and the Farmington Canal Traffic Calming Project.

The school zone portion targets all school zones throughout the town, Jackson said, in order to curb problems with speeding in those areas using several tools including signage, street painting, speed bumps and speed compliance units.

Two permanent speed compliance units, which display the speed of passing vehicles, will be installed in the two areas identified as the most problematic: Hamden Middle School and Helen Street School, according to Jackson's chief administrative officer Curt Balzano Leng.

The units won't initially be equipped with cameras, Leng said, but eventually will.

"In Connecticut you can't enforce with cameras, but it is more of a deterrent," he said. "Whether it is a deterrent or enforceable, we are planning on putting the cameras in as soon as they arrive."

Measures will be taken at all of the town's public schools, as well as at Sacred Heart Academy on Benham Street, St. Rita's School on Gilles Road, St. Stephen's School on Ridge Road, Highville School on Leeder Hill Drive and Wintergreen Magnet on Wintergreen Avenue.

Work also will be done on several town roads where the Farmington Canal crosses, including on Brooksvale Avenue both near Brooksvale Park and by Still Hill Road, and on River Road, Shepard Avenue, Todd Street, Skiff Street, Haig Street, Treadwell and Marne streets, Alling Street, Dudley Street, Morse Street, Goodrich Street and Hamden Parks Drive.

The cost for that work is $17,869 while the work near the schools will total $81,897.

"I like the approach of working around the schools and the linear trail," said council member Kath Schomaker. "It's a hot issue that people talk to me about a lot."

"Traffic calming is a word you will be hearing a lot in 2011," Leng said. "This is going to help us get it going."

PHOTOS (1)






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