Mayor's Community Update Week of August 3, 2015
East Hartford Alert Network:
EH Alert, our newly engineered alert messaging system is now up and running, but we are still trying to get the word out, in order to gain as many subscribers as possible.
By visiting our website at www.EHalertCT.gov, users are brought to a page where they can sign up, enter in their best contact method, their location, their preferred types of alerts, as well as any special needs the individual may have. Using this system, residents can now receive notifications not only pertaining to emergency situations in town and their individual neighborhood, but also receive notifications on any interruptions in town services, notices on upcoming special events, as well as traffic alerts and road closures. When we issue a message about a potential safety hazard or concern, messages are sent to all standard voice and text communication devices that you have registered, including landline phones, cell phones, e-mail, and more. If you do not confirm receipt of the message, the system will then reach out to your next method of contact.
So help us help you. While grassroots advertising efforts are effective in growing subscription rates, word of mouth has always been the best avenue to adding as many citizens as possible for our alert system. Tell a friend, speak to a neighbor or post our URL to social media. With every subscriber we add, we gain a better informed citizen. With advances in technology, I have made it my mission to bring East Hartford into the future and EH Alert will disseminate information through a more effective means, as well as keep each individual member of this community safe and secure.
Mayor’s Cleanup/Front Porch Day Update:
On July 22, we held a Front Porch Day meeting in Town Hall with four interested homeowners in attendance. Those four homeowners stressed that one of the things holding their neighbors back was the belief that the town would be going into their neighborhoods and citing individuals for property maintenance and building code violations, which is the farthest from the truth. Front Porch Day is an event populated by volunteers who are looking to make a difference in their town and community. In conjunction with CHIF, we will be providing free small home repairs and free property maintenance help on that day to the streets identified this year.
This year’s Mayor’s Clean-Up Day, an annual tradition, will consist of community volunteers completing a “bridge-to-bridge” clean-up of Main Street and the “gateways” of East Hartford, weeding, cleaning and removing debris all along Main Street from Main and Pitkin up through Main and Burnside. In addition to the work being done on Main Street, I have teamed up with the Connecticut Housing Investment Fund, which will be focusing on work in the neighborhoods of “Downtown East” and “Downtown West.” This one-day program is a small part of CHIF’s East Hartford Urban Revitalization Program and is designed to get residents out of their homes (onto their “Front Porches”) and working together with other resources and volunteers to improve property conditions in their neighborhoods. This process provides residents with a way to communicate their concerns and needs and strives to build local community leadership to continue this effort into the future.
Identified Streets for “Front Porch Day” this year include: Bigelow Street. Bissell Street, Central Avenue, Chapman Street, Ellsworth Street, Elm Street, Fuller Avenue, Governor Street, Lewis Street, Orchard Street, Orchard Terrace, Phelps Place, Phelps Street, Prospect Street, Rector Street, Richard Road, Robin Terrace, Saunders Street, Sherman Avenue, Walter Place and Wells Avenue
Homeowners, who live on the streets listed in this release, who are interested in participating in Front Porch Day, can call CHIF at (860) 233-5165, Monday-Friday, from 9 a.m.-5p.m.
Local youth groups, churches, organizations, civic clubs, businesses, and individuals interested in volunteering for both events may call the Mayor’s Office at 860-291-7200, or email jcarrero@easthartfordct.gov. A celebratory BBQ lunch will be provided for all volunteers.
Textile Recycling:
On Wednesday, I was proud to announce that the Town East Hartford has entered into an agreement with Bay State Textiles, Inc. to provide textile recycling at the transfer station beginning Monday, August 10, 2015. According to the company, 95 percent of textiles can be reused or recycled, but Connecticut residents are only reclaiming 15 percent of all unwanted textiles. Every year in Connecticut, over 200 million pounds of textiles are disposed of at incinerators or landfills. As an added bonus, the Town will also be receiving a $100 rebate from Bay State Textiles for each ton of textiles recycled.
Items that can be recycled include: bed sheets, pillow cases, blankets, comforters, belts, boots, coats, curtains, draperies, dresses, flip-flops, hats, jackets, jeans, jerseys, pajamas, pants, purses, shirts, shoes, shorts, skirts, slippers, socks, stuffed animals, suits, sweaters, sweatpants, sweatshirts, table linens, ties, t-shirts and undergarments. Worn, torn, ripped and stained items are also acceptable.
A bulky waste permit is not required to recycle textiles. Place all clean and dry items in a plastic bag and show your ID or driver’s license at the Transfer Station to confirm that you are a Town of East Hartford resident.
Questions about the Town’s solid waste program may be answered by calling (860) 291-7363. Information is also available on our website.
This is a wonderful option for our residents that will allow us to reduce our carbon footprint and take waste out of our trash operation and allow us to improve our recycling productivity. Whether it be mattresses, textiles, waste oil or electronics, my mission has constantly been to increase revenues in town, as well as allow for a greater and varied level of services for our residents.
“Road Diet” Project on Burnside Avenue:
Tuesday, joined by Gov. Malloy and DOT Commissioner Redeker, we announced the beginning of a major project on Burnside Avenue, from Main St. to Mary St., improving the safety for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Many changes will be made to the road that will reduce the danger for our visitors and residents. Burnside Ave. will be reduced from two lanes to one on each side, bicycle lanes will be added, six new bus turnouts will be added, as well as updated landscaping and dedicated left turning lanes at major intersecting side streets.
This is a great project to protect the safety of our residents because it provides additional beautification to Burnside Ave and encourages increased bicycle use along the road, which is a healthy and environmentally friendly transportation alternative. Thank you to the Governor and the federal government for making this project possible.
Rt 2./ I 84 Interchange Detours and Closures:
Starting at the end of June, the state Department of Transportation embarked on a major repair and replacement project for four bridges in East Hartford on Rt. 2 and I-84, with construction ending in November 2016. Long-term closures with detours include Governor Street to Rt.2, from now until June 2016 and the I-84 connector to Governor Street will be closed until the end of December
According to the DOT, Lanes will be closed on Rt.2, I-84 and associated ramps throughout the duration of the project. Lane Closures may occur nightly between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., but times will vary based on the day of the week and the location of the closed area.
The following are the detours being put in place: From Governor Street, motorists can take Blacksmith Lane to East River Drive to Pitkin Street to Jayce Street to Route 2 east.
From the I-84 connector, drivers will be directed to take Exit 3 from Founders Bridge to Pitkin, to East River Road to Ash Street to Thomas Street to Route 44 to Prospect Street to Governor Street.
From the I-84 connector from Founder’s Bridge, motorists can take a detour from Exit 3 to Pitkin Street to Darling Street to East River Drive to Blacksmith Lane to Governor Street to 84 eastbound ramp.
For those heading west on Pitkin Street, traffic will be directed to Jayce Street to Willow Street to the Willow Street extension to Route 2 westbound to the I-84 eastbound exit or Governor Street.
LED Conversion Complete:
At the end of July, we completed our six-month project to retrofit the Town’s nearly 5,000 streetlights with new energy-efficient LED fixtures. Ameresco provided design services and crews from Total Energy Electric of Wolcott, Connecticut provided exceptional service, working throughout the winter to install the new lights.
As we complete the installation stage of the process, we are now entering our repair stage, for all the lights that need to be readjusted and tweaked. Residents should be aware that streetlight outages will be addressed as quickly as possible, in most cases within a week, but it may take up to several months depending on the type of repair necessary, fabrication and shipping time for poles and fixtures, and project backlog.
Streetlight outages or questions should be directed to the Department of Public Works at (860) 291-7361 or morzolek@easthartfordct.gov. After-hours emergency situations involving downed poles or power lines should be reported to the East Hartford Police Department. Information is also available on our website. With these new LEDs, we are already seeing a stark difference, which is a huge plus for our town.
Mail-A-Map:
Last week, after months of work, we came out with our East Hartford Mail-A-Map. This map can easily fit in your pocket and unfolds to reveal a full-sized map, street listings, landmarks, a facts and figures page, a town hall directory and a message from myself. This map will be perfect for our residents, visitors and any businesses that are looking to come to town, to show them the whole scope of East Hartford.
They can be found in all of our departments in Town Hall, as well as at the Wickham Library, Board of Education building and the East Hartford Chamber of Commerce office.