Urban Compass

• Will the City Arts Stimulus Create Jobs for Artists?

  In his state of the city address last month, Mayor Eddie Perez announced what he called a Hartford arts stimulus—a proposed $1.7 million increase in grants to Hartford arts organizations to “create new works, new performances, and expand facilities.” He anticipated the stimulus would create hundreds of new jobs in [...]
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  Posted: April 15, 2009, 12:22pm EDT
  by Heather Brandon

• At Billings Forge in Frog Hollow, Broad Street, Hartford

  Browse through more photos of the Billings Forge complex in my flickr set. To see what classes are being offered this spring at the Studio, download a flyer (PDF). Classes start this week. [...]
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  Posted: April 08, 2009, 9:48am EDT
  by Heather Brandon

• Springfield City Council Opposes Forestry, DPW Privatization

  At its meeting this week, the Springfield City Council unanimously passed a resolution initially submitted by Councilor Bud Williams, opposing the efforts of Mayor Domenic Sarno and the Finance Control Board to privatize the forestry division of the Parks Department and the vehicle maintenance division of the Department of Public [...]
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  Posted: March 26, 2009, 3:07pm EDT
  by Heather Brandon

• Will Springfield’s Massive Zoning Revision Pass a City Council Vote?

  Today’s Springfield Republican includes an article about the latest developments in the city’s zoning ordinance revision project. Apparently there was an informational session on Monday this week for city councilors, where consultants working on the project delivered a detailed update (PDF) on progress so far, including edits following a public [...]
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  Posted: March 26, 2009, 2:24pm EDT
  by Heather Brandon

• Councilman Deutsch to Deliver Minority Party State of the City Address

  At 12:15 pm today, Hartford City Councilman Larry Deutsch (pictured) will offer a People’s State of the City address at City Hall, either in the spacious atrium inside, or on the front steps if weather permits (inside is looking likely). In a press release issued late yesterday, Deutsch invited all Hartford [...]
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  Posted: March 19, 2009, 11:14am EDT
  by Heather Brandon

• Billings Forge Adds Vitality, Community Garden, New Hires

  In a recent press release made available today in a post at Cityline, the non-profit Billings Forge Community Works in Hartford announced the addition of a community garden to its existing farmers’ market and the city’s latest gem, the Studio performance space. The place seems to be gaining momentum. On Broad [...]
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  Posted: March 18, 2009, 12:24pm EDT
  by Heather Brandon

• City Council, Mayor Stumble into Compromise Appointing New FOI Advisory Board; What Complications Await?

  At its meeting on Monday this week, the Hartford City Council was faced with a pressing deadline to nominate individuals for the city’s new three-member Freedom of Information Advisory Board. Last December, when it passed an initial version of an ordinance creating this board, it was unclear who would appoint [...]
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  Posted: March 12, 2009, 1:12pm EDT
  by Heather Brandon

• Mayor Perez’s State of the City Address

  5:36 pm Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez will offer a state of the city address starting at any time now. I’ll be liveblogging the event via the city’s government cable channel. Currently the city is broadcasting a blue screen announcing the speech, accompanied by some smooth jazz with the lyrics “I’m [...]
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  Posted: March 09, 2009, 5:36pm EDT
  by Heather Brandon

• In Search of Equitable City Electoral Districts

  At its last meeting, the Hartford Charter Revision Commission voted to recommend to the City Council a change in council membership from an all at-large system to a mix of at-large and district representatives. The recommended change will be five district representatives and eight at-large, for a total of 13 [...]
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  Posted: March 05, 2009, 2:14pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Frustrated Residents Challenge Hartford City Officials on Budget

  “What about senior staff and non-unionized [employees], what are you asking from these people?” Ellen Nurse (pictured, far right) challenged city officials at last Thursday night’s public budget presentation and discussion at Hartford’s downtown library branch. Mayor Eddie Perez and his staff members Lee Erdmann (the city’s Chief Operating Officer), Christopher [...]
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  Posted: March 03, 2009, 1:47pm EST
  by Robert Cotto

• Mayor Sarno Pledges to Give $158 a Month Back to City

  According to a report in today’s Republican by Mike Plaisance, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno (pictured at his desk in City Hall) will return two percent of his annual $95,000 salary to municipal coffers, effective immediately. As he told Plaisance, “You have to lead by example.” He will apparently write the [...]
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  Posted: March 03, 2009, 10:39am EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Transportation Meetings in Springfield Area March 4

  In the wake of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s recently-announced transportation and economic security plan, which includes a proposal to raise the state’s gas tax by 19 cents per gallon, key meetings are set to take place in the Springfield area on Wednesday, March 4 to provide input to leaders and [...]
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  Posted: March 02, 2009, 5:59pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Cities and Rail, Part 3: Cooperation Yields Improved Cities

  Four panelists attempted to answer the question, “Can Rail Save Connecticut Cities?” at an event at Hartford’s UConn Law School on Friday, February 20. Boosting cities will take efforts on multiple fronts, and rail ought to be a part of the effort, the experts said. This is part three of [...]
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  Posted: February 23, 2009, 12:38pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Cities and Rail, Part 2: the Regulation Rollercoaster

  Four panelists attempted to answer the question, “Can Rail Save Connecticut Cities?” at an event at Hartford’s UConn Law School on Friday, February 20. Boosting cities will take efforts on multiple fronts, and rail ought to be a part of the effort, the experts said. This is part two of [...]
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  Posted: February 21, 2009, 10:40pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Cities and Rail, Part 1: Bugs in the System

  Four panelists attempted to answer the question, “Can Rail Save Connecticut Cities?” at an event at Hartford’s UConn Law School today. Boosting cities will take efforts on multiple fronts, and rail ought to be a part of the effort, the experts said. This is part one of a series capturing [...]
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  Posted: February 20, 2009, 5:46pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Prosperity for All: Big Ideas for Little Places

  Mark Muro (pictured) of the Brookings Institution appeared today by phone on WNPR’s “Where We Live,” along with Heidi Green of 1000 Friends of Connecticut and Bill Cibes of the Connecticut State University System in the studio. Along with several others, Green and Cibes co-authored the recently-released “Prosperity for All: [...]
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  Posted: February 19, 2009, 12:47pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Springfield Announces 89 Layoffs; Job Outsourcing to Come

  Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno (pictured) held a press conference this morning in City Hall to announce 89 layoffs of city employees, many of them as of March 2. According to initial reports, 44 jobs will be cut in the Department of Public Works, 17 in the Library Department, 12 in the [...]
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  Posted: February 18, 2009, 11:44am EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Exclusive: Gateway Cities Caucus Files Economic Development Bill

  A state legislative caucus representing eleven cities in Massachusetts, which formed last year to advocate specifically for the cities’ economic development, recently filed a bill entitled, “An Act to Promote Economic Development in the Gateway Cities” (full text at the bottom of the post). The bill was filed on behalf of [...]
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  Posted: February 12, 2009, 11:44am EST
  by Heather Brandon

• But Who Will Govern?

  A special meeting of the Hartford City Council last night concerned one matter only: the possible removal of its president, Calixto Torres, an effort that failed in a 5-3 vote, with one abstention from Councilwoman Veronica Airey-Wilson, who is connected to the state’s corruption probe of the mayor’s office. Ken Krayeske [...]
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  Posted: February 04, 2009, 1:29pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• So Much for CitiStat, Municipal Effectiveness; Springfield Layoffs Pending

  At yesterday’s Finance Control Board meeting in Springfield, Mayor Domenic Sarno (pictured left) shared information about which city departments will receive mid-year budget cuts in the wake of cuts at the state level. The previous day, he appeared before the City Council to share information, which amounted to no information [...]
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  Posted: February 04, 2009, 10:25am EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Mayoral Blues: Perez Turns Himself in to State Police

  Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez surrendered himself to Connecticut state police today after having been served with a warrant for his arrest. He has been charged with bribery as well as fabricating evidence and conspiracy to fabricate evidence. During a press conference today in City Hall, Perez issued a prepared statement and [...]
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  Posted: January 27, 2009, 4:41pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• State Deficits Skyrocket, Leaving Jobs and Cities Behind

  The Connecticut state deficit is “skyrocketing” toward $1 billion, according to Governor M. Jodi Rell in a press release yesterday. Estimated income tax payments as of January 15 were 20 percent below projections, leaving the current-year deficit estimate at about $922 million. At a press conference yesterday, Rell said, “Every [...]
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  Posted: January 21, 2009, 12:36pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Watch Presidential Inauguration Live

  Live TV : Ustream [...]
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  Posted: January 20, 2009, 9:24am EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Cities Appeal for Federal Stimulus Funds

  In a keynote speech at a breakfast event on Tuesday this week, at the Connecticut Convention Center in downtown Hartford, Mayor Eddie Perez offered up a state of the city address (full text below). The theme of his speech, an emerging concept surrounding the occasion of a pending federal stimulus [...]
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  Posted: January 15, 2009, 11:48am EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Springfield Releases 2008 Crime Stats

  Violent crime is down in Springfield, but Police Commissioner William Fitchet sure sounds kind of glum about it. Maybe he just doesn’t want to overplay good news. Listen to his comments on WHYN here, as well as Mayor Domenic Sarno’s related comments here. The Republican has an initial report up, by [...]
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  Posted: January 14, 2009, 2:12pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• City Solicitor Issues Second Eminent Domain Opinion

  Last month, Springfield city solicitor Ed Pikula released an official opinion on the matter of whether the city might reasonably seize a property by eminent domain for use as a public library. Pikula gave a green light to proceed with a taking through a careful step-by-step process. As with the [...]
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  Posted: January 14, 2009, 2:03pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Crow Roost in Hartford May Be a Result of Urban Sprawl

  Enclosure: [download]

  Making my way back home from Bloomfield to Hartford this week, I looked up at the sky with great satisfaction. The daily migration of crows to Hartford has found a new home away from my neighborhood in Frog Hollow. Over the past decade, the size of this crow roost in Hartford has swelled and [...]
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  Posted: January 09, 2009, 4:13pm EST
  by Robert Cotto

• Hartford City Officials Announce 2008 Crime Stats

  At a press conference this morning in Hartford City Hall, Mayor Eddie Perez and Police Chief Daryl Roberts were joined by City Councilman Matt Ritter and the MetroHartford Alliance’s Julio Concepcion, of Hartford Crime Stoppers, to announce the release of 2008 crime statistics in the city. Overall, “part one” crime is [...]
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  Posted: January 09, 2009, 12:46pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Mayor Perez Featured in Leaders Magazine

  Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez was featured in the current issue of Leaders, a quarterly magazine. A press release issued today from the mayor’s office notes: Mayor Perez focuses on education, public safety, and economic development for the Capital City and the region and shares his hope and optimism for the future—especially [...]
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  Posted: January 09, 2009, 8:22am EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Governor Patrick to Sign Springfield Relief Bill Friday

  Late on Tuesday this week, the Springfield relief bill passed in the Massachusetts legislature. Governor Deval Patrick is expected to sign it at 2:30 pm Friday, during a special visit to his Western Massachusetts office in downtown Springfield, accompanied by Lt. Gov. Tim Murray and other state and local officials. Among [...]
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  Posted: January 08, 2009, 9:32pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Governor Patrick to Select Tech High for State Data Backup Center

  Both the Springfield Republican and WHYN reported breaking news out of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s office today that an announcement is forthcoming about his selection of a site for a high-security state data backup center. Apparently, Governor Patrick is set to choose the former Technical High School on Elliot Street in [...]
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  Posted: January 08, 2009, 12:22pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Regional Transportation Discussions Branching Out

  A day-long transportation forum, “The Need for Speed,” hosted by the National Corridors Initiative, Inc. and the Sierra Club of Connecticut, will take place in New London on Friday, January 9, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Radisson Hotel. The event is open to the public, although there is [...]
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  Posted: January 08, 2009, 11:27am EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Springfield Schools Launch Newsletter, Plan for Reform

  As promised by Springfield Schools Superintendent Alan Ingram (pictured) on July 1, a vision for the future of the city’s public schools was released yesterday, close to the target date “near the end of December.” Also fresh off the presses: a district-wide newsletter that reads less like marketing and more [...]
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  Posted: January 08, 2009, 10:01am EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Regional Public School Choice Site Launches

  ConnCAN has announced the launch of SmartChoices, an impressive digital guide to public school choice for 19 local school districts in the Hartford region, an effort in partnership with Trinity College. In the future, the site’s database will likely expand to include more districts. According to the site, the Capitol Region [...]
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  Posted: January 05, 2009, 4:42pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Losing the Legislature

  An editorial in yesterday’s Republican, titled, “Our local legislators are hurting Springfield,” issued the paper’s harshest concise criticism to date of State Representatives Ben Swan and Cheryl Coakley-Rivera. Both city residents, they have attempted to block a key bill in the state legislature that would enable Springfield to take more [...]
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  Posted: January 05, 2009, 3:29pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Mayor Mike Passes

  Update 1/5: Sarah Barr of Mayor Eddie Perez’s office announced late today that calling hours will be held from 3:00 to 8:00 pm on Wednesday, January 7 at the D’Esopo Funeral Chapel, 277 Folly Brook Boulevard in Wethersfield. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, January 8, 10:00 am at [...]
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  Posted: January 05, 2009, 2:41pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Random Roundup: Endings and Beginnings

  With an eye on downtown Hartford, Emily Gianquinto at Live in Hartford reviewed five Pratt Street eateries over the weekend: The Russell, Tamarind Grill & Bar, Tanuki, Vaughn’s Public House, and JoJo’s Coffee Roasting Company. Another new locale on Pratt Street Gianquinto didn’t review is The Society Room of Hartford (pictured), [...]
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  Posted: December 30, 2008, 1:51pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Mayor Sarno’s Pink Slip Specter

  At a morning press conference in Springfield City Hall today, Mayor Domenic Sarno (pictured earlier this year, with City Councilor Jose Tosado) stood by a large foam board display of “pink slips,” grasping a press release in his hand printed on pink paper, and called for the state legislature to [...]
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  Posted: December 23, 2008, 2:33pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• $700,000 for a Library Taking

  The Mason Square library branch saga in Springfield took a dramatic turn last night, hopefully in the interest of bringing the neighborhoods in the very center of the city significantly closer to getting back its full-service library. The Springfield Republican reported today in an article by Mike Plaisance that city solicitor [...]
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  Posted: December 23, 2008, 11:59am EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Who Has Authority to Appoint Hartford’s New FOI Advisory Board?

  The Hartford City Council passed an ordinance during its December 8 meeting that would create a three-member freedom of information advisory board for the city, to foster compliance with state freedom of information rules. The ordinance is an amendment to Chapter 2, Article V of the city’s municipal code. But who [...]
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  Posted: December 22, 2008, 5:34pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Snowy Streets of Hartford

  [...]
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  Posted: December 22, 2008, 5:30am EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Email Notification Available

  For those readers who do not use an RSS reader to keep up with blogs, or who prefer to get the very latest as it becomes available, Urban Compass now provides email notification of blog posts. Registered users of the blog have a couple more options for email format; adjust your [...]
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  Posted: December 21, 2008, 1:50pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Possible Charter Change: Weighing District Elections in Hartford

  Number of comments: 1
  At last week’s public charter revision hearing in the downtown Hartford public library, a recently-created 13-member panel (of which I am a part) heard from eight prominent officials regarding a possible revision of the city’s charter. (Photo: some members of the charter revision commission, by Robert Cotto. From left, Sara [...]
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  Posted: December 17, 2008, 3:40pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Rally Tonight for Library Eminent Domain, Springfield City Hall Steps

  Number of comments: 6
  A public rally is set to take place tonight at 6:15 pm, on the steps of Springfield City Hall, in support of eminent domain use to take back a former library building currently owned by the Urban League (pictured; photo by library manager Reggie Wilson). The rally is being planned [...]
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  Posted: December 15, 2008, 12:57pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Transportation Policy and Infrastructure Overdose

  Number of comments: 4
  Yesterday I appeared alongside the Courant’s esteemed Tom Condon on an episode of John Dankosky’s show, “Where We Live,” at Hartford-based WNPR. We discussed how Barack Obama’s proposed economic stimulus might benefit Connecticut’s infrastructure. Other guests via phone during the show included Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell and Jim Cameron of [...]
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  Posted: December 12, 2008, 2:26pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Civic, Business Leaders in Hartford Urge Speed in Planning Rail

  Number of comments: 5
  A crowd of 40 people gathered Tuesday evening for a public scoping hearing at Hartford’s Union Station to hear plans on the developing New Haven-Hartford-Springfield commuter rail line. Ralph Trepal, PE (pictured), regional vice-president of Wilbur Smith Associates—headquartered in South Carolina, and ConnDOT’s consultant—led the presentation on the status of the [...]
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  Posted: December 10, 2008, 12:42pm EST
  by Robert Cotto

• Public Meeting 12/17 on Longhill Gardens Redevelopment

  Number of comments: 7
  A public meeting on the pending redevelopment of the Longhill Gardens Condominiums complex in Springfield has been scheduled for Wednesday, December 17, at 7:00 pm, according to an article in today’s Republican.  The public meeting will take place at the Forest Park Middle School and will be hosted by the Forest [...]
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  Posted: December 05, 2008, 1:44pm EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Downtown Library Working to Tighten Security, Conduct

  Number of comments: 5
  The Hartford Courant reported today that the board of directors for the Hartford Public Library agreed yesterday to implement many of the suggestions of a safety and security task force. The task force, convened last summer, recently released an undated document containing recommendations to address numerous complaints. The board also bid an [...]
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  Posted: December 05, 2008, 11:04am EST
  by Heather Brandon

• Panel on Preparation of Hartford Students Calls for More Engagement

  Number of comments: 4
  A crowd of community and civic leaders met Wednesday night to listen to a distinguished panel speak at Hartford’s downtown library branch about the preparation of the city’s high school students. The panel discussion, entitled, “Raising the Bar: Preparing Hartford’s High School Students to Succeed,” sought to illuminate reforms in [...]
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  Posted: December 04, 2008, 9:27am EST
  by Robert Cotto

• Rail Advocacy Group Collecting Petition Signatures 12/4

  Pioneer Valley Advocates for Commuter Rail will collect signatures supporting regional commuter rail on Thursday, December 4. PVACR member and Hatfield resident Nancy Considine will be available from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at Holyoke Community College, inside the entrance to the cafeteria in the campus center, also known as [...]
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  Posted: December 03, 2008, 4:39pm EST
  by Heather Brandon