News & Mtg Minutes

NEXT MEETING: June 2024 - date, time, location TBA.

2024 Spring Greetings to our Members! 

 

Time to re-up - April 30 marks the end of our annual membership period. We are always working to keep our members abreast of what is happening in our neighborhood and town, and to keep Spring Glen a great place to live - - see what we’ve been up to, below. Please support our work by renewing your membership to the Spring Glen Civic Association by clicking here  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfb_1CPlLB6NC_CrbVDWHUC_vuaIu_ivzPi_3KGq6G_zdmeig/viewform to pay via Venmo, PayPal or check.  Individual membership $10, Family membership $15, additional contributions welcome to help us continue and expand our work. Of course, checks are still welcome.  See below for our mailing address.

(Please note: If you have renewed already this year [2024], your membership is paid through April 30 2025. If you have previously requested removal from our list, please accept our apologies as we attempt to keep our email list current.  Note that we have ended our relationship with MemberPlanet and are maintaining the membership roster ourselves.  This is allowing us more flexibility at reduced maintenance workload and cost.)

 

SAVE THE DATE – our Spring Meeting is on May 16th  at 7pm Stay tuned for more details via email, social media, or our website, https://www.springglencivic.org/home/membership-join-online

 

N*E*W*S  WHAT HAS THE SGCA BEEN WORKING ON?

 

Spring Glen Village Streetscape: Although we are missing the flowering pear trees on the west side of Whitney Avenue between Hawthorne and Central Avenues, the town will be planting flowering cherry trees on that block soon, along with putting in new sidewalks and curbs. SGCA met with town engineer (and Spring Glen resident) Steve White to advocate for a streetscaping that will be attractive. We plan to follow up on this with helping to facilitate further streetscape improvements.

 

Village Center survey: SGCA joined with housing advocacy group Spring Forward to put together a survey of Spring Glen residents and other interested parties asking about opinions about development in the Spring Glen Village Center and particularly the Walgreens property. The survey has been completed, and we received 320 responses, 80% of which were from Spring Glen residents, and 7 were from Spring Glen businesses. We will be looking forward to sharing with you the results of the survey and discussing next steps at our spring meeting in May.

 

High Meadows: The Community Advisory Committee on High Meadows, which includes SGCA Vice President Stocky Clark, has been reviewing developer proposals and meeting with prospective developers with questions regarding their proposal for the High Meadows property on Hartford Turnpike. The committee has made a recommendation which has been forwarded to the Mayor and Legislative Council. Much work will be required to finalize an actual agreement with the developer and a timetable for going forward. We should know more within the month, and we will be discussing more information at our spring meeting.

 

SGCA at Hamden Earth Day Fair: Hamden’s Earth Day Fair, held at Town Center Park is on April 27th from 10:00 to 3:00. The Spring Glen Civic Association will be sharing a table with the Whitneyville Civic Association. We will be featuring information and education about the birds and wildlife of Lake Whitney, and especially the Waite St. causeway- tentatively titled “Herons and Osprey and Swans, Oh my!” come and check us out! As part of the display we will be featuring photographs from local photographers of the birds and other wildlife, and we are also putting together an online gallery of photographs with a QR code for easy access.  Please submit your photos of wildlife on the lake!  Photos need not be from this year – send your photos to denise.laframboise88@gmail.com. We will let you know which photos will be included and of course give photographers credit.

 

Whitney Avenue traffic calming petition: Whitneyville Civic Association (WCA) is sponsoring a petition asking the State DOT to expedite plans to implement traffic calming measures from the New Haven/Hamden line to Skiff Street. New Haven is moving forward with reducing Whitney Avenue to one lane in each direction, and plans to finish by the end of 2025, and there are concerns that once cars enter Hamden they will be speeding up to make up for lost time. WCA wants to gather enough signatures in April to go to the State with the request. Expediting the process means undertaking traffic studies and public review before proceeding with specific measures, so this petition is not specifically promoting a “Road Diet” but moving forward with traffic calming solutions, whatever they may be. See  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScmDiyM88fKSBuIlt3Qu0AHi1QV8fiYzr9OPNURKy_6LZupYg/viewform to sign this petition if you support this, or visit our shared table at Earth Day for more information from WCA.

 

Neighborhood Spring Clean-up: Litter seems to be an increasing problem and detracts from the beauty and enjoyment of our neighborhood. Come and pitch in with the Civic Association to help clean up public areas of Spring Glen! We will send out a separate email with details, but Spring Neighborhood Clean-up is slated for 9am on Saturday, May 4th (rain date May 5th), meeting at Walgreens parking lot. Bags, rakes, rubber gloves will be provided!

 

Mailing address:

SGCA

POBox 6240

Hamden CT 06517

Minutes of Spring Glen Civic Association (SGCA) September 21, 2023

Meeting was called to order at 7:08

Denise Laframboise, President, introduced herself and stated that she appreciates the new

members of the Executive Board who have instituted some new changes in the Association.

Elaine Dove, Ryan Ott, Stocky Clark, George Schneider and Heather Wainwright were

introduced. Denise thanked the group for helping her when she was embroiled with some family

issues.

She stated that the Civic Association is a vehicle for discussion of issues and distribution of

information about our town and community. We want Spring Glen (SG) residents to care about

the community, neighborhood, and town. We are focusing on helping members identify

important issues which build community.

Denise made an announcement about our desire to increase committee membership. She feels

our membership was affected by the epidemic. She encourages those who are interested and

wants every one to join.

Treasurers’ Report:

$9200.99 balance in the SGCA bank account with $350 in accounts payable. We have regular

fees and operating costs. Although we are not required by our bylaws to do a yearly audit, we

will do one this year.

The Minutes from the April 29, 2023. A motion was made to approve them, and it was passed

by the membership in attendance.

Announcements: Spring Glen Art Society has been holding walks in the neighborhood. Artists

are either outside their own homes, or at Best Video. You can see what they are working on.

The next walk will be on October 23, 2023.

Bulk Trash is the month of October. No construction materials will be taken.

If you are a member of SG Neighborhood, and there is a “SWAP” occurring October 7, 2023.

People will put out what they want to get rid of and you can take it.

Boy Scouts did drain signs about no dumping into the sewers directly as it dumps into the Sound.

The League of Women Voters is holding a meet-and-greet at Thornton Wilder on Sep. 27,

Wednesday between 7-9 p.m.


Six Lakes update. Rehabilitation of the property is on the east side of Leader Hill Rd.

Elizabeth Hayes spoke about the project. They are collaborating with the neighbors and

government as well as legislators to revitalize this piece of property. Their group thinks that this

outdoor area would have been very helpful during the pandemic. Going forward, they think that

this project would be a nice resource for the community. Currently they are retesting the


environmental contaminants. She would welcome any community members volunteer to support

this effort.

George Schneider reported that the Inlands Wetlands Commission has approved the permitting

for the site sample testing of certain areas of the property.

Hamden Town Engineer presented Complete Streets policy that was recently passed by the

Traffic Authority and other governmental departments. The project started with many requests

for speed humps, which are not a universal solution to traffic calming. The Traffic Authority and

he realized that we needed a policy to make decisions on traffic flow, neighborhoods, use of

bikes, pedestrian safety and traffic calming. He reviewed the 5 Elements of Complete Streets,

which is located on the Town Website under the Engineering Department. These elements

promote lower rates of travel, with all people being safe during their use of the streets.

He addressed speed humps and their pros and cons. Various ways to slow traffic are a median in

the middle of the road, a pinch point, a chicane, lane shifts, humps, a roundabout, street trees and

on street parking, and buildings closer to the roadway. Since the Complete Streets Policy was

approved by the Traffic Authority and Legislative Council, it makes the policy institutional and

will be more useful to have when planning streets and constructing new capital projects. The

Complete Streets is a living policy that can be flexible and changeable as the town and

community’s needs change.

He used Mather Street as an example, where they will have a capital project and redesign the

street to encourage pedestrian walking. They will try to use a flat speed table in several areas.

Planning and Zoning is working to incorporate this policy in their site plan reviews and creating

new regulations.

Some examples: They have done two studies using a complete streets study for Whitney and

Dixwell to Benham and the Whitney and Dixwell intersection. The Skiff St. bridge area is almost

completed, and he suggested that we look at the striping as there will be two lanes and a center

land for turns and there will be two bike lanes. A resident mentioned that New Haven had a

complete streets project for Whitney Ave., which has not been completed. He mentioned that

this is a process that will take a lot of time. He showed several real examples of conceptual

designs of roads in Hamden that will be upgraded to include safety features.

More speed indicators and raised crosswalks will be used in the future. One resident raised a

question about cars and trucks using cut throughs in our neighborhood. Another resident stated

that he wondered what the study has done for the Ridge Road area, which hasn’t seem to have

done much slowing of traffic. He also asked about the red light cameras and when they will be

available. New Haven and Waterbury are starting their program. Another resident mentioned

that she is happy about the announcements the town is using to let residents know which streets

are being repaved. She asked about doing the same regarding the traffic calming projects that

the Engineer Department is doing.

Another project is to replace the Mather Street bridge. A resident asked about the Waite Street

area near Bassett Park. He agreed that this needs to be looked at.


Steve stated they will replace the sidewalks and plant trees in front of the Spring Glen village

center. After tree stumps are removed, sidewalks will be replaced. Denise asked about if there

could be community input regarding making the area less concrete and more green space. He

agreed that he will be interested in creating a green belt. Another resident asked about how long

the actual project will take and how it may impact the businesses. He said it all depends on the

weather, the plan concept, and owners of the property.

Steve discussed other ways in which green infrastructure helps us filter water before it goes into

the water system. He spoke of the Rain Garden at the Town Center, which is a drain system for

the neighborhood between Dixwell Ave. going north from the library. On Saturday there will be

a planting to finish the project.

Erik Johnson, Economic Development Director, spoke next. He spoke glowingly of Steve White

and said he is an awesome engineer and great worker. Regarding the High Meadows project, he

stated they received 3 proposals, and they are with the procurement office, and they will not

publicly available until they are vetted by that department. He mentioned Colliers, our

consultants for the High Meadows project; have increased their scope of work to include

reviewing the proposals. They look for quality and other evaluations without considering the

prices or monetary issues. After the proposals are open to public viewing, the community

advisory committee will sit and look at the proposals. Without mentioning the name of the

companies who submitted proposals, he stated that one is for profit regional developer, one is a

non-profit housing developer, one is a housing developer.

Erik stated that we are at the very beginning of this process of finding a developer. He likened it

to “We are still in the dating stage” of the process. There might not be any dates after the first

one! He stated if we pick one proposal, we are at the “second date” stage. They have to go

further down the process before they make a final decision. No partner or ideology has an edge

in this process. The state is supportive of the plan we are taking. Another resident asked how and

if Hamden is going to make money on this project. Erik said he doesn’t know what is proposed.

It is about the money, but it is also about the integration into the neighborhood and the general

Hamden community. The advisory committee votes on the proposal after all the “dating”. The

“marriage” can’t take place until it gets Legislative Council approval. One member raised the

question whether the cornerstone of Hamden’s development that must “enhance” the

neighborhood. Erik stated that the developer has to address the issues to the satisfaction of the

neighborhood and the town. He stressed that he wants transparency with the process.

Move to adjourn made at 8:50 by Christine Esposito and seconded by Eileen Wall, motion

passed.


Respectfully submitted,

Elaine Dove, Recording Secretary

A message from Hamden Town Planner Eugene Livshits (Aug 2nd 2023):


Good afternoon,

 

I hope everyone is having a great summer.  I wanted to take this opportunity to provide the group with a few updates and get some feedback about future meetings.   

 

The Town has submitted a Community Investment Fund 2030 application in partnership with Regan Development for an affordable housing project at 2980 State Street along with pedestrian safety improvements along State Street.  I would like to thank Pastor Ortero with working us on the initial community engagement effort for this project.  Regan Development has done additional outreach directly to the surrounding neighbors and had several onsite meetings as well.

 

The application for the development has been submitted to the Planning and Zoning Department, and a Public Hearing has been scheduled for August 8, 2023 at the Legislative Chambers, there is a remote option to participate as well (https://www.hamden.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_08082023-3892).  The background material on the project can be reviewed via the following link:  https://www.hamden.com/210/Pending-Applications.  If you are interested in providing any comments/testimony on the affordable housing project, there is a couple different ways to do so.  If you would like to provide comments in-person, it can be done at the time the public hearing opens on August 8th (in-person or via Zoom).   If you would like to provide written comments, it can be done so via mail or email by 3pm on August 8th. 

 

In addition, I would like to start planning on setting up a series of meetings in the fall.  The meetings will be coordinated with SCRCOG Consultant Ben Fink, and I would like to get some feedback on topics that would be of interest to you.  Please let me know if there is any topic that would be of interest to you or your organization/congregation and/or whether you would like to set up an individual meeting.  

 

Thank you,

 

Eugene Livshits, AICP

Town Planner

Town of Hamden


An Update from Diane Hoffman of Save Hamden Trees...

7/8/23

Folks,

We have learned from Mayor Garrett that UI has reported to Hamden Tree Warden Chris Rhone that they have completed all of their work for 2023. They fully understand that our expectation for the circuits for 2024 will include a schedule. 


This is excellent news and we thank Mayor Garrett and Chris Rhone for getting and sharing this information with us.


If anyone sees UI or their subcontractors such as Asplundh or Lewis working on town trees in Hamden please email <HamdenTrees@gmail.com> with the date seen, name of company, location, and description of work being done.


Please share this information with other Hamden residents.

Thanks very much!

Diane

An Update on High Meadows RFP (round #2), provided by SGCA Board Member Stocky Clark. Stocky is also on the committee for the High Meadows project because of his long career and deep expertise in this field...

Message from Stocky:

I won’t recount all the details which the 2 RFPs have in common. They are very similar. What is clear is that  the Town :


The Priorities, Scoring breakdown, and the layout of the results of citizen surveys and community meetings are all still there and very prominent. 


The Schedule:


The first 10 pages really provide the content you should be concerned with. The rest of the RFP has to do with Town and State Compliance Requirements, etc.


The RFP continues to emphasize that Proposals must be consistent with citizen input; state economic benefits to the Town; address issues and concerns ( traffic, use of Town infrastructure and resources, etc.); and outline quality of life benefits. 


All in all, the new RFP is much improved in terms of clarifying requirements and also requiring much more specificity in terms of the actual plans. 


We will have more specific info and look forward to discussion at our next Spring Glen Civic Association Meeting in early Sept. 


Best, 

Stocky Clark 

Public meeting  on Six Lakes (Olin Powder Farm)  Thursday, June 29th from 6-8:30 at the Keefe Community Center at 11 Pine St.


Thanks to Councilperson Justin Farmer for this description of Six Lakes: Six Lakes is 102.5 acres in Hamden featuring mature forest, hiking paths, and six small ponds. Also known as Olin Powder Farm, the area was an industrial site from the 1800s to the 1960s. Still owned by Olin, the property is off limits to the public. In 1986, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection ordered Olin to assess and clean up industrial waste polluting the property. Olin started the job but never finished it. Local residents, politicians, activists, and environmental groups are working together to hold Olin accountable and to preserve and renew Six Lakes for everyone. Join the Six Lakes Park Coalition and the office of Mayor Lauren Garrett for this informational meeting, with a presentation by DEEP followed by Q&A.

The Town of Hamden and Regan Development have set-up an informational meeting on a housing re-development opportunity for 2980 State Street.  The meeting will be hosted by A Church for the City.


Mtg Minutes from April 27, 2023

Mtg Minutes from September 29, 2022



Update on Whitney Ave Trees

Here's the link to the Hamden Tree Commission Meeting Tuesday May 16 at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom, and the Zoom link is in the agenda: https://www.hamden.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05162023-3760

During the Tree Commission meeting, there will be a presentation regarding the removal of street trees in Spring Glen Business District as well as an opportunity for public comment. 

Our Tree Warden has had a plan to do a replant between Hawthorne Ave and Central Ave. Our Tree Warden will present his full plan Tuesday night at the Tree Commission meeting.

If you would like to email the chair of the Tree Commission, please email Thomas Parlapiano at TParlapiano_bc@hamden.com. 


If you would like to email the Tree Commission, please email HBC_Trees@Hamden.com.


Please feel free to share this. 

Best, 

Alexa M. Panayotakis

Deputy Chief of Staff

Town of Hamden

(203) 287-7100

Click here to sign up for Town of Hamden Updates



HAPPY HOLIDAYS from the Spring Glen Civic Association!

Help us support a worthy cause right in our own backyard this holiday season by giving a gift to The Children’s Center. The Children’s Center, just south of Spring Glen at 1400 Whitney Avenue has been helping children in need for more than 180 years. They provide therapeutic and special education services, and have an excellent reputation for doing very good work. 

The Civic Association is giving a gift of $200 to their "Holiday Stars" drive to support buying gifts for the children. Can you help us meet our goal of raising $500 from the Spring Glen neighborhood by donating any amount by December 15th?  

Donations can be made by credit card at  www.tccoh.org. Choose “Holiday Stars” as a gift designation, and let them know you're donating from the Spring Glen neighborhood.

We will post the total amount donated from the neighborhood after the holiday drive is finished.   Thank you.



Informational Meeting on High Meadows Property on Hartford Turnpike

Thursday January 7th at 7pm, via Zoom

Hosted by Spring Glen Civic Association

Zoom link will be posted at www.springglencivic.org

The town of Hamden has been studying this state-owned property with possible plans to purchase it from the State. In view of the fact that consultants have finished work and submitted reports to the town, we would like to share information and give the public an opportunity to ask questions and offer feedback. Walter Morton, representing the Town of Hamden, has taken this project over from retired Director of Economic Development Dale Kroop and will be attending the meeting, and Legislative Council members will be present.

ROAD DIET

A "Road Diet" for Whitney Avenue is on the agenda of the next Traffic Authority meeting on Dec 14th. This proposal was made by the State DOT and they are looking at ways to make Whitney Ave. safer by remarking the street to allow a buffer for people walking on the sidewalk and for bikers riding in the street. The State is looking for approval and public comments in support of this plan.

The Spring Glen Civic Association discussed this at their General Meeting in November and the members unanimously approved of the Association sending a letter to the Traffic Authority in support of this proposal.

If you are interested in this plan, please write to the Authority and the Chief of Police expressing your support. To contact the Authority, please follow these instructions: Traffic Authority c/o Hamden Police Department, 2900 Dixwell Ave, Hamden, CT 06518 Attn: Chief’s Office or by email to Chief’s Administrative Assistant: santonini@hamdenpd.com or by fax: (203) 288-4876 .

Traffic Authority Regular Meetings 

5:30 p.m. 2nd Monday of every month

The Traffic Authority, Town of Hamden, will hold a regular meeting on Monday, December 14, 2020 at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom Meeting. The following topics will be discussed:

Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://zoom.us/j/92338897877...

Passcode: 939682


SGCA MEETING

Tuesday 10 November 2020, 7 PM

Email us at sgcahamden@gmail.com for ZOOM link

Historic Properties Commission

This is Spring Glen's 100th year; there is talk of historic designation for the neighborhood.  Todd Levine will discuss his commission's work and the opportunities available.  Community input welcome.

Hamden Traffic Department

Connecticut DOT is proposing a traffic diet for Whitney Avenue from Spring Glen School to Waite Street.  Hamden's traffic department is the point of contact for this effort and is also soliciting community input and concern.

Other community meetings

Monday, 11/9/20, 5:30 pm:  Zoom meeting of the Hamden Traffic Authority.  The agenda can be seen here.  Among other things, there are several items related to Spring Glen (for those on this list who live in the area), the Zoom link, and back-up materials (scroll down the agenda to see these).  The entire document is 30 pp long and may take a few seconds to load.  Comments can be submitted to hta@hamden.com.  The deadline for comments is not indicated on the TA website, but probably best to send them no later than, say, 1 pm, to allow time for the TA clerk to process the materials.


Tuesday, 11/10/20, 7:00 pm:  Zoom meeting of the Charter Revision Commission.  This Commission is scheduled to continue its very important review of the current Town Charter (Hamden's "constitution," which is revised every 10 years).  The agenda has not yet been posted, so you'll want to check here before 11/10 to see it.  (There's also a chance the meeting will be cancelled.)  But meeting or no meeting, Commission members are eager to hear citizens' suggestions for how our system of government can be changed (or not):  Do you want to see a town manager? a re-organization of some commissions?  different requirements for office-holders (volunteer or paid)?  Many, many topics are on the table.  See more information about the Commission here.  Comments can be submitted any time (but sooner is better) to crc2021@hamden.com. 


Thursday, 11/12/20, 6:00 pm:  Zoom meeting on the High Meadows School Economic Development Project.  Here are details from Walter Morton about this information session:  "The contractors who have completed the pre-development work at High Meadows will be present to summarize the work they performed and discuss their findings.  Camoin 310, who is conducting the market and feasibility study, will also be present to discuss their work and take public input regarding proposed uses of the property.  Anyone wishing to submit comments before the meeting can email them to wmorton@hamden.com"   For background info on this project, visit the High Meadows School Economic Development Project facebook page or this page on the town's website. 



COVID-19 INFORMATION

The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven  has a terrific page which is the: Directory of Local Resource Pages in Response to Coronavirus including a link to Hamden's Covid-19 subsection, among many other links.  The last link includes dozens and dozens of references to organizations and resources that people, including potential volunteers, might find helpful. 
http://gnhcommunity.ning.com/profiles/blogs/directory-of-local-resource-pages-in-response-to-coronavirus-covi?fbclid=IwAR1YQ2vzG8yR8TnNWc5FQ4LVZyWywvKtghybyqajN3EkOT9kIDITIQMzR8M

Cancelled Until Further Notice: Hamden Plains Friends Meeting 

7-9pm, March 19th. Hamden Plains United Methodist Church, 15 Church St, Hamden, CT 06514
Our March 19th Hamden Plains Friends Civic Group Meeting, we have invited Police Chief John Cappiello to come and respond to a set of questions regarding the Hamden Police Department and the crime that Southern Hamden has experienced (shootings, cars stolen, purses snatched, etc.).
While we have experienced these crimes in our neighborhood, they are not unique just to us but to all of Hamden.
I'm sending out this email to your Civic Associations in the event that you were not able to attend the meeting on Crime that was held at the Hamden Library on Feb. 24th. And are interested in hearing what the Police Chief has to say.
No questions will be taken from the floor. If you have questions for the Police Chief, you should email them to Hamden Plains Friends President, Phil Cronan, by March 12th, 2020. Send your email to hamdenplainsfriends@gmail.com with “Questions for the Police Chief” in the subject.

Spring Glen Civic Association Winter Meeting Minutes 01.23.20

POCD and Zoning Regulations Update 01-28-20

Reports for the PZC Mtg 01-28-20

23 January: Winter Meeting

Please come to our winter meeting, open to the public.

At the Spring Glen School, 1908 Whitney Ave

7:00-9:00 pm

On the Agenda will be Dale Kroop, Director of Economic Development for the town of Hamden, and Dan Kops, town planner. They will present on the High Meadows Property on Hartford Turnpike. 

This 50-acre parcel of land in Spring Glen,   a former residential treatment facility for boys, is currently state-owned. According to the New Haven Register (6/9/19)  the town is close to buying the property so it can develop the land. 

The Civic Association is interested in learning more about the town’s plans and potential development of the property.


Snow date: 30 January

16 November: Hamden Veterans Commission to Unveil Addition to Veterans Memorial. Here for information.

12 November:  Fall Leaf Pickup to start Town Wide. Here for complete details.