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Sunday, February 2, 2020

IS IT REALLY ABOUT THE CHILDREN ?



I think we would all like to think that the number one function of the Hartford Board of Education and Superintendent of Schools Leslie Torres-Rodriguez is to protect and educate Hartford's children.  At least two recent moves by the Hartford BOE seem  to show that protection of children may be the furthest thing from the reality

One of Hartford's most productive programs for mentoring and nurturing Hartford's children is in jeopardy due to actions by the Superintendent.

One of the first moves made by former Hartford Police Chief James Rovella (now Public Safety Commissioner for the State of Connecticut)  when he took over at HPD several years ago was to rejuvenate the PAL program. Rovella modeled the program after the very successful Waterbury PAL program. Now retired Deputy Chief Neville Brooks was tasked with researching the Waterbury program, and those successes were built into Hartford's program.

Hartford PAL was rebuilt as a 501c3 non profit with an energetic Board of Directors to move the program forward. Under Rovella and the new Board, hundreds of Hartford's youth have had a very positive mentoring experience as well as very positive interactions with Hartford Police Officers and others while providing very positive character building.

I remember originally when Rovella was fighting to find and establish a permanent home for Pal, he had expressed his frustration to me  in trying to fight budget cuts that would threaten PAL, the Cadet program and the explorer program which essentially formed the basis for his future minority recruitment programs for HPD officers by working with the youth at an early age.

Chief Rovella  eventually was able to secure a home for the program in the old Quirk School at 85 Edwards Street. That building was on the western side of two buildings making up the school. The eastern side was eventually renovated and re branded as the Global Communications Academy.

The Hartford PAL program has been so successful that their Board of Directors was able to propose and secure $7.5 million in State funding for renovations to the PAL facility for the initial stage of improvements to the building.

PAL, in preparation for meeting their facility needs had worked out an arrangement with the Superintendent of Schools for temporary usage of  space in the Eastern school building, the recently renovated Global Communications Academy.

Now that the time has come to relocate the PAL Programs, the Superintendent has apparently reneged on her promise of space usage for PAL. This apparently came as a surprise to the PAL Board , who felt that they had been dealing with the Superintendent in good faith to protect the future of the program to continue serving Hartford's children.

The Superintendent apparently backed out on her promise to move forward another initiative that  also may prove to be shortsighted and harmful to Hartford's Children. The Superintendent and the BOE will be moving the Adult Education programs into the Global Communications Academy building soon.

This makes no sense to house the adult programs in a building for children. What protections will be put in place? Will full background checks now be required for any adult using the Adult Education programs? How will the facility be divided to make sure adults taking classes will not be interacting or in way have their behavior influencing the children entrusted to the buildings? Will there be separate bathroom and cafeteria facilities?

A check of HPD calls for service to the current Adult Education facility at 110 Washington Street will show that the program is not exempt from problems and those problems are not fitting for a school with children attending.

The PAL program is too valuable to Hartford's Youth for this to be allowed I don't want to paint Adult Education  users with too wide of a b rush, but if there is any interaction between adults and children, it is the responsibility of the BOE and the Superintendent to take every possible step to protect the children as well as finding temporary space to house the successful PAL program

I think the parents as well as the staff at Global would agree.

To l;earn  more about the Hartford PAL program , click here 
https://www.hartfordpal.org/



Thursday, January 16, 2020

AMATEUR HOUR WITH THE HARTFORD CITY COUNCIL

With the state of politics both nationally and locally, I think many of us are hoping for a glimmer of hope that some politicians actually realize why they are in Office.

Well, we can rule out the newly sworn in Hartford City Council for being able to look at the bigger picture. With all of the problems facing Hartford, apparently the Hartford City Council feels that the greatest problem facing them is being able to silence Former Minority Leader Wildaliz Bermudez. The City Council under the "leadership" (and I use that word loosely) of newly elected Council President Maly Rosado is already becoming mired in the quicksand of Hartford's party politics.

To waste time on the issue of Minority leadership shows that they just don't get it. The minority leadership position has no real value other than having the title on your name plaque. A good Council person can form and build consensus with or without the title to do what is best and needed for Hartford's people.

I am told that years ago, the late Nick Carbone played similar games with Bob Ludgin , also a former Councilman. When Ludgin's title was not recognized, Ludgin moved his "office" into the pay phone booth outside of the Council Chambers to show that he would function and do his job with or without the trappings of a ceremonial title. I think eventually Nick Carbone, who was a master of Hartford Politics negotiated a truce and the Council Business moved forward.

Today , I am told, Bermudez's reserved parking space at City Hall was also taken away from her. This is ridiculous and Council President Rosado needs to remedy this issue and stop the amateur gamesmanship and show that she really understands what leadership is about. If this behavior continues, Rosado's Presidency may start to mirror another Presidency that has been in the news as of late. It doesn't serve anyone , especially the residents of Hartford. Grow up and act like adults

Thursday, December 19, 2019

SO WHAT IS PLAN B?

A severe cold snap is upon us and there will most likely be more this winter. Last week the Office of Mayor Bronin announced the opening of a new/consolidated warming shelter at the former Milner School.

It seemed hopeful that at least Hartford's homeless would have a place to go other than under bridges and overpasses.

It was very disappointing last night to hear Hartford's Police dispatchers telling Patrol Officers over the HPD radio that as early as 10:30PM last night , the warming shelter was full and not accepting any new arrivals.

Is this the best Mayor Bronin and the City can do? I thought that school was a little bit bigger than that or is it that our homeless problem is bigger than that?

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

CITY OF HARTFORD ORDERED TO PAY UP FOR POLICE CONTRACT VIOLATIONS

The City of Hartford has been ordered to pay 5 Police Captains an estimated $100,000 dollars in back pay.

 The award resulted in the City's loss due to a grievance filed in October of 2018 by Hartford Police Union President John Szewczyk, Jr. on behalf of his membership, specifically the 5 recently promoted Captains.

 According to the union contract, Szewczyk claimed, that wording required the City to promote the five Captains at the time the vacancies actually became available due to retirements that started to occur almost as far back as March of 2017. The City failed to fill the positions, an apparent violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for over a year. The positions were actually filled on September 23, 2018 , when five Lieutenants were promoted to the rank of Captain.

The actual Arbitration Award decision is below.


Thursday, December 5, 2019

ALL ABOARD THE GREY GRANITE RAILROAD

Time for a Big Mack at the Farm

Is that the James Brothers before their next train hesist?


No, it is actually the The Cavanna Brothers, John (L) and Andy (R), and the Cavanna Family of South Glastonbury . 

They are are at it once again with the unveiling of the Grey Granite Railroad and their latest acquisition,
with  the arrival of “Mack”, a 1928 Vulcan Iron Works steam locomotive. Mack is a 0-4-0 wheel arrangement tank engine that is fired by coal. Mack carries 1,500 gallons of water in his saddle tank, weighs 82,000 pounds, is 13 feet tall, and is 28 feet long. The engine was built in 1928 at Vulcan Iron Works in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. The engine was then purchased by the Jeddo Coal Company, where it worked until it was retired in the early 50’s. Mack was later purchased by Gramling Locomotive Works, and underwent restoration from 2011 to 2017.
Mack will be under steam and running on Saturday, December 7th and Sunday, December 8th. We will run on the 1,400 foot main section of rail laid at the Gray Granite Railroad located at Cavanna’s Farm: 80 Woodland Street, South Glastonbury, CT 06073.
We will be offering cab rides in “Mack” for 35 dollars. (Honestly, where else on earth can you ride in the cab of a working steam locomotive?) We may also offer the opportunity to run the engine from the engineer’s seat! Work boots, gloves and hearing protection are encouraged! And, if you’re riding, prepare to shovel coal!
The railroad will be open from 9 am into the evening. We will also have our Plymouth 35-ton locomotive on static display for kids to climb in, along with farm honey and “GGRR” apparel for sale. The farm will be open for Christmas trees, as well, and the crop is fantastic this year!
If anybody has questions, please reach out to John Cavanna at 860-398-8929. 

Stop by and check out their great selection of fresh grown, live, cut your own Christmas trees and experience the beauty of winter on a family owned farm that has been in the Cavanna family since 1903, raising several varieties of apples in their orchards, strwberries, maple syrup and of course Christmas trees.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

CLOSING FIREHOUSES?


No one can dispute that the Hartford Fire Department is rich in tradition. HFD has been part of many things that have resulted in huge changes to fire codes and regulations and the history of HFD.

The circus fire where many died, the fatal Hartford Hospital , the Greenwoods Nursing Home fire all resulted in changes to the way the City of Hartford as well as fire departments nationwide approach firefighting.

I think that is why the phone calls ramped up last night after word started getting out about the imminent closing of the Pearl Street firehouse. Although "firehouse" may be too general of a term.

I think most people think of a firehouse as that building down the street from their homes where that first fire engine responds from in case of a fire. The reality is that basic firefighting equipment is not housed at the Pearl Street firehouse for years. The only equipment garaged at Pearl Street is Tac 1, the heavy rescue truck, which responds to most incidents in  the City including accidents and structure fires. A district Chief or Tour Commander is also garaged at the Pearl Street building.

So to answer the questions , or fears, of downtown residents, there should be no delay or danger of longer response times to fires downtown . Currently, the closest responding fire apparatus for fires downtown will still be Engine ! from the South Green firehouse on Main Street or Engine 2 from the Main Street firehouse near Albany and Belden.

Hartford Fire Chief Reggie Freeman has been very transparent for several years with his plans to shutter the Pearl Street firehouse. Freeman has also been very open regarding the "deplorable" conditions of Hartford's Firehouses. Those conditions include rodent infestations, code violations, structural deficiencies as well as lacking gender specific locker and shower area and sleeping areas for both male and female firefighters.

The Pearl Street firehouse pretty much fits into all of those deficiencies above, and the construction of the Public Safety Complex a few years ago moved Hartford Fire Administration Offices out of the Pearl Street HQ and into a much more modern structure at 253 High Street. For some odd reason, there were no plans included in 253 High to accommodate fire apparatus and alleviate the money pit at Pearl Street. HFD dispatchers were housed for many years at Pearl Street, but they were moved into the 911 Dispatch Center many years ago.

The time has come to shut down the "garage" that houses Tac 1 on Pearl Street and use the money wasted in the upkeep and operation of thousands of  square footage  and should be put into repairing the deplorable conditions of Hartford's firehouses where out first responders live ,work and sleep everyday of the week.