A concerned resident walking around the Dunkin Donuts Park tonight sent me the pictures below. These areas are unsecured and no fencing or barricades are in place to protect the area. The stadium is also unsecured exact for one police officer outside, who can't possibly see all entrances and areas.
The steel left in the street and on the sidewalk, the hazardous, flammable materials left out in the open and the pallets and debris all make for hazardous conditions as well as possible OSHA violations. A lawsuit waiting to happen.
The safety of the pedestrians and motorists, as well as students from Capitol Prep I guess aren't a concern in DONO. Where is the City and its inspectors allowing these hazardous conditions?
Has Centerplan ever run a construction site before?
This isn't too flammable, left on the sidewalk outside the stadium
Steel on the sidewalk and in the street, no caution tape, sidewalk still open to pedestrian traffic
This is how the sidewalk and the street are left
Someone really needs to pay attention before this stadium cost us millions more than it already has, from injury lawsuits
Apparently as many in City government are looking for ways to save and cutback, the Hartford School System is on a spending spree. This is nothing new for Hartford's Schools from what I am told. Apparently administrators and others at the Board are encouraged to spend any surplus rather than risk losing that money back to the City at the end of the fiscal year.
The saying " spending like drunken sailors is an annual tradition. It seems inconceivable that anyone could morally condone this behavior at a time when upwards of 250 employees are in dander of losing their jobs. But, then again, as we have seen lately, moral behavior seems to be a foreign term in the administration.
The Board and the Superintendents Office are very slow to answer questions and FOI requests regarding spending, but I think they are quickly finding out that my "alternative means" work just as well. I am still waiting for the specific numbers on the Miami trip, but thank you to all that have provided information, names and details for the trip. Just because Jill Cutler Hodgman refuses to speak or provide documents, plenty of other well intentioned people will. I sincerely thank those of you who have assisted me, putting the well being of children and their education above the nonsense that goes on under the watchful eyes of the Board and the Superintendent
Apparently the Miami trip to pick up a Magnet school award included teachers and the Principal from the Noah Webster School as well as the school's "Operations Manager". I know it was a long time ago, but when I was in school we called our operations manager the Principal.
The Miami trip, looks like fun. Paid for by the Hartford Schools apparently, since they refuse to release any information. Noah Webster school employees identified as Kelly Sousa, center, Heather Zottola , right
The Miami trip is just one example of spending like drunken sailors, but another example is in line with the nautical theme, possibly as a tribute to drunken sailors.
I received an e-mail Monday telling me about a $4,000 ( yes you read the zero's correctly, four thousand) a $4,000 fish tank purchased by Hartford' Schools for the lobby of Noah Webster School. Today I received another phone call about the Miami trip and also telling me about the $4,000 fish tank. The caller also explained that the School (Principal) has also hired a contractor to come in regularly to clean and maintain the fish tank.
THE $4,000 FISHTANK (the extension cord running across the floor is a lawsuit waiting to happen and likely an electrical code violation also)
Let me go back to the morals again for a moment. How can anyone think about laying off educators while taking trips to Miami and buying $4,000 fish tanks. How do those expenditures relate to educating children .What is more important, paid vacations and fish tanks or actual teachers in the classroom.
It is also ironic that at the same time that I am typing this blog post, teachers at Noah Webster School are preparing for a vote of no confidence in the Principal. Maybe a vote of no confidence would be more appropriate for the Superintendent and the Board for allowing this nonsense to occur unchecked in the first place.
Hartford, Conn. (May 17, 2016)— Yesterday at 11:45 A.M., the Hartford Fire Department responded to a reported fire that was extinguished on the 2nd floor of the Legislative Office building.
When fire crews arrived on scene they confirmed that a small electrical fire involving a power strip had been extinguished prior to our arrival. The building was evacuated as a result of the fire.
Fire crews worked along with building maintenance to clear the smoke from the building. A city electrical inspector as well as State Fire Marshal responded to investigate.
There were no reported civilian or firefighter injuries and the cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
Location of Incident-100 Cowles Street Hartford, Connecticut
Date and time of Incident-May 16, 2016 : 2226 hours
Case # 16-14029
Victim-Cortez, Joshua, Date of Birth-03/04/1994
Victim-Ocasio, Alysha, Date of Birth-05/02/1993
On Monday, May 16, 2016, at 10:26 P.M., Hartford Police Department Patrol Officers responded to the area of 100 Cowles Street in response to a Shot Spotter activation. Several citizens also called 911. reporting shots fired and person on the ground.
Upon Officers arrival, two victims were located at the intersection of Cowles Street and Campfield Avenue. The first victim, identified as Joshua Cortez, Date of Birth-03/04/1994, was located lying in the street. Cortez sustained what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced deceased on scene. The second victim, identified as Alysha Ocasio, Date of Birth-05/02/1993, was located inside of a vehicle parked at the same intersection. Ocasio sustained several apparent gunshot wounds to her torso. Ocasio was transported to Hartford Hospital where she was pronounced deceased.
HPD Major Crimes Division and Crime Scene Division Personnel responded and assumed the investigation. Several spent shell casings as well as one live round were located in close proximity to both victims. A car tire was located one block north of the scene. This tire was suspected to belong to a vehicle involved in this incident. The suspected vehicle missing a tire was located a short time later parked across from 141 Freeman Street, unoccupied. Witnesses in the area reported that the occupants of the suspect vehicle exited the car and got into a second suspect vehicle and drove away. This second suspect vehicle was located by HPD Patrol Officers a short time later. This vehicle contained five occupants who were believed to be involved in this incident.
Interviews of the five occupants were conducted by HPD Major Crimes Detectives. The interviews led to the arrest of one of the vehicle occupants- Joseph Silva, Date of Birth-09/22/1995. Silva currently resides at 25 Montrose Street in Hartford, Connecticut. A search of Silva’s residence was performed by HPD Detectives and a K-9. During this search a firearm was located in the yard. This firearm is believed to be the one used in both homicides.
The investigation revealed that the suspect was an acquaintance of both victims and the shooting was related to emotional circumstances.
Silva was charged with violating Connecticut General Statutes; 2 counts of Murder, 53a-54a, Unlawful Discharge, 53-203 and Altering or Removing Identification Marks on a Firearm, 29-36.
Silva has one previous HPD arrest. His bond was set at $3,000,000. His arraignment is today.
The Major Crimes Division is continuing to investigate this homicide. If you have any information to assist in this investigation please call Sgt Reginald Early at 860-757-4248.
Whatever happened to ACMAT. You remember them, the New Britain Company based in the same town we stole a baseball team from.
Does it look complete?
It has been a while since I have heard their ads but the tagline was always "on budget and on time". Isn't that a novel idea. Instead we got Landino and Centerplan. Maybe their tagline should be " no completion without litigation".
Centerplan has been a disaster from the start and the Dunkin Donuts Stadium was most likely a project they were never equipped to tackle from the beginning.
A quick trip around the perimeter of the project today should tell anyone that they are in over their head. The video below shows how far the project is from completion. Some contractors I spoke with today at the site suggested August might be a more reasonable completion time.
The big question is where to go now? I think everyone will agree that Mayor Luke Bronin inherited a major mistake when he took office. With that being said, he now has to fix it. The project was too far along and we were already on the hook for Segarra's Follies to back out in December.
But now it is Luke's. I don't think Mayor Bronin can pass the mess off on the previous Council and Mayor any longer. Bronin has to accept ownership and he has several remedies open to him to gain the trust back from his constituents., To do nothing and coast hoping completion will eventually happen is not one of those options.
As I said before, Centerplan is a disaster. Landino was never equipped to do projects of this size. Just because you are a former State Rep. and have political connections does not necessarily make someone a developer. It might grease the skids to be awarded government contracts, but Landino has already proven he can't deliver on several State of Connecticut projects.
But yet Deller and Segarra awarded him one , if not the, largest development project in Hartford in years. And once again, Landino failed. Even if there is no baseball played in Hartford this year ( which I am told there will not be) Landino and Centerplan needs to be sent on their way tomorrow and the performance bond they provided needs to be called and recover as much as possible of Hartford's potential losses.
I am not optimistic that Saundra Kee-Borges and Pedro Segarra protected us well enough legally to prevent major losses. Something tells me the Solomon's had better lawyers than SKB to protect their interests.
The Stadium Authority should have been replaced months ago by people that recognized a B/S storm when they were fed one. Anyone that knew anything about construction should have known months ago this wasn't going to happen. Too many critical deadlines were missed and just walking by the site, any of the Authority members should have seen the construction was not progressing properly.
Name me one member of that Authority who has ever been involved in a project of this size before or even has any construction experience. When Police Officers working outside the site tell me it was the most disorganized project they have ever seen months ago, someone on the Authority should have been hearing the same thing, and been concerned.
I. Charles Matthews has been a total failure to the people of Hartford when he was entrusted to chair the Stadium Authority.
The law suits will begin flowing soon on this one, and Mayor Bronin needs to be a Mayor of action on this one, not a politician rewarding people that delivered votes and donations. Too much is riding on the reputation of our City to sit balk and just talk.
The time for talk has long passed, the plan of action should have been already worked on and in place to start tomorrow to remedy the situation. This requires some tough and decisive actions on the part of Mayor Bronin but he was elected to protect the interests of the people of the City of Hartford and not Landino or Centerplan or anyone else.
I was just wanted to put up a quick posting to thank all of those people that turned out last night to support my nephew Andrew in his quest to qualify for the 2018 Paralympics in South Korea. Just the travel expenses for training and qualifications are expensive, never mind the equipment requirements.
Your support and donations are helping Andrew to realize his dreams and show that even with Cerebral Palsy, anything is possible. Andrew is an inspiration to many.
It was great to see Hartford faces there and top hear from blog readers. One person that came in said he saw it on the blog and immediately put it on his calendar to attend. After I introduced him to Andrew, he wrote out another check for a donation. One of the Hartford people, who shall remain nameless, cleaned up on the raffle prizes, and no it wasn't rigged. I guess that is what happens when you buy over $100.00 in raffle tickets.
Another person showed up as the event was breaking up, but he wanted to drop off a check to "Andrew Races" for $250.00.
It was a great, well attended event. The food was very good, and plenty of it. On behalf of my family and especially Andrew, I would like to thank everyone that showed up, my blog readers and all. This is why I always tell people why I love living in Hartford, I have met so many great people here, and continue to see the good in our City every day.
You can learn more about Andrew or keep track of his endeavor's at http://andrewraces.com
THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ON THIS BLOG ARE STRICTLY THAT, MY OPINIONS.After getting fed up with the lack of openness in Hartford City Hall, I decided to begin a program on Hartford Public Access Television called "WE THE PEOPLE". Through tips received we have been able to expose numerous issues that the Perez Administration would prefer to keep quiet.
Any information received is kept in strict confidence, feel free to e-mail me at krbrookman@earthlink.net or call me at 860-883-2297 with any information.