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Meeting announcement

2020 Annual Meeting – May 21

The 2020 Annual Meeting on May 21 will be held virtually. The connection instructions in the email sent this week will be here temporarily as well:

ZOOM CONNECTION INFORMATION WILL BE HERE THURSDAY AT 5:00PM

The meeting agenda:

Discussion of bylaws change to elect president and vice president in the same year to have concurrent terms.

  • Option A: Concurrent terms remain at 2 years, option for VP to run for president, but not assumed.
  • Option B: Concurrent 2-year terms, with VP automatically assuming presidency.

We will hold elections and vote on bylaws change in September.

Updates from:
  • Library committee: how we might continue to support our library in person or virtually
  • Traffic Committee: updates on Whitney Ave project in New Haven
  • Whitney Ave. street tree renewal effort

Your Civic Association is seeking volunteers to help our community by serving as Vice-President and as Secretary of the WCA. Please consider running for one of these offices. Contact any board member for more information on the duties and the FUN of serving on the board. Nominations (and self-nominations) can be sent to secretary@whitneyville.org for the election at the September meeting.

Meeting announcement

Hope to see you at September Meeting Thursday at 7pm

Hamden Board of Education
60 Putnam Ave

Agenda:

  • Membership reminder
  • Bob Izzo, Hamden Hall, will discuss expansion plans
  • Discussion of plans for this year and WCA committees
  • Roundtable to raise new issues

Membership?

All Whitneyville residents are members of the WCA, but voting members keep the association vibrant – and we need your participation. Voting memberships renew annually and are $10. Business voting memberships are $20 a year. You can sign up at https://whitneyville.org/join/

Volunteers needed for Music Series:

Looking for a fun and meaningful opportunity to help build community and bring people together? Do you love music? Then join the committee to plan and run the sixth annual Whitneyville Music Series in DeNicola Park to be held in 2020. Without new volunteers, the series cannot continue and these special events will not return next summer.

You can email Deirdre Dolan directly at deirdreshaedolan@gmail.com to volunteer or just to learn more about this rewarding and fun opportunity. 

Events

Books & Booze? Well, Who said Book Lovers Can’t Have Fun?

WCA Logo

This Friday: Support your local library, the heart of our Whitneyville community, and celebrate Spring at the same time. Join friends and neighbors on Friday, April 21st from 6-8 pm at The Playwright Banquet Room, located at 1232 Whitney Avenue. Enjoy complimentary appetizers, a cash bar and readings by Hamden’s own Poet Laureate Franz Douskey. Lightheartedly called “Books & Booze” (with alcohol optional of course), proceeds will be used by the Whitneyville Branch of the Hamden Public Library to support expanded programming and provide additional resources for residents and families in the community.

Tickets for this event, sponsored by the Whitneyville Civic Association, are $30 per person with proceeds benefiting our branch of the library. You can RSVP and reserve tickets by emailing Dave Bechtel at dpbechtel@hotmail.com .

Library fundraiser flyer
A fundraiser for the Whitneyville Branch of Hamden Public Library

News

State Grant for Whitneyville Cultural Commons

An update from Rep. Mike D’Agostino:

Last week, the town was awarded a $30,000 grant (Community Investment Act) to conduct a full assessment and preservation plan for the Whitneyville Church/Cultural Commons.  The town should have by now received a hard copy and email copy of the contract that needs to be filled out and returned to the Department of Economic and  Community Development.  The town needs to return a signed contract to DECD in order to get the funds, along with a certification confirming that the Mayor is authorized to enter into the contract. 

I want to stress how imperative it is to get the contract executed and certification back to DECD as soon as possible.  The funds are there now but there is a real possibility the state will freeze more DECD grant funds as part of its deficit mitigation actions — this has happened to other grants.  In short, we have to get the $$ before it is gone. 

Minutes

May meeting minutes, 5/12/16

Maureen Armstrong, Hamden Public Library

  • Daisy scouts are planting around the sign
  • Additional minor work is being done
  • Materials budget was cut by mayor and council, attending council meetings is a good way to support library
  • Programming for adults, including one-on-one computer classes, meditation, cooking & nutrition
  • Miller has Tuesday movie matinee, museum passes can now be booked online
  • Get newsletter online or at the library for more details
  • Summer Reading Program is starting soon
  • Many resources can be accessed from home via the library’s home page http://hamdenlibrary.org
  • Question: Saturday and evening hours? Staffing shortage was the problem, they might resume in the fall as positions are refilled

Update on letter to and meeting with Mayor about the physical state of the Whitneyville Branch. Several ideas were discussed, should WCA have a library committee? Contact Dave if interested, vice-president@whitneyville.org.

Gardening club work dates:
Liz has the schedule of Sunday mornings. Broader participation would enable more projects. May 22, June 19, July 24, August 1, September 18 – meet at the Pocket Park.

Spring litter pick-up this weekend. Supplies will be distributed Saturday and Sunday mornings from 9:00 – 10:00 am in the Ralston/Whitney parking lot. Bring filled bags back by 3:00 pm Sunday for the town to pick up.

Hamden Land Conservation Trust is having a photo contest with a deadline of 5/23/16 (see link under Town of Hamden resources above).

Update on letters (see Letters section above).

Elections:
Vice-President 2017-2018, Dave Bechtel
Secretary 2017-2018, Diedre Dolan
Traffic issues discussion:
People who were working on traffic need to step back and we need more people. Moira, Mark, Julie Dowd, and Liz volunteered.

Some work has been done on traffic calming, including Mather / Waite improvements this spring.

Trish and Leah have worked on Mather St. traffic since 2008, worked with Scott Jackson to get the traffic study (linked above) done and the five-points intersection at King/Belmont/Mather improved.

Truck traffic from Mather St. construction has some options, but work early on is important (is there a construction traffic management plan filed?).

Important to comment on the new Plan of Conservation & Development still under development.

Other announcements:
Community investment fund grants (two $30,000 grants pending) need to be approved by the town to ensure the funds are secured.

Two cars stolen in the past month, some of this is seasonal. See prior notes from Sgt. Testa and Chief Wydra for crime prevention tips. Keeping cars, doors, and windows locked is key, as is reporting anything suspicious.

It’s pothole season! Report them to the town helpdesk or see-click-fix. The more reports the more likely they will be filled promptly.

Update from Laine on Whitneyville Cultural Commons. The 501(c)(3) application is pending with IRS – could hear any time now. The zoning changes have gone through, and the variances to merge the two parcels has also gone through. This means that discussions of parking on the Putnam end of the property are revived.

It’s New Haven Bike Month, and there are free breakfasts on Fridays – at Yale Art Gallery tomorrow, Pitkin Plaza next week.

State budget update from Rep. Mike D’Agostino: budget is passed in the special session. There are changes to how the car tax works which will result in slightly more revenue to the town and slightly lower car taxes. Hamden is coming out of the hard budget year with a positive.

Letters

Whitneyville Parking Lot

Quote

Curt Leng, Mayor
Chief Wydra, Traffic Commission

The Whitneyville Civic Association (WCA) proposes the following clarifying rules and practices to govern the user of the “Whitneyville Municipal Parking Lot” at the corner of Whitney and Ralston Avenues:
  •  Establish a few commuter parking spaces for those who park and use the adjacent bus stops
  •  Remove the existing 2 hour limit signs
  •  Designate all of the lot (except for the designated commuter spots) as 2 hour parking from 8:00AM to 6:00PM
(We understand that any existing overnight parking regulations or restrictions currently in place should continue.)
Approved by a majority of the executive board of the WCA. We look forward to hearing from you by May, 24th.
Jan Kazienko, President
Whitneyville Civic Association