May 18th WCA Meeting

Whitney Dam Update
and
WCA Board Elections

Join us at 7pm this Thursday (5/18) at the Board of Education building to hear guest speakers from the RWA provide an update regarding the Whitney Dam Project.

After the Dam discussion, we will vote on new board positions and discuss upcoming committee revitalization plans!

We encourage all who have an inkling of interest in participating on the board or on committee to attend this meeting in person or via Zoom!

Please read the below for a brief summary of board positions and committee plans:

  • President: Our current secretary, Andrew Pierson, has offered to put his name in the hat for the role of president, but with the expectation that his term would only be one year long (summer 2024 move planned).
  • Vice President: This position has been vacant this past year, we’ll discuss further how this role could support the WCA and committees in the future.
  • Secretary: This position is best served by a tech-comfortable member of the membership who doesn’t mind sending email distros and hosting the occasional Zoom meeting. (comes with a thorough handoff from Andrew!)
  • Treasury: This position has a continuity plan for the coming term.
  • Library Committee: This committee is a great resource for coalescing support around our awesome neighborhood library (a resource perpetually in the cross-hairs of town budget cuts). Anyone with a penchant for books, libraries, and a learning-focused community space is encouraged to join the committee!
  • Music Committee: Anyone who walks the neighborhood on a summer evening can vouch for the numerous musicians in our midst across Whitneyville! We’d love to revitalize this committee with the hope of bringing back some low-key neighborhood music events in the future.
  • Local Business Committee: The quaint residential nature of Whitneyville thrives in large part from the symbiotic relationship we have with the commercial enterprises nestled across the neighborhood. After all, what does walkability mean without places to walk to!?

March Meeting – Sustainable Gardening

When: 7pm Thursday, March 16th
Join us in-person! Hamden Board of Education, 60 Putnam Ave(user the side entrance, meeting will take place in the board room)
Or join us on Zoom!

Interested in making our neighborhood more sustainable and eco-friendly?

Join the WCA Thursday, March 16th, for a community meeting and Q&A featuring Bob Pattison and Susan Sternberg with a discussion on pollinators, native plants, watershed-friendly practices, and all things sustainable gardening!

As spring eagerly approaches, the WCA is excited to host Bob and Susan to share their knowledge and lessons learned in creating a healthy and natural landscape that promotes biodiversity and enhances the local environment. Their Spring Glen home garden earned the August 2022 Residential Green Award from Hamden Land Conservation Trust and Mill River Watershed Association.

#shrinkthelawn

WCA Hosts Author Nicholas Dawidoff

Thursday, January 19th at 7pm

Come hear our own Whitneyville resident, Nicholas Dawidoff, discuss his moving, powerful book, The Other Side of Prospect: A Story of Violence, Injustice and the American City.

A bit more context about the book…

The Other Side of Prospect focuses on the shooting of a grandfather in Newhallville and the innocent sixteen year old who was sentenced to prison, later exonerated and who struggled with the effects of his incarceration. “The Other Side of Prospect is a reportorial tour de force, at once a sweeping account of how the injustices of racism and inequality reverberate through the generations, and a beautifully written portrait of American city life, told through a group of unforgettable people and their intertwined experiences.”

Dawidoff will be interviewed by award winning Dr. Khalilah Brown-Dean, author, professor of political science at QU and host of “Disrupted” on NPR.

Don’t have a copy of the book?

Possible Futures, a new bookstore in New Haven, will have copies available for author signing and sales. You can also order the book from their website at possiblefuturesbooks.com. The store has also graciously volunteered to deliver books to local residents who are unable to travel to the store prior to the event.


Event Details

Date

Thursday, January 19th at 7pm

Location

Board Room of the Board of Education building, 60 Putnam Ave

October Meeting Information

How old is the town Charter?  Does it still work?  How can I have input?

Join us Thursday, October 20th at 7pm to learn about the the Town Charter and the Charter Revision Commission.  Jackie Downing, two-time Charter Revision Commission member and life-long Hamden resident, will talk about the processes and procedures and about how we, as residents and voters can be involved.

The meeting will be at the Board of Education building, 60 Putnam Avenue (entrance off the driveway, look for signs) and a Zoom option will be available for those not wishing to attend in-person (Zoom link will be emailed out day-of and will be posted here on our website). 

Time pending at the end of the meeting, we will review results from the community survey and discuss how the responses will shape upcoming WCA initiatives. Here is a link to the survey – we are still accepting responses, please take a couple minutes to provide feedback if you haven’t already. 

January Meeting Information

The Whitneyville Civic Association will hold its regular meeting this Thursday at 7:00 PM. Log-in information will be sent on Wednesday and will be available here.

Our featured speaker will be Ron Walters from the Regional Water Authority. He will present on plans for the Mill River Dam and Lake Whitney.

See you on Thursday evening.

Photo of Mill River dam, looking upstream to Lake Whitney
Mill River Dam

November meeting information

The Whitneyville Civic Association will hold its regular meeting this Thursday, November 18th at 7:00 PM. While we plan on having in-person meetings beginning in January, 2022, this meeting will be held virtually.

Our featured speaker will be Ms. Elizabeth Hayes, President of the Six Lakes Park Alliance. Ms. Hayes will be presenting her organization’s plans for transforming the Olin Corporation’s property known as the Powder Farm into public open space. The WCA has previously endorsed this proposal.

We’d also like to remind you that it’s time to renew your membership with the WCA if you haven’t already done so. You can renew online at www.whitneyville.org.

Register now for League of Women Voters forum with state senators

Saturday, January 30, 10-11:30am (Zoom)
The LWV of Hamden/North Haven has organized a Zoom webinar to replace our usual Breakfast with the Legislators. We will have two panels: the first for our state senators on January 30, and the second for our state representatives, to be held in February.

Our state senators, Martin Looney, Paul Cicarella, and Jorge Cabrera will be live on Zoom to discuss the issues facing our state this year. We welcome questions in advance to pose to our senators.

Use the link below to register. You will be sent a reminder with the zoom link the morning of January 30.
 
https://bit.ly/39PREF3


Please send questions for the senators or about this event to Alice Baxter at LWVHNHtreasurer@gmail.com