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A Famous Tree That Spread Roots Into The Future The Charter Oak, Connecticut's legendary white oak tree that in 1687 hid the 1662 state charter from British officials, was toppled by a windstorm at 12:50 a.m. on Aug. 21, 1856. It stood near Charter Oak Place. Even before it fell, people collected acorns from the Charter Oak, nurtured them and planted trees in public places and on private property. State tree experts have documented a few authentic descendants. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: March 21, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/History/htfd_courant_032107.asp

A Friend of Hartford Parks Sandy Parisky, managing director of the Bushnell Park Foundation he and fellow citizens created in 1981, has rejuvenated Bushnell Park. Parisky and the Foundation performed many acts of restoration, construction, and protection to beautify the park and Hartford. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: May 9, 2005
Document Link: /issues/documents/artsandculture/htfd_courant_050905.asp

A Game, A Reunion The annual Thanksgiving Day football game between Weaver and Hartford Public high schools, fans say, is about more than just football. It is equal parts reunion, celebration and community gathering. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: November 23, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/education/htfd_courant_112307.asp

A Garden Blooms in Colt Park An 18.5 acre botanical garden on the west side of Colt Park was proposed in 1997, but now, coincidently during the 100th anniversary of Elizabeth Hart Jarvis Colt's death, the proposal may be actualized. The garden could draw 100,000 to 125,000 visitors annually, provide 110 jobs, and cost roughly $10 million. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: May 15, 2005
Document Link: /issues/documents/artsandculture/htfd_courant_051505_a.asp

A Growing Sense Of Pride Celebrating its 25th year, the Connecticut Pride Festival is about celebrating the strides the community has made in the past quarter century. While issues such as gay marriage, homophobia and hate crimes still exist, the state has passed laws protecting against hate crimes and discrimination based on sexual orientation and allowing civil unions. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 10, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/FamiliesandChildren/htfd_courant_091006_a.asp

A Jewel in Need of Polishing A task force from the Trust For Public Land (TPL) recently released the results of its year-long study of Hartford’s parks. According to the report, although Hartford still has “an impressive quantity of parkland in relation to its size and population, decades of deferred maintenance has diminished the quality of park landscapes and buildings to the point that this multi-million dollar resource is at severe risk.” Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: December 19, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_news_121907.asp

A Little Water Music? How About Three Ponds And A Fountain For several years, The Courant has pushed for the return of the Park River through downtown Hartford. Now Chuck Sheehan, chief executive officer of the Metropolitan District Commission has come up with a creative, even ingenious, plan. Mr. Sheehan and the MDC propose a three-pond water feature through Bushnell Park, roughly along the former path of the Park River. The water feature would be a functional part of the MDC's nearly billion-dollar project now underway to separate storm drainage from sewer pipes in the Hartford region and to upgrade its treatment plant. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: January 8, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/Parks/htfd_courant_010806.asp

A Memorial to Those Who Served A plan for a memorial to those who have served in the armed forces of the United States was recently presented to the Hartford City Council. The proposed location of this simple, but elegant, tribute to Hartford’s servicemen and women is the corner of Farmington Avenue and Broad Street. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: May 9 - 16, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/Parks/htfd_news_050907_a.asp

A Most Uninviting Park In 1995, Wexford Park was built to hide a section of highway 1-84 and to connect downtown Hartford with the Clay Hill neighborhood. The park, however, is not being used to its full potential because of its poor design. Its concrete walls are uninviting and intimidating and Trumbull and Main Streets cross through the park, and crossing these roads proves difficult despite crosswalks. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: March 20, 2005
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_032005.asp

A Park With Friends Like most urban parks across the nation, Pope Park fell on hard times in recent decades. Happily, The Friends of Pope Park, a nonprofit board (which happens to include Pope's great-grandson, Albert Pope III) has worked as industriously as the good colonel himself and recently unveiled the completion of the first phase of a comprehensive master plan to restore to its former glory this public resource. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 6, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/Parks/htfd_courant_080606.asp

A Place Of Many Sacraments In this commentary, Mark Winne suggests that gardening, especially community gardening, creates neighborhoods, roots, revival and renewal. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: April 23, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/neighborhoods/htfd_courant_042306.asp

A Space Just Waiting To Be Shared Workmen recently began tearing up the concrete slabs on Bushnell Plaza in downtown Hartford. The plaza is that large, empty space in front of Bushnell Tower, at Main and Gold streets. This author suggests options for creating a space that can be shared with the rest of the city. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: June 23, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_062308.asp

A Timely Push For Parks When Hartford officials asked residents to take part in the "One City, One Plan" planning process last year, one of the main concerns voiced from all corners was the condition of the parks. Although there was a recognition and appreciation of Hartford's glorious and expansive network of parks created over a century ago, there was great concern about the deteriorated state of this great legacy. In response, Mayor Pedro E. Segarra appointed a Green Ribbon Task Force to evaluate the state of Hartford's parks and get back to him in seven months with recommendations to improve their care and maintenance. The task force report suggests introducing significant improvements to the governance, maintenance and finance of our parks. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: March 25, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_032511.asp

A Trail Worth Blazing Riverfront Recapture, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has reconnected Hartford to its waterfront, and lined both sides of the Connecticut River with parks and trails. Windsor, Wethersfield and other river towns are developing plans for riverfront pathways. Greenways are spreading across the nation like vines along abandoned railways and through cities and towns wherever possible - connecting the dots from town to town, attraction to attraction. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 27, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/Parks/htfd_courant_082706.asp

A Twinkling New Tradition Tampering with holiday tradition — any holiday tradition — is done at one's peril. But so far, turning Hartford's decades-old downtown Festival of Light into Winterfest in Bushnell Park seems to have succeeded. This year, some tweaking of the formula holds the promise for even more public approval. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: November 24, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_112411.asp

A Visionary Preacher With A Name That Endures Horace Bushnell was among the most controversial and well-loved ministers of his day. His anti-Calvinistic belief in a spiritual and forgiving God nearly got him tried for heresy by fellow ministers, but it also influenced American theological thinking. And because of him, Hartford undertook one of the first urban renewal projects in the country - America's first public park financed by public funds, Bushnell Park. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: January 31, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/History/htfd_courant_013107.asp

A Walk Along The River Two of the key tools cities across the country have used to revive themselves in the past two decades have been access to a waterfront and pedestrian/bicycle trails. Hartford gets a win on both counts as the final section of Riverwalk North is dedicated. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: June 21, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/Parks/htfd_courant_062107.asp

A Walk With History A brisk tour of Bushnell Park in Hartford reveals its key shapers, trees, and a buried river. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: June 15, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/Parks/htfd_courant_061507.asp

A Way Through the Park The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, believed to be the first permanent triumphal arch in the country, is one of Hartford's great historical treasures. However, many car accidents have repeatedly damaged the arch. A new plan, spearheaded by Linda Osten, would protect the arch while keeping Trinity Street open. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: November 13, 2005
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_111305.asp

Abundance Of Bustle Dragon boats on the Connecticut River, snarling mini-cars near the state Capitol, the crack of croquet balls in the West End and history at the Old State House helped to fill Hartford with color and bustle recently. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 17, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/Parks/htfd_courant_091706.asp

Action On The Ice On the day after Thanksgiving, children donned festive hats as crowds gathered amid the white lights to used the newly extended 100-foot by 100-foot ice skating rink at Bushnell Park for its Winterfest, pose for photos with Santa and ride the carousel. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: November 24, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_112412.asp

After Financial Disaster, Roberto Clemente League Picks Up The Pieces Things looked bleak earlier this year for the Roberto Clemente Baseball League. Due to financial mismanagement that is still being investigated by city police, the league was tens of thousands of dollars in debt. But over the past few months, league officials received strong support from the community in the form of thousands of dollars in donations and new equipment. Last month, the more than 400 children in the league, which sponsors teams for children ages 5 to 16, were able to start playing baseball again. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 11, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/neighborhoods/htfd_courant_071111.asp

Against The Odds, Hartford Pop Warner Football Team Headed To National Championships The Hartford Hurricanes posed for team photos in the bitter cold recently, all smiles and runny noses and anticipation of warmer days. After a perfect 13-0 record this season, and against the odds, the 25 pee wee football players then boarded a bus for their trip to the Pop Warner National Championships in Orlando, Fla. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: November 30, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/familiesandchildren/htfd_courant_113012.asp

Artists Canoe Underground To Explore Buried Park River In Hartford A concrete crypt snaking beneath the city of Hartford is irresistible art for Joe McCarthy and Peter Albano. So is the prospect of bringing new life to the largely forgotten and very buried Park River that flows far beneath Hartford, sealed in cement, before it dumps into the Connecticut. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 29, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/history/htfd_courant_072911.asp

As National Park, Coltsville Would Bloom Tom Condon supports the creation of national park status for Coltsville because it would expedite the redevelopment — the adaptive reuse — of the complex. IIf the restoration project is completed, there would be a mixed-use community there with 500-600 jobs and 500 residents. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: June 18, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/history/htfd_courant_061810.asp

Authority Not Betting On Baldwin's Dream Of NHL In Hartford Howard Baldwin may be at the door with a dream of returning major league hockey to Hartford, but the state agency that runs the Hartford Civic Center is in no hurry to answer the knock. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: December 19, 2005
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_121905.asp

Base Ball Goes Back In Time Coltsville Vintage Base Ball League will begin its inaugural season of play in the Colt Meadows this spring. The league will be made up of four teams named after those that actually played in Hartford in the 1860s. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: February 13, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/history/htfd_courant_021310.asp

Baseball Set For Rebirth In Hartford's South End Benjamin Cruse, director of youth services for the nonprofit Leadership Greater Hartford, lead more than 100 kids into Hyland Park for Opening Day of the new Southside Little League recently, a league that he organized with boyhood friend Brian Gallagher. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: May 05, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/familiesandchildren/htfd_courant_050508.asp

Better Maintenance Sought At Keney Park Recently, city officials met with residents and representatives from a community organization to address complaints that the Keney Park was being neglected. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 4, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/Neighborhoods/htfd_courant_080407.asp

Biked, Walked, and Discovered in 2010 The recent Discover Hartford Bicycling and Walking Tour was an “anti-sprawl, pro-fun, pro-sustainable city, anti-pollution, anti-couch potato, pro-bicycle pro-pedestrian event” meant to show off all the great places within the city of Hartford. Published by Real Hartford ; Publication Date: September 12, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/realhtfd_091210.asp

Bird Lovers Create Safe Habitat In Urban Hartford Setting A project is underway to plant native shrubs at Hartford parks as part of a new project to enhance bird habitat in Hartford, educate children and adults about the importance of bird habitat in cities, and to identify hazards to birds living in or passing through Hartford. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: December 02, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_120212.asp

Blazing A Bike Trail Through Hartford The East Coast Greenway, an off-road trail that is under construction from Maine to Florida, is marching through Connecticut, a segment at a time. So much of it is complete or in the works that there are only two major challenges left: a New Haven to New York link, which could be achieved with a trail along the Merritt Parkway, and a connection from Hartford to the Farmington Canal trail west of the city. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: December 17, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/Parks/htfd_courant_121706.asp

Board of Education Election Will Impact You With four of the Board of Education members on the ballot in November 2013, the election presented an opportunity for parents to speak up and out about educational opportunities for Hartford children. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: September 19, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_news_091913_1.asp

Botanical Garden Plan To Be Discussed The Hartford Botanical Garden Committee is planning a public meeting to discuss the creation of a botanical garden in Colt Park. Formed in 1998, the committee's mission is to create a 21st century garden that celebrates the landscape, architecture and history of the city's parks. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: May 25, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_052506.asp

Bringing Order to City's Youth Baseball Seven youth baseball leagues have formed a coalition to build youth baseball in Hartford. The leagues will remain as independent entities serving separate Hartford neighborhoods, but the groups plan to coordinate efforts so that they're not competing for resources. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: March 15, 2005
Document Link: /issues/documents/familiesandchildren/htfd_courant_031405.asp

Buffalo? Yes, Buffalo Buffalo's very successful Garden Walk started as a modest tour of 29 neighborhood gardens. Now, on the last weekend of July 2013, three hundred and fifty gardens are open and this is the largest effort of its kind in the United States. Additionally, the "National Garden Festival" spreads the theme over a six week period. The festival ties in with AAA tours. Hartford, with its parks, great architecture, Knox, and great front and back yard gardens might try to duplicate the effort. It's a great way to rejuvenate streets, reenergize neighborhoods, increase property values. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: August 22, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_news_082213.asp

Burr Mall Re-Opening Celebration October 15 Over the past several months, the Ella Burr McManus Trust has completed a refurbishment of the Alfred E. Burr Memorial, adjacent to Hartford City Hall. This has included repainting the ‘Stegosaurus’ sculpture in its original Calder red, replacing all the pavers, trimming trees to allow views in from the street, and repairing the fountain. The Trustees invited all city residents, workers and visitors to come and see these improvements and enjoy their lunch hour on the Mall on October 15, 2008. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: October 09, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/artsandculture/htfd_news_100908.asp

Burr Mall Redux In this editorial, the Courant expresses the opinion that the almost $1 million renovation of the Burr Mall should greatly improve this sometimes controversial public space. Installing benches and looking for additional pieces of sculpture will make the park more inviting. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: April 20, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_042008.asp

Bushnell Ice Rink Proves Popular Although the Festival of Light's opening ceremony sparked mixed reviews, the ice rink at Bushnell Park has steadily gained popularity during the holiday season, drawing skaters from both the city and the suburbs. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: January 01, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_010111.asp

Bushnell Park Carousel Opens April 26 People of all ages were invited to Opening Day of the 2008 season at the historic Bushnell Park Carousel on Saturday, April 26 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Downtown Hartford’s Bushnell Park. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: April 10, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_news_041008.asp

Bushnell Park Rink To Open Friday Two weeks after some people walked away from the Festival of Light feeling disappointed, city officials are hoping to impress visitors with a new attraction -- free skating in Bushnell Park. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: December 06, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_120610.asp

Bushnell Plaza's Problems Will Take Big Money To Fix Bushnell Plaza is a separately owned entity from Bushnell Tower, the 27-story residential building adjacent to it. A privately owned facility composed of an underground garage and commercial units, the plaza was conceived by I.M. Pei in the '60s. That the structure is now barren and devoid of aesthetic interest or purpose cannot be denied by anyone possessing 20/20 vision. Many suggestions have been offered but all call for the expenditure of large amounts of money. Whose money would be spent has always been the overriding issue. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: February 19, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/DowntownDevelopment/htfd_courant_021906.asp

Can Playground Make a Rebound? Forester Heights Park is tucked into a quiet area just north of Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford’s Southwest neighborhood. City Councilman Jim Boucher said the City of Hartford will fund a renovation of the park, but only if residents in the surrounding neighborhood show a commitment to use and support it. To that end, a meeting about the park was held on January 17, at Kennelly School on White St. with the aim of creating Friends of Forester Heights Park. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: November 22 - 29, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/Parks/htfd_news_112206.asp

Capitol Crows After spending several years roosting near Flatbush Avenue by I-84, a colony of crows that sometimes numbers 15,000 or more birds has moved east, spending some nights in trees on the grounds of the State Capitol and of the Supreme Court and State Library complex across the street. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: February 04, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_020409.asp

Cedar Hill: A Cemetery And A Park In the 19th century, Americans began to see cemeteries as resting places not only for the dead, but also for the living. The rural cemetery movement saw the creation of peaceful, park-like burial places in which the living could takes walks or carriage rides, have picnics or meditate on life's mysteries. Hartford's Cedar Hill Cemetery, a 270-acre greensward that dates from 1863, is one of the finest examples of this bucolic genre. Cedar Hill has lakes, woods and wildlife, plus architecture and monuments by some of the best designers of the period. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 09, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_090910.asp

Changes At Lozada Park Some five years of dreaming, hard work and planning will soon result in a $450,000 refurbishing of Lozada Park, a square block of spare open space in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Hartford's North End. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 15, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_081508.asp

Chasing The Whale To paraphrase Robert Kennedy, others ask why and Howard Baldwin asks why not. Mr. Baldwin, founder and owner of the Hartford Whalers as a young man in the 1970s, has returned to the city to get involved in hockey once again. After years of negotiation, Mr. Baldwin's sports marketing company will take over the business operations of the city's American Hockey League team, the Hartford Wolf Pack. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 25, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_092510.asp

City And Suburban Kids Drawn To Horse Program Many children participated in this summer's session of City Slickers, a program that brings together city and suburban children ages 11 to 17 to learn to ride, feed and care for horses at Hillside Equestrian Meadows in Wolcott. They also participate in projects that help to improve their language and math skills. Funding is provided by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, local corporations and private donors. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 18, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/FamiliesandChildren/htfd_courant_081806_a.asp

City Can't Let Others Run Parks Recent budget discussions in Hartford seem to be heading in the direction of letting friends groups run city parks. Let's hope the notion can be nipped in the bud; it would be a very bad idea. The parks budget has already been whittled to the bone, but volunteers and private funding cannot be counted on to fund or perform day-to-day maintenance. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: April 18, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_041810.asp

City Council Insults North Hartford By Selling Off Park In this editorial, the Hartford Courant expresses the opinion that the recent decision by Hartford's City Council to sell five acres of park land in north Hartford so a developer can build housing on it makes no sense. The destruction of what is known as Brackett Park robs one of the city's poorest neighborhoods of prized green space. Plans by Toraal Development to leave three of the seven-plus acres for a playground are pitifully insufficient. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: October 30, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_103009.asp

City Likely To OK Houses A request by two former city officials to build houses on the site of a city park is poised to be approved by the city council, over the objections of some residents and a national low-income advocacy group who say the plan takes away one of the few green spaces left in Hartford's North End. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: November 28, 2005
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_112805.asp

City Seeks Volunteers For Clean-up Hartford recently sought volunteers for its citywide clean-up efforts. Hartford's "Week of the Parks" was a community effort to rake, clean, green, and beautify public spaces during the Citywide Community Clean-up. Published by Hartford Cityline, The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 03, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/cityline_080310.asp

City To Break Ground For Workers' Memorial Bagpipers and a color guard will herald a ground-breaking recently for a permanent memorial, to be located near the Sailors and Soldiers Memorial in Bushnell Park, in honor of workers injured or killed on the job. Published by Hartford Cityline, The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: April 27, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/cityline_042709_1.asp

City Will Use $5 Million To Beautify Parks One day after Mayor Pedro Segarra pledged to expand efforts to clean up the city's parks, he announced that the parks would get a $5 million infusion over the next five years to help with beautification and playground enhancements. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: March 15, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_031511.asp

City, Marathon Foundation Reach Deal Over Division Of Costs In 2011, the city discontinued its longstanding practice of granting fee waivers for special events held in Hartford, opting instead to collect flat fees up front for police, permits and other city services. But while the new system covered fees for parades, festivals and other activities, marathons and other races weren't included in the plan. Recently, the city reached an agreement with the Hartford Marathon Foundation that calls for both parties to share in the cost of city services for the ING Hartford Marathon. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: January 15, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/government/htfd_courant_011513.asp

Clampdown Riding all-terrain vehicles on city property officially became illegal recently. At a Sept. 8, 2008 meeting, the Hartford City Council amended the city's regulations, making riding four-wheeled ATVs on city property punishable by fines of $99. Published by The Hartford Advocate ; Publication Date: September 18, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/neighborhoods/htfd_advocate_091808.asp

Clean Up Position Volunteers from the West End Civic Association Beautification & Planting Committee gathered recently to clean up Elizabeth Park, rounding out the Week of the Parks. Published by Real Hartford ; Publication Date: August 28, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/realhtfd_082810.asp

Cleaning Up Hartford's Parks If you feel tempted to litter in Hartford’s Colt Park, don’t. Just don’t. Hartford’s new mayor, Pedro E. Segarra, said Hartford parks need cleaning, so volunteers fanned out all week to make that happen during the Week of the Parks. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 24, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_082410.asp

Cleaning Up Hartford, One Park At A Time Helen Ubiñas writes that Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra couldn't have chosen a more fitting spot than Colt Park to announce a citywide cleanup initiative. Starting Monday, Aug. 23, 2010, the "Week of the Parks" kicks off at Keney Park. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 29, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_072910.asp

Colt Closing On Goal In this editorial, the Hartford Courant expresses the opinion that telling the complex story of Coltsville in a way that engages a diverse audience and does justice to its contributions in shaping U.S. history is both a challenge and an economic development opportunity that may never come this way again. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 03, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_080308.asp

Colt Story Begs To Be Told Patience is at a premium for those at the national, state and local levels who yearn to see the dreams of Coltsville realized, The Courant among them. The $110 million rehabilitation of the 19th-century arms factory complex in Hartford has been stalled at times as the developers juggle various funding sources. But the more vexing delays have been in its designation as a National Historic Landmark. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 26, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/history/htfd_courant_082607.asp

Coltsville Reload In this editorial, the Hartford Courant expresses the opinion that Members of the state's legislative delegation have revived a bill that would designate the renowned 19th-century factory village in South Hartford as a National Historical Park. A similar bill failed last year in the House. This year there are reasons to be somewhat more hopeful. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 25, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_072511.asp

Coltsville's Aim: Immortality This Courant editorial comments that a critical moment in state history will take place in October 2006, when a committee of the National Park Service decides whether to recommend that parts of Coltsville, including the onion-domed arms factory and 19th-century worker housing, be designated a National Historic Landmark. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 10, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/History/htfd_courant_091006.asp

Coltsville's Big Mo May Really Be Here When Sam Colt put a blue onion dome on his factory in the mid-19th century, it was to make an impression on travelers passing on the Connecticut River. The factory is about to make a good impression again, this time on passengers by car. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 30, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_073012_1.asp

Coltsville's Inspiring History Deserves Recognition In this editorial, the Hartford Courant expresses the opinion that the Colt Dome in Hartford represents an important part of Connecticut's rich history. It is a historic opportunity to create a prosperous future. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 24, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_072411.asp

Coltsville's Key Place In History The National Park Service recently held a hearing in Washington, D.C. to weigh an important proposal - naming one of Connecticut's most treasured sites, Coltsville in Hartford, as a National Historic Landmark. Sens. Christopher Dodd, Joe Lieberman and John Larson, as well as many members of the local community, have worked hard to bring Colt this well-deserved recognition. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: December 02, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/history/htfd_courant_120207.asp

Comeback Trees It's with a big, poetic sigh of relief that we enjoy the white blossoms of 17 flowering pear trees the state installed alongside its office buildings on Capitol Avenue. They were replanted recently with the help of students working for the Knox Parks Foundation. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: April 16, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/employment/htfd_courant_041606.asp

Compromise Allows Pickup Games At Hartford's Bushnell Park The pickup games are back at Bushnell Park after city officials agreed to a compromise with Ultimate Frisbee and soccer players who were recently kicked off the turf. The groups have filed city permits to use the park regularly for sports, said Jared Kupiec, Mayor Pedro Segarra's chief of staff. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: October 04, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_100412.asp

Costly Blemishes On the City Graffiti continues to be a problem in downtown Hartford, as evidenced by recent vandalism to the Corning Fountain in Bushnell Park. A school and citywide environmental awareness movement would help the city to look her best as summer tourists and convention center goers begin to visit. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: April 17, 2005
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_041705.asp

Could Park River See Light Of Day Again? According to Mary Rickel Pelletier,director of the Park River Watershed Revitalization Initiative, the ultimate goal of uncovering the Park River should start with the smaller goal of rehabilitating parts of the river that are already exposed to daylight. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: October 15, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_101507.asp

Council Vote On Equestrian Center A Mystery To Proponent A bewildered Patricia Kelly is trying to figure what to do next, now that the Hartford City Council has effectively killed a plan to build an equestrian center on land in Keney Park. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: May 03, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_050309.asp

Councilman Proposes Adopt-A-Median Program City Councilman Luis Cotto emerged from his Park Terrace home recently and noticed what he described as nearly 4-foot-tall weeds growing in the street median. A volunteer effort to clean up parks citywide, Cotto is hoping to spur some interest in the upkeep of street medians. He's proposed an adopt-a-median program that would allow volunteers to select a median and dedicate themselves to keeping it clean and manicured. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 16, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_081610.asp

Dance Clubs Light Up Connecticut Nightlife Connecticut nightlife may not be on par with Miami or Manhattan, but the Nutmeg State's dance scene is more impressive than many might expect. From the upscale experience at Hartford's Club 960 to the Latin nightlife of La Casona, to the Vegas-like atmosphere at Foxwood's Shrine, dance enthusiasts do not have to go far to party all night long, or at least until 2 a.m. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 23, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_082310.asp

Dancers, Drummers, And Martial Arts Demonstrations Among Asian Festival’s Highlights While dragon boat paddlers compete on the river, Mortensen Riverfront Plaza in downtown Hartford will blossom with the colorful sights and sounds of Asian cultures during Riverfront Recapture’s Dragon Boat and Asian Festival on Saturday and Sunday, August 18 and 19, 2012. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: August 16, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_news_081612_1.asp

Dead City? Far From It Helen Ubiñas writes that pollsters should find another whipping boy. Hartford ranked third in a list of America's Ten Dead Cities. Oh, please. Dead cities don't have hundreds of people showing up for the Week of the Parks – 264 volunteers helped clean the city's parks, thank you very much. Dead cities don't have the kind of people who exhibited enormous kindness for an elderly robbery victim recently. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 01, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/neighborhoods/htfd_courant_090110.asp

Delegation Reintroduces Bill To Designate Coltsville As National Park Members of the state's legislative delegation have revived a bill that would designate the Coltsville Historical District in Hartford as a national park. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 13, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/history/htfd_courant_071311.asp

Destruction of Turf? Casual Ultimate Frisbee and soccer games that are being held in Bushnell Park are banned, but other, far-more destructive activities, such as Envisionfest or the Hartford Marathon, are allowed. In its Greenwalk Master Plan/Bushnell Park Master Plan, “passive recreation” is being esteemed over all else. Active recreation is only encouraged when it is tied to creating revenue. Is destruction of turf the issue, or is it only one when not tied to creation of revenue or the programming envisioned by the iQuilt Plan? Published by Real Hartford ; Publication Date: September 20, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/realhtfd_092012.asp

Developer Taking Coltsville Over Hurdles To National Park Designation Lance Robbins, the developer working to get financial control of the Coltsville complex, wants to see the historic site become a national park. But Robbins, the principal of Urban Smart Growth, said he has to take care of some fundamentals first. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: April 30, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_043010.asp

Developer's Plan In Hartford's North End Pits Homeownership Proponents, Green Space Champions Developer Albert Gary has a plan to use vacant land at Brackett Park in the city's North End for a housing development, the second time in a year he's proposed using city-owned open space for private construction. And, for the second time in a year, Councilman Luis Cotto says "no thanks." Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: October 18, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/housing/htfd_courant_101809.asp

Dinged, Not Dead The defeat of the Coltsville National Park bill in the U.S. House of Representatives this week is more a speed bump than a brick wall. U.S. Rep. John B. Larson, a staunch supporter of the park proposal, attempted to get the bill passed on what is called the suspension calendar, which requires a two-thirds vote for approval. Not a single Republican was willing to support the measure, perhaps not surprisingly in the weeks before the pivotal mid-term elections. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 25, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_092510_1.asp

Discover Hartford Parks Tour 2011 Hundreds of cyclists will descend on Hartford this Saturday for the 4th edition of the Discover Hartford Parks Tour. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: October 20, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_news_102011.asp

Domino Effect As with many games, dominoes has centuries of history and is kept alive by those who love it. Played with a passion around the world but particularly popular in Latin American countries, the game of dominoes is alive and well in Connecticut, too. The thriving domino community came together last month as 18 teams squared off at the Hartford Public Library for a cascading series of games of Doble Seis, or Double Six. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: November 22, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_112208.asp

Don't Charge For City Parks In this editorial, the Courant suggests Hartford has a projected $40 million shortfall to make up next year, so it is incumbent on city leaders to consider an array of options for new revenues and spending cuts. But once the ideas are on the table, it's imperative that the bad ones be discarded. Into that heap of chaff should go the idea of charging admission to Elizabeth Park. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: February 05, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/government/htfd_courant_020510.asp

Donated Skates Needed At Hartford Rink With the opening ceremony just days away, organizers of the city's annual Winterfest celebration are seeking new or gently used skates, hats and gloves. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: November 20, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_112012.asp

Down by the Riverside Admission to State Parks and Forests were free on May 22 and 23, 2010. Still, Hartford residents have many consistently free or low-cost recreation options that do not involve long drives. The Riverfront is one of them. Published by Real Hartford ; Publication Date: May 17, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/environment/realhtfd_051710.asp

Downtown Hartford's iQuilt Plan A dramatic vision for making downtown Hartford more walkable — including extending Bushnell Park to Main Street and creating gardens and restaurants in the space — was shown in detail recently. The project, known as iQuilt, has been in the works for four years and its rough form has been public since 2009. Details such as a redesigned Gold Street and Travelers Plaza, with an ice skating rink outside the iconic office tower, would be part of a "continuous walkway" connecting the Connecticut River with the state Capitol. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: June 14, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_061411.asp

Drug Addict Gets Horses' Stalls, And Herself, Clean As the founder of the Ebony Horsewomen, Patricia E. Lawson-Kelly has watched plenty of women come through the program, but then go when they were unable to confront themselves in that stillness which includes only the horse, the manure and themselves. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: November 09, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/drugs/htfd_courant_110908.asp

Ebony Horsewomen Seek Site In Other Town For An Equestrian Center A few months after their proposal to build an equestrian center in Keney Park was denied by the Hartford City Council, the Ebony Horsewomen have turned their sights to nearby towns, including property at Rentschler Field in East Hartford. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 29, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_092909.asp

Elizabeth Park Seeks To Repair Rose Garden's Signature Arches, Damaged In October Snowstorm For more than 100 years, rambler roses clung to the original iron great arches in the rose garden at Elizabeth Park. The park's signature arches were crushed under the weight of snow from the unusual October snowstorm, and it will cost $35,000 to restore them. Restoring the arches to their original form is required because Elizabeth Park, which is owned by the city of Hartford, is on the National Register of Historical Places. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: January 11, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_011112.asp

Elizabeth Park's New Rosarian Has Big Plans It's not surprising that roses give their best for Marci Martin, the new consulting rosarian for Hartford's Elizabeth Park Rose Garden. She spends most of her days either thinking about roses or caring for them, at home and at the park. Her enthusiasm and tender care inspire exuberant performance. Martin ascended to the highest-profile position in Connecticut's passionate and close-knit circle of rose enthusiasts in November 2008. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: June 19, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_061909.asp

Elizabeth Park’s Rose Weekend In Elizabeth Park Enhanced By Ct Artists Initiative This year the Elizabeth Park Rose Garden Weekend, was enhanced by more than 36 Hartford area urban artists, individuals and groups from the Connecticut Artists Initiative, (CAI). The CAI presented “ITS ALL ABOUT LOVE!” Produced and directed by Patricia Johnson, and Twila McKinney was a well-designed, and highly diverse, quality production, daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. during the Rose Garden Weekend. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: June 27, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/artsandculture/htfd_news_062713.asp

Ensemble Stages Real Life Health Care Stories Hartbeat Ensemble, a socially conscious theater troupe based in Hartford, will be performing eight, 10-minute dramas about the pitfalls of the state's health system in their annual "Plays in the Parks" production. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 11, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/health/htfd_courant_071108.asp

Equestrian Complex Proposed For Hartford's Keney Park The backers of a plan to take 200 acres of Hartford's Keney Park and build a $65 million, world-class equestrian and exhibition center want "tentative" development rights to the property from the city. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: January 17, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/economicdevelopment/htfd_courant_011709_1.asp

Exhibit At Hartford Public Library Shines Light On Hog River Hartford has a hidden underworld, and Peter Albano and Joseph McCarthy have made it their business as artists to tell the city about it. Albano and McCarthy have been working on their Hog River project for months now, and they have an exhibit which opened recently at the ArtWalk at Hartford Public Library. Hog River, which once meandered citywide, used to flood frequently and was given the name Hog River because it smelled bad. So in the '30s, a project began to force the river's flow underground. It took decades and involved municipal and state agencies and the Army Corps of Engineers. Today, the river flows through a two-mile cement tunnel almost entirely buried and pitch-black. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: December 03, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/artsandculture/htfd_courant_120312_1.asp

Expand Equestrian Program In Hartford To Serve More Youths Stan Simpson writes in support of expanding the Hartford equestrian program sponsored by Ebony Horsewomen. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: May 06, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/neighborhoods/htfd_courant_050609.asp

Faith in Lights on Thin Ice The City’s Director of Communications sent a flurry of emails regarding the Festival of Light. Short attention spans combined with a scheduling disaster and misinformation resulted in outrage from visitors who wanted more for the price of free. Now, the Hartford Festival of Light expands with the addition of an ice rink at Bushnell Park. Published by Real Hartford ; Publication Date: December 09, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/realhtfd_120910.asp

Fee Keeps Event From City The 2006 amateur bass fishing tournament in downtown Hartford left an estimated $2.6 million in the region when the weigh-ins were done. But it was a much smaller figure — the $75,000 "site fee" incentive requested by the tournament's organizers — that made Hot Springs, Ark., not Hartford, the tournament's home for 2008. This big one got away, local officials say, because there was no agreement on how the fee would be paid, or by whom. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: January 24, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/economicdevelopment/htfd_courant_012408.asp

Festival Of Light Changing Name To Winterfest' The Festival of Light is getting bigger, and getting a new name. The festival, a tradition on Constitution Plaza since 1963, moved to Bushnell Park last year and added a new feature — an outdoor skating rink. The rink was hailed as a success; the light show drew mixed reviews. Recently, organizers announced that the event will be called "Winterfest," and the popular ice rink will be larger, stay open longer and continue to have free admission. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 16, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_091611.asp

Festival Of Light Starts Friday At Bushnell Park In a new twist on an old tradition, the Festival of Light open recently at Constitution Plaza, but migrated across town to Bushnell Park, where visitors can see the giant Christmas tree and sip free hot chocolate. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: November 22, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_112210.asp

Festival of Lights 2010-2011 to be a Breath of Cold, Fresh Air Hartford stepped away from the tradition of lighting desolate Constitution Plaza. In 2010, they decorated Bushnell Park, used by families and residents. Published by Real Hartford ; Publication Date: October 29, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/realhtfd_102910.asp

Fiddle Contest Organizer Paul LeMay Dies With little more than charisma and force of will, Paul LeMay managed to turn an improbable idea into a Hartford phenomenon, bringing tens of thousands to the city for an annual fiddle contest. LeMay died Friday, January 30, 2009. He was 65. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: February 03, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/artsandculture/htfd_courant_020309.asp

First Night Hartford: Fireworks, Festivities And Fog Attracted by activities throughout the downtown and relatively mild temperatures, thousands of people showed up for the city's 23rd annual First Night Hartford festivities. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: December 31, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_123111.asp

First Night Should Be a Winner Because of the calendar (December 31 is a Saturday night!) and the city's emphasis on Bushnell Park, the 2011 First Night Celebration on New Year's Eve should be the best ever. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: December 01, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_news_120111.asp

First Night Will be Great! Over the decades, First Night (New Year's Eve) has been a fixture in the lives of thousands of residents, volunteers, downtown businesses and out of town visitors. Years ago, it was conceived following examples in other cities, Boston for one. But it has now "morphed" into an event with a special local flavor. The key to success in Hartford is homegrown talent and imagination, using our assets and stretching scarce resources to our advantage. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: November 29, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_news_112912.asp

Flipside On a recent Saturday groups of residents volunteered to clean scattered areas around the city. These annual (or semi-annual in some spots) events, besides achieving what they are supposed to, provide an interesting anthropology exercise. But this year her team found a disturbing trend. They found literally hundreds of (mostly) used glassine bags. One person found a baggie that was actually still filled with heroin. Published by Real Hartford ; Publication Date: May 05, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/drugs/realhtfd_050511.asp

For Hartford Skate Park, The Art Of Compromise As Hartford officials plan improvements to the skate park atop Route I-84, they would be wise to seek a compromise between nearby business owners and those who use it. At issue is graffiti. It's "urban art" to some, especially the young people who skate at the area and call it "Heaven," although it's technically named for New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland, a Hartford Sister City. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 08, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_070813_1.asp

For Vintage Base Ball, A Field Of Their Own In the 1870s, Hartford residents made their way to a field on the Colt property southeast of downtown to watch the still-new game of "base ball." Now they are doing it again. A nonprofit called The Friends of Vintage Base Ball has brought an early version of the national pastime back to the city. The players wear the uniforms and use the rules developed in the 19th century. The games are free and a lot of fun. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 25, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/history/htfd_courant_072509.asp

For Whom Belle Trolls Relaxation and exploration await aboard the Hartford Belle, a little-known liquid asset plying the Connecticut River. The classic, white, 47-foot-cruiser offers 60- and 90-minute tours along the Connecticut River, where passengers can take pleasure in their placid surroundings as they glide under the congested snarl of cars and trucks on the Founders and Bulkeley bridges. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 04, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_090410.asp

Foundation Chief Was Green Pioneer Jack Hale recently announced his retirement as executive director of the Knox Parks Foundation. Before it was popular everywhere else, Mr. Hale had Hartford going green. He had children learning to garden, adolescents training for green-collar jobs and adults volunteering to plant trees. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: May 09, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_050909.asp

Four Public Projects Put Art In The Streets, Parks Of Parkville, Frog Hollow Four artists have been invited to Hartford by Real Art Ways to create works for a show opening today called "Real Public." The public installations are decorating Harford’s Pope Park, Parkville and Frog Hollow neighborhoods. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: May 30, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/artsandculture/htfd_courant_053009.asp

Free Hartford Jazz Festival In Bushnell Park This Weekend Red-hot jazz musicians jamming away on a flat-bed truck rolling through downtown Hartford recently herald the opening of the 19th annual Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz (GHFJ), a free, outdoor event that's expected to draw more than 50,000 people to the city's scenic Bushnell Park. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 16, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/artsandculture/htfd_courant_071610.asp

Free Skating Begins In Hartford With the snip of a ribbon, dozens of skaters scrambled onto the new Bushnell Park ice rink recently, marking the start of free skating that is set to run through Jan. 6, 2011. Mayor Pedro Segarra, who came up with the idea for the rink, said he envisioned it as something for youngsters to do after school or on weekends. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: December 10, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_121010.asp

Friendships Made On The Ropes: Summer Camp Brings Hartford Students Together A recent team-building exercise at the Riverfront Recapture ropes course at Riverside Park in Hartford was part of the Science Everywhere summer camp. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 31, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/education/htfd_courant_073112.asp

Fundraising Begins For King Statues In Hartford Organizers recently announced plans to raise the money and build statues memorializing the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King to be located on the former site of a monument to the city's Northwest residents who served in World War II. The monument that once stood at Aaron Fien Square at the Woodland Street entrance to Keney Park was dedicated in 1944. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: April 26, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/neighborhoods/htfd_courant_042608.asp

Get Ready For The Big Mo' Glasses of red wine served on upturned sleek rowing shells were part of the display at the recent Big Mo' (as in Momentum), Riverfront Recapture's annual fundraiser, billed as the season's most casual parties of the year, the one that celebrated the city and its Connecticut River as a development and recreational resource. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: October 09, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_100912.asp

Glastonbury Multimedia Artist Projects A New Look For Holiday Festival The Herring Media Group has projected giant photo images on various landmarks in the nation's capital, lit up the desert by projecting video onto mountains, and connected into space with satellite projections. So adding a new dimension to Hartford's 48th annual Festival of Light shouldn't be a problem for the multi-media artist who deals in lighting on a heroic scale. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: December 07, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_120710.asp

Going To Bat For Kids' Baseball League Rick Green writes about the struggling Roberto Clemente League, which serves 500 Hartford kids, from age 5 to 16. Financial mismanagement had led to a police investigation, with the league tens of thousands of dollars in debt and the entire program in danger of folding. Now, the league's supporters are living up to its namesake, Roberto Clemente, with more than 80 Courant readers offering to help. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: March 11, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_031111.asp

Good Idea, Wrong Place: Equestrian Center Should Not Be Built In Keney Park This Courant editorial expresses the opinion that an Equestrian Center should not be built in Keney Park. Two decades ago, a developer wanted to build housing inside the periphery of Keney Park. City leaders rightly said no. The idea resurfaced again last year, and was again turned away. Now a group wants to build a major equestrian center in the park. The answer must again be no. That is not what the parks are for. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: March 24, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_032409.asp

Gov. Malloy Open To Having NHL Hockey Back In Hartford Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Monday he is talking to investors seeking to bring an NHL franchise to Hartford, but he emphasized the return of hockey remains a remote possibility. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: January 07, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_010713.asp

Governor Rell Announces Funding for New YMCA on Albany Avenue in Hartford Governor M. Jodi Rell announced recently that $1 million to help build a new YMCA on Albany Avenue in North Hartford is expected to be approved by the State Bond Commission at its meeting on February 29, 2008. The new facility will be developed by the YMCA of Greater Hartford in partnership with the Urban League of Greater Hartford, Inc. and Community Health Services, Inc. on a parcel of land at 430 Albany Avenue, adjacent to the Community Health Services, Inc. building. The parcel was purchased for one dollar from the City of Hartford in December 2007. Published by Northend Agent's ; Publication Date: February 27, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/neighborhoods/northend_agents_022708.asp

Grand 1912 Plan Helped Shape Hartford Hartford's iQuilt plan, which focuses on the arts and cultural institutions around Bushnell Park, is one of many land-use master plans and studies produced for the city. The most prominent of these plans is arguably the 1912 Carrere and Hastings plan. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: April 10, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/history/htfd_courant_041013.asp

Grass Roots Theater Hartbeat Ensemble bring its wild, gritty political plays to Hartford parks. Published by The Hartford Advocate ; Publication Date: July 15, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/artsandculture/htfd_advocate_071509_1.asp

Greater Hartford Jazz Festival Strikes A Chord With Music Lovers Bushnell Park was filled with the sounds of jazz in the summer sun Sunday as the three-day Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz brought thousands of music lovers to the capital city. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 18, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/artsandculture/htfd_courant_071810.asp

Green Ribbon Task Force Proposes The Hartford Green Ribbon Task Force recently presented its recommendations. The Task Force was convened in August of 2010 with the intention of examining city park conditions and making recommendations for improvements. The task force was created after parks and environmental issues were named as priority items during the One City, One Plan discussions. Published by Real Hartford ; Publication Date: March 21, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/realhtfd_032111.asp

Greener, Cooler Cities Although the city has some beautiful green spaces, there are plenty of places downtown and around the city where trees have been knocked down, removed or neglected to death. But, working with Hartford neighborhoods and community groups, the Knox Parks Foundation has planted 300 trees over the past three years. The project was funded with $55,000 in grants, but the money has run out. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 24, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/Environment/htfd_courant_092406.asp

Greenway Journey Begins The stone is starting to roll. After 10 years of effort by many, many people, the first leg of the South Branch Trail of Hartford's Park River Greenway is about to become a reality. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: May 04, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_050408.asp

Ground Broken For Greenway Trail In Hartford A vacant urban meadow in the Behind the Rocks neighborhood, the scene of a long-awaited recent groundbreaking, may one day become part of a network of trails that will make Hartford a greener place to live, city officials say. Called the South Branch Trail of Hartford's Park River Greenway, the pathway extends through land that features some of Hartford's most varied wildlife and makes for excellent bird watching. Mayor Eddie A. Perez says the trail marks a small but important step in making the city a healthier place to live. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: May 10, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_051008.asp

Ground Broken For State Veterans Memorial A memorial to honor the 1.5 million Connecticut veterans who have served their country since the Revolutionary War has finally found a home. The search for a home for the memorial began in 2007. The initial plan was for the memorial to be built in Rocky Hill, across from the State Veteran's Home. But the cost – about $1.5 million – and a lack of support from veterans who felt the memorial should be built in the capital city, led state veterans Commissioner Linda Schwartz to seek an alternative. The new site for the memorial is Minuteman Park, between the state armory and the legislative office building. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: April 22, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/history/htfd_courant_042213.asp

Group Offers Recommendations To Improve City Parks Over the next five years, the City of Hartford should hire a top-level parks administrator to lead improvement efforts, expand volunteer training and programs and add workers to staff the parks on weekends, the city's Green Ribbon Task Force has written in a new report. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: March 23, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_032311.asp

Group Seeks Memorabilia For Exhibit On Bulkeley Stadium Morgan G. Bulkeley Stadium may not have been the "House that Ruth Built," but it was among the legion of baseball parks where the Babe pounded balls over the wall. But about 10 years ago, a group of current and former city residents who watched and played games in Bulkeley Stadium led an effort to create a lasting memory. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 22, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/history/htfd_courant_092208.asp

Gun Manufacturers Pull Support For National Park Proposal Saying that anti-gun legislators are hypocrites, a prominent gun lobby has withdrawn support for a federal bill that would create the Coltsville National Historical Park in Hartford. The National Shooting Sports Foundation, which represents gun manufacturers that include Colt's Manufacturing Co. and is based in Newtown, has sent a letter to members of the all-Democratic Connecticut congressional delegation and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy declaring that it is deceitful to support the national park and gun-control laws at the same time. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 09, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/history/htfd_courant_070913.asp

Hartford Applies For State Grant To Create Nature Trail At Batterson Park A winding trail that stretches for half a mile with a picturesque view of a pond. A camping ground where children can pitch tents and take in the outdoors. That is city officials' vision for the future of Batterson Park, a Hartford-owned property nestled largely in Farmington. The city recently applied for a $214,000 grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection that would help create a nature trail and small overnight campground at the park on Batterson Park Road. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: May 07, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_050710.asp

Hartford Arena Fine - If It Fits This editorial expresses the view that plans for a new arena should be part of an overall downtown plan that integrates the near North End, Union Place and the riverfront into a larger and vibrant downtown. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: January 22, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/DowntownDevelopment/htfd_courant_012206.asp

Hartford Audubon Society Celebrates Century Of Conservation Hartford Audubon, one of the state's oldest conservation groups, was founded 100 years ago. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 24, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/environment/htfd_courant_092408.asp

Hartford City Council Votes To Turn Park Into Housing The Hartford City Council approved a plan to turn a North End park into housing recently, a decision one councilman who supported the plan said had clearly split the community. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: October 27, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_102709.asp

Hartford Closer To Deal On Management Firm For City Golf Courses In less than a month, golfers will be hitting the links around the state to work on their hooks, slices and handicaps. They should be able to practice at Hartford's municipal courses at Goodwin and Keney parks, too, but there's a hitch: City officials have yet to choose a management company to run the courses. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: March 10, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_031009.asp

Hartford Council Approves Median-Cleanup Program Having just completed a citywide effort to clean up the parks, the city council has approved a new program that would seek volunteers who would select a street median to keep clean and manicured. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 16, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/neighborhoods/htfd_courant_091610_1.asp

Hartford Favorites The reasons to enjoy Hartford include the remarkable venues in the city that are free including the state Capitol, the Connecticut State Library and Museum, Cedar Hill Cemetary and the Elizabeth Park. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: September 19, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_news_091913.asp

Hartford Gets Grant For Batterson Park The city has received a $139,100 state grant to create a camping area and hiking trails at Batterson Park, city-owned property located largely in Farmington. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: October 19, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_101910.asp

Hartford Hopes To Build Driving Range At Keney Park Those looking to tee off at Keney Golf Course could soon have a convenient place to practice their swing if the city moves forward with a plan to build a driving range at the North End course. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: May 31, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_053110_1.asp

Hartford Is Their Heaven The second annual "Skate Jam" in downtown Hartford has attracted riders from as far away as Florida, California - and even Germany and Spain - to test their moves on a patch of Hartford pavement known worldwide as "Heaven." Adjacent to the Hilton Hotel, Heaven is a city park atop an overpass on I-84. It has nearly the acreage of a football field. The uninitiated might see this concrete landscape more as Purgatory, with its challenging ledges, handrails, cement stairs, portable ramps and traffic cones - all to be leaped and curled around by agile, fearless apostles. But this is skateboarding's hot spot, known throughout the skating world, largely a secret here at home. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: November 27, 2005
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_112705.asp

Hartford Little League Joins Major League Baseball Program One of the city's youth leagues is now affiliated with Major League Baseball's Reviving Baseball In Inner Cities program, a partnership that local officials hope will bring stability and resources to baseball in Hartford. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: February 19, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_021913.asp

Hartford Man Charged For Painting Troubling Graffiti Days after city officials said they were contemplating limits on graffiti and murals at a city skate park atop I-84 in downtown Hartford, police arrested a city man for graffiti they say crossed a line. A person working in the Stilts Building at 20 Church St. called police Tuesday evening after spotting a man painting a bloody guillotine, said Lt. Brian Foley, a police spokesman. Officers found Matthew McLaughlin, 28, of Sargeant Street, painting the guillotine and the phrase "Devitalize Hartford," Foley said. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 11, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_071113.asp

Hartford Marathon Founder Beth Shluger Works Round The Clock Beth Shluger launched the Hartford Marathon with a handful of "F.O.B.s" also known as "friends of Beth." Now she marshals more than 1,500 volunteers of all ages. "If she wasn't running the marathon, I think she'd be running Microsoft," says Christine Andrews, who has organized volunteers for the marathon since 1994. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: October 05, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_100509.asp

Hartford Officials Tell Joe The Barber Not To Set Up Shop In Bushnell Park –Then Reverse Course For about 24 hours, haircuts from Joe The Barber joined the list of things that need a permit to be held in Bushnell Park. Anthony Cymerys, a retired Windsor businessman, had been cutting hair under that name for the poor and homeless in the park on Wednesdays for more than 20 years. City officials initially said that Joe was banned from the park because some residents had expressed concerns about safety and sanitation issues with the haircuts and noted that he was not a licensed barber. But in a turnabout, the mayor's office issued a release saying that Mayor Pedro Segarra was granting Joe "a special dispensation in light of his numerous years of charitable work to the city of Hartford and wishes for him to continue his great and generous work in Bushnell Park." Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: June 13, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/government/htfd_courant_061313.asp

Hartford Parade-Goers Show They're A Hearty Lot Pat Branciforte didn't give a second thought to the rain, wind and cold as she planned to come to the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Hartford recently. The crowds were way down at the parade, but the hearty, stalwart souls who turned out were like Branciforte: determined to come and enjoying every minute. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: March 14, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_031410.asp

Hartford Parks In Danger In this editorial, the Courant expresses the opinion that Hartford can take pride in its nationally recognized public park system. The capital city boasts the nation's first municipal park ( Bushnell Park, 1854) and the first municipal rose garden (Elizabeth Park, 1904). By the 1940s, Hartford reputedly had the most public park space per capita in America. But that sterling legacy is threatened by years of indifference and budget cuts, according to a recent report from the Cultural Landscape Foundation in Washington, D.C. The nonprofit foundation sounded an alarm by placing Hartford's treasured parks on a list of 16 park systems nationally "at risk for alternation or destruction." Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: December 24, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_122409.asp

Hartford Proposes Restricting Graffiti at 'Heaven' Skate Park Not everyone believes this Heaven is beautiful. The graffiti-covered skate park atop the I-84 tunnel is either an impressive exhibition of urban street art, or an eyesore — one that is upsetting corporate neighbors who view the graffiti as bad for downtown businesses. The concrete plaza, formally named New Ross, County Wexford Park in honor of Hartford's sister town in Ireland, is located off Main Street and is the only city-sanctioned public space where people are allowed to spray paint. After hearing concerns from local businesses and police officers, city officials are now considering a policy that would limit graffiti to two walls. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 08, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_070813.asp

Hartford Residents Getting Themselves Back To The Garden Rick Green writes about the 15 community gardens in Hartford that are supervised by the Knox Parks Foundation. Across the country, in a burgeoning movement transforming urban neighborhoods and vacant lots there are perhaps as many as 20,000 gardens. This year, Knox's city gardens are bursting, with more than 300 plots, where about 260 families, from all over the world, grow vegetables. Were there more space, they'd have even more. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 21, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_082109.asp

Hartford Revival: It's iQuilt, Not I-Quit The iQuilt is an arts-based urban design plan for downtown Hartford. It has three areas of focus: walking, culture and innovation. It builds on downtown Hartford's three great competitive advantages: its wonderful parks, its extraordinary arts and cultural assets and its walkable compactness. The plan was developed because so much is right that needs to be completed, connected and leveraged in order to make Hartford economically competitive. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: January 15, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_011512.asp

Hartford Seeking Volunteers For Spring Cleanup The city's official spring cleaning was held on April 20, 2013. The city of Hartford and the Knox Parks Foundation offered rakes, brooms, garbage bags, gloves and other supplies to groups of volunteers that register for the seventh annual cleanup. Citywide beautification days are also planned for April 27, May 4 and May 11. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: April 17, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_041713.asp

Hartford Seeks Zoning Changes To Aid Pond House Cafe The Pond House Cafe at Elizabeth Park, which found itself at the center of a zoning battle between Hartford and West Hartford from 2001 to 2004, is again the focus of the two municipal governments. Hartford owns Elizabeth Park and its showpiece garden, which straddles both municipalities. The city of Hartford wants to revise West Hartford zoning rules for the special district within the park that allows the Pond House Cafe to do business near the park's signature rose gardens. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 18, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/economicdevelopment/htfd_courant_081809.asp

Hartford Should Fund Public Art: It Gives The City Style Tom Condon expresses support for an ordinance such as the one proposed by city councilman Dr. Bob Painter, which would commit the city to spending at least $50,000 a year in matching funds for public art. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: October 28, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/artsandculture/htfd_courant_102807.asp

Hartford Skateboard Park Gets $10,000 From Tony Hawk's Foundation Two years ago, members of the Hartford skateboarding task force began to envision what a popular downtown skate park would look like with a few improvements, such as an urban art wall, ramps and a stage where bands could perform. The group is now another step closer to realizing its dream, after learning it will receive a $10,000 grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation, an organization set up by the famed skateboarder that supports the creation of skate parks in low-income areas. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: March 20, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_032012.asp

Hartford Skateboarding Task Force Unveils Revised Design Drawing on input from local skaters and BMX riders, the Hartford Skateboarding Task Force in conjunction with designer Benjamin McCarthy have prepared a second design for the proposed skatepark at New Ross, County Wexford Park. Per the feedback received at the September public input session, this design incorporates more street elements and fewer transitions. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: December 09, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_news_120910.asp

Hartford Tells Ultimate Frisbee, Soccer Players To Stop Using Bushnell Park Are friendly soccer games and rounds of Ultimate Frisbee no longer welcome at Bushnell Park? The historic city park near the Capitol has become a prime spot for nearby workers who play on the expansive green during their lunch hour or on weekends. But the city recently asked the players to take their games elsewhere, citing damage to the turf and a renewed focus under Mayor Pedro Segarra's administration to protect the parks. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 19, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_091912.asp

Hartford Youth Football Group Upset Over Field, Stadium Fees The Hartford Hurricanes youth football group made a name for the city when its pee wee squad reached the Pop Warner national championships in Florida last December. But months after the city gave $20,000 to help fund the trip, coaches now contend that city officials are turning their back on the team and the poor condition of the Hurricanes' practice field at Keney Park. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 16, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_071613.asp

Hartford's Annual Holiday Event To Be Brighter, Lighter, More Festive The traditional twinkle lights that were so popular at the Festival of Light in past years will return for this year's holiday event in Bushnell Park, though many other aspects of the 48-year-old celebration will change. This year's event, now being called Winterfest, will feature a larger skating rink that will be open until Feb. 20. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: November 21, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_112111.asp

Hartford's Hawks Few people in the city know that red-tailed hawks are a year-round presence over Hartford city streets - and in sizable numbers. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 4, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/Parks/htfd_courant_070407.asp

Hartford's Heaven: City Must Be Safe For Alternative Culture As Hartford continues down the path toward revitalization, the city's leadership is hitting all the right notes. The University of Connecticut's new downtown campus, Front Street development and new quality of life initiatives all seek to strengthen the city and its neighborhoods. Yet the city's administration struck a bad chord in its recent announcement regarding extensive renovation of New Ross, County Wexford Park, a destination for skateboarders who flock there from around the region. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 12, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_071213_1.asp

Hartford's Hooker Day Parade Is Saturday In celebration of the city's history, hundreds of people gathered for the annual Hooker Day parade recently. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: October 16, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_101612.asp

Hartford's Jimmy Francoline, 91, Recalls His Baseball Glory Days Jimmy Francoline recalls being a member of the Hartford Bees in 1943 during the time when many minor leagues shut down because of World War II. The next year, the Bees were known as the Laurels, and they proved to be one of the greatest minor league teams ever assembled. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: May 29, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_052909.asp

Hartford's Little League Fields Disgrace The City Rick Green comments on Hartford’s Little League baseball fields that are full of rocks, dips, and pools of standing water. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 22, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_072208.asp

Hartford's St. Patrick's Day Parade Steps Off Saturday At 11 A.M. About 65,000 people were expected to fill the streets near the state Capitol to watch the city's 41st annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: March 08, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_030812.asp

Hartford's Winterfest Ends, Attracts More Visitors Than Last Year Although it ran nearly a month shorter this season, the city's annual Winterfest celebration drew more skaters and spectators than last year. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: January 17, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_011713.asp

Hartford: It's A Happening Place With about 1,250 bicyclists descending on Bushnell Park recently, traffic was disrupted enough to delay the start of a gospel festival in the park by about an hour. With a health fair and grandparents' day festivities also bringing people to the park, and many downtown cultural venues offering free activities as part of yet another initiative, it was an unusually busy day in Hartford. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 09, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/artsandculture/htfd_courant_090907.asp

Hartford’s New Pro Sport The ChampBoat Series recently held on the Connecticut River for the Grand Prix Hartford, was the first major Formula One power boat race in the Northeast. The boats are reminiscent of Indy cars built for water and the race-to-race points system will be familiar to those who follow the NASCAR season standings. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 14, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/Parks/htfd_advocate_091406.asp

He Shaped Hartford's Landscape Jacob Weidenmann was a significant influence on what we can call the face of Hartford, but in all likelihood, you've never heard of him. Weidenmann essentially designed Bushnell Park in Hartford. A new book about his life written by a professor emeritus of landscape architecture at the University of Connecticut has recently been published. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: October 16, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_101607.asp

Heart And Salsa A staple of the local Latin dance scene, Rey Bermudez has been teaching his Salsa Fundamentals course for the past six years, in rented spaces like the Fuller Movement Salon on Park Road. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: October 14, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/artsandculture/htfd_courant_101407_1.asp

Heavenly Progress It was announced today that on top of the $150,000 of federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, the proposed skatepark at Heaven has been approved to receive another $10,000 from the Tony Hawk Foundation. Published by Real Hartford ; Publication Date: March 16, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/realhtfd_031612.asp

Hipness In Hartford? City Should Support Skate Park Vibe For whatever reason, Hartford has a park in its downtown that had become hip — something any city would love to cultivate as a way of increasing its vitality. The New Ross County, Wexford Park (commonly referred to as Heaven) has remained a popular, positive attraction, but keeping that intangible quality requires a delicate balance between city oversight and user freedom. The city should capitalize on this notoriety, for example, it could seek to help an innovative skateboard and urban shop get established in downtown. The city should also establish a full-time presence, using its recreation division, in New Ross County, Wexford Park similar to other city parks so the staff can facilitate activities such as skateboarding workshops and bicycle maintenance classes. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 12, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_071213.asp

Historic Rain of Parks Photos At Hartford Public Library Rain and parks are usually incongruent words. If there is rain, then your day at the park is usually ruined. But the large-scale exhibit "The Rain of Parks" at Hartford Public Library refers to the term used to describe the unified system of parks that ringed the city in the early 20th century. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 28, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_082810.asp

History Set In Stone Susan Campbell reviews a handful of the Hartford's more notable memorials and statues, some because they're rare, some because they're beautiful. and some because they're both. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 06, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/history/htfd_courant_090607.asp

Hog River Exposed It isn’t exactly pioneer work to travel beneath Hartford. Graffiti and an illegally dumped car in the underground Park/Hog River serve as evidence of previous visits, and not surprising, given how easy it is to access the river if one knows where to look. A pair of fishing waders enables a bit of access for the curious; a simple raft can get someone from the Pope Park area to the Connecticut River. Documenting the trip is not groundbreaking either. It has been done on various websites, on public radio, and in storytelling. The mixed media exhibit at the ArtWalk Gallery at the Hartford Public Library showcases the canoe and romanticized photographs, prints, and paintings of the journeys. Published by Real Hartford ; Publication Date: December 09, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/artsandculture/realhtfd_120912.asp

Hooker Day Parade Is Saturday The eclectic, high-spirited Hooker Day parade, known for its oddly dressed marchers, costumed animals and homemade floats, took place on Saturday, October 23, 2010 in downtown Hartford. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: October 21, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_102110.asp

Hope Sprouting Beneath Lonely Hartford Elm The tree is easily recognized from I-84, standing in splendid isolation, surrounded by parking lots. This barren landscape also contains the once-proud Italianate style Isham-Terry House and the blown-out shell of the former Henry Barnard School. The great tree, called the High Street Elm, is a focal point in the derelict area in Hartford's center city north of the highway, an urban archaeological site left by the planners of the 1960s. Yet it is a great tree. It could be a symbol of hope. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: February 07, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/history/htfd_courant_020710.asp

Housing Plan In Question When city attorneys in Hartford first considered whether it was a good idea to sell a North End park and give $800,000 in federal funds to a development team including two former high-ranking city officials, they balked. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: June 14, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/Housing/htfd_courant_061407.asp

Housing Vs. Green Space The Hartford Courant expresses the opinion that Mayor Eddie A. Perez is wrong to support a development plan to build housing on Brackett Park in the city’s North End. Open space should be left open. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: October 20, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_102009.asp

Impasse At Coltsville In this editorial, the Courant expresses the opinion that the next few months are critical in the push to designate Coltsville as a national park. State officials must do all they can to help this happen. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: April 27, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/economicdevelopment/htfd_courant_042708.asp

In Need Of Some Seasoning Stan Simpson asks: “Has the exodus of veteran city police officers in the past five years resulted in new blood that, while bringing more energy, has no real pulse on the community?” Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 19, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/crime/htfd_courant_071908.asp

Into the Depths The fabled underground canoe tours of the Park River remain on hold, but the man who led the tours is now suing the city. Published by The Hartford Advocate ; Publication Date: December 13, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_advocate_121307.asp

Ironing Out Wrinkles in the Proposed Urban Skate Plaza An earnest discussion about the direction of the skatepark planned for a section of the New Ross, County Wexford Park was able to take place this week thanks to the down-to-earth nature of the designer and builder, along with the inclusion of those who will be directly impacted — skaters. Published by Real Hartford ; Publication Date: April 25, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/realhtfd_042513.asp

Is There A Future For Hockey In Hartford? Major sports and entertainment events are great quality-of-life assets for the region. How to keep them coming ought to engage the political and business leadership this summer. The newly created Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau may be a good first step. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: June 27, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_062712_1.asp

It's A City, Not A Dump Twice in the past three weeks, some idiot has dumped more than 100 old tires at the Bowles Park housing project in Hartford. What's worse is that these are not isolated incidents, at the project or elsewhere around the city. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: December 30, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_123011.asp

It's a Job for Batsmen Cricket is alive and well in Hartford, even if you don't know the rules. The TCS Hartford Cricket League recently held their championship match, following a 10-team, month-long tournament. The league is largely made up of Indian men who live in and around Hartford while working for IT companies. Published by The Hartford Advocate ; Publication Date: October 11, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_advocate_101107.asp

It's All Uphill For Last Leg Of Hartford's Riverwalk A small, unfinished stretch of the heavily used Riverwalk is proving to be a tricky, costly challenge to the stewards of Riverfront Recapture. Completing this last knotty section would cost an estimated $27 million in additional money, more than a third of the $62 million already spent to build the 4½-mile string of parks, paved walkways, and plazas along the east and west banks of the Connecticut River. And most of the cost is linked to one 500-foot piece off Van Dyke Avenue, near the Colt complex, north of Charter Oak Landing. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 20, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_082009.asp

It's Arch Vs. Autos The city's historic Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch was damaged again recently when a motorist hit the structure. The crash knocked out a sizable section of the brownstone bridge leading up to the arch on its north side. The sixth such accident in two years is frustrating to protectors of the arch. But its timing is fortuitous. It comes just as the Bushnell Park Foundation is poised to approve a major street redesign plan aimed at discouraging speeding and reckless driving around the arch. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: December 31, 2005
Document Link: /issues/documents/Parks/htfd_courant_123105.asp

It's OK For Hartford Not To Be San Antonio Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar didn't go to San Antonio to designate a river as America's first National Blueway, a new conservation and recreation program. He came to Hartford. The powerful Connecticut River, which drains over 11,250 square miles of New England's forests and mountains, has a personality that's very different from the laid-back San Antonio River. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 08, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_080812.asp

Jazz in the Park: Social Disintegration in Reverse Gathering in Bushnell Park on summer afternoons and evenings for live jazz is, for some, is a chance to socialize more than it is an opportunity to sit silently while musicians perform. Published by Real Hartford ; Publication Date: July 25, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/artsandculture/realhtfd_072512.asp

Jazz Series Saved Last winter it appeared that Hartford would lose one of its cherished summer traditions, Monday Night Jazz at Bushnell Park. Paul Brown, the bassist and promoter who'd run the program for four decades, announced his retirement. Thankfully, a consortium of the Hartford Jazz Society as producer and Prudential Financial, the Greater Hartford Arts Council and the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism as funders have stepped into the breach and revived this most pleasant musical diversion. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: May 19, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/artsandculture/htfd_courant_051908.asp

Joe The Barber Is Back Just before 5 p.m. on a recent Wednesday, Anthony Cymerys parked on Elm Street next to Bushnell Park and popped the trunk of his 1996 Crown Victoria. A nearby group of men, many a bit on the scruffy side, soon spotted him and began to approach as he took a car battery, a lawn chair and a duffel bag out of his trunk. Joe the Barber, as he is known on the streets of Hartford and really pretty much everywhere, was back in town. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: April 07, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/homelessness/htfd_courant_040711.asp

Keep Hartford's Skateboard Heaven Real In this opinion piece, the author suggests that within the skateboard culture, every city has a landmark — a well-known spot used by skateboarders — that was not built for skateboarding. For years, New Ross County Wexford Park over I-84, also known as "Heaven" by skateboarders, has been arguably the best known and most popular skateboard spot in Hartford. City leaders now plan to make it an official skateboard park. They have to do it right. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 18, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_081810.asp

Keep Hold Of Open Space At a budget workshop recently, Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez, city council members and department heads kicked around ideas to fill a projected $40 million revenue hole in next year's budget. One alternative - a perennial one - is to sell the unimproved land called Batterson Park, scores of acres located outside the city in Farmington and West Hartford. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: February 08, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_020810.asp

Keep Our City Clean Nothing says "No one cares" or "Stay away" for a city quite like a poorly maintained landscape. Unfortunately, that is the message coming from several Hartford — or Hartford-owned — properties. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 11, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/neighborhoods/htfd_courant_081109.asp

Knox Parks Foundation: Garden Giants Knox Parks Foundation has been building a quiet legacy, beginning in 1966 as a trust by Betty Knox to fund improvements to the city. Not so much a familiar face of Hartford, theirs are the recognizable green thumbs whose imprints you see every day in every pocket of the city. Knox Parks' mission is to mobilize Hartford into beautifying itself, by banding together communities that can heal their urban scars by building community gardens, planting trees, cleaning graffiti and lining neighborhoods with flowering pots. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: January 24, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_012408.asp

Knox Still Helping For 40 years, community groups have gone to the Knox Foundation for help, often when there were no other sources of funds. Knox has helped an incredible array of activities: canoe trips, youth theater, music, fuel assistance, college preparation programs, a book of poetry published by girls living in a shelter. The foundation, founded in 1966, furthers the vision of activist and benefactress Betty Knox, who left most of her estate to beautify and renew the city. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: April 18, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_041808.asp

Legacy of Hartford Parks The Pump House Gallery reopened its doors as an art space recently. The site has gone from a state of neglect to one that we can be proud of: the patio has been weeded, walls have been given a fresh coat of white paint, and the terribly faded sign over the entrance has been repainted. As part of The Week of the Parks, Bushnell Park had its grass mowed, shrubs removed from the front of the Pump House Gallery, branches trimmed, and benches repaired. Published by Real Hartford ; Publication Date: August 27, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/realhtfd_082710.asp

Legal Opinion Sought on Proposed Equestrian Center The plan to build a new $65 million equestrian center on at least 60 acres of Keney Park was on the agenda of the Hartford City Council's Planning and Economic Development Committee on March 3, 2009. But Councilman Matt Ritter, who chairs the committee, did not plan to take up the matter until he had received a legal opinion from the city’s attorney. Published by Hartford Cityline, The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: March 03, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/cityline_030309.asp

Life Downtown Just a few years ago, the idea of “life downtown” would have been taken as a joke. Other than UCONN games and bar business, the feeling a real city was missing, especially on weekends, was underlined by silent, empty Sunday mornings. However, signs of change were evident on a recent Sunday. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: February 14, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_news_021408.asp

Lights, Window Displays, Action Kerri Provost writes that she recently visited Bushell Park after dark for the first time since the kick-off tree lighting event. They have added lots of lights since then, including the small white ones. Published by Real Hartford ; Publication Date: December 17, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/realhtfd_121710.asp

Lincoln Financial Makes Lasting Investment The largest corporate investment in public sculpture in the state was be officially unveiled recently in Hartford, according to area art experts. After donating more than $18 million to area nonprofits over the past 10 years, Lincoln Financial Group is presenting its next big gift on June 11. Thanks to the company’s almost $600,000 investment and its partnership with the Greater Hartford Arts Council and Riverfront Recapture, it has erected a sculpture park dedicated to the life and lessons of Abraham Lincoln along both sides of the Connecticut River. Published by The Hartford Business Journal ; Publication Date: June 09, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/artsandculture/hbj_060908.asp

Liquid Temptation The police have responded to pool hoppers or complaints about the fences they've broken at Pope Park's pool at least 150 times in the past six years. Neighbors sit on their steps and watch the kids, dozens of them, cut the fence, swim in the pool, run from police and return to the water when they leave. Last week, a committee of the city council approved new metal fencing at Pope and Goodwin parks - the kind that has secured the pools at Colt and Keney parks for a couple of years. The city is also exploring further safeguards - including security cameras and retractable pool covers. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 1, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/Neighborhoods/htfd_courant_080106_a.asp

Looking After Bushnell Park In this commentary, the author expresses the opinion that Bushnell Park, because of its unique significance to Hartford, deserves the oversight and protection of established stakeholders and stewards. A committee should be formed to review and comment on any proposed changes or additions — big or small — to the park. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: June 15, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_061508.asp

Looking Back with Hartford's Mr. Green Jack Hale is leaving the Knox Foundation after many years. He resigned from Knox primarily because the current economic downturn has made it necessary for the organization to be headed by someone who can concentrate more on finances rather than programming. But, he’ll probably continue to work with Knox in various ways as a volunteer. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: May 14, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_news_051409.asp

Lozada Park to Be Transformed Six years ago, a group of 13 older adults participating in Leadership Greater Hartford’s Third Age Initiative formed a team committed to developing a project that would enhance the quality of life in a Hartford neighborhood. This group, known as the “Neighborhood Gang,” included residents of many Greater Hartford communities. They discovered a tiny “pocket park” in the Clay Hill neighborhood long abandoned and ignored. The Neighborhood Gang began working to transform this large, vacant lot into a center for the neighborhood to gather safely, for children to play and for community to take root. Groundbreaking is scheduled for early in the summer of 2008, and ribbon cutting to open the transformed Lozada Park is scheduled for May, 2009. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: June 26, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/history/htfd_news_062608.asp

Major Cleaning Planned for City Parks A clean up for Hartford parks that was held in late August 2010 went beyond picking up litter. Instead, broken items were removed, courts were repaired, and so forth. The Department of Health and Human Services, as part of the City’s “Health Hartford” campaign, also sponsored a number of activities in the parks at the same time. Published by Real Hartford ; Publication Date: July 29, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/realhtfd_072910.asp

Make Hartford More Attractive The Hartford city council's new program to recruit volunteers to help maintain the city's street medians is a sound idea that we hope will lead to more measures to beautify the city. Improving the physical appearance of the city is great for morale and development. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 19, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_091910.asp

Massive MDC Project Begins Monday It's a giant, mechanized worm. Its job: To dig a 3,700-foot-long tunnel from Walnut Street to Bushnell Park, slowly boring an underground passageway so that, when the massive MDC project is complete, heavy rains won't cause regular sewer overflows into area basements and waterways. The Metropolitan District Commission recently lowered into the ground a laser-guided micro-tunneling machine on Walnut Street. As it bores, the machine leaves a 6-foot tunnel of precast concrete behind it, through which the wastewater from Albany Avenue will eventually flow. It's the most visible of the first steps in the commission's 15-year, $2 billion project to separate sewage from storm water in metro Hartford and reduce the frequency of sewer overflows from once a week to once a year. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 31, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/environment/htfd_courant_083109.asp

Mayor Alters Park Tactic Mayor Perez decides not to pursue plans to annex parts of neighboring towns that are actually park land maintained by the city. However, he still doesn't want to pay taxes on the land. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: March 10, 2005
Document Link: /issues/documents/government/htfd_courant_031005.asp Related Link(s): Mayor Behind Bill To Annex Park Land

Mayor Behind Bill To Annex Parkland The mayor has asked the state legislature for permission to extend the city's borders - by annexing parts of Windsor and Wethersfield, and, if need be, pieces of Farmington and West Hartford. He's interested in acquiring the portions of city parks within the borders of those towns. Hartford pays to maintain those parks and also pays something akin to a property tax to Windsor and Wethersfield for the parkland those town borders. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: March 3, 2005
Document Link: /issues/documents/government/htfd_courant_030305.asp Related Link(s): Mayor Alters Park Tactic

Memories of Pope Park Sought As part of a special event to celebrate the completion of Phase II of Pope Park’s Master Plan, the Friends of Pope Park and the Pope Hartford Designated Fund are encouraging members of the public to submit stories, photos or other memorabilia for an exhibit about Pope Park memories. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: May 9 - 16, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/Parks/htfd_news_050907.asp

Moonlit Meanderings As several dozen people with flashlights and glow sticks crossed Prospect into Sunrise Overlook, the people making out in the old, black SUV probably thought they were about to be set upon by a throng of angry puritans. Instead, the group of senior citizens, teenagers, children, Gen Xers, and one infant stood around listening to one man talk about how in the 1970s the rose garden in Elizabeth Park was almost bulldozed. Published by Real Hartford ; Publication Date: October 18, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/realhtfd_101810.asp

More Horse Talk The plan floated by the Ebony Horsewomen to build a $65 million equestrian center on at least 60 acres of Keney Park continues to cause a stir. The topic came up again on April 7, 2009 at a meeting of the Hartford City Council's Planning and Economic Development Committee. No action was taken as the council awaits a legal opinion from city attorneys. Published by Hartford Cityline, The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: April 08, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/cityline_040809.asp

More Ice, More Skaters For Hartford's Winterfest Rink The day after Thanksgiving traditionally is marked by serious shopping, wider waistlines and a tryptophan-induced hangover, but for many in the capital city, the day marked the unveiling of the Winterfest ice skating rink and the official start of the holiday season. Embedded in the fuzzy glow of thousands of twinkling lights, the 90-foot by 80-foot outdoor skating rink stretched along Wells Street, near Pulaski Circle. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: November 25, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_112511.asp

Mounted Patrols Back In Hartford During his 15 years with the Hartford Police Department's mounted unit, retired officer Robert "Bobby" Alfaro found two main advantages to being a cop on horseback. First, everyone loves horses. "Even the bad guys say hi to you," Alfaro said. Second, perspective. "You can see so much on horseback you wouldn't see if you were in a police car," Alfaro said, such as a popped ignition in a stolen car. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: October 07, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/crime/htfd_courant_100708.asp

NASCAR For The Boating Crowd The ChampBoat Series roared into Hartford looking to grow. Once a sport for lakes and Midwestern rivers, powerboat racing is trying to make a splash in cities that are reviving their riverfronts. Mike Schriefer, president and CEO of the ChampBoat Series, said he and others involved in the series are betting that the speed, spray and occasional airborne boat will attract new fans in the Northeast. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 23, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/DowntownDevelopment/htfd_courant_092306.asp

Neighborhood's Parks Snatched Away Christopher J. Doucot and William Breetz urge Mayor Eddie Perez to use existing laws to take title to a dozen vacant lots and abandoned buildings on Barbour Street between Capen and Westland streets. They suggest that the city seek developers to build two-family homes, maximizing homeownership and owner-occupied dwellings. As part of this reclamation process, the city could dedicate a portion of this land as a park. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: March 25, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/Neighborhoods/htfd_courant_032507.asp

New (Free!) Ice-Skating Rink at Bushnell Park in Hartford The newest offering from the city of Hartford — part park promotion and part just-because-it’s-awesome — is a completely free ice skating rink in the city’s central public park. The idea sprung from the mind of Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra partly as a way to get city residents to use the city’s parks year-round, and to provide some low-cost fun along the way. Published by The Hartford Advocate ; Publication Date: December 29, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_advocate_122910.asp

New Walk to Link Bridge, Riverside Park Work has begun on the $4.9 million project to build a walkway that connects the Connecticut River from the Bulkeley Bridge to the boathouse at Riverside Park. The project is the latest phase of construction by Riverfront Recapture Inc., a nonprofit organization working on a park system on the Hartford and East Hartford sides of the river. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 8, 2005
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_090805.asp

New York Rangers End Business Relationship With Baldwin's Group When Howard Baldwin's Whalers Sports & Entertainment took control of the Hartford Wolf Pack 21 months ago, the expectation was clear. Baldwin, the man who ushered the Hartford Whalers from the WHA to the NHL three decades earlier, would resuscitate Hartford as a hockey market and eventually bring major league sports back to the capital city. The vision, as outlined by Baldwin for years, was to grab the attention of the NHL by passionately supporting minor league hockey. But after two seasons in control, Baldwin has been nudged off Hartford's sports stage and the future of professional hockey in the city is in doubt. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: June 26, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_062612.asp

No Dream Field For City Youth Several of the city's private Little Leagues jockey nightly for time on one of Hyland Park's four baseball and softball fields, even though the diamonds there lack grass and safe fencing. For many children in Hartford, rundown athletic fields are an unfortunate reality that goes along with playing sports. Hartford has 70 recreational athletic fields and 2,300 acres of park space, all under the management of the parks division of the city Department of Public Works. City officials say they work hard with the resources they have to keep up with demand. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 04, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_080413.asp

No Equestrian Center, No How Months of debate over whether to build a multi-million-dollar equestrian center on dozens if not hundreds of acres of Keney Park came to a close recently. The Hartford City Council voted 8 to 1 against the plan.to name the Ebony Horsewomen the tentative developers for the project in the city's North End park. Published by Hartford Cityline, The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: April 27, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/cityline_042709.asp

No More Hometown League The Greater Hartford Pro-Am summer basketball league, one of Hartford's signature summer sporting events, is leaving the city after 16 years. Pro-Am co-founder and CEO Peter Higgins, citing concerns over rising costs and other facility complications in Hartford, said recently that the annual six-week event will be held this year at Crosby High School in Waterbury. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: June 05, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_060513.asp

Nothing Happening Here Bushnell Plaza, an elevated, L-shaped expanse at Main and Gold streets in downtown Hartford, may be the most overlooked and underused space in the city. Despite its enormous potential, the plaza has remained the empty concrete slab it was when built in 1970. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: January 29, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_012906_a.asp

Obama Administration Gives Conditional Support To Coltsville The National Park Service said recently that it's behind efforts to turn Hartford's Coltsville neighborhood into a national park, with several conditions. Published by CT Mirror ; Publication Date: April 23, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/history/ct_mirror_042313.asp

On the Ice in Bushnell Park Kerri Provost writes about skating at Bushnell Park during Winterfest 2012. Published by Real Hartford ; Publication Date: December 04, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/realhtfd_120412.asp

On The Rocks: A Toast To Public Art Thirty years ago, sculptor Carl Andre took boulders from a Bristol quarry, just as they were, and arranged them as a public installation in rows on a long, narrow triangle of land at the corner of Main and Gold streets in Hartford. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 5, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/artsandculture/htfd_courant_080507.asp

One City Celebration and Awards Ceremony Over a dozen organizations and individuals were given awards at the Connecticut Science Center. The One City Celebration and Awards Ceremony featured an overview of the City of Hartford One City, One Plan — adopted in June 2010 — and gave trees to those who have already taken action to meet some part of the Plan of Conservation and Development goals. Published by Real Hartford ; Publication Date: April 06, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/government/realhtfd_040611.asp

Park Celebrates Removal Of Road The "new" Pope Park has some nice additions, from ornate, old-fashioned lighting to a wrought iron fence around the swimming pool. But organizers of the park's redevelopment project are also excited about a notable subtraction. A paved access road, Pope Park Drive, which bisected the park for more than 90 years, has been converted into a bicycle and pedestrian path. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 07, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_090707.asp

Park River Visions Flow In this editorial, the Courant supports a plan by the Metropolitan District Commission to restore some of the ambience of the Park River where it used to run through Bushnell Park. The proposal is for a three-pond water feature along the historic path of the Park River. Ingeniously, it would be a functional part of the ongoing MDC project to separate sewer pipes from storm drains downtown. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: October 21, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_102107.asp

Parklife: A Garden Blooms in Colt Park A master plan to build a botanical garden in Colt Park along Wethersfield Avenue is nearing completion. Could it be the piece in the puzzle that makes Hartford a destination? Published by The Hartford Advocate ; Publication Date: August 22, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_advocate_082207.asp

Parks Week Only A Good First Step Hartford's new mayor, Pedro Segarra, takes a dim view of the uncomely appearance of some of the city's parks. So he's organized an activity he has dubbed "Parks Week." From Aug. 23-28, 2010city crews and volunteers will go from park to park, pruning or removing fallen trees, branches and shrubs, repairing what's broken and removing trash and leaves. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 03, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_080310.asp

Paul Brown's Music First, let us offer heartfelt thanks to Paul Brown. For four decades, the bassist and promoter known affectionately as "PB" has brought the country's best jazz artists to Hartford to enliven Monday nights in the summer. Recently, Mr. Brown announced he will no longer produce the Paul Brown Monday Night Jazz Series. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: December 11, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/artsandculture/htfd_courant_121107.asp

Planting New Trees Can Also Save Money A few years ago researchers in Chicago concluded that living in a neighborhood with trees might actually make you safer. University of Illinois Professor Frances Kuo and her colleagues found that neighborhoods with trees had less crime and residents reported less violence in their lives. A barren landscape leads to less civility, more aggression and higher crime rates. There are signs that some understand this in Hartford, where our tree canopy is increasingly threatened. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: October 20, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/economicdevelopment/htfd_courant_102009.asp

Players Sought For Gentle Sport Of Lawn Bowling Hartford's Thistle Lawn Bowling Club plays its games on lushly manicured lawn tucked into a corner of Elizabeth Park. The club has seen membership drop in recent years. With financial pressures mounting the club is in danger of closing unless new members are found. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 23, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_092307.asp

Pond House Café: A Neighborly Dispute That Is Best Forgotten It was a classic neighborhood battle that threatened to kick off a border war between the capital city and its suburban neighbor to the west. At the heart of the dispute was the Pond House Café and Banquet Center, an upscale eatery nestled against the rose gardens in Hartford's lush Elizabeth Park. But as the controversy dragged on, it came to encompass a complicated stew of issues, ranging from traffic and noise concerns to cries of elitism to the question of whether a public park ought to be home to a private business. Published by The Hartford Advocate ; Publication Date: October 13, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_advocate_101308.asp

Pope Park Renovation to be Celebrated The completion of Phase I of an overall renovation of Pope Park was celebrated recently. In addition to an official ribbon-cutting for the ornamental new entrance, there was also a tree planting ceremony, high-wheel bicycle demonstrations, a “Parade on Wheels” of persons on bicycles, rollerskates, baby carriages and wheelchairs and numerous other activities. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: June 14, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/Parks/htfd_news_061406.asp

Pro-Am Hoops League Departs — Could It Rebound To Hartford? The abrupt departure of the Greater Hartford Pro-Am summer basketball league from Hartford is not of the scope of the Whalers leaving the capital. But for those who love hoops and lament the lack of positive summer diversions for city youth, the move is significant. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: June 06, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_060613.asp

Project Playscape In early August 2009, workers from the Department of Public Works tore out the playground equipment at DeLucco Park in the North End in anticipation of a dramatic makeover of the park, paid for by federal and private funding. A complete makeover of DeLucco Park should be good news. What should have been unmitigated good news for local residents, however, has been tainted for some by a mistrust of city government. Residents say the demolition of the existing playground equipment in the middle of summer shows callous indifference to the North End. Published by The Hartford Advocate ; Publication Date: September 01, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_advocate_090109.asp

Proposal Recreates, Reunites Hartford Parks And Rec. The city council is considering a proposal to revive the defunct parks and recreation department that was disbanded more than a decade ago. The parks department became a division of the department of public works, while the recreation department is now a division under the department of health and human services. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 10, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_071010.asp

Puerto Rican Day Parade Livens Up Hartford The state's 45th annual Puerto Rican Day Parade was recently held in Hartford. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: June 02, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/neighborhoods/htfd_courant_060208.asp

Putting The Spurs To Coltsville The effort to turn Coltsville into a national park is not dead, not by a long shot, but it has been dormant for some time. A federal study released last week may be just the giddyup it needs. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: December 06, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/history/htfd_courant_120609.asp

Ready, Set, Go Green Hartford Marathon organizers have been working several years to make the event green. A major change came last year when engineers at United Technologies Corp. donated their expertise to design and build a massive, portable bubbler system with water tank at which 40 runners at a time can get a drink. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 06, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_090608.asp

Ready, Set, Skate Recently, a group of 50 youngsters from the Boys & Girls Club on Broad Street turned a neighborhood dream into a reality. The youngsters participated in a Learn to Skate program that marked the first community use of Trinity College’s new Community Sports Complex (TCCSC) near the corner of Broad Street and New Britain Avenue in Hartford’s Barry Square neighborhood. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: November 29 - December 6, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/FamiliesandChildren/htfd_news_112906.asp

Recognition Overdue For Park Pioneer Bushnell Park was designed by a man, whose name has long lain in undeserved obscurity: Jacob Weidenmann (1829-1893). His life and work are finally getting some long-overdue attention. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: March 09, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_030908.asp

Recovering a Lost Piece of Hartford History A chance discovery in Colt Park has led to an ongoing effort to recover a piece of Hartford history that has been lost for almost half a century. The discovery was made by Fairfield Avenue resident Karen O’Maxfield, President of the Hartford Vintage Baseball League. While doing some work for the league in one of the buildings located in Colt Park recently, O’Maxfield came upon a huge pile of metal plaques with names engraved on them, each approximately 12” x 10”. The plaques were part of a memorial to the 207 Hartford Veterans that lost their lives in World War I. The "Trees of Honor" memorial was erected in 1926 in Colt Park with sponsorship from the Rau-Locke American Legion Post # 8, which is still active and headquartered on Babcock Street. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: September 05, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/history/htfd_news_090513.asp

Remember Hartford Pioneer A little more than a year ago, the city of Hartford and Mayor Eddie A. Perez paid tribute to the late Olga Mele by dedicating a tree to her in Bushnell Park between the pond and the carousel. The honor was well deserved. Mrs. Mele was a legendary matriarch of Hartford's Puerto Rican community. Regrettably, the tree that was planted in her honor has died. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: June 7, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/Neighborhoods/htfd_courant_060707.asp

Remember The Dark Blues The grassy field at the corner of Wyllys Street and Hendrixsen Avenue near the Church of the Good Shepherd and close to downtown is the site of the Hartford Base Ball Grounds, home of the Hartford Dark Blues. In 1876, the local nine was one of the original eight teams in the National League. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 5, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/Parks/htfd_courant_080507.asp

Remembering Darrell Garner Hartford’s “No Name Park” may soon be nameless no more. City Councilman Ken Kennedy, State Representative Matt Ritter and others are leading a drive to rename the park in honor of long-time activist Darrell Garner, who passed away in July 2013 at the age of 78. “No-Name Park” lies off Sisson Avenue, behind the fire station, and was originally cleared to store construction equipment during the building of the Sisson Avenue highway entrance/exit. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: August 22, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/neighborhoods/htfd_news_082213.asp

Residents Push To Fill Gap In Greenway A proposal to fill the gap in the Charter Oak Trail/East Coast Greenway would eventually link downtown Hartford with "The Notch" and the suburbs of eastern Connecticut. Once it's completed, trail enthusiasts and bicyclists will be able to journey to Rentschler Field, Riverfront Recapture or downtown Hartford from Bolton, Manchester, and points beyond. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 1, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/Parks/htfd_courant_090106.asp

Reviving Pope's Legacy Bicycle, Car King's Namesake Hartford Park Getting An Overhaul Colonel Albert Pope, the world's largest bicycle manufacturer and, for a time, its largest automaker, was one of Hartford’s largest employers about one hundred years ago. The legacy he gave Hartford, 90 rolling acres on both sides of Park Street for a public park that bears his name, is being revitalized by a planned infusion of $13.6 million. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 09, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_080909.asp

Ride On! Maybe. The public Keney Park can be used as a private equestrian center, "so long as uses are recreational in keeping with the definition of a public park and for the benefit of all the public," according to a legal opinion from the city's attorneys. So the question now is this: Will the $65 million, at least 60-acre equestrian center that the Ebony Horsewomen want to put in Keney Park "benefit all of the public"? "Yes," says Patricia Kelly, of the Ebony Horsewomen. Maybe, say councilmen Luis Cotto and Matt Ritter. Published by Hartford Cityline, The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: April 16, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/cityline_041609.asp

River Corridors Could Help Tie Hartford Together The commotion over digging up the Park River is missing a larger opportunity. The rampant and sometimes counterproductive debate over the past few months has focused on whether to bring back part of the long-buried river as a water feature in downtown Hartford. Like that idea or not, it isn't the river's highest and best use. What should be in the spotlight is the river's old corridor. It could become what Hartford has long needed: a multi-use trail coming into downtown from the west. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: May 7, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_050706_b.asp

River Race Speeding Into City The ChampBoats racing series will whiz by Hartford on the Connecticut River this fall, bringing 150,000 people and an estimated $9 million to the city for a nationally televised racing event, officials said recently. The ChampBoat Grand Prix will be Sept. 23 and 24, 2006 and will be the first-ever ChampBoat race in the Northeast. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: June 22, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_062206.asp

River Was Where Road Is In this opinion piece, Wilson H Faude discusses the Metropolitan District Commission plans to tap a brook in Bloomfield and have it flow in Bushnell Park along the former path of the Park River. In fact, the river flowed where the streets are on the north side of the park. When the Army Corps of Engineers buried the river after the floods of the late 1930s, they took away a substantial amount of parkland. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: March 19, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/History/htfd_courant_031906.asp

Rolling Out Lunch The makings for some generous and varied lunches roll into the city each weekday by about 11:30 a.m. A variety of chrome and stainless steel trucks and wagons, complete with grills, sinks and well-stocked refrigerators line up along Elm Street at the edge of Bushnell Park, attracting dozens of Capitol-area workers daily. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 14, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/economicdevelopment/htfd_courant_091407.asp

Rory O'Neil Saw How To Connect Hartford To The River C. Roderick "Rory" O'Neil died at the end of July 2012 at 81. He was a major figure in the business world, a senior executive at The Travelers and later the business partner of Alan Greenspan. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 30, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_073012.asp

Rory O'Neil, Riverfront Recapture Co-Founder, Dies At 81 The co-founder of Riverfront Recapture, the 31-year-old nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring Hartford's access to the Connecticut River, died July 28, 2012 in Greenwich. He was 81. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 30, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/history/htfd_courant_073012.asp

Rowing Crew Is a Learning Experience The Riverfront Recapture rowing program is over for the season, and the oars and long, narrow sculls have been cleaned and stored away. But for many team members, fond memories of their experiences on the Connecticut River linger. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: November 14, 2005
Document Link: /issues/documents/familiesandchildren/htfdcourant_111405.asp

Rugby In Hartford More than 40 years ago, Michael Byrne formed a local rugby team, the Hartford Wanderers Rugby Football Club. It has grown into one of the premier men's teams on the East Coast. Not content to watch from the sidelines, the wives and girlfriends of the Wanderers wanted a team of their own. And so was born, 10 years after the men began, the Hartford Wild Rose Women's Rugby Football Club. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: April 5, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/Parks/htfd_courant_040507.asp

Runners Warm Up To Hartford Marathon A record 17,000 registered runners recently participated in the ING Hartford Marathon, relay, half marathon, 5K and kids K. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: October 13, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_101312.asp

Samuel Colt, Warts And All On the eve of a National Park Service vote to decide whether Sam Colt's firearms manufacturing empire should be a National Landmark, a precursor to having it become a national park, debate has taken shape in The Courant's Commentary section about whether Mr. Colt is worthy of the honor, or of any special attention at all. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: October 1, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/History/htfd_courant_100106_a.asp

Science Center's Garden In Full Bloom With Flora And Grasshoppers The Connecticut Science Center's rooftop garden opened in May for the 2012 season, and has quickly become the ideal place for visitors to experience native plants and "green" rooftop architecture or simply enjoy the wide views of downtown Hartford, the Connecticut River and the nearby countryside. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 07, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_080712.asp

Segarra Announces Park Cleanup Effort Standing in trash-strewn Colt Park recently, Mayor Pedro Segarra said the condition of the city's parks is unacceptable and that he's going to do something about it. From Aug. 23 to 28, with some corporate and volunteer help, crews will visit Keney, Colt, Goodwin, and Bushnell parks in a cleanup effort called Parks Week. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 28, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_072810.asp

Signs Point to Bullying In any mention of the Hartford section of the East Coast Greenway, two points always seem to come up: people are unaware of its existence despite online cue sheets and markings on the sidewalk, and, the lack of signage. Published by Real Hartford ; Publication Date: October 01, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/transportation/realhtfd_100112.asp

Skate Park Organizers Looking To Break Ground For Improvements After years of planning and preparation, Hartford's improved skate park will break ground in late summer or early fall of 2012. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: June 11, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_061112.asp

Skate Park Public Hearing Tonight A recent public hearing about a proposed skate park in Hartford explored the cost of the project in comparison to other recreational facilities. Published by Real Hartford ; Publication Date: June 13, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/realhtfd_061311.asp

Skating In The Park: Hartford At Its Best Again this year, Hartford-area residents may experience skating on a pond in the middle of the city with dozens of other happy people at Winterfest, a two-month-long festival in the capital's Bushnell Park. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: November 21, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_112112.asp

Soldiers And Sailors Arch To Be Rededicated The Connecticut Civil War Commemoration Commission and the Bushnell Park Foundation recently rededicated the arch for its intended purpose — to honor the more than 4,000 Hartford men who served in the Civil War and the 400 who died in it. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 16, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/history/htfd_courant_091611.asp

Sparkling Idea Holds Water This Courant editorial supports the proposal by the MDC to construct a three-pond water feature at Bushnell Park that would follow the course of the Park River as it once flowed through the park. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: December 10, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/Parks/htfd_courant_121006.asp

Squashing Barriers At Trinity College's Ferris Athletic Center squash players represent at least nine countries. On a given day, a member of the Trinity Squash Club might play someone from Pakistan or Egypt or Norway or New Zealand or Argentina, and the list goes on. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: December 17, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/Immigrants/htfd_courant_121706.asp

State Funding for Ruby Long Park and Jubilee House The State Bonding Commission is expected to approve funding for two neighborhood projects in Hartford: a $400,000 grant for the construction of a new, accessible playground at the Ruby Long Park in Hartford’s Blue Hills neighborhood, and a state grant for the Jubilee House of Hartford, a non-profit center for adult education and refugee assistance. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: December 09, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_news_120910_1.asp

Still Perfect for Weddings The Elizabeth Park gazebo has been rebuilt on the original stone foundation into an exact replica of the original over the past two months. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: May 29, 2005
Document Link: /issues/documents/neighborhoods/htfd_courant_052905.asp

Still Rollin' On The River This year, Riverfront Recapture celebrates its 25th anniversary. Riverfront has been one of the most successful nonprofits in the state over the past quarter-century. This group got the state and federal government to lower I-91 and build platforms that reconnected downtown to the river. Then they gave people reasons to go to the river by building parks and sponsoring regular events. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: May 28, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_052806.asp

Stowe Center's Rose Gardens Win National Award Roses must have meant a great deal to Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Stowe was a passionate gardener who cultivated roses at her home on Forest Street in Hartford. The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center's research and re-creation of the historic landscape of Stowe's Victorian gardens recently earned the Jane Righter Rose Medal from the Garden Club of America. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: May 28, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/history/htfd_courant_052810_1.asp

Success! Wexford Park Looks Great, Except… Wexford Park (the Platform over 1-84) has been cleaned up. But, one job still needs to be done: Graffiti. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: October 11, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_news_101111.asp

Summer Goes Swimmingly At Goodwin Park Pool People who know the swimming pool at Goodwin Park alternately call Hartford's summer swim program a jewel, a treasure and an island in a city sorely in need of some magic. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 22, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_082207.asp

Sunshine, Pride, Tradition At Greater Hartford St. Patrick's Day Parade The sun spread warmth as thousands of people descended on the city's downtown for what has become a rich and prideful celebration. Bundled-up tailgaters set up hours before the 41st Annual Greater Hartford St. Patrick's Day Parade stepped off on Capitol Avenue. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: March 10, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_031012.asp

Support A Hartford Parks And Recreation Board In this editorial, the Hartford Courant expresses the opinion that Hartford city councilman Luis Cotto has proposed reviving the city's parks and recreation department, which was disbanded more than a decade ago. Though it might take some funding legerdemain, the idea is worthy of support because it would bring more focus to the parks, one of Hartford's great assets. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 12, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_071210.asp

The Back Story Tour Of Bushnell Park's Statues Approved by the city in 1854, Hartford's Bushnell Park became the nation's first publicly funded park. It was not an easy road. Local businessmen opposed the plan to spend a considerable amount of public money on the project. Not to mention that the space allotted for it was occupied at the time by a garbage dump, pig sties and tanneries. No doubt you've used the park often, especially the area that holds the carousel and the Pump House Gallery. Perhaps you've wondered about the story behind some of the Bushnell's monuments. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 20, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/history/htfd_courant_082010.asp

The Coltsville Scoop In this editorial, the Courant expresses the opinion that the more enthusiasm Connecticut can show for having a national park in Coltsville, the better its chances of being approved. That fact has not been lost on the many scholars, historians, planners and politicians who have been working for years toward a national park designation. Some of them, along with the Hartford Preservation Alliance, have collaborated on an entertaining series of lectures and tours to enlighten the public about the fascinating Colt legacy. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: May 14, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/history/htfd_courant_051408.asp

The Hartford He Came Home To Was A Different City Benjamin Cruse, Leadership Greater Hartford's director of youth services, is bringing Little League back to the South End after it folded a few years ago. When he recently returned to his hometown, he realized Hartford "wasn't the same as I left it." Parks were mausoleums. Kids wandered around with nothing to do. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: April 06, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/familiesandchildren/htfd_courant_040608.asp

The iQuilt Plan: Building Hartford’s Future Upon Its Past In the past, most of the big plans to revitalize Hartford have looked to the suburbs for inspiration, be it suburban office parks (Constitution Plaza) or suburban shopping malls (the Civic Center Mall). The new iQuilt Plan, however, draws inspiration from Hartford’s own past. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: February 02, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_news_020212.asp

The Knox Parks Foundation The next time you stop to smell the flowers in Hartford, thank Knox Parks and their host of volunteers for planting them. For over 40 years, this lone champion of Hartford’s environment has been transforming the city’s landscape one abandoned lot, city block, and neighborhood at a time. Whether through the 12 community gardens they organize, the hundreds of Hartford Blooms Pots they decorate the city with, or the many tree planting initiatives they plan with Hartford neighborhood groups, the Knox Parks Foundation strives to make your city beautiful. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: February 18, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_news_021810.asp

The Marathon: Hartford's Pride Race Shows Off the City at Its Best Other marathons may draw more TV cameras, but today's Hartford Marathon is the premiere fall outdoor event for the region, bringing out the best this city has to offer. The race showcases the lovely Bushnell Park, spectacular Connecticut River and historic streets along the route — and rewards thousands of runners with a photogenic finale through a finish line lined with mums. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: October 09, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/economicdevelopment/htfd_courant_100910.asp

The Pad In The Park On the east side of Bushnell Park, where once there was grass and swings, there is now a large concrete slab surrounded by swaths of a dark-colored porous paving material. Some have complained that the scene is aesthetically displeasing. They are right. City officials say the problem is temporary. Let us hope they are right. The pad was installed last fall as a base for the popular skating rink, used by thousands of visitors over the winter. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 27, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_082713.asp

The Pictures In The Park In this editorial, the Courant writes that “Cities in Transition," the outdoor photography exhibit on display in Bushnell Park until Oct. 31, 2006, is a beau geste by United Technologies Corp., one that other corporate citizens would do well to emulate. This year, UTC commissioned three of the world's leading photographers, Chuck Close, Mitch Epstein and Dayanita Singh, to photographically document their reactions to New York, Boston and Hartford, respectively. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: October 2, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/artsandculture/htfd_courant_100206.asp

The Promise Of A Rose Garden A group of volunteers recently replanted about two dozen of Elizabeth Park's collection of old roses, all developed before 1867 — Madame Zoetman's, Tuscany Superb, Henri Martin, Empress Josephine, Rose du Roi and Camaieux among them — in the newly redesigned Heritage Rose Garden. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 17, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_091710.asp

The Pull Of The River: Rowing Classes Increase In Popularity In the past decade, rowing has become popular as a community sport for people of all ages. At Riverfront Recapture in Hartford, estimates are that the number of people taking lessons has increased 30 percent in the past two years. The sport offers beautiful scenery and camaraderie and people of all ages and abilities can participate. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 22, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_072209.asp

The Tale of the Tape The numbers are in from the city's Week of the Parks and they look pretty good. The effort to pick up trash and clean up 1,120 acres of Keney, Colt, Goodwin and Bushnell park resulted in: 328 acres of grass cut; 325 bags of trash filled; 125 barrels of trash emptied; 38 trees removed or pruned; and graffiti removed from six buildings and playscapes. Published by Hartford Cityline, The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 16, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/government/cityline_091610.asp

The Woman Who Put Life In Cedar Hill Irene McHugh always liked cemeteries. As the executive assistant to the executive director of Hartford's venerable Cedar Hill Cemetery, she launched the popular Tea and Sympathy program on Victorian mourning etiquette, along with many other programs. She retired at the end of May 2008. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: May 21, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_052108.asp

Thousands Gather In Hartford For Veterans Parade Thousands turned out recently to honor veterans during the 13th Connecticut Veterans Parade. There were veterans, soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, antique military vehicles, old cars and politicians. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: November 04, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_110412.asp

Three-D Fireworks, Skating Rink Draw Thousands To First Night Hartford Spectators streamed into the city to ring in the new year with ice skating, fireworks, face painting and a host of other activities. The First Night Hartford celebration, in its 24th year, drew guests from within the city and from cities and towns throughout Connecticut. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: December 31, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_123112.asp

Thugs and Gangbangers of Pope Park This past week a young child died after he was struck by a vehicle. The news reports have been inconsistent and inaccurate by misreporting the child’s age. Also, the area is incorrectly described as a road. It is more accurately, a driveway leading into a parking lot. The inability to accurately describe a place shows a disconnect with that area. Published by Real Hartford ; Publication Date: May 14, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/realhtfd_051411.asp

Time To Decide What Colt Dome Says About Hartford One of Hartford's most frustrating questions — what is it going to do with the proud old Colt Building and its iconic blue dome? — is edging closer to an answer Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: July 27, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/history/htfd_courant_072711.asp

Tough Choice For Hartford: Construction In Suburbs? The suburban sprawl that characterized the decades after World War II eviscerated Hartford and other cities, drawing businesses and middle-class residents to the suburbs. Curiously, Hartford now is in the act of abetting sprawl, despite its painful experience. The city owns an 86-acre parcel of wooded land in Farmington. Officials from Hartford and Farmington have agreed to work together to develop the site into a large office complex, possibly including a hotel. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: December 07, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/region/htfd_courant_120712.asp

Tour De Hartford There might be no better way to show off Hartford than to take people around the city on a walk or bike ride. That's what the Central Connecticut Bicycle Alliance was betting when it started the Discover Hartford Bicycling and Walking Tour in 2007. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 17, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_091708.asp

Touring Hartford By Bike Greater Hartford area bicyclists hope that if they can display Hartford as a bike-friendly destination, more people will trade in those four-wheel cars for two-wheel bikes when traveling around the city. A bike tour of the city, the Discover Hartford Bicycle and Walking Tour, organized by the Central Connecticut Bicycle Alliance is scheduled for September 8, 2007. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 9, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/Parks/htfd_courant_080907.asp

Treasures Quietly Slipping Away Westland Street in the North End of Hartford and Route 44 on the east side of Avon Mountain are separated by a few miles of land and the divide of wealth. What they have in common is the shortsighted loss of open space. In both instances, the loss might have been prevented if the public was aware of the status of the land. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: December 18, 2005
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_121805.asp

Tree-Cutting At Hartford Public, Goodwin Park Angers Residents The recent removal of trees in two neighborhoods has upset some residents, who have raised questions about the city's commitment to preserving its trees. At Hartford Public High School last month, a giant European beech estimated to be more than 150 years old was cut down after officials expressed concern about student safety. Residents are also upset by another tree removal that occurred Monday on Hubbard Road at Goodwin Park, where the city hired a contractor to remove more than a dozen trees and prune scores of others. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 13, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/neighborhoods/htfd_courant_091311.asp

Trees Of The Urban Forest Though recognizable as individuals and isolated from wilder natural settings, the trees that we encounter every day collectively constitute an urban or community forest with its own ecology and environmental and social benefits. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: June 11, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_061106.asp

Trees, Step It Up! The decision by Knox Parks, some years ago, to rebuild Hartford's traditional tree cover was a good one. Also, by encouraging cooperation of land owners to group enough trees in a neighborhood to really make a difference is a good tactic. However, Hartford needs to step up its efforts in the forestry field. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: September 22, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_news_092211.asp

Trinity College Men's Squash: 200 Straight Wins, One Family Trinity College was recently seeking its 11th straight Potter Trophy — the championship of college squash — and 11th straight perfect season at the College Squash Association team championships at Princeton. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: February 21, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/education/htfd_courant_022109.asp

Trinity Tops In Growing Game Recently, more than 550 young players from 20 countries descended on Hartford to compete in the 2007 U.S. Junior Open Squash Championships — what organizers are touting as the most diverse, most talented pool of under-19 competitors yet. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: December 16, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/education/htfd_courant_121607.asp

Turning The Tide On A River Riverfront Recapture is preparing to celebrate its 25th anniversary June 2, 2006 with a celebration at Riverfront Plaza featuring the Four Tops. The organization, which is working on site improvements at the Riverside Park boathouse and along the linear trail system, offers programs on and near the Connecticut River for thousands of city youths annually. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: May 30, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_053006.asp

Uncovering Tranquil Paths In an effort to make Hartford's Keney Park more attractive and enjoyable, a group of volunteers has uncovered an original trail that had been hidden by brush, weeds and debris for several decades. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: November 28, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_112807.asp

United Effort Would Burnish Hartford's Hub In this opinion piece, Nicholas Caruso suggests that were several initiatives coordinated, Hartford could pull off a phenomenal, comprehensive urban project that would include highway revision, greenway development, neighborhood rehabilitation, transit development and green design. The city would essentially replace a transportation system that has ripped apart the city with a multifaceted green corridor that would tie it back together. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: June 8, 2008
Document Link: /issues/documents/transportation/htfd_courant_060808.asp

Upcycling Urban Trees The decision to remove a second-generation scion of the Charter Oak was bittersweet for many parishioners at Center Church, but in September, the tree at the corner of Main and Gold was taken down. Now, a milled slab of it is on display at the Connecticut Historical Society as part of the New Life for Connecticut Trees exhibit. Published by Real Hartford ; Publication Date: November 20, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/artsandculture/realhtfd_112011.asp

Vintage Baseball Field Planned for Colt Park The Friends of Vintage Base Ball, working with the City of Hartford and the Coalition to Strengthen the Sheldon/Charter Oak Neighborhood (CSS/CON), have established a designated field of play in Colt Park for the game of vintage base ball (using the vintage spelling of the word[s]). Vintage Base Ball is played utilizing the equipment and rules that were used to play the game in late 19th and early 20th century. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: February 12, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/history/htfd_news_021209.asp

Volunteers Roll Up Sleeves The Greater Hartford Youth Network is composed of about 100 teens from churches from the Hartford area. The community service program that they participate in, "The Hartford Project," has brought them into Hartford to help residents in a variety of ways. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: June 30, 2005
Document Link: /issues/documents/faithcommunity/htfd_courant063005.asp

War Memorial Would Be Ideal Placeholder In this Commentary piece, Mike McGarry suggests using the intersection of Farmington Avenue and Broad Street (the rejected site of the Pathways to Technology magnet school) for a monument to the veterans of Hartford, especially those who fought in World War II and Korea? Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: March 18, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/History/htfd_courant_031807.asp

Welcome, Skateboarders The barren little park atop the I-84 platform in downtown Hartford was an urban planning afterthought. Hardly anyone uses the park except — skateboarders. A task force of business leaders, members of neighborhood groups and skateboarders, formed last year, has proposed turning the area into an official skate park. The city council is considering the skate park idea, along with a concurrent proposal to drop the city's intermittently enforced 33-year-old ban on skateboarders. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: June 28, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_062810.asp

Welcoming New Entry Graces Pope Park Freshly planted garden beds filled with hosta, lily and viburnum plants surround the new brick and granite entryway to Hartford's historic Pope Park. The changes are part of the first phase of the Pope Park Master Plan, a $13.6 million project aimed at making the century-old park safer and more accessible. The plan, a collaborative effort of the Friends of Pope Park, the Pope Hartford Designated Fund and the Knox Parks Foundation, was prepared in response to the Hartford Parks Master Plan, which made recommendations for improvements to 32 of the city's parks. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: June 17, 2006
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_061706.asp

West Hartford Board Approves Closing Walbridge Road Entrance To Elizabeth Park A proposal to close the entrance to Elizabeth Park off Walbridge Road won approval from the town's inland-wetlands commission after a public hearing recently at which no one opposed the plan. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 04, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/region/htfd_courant_090409.asp

West Hartford Votes To Ease Zoning Restrictions On Pond House Restaurant The town council unanimously approved changes to the zoning rules governing the Pond House after a hearing free of the conflict and acrimony which characterized meetings earlier this decade when the upscale restaurant was first approved in Elizabeth Park. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 23, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_092309.asp

Wexford Park...Knox to the Rescue Again About 20 years ago, Hartford (using mainly federal funds) built a cover over I-84 right in the heart of the city. The city named that area "Wexford Park" in honor of the 20 year relationship with New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland. Recently, 40 volunteers from The Hartford, supervised by Knox Parks (transformed the planting areas). Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: September 13, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_news_091312.asp

What is this East Coast Greenway, Anyway? The majority of the East Coast Greenway — a route for non-motorized users which has been compared to an Interstate Highway System — is currently on-road. Existing since 1991, it connects major cities from Canada to Florida. The goal is to have 95% of the ECG off-road (separated from motor vehicles) by 2030. Oddly, the Intermodal Triangle Project, receiving partial funding through the TIGER program, is planning to take action that appears to set this goal back; although the ECG runs through Bushnell Park, where there are no vehicles besides those belonging to the Department of Public Works and the police, there are plans to move the ECG onto streets next to the park, pushing cyclists back out into traffic. Published by Real Hartford ; Publication Date: September 12, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/transportation/realhtfd_091212.asp

Where Nature Holds Its Ground In 1939, the Trinity College English professor Odell Shepard, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, wrote of the vast meadows along both sides of the Connecticut River from south Hartford through Wethersfield and Rocky Hill, and from East Hartford through Glastonbury. Incredibly, the bulk of the meadows survive to this day, despite the enormous development of the past 60-plus years. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: April 8, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/Parks/htfd_courant_040807.asp

Where The City Breathes In cities around the world, the most desirable land surrounds parks. This hasn't been the case in Hartford: Witness the fact that for decades the only people living adjacent to Bushnell Park were the tenants of the YMCA. But things seem to be changing. Though the Y's residential tower is closed, there are two new housing developments on the park, and another is in the works. More of this, and parks can be the underpinning of the city's economic revitalization. That's one of the findings of a year-long study of the city's park system by the nonprofit Trust for Public Land released in December 2007. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: December 23, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_122307.asp

Whoa, Horsie...? The plan to bring a new $65 million equestrian center to at least 60 acres of Keney Park appears to be in limbo. The Friends of Keney Park organization doesn't like it. The North East NRZ doesn't like it. People on the city's parks and recreation commission don't like it. And word is that folks in Blue Hills don't like it much, either. Patricia Kelly, who heads the Ebony Horsewomen and is spearheading the push for an equestrian center, is undeterred. Published by Hartford Cityline, The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: February 18, 2009
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/cityline_021809.asp

Winterfest Hits A Home Run In Bushnell Park It's taken two years to establish itself, but the city's Winterfest in Bushnell Park is a success. The event is the successor to the Festival of Light, which was held for years on Constitution Plaza. But with waning corporate interest, organizers decided to try something new by moving it to the more centrally located greensward. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: February 20, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_022012.asp

Winterfest To Open Friday At Bushnell Park With a larger skating rink and new activities, the city and iQuilt are poised to begin the annual Winterfest celebration at Bushnell Park recently. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: November 18, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_111812.asp

Wolf Pack Name Changing To Connecticut Whale The Hartford Wolf Pack, who begin their 14th season in October, will be renamed the Connecticut Whale before the end of 2010. At an XL Center press conference, Baldwin promised to market and promote the team with a goal of increasing sagging attendance in the building. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: September 20, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_092010.asp

Work On First Phase Of Hartford's iQuilt Plan Could Start Next Spring Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2014 on three areas crucial to the iQuilt plan — State House Square, Gold Street and Union Station — a first major step in making the city's center more easily navigated by pedestrians, cyclists and those who ride the bus. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: January 09, 2013
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_010913.asp

World Dragon Boat Teams Competing In Hartford Races Competition is heating up with the arrival of some world champion paddlers at Riverfront Recapture’s 12th Annual Riverfront Dragon Boat and Asian Festival on August 18 and 19, 2012 on the Hartford Riverfront. Published by The Hartford News ; Publication Date: August 16, 2012
Document Link: /issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_news_081612.asp

You Like Trees - Hartford City Council recently considered an ordinance concerning City trees. The highlights of the proposed ordinance include: Defining the role of the city forester; Establishing a tree advisory council; Enabling the forester to conduct a tree inventory; Creating a tree master plan; Establishing a tree legacy program; Prohibiting damage to trees in the right of way or in public places and the removal of large trees in the right of way without the forester's permission; and more. Published by Hartford Cityline, The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: April 21, 2010
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/cityline_042110.asp

Young Mothers Hit The River In Rowing Program The Hartford Rising Stars, a team of eight young, inner-city mothers - some of them teenagers - is learning to row. The Hartford program is a satellite of Rowing Strong, Rowing Together, based in Holyoke, Mass., which uses rowing to show young women who have children or are pregnant that they can be successful. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: August 10, 2007
Document Link: /issues/documents/Parks/htfd_courant_081007.asp

Youth Baseball League In Hartford Could Strike Out A vibrant baseball league for kids is one of those essential measures of a community's health. Which is why it's heartbreaking to hear that Hartford's Roberto Clemente Baseball League has fallen on hard times and may not even have a season this year, of all years. New league President Efrain Bracero said that he's trying to put the pieces back together after taking over in February and discovering the league was tens of thousands of dollars in debt. Published by The Hartford Courant ; Publication Date: March 04, 2011
Document Link: /issues/documents/parks/htfd_courant_030411.asp

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