What’s New on HartfordInfo.org

August 2011

This newsletter provides periodic updates about recent additions to HartfordInfo.org. Please feel free to forward this message to others.  To be added to the distribution list send an email message through our feedback page.

HartfordInfo.org, a program of the Hartford Public Library, is a gateway to information and data on issues important to those who live and work in Hartford and the region.

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New Community Programs on HartfordInfo.org:

Videos of these programs have recently been added:

• The Year Ahead: A Conversation With Hartford’s State Legislators

• Mayoral Candidates Forum

• Making a Difference: The Bullied Respond

• Minor Political Parties in Connecticut

• Mayor Pedro E. Segarra, Town Hall Meeting
• Green Ribbon Task Force, Presentation of Recommendations

New Data on HartfordInfo.org:

• Neighborhood Snapshots 2010 — A statistical profile of each Hartford Neighborhood based on the 2010 Census data is presented here on one spreadsheet for easy comparison. Data is available at this time on total population, as well as race, ethnicity, voting age, and number of housing units. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org, and click on Neighborhood Snapshots 2010 in the center panel under Data Sets.

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New Reports on HartfordInfo.org:

• Building a Grad Nation: Progress and Challenges in Ending the High School Dropout Epidemic — This report documents that “dropout factories” — those high schools that graduate 60 percent or less of their students — have declined nationwide. In Connecticut the number declined from 14 to 1 between 2008 and 2009. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "grad nation" in the Google search box and then click "Search."
• Green Ribbon Task Force: Hartford Parks, Spring 2011 — The city's Green Ribbon Task Force recently published this report, which includes 42 recommendations to improve Hartford's parks. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "green ribbon report" in the Google search box and then click "Search."
• Transit Improvements for the Hartford Region — A PowerPoint presentation made at the public meeting held at Hartford Public Library in March 2011, about the New Britain to Hartford busway and New Haven/Hartford/Springfield passenger rail. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "transit improvements" in the Google search box and then click "Search."
• Parkville NRZ Strategic Plan— The newly approved Strategic Plan for the Parkville Neighborhood Revitalization Zone (NRZ). Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "parkville nrz" in the Google search box and then click "Search."
• Landscape Report on Hartford Youth — Presents data on selected topics to paint a broad portrait of the status of nine-to-24-year-olds in Hartford. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "landscape report" in the Google search box and then click "Search."
• Critical Health Indicators 2010 — Presents the health status of Hartford residents in 2010. Also includes an introduction to the Health Equity Index. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "critical health indicators" in the Google search box and then click "Search."
• Greater Hartford Homelessness Report Card — Documents the progress made to reduce chronic homelessness in Greater Hartford. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "homelessness report" in the Google search box and then click "Search."
• The iQuilt Plan, Phase 2 — Outlines the second phase of the iQuilt Plan. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "iQuilt Plan" in the Google search box and then click "Search."
• The Geography of Immigrant Skills — An analysis of educational attainment among foreign-born adults in the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas including Hartford. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "immigrant skills" in the Google search box and then click "Search."

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New Articles on HartfordInfo.org:

Through agreements with the Hartford Courant, the Hartford Business Journal, the Hartford News, the Hartford Advocate, and the Northend Agent's, and with the Capital Region Report, Cityline, Real Hartford, Urban Compass, and 40-Year Plan blogs, HartfordInfo.org continues to offer selected articles as permanent additions to the Web site.  Some recent additions include:

Good News in Hartford

• You Have To Care — Marilyn Jack-Ortique was recently named Hartford's Teacher Of The Year. Click here for article.
• Hollander Family Donates Buildings In Hartford, But Have Low-Profile — Milton and Betty Ruth Hollander’s family foundation has quietly had a major impact on downtown Hartford. Click here for article.
• Hartford Flying High with Pilots — The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association loves Hartford. The national organization usually moves around the country for its annual convention — yet, this fall they will revisit Hartford for the second time in five years. Click here for article.
• Saving The City's Heritage — Not long ago, historic buildings were torn down willy-nilly in Hartford. That, thankfully, is no longer the case. Click here for article.
• Hartford Housing Authority Remaking Itself Into A Force For Homeownership — A new director, a new board and a focus on homeownership have helped the Hartford Housing Authority become a formidable player in the city. Click here for article.

Big Ideas

• What's Hartford's 'Brand'? — A consortium of business and civic organizations said an advertising campaign focused on live events and the city's downtown could be the best way to sell a city like Hartford. Click here for article.
• Reforging A Neighborhood In Frog Hollow — The Melville Charitable Trust is doing great things with the old Billings Forge complex and having a positive impact on the Frog Hollow neighborhood. Click here for article.
• Room at the Top? — The best view in Hartford is from the closed 80-acre landfill between the Connecticut River and I-91 on Hartford’s north side. But anyone hoping to turn a profit from this desirable view had better start bending the ears of Hartford city officials now, because they are leaning another way. Click here for article.
• A Third Alternative — Plans are underway to expand the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington. But another option includes both Farmington and Hartford. Click here for article.
• Downtown Hartford's iQuilt Plan — A dramatic vision for making downtown Hartford more walkable 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. Click here for article.
• Swift Factory: Redevelopment Of Gold Leaf Factory In Hartford — The Swift factory building on Love Lane, where gold leaf was applied to medals, may again take its place at the center of the community. Click here for article.
• Back to the NHL — Howard Baldwin, of Whalers Sports & Entertainment in Hartford, writes that Winnipeg’s success in luring the NHL back to town proves Hartford’s strategy works. Click here for article.

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Education

• Voices From Opportunity High School — In Hartford, a new school is about to graduate its first class -- students who are over-age, under-credited, and who may not otherwise have gotten a high school diploma. Click here for article.
• An Educator's Balancing Act — Steve Perry, principal of Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford, is one busy guy. Click here for article.
• Planning the Future of Weaver — Weaver High School is slated for a major makeover and North Hartford residents are working to make sure they are fully involved in the process. Click here for article.
• A High Grade For Spending — A new U.S. Census Bureau study ranks Connecticut seventh in the country in education spending. Click here for article.

Neighborhoods

• In an Economic Downturn, Some Owners of Habitat for Humanity Houses Face Foreclosure — If you needed one more reason to feel down about our economic position these days, look no further than Habitat for Humanity — and the foreclosure notices they've issued to more than half a dozen local families. Click here for article.
• Battling Blight By The Numbers — Influenced by statistics-driven management tools used in New York City, Baltimore and other cities, Hartford officials are seeking to dramatically improve the way city hall responds to neighborhood problems. Click here for article.
• Secret Gardens — Not always as public as the actual parks, community gardens provide an equally relaxing environment, yet they might seem “hidden” to some. Click here for article.

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Arts and Culture

• The Bushnell Celebrates 80 Years Of Magical Moments — The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts is celebrating its 80th season. Click here for article.
• Hands Off Artwork: Leave Stone Field Alone — Will K. Wilkins, director of Real Art Ways, writes that plans to revitalize Hartford, such as the iQuilt, should respect the integrity of Carl Andre's public artwork, Stone Field Sculpture, next to Center Church. Click here for article.

Transportation

• Get Moving On Busway Preparations — Tom Condon expresses the opinion that Gov. Malloy was right to push ahead with the Busway project because - with some imagination - it can be part of the structure of smart growth in the Capital region. Click here for article.
• Mission: Aerotropolis — Officials from the towns surrounding Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks want an aerotropolis, or hub of an urban center, in their future. Click here for article.

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Taxes

• Landmark Tax Relief Passes — Recently, the Connecticut General Assembly passed one of the most important pieces of legislation in Hartford’s history. The bill that passed the legislature limits the amount that residential properties can increase as a class as a result of revaluation to approximately 3.5%. Click here for article.

Other Major Developments

• Hispanic, Asian Population Grows in State — Primarily because of large increases in the Latino and Asian populations, Connecticut has become significantly more diverse in the past 10 years. Click here for article.
• A Mother Breaks The Cycle Of Teen Pregnancy — Rick Green writes about a great story of a woman who broke the depressing cycle of teenage mothers which also cracks an ugly Hartford stereotype. Click here for article.

• From Homeless, News Hot Off City Streets — A small group has set out to share the stories of Hartford's homeless in the city's first "street" newspaper. Click here for article.
• Drug-Free Society? That's A Pipe Dream — Dr. Bob Painter comments that we have let the fear of the known harm caused by problem drugs govern our decisions regarding those drugs. Click here for article.

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