The Hamden Police Department released safety tips for driving at night with wildlife on Feb. 7, as Connecticut has seen an increase in car crashes at night involving wildlife. As a result, more roadkill is present in populated areas.
“What prompted me was one day, two wild turkeys had been struck,” Hamden Police Captain Ron Smith said. “They were surrounded by other wild turkeys that were circling, and it bothered me immensely. That day on RT-15 a dog was hit. Seeing two things in one day prompted me to put a general awareness out.”
The most common animals involved in these accidents include deer, skunks, racoons, squirrels and household pets.
“They happen throughout town. All motorists see them on the side…there’s just things people can do to prevent striking them,” Smith said.
According to the Insurance Information Institute, there are nearly 260,000 reported crashes per year that involve animals. In the United States, an animal is run over every 11.5 seconds. This boils down to an estimated one million animals that are hit each day.
Ninety percent of animal-vehicle collisions involve deer. Nationwide, deer-vehicle accidents cause about 29,000 human injuries, 200 human fatalities and one billion dollars in property damage every year.
In Connecticut, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEEP) receives reports from law enforcement officers of about 3,000 deer killed on Connecticut roadways annually. However, many deer-vehicle accidents are not reported, which include those where deer survive or die in an area away from the road.
In the Fairfield and New Haven counties, the highest number of deer roadkill was on I-84, I-95 and the Merritt and Wilbur Cross Parkways.
Based on deer carcass removal data from the Connecticut Department of Transportation collected in 2001 and 2002, for every dead deer picked up off the road and reported to the DEEP, five additional deer go unreported. Based on this data, this means that about 18,000 deer are killed along Connecticut’s roadways each year, or 49 deer per day.
There is currently no data as in depth for other animals reported both nation and state wide.
The Hamden Police Department advises residents to follow these precautions:
While driving, it is important to scan the road, and the shoulder of the road for animals. Spotting an animal moments earlier helps a motorist by providing additional reaction time. This is important should an animal run into the road.
If traveling at night, and if there is no oncoming traffic, use high-beam headlights. This may enable a motorist to observe a domestic animal or wildlife sooner. High beams are useful in spotting some animals’ reflective eyes.
Caution should be taken at dawn and dusk. Many animals are active at this time.
Most importantly, if everyone would slow down and travel at the speed limit, many of these incidents could be avoided.
And to some, please don’t intentionally hit animals. You can be arrested.
If a collision is unavoidable, remain in your lane of traffic. Swerving to avoid an animal can cause a serious crash and possible injuries.
“Sometimes it is unavoidable, but we want people to be more aware so accidents can be avoided for the future,” Smith said.
Manager of Yale New Haven Health Pina Violano speaks at a press conference Monday regarding the Gun Buy Back. Courtesy: Kailee Heffler
The Town of Hamden is hosting its first Gun Buy Back event this Saturday, Feb. 15, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hamden Police Station.
The Gun Buy Back is being held in an attempt to make homes and the community safer, as well as to help prevent guns from falling into the wrong hands.
Hamden and its police department are partnering with Yale New Haven Hospital’s Injury & Violence Prevention Program, Injury Free Coalition for Kids of New Haven, New Haven Police Department, Newtown Action Alliance, and the Episcopal Church.
The idea was first thought of almost ten months ago.
“I brought the idea to Chief Cappiello and Mayor Leng and they were very enthusiastic and then we partnered with Dr. Violano from the hospital who has experience in these events” Adam Sendroff, Community Development Manager, said.
The Gun Buy Back provides an opportunity for residents of Hamden to safely dispose of their unwanted weapons in exchange for gift cards.
Free gun locks and car safes will be provided if owners don’t want to dispose of their guns, but want to find a way to keep them more secure
The goal of this event is to get unused guns out of the house and provide gun safety tips to the public.
“Guns kill and hurt people if they are not used properly. Have respect for the item if it is in your house,” Pina Violano, Manager of Yale New Haven Health said.
The gun buyback is anonymous, and will take place in a safe and secure location.
Even 3,000 miles away from Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant’s impact as a basketball player will be felt for years to come.
HAMDEN, Conn.— 2,878 miles. That is the distance that separates Newport Beach, California, the home of the late basketball legend, Kobe Bryant, from Hamden, Connecticut, where Notre Dame High School boys basketball plays Hamden High School.
Over the course of the afternoon, the freshman teams, junior varsity teams and varsity teams from these schools will play each other on the hardwood at the Hamden High School Gymnasium.
Nine hours by flight from New Haven, 42 hours by car, 69 hours by bus. The man who donned the gold-and-purple for two decades, and the young athletes who are playing today, seem to have little connection to one another besides playing basketball.
However, the connection and impact that Bryant has left in the basketball world can be felt today in this gymnasium, nearly 3,000 miles away from where the Los Angeles Lakers play.
> “I wanted to (in basketball), do something for him. He taught me to have fun, be there for my family, and do what you love.” -Elijah Holder”
That ‘Mamba mentality’ that Bryant oozed and trademarked will live on with basketball players no matter where they live of all ages, as Hamden junior varsity basketball player Miles Anderson says, “Kobe is a legend.”
“He inspired a lot of people to play basketball, including me partly,” Anderson said. “I would not say he’s like (Michael Jordan), you know, because he is Kobe. To me, he is a role model, which makes it kind of sad that he is no longer with us.”
Hamden Hall player Elijah Holder following a game versus Notre Dame High School on Monday, Feb. 3, 2020. | Photo by Jason Hirsch
Bryant and eight other passengers on his Sikorsky S-76 helicopter died in an accident on their way to Thousand Oaks, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. In the aftermath, Millions of sports fans around the globe instantly felt a sense of both loss and devastation.
An athlete of Bryant’s status passing away so young and in such a tragic manner is something that so rarely occurs in sports. Roberto Clemente, Emiliano Sala, Roy Halladay, Thurman Munson and Rocky Marciano are other names that come to mind.
When athletes of such a high caliber die in such a way, two schools of thought can occur: one of them is sadness from the sense of grief, confusion and loss. The other is the inspiration to take what they preached and apply it to yourself.
Elijah Holder, a freshman on the Hamden basketball team and an avid fan of Bryant, will use his sadness as inspiration to apply Bryant’s, ‘mamba mentality’ into his own life.
“He’s in a better place, balling upstairs,” Holder said. “I try to be happy knowing that he is in a better place now. I wanted to (in basketball), do something for him. He taught me to have fun, be there for my family, and do what you love.”
Even with Bryant’s passing, his memory and competitive desire to always be the best will be a message that resonates not just with basketball players, but with people of all walks of life for generations to come.
When Bryant stood in front of the tearful crowd at the Staples Center and proclaimed, “Mamba Out,” the reality is that the lessons and examples set by Bryant on and off the hardwood will never be forgotten. From Los Angeles to Hamden, Bryant’s legacy will not only be remembered, but live on.
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HAMDEN- B&D Deli Works, which has been known for serving Quinnipiac students and Hamden locals for six years, officially closed down on Dec. 21, 2019.
B&D first opened in August of 2013 and was owned by Amy Brejwo. The name came from Brejwo’s two sons, Ben and Dan. Brejwo spent many days and nights building the diner from the ground up, but she was very family oriented and had to step away from the business when it began to take up a lot of her family time.
Mark Mashaw, a resident of South Hamden, was a school teacher at the time Brejwo was looking for someone to take over the deli.
“I was a teacher for 18 years and I was looking for something new,” said Mashaw. “I had always wanted to be my own boss.”
In September of 2018, Mashaw became the new manager of B&D.
“Amy was a super human that could do more in one day than three people,” said Mashaw. “Whatever she had done worked so well, so I wanted to continue to do that.”
It didn’t take long for things to go south once Mashaw took over.
“Amy had created so much volume that everyday people were out the door,” said Mashaw. “Without Amy on the grill and giving directions, we could not keep up with the demand.”
Mashaw was exhausted from the beginning and they quickly lost a lot of regulars within the first few months. Most people that had worked for Brejwo had moved on to other things not long after she left.
Mashaw quickly found himself being very new to the job and having a whole set of new employees as well.
Outdoor dining option at B&D | Photo by Mackensie Judge
“We eventually found our own equilibrium, but at that point I was so in debt and could not pay any of my bills,” said Mashaw. “It was too late.”
Mashaw learned a lot of lessons through this experience that he will take with him going forward.
“I wanted to be my own boss for so long,” said Mashaw,” but what I didn’t think through was how hard it is being everyone else’s as well.”
The closing of B&D came as a shock to most students leaving them questioning if there was anything they could have done to help.
“My friends and I would go every weekend,” said senior Leanna Daniels. “Saturday mornings will never be the same. We should have done more to help such a great business with the nicest people.”
Others will miss the family oriented atmosphere and the delicious sandwiches, especially the most popular sandwich, the Randwich.
“Throughout my five years of attending Quinnipiac, B&D was one of my top places to go for food,” said graduate student Christian Casagranda. “Everything was fresh and made with care, which is something you don’t find too often around here.”
B&D has been bought by two men, Dennis and Dan and will soon be called Funcle’s. It will still remain a diner that serves breakfast and lunch, but it will be more upscale food.
As for Mashaw, he plans on taking the lessons he’s learned back to the classroom in the fall. In the meantime he is catching up on his housework and reading, but he is hopeful that Funcle’s will be the new successful business in the area.
HAMDEN, Conn.- A new health food establishment opened its doors to the Hamden community on Jan. 13. Fresh Greens & Proteins, located at 3450 Whitney Avenue, distances itself from the other greasy food establishments located around the Mount Carmel Campus.
Interior View of Fresh Greens & Proteins | Photo by Pat Hickey
Fresh Greens & Proteins mission statement is to create healthy options so you can eat better, which allows you to feel better and live better. This mission statement is achievable with the wide variety of healthy options, which include a fruit smoothie, shakes, specialty salads, rice bowls, acai bowls, wraps and parfait.
The menu is tailored towards the customers’ needs with the options to create your own of any of the categories listed above. One ingredient that Fresh Greens and Proteins offers that you don’t see too often is CBD. CBD can be added to any smoothie, shake, açaí bowl or parfait.
“I have been waiting for a restaurant that serves healthy food like this to open around main campus for years,” said Quinnipiac University senior Avery Hayes (‘20).
AJ Cooney blending a Cinnabunn Smoothie | Photo by Pat Hickey
The location of Fresh Greens & Proteins is not only close to many local businesses, but it’s also within walking distance from Main Campus and a quick shuttle ride from York Hill to the polling institute. Part-owner AJ Cooney is familiar with the area, and is happy the way that business is currently going.
“Students love the smoothie shakes and the açaí bowls,” Cooney said. “People usually have to go into New Haven to get this stuff.”
What makes this establishment stick out compared to others on Whitney Ave. and in Hamden is the mentality of not only focusing on Quinnipiac students, but the people of Hamden as well.
“I’ve seen a lot of repeat Hamden locals, obviously the students are apart of it, but they aren’t the majority yet,” said Cooney.
If you’re looking for some popular choices, the Rice Bowls, Acai Bowls and the PB&J Protein shake are a must.
At a university that bears an indigenous name, you would expect a campus celebration for Indigenous People’s Day. At Quinnipiac University, this was not the case. There was nothing on or around campus that acknowledged the day according to Mohegan tribe member and Quinnipiac University student, Kiara Tanta-Quidgeon.
For the small population of indigenous students who attend the university, the lack of Native voices on campus is enough to feel excluded.
“At home, we are all united by our history and our passion for our people,” Tanta-Quidgeon said. “We are all intertwined by not only our ancestry and our blood, but by the love of our land and our culture. This is not something that I have at Quinnipiac, but it is something that I want for current and future indigenous students and will fight for until it is achieved.”
“I always felt that by coming here I was losing a huge part of myself.” — Kiara Tanta-Quidgeon
Tanta-Quidgeon, a sophomore biology major, was raised in Connecticut by a single mother and her indigenous heritage played a huge role in her life. Growing up, she lived near the Mohegan reservation in Montville, Connecticut and would attend the celebrations called powwows and sometimes even danced in them. When she decided on where to go to college, it was a tough decision for her.
“I came here because I wanted to be close to home but I always felt that by coming here I was losing a huge part of myself,” Tanta-Quidgeon said. “I wanted QU to be a place I could call home, but a huge part of what I’ve always known as home was missing. There was a significant lack of inclusion for indigenous students and an absence of indigenous voice in the Quinnipiac community.”
This year, Quinnipiac University was ranked the Princeton Review’s No. 1 university forlittle race/class interaction.
Quinnipiac University, with a 73 percent white student demographic, has a low enrollment of Native American students and other minority groups despite its indigenous name. According to the2016 IPEDS Data Feedback Report, 0.1 percent of students enrolled in the university identified as Native American.This number translates to 14 Native American students enrolled in a university of about 10,000 students.
The low number of enrolled indigenous students has led students to start questioning the lack of diversity on campus.
“We are predominantly a white, settler-colonists institute that uses a name with little to no credit given to the people and the history of this place,” Tanta-Quidgeon said. “If they didn’t care about the history of their own how were they to care about mine?”
Tanta-Quidgeon explained that a lack of inclusion looks like it does now: an overwhelming majority of the population being Caucasian.
“A lack of inclusion is a lack of diversity and a lack of celebration of differences,” she said. “Our groups and organizations do an amazing job of implementing minority voices in the community and celebrating their cultures and differences, and that is what I want for indigenous students.”
Before this year, Tanta-Quidgeon said she only knew two other indigenous students on campus. And both of them were her cousins. She said that she only met a few more Native students this year so the number is still small.
Despite the low number of indigenous students enrolled, there is no place for these students to gather and celebrate their heritage.
“There is no place I felt totally comfortable sharing the most important parts of myself and no place where I could find students to bond to and unite with like I did with the tribal members back home,” she said. “I mean there wasn’t even a place on the QU website where you could even learn or see that Quinnipiac University is on the land of a Native American tribe and uses their name.”
While the university has added a more extensive about page to its website, there is no mention of the Quinnipiac tribe and that the university resides on Native land.
Students gather in the student center for the Teach-In on Indigeneity and Quinnipiac to listen to professor of philosophy, Anat Biletzki, speak about colonization in the Middle East. Photo by Hannah Tebo.
This lack of education about the land the university resides on and the name it holds has been a growing issue in the community which has led to new inclusivity programs like the Teach-In on Indigeneity to start taking place.
This Teach-In took place in the student center on Nov. 19 and addressed a wide range of issues. Professors from areas of history, philosophy and law lectured about indigeneity throughout history to educate those who attended about the history before settlers came and to show the detrimental impact of colonialism on the Native people. Around 77 students swiped in at the Teach-In according to Executive Director of the Albert Schweitzer Institute, Sean Duffy.
Of the multiple professors and lecturers that spoke, two indigenous students stood in front of peers and faculty to discuss what it was like to be an indigenous student at Quinnipiac. Tanta-Quidgeon was one of them.
Tanta-Quidgeon discussed her heritage and upbringing, but described one of the most difficult parts of being a indigenous student on campus was the lack of clubs and organizations that brought Native students together. She said that through these new initiatives at Quinnipiac University there’s more awareness and they are starting to create student-led groups for indigenous students.
“I do have a good number of friends at school however, I am always excited when I come across another student who is Native American,” senior psychology major and Mohegan tribe member, Kristina Jacobs said. “It is a really good feeling to have people who understand your culture and way of life and to share something with someone that is so close to your heart.”
Tanta-Quidgeon speaking at the Teach-In to students and faculty about what it’s like to be an indigenous student at a predominantly white university. Photo by Hannah Tebo.
Lala Forrest, a first year medical student at Quinnipiac University, was the second indigenous student to stand in front of students and faculty to discuss the barriers of being a Native American student.
Originally from the Pit River tribe in California, Forrest spent the first year of her life on the reservation with her single mother. She moved off the reservation as a toddler because her mother wanted to provide her with opportunities and resources that weren’t available on the reservation.
For her, college was only ever an option, not something she had to do.
In high school, she found a program that helped first-generation Native American students apply to college. She spent four years at University of California San Diego before applying to medical school. She discussed at the Teach-In the low enrollment of Native students to medical schools and revealed that in 2018 out of 30,000 Native college students, four applied to medical school and zero got in.
“This is a call for medical schools to increase their representation of Native Americans in medicine,” Forrest said. “And this is important because Native students want to go back and help their communities, they want to help people who are suffering disproportionately in nearly every health category.”
Forrest then discussed a “pipeline project” the University of Minnesota has for indigenous students to help them prepare for medical school. They start preparing these students in middle school and provide support for these students all the way until they get to medical school. She explained that Minnesota showed support of Native students with 13 percent of the faculty at the school being indigenous and having Native faculty members on the admissions committee.
She wrapped it all back around to being an indigenous student at Quinnipiac and the purpose of the new events being introduced to the community.
“Our purpose is to foster a campus-wide conversation on indigenous identities, histories and culture,” Forrest said. “The goal I think of this initiative is to work towards social justice, equity and inclusivity for indigenous people and how we need to be bearing an indigenous name and residing on indigenous lands be culturally responsiveness but also responsible with that.”
The school is also working with an organization called the Akomawt Educational Initiative, a group that travels around east coast schools, connecting colleges with indigenous communities.
“These are the types of things we would like to change, the structure at the university,” Chris Newell, Passamaquoddy tribe member and one of the leaders of the Akomawt Educational Initiative said. “One that is welcoming to all people.”
Three members circulated through speaking at the podium. They talked about indigenous people today and how they are still fighting for rights. They discussed the Standing Rock protests, the importance of accepting different forms of knowledge as credible and what Quinnipiac can do to keep this type of inclusive conversation alive on campus.
They also visited campus on Dec. 2 and professors at the university were able to individually meet with the team to discuss how to create curricula that is more inclusive of Native histories, culture and knowledge.
“Being a native student at a predominately white school can be difficult, especially when some of our experiences are so different,” senior psychology major and Mohegan tribe member Lauren Jacobs said. “I think that Quinnipiac should advocate and try to change Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day and just create more awareness and more information regarding native culture. Further, I think that Quinnipiac should make it more known that Quinnipiac is named after a tribe.”
So why has the university waited until 2019 to start this type of conversation?
According to Duffy, past presidents prioritized establishing the university.
1950 Chronicle article reporting on the changing of JCC to “Quinnipiac College.” Courtsey of Bob Young, QU Libraries.
“There were bits and drabs [of events] over the years,” Duffy said. “The focus was really on bringing on what had been the Junior College of Commerce and limp through the ‘70s and ‘80s that way to its next level. Since then the student population has almost doubled in size and there had been a lot of programmatic growth and development that we were really focusing on as an institution.”
And the university has grown a lot since it first opened its doors in 1929.
Quinnipiac University was originally founded in 1929 under the name “The Connecticut College of Commerce” according to Duffy. At the time, the college only offered two year degrees but in 1950 the institution admitted the first four-year class.
Then in January of 1950, the college changed its name to “Quinnipiac College” after the students and faculty voted between four different names which were Nathan Hale, Ronan, Quinnipiac College and the College of Arts and Commerce, according to Duffy.
According to the 1951 Quinnipiac General Catalogue, the school’s comprehensive source of departamental, college and university-wide information, the school was originally named after the Quinnipiac plantations but according to Duffy the university was named after the Algonquin tribe that were named “Quinnipiac” which translates to “long water people.” When the tribe sold the land to white colonists, the settlers named the land Quinnipiac before changing it to New Haven according to honorary story teller for the Quinnipiac and adjunct professor at the university, Dorothy Howell.
But it is still unclear who the Quinnipiac were.
According to Howell, there isn’t much known about the tribe before white settlers came to the New Haven area. The tribe was small and in 1668 when settlers came to the land, the tribe sold the land to colonists who reserved a small piece for the Natives which is now looked at as one of the first Native American reservations in the United States according to Howell.
The tribe today is fragmented. According to Howell, many of the members have been adopted into the tribe just as she was. Howell believes current members have much to add to the university that could begin to establish new traditions just like Quinnipiac Weekend was once an integral part of the community.
In the early 1950s, the university celebrated its first ever ‘Quinnipiac Weekend’ during the first weekend of May. According to the General Catalogue, this was a celebration of the founding of the university.
“The weekend was originally meant to celebrate Quinnipiac’s heritage and give the students a few days to celebrate being part of this community,” Duffy said.
The university held a variety of events for students including shows, a picnic at Holiday Hill in Cheshire and a prom at night according to one 1967 issue of the Chronicle. However, there was no celebration or mention of the indigenous people and land the school is named after. The weekend was more focused on celebrating the founding of the university rather than the name.
The university officially stopped sponsoring Quinnipiac weekend festivities after a student was killed in 2007 walking across Whitney Avenue according to a2016 Chronicle article.
In that same year, the famous ‘Legend of the Bobcat’ was integrated into the community to connect the university’s mascot, name and students to the school and keep the sense of community alive. But it’s a story created by students at the school rather than a legend from the Quinnipiac tribe.
“For one thing, we really ought to replace the bogus legends with stories from the actual Quinnipiac history we can discover,” Howell said.
According to Newell there is a legend behind the Sleeping Giant that is told by the tribe and the community should adopt that version instead.
“Indigenizing Quinnipiac means tying it to the land,” he said. “Maybe not tying it to a student-created legend because with what we’ve seen with legends that were created and the way the internet is, they become fact to some people.”
In 2001, the university decided to change the mascot of the school from the Braves to the Bobcats. After a recommendation by former university president, John Lahey, the institution abandoned the usage of a stereotypical Native American chief and transitioned to a more culturally appropriate mascot.
The university still has work to do according to Howell, but she thinks these new programs are a good start.
“In brief, the one thing we owe the land we occupy, whether in honor of the Quinnipiacs or as an obligation we should all be accepting, is respect,” Howell said. “How we express that respect will be up to the QU community. The decisions are beyond you and me, but one day of lectures, one month dedicated to Native Americans, one pow-wow, one year of indigenous programs are no more than a start.”
A new West Woods school was supposed to come to Hamden but it looks like it will have to wait.
In 2016 the legislative council approved a $26 million project proposing to build a smaller school, but as of this year that is no longer the case.
The new school is no longer being built because the town missed the Oct. 31 date to start construction. Although the town missed their date to start construction Superintendent Jody Goeler says a new West Woods Elementary school is still possible.
West Woods Elementary School. Photo credit: Cam Silver
The reason for a new West Woods building was due to an ongoing water intrusion in the building because of an old roof and HVAC system. And now because there will not be a new school, the town still has to address these needs.
The company that’s supposed to be building the new school, Silver Petrucelli and Associates, is going to conduct a water study to see if the current building site or new construction site will be suitable for a building in the long term. They are expected to have a report by mid January.
Last fall Hamden Board of Education proposed a 3R plan which is to balance elementary schools, move 6th grade to middle school and consolidate schools. The Board of Education also wanted to renovate West Woods instead of building a new one but the state required Hamden to stick to the plan of building a new structure.
Goeler wrote a letter to the state requesting an extension on West Woods and Alice Peck Elementary School projects. The state rescinded the money for West Woods but they will still be renovating other schools like, Alice Peak elementary and Hamden Middle School.
“There was never a grant. It was a percentage of construction cost reimbursement that was agreed upon by the state of Connecticut.” said Karen Kaplan Director of Program Innovation, Technology & Communications.
Hamden Middle School is on the priority list in 2020 for a new wing for sixth graders. This project will allow Hamden to get a reimbursement to begin the project and is estimated to take 15 months.
To learn more information like, Hamden’s plans for the new schools, projected timelines and expected completion dates, visit their websites.
How the town of Hamden has started the process to combat blighted and unsightly properties
By Peter Dewey
In a small residential area of southern Hamden, just off of State Street, 37 Stevens Street stands out like a sore thumb, among other single-family houses.
Overgrown brush covers up the house and as you approach, electrical wires hang down through the front yard while the roof of the house looks to be caving in.
There is no sign of what was once a driveway, and tree branches are debris cover the side and backyards.
This 360 photo shows 37 Stevens Street, as it is overcome with brush and the house is significantly damaged on the outside.
The house has drastically changed since it was occupied back in 2011.
To combat other blighted areas, Hamden Mayor Curt Leng is planning a new initiative, “Hamden fights blight,” to clean up abandoned and unsightly properties in town.
And local officials have placed the “blighted” property at 37 Stevens Street on a short list of homes and buildings needing attention.
“Blight” describes a wide variety of problems, which can range from physical deterioration of buildings and the environment, to health, social and economic problems in a particular area.
So, what is the Hamden doing to fix it?
Residents in the neighborhood of 37 Stevens Street have described the property as a danger to neighborhood children and a liability to the town.
“We try to do our best and we respond to many complaints,” Hamden Town Planner Daniel Kops said. “Nobody wants to live next to (a blighted property) or across the street, or drive by it every day.”
The property was inspected on May 23, 2019, by the Quinnipiack Valley Health District and the Hamden Police Department. As one of the town’s “hot-list” properties to address, Kops said it is being acted on.
HQPress made many attempts to interview Leng to further explain this initiative, but he did not agree to one.
Leng, who mentioned this idea in a radio interview with the New Haven Independent on Oct. 3, said that he found that blight was a common theme among resident concerns while campaigning door-to-door for the Democratic primary this fall.
The town’s “hot-list” currently consists of seven properties that need immediate attention.
The locations given to the planning and zoning department include: 37 Stevens Street, 922 Winchester Avenue, 2038 State Street, 293 Goodrich Street, 891 Dixwell Avenue, 635 Wintergreen Avenue and 560 Newhall Street.
“The (hot-list) is now being acted on,” Town Planner Daniel Kops said. “The town attorney’s office is working on some that we are foreclosing. We’ll have an active committee that is going to be reviewing other cases, but we haven’t gotten anywhere yet.”
While Leng said that the list includes these seven properties, he said there are about 20 to 25 properties in Hamden that he believes will need attention.
The goal of “Hamden fights blight” is to be more proactive, but there are a large number of requests made to the Planning and Zoning Commission regarding blighted areas.
“For the most part, we respond to complaints,” Kops said. “There are enough of those to keep the assistant zoning enforcement officer, who is responsible for inspecting them, quite busy. Now we’re adding on being proactive and selecting some streets that appear to have problems.”
Once a complaint is made, the town will inspect the houses. The plan with the new committee is to be able to go out and do some of these inspections prior to a complaint being made.
“We have to inspect them from the street,” Kops said. “We can’t go on the property without permission. When the committee gets active and we’ll be discussing which streets to inspect and figure out how to deal with that. We’re in the initial stages.”
Of the seven properties, Leng said there are five residential, one commercial and one town-owned.
The town-owned property is the old Hamden Middle School, located at 560 Newhall St.
The old Hamden Middle School, located at 560 Newhall Street, is now boarded up and covered with graffiti, leaving neighbors frustrated with its appearance.
The middle school has been abandoned for several years after it was found to be built on top of a former toxic waste dump.
“The middle school is an interesting case,” Kops said. “The middle school property was approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission and was granted a special permit for renovation of the tall building, renovation into apartments and then the construction of townhouses along the front.
“The entity handling that is seeking funds from Hartford in order to do that project. I’m not sure what will happen until that happens.”
This 360 shows one of the few exposed spaces of the old Middle School.
“I can’t remember how long its been (since the middle school has been abandoned) but it has been a very long time,” Mike Ortega, a member of the parks department, said. “I heard the talk of the town was turning the property into elderly housing or low-income housing.”
While the town waits for funding, it seems that the Department of Economic and Community Development will not be involved with the new blight initiative.
After multiple attempts to reach Kroop, he responded via email saying that the plan does not involve him.
“I don’t have anything to do with this initiative except to say that our Development Corporation works on brownfields on behalf of the town,” Kroop said.
At the time, Kroop and the Department of Economic Development were in the process of remediating the land for the construction of 87 mixed-income units and a new community center, a project that is still waiting to be started.
Brownfield land is previously developed land that is currently not in use. The $600,000 awarded in 2017 was to be used to clean up the area and revitalize the neighborhood.
“I would like the town to hire people and come clean (the old middle school) up,” Anne Marie Cruz, a Hamden resident said. “When (graffiti on buildings) happens at Yale, they clean it up the next day, because they don’t want to offend anyone.
Inside a room at the old Hamden Middle School, which has been abandoned since 2006.
“That’s the way we should think. There are very nice people from all walks of life living around here. There’s a lot of diversity and that’s what I think makes it nice.”
Blighted properties can bring down the value of the homes surrounding them in a neighborhood. Part of the new initiative is to help residents from not only viewing these properties, but in order to boost the value of theirs as well.
“Once you have blighted structures and properties in a neighborhood it often has a multiplier effect,” Kops said. “It leaves a disinvestment, it lowers the property values which can lead to people moving out or losing their homes because the mortgage they’re paying is higher than what they will get for it. They’re basically losing money.”
Just a mere two minutes from Newhall Street, another property located at 922 Winchester Avenue, has become an eyesore in the community.
The home’s windows are knocked out, with the siding showing serious fire damage, the property is overgrown with weeds and bushes that seemingly haven’t been touched in years.
The house was built in 1920, according to Hamden records, but now that it is abandoned and broken down, residents in the area want to see something done.
“It looks bad in the area,” said resident Veronica Gram. “If they could, fix it or break it down or sell the lot or something. It looks terrible, it’s not good at all.”
Hamden operates under two ordinances for cleaning up these blighted properties.
“Under state statute we have an Anti-Blight ordinance and we have a Property Maintenance ordinance,” Kops said. “The Anti-Blight ordinance is the stronger one because if the owner fails to respond, in most cases, we issue fines and they start accumulating.”
As fines continue to accumulate the town will eventually be able to foreclose the property which allows them to clean it up and eventual sell it once it is no longer an eyesore to the community.
“In the case of the Anti-Blight ordinance it allows us to get a judgement lien against the property,” Kops said. “Ultimately, when that builds up the town can and does foreclose on it, or negotiates with the owner.”
For liens on personal property, the creditor, in this case the town, files a judgment with Connecticut’s Office of the Secretary of State. The lien will remain attached to the debtor’s property for five years on personal property.
The Department of Planning and Zoning states on its website that residents with complaints about blight need to fill out a form in order to trigger an inspection.
If a violation is found, the staff will work with the property owner to resolve the problem.
With Hamden fights blight, the goal is for the town to find this properties prior to getting a litany of complaints.
“Once you let blight start, it can just increase,” Kops said. “It’s important to fight it as much as you can. It is a never ending battle in communities all over the world.”
Thanksgiving is right around the corner and Quinnipiac University is gearing up for students to go home for a week long break.
Starting at 6 p.m. on Friday, November 22, Quinnipiac will close its residential buildings, cafes and school buildings until Sunday, December 1. According to the Office of Residential Life, Quinnipiac is expecting over 224 students to stay over Thanksgiving break and it can be very challenging for these students to find food, entertainment, and social time.
Even though Quinnipiac closes its doors, many students don’t have the ability to go home for a week. Many international students, athletes, members of the pep band or students who have jobs in Connecticut don’t find it financially or physically possible to go all the way home for a few days and then come back to then just go right back home two weeks later for winter break.
One member of the pep band, Evangelia Markoulis, isn’t a fan of having to stay late or come back early from break because she says it difficult to get things cause you feel trapped and all alone.
“Yea it gets hard to find food, especially if you don’t have a car because then you’re pretty restricted to like the food in your fridge or spending $20+ on food in your own cash,” said Markoulis.
In order to help students on campus who are stuck over the Thanksgiving break we’ve compiled a list of things to do and places to eat.
Many places close down on Thanksgiving in order to give their employees a break, but here is a list of restaurants that stay open for Thanksgiving and that are in close range to Quinnipiac’s campus.
Another issue students face on top of finding food, is being bored. Most of the campus goes home, so the students who stay no longer have their friends to hang out with and pass the time.
“It gets so boring being here alone sometimes,” said Margoulis, “You’re so used to seeing life on the campus and then it’s just pretty dead. If you don’t live with someone from band (like freshman year) you’re all alone and there’s no one else to kind of talk to so yea in a way it feels like you’re trapped.”
Here is a list of different places and activities to keep students busy over the week.
The movie theater never closes for Thanksgiving and there are a ton of great new films being released this week.
If your looking to still have fun, but not spend $13 dollars on a movie ticket then Quinnipiac’s different athletic games are the place to be. All student athletic tickets are free for Quinnipiac students just go to the QU Box office and print out the ticket for the game you wish to attend.
Of course if you’re feeling left out of the holiday festivities because you’re stuck on campus, then these off campus events will get you away from Quinnipiac and surrounded by fun.
All of the lists in this article are just some of the events and food venues that are available in the area, but if there are other places you wish to check out, make sure to call ahead to see if they’re still open over the holiday, and we hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
Kerry Ellington offered her concerns about policing in Hamden and the case of police officer Devin Eaton to the Hamden Police Commission. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
Emotions ran high at the Hamden Police Commission meeting Wednesday night Nov. 14, as one hundred protesters attended the event to voice their concerns about Hamden officer Devin Eaton. Most of the protesters were New Haven residents, Yale students and Hamden residents.
Protesters came to demand that the commission put the officer on its agenda the commission has not heard from the community since the April 16 shooting when Eaton fired 13 shots at an unarmed couple on Argyle Street in New Haven.
As of Oct. 21, Eaton was put on administrative unpaid leave and was charged with one felony and two misdemeanors.
Hamden Police Commission members heard public comments, all of which were centered around the April 16 shooting and police brutality. Left to right: Mitchell Strickland, Raeanne Curtis, Michael Iezzi. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
One by one, protesters expressed their frustrations to the police commission because it has not fired officer Eaton.
The Hamden Police Commission heard public comments during their monthly November meeting. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
“You have the power to act,” said Kerry Ellington, Hamden Action Now activist. “The felony charges presented against officer Eaton provide adequate evidence and just cause to discharge him now, and it did yesterday, and it did months ago.”
Even though Eaton was charged, the Hamden Police Department still has him on the force. That does not sit well with protesters.
“Today I want to say it is unconscionable that Devin Eaton continues to be employed by the Hamden police force. That night he jumped out of a still-rolling vehicle and quickly opened fire, even as the young man is exiting his vehicle arms up,” said Amber Kelly, employee of Quinnipiac and Hamden resident. “With criminal charges against him, he should not be a police officer in any jurisdiction.”
Amber Kelly giving comments to the Hamden Police Commission. Right, Bo Kocak. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
Some protesters described the fear they have for their children if they decide to keep officer Eaton on the force.
“I have children that live in Hamden. I have grandchildren. That behavior is unacceptable from anyone. Any officer especially, an officer of the law,” Marine Hebron a Hamden resident stated.
The protest hit a breaking point when a Yale student Ben Dormus called out the commission for everything they had on the agenda Wednesday night which included, the retirement of an officer, the handling of petty cash and donations to an animal control facility.
Ben Dormus taking a deep breath and collecting himself. He voiced his concerns with the way the Hamden Police Commission runs and how it is treating the protesters. The crowd clapped for Dormus because he didn’t back down when Iezzi interrupted him. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
“It seems to me that you’re not as much of a police commission as you are the social planning committee for the police department,” said Ben Dormus.
Mike Iezzi interrupted Dormus and told him to stop insulting the commission. This led to both of them shouting at each other but neither one could hear each other as other protesters shouted back, “Let him speak!”
Michael Iezzi firing back at Dormus’ comments that Mitchell Strickland can’t look protesters in the eye. Left to right: Robert LaTorraca, Michael Iezzi, and Larry Esposito. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
Hamden Acting Police Chief John Cappiello has until Nov. 20, to bring disciplinary charges against Eaton. If Cappiello brings the charges against Eaton the commission will have to schedule a hearing within 30 days but not sooner than a week.
Acting Chief of Hamden Police, John Cappiello, answering Kerry Ellington’s questions about a timeline for Eaton’s case. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
As the meeting was closing Ellington led a chant as all protesters were exiting.
“Justice for Stephanie and Paul! Discharge the officer now! We will be back!” protesters chanted.
The next scheduled commission meeting is Dec. 13.
The crowd that showed up to the commission meeting. Center of the aisle, people are lined up to voice their concerns with the commission. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
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