Speed of Capital Improvement Projects: November 2014 Update

We began looking at the speed of various projects in Hartford as we noticed a serious slow down of work at the same time that we were hearing rumors out of City Hall that money was being creatively redistributed. Others can look into the latter, but as we took a peek at various projects, it was undeniable that movement stalled in the season when the weather is actually cooperative for much of the work. Now, we look again to see what has changed since early September.

iQuilt and the Intermodal Triangle

When the iQuilt was developing and the public was invited to various meetings, the impression given was that this was meant to invigorate the environment, making a more pedestrian-friendly connection from the area of Bushnell Park and The Bushnell, to the Connecticut River. Wayfinding signs have been installed and Envisionfest has finally begun attracting a respectable number of visitors, but what else?

The Intermodal Triangle Project is responsible for the sidewalk along the north side of Bushnell Park getting ripped out. Those who use the park as part of their commute have found themselves re-routed. If you enter the park from Asylum Street, you find that getting into Bushnell Park is not possible unless you decide to do some (probably) illegal tromping through a construction zone. The other choice: cross over the street with no pedestrian signal to request a red light for oncoming traffic. This seems dangerous and ill-planned, but more than anything else, it ignores that people walk for transportation, not just pleasure. Those who have walked into the construction area have gotten a glimpse at the high walls — a strange feature if the idea is to add the feeling of accessibility to the park. The Intermodal Triangle Project is expected to be completed in Fall 2015.

Elsewhere, we see potential for improved crossings, such as near State House Square. Medians that should have been installed years ago have appeared, giving pedestrians better odds of safely crossing. At the same time, the crosswalk does not always line up with the curb cuts.

Some of the sidewalk on Asylum Street has been expanded, but this was not particularly narrow before. Some of these changes — improvements to already fairly decent sidewalks, like the Bushnell Park North area — can raise an eyebrow for those who are waiting for the debacle of the Park Street pavers to be dealt with. The brick along Park Street looked nice for a short time, but then much of it broke off, creating tripping hazards in an area where many people walk every day of the week. Some of the hazards have been patched with a material that does not match the original, addressing the safety issue — again, only in some spots — while ignoring aesthetics.

PARKS AND RECREATION

Following the Hartford Marathon, the carousel was fenced off for its renovations. Unlike other construction zones, this pedestrian detour is minor and sensible, not forcing individuals to wildly alter their routes.

The Bushnell Park pond has yet to be dredged.

Construction of the ice rink appears to be in early stages near the Pump House Gallery.

Pope Park North, which was one of the stalled projects, seems to have mostly wrapped up. The small park on Putnam Street between Russ, Park Terrace, and Columbia, has been helped along through volunteer efforts. After seeing that the landscaping needed some love, Alex Province — a neighborhood resident — took this project on. KNOX donated soil and compost, the City of Hartford provided mulch. David Morin, Caroline Finnegan, and some others helped to make the little park more attractive.

The vegetation has improved, but there are noticeably few trash receptacles in the park.

Elizabeth Park has welcomed multiple playscapes in recent months. Soft padded material is in process of being installed around the most recent addition.

Work for the Farmstead area of Elizabeth Park is nearing the bid process, with drawings being prepared.

As expected, the golf course in Keney Park remains under re-construction, with large trucks and equipment being a strong presence near the Windsor line. A pass through the park shows clouds of dust from all the work taking place. The golf course is supposed to re-open this coming April.

The broken fence around South Green at Main and Wethersfield has been removed.

Up in Blue Hills, the Cal Ripken Field at Annie Fisher has been completed.

CEMETERY MASTER PLAN

The landscape architect has begun meeting with NRZs to gain input from residents about how the City should develop master plans for the remaining City cemeteries that do not have master plans. This includes Zion Hill and Old South. This is early phase — early to the point that there is still work being done to figure out where the City property ends and other entities’ properties begin.

The next update on the speed of capital improvement projects will be issued in 2015.