Your copy of the Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association 'News & Views' has arrived! You will find that you can easily go to any subject in the table of contents by just clicking on it or just browse through the articles as you wish. Please have a look.
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AHNA News & Views
February 2017
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Next Meeting 02/06/2017
The next meeting is Monday February 6th, 6:15 P.M. at The 224 Eco-Space, 224 Farmington Ave
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New Meeting Location!
AHNA Meetings moving beginning February 6
th 2017
After 20 years of monthly meetings at Asylum Hill Congregational Church, AHNA has reached out for a new venue. The first Monday evening time slot no longer worked for our hosts, and after considerable polling it seems that no other day works as well for our board and members. We are creatures of habit.
The new venue will be 'The 224 Eco-Space', 224 Farmington Ave. Please use the far west entrance to the parking lot.
I'm sure everyone will join us in thanking Asylum Hill Congregational Church, Pastor Matt Laney and all of the staff as well as all of the members who have been so generous and supporting to AHNA for so long. This is not to say that our relationship is any less. AHNA will continue to use AHCC as our mailing address and will turn to them for other meeting spaces as the need arises.
As someone who has been there for every monthly meeting from the start, it feels a little like a teenager tentatively moving toward independence. I suspect they feel much the same.
We couldn't be more grateful for all their assistance or more optimistic about the future.
Bernie Michel
'The 224 Eco-Space' facility is the white building shown in the background of the picture. Use the driveway on the left as viewed from Imlay Street looking North.
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From The Chair
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Happy New Year!
During the month of February we celebrate Black History and on February 14th we will celebrate St. Valentine's Day, a day when we express our love for one another. Both celebrations lead us to events where we can come together for a common good. That common good is love. Love is the principal thing and it's the key to all things. When we over look love and we forget that we can abide in love, our emotions can overtake our passion. Our hearts then become fearful, filled with hate and jealousy. Love is patient and love is kind.
20 years ago Bernie Michel and a small group of Asylum Hill residents decided to form a problem solving committee for the neighborhood. Due to the great love that these individuals had for the Asylum Hill Neighborhood, they worked hard and fought and won many battles through the years, which made the Asylum Hill Neighborhood what it is today. AHNA is now a NRZ and a 501C3, with a Board of 16 members. AHNA's mission is to serve as the umbrella organization that empowers residents and supports connections and collaborations amongst all stakeholders, to improve the quality of life in our neighborhood. The mission of AHNA is exercised daily through a group of residents and stakeholders who love the Asylum Hill Neighborhood. Love is the principal thing in Asylum Hill. Please meet us at the 224 EcoSpace on Monday February 6, 2017 at 6:15pm.
Happy Birthday to those who were born in the month of February and Happy Valentine's Day!
Have a Beautiful Month!
Blessings...
Yvonne Matthews, Chair
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| From the House |
Greetings to my friends and neighbors in Asylum Hill!
Welcoming All of Our Neighbors
Hartford is a welcoming city. Connecticut is a welcoming state. We will remain that way.
We are a country of immigrants....a country of refugees. Whether from Ireland, Costa Rica, France, Ukraine, Canada, Mexico, Syria or any country across the globe; our families all hail from somewhere else.
Of the recent executive orders from the White House that appear to slam the gate on immigrants from predominantly Muslim nations, Governor Malloy responded this way:
I stand ready to work with the Attorney General's office to defend the constitutional rights of Connecticut individuals and communities. In Connecticut, we value diversity of thought, culture, and beliefs. We foster inclusive, welcoming communities. And our commitment to these ideals will not falter.
-Governor Dan Malloy
In the General Assembly, we will be looking into ways to protect all of our State's residents and prevent the federal government from violating the constitutional rights of our friends and neighbors.
Many of our neighbors in Hartford are recent immigrants, and the angry and fear-mongering tone from the White House is causing them real anxiety and concern. Let's resolve to continue to make Hartford a welcoming home for all of our neighbors.
Diversity is our strength. Kindness is our currency. Acceptance is our way. We are all Hartford.
Read More
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| Exploring Asylum Hill |
Exploring Asylum Hill - Riverfront Family Church
For any who were at the January AHNA meeting you may recall a young couple there for the first time, Liza & Arunan Arulampalam. Liza is a co-pastor at Asylum Hill's newest church, Riverfront Family Church, which moved into the 224 EcoSpace just a few months ago from Glastonbury. I stopped by her office at Hartford Seminary where she works part time to find out more about them, and then stopped in Sunday morning for the photos and the live experience.
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Asylum Hill Then And Now |
Photo from Hartford History Center Hartford Public Library
293 Farmington Ave. Then
This photo was one of a series taken by the Hartford City Parks apparently as a tree survey. The number on the tree in the foreground is 91. It was most likely taken within a few years of the construction of this building. Below is the same building today looking much the same from the exterior however much worse for the wear. It is one of several that HPA is trying to preserve as part of Farmington Avenue's heritage.
Now
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AHNA At 20, Looking Back
2017 marks the 20
th year that AHNA has been an NRZ in Asylum Hill, and this seems a good time to look back and reflect on where we've come from and what we've accomplished.
There is very little that AHNA can say they accomplished by themselves. Our history is one of collaboration, and often with many partners. The poster you see here was for the first neighborhood cleanup that was sponsored by the newly formed Asylum Hill Problem Solving Committee. Based on the date and day of week, it had to have been in 1995.
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Grand Opening - AH Multicultural Resource Corner
On the Thursday evening of January 26th, more than 50 people came to celebrate the opening of the long awaited Asylum Hill Multicultural Resource Corner at 60 Gillett St. State Representative and House Majority Leader Matt Ritter came to cut the ribbon, and share a few words.
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Lunar New Year Of The Rooster Celebration
The Asian Pacific American Coalition (APAC) along with the Commission on Equity and Opportunity ( CEO) co-sponsored the 11
th
annual Lunar New year Celebration at the LOB on January 25
th
.
The lunar calendar, which follows a cycle of 12 years, each represented by a different animal is in its 10th year, the year of the Rooster.
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Trinity Academy Excellence Dinner
Our 3rd Annual Excellence Dinner is a wonderful night filled with great food and
entertainment.
You can learn about Trinity Academy.
Be entertained with a magic show from Four-Handed Illusions, Boston's #1 rated Theater Group.
Tickets include, cocktails, hors d'oeuvres sit down dinner and a fabulous silent auction all while supporting Trinity Academy.
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Snow Parking Ban Lots |
Blue Lights Signal A Parking Ban
In an effort to be more efficient clearing the streets of Hartford after heavy snow storms (four inches or more), the City has for a long time put in place a temporary ban prohibiting on-street parking until the streets can be plowed. The last storm required 275 cars to be towed. The problem has been one of communication, letting citizens know when the ban is in place and where they are allowed to park during the ban.
Typically during one of these events, as many as 800 cars are towed with a cost to the owner well in excess of $100.00 per incident. This is money that could be better spent elsewhere, not to mention that the towing slows down the snow removal.
The City is now adding a new means of communicating when the ban is being put in place.
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Hartford News AHNA Supplement
As part of our communications efforts we publish our newsletter 'AHNA News and Views' as a supplement in the Hartford News monthly. To cover the printing costs we need to secure ads generating $500.00 dollars each month. This provides us with four pages with color. If you, an organization you work for or belong to would like to help support this effort please see the order form below. Please contact the editor at [email protected] if you know of anyone or business you think we might reach out to for support. Thank you. Ad Order Form
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Events Calendar
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Please click on the following link to go to our online Events Calendar.
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If you have any comments, suggestions or submissions please contact me via email at
[email protected]
Sincerely,
Paul O'Mara Communications Committee Chair
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