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Showing posts from April, 2018

Enfield Democrats' Overwhelming Win Delivers a Message

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Councilmember-elect Linda Allegro, second from left, at the Democrat's watch party, shortly after learning that she won District 1, unseating Republican Mayor Ken Nelson. To the immediate left is former State Rep. Bill Kiner, Councilmember Bob Cressotti, and former State Rep. David Kiner. Taking the photo is Board of Education member-elect Roberta 'Bobbie' Kiner. Enfield Democrats won Tuesday's election by a landslide, capturing an 8-3 Town Council supermajority in what appears to be a clear rejection of local Republican priorities. Democrats received about 63% of the vote in Town Council races and also won the school board. While Republicans may take some solace in the fact that their defeat came amid a statewide Democratic wave, there is evidence that Enfield voters were responding to specific local frustrations with Republican governance. That message may have been most evident in District 1. The Democrats considered this a Republican district, which was won by the D...
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An impossible bicycle and pedestrian crossing in Enfield

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Enfield's central shopping area is not pedestrian and bicycle friendly. The Phoenix Ave and Hazard Ave. intersection is especially difficult. There are no crosswalks. There is no sidewalk on the Southeast side of Phoenix. The sidewalk on the Southwest side of Phoenix ends abruptly. There is no crosswalk for reaching the "Push button for green light" walk light. This traffic crossing -- absent the standard walk/don't walk signage -- is difficult to deal with. This intersection was not designed to help pedestrians or bicyclists. It is a hazard to them. It's fair to call it hostile to walkers.
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Thompsonville will never become Enfield's downtown, but something else might

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Freshwater Pond, Thompsonville, Connecticut Middletown is everything Enfield ought to be. That city's main street is a destination for Central Connecticut. It's filled with restaurants and shops. There's a movie theater. It’s a perfect place to spend an evening. Type "Enfield, Connecticut" in WalkScore.com and you get a "0" – "almost all errands require a car." Middletown scores 30, and that's because of its downtown. Where did Enfield go wrong? Enfield had a walkable area: Thompsonville. But that era began fading in the 1950s. It had no hope of recovery once Bigelow-Sanford Mill closed its doors in 1971. Enfield has toyed with the idea of re-making Thompsonville into a walkable area. Walkable means a place with shops, restaurants and stores. The town spent $2 million to restore the Freshwater Pond area. It created a village green space. On Enfield's radar is a plan to restore the Enfield Station to serve the new CT Ra...
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