Posts

Showing posts from April, 2018

Four of Five Enfield Fire Districts Considering 2027 Merger

Image
  The sample assessed value is based on my Southwood Acres home assessment. I live in the Hazardville Fire District. I'm using it for illustrative purposes. Take these figures with a large grain of salt. This estimate was taken from the minutes of meeting and any proposal has a long way to go before it makes to a voter referendum. But they do give an idea of what might happen.  Four of Enfield’s five fire districts — Thompsonville, North Thompsonville, Hazardville, and Shaker Pines — are planning to consolidate, possibly by 2027. The districts have been meeting regularly and posting minutes of their discussions, which provide new details. This is an update to my previous post . I didn’t have the Consolidation Committee minutes at the time, but they provide necessary context. The minutes confirm that only four of the five districts are working on a merger. Enfield Fire District 1 is not part of this effort. This is new: The estimated combined tax rate for the four districts is ...
Post a Comment
Read more

An impossible bicycle and pedestrian crossing in Enfield

Image
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.
Post a Comment
Read more

Thompsonville will never become Enfield's downtown, but something else might

Image
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...
1 comment
Read more