This Weekend Calendar is being added to as we come across events that we think may be of interest to others in New Hartford. If you know of an event which you’d like us to list, please email us the info. and we’ll gladly add it to this Weekend Calendar: newhartfordplus@gmail.com.

Following are the Calendar listings for this weekend, Saturday, June 5 and Sunday, June 6 in New Hartford, CT and surrounding communities:

Saturday, June 5, 2010:

• The New Hartford Lions Club Giant Flea Market: from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. More than 60 dealers offering everything from antiques, collectibles and jewelry to tools, home products, tag sale items and plants. Local band C-Side Alley donates their time to the Club and will play live music from 10 a.m. till 1 p.m. Breakfast and lunch is available from the ‘Lion’s Pride’ food booth and includes fresh-squeezed lemonade and home-baked desserts. Admission: $1 with children under 12 attending free of charge (with an adult). For more information please see the press released we published on June 1 Ready for a Bargain…
• Guided hike of the Jones Mountain Open Space Preserve: sponsored by the New Hartford Land Trust (NHLT) and the Conservation Commission as part of the CT Trails Day 2010 Celebration. Hike begins at 8:00 a.m. end at about 11:00 a.m. Meet at the trailhead on Steele Road, about .8 mile driving down from Central Avenue and Town Hill Road. For more information please see our June 4 article Guided Hike of Jones Mountain…
• Festival for Autism: Funfest: from 12:00 noon until 4:00 p.m. Free family fun for EVERYONE with Dunk house; bounce house, pony rides, pet parade, live music, food, drinks and treats for purchase.
  Raffle baskets, 3:00 p.m. drawing. At Mills Pond Park, 14 East Hill Road, Canton.
• United Methodist Church Bean Hole Supper: Join by for delicious bean hole baked beans and ham supper with homemade potato salad, cole slaw, and desserts, also rolls and beverages. Seatings at 5, 6, and 7 pm. Adults $12, Children 6-12 $5. At the United Methodist Church, 93 River Road, Pleasant Valley. Reservations required. Call 860-379-9398.

Sunday, June 6, 2010:

• Visit your favorite Church, Temple, Meditation Center or Meeting House: Be sure to make time today to visit your favorite church, temple, meditation center or meeting house for good fellowship and spiritual uplifting. Please refer to the listings on our front page Houses of Worship to visit the churches’ websites.
• CT Trail Days: With 160 Trails Day events scheduled in 88 towns across Connecticut you’re sure to find a trial to your liking. Check out the trails in the CT Trails Day Celebration booklet on the CT Forest and Parks Association website.
• Hunt for Food with “Wildman Steve Brill,” at 2:00 p.m. at the Roaring Brook Nature Center, Gracey Road, Canton> Lecture and walk. For more information please call: aa860-693-0263.
• CANCELLED: Riverton Music Concert scheduled for 2 p.m. this afternoon, Sunday: This concert has been cancelled due to the weather ~ information emailed at 12:45 p.m. by First Selectman Don Stein of Barkhamsted. For more information on the Riverton Summer Music Series please see the flyer posted on the Riverton Merchants’ website.

A view of the green in front of Berkshire Hall filled with vendors and customers at the Lions Giant Flea Market this spring. Photo: Maria Moore

The New Hartford Land Trust has rescheduled the 2010 Earth Weekend Spring Cleanup to take place this coming Sunday, May 16, from 12:30 p.m. until 3:45 p.m.

Participants are asked to meet in the Town Hall parking lot at 12:30 p.m. to sign in. At 12:45 p.m. the clean up begins, and participants may choose to work on a mountain trail, a park, or the riverfront. Please bring work gloves, a filled water bottle, a hat, sunscreen, bug spray and some tools (clippers, pruners, rakes, etc.) Participants under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

New volunteers may register online by register online at www.newhartfordlandtrust.org or by phone at 860-489-4118.

This Sunday’s cleanup has been rescheduled from the original Earth Weekend Cleanup on April 25 that was cancelled due to rain.

Alison Murdock, Conservation Commission Chairwoman and Madeline McClave (Land Trust Chairwoman) say a few words before the 2009 Earth Weekend Cleanup on April 25, 2009. Photo: Maria Moore

By: Maria Moore

Property Tax Sales Off The Table

A tax sale of properties with delinquent taxes which had previously been scheduled for June will not be taking place, town Tax Collector Linda Sheffield confirmed to our reporter today, Monday, April 26; see our March 9 report Tax Sale Warrants Issued…

Linda said that all property owners had now responded and had made arrangements to pay off the back taxes they owed. “As long as they all keep to their arrangements, we’ll be fine.” Linda said. Good news for all concerned!

Community Connections Grant Application Deadline Fast Approaching

We received the following press release from Community Connections, publishers of the New Hartford Telephone Directory:

Calling on all New Hartford non-profit organizations, New Hartford Community Connections is ready to give out the  5th round of grant dollars, proceeds from the advertising of the 2010 New Hartford Telephone Directory. Get your applications in today! Deadline is MAY 1st. Go to www.nhcommunityconnections.org to download the application.

In the first 4 years Community Connections has given back to our community over $40,000. The organization is are now waiting for your completed application today!!! If you have any questions feel free to call Phyllis Webb at 860-489-5156.

Update On Earth Weekend Spring Clean Up

We have been asked whether the Earth Weekend Spring Clean Up has been postponed as reported in today’s Register Citizen. In response to our query, Madeline McClave, emailed us the following:

“We’re not sure yet if we may be rescheduling the entire event or just set up a time to do the Cub Scouts tree planting, etc. separately.”  Madeline went on to say that the Land Trust has a very busy schedule in May.

NewHartfordPlus was informed on Sunday that the the clean up has been cancelled.  We will, of course, publish any changes in this status as they may become available.

In the meantime, we’d like to suggest one way we can all help clean up our environment:

“Pack It In, Pack It Out Plus!”

If we all make an effort to pack out that little bit more litter than we packed in, not only are we not littering, but we’re actually helping to leave a more picked-up area behind us, one small piece of litter at the time…

Along the banks of the Farmington River on Saturday, April 24. Photo: Maria Moore

We received the following notice at 8:30 a.m. this morning, Sunday, April 25 from the New Hartford Land Trust cancelling the Earth Weekend Spring Clean Up:

Due to the wet weather, the Earth Weekend Spring Clean up scheduled for today has been CANCELLED. The weather could turn better by 1 or 2:00 p.m. today but that’s questionable and starting off wet will cause many to assume a cancellation. A cancellation sign wil be posted at Town Hall. NewHartfordPlus will also post a cancellation notice on its website.

Thank You for your support!

A view of the Farmington River looking west towards Cottage Street from Black Bridge during he heavy rains this past March. Photo: Maria Moore

This weekend calendar is being added to as we come across more events that may be of interest to our readers. If you know of an event, please email us the information and we’ll gladly add it to this Weekend Calendar.

Following are the Calendar listings for this weekend, Saturday, April 24 and Sunday, April 25 in New Hartford, CT:

Saturday, April 24, 2010:

• Opening Day ~ New Hartford Youth Sports: New Hartford Youth Sports Opening Day at Brown’s Corner, on the corner of Steele Road and Route 202, New Hartford. All teams should be on the field by 8:00 a.m. with tee-ballers in the front row. For more information about New Hartford Youth Sports, please visit: http://www.nhys.org
• New Hartford Youth Soccer Registration: from 10:00 a.m. through 12:00 noon at Brown’s Corner (corner Steele Road and Route 202). Registration forms are also available on the New Hartford Youth Sports website. Participants can mail the form to register or they can register in person at the Brown’s Corner regisration
• Earth Day Plant Sale sponsored by Northwest Conservation Commission: from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the Goshen Fairgrounds, Route 63, Goshen. Huge number of native trees and shrubs! The Earth Day Plant Sale is the main fundraising event for the Northwest Conservation Commission. The plant sale will take place today from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. For more information on the plants available, prices, etc. please see the Plant Sale Catalog online. For more information on the Northwest Conservation Commission, please visit their Commission’s website.
• Quilt and Needle Arts Show: from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. at the Winchester Center Congregational Church, Route 263, Winchester Center. This show will also be open tomorrow, Sunday from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. “Quilts of Valor” display, vendors, cafe, quilts and needle art on exhibit and some items for sale. Raffle quilt. Admission: $5.00, Seniors and Students $3.00, children 12 and under free, exhibitors free. For more information, please call: 860-379-2184.
• Museum Kids Free Week at White Memorial Conservation Center: Free admission to Children ages 12 and under when accompanied by an adult. In Memory of Louise W. Willson. For more information about the conservation Center, please visit the White Memorial Conservation Center’s website.
• Bluebirds and Other Cavity Nesters: at 2:00 p.m. in the A.B. Ceder Room, White Memorial Conservation Center, 80 Whitehall Road, Litchfield. Wildlife Biologist Dave Rosgen discusses Bluebirds, Tree Swallows, and others. Learn nest box construction, habitat, and more. For more information about the conservation Center, please visit the White Memorial Conservation Center’s website.
• Gordon Bok in Concert: at 7:30 p.m. at the Roaring Brook Nature Center, 70 Gracey Road, Canton. This Maine-based singer songwriter, instrumentalist sings about not just what he knows, but what he does. Gordon is a poet, woodcarver, instrument builder, storyteller, former professional sailor, and a songwriter-interpreter who plays 6 and 12-string guitars and cellamba. His fine CD A Rogues Gallery of Songs for 12-String was inspired by legendary players, Leadbelly, Pete Seeger and Leo Kottke. Bok returns to Roaring Brook Nature Center with a new CD entitled Other Eyes and a book of songs and woodcarvings called Songs In The Wood. He will also perform songs from his albums Clear Away In The Morning, Fashioned In The Clay and Another Land Made of Water. Song highlights include: “McKeon’s Coming,” “Turning Toward The Morning,” “Duncan and Brady,” “The Ways of Man,” “Dillan Bay,” and “Mist Covered Mountains/Bonnie Galway.” Tickets: $17 at the door. For more information, please visit the Concert section of the Roaring Brook Nature Center website.
• Have you added your green act to the Billion Acts of Green Campaign?: Check out our article …Billion Acts of Green ~ One Act At The Time… to learn how you can add your green act to the Billion Acts of Green Campaign being sponsored by the Earth Day network. Let us know what your green act is and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a New Hartford Farmers’ Market gift basket! Drawing will be at 12:00 NOON tomorrow, Sunday, so send in your entry NOW! See our April 22 article Shop Green and Other Acts of Greeness…

A view of the the center of New Hartford along the banks of the Farmington River from the Route 219 bridge on Monday afternoon, April 19. Photo: Maria Moore

Sunday, April 25, 2010:

• Visit your favorite Church, Temple, Meditation Center or Meeting House: Be sure to make time today to visit your favorite church, temple, meditation center or meeting house for good fellowship and spiritual uplifting. For specific information about times of worship or meditation, please check out the list of links in our Houses of Worship tab in the sidebar on our front page.
• Cancelled: Earth Weekend Spring Clean Up. Due to the wet weather, the Earth Weekend Spring Clean up scheduled for today has been cancelled. For more information, please see the cancellation notice we published earlier today from the New Hartford Land Trust.
• Earth Day Plant Sale sponsored by Northwest Conservation Commission: from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. today at the Goshen Fairgrounds, Route 63, Goshen. Huge number of native trees and shrubs! The Earth Day Plant Sale is the main fundraising event for the Northwest Conservation Commission. For more information on the plants available, prices, etc. please see the Plant Sale Catalog online. For more information on the Northwest Conservation Commission, please visit their Commission’s website.
• Quilt and Needle Arts Show: from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. today at the Winchester Center Congregational Church, Route 263, Winchester Center. “Quilts of Valor” display, vendors, cafe, quilts and needle art on exhibit and some items for sale. Raffle quilt. Admission: $5.00, Seniors and Students $3.00, children 12 and under free, exhibitors free. For more information, please call: 860-379-2184.
• Museum Kids Free Week at White Memorial Conservation Center: Free admission to Children ages 12 and under when accompanied by an adult. In Memory of Louise W. Willson. For more information about the conservation Center, please visit the White Memorial Conservation Center’s website.
• Jekyll and Hyde, The Musical at Northwestern Regional #7: at 2:00 p.m. at the Northwestern Regional #7 Theater, 100 Battistoni Drive, Winsted. Admission: $5 today, Sunday.
• Art and Spirituality Forum: The Artist - Shaman or Showman?: from 2:00 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. at Wisdom House, 229 East Litchfield Road, Litchfield. How do artists see themselves? What effect does their work have on others? How can artists survive in a market driven society and still be faithful to themselves? Come meet artists who will be in conversation about these and other questions that touch their lives and work. Moderator: actor Jack Gilpin. Panelists: musician Joseph Firecrow; painter Ellen Griesedieck; radio show host Joseph Montebello; and Hana Sharif, director at Hartford Stage. Fee $15. For more information on Wisdom House programs, please visit the Programs section of the Wisdom House website.
• Have you added your green act to the Billion Acts of Green Campaign ?: Check out our article …Billion Acts of Green ~ One Act At The Time… to learn how you can add your green act to the Billion Acts of Green Campaign being sponsored by the Earth Day network. Let us know what your green act is and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a New Hartford Farmers’ Market gift basket! Drawing has been extended to 6:00 p.m. this evening, Sunday, April 25 ~ so send your entry NOW! For more information, please see our April 25 article Deadline Extended: Tell Us About Your Act Of Green And Win A Gift Basket From The New Hartford Farmers’ Market.

Fishermen walking along the Farmington River near the Route 219 bridge. Photo: Maria Moore from our archives

Win A New Hartford Farmers’ Market Gift Basket

Living in New Hartford we’re so lucky to have a strong farming community. This makes it all the easier for us to live green in our everyday lives. Just a few miles from home, we have access to locally-grown fruits and vegetables, as well as meats of every variety. And every summer, this bounty is brought together in our local Farmers Market.

So when it came time for our family to come up with our green act to add to the Billion Acts of Green campaign sponsored by the Earth Day Network, it was easy for our family to pledge the following:

“We will shop at our local farmers’ market, using our own bags, and eat as many locally sourced meals as possible year-round.”

We want to encourage everyone in our community to shop green and act green in as many aspects of our daily lives as possible. Let us know of a way you’re already living green, or pledge to live green and we’ll enter your name into a drawing for a wonderful gift basket from the New Hartford Farmers’ Market. Included in that basketful of goodies will be:

• $20 of gift certificates for you to redeem at any of the vendors at the first Farmers’ Market of the season on Friday, May 21st from 3:30 through 7:00, and
• A Farmers’ Market T-shirt to proudly show your commitment to our local farmers.

Email or “snail” mail us your green act and we’ll enter you into the drawing for the Farmers’ Market gift basket. We’ll announce the winner of the drawing at the Earth Weekend Cleanup on Sunday, April 25. The gift basket will be available for pickup at the Cleanup or we’ll be glad to deliver it to the lucky winner anywhere in New Hartford.

Email: Your green act to newhartfordplus@gmail.com; regular mail: NewHartfordPlus, PO Box 667, New Hartford.

To learn more: About the New Hartford Farmers’ Market and the local vendors at this year’s lineup, please see the March 27 article May Brings Farmers’ Market to the Green.

To learn more: About CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and FoodShare programs offered by Barden Farm and MarWin Farm, please see the February 21 article Sharing In our Farmers’ Bounty: The Next Step.

To pre-register: For the 2010 Earth Weekend Cleanup, please visit the New Hartford Land Trust website.

The Barden Farm stand at the Farmers Market at Chapin Park in Pine Meadow last spring. Photo: Maria Moore

The following press release with details of the New Hartford 2010 Earth Weekend Spring Cleanup was forwarded to us by the New Hartford Land Trust, one of the event’s organizers.

New Hartford residents can actively observe Earth Day’s 40th birthday and the arrival of spring by cleaning up parks and playscapes, performing trail maintenance on an open space preserve and eliminating invasive plants along the Farmington River and at other sites on Sunday, April 25. Those interested in volunteering can pre-register to be eligible for raffle prizes and should gather at 12:30 p.m. behind Town Hall (530 Main Street) for sign in, inspiration and instructions, and light lunch fare. Leaders and teams of volunteers will then go out to seven sites around New Hartford to pick up trash, weed, prune and remove debris.

The New Hartford Land Trust, the Town Conservation Commission, Cub Scouts Pack 19 and the Friends of Brodie Park are organizing the annual New Hartford Earth Weekend Spring Cleanup. Hoffmann Hardware is contributing trash bags to support the event. The Foothills Delery and Subway are donating food. Volunteers who pre-register will be eligible to win a variety of raffle prizes including a perennial from local plant purveyor Dan-Dee Acres, gift certificates from Passiflora and Radwick’s Coffee & Sandwich, a gift basket from Renaissance Farm, tours of a local CT Zero Energy Challenge home and other earth-friendly items.

Steve Worthington, a volunteer parent with New Hartford Cub Scout Pack 19, said that the Scouts ”will continue the tradition of supporting New Hartford Earth Weekend Cleanup by helping clean the downtown park areas and planting a tree in honor of the 100th anniversary of scouting.”

Organizers ask that those interested in participating in the Earth Weekend Spring Cleanup sign up for the event as soon as possible by visiting www.newhartfordlandtrust.org or by calling 860-489-4118. This will help with planning. Others are also welcome to just show up. Volunteers should bring a water bottle, gloves, hat, sunscreen, bug spray and pruning shears or a rake if possible. Children under 18 must be accompanied and supervised by an adult. Please check the New Hartford Land Trust web site or call for additional information.

A spokesperson for the New Hartford Land Trust said “For many years, the annual cleanup was held on a Saturday morning but we all decided to move it to Sunday afternoon so that it won’t compete with the opening day of youth baseball. We hope more families will be able to participate at the new time. Last year, about 85 residents of all ages came out to spruce up the town and we are hoping for an even bigger crowd to honor Earth Day turning the big 4-0 and to acknowledge the importance of environmental awareness and action. We need lots of help to accomplish our list of tasks for the day.”

The New Hartford Land Trust: is an all-volunteer, private, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the permanent preservation of farmland, forest, and other open space and natural resources in New Hartford.

Friends of Brodie Park, LLC: is a nonprofit dedicated to maintaining and preserving Brodie Park.

NewHartfordPlus is a contributing business of  the New Hartford 2010 Earth Weekend Spring Cleanup.

Members of Cub Scout Troop 19 and others cleaning up along the Farmington River last year. Photo: Maria Moore from NHPlus archives

Paul Mahoney of the Conservation Commission talks to the high school student volunteers who helped maintain the trail at Jones Mountain as part of last year's Earth Weekend Cleanup.

Billion Acts of Green ~ One Act At The Time

How many acts of green does it take to make a difference? One of course, and that one is yours! And what if you could add your green act to those of millions of others around the world? Or maybe a BILLION others?

That’s just what the Earth Day Network wants you to do. To help celebrate the 40th Earth Day Celebration, the Network has set up a Billion Acts Of Green Campaign where they’re collecting green acts from participants around the world. Add your green act today and watch that number grow. When our reporter started writing this report, the number stood at 31,460,51 and now it’s grown to 31,460,101, with that last “1″ being hers!

To have your green act count towards the Billion, please go to the Earth Day 2010 website and add your act.

Share Your Green Act With Us And Win A Gift Basket From The New Hartford Farmers Market

Let us know you added your green act to the Billion Acts Of Green campaign, and we’ll enter you in a free drawing for a gift basket filled with goodies from our friends at the New Hartford Farmers’ Market. We’ll announce the winner of our gift basket at 12:00 noon on Sunday, April 25 on NewHartfordPlus and the basket will be available for pick-up at the Earth Weekend Cleanup in New Hartford Center.  How sweet it is to act green…

To enter the drawing for the NewHartfordPlus gift basket: filled with goodies from the New Hartford Farmers’ Market, please email us at newhartfordplus@gmail.com and include your name and the details of the green act you added to the Billion Acts of Green campaign.

By: Jiff Martin, Working Land Alliance

More than 200 farmers, conservationists, anti-hunger advocates, students, locavores, and others interested in farmland preservation from across Connecticut will gather for a conference on Saturday, March 27 hosted by the Working Lands Alliance (WLA) coalition to consider ways to improve farmland access, grow community farms and link farmland protection with economic development, smart growth and public health goals.

USDA Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan will give the conference keynote address, with an introduction by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture.

” ‘Plowing Ahead’ is an opportunity to take stock of our progress in farmland preservation and to harvest ideas for the next 10 years to keep Connecticut farmland producing fresh, healthy food for our citizens. Don’t miss this ‘once-in-a-decade’ event,” said WLA Chairman Terry Jones, of Jones Family Farms in Shelton.

The conference will focus on strategies to accelerate the protection of Connecticut’s remaining farms over the next 10 years while nurturing new opportunities for local farms and food. Plowing Ahead: Farmland & Preservation in 2010 & Beyond will be held on Saturday, March 27 at Kroon Hall on the campus of Yale University in New Haven from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

There will be workshop offerings on policy, programs and innovative approaches to building support for protecting farms in Connecticut communities. Presenters from national conservation organizations such as American Farmland Trust and Trust for Public Land will review farmland preservation policy tools from other states.

Practitioners from local community farms in Wilton and Woodbridge will share their models of education and food production. Leaders from Vermont Land Trust, Peconic Land Trust, and the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project in Boston will discuss their innovative programs to increase farmland access for new farmers.

The conference is made possible by generous financial support from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, Connecticut Department of Agriculture, Connecticut Farmland Trust, Connecticut Farm Link, Connecticut Food Policy Council, Farm Credit East, The Farmer’s Cow, Jones Family Farms, edible Nutmeg, Wholesome Wave, and the members of American Farmland Trust. Additional sponsors include Connecticut Farm Bureau, Connecticut State Grange, Connecticut Forest & Park Association, Common Ground Center for Environmental Education and Leadership, Eastern CT Resources Conservation & Development Area, Inc., Halloran & Sage Governmental Affairs, KofKoff Egg Farm, and Trust for Public Land.

For more information on the Plowing Ahead conference: Please visit the Working Lands Alliance Conference section on the Working Lands Alliance website.

The above article was first published by the Valley Independent/Sentinel on March 24.  We are publishing it on NewHartfordPlus with permission from Working Lands Alliance.

Many Thanks: To CT Environmental Headlines for bringing this conference to our attention.

The Phillips farm is one of the New Hartford farms that has preserved its farmlands. Photo: Maria Moore

Looking Forward: Commentary by Chris Jones

With all of the planning, protestations and delay that might accompany the rebuilding of something at the site of Ground Zero in New York City, our fair Town Center area seems to be caught in a time warp, some of which is good, some bad.

A welcome sign in New Hartford

Several years ago there were a couple of different plans put to paper for changes in the center of New Hartford to create a more pedestrian friendly environment. Modification to traffic flow, added walking areas and perhaps even a fix to the crosswalk lights at the intersection of Rte. 44 and Central Ave. (or is it Steele Rd. I always get them confused.) were all on the table as part of an enhanced plan to create more public parking for visitors and merchants alike.

Now, with several more years of inaction under our belts, it seems little has been done to see any of this come to fruition. Even now as the BOF (Board of Finance) and BOS (Board of Selectmen) swap ‘puts and takes’ in the budget process, monies always seem to go elsewhere rather than perhaps where they should go, or were intended to go.

Yes the sewer plant needs to be finished and yes we need to finish the Brown’s Corner project, but where’s the money coming from?

While there have been a number of very successful projects and improvements including the Land Trust’s management of the walking trail behind Town Hall, and the expanded municipal parking both at the river end of Bridge St. and behind the Catholic Church ~ they always seem to get the best parking while the Episcopalians still have to park on the street ~ the Downtown area still suffers from a lack of something.

I’m just not sure of what. Money, interest, or perhaps just plain determination.

The Garden Club has done a wonderful job of plantings, the façade improvements to a number of the downtown properties have made a big difference, and the sign kiosk at the corner of Rte. 219 and Rte. 44 is a simple but nice added touch. Just not sure you can really get a good look at what’s on there unless you are walking by, but I guess that’s the point. You really need to make walking in the Center area a little less like crossing the 405 at rush hour.

Visually, New Hartford Center has always been a beautiful place. If there was a way to get rid of the power and phone lines above ground that clog the eyes of the beholder, the impact would be stunning. Several nice building improvements including Town Hall have also made a huge difference in what was the Old Center and today.

And now with the long overdue, and what appears to be fabulous rehabbing of the old Library building, we have added yet another piece to the puzzle; however, in doing so additional parking, and local traffic will need to be allocated to those firms that fill the newly-renovated space.

Thru it all we have created a quilt of streets that serve as parking lots and parking lots that serve as streets. It is a maze. And the problem with that, for example, is there is now regular parking on Central Ave. that effectively blocks the northbound side of Central Ave. as you head into Downtown.

So, to recap, love what the owners did with the property, not crazy about the new parking on the street, and lose the power lines.

Having said that there is a ton of stuff going on in the Center. A ton! That’s the good news.

I’m quite sure that P&Z considered all this in its deliberations regarding the use of the Old Library. However, with the rest of all that is happening in the area, and coupled with a crossing walkway light that has to my knowledge never been fixed, several DOT planned designs to change the traffic flow at that intersection, and increased parking demands in general, New Hartford Center is still a crap shoot during peak traffic hours. Unfortunately that is still the bad news!

Having been out of the loop now for a number of years I’m not really sure what the plan is for the Center area, but I am sure that a plan is needed. Whatever may have been created as a pedestrian-friendly plan has likely lost whatever luster it may have had and it now sits a lonely stepchild to more pressing or politically expedient public works projects. However, with 13,000+ cars a day traversing the downtown intersections on Rte. 44 and growing, the Town Leaders need to put the Center, and the idea of “pedestrian- friendly” back on the front burner.

The consumption of parking by apartment tenants and visitors alike is still a problem. Some of the merchants downtown have taken matters into their own hands and even been forced to put out signs reminding parkers that 15 minutes is all you are allowed if you want to park in front of their stores.( I think it a bit cheeky but I try to be a good citizen and park elsewhere.) Regardless, traffic flow, parking, and pedestrian safety and ease may never really see a suitable fix, but I hope it will always be a part of the greater dialogue.

I also understand all too clearly that with money tight, budgets busted, and with the Town roads reeling after another good winter beating so they now feel more like riding a luge than driving on a real road, resources will have to go elsewhere.

As a lifelong South Ender I have always thought that our Town Center was, and is, a very special place. Real New England charm! I also am a firm believer that as goes the Center of our Town, so go we all.

So I suppose this pipe dream is just one other chore to add to the ever-growing list of things “to do”. But keeping a plan in place for the Center of Town and the expanding demands by all who enjoy it and utilize it and depend on its resources won’t cost much.

Just some thought. And God knows we have plenty of that at Town Hall.

Oh, and fix the crosswalk light.

Chris Jones, a long-time resident of New Hartford, is a former selectman of the town. Chris’ Looking Forward commentaries appear regularly on NewHartfordPlus.

A view looking down Central Avenue towards the center of New Hartford. Photo: Maria Moore

Following are the Community Calendar listings for today in New Hartford, CT:

Thursday, March 4, 2010:

• New Hartford Senior Center activities: at Senior Center, Town Hall, 530 Main St., New Hartford. Activities: Line dancing at 9:30 a.m.; Fitness at 10:45 a.m. ($2.50 per person, per class, includes a fitness card which is stamped for every class attended; Yoga at 4:00 p.m. For more information please call Jean Barnicoat at 860-379-3980 between 8:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays.
• Effective Ways to Organize and Share Content: with Dawn Whalen, Technology/Education Director  of COMPUTER EXPLORERS and Co-President of the New Hartford Business Council. Event is at 12:00 p.m. noon at the Canton Community Center, Room F, 40 Dyer Avenue, Collinsville. Sandwich and beverage provided; $7 per person, payable at the door. For more information please visit the Seminar section of the Canton Chamber of Commerce website.
• WPCA Meeting: at 7:00 p.m. in the Sessions Conference Room, 530 Main Street, New Hartford. For the agenda for this meeting please see our Community Calendar section.
• New Hartford Land Trust: Native and Invasive Plants : at 7:00 p.m. in the Senior Center, 530 Main Street, New Hartford. For more information on this presentation please see the flyer for the event posted in our Community Bulletin Board section.
• Thursday Night Gather With Friends at Passiflora: Lowering Cholesterol and Triglycerides Naturally: with Dr. Shawn M. Carney. Event starts at 7:00 p.m., preceded by a chef’s choice organic dinner from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. For more information, please visit Passiflora’s website.
• Should your event be listed here and you don’t see it? Please email us the info. and we’ll add it! Send your email to newhartfordplus@gmail.com and write Calendar in the subject line.
• Have an item you’d like to sell?: Sell it in our FREE Classifieds! Send us the details and we’ll list it for you for free! Check out our Classifieds section which we update as we receive the ads.

Our Community Calendar section provides additional information about the events listed above and information on past, current and future events - a permanent record of events in New Hartford. Also check out our Community Bulletin Board where you can see posters and information on local groups and events.

…NHGrapevine…

“Trying to do a budget with no money? Sounds like my home!”

A resident was quoted as saying to First Selectman Dan Jerram in a conversation they were having about the town budget. Dan recounted this to the New Hartford Business Council Steering Committee meeting yesterday where he spoke to the local business owners about the current economic climate and economic development in New Hartford.

Contribute to the …NHGrapevine… Let us know what you’ve heard - or seen - in town and we’ll add it to this listing, and also add it to the …NHGrapevine… section. So let’s hear what you’re hearing around town…

The path around the Nepaug Reservoir during a recent snowfall. Photo: Maria Moore