Mayor's Community Update Week of November 17th, 2014
Leaf Pick Up Update
The annual leaf vacuuming program began the first week of November and began its collection on roads south of I-84 in the Ridgewood Road, Sawka Drive, Sunset Ridge Drive area and has proceeded easterly to areas along Silver Lane to Oak Street and will continue heading through the south end of town in a clockwise direction before entering areas in the north end of Town. Every year the program alternates the starting point to ensure fair and equal service to all residents. Leaves will be vacuumed Monday through Saturday from November 3rd until leaves are collected once along each street, weather permitting.
As always residents who are in the first early round will be considered for a second round and their leaves will be picked up twice if weather permits. This is a common practice that we have been doing since the elimination of the second pick up several years ago.
Town crews will also pick up leaves placed in biodegradable brown paper bags through December 12, 2014, weather permitting. Leaves in biodegradable brown paper bags will be collected weekly. The use of the brown bags is strongly urged since there will only be one round of vacuum leaf collection and any early snow may require suspension or cancelation of vacuum leaf collection until the spring.
DEEP Commissioner Tours East Hartford
Last week Monday I had the pleasure of hosting Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Rob Klee and DEEP Deputy Commissioner Mack McClerary along with their staff to share in discussions on the state of our environment, energy and recycling efforts, as well as a tour of key energy and environmental areas in East Hartford.
The visit was a great opportunity to discuss issues of common concern as well as showcase our Town’s triumphs in key areas that are not typically the responsibility of the municipalities.
I look forward to cultivating the relationships that were formed and utilizing these new open lines of communication with DEEP.
East Hartford Recycles
The Town is launching the East Hartford Recycles! education program to increase resident awareness of single stream recycling.
Taxpayers pay for disposal of every ton of waste and earn a cash rebate for every ton of recyclables. East Hartford’s current recycling rate is 20%. If we increase the rate by just 5% by recycling rather than trashing household waste items we will save over $90,000 each year.
Look for the East Hartford Recycles! booth for information and fun giveaways at Holiday Fest on Sunday, December 7th from 12:00pm to 3:00 pm.
Residents may find more information on the Town’s Waste webpage, at the Raymond Library or the Public Works Administration building, or by calling public works at (860) 291 7363. You can view the new logo here.
Veteran's Day Observance
I was privileged to participate once again in Riverside Healthcare Centers Veterans Day Ceremony on Friday November 7th. It was my honor to present to the residents and all Veterans on behalf of the Town of East Hartford a proclamation recognizing their heroism and bravery.
Winter Weather Preparations
In the next couple of weeks the last leaves will fall and we begin to turn our attention to winter weather preparedness. Public works will begin converting the leaf pick up vehicles to snow removal equipment and we encourage any leftover leaves by the curb to be collected in bags to clear all roadways in preparation for inclement weather.
I would also like to remind all residents of the winter parking and snow removal ordinances. All residents who own property in East Hartford that is adjacent to a sidewalk are responsible for clearing those sidewalks of snow, ice, sleet or debris within 8 hours after sunrise during snowfall or inclement weather. Many of our neighborhood schools have children that walk to and from school daily, in addition to students who walk to bus stops, and residents who access public transportation. It is imperative that we keep the sidewalks clear so that our residents and students are not forced to walk in the street. Home owners who do not clear their sidewalks will be subject to fines.
In addition, although we do not have winter parking ordinances the Town will strongly enforce our year round parking ordinances that state that no vehicle may be parked on any street for more than five hours or between the hours of 2AM-5AM. Removing vehicles from our roadways will aid our public works equipment in maneuvering the streets when treating for ice and snow control, as well as clearing light snow. Please note that in severe weather the town may issue a complete parking ban, and no vehicle will be allowed to park in any of the roadways or streets. Cars will be towed at owner’s expense.
With the help of our residents we can make sure that our roads and sidewalks are safe for travel.
EH Fire Department tests their Ebola Preparedness
The department conducted a multi-agency exercise to test its preparedness for an Ebola patient. This successful drill included participation from the fire department, the Ambulance Service of Manchester, East Hartford Police Department, East Hartford 911, and Saint Francis Hospital. The goal of the drill was to prepare our staff for not only ebola but all infectious disease emergencies. The drill covered each step from the call coming in to dispatch to decontaminating the equipment. The lessons learned from the drill will be incorporated into our town's emergency plan. Local press was on hand to cover the drill, visit The Journal Inquirer to view pictures and the full article on the first municipal Ebola exercise conducted in the region.
Presented by the East Hartford Beautification Commission and supported by numerous community agencies and businesses this four day community event runs from December 5th to Monday December 8th. Each day is filled with holiday cheer and activities for the whole family and community members of all ages. Click here to see the brochure.
Social Services Holiday Toy Drive, week of December 1st 2014.
Social Services is sponsoring a Holiday Toy Drive to benefit the youth of East Hartford. Donations of new unwrapped toys for boys and girls ages 0-10 may be dropped off at:
Goodwin College, 1137 Main Street Monday-Wednesday-Thursday 7AM-10PM, Tuesdays 7AM-7PM, and Friday 7AM-5PM.
D’Esopo East Hartford Memorial Chapel, 30 Carter Street Monday-Friday 8:30AM-4:30PM
East Hartford Community Cultural Center, 50 Chapman Place
Saturday December 5th 9AM-5PM and Sunday December 6th 12PM-3PM.