Mayor Marcia Leclerc Wishes you a Happy Holiday Season

This past year was an exciting and productive time for the Town of East Hartford, as we focused on the advancement of existing projects, while taking on new opportunities.

By leveraging existing resources within all departments, we continually strive to make the entire community a safe place to live, work, and raise a family. As part of my efforts to improve our town assets and create a welcoming atmosphere for our community, I have reviewed all 21 chapters of our ordinances and have recommended changes to the Town Council with the best interests of our residents in mind.   

We made extensive progress on the redevelopment of the Silver Lane Corridor to create a new sense of place and renew pride in our community. I am pleased to share that the demolition of the former Showcase Cinemas is in the final stages of completion, eliminating a long-standing vacant building in a prominent area of town and making way for new development. Additionally, we are on the cusp of beginning construction of our new state-of-the-art Senior Center. This was a two-year effort that included site selection, design options, approval by boards and commissions, and construction bidding.  The new center will be built on the site of the 19,000 square-foot, 1970s modernist-style former Blessed Sacrament Church.  The new center will provide our seniors with a modern gathering place, offering a wide variety of activities, low-cost fitness classes, and wellness—all under one roof. The focus on physical fitness, the use of technology and fine gourmet dining will make the senior center a popular gathering place for our residents. The planning and improvements to the Wickham Library will begin in the new year and will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2020.

To further our efforts to streamline operations and modernize town functions, the town has reassigned an existing position and hired a GIS analyst to assist all departments with data analysis and data mapping, making it available on the town website for easy access. In addition, we continue to refine our newest citizen request management platform “My East Hartford,” which allows the public to report any non-emergency issues of concern through an online platform.

East Hartford was recognized with several distinctions and awards, one of which was the Sustainable CT Certification, recognizing our efforts to improve energy efficiency and reduce costs, while working on transforming the Town’s infrastructure. Through our efforts in such areas as solar panel and LED lights installation, creation of bike lanes, energy conservation and recycling efforts, we qualified for the certification and will continually work toward achieving even higher levels in the future. 

Finally, one of the biggest accomplishments of this past year was the recent and long-awaited accreditation of the police department. On November 16, 2019, the East Hartford Police Department was formally presented with its accreditation award from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA). After a long process of diligent self-assessment and compliance with many rigorous requirements and standards, the department achieved the accreditation, which recognizes its commitment to providing the highest level in police services.

These are just a few notable accomplishments of the past year, made possible by a small, but very capable team of dedicated employees. There is still much work to be done in 2020 and beyond, but I am convinced that together, our community has the strength and determination to turn dreams into reality.

As always, I am proud and humbled for having your trust in me and I am honored to lead such a vibrant community. I look forward to bringing continued positive change and growth to East Hartford.

May the New Year bring you an abundance of joy and happiness.

Warmest regards and Happy Holidays,

Mayor Marcia A. Leclerc