Real Hartford

Trash Talk

Clarence W. Corbin, the Director of Hartford Public Works, and Marilynn Cruz-Aponte, Assistant to the Director of Public Works, spoke to residents as part of the Understanding City Services workshop series tonight at the Hartford Public Library. Corbin mainly covered the single-stream recycling pilot program, while Cruz-Aponte dealt with the proposed Hartford Bulky Waste & Recycling Center.

Corbin’s presentation included background on the single-stream program which was introduced to selective areas in Hartford last May. Much of what he talked about has previously been reported on at Urban Compass, as a press release was sent by the Mayor’s office a few days back. Some of the key facts that he shared:

* It costs about $70/ton to dump garbage, whether it contains recyclable materials or not

* Hartford dumps about 45,000 tons of municipal solid waste (per year, I’m assuming, though he didn’t give a time frame)

* The “Go Green – Use Blue” program collects from 1000 households in the city each day

* 86% of the households in the program are compliant

* $4160 in rebates have been awarded to residents so far

* The single-stream program will only be available to those in 1-6 family residences.

The Department of Public Works is working to figure out how to expand the program, and they expressed hope that all 1-6 family residences in Hartford will be able to participate.

What struck me as annoying from a treehugging hippie point-of-view is that so much of their presentation focused on economics rather than on health or environmental benefits. Are we really only concerned with taxes and revenue?

Cruz-Aponte announced plans for the new Hartford Bulky Waste & Recycling Center, which she described as both a “transfer station” and a “convenience center.” Because the landfill will be closing on December 31, 2008, we need to find another way to dispose of our trash. She explained that residents will still place trash in city-issued bins and pick-up will continue in the same way, so that part of the process will not be changing. After the trash leaves the premises, it will be brought to the transfer station, where it will be—wait for it—transferred. The Hartford Bulky Waste & Recycling Center will also permit residents to drop off recyclables, electronics, and bulky waste like tires; however, they will not be collecting hazardous waste. There is a possibility that this center will also have a “swap center” where residents can leave items that are in good condition, and others can pick them up. Right now we have a swap center– it’s called the curb. Continue reading Trash Talk…

For Your Social Calendar

Tonight

Drop by the Hartford Public Library (5:30 for refreshments, 6 for the talk) for a program on the Department of Public Works. “Learn about the new Transfer Center and Single-Stream Recycling. Bring your questions about leaf collection, street repair, snow removal, garbage collection…” I know you can’t contain your excitement over this, but let’s be real– these routines keep the city going. Almost rear-ended a leaf-collection machine because of lack of traffic police? Show up and ask questions about the unsafe work conditions! Experienced flooding because they waited until last week to start with leaf collection? Livid because jerks keep dumping their leaves in the bike lanes? Know that snow removal is plain pathetic? Come by and let your voice be heard.

November 20

La Canción Puertorriqueña/The Puerto Rican Song: In Our Times-In Our Voice
Singer Songwriters José Saavedra & Walter Morciglio
These two cantautores will share their songs and the poetry in their first US East Coast Joint Tour. Be prepared for an evening that will blend poetry and songs that portray the reality of Latino and human struggle of our times. Two-time Latin Grammy Nominated Producer/Songwriter Morciglio presents material from his fourth album, El Album Gris. Morciglio’s productions credits include such artists as Roy Brown, Antonio Cabán Vale “El Topo”, Andy Montañez as well as José Saavedra. Saavedra who has been developing his musical career for the last fifteen years, most recently in Tucson, AZ will present a collection of songs from his three albums: Ver Cada Ver, Versos ReVersos, Veredas Verdes.

The show starts at 8pm at La Paloma Sabanera (405 Capitol Ave) and costs $10.

November 23

Queers Without Borders and the CT Transadvocacy Coalition will be showing Out Rage ‘69 a film from the KQED four part documentary “The Question of Equality.” This contains interviews and archival footage of Sylvia Rivera, the Gay Liberation Front, and more.

Doors open at 5pm, dinner follows at 5:30, and the film begins at 6:30. This is held at the Metropolitan Community Church, which is located in Colt Memorial Parish House of the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church (155 Wyllys St.)

November 25

Tribute to “The King (Hector Lavoe) & Queen (Celia Cruz) of Salsa” on at The Bushnell at 8pm.

Some of you may know that salsa annoys me very quickly. When it blasts through my walls, it makes me rage. The one exception that I have found to this is Celia Cruz. I spent Christmas in Paterson a few years ago, and the local station played her music incessantly. This tribute sounds like a fun night, but a pricey one. VIP tickets go for $100, but the cheap tickets start at $25.

There will also be a Meet & Greet at Andrea’s Restaurante (371 Franklin) from 5:45-6:45. There will be a Spanish-style buffet, raffles, and giveaways. There will also be an afterparty at La Casona.

Another Interpretation

The City of Hartford website boasts that 311 received three times the regular number of phone calls yesterday, most related to the election.

(November 5, 2008)— Mayor Eddie A. Perez announced today that Hartford’s 3-1-1 Call Center handled more than 1500 inquiries from voters on Election Day, November 4th—that’s triple the volume of a normal day. Most of the calls were from residents inquiring about their registration status or polling location.
“I am proud that we were able to help people exercise one of their fundamental rights as citizens – the right to vote. Having voter information available by dialing one simple number – 311 – is a major step forward in making government information more accessible,” Mayor Perez said.
The 3-1-1 Call Center opened in September of 2006 in order to provide a centralized location for requesting non-emergency city services or information. Normal daily call volumes range from 300 to 500 calls per day. On Election Day, the center’s regular staff worked extra hours and was supplemented by staff from the Mayor’s office. The center was open from 6AM to 8PM to match the hours for voting.
Susan McMullen, Director of Constituent Services, manages the call center. “Our staff was excited to be part of the Election Day process,” she said. “We anticipated high call volumes because of the historic and exciting nature of this race, and we were not disappointed. Hartford voters were engaged and we were happy to help them exercise their voting rights.”
Any callers requiring more specific assistance or information were transferred to the Registrars of Voters office. “We enjoy our partnership with the Hartford Registrars on voting day,” McMullen added. “We look forward to supporting them for many elections to come.”
The 3-1-1 Call Center is open Monday through Friday from 8AM to 6PM. After hours callers may leave a message or access the 3-1-1 self-service portal at www.hartford.gov. Those unable to connect by dialing 3-1-1 can reach the Call Center by calling (860) 757-9311.

Are we supposed to interpret this as a positive thing? Seriously? If there was not so much misinformation on the City of Hartford website and the Connecticut Secretary of State website regarding polling places, then perhaps such phone calls would not have been necessary. To find out where I needed to vote (the information given on my registration card was correct, but what was posted on the websites was not), I made a phone call to the Registrar of Voters and waited a few minutes on the line before someone qualified gave me accurate information.

How to make government more accessible? Create a user-friendly website. Hire people for 311 who have customer service skills, or at the least, train the current staff.

My Disappointing Relationship with 3-1-1: An Update

The fencing that was obnoxiously, and probably illegally, blocking most of the sidewalk on Capitol Avenue has finally been removed.

My other 311 complaint has yet to be resolved. Maybe there’s a reason no one is getting back to me about the status of the single-stream recycling pilot program? Any bets on whether or not it’s going the way of the free Hartford WiFi?

3-1-1 Satisfaction Survey

There is a survey that you can complete to express your feelings about the 3-1-1- service.

311– Like Flushing Money, Only Less Certain

I’m going to preface this by saying that my irritation is firsthand, but that I’ve heard gripes about the service from others, one of whom was told that she should clean up the illegally dumped garbage that she had called to report.

I called the number once, and have used the email, which is posted on the website, for two separate issues. Though the person on the phone was rude when I called, the issue was resolved within a few days.

On June 28th, I emailed 311 to request information about the single-stream recycling program.

My original email:

Will the mayor be issuing an update on how the single-stream recycling program is going? Are there any concrete plans yet to expand this to other neighborhoods in Hartford?

Rather than respond to my inquiry, I only heard back after sending a follow-up email on July 2nd. At that time, I was informed:

Ms. Knight will contact you on July 7th. Ms. Knight is currently on vacation. However, I know that the program is a one year pilot program and the plans are to expand it in the City of Hartford. Ms. Knight will contact you with detailed information on all of your very important questions.

It’s now more than a month later, and I am still waiting on any response from Ms. Knight. It’s not a life or death situation, clearly, but with the advanced technology that we have today, it’s not out-of-line to expect a timely response. Even if the answer is along the lines of “we have not decided what to do with the program yet,” it’d still be a response.

On July 14th, I sent 311 this email for a different issue:

A section of the sidewalk along Capitol Ave. between Laurel and Forest has been partially blocked by a broken chain link fence for about a month. It’s hazardous, and probably, someone using a wheelchair would not be able to get through.

This time, the response was two days later–more reasonable, but still a little slow. It was assigned case number 21191.

On July 26, 2008 I took this photograph to show that it was still there:

On August 2, 2008 as I walked home from the events down at the Riverfront, I saw that the fence had birthed a nasty, broken sofa.

On August 3, 2008, the sofas begat a tire. I also found a cute-but-injured black puppy in that location. He was too hard for me to catch, but I had been wishing for a dog lately. I don’t have a television set or a microwave, so I’m hoping that the elves take note of this new drop off spot and leave said presents for me overnight. Since the items left are pre-loved or broken, I probably shouldn’t press my luck and hope for the delivery of Prince Charming. (photo of sofa taken 8/4/08)

If I could have physically removed the fence myself, I would have done that rather than inconvenience anyone working for the City of Hartford. I probably would not have even bothered except that I know a guy who lives on my floor and relies on a wheelchair likes to go downtown via Capitol Avenue, and it is real inconvenient to off-road it in that section of the street. Not only is this obstructed sidewalk inconvenient– it’s also probably not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

UPDATED 8/8/08: The sofa(s) has been removed, but the fencing remains. I should clarify, in case the photos don’t show it well. The fence is very rusted chain link which has fallen off the posts. I’m not sure if the City is planning on resurrecting the rusted out fencing or not, but rather than remove it entirely, it’s been left on the sidewalk. I’m not entirely sure why a fence needs to divide the sidewalk from the roadway in this area. Seems more like a nuisance than anything.