Markeshia Ricks Photo
Morrison: Whole city benefits.
The Board of Alders green-lights plans to transform parts of Dixwell and Long Wharf for the next generation.
In a unanimous vote, the alders Tuesday nights authorized Mayor Toni Harp to accept the $14.5 million from the state for the long-awaited rebirth of the Dixwell Q House, the beloved settlement house that opened in 1924 and closed in 2003.
The new 54,000 square foot complex will also house a new Stetson public library branch, Dixwell’s Cornell Scott Hill Health Center outpost and a senior center.
Dixwell Alder Jeanette Morrison said it’s been a five-year journey of concerned Dixwell community members, city officials and the Board of Alders working together to get to this point. “This is not just for the Dixwell community,” she said of the new Q House. “It’s for the entire city.”
Alders also approved the city’s quest for a $935,000 grant application for making some upgrades to Long Wharf that include improvements for public access to the nature preserve and veterans’ memorial and Long Wharf Park along the harbor. The idea is to bring into the 21st century a waterfront district created in the mid-20th century.
A Fond Farwell
Rodriguez: Back to BLumenthal.
At the meeting, alders bid bon suerte to the Harp administration’s legislative liaison, Joe Rodriguez . Rodriguez is returning to the employ of U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s office in Hartford. Prior to his stint with the Harp administration in City Hall, Rodriguez served as an outreach worker and research aide in Blumenthal’s office for almost four years. He will return to serve as the office’s deputy director.
Majority Leader and Annex Alder Alphonse Paolillo Jr. said Rodriguez, a former alder from Fair Haven, seemed “almost like he was born in City Hall,” because of his years of service, including his work as part of the city’s Youth Commission. Paolillo said that Rodriguez was talking about increasing services to youth “before it was in en vogue” to do so.