Harp Names Q House Board

As a new Dixwell Community ​“Q” House rises, a board is now in place to guide its operation.

Toni Harp named the members of that board by executive order in one of her last official actions as mayor before leaving office.

The order, issued Dec. 18, names 20 people to a Community Advisory Board charged with drawing up bylaws and a vision for the reborn Dixwell Avenue community center, establish policy and operations, ​“facilitat[ing] the selection process for hiring” an executive director, and raising money.

The city is in the process of building a new two-story, 54,000-square-foot, mostly state-funded $16.7 million version of the community center, which originated in 1924 and closed in 2003. In its heyday, the Q was a hub of activity and support for Dixwell children and families. Community members, led by Dixwell Alder Jeanette Morrison, have worked for years to rebuild the center.

The Harp administration chose to make the new center part of city government rather than an independent institution. It will report to City Hall’s community services administrator. (Click here for a reader discussion of that decision.) Harp’s executive order allows for the city to ​“consider” handing over the center to a new not-for-profit if it raises a $5 million endowment.

Click here to learn more about donating money to the Q House.

The Board of Alders voted on Dec. 2 to authorize Harp to appoint the new board’s members. She chose to do by executive order, a power she claimed she had under the city charter. The full list of appointees and the executive order appear below.