October NRZ Meeting

 

It was so nice to see so many neighbors on our September Zoom meeting, let's do it again!

The next SoDo NRZ meeting of the 2020-21 year will be Wednesday, October 21 at 6:00 pm on Zoom. RSVP to SoDoNRZ@gmail.com for the link and Agenda.

Shelby Williams of Voices of Women of Color will be our guest speaker, regarding CT's flavored tobacco legislation. In addition, representatives from MDC will join us with an update on their year-long road work in our area, and representatives from Link4Life will share plans for a new sculpture that potentially will be installed in Buckingham Square Park. We look forward to catching up on neighborhood news with you!

Our meetings typically include reports from Hartford NEXT, Community Garden, and the Outreach and Social Committees, reports from HPD and HFD on activity in the neighborhood, and updates from various City offices such as Community Engagement, Planning & Development Services, and Sustainability. We occasionally have special guests who share information relevant to quality of life in the city or the neighborhood.

Our Annual Meeting & Elections (postponed from June due to Covid) will be held at an upcoming meeting. Any member of the SoDo neighborhood is eligible for nomination to the Board. Want to know more? Email SoDoNRZ@gmail.com with your questions.

Who qualifies as a member of an NRZ? All residents (including tenants), property owners, business owners, and non-profits within an NRZ's neighborhood boundaries are automatically members of the NRZ. Our meetings are public and open to all. If you are not sure if your home, property, business, or organization lies within the SoDo NRZ boundaries, please check out this map. If you think you might qualify for another NRZ, check out this map. If you have questions, email SoDoNRZ@gmail.com.

You can view past meeting minutes and newsletter editions on this website. And don't forget to check out our Facebook and NextDoor pages for neighborhood news and photos.

Now accepting nominations for the SoDo Board

 

Interested in making our neighborhood better?

The South Downtown NRZ has openings for Board Members in the following categories: Residential Tenant, Property Owner, Social Services representative, and Business Owner.
 

Elections will be held at an upcoming meeting.

Any member of the SoDo NRZ can run for Board elections. Membership in the SoDo NRZ requires that an individual must (a) live in or, (b) own property in or, (c) own a business located in, or (d) represent a social services agency located in the South Downtown (SoDo) area. Board Terms are three years, and we request that Board members attend and actively participate in meetings and events, and have a non-partisan interest in improving the quality of life in our neighborhood. We meet on the third Wednesday of the month, September through June. Click here for more information about the NRZ and the neighborhood boundaries.

To nominate yourself for election, please send a brief paragraph about yourself and why you are interested in joining to SoDoNRZ@gmail.com by 5 pm Thursday, October 29. To nominate another person for election, please email their name and contact information to SoDoNRZ@gmail.com by 5 pm, Friday, October 2 and we will contact them regarding their interest in the Board.

September NRZ Meeting

The first SoDo NRZ meeting of the 2020-21 year will be Wednesday, September 16 at 6:00 pm on Zoom. Please RSVP to SoDoNRZ@gmail.com for the link. Patrick Doyle of Knox Inc. will be our guest speaker. We look forward to catching up on neighborhood news with you!

Water Main Installation in SoDo. Multiple Streets to Be Affected Until 2022.

Construction Notice: Water Main Installation.

Buckingham Street, Hudson Street, Whitman Court, Clinton Street, Hungerford Street.

• The Metropolitan District (MDC) and their contractor, Baltazar contractors Inc., began work August 13 on the new replacement water main on several streets in our neighborhood.
• Construction began on Hudson Street, followed by Whitman Court, Buckingham Street, Clinton Street, and Hungerford Street.
• The project is expected to be completed by the summer of 2022.
• For your safety please drive carefully in the vicinity of the work zone and obey all posted signage. Any service interruption will be notified in advance.
• Work hours are generally Monday through Friday, 7 AM to 5 PM.
• Schedules are subject to change based on weather conditions and unforeseen construction activities. MDC staff, contractors, and consultants must be properly identified and show ID upon request.
• If you have questions or concerns, please contact: Keith Jones, Construction Services Supervisor, 860-209-9327, KJones@themdc.com.
• After hours, please call the M DC command center at 860-278-7850 x 3600.

In memory of Frank Lord

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of a SoDo NRZ founding member and past president, Frank Lord. While he had bicycled many miles throughout Europe, Canada, and Southeast Asia, he always came back to his adopted home of Hartford, where he was one of our city's biggest supporters. He championed our neighborhood as well as numerous non-profit organizations and the arts. If you wanted to discuss something with Frank, you had better be ready to do so over coffee or a glass of wine at a downtown spot. Our condolences and deepest sympathies to his wife of 37 years, Suzanne Hopgood.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Bushnell Park Foundation, The Mark Twain House & Museum, or Hands on Hartford.

No May Meeting

There will be no May meeting of the SoDo NRZ. In the meantime, stay safe and healthy. If you or a neighbor need any kind of assistance, please reach out to us and we will try to direct you to some resources. Additionally, the One Hartford email newsletter has lots of great resources for all City residents.

March Neighborhood Updates and Meeting

Spring blooms on Buckingham Street.

Well, March started with a bang! Our 9th Annual Progressive Dinner (check out some photos here) was sold out, and the wonderful locations for the opening and dessert receptions were surpassed only by our gracious hosts who opened their homes and generously fed everyone. Sadly, a week later we've had a devastating fire just a block from our neighborhood, with one fatality, one firefighter and multiple residents injured, and dozens of families displaced for the foreseeable future. If you'd like to do something to help, consider donating to the toiletry drive highlighted below, or giving to the Red Cross. And kudos to our amazing Hartford Fire Department, who -- just days before such a busy fire weekend -- had earned International Accreditation, the first fire department in New England to do so. And finally, the disappointing news that this year's Greater Hartford St Patrick's Day Parade, which marches through a good portion of our neighborhood, is canceled this year due to Coronovirus concerns. See below for more info on the City's pandemic preparedness.
 

Barring a city-wide quarantine, or our host, South Church, abstaining from public meetings as a precaution, the next meeting for the 2019-20 year for the South Downtown NRZ is Wednesday, March 18, at 6 pm at South Church (enter on John Street.)

Our meetings typically include reports from Hartford NEXT, Community Garden, and the Outreach and Social Committees, reports on fire and police activity in the neighborhood, and updates from various City offices such as Community Engagement, Planning & Development Services, and Sustainability. We occasionally have special guests who share information relevant to quality of life in the city or the neighborhood. Presenters at the March meeting will include Kenny Beardsley on the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program. We will also discuss potential SoDo entries in the City's Love Your Block program.

If you are a SoDo resident, property owner or business owner and would like to get involved in the NRZ, please come to any of our meetings. If you are not sure if your home or business lies within the NRZ boundaries, please check out this map. If you have questions, email SoDoNRZ@gmail.com.