West River

This building is a landmark historical treasure and needs to be preserved.

Please add your comments, stories about the Shul, and reasons why you feel that it is significant on the comments here.

Please forward the issue to individuals you know who are interested.

The more people who "vote" to have this fixed, the more likely this building can be restored to its former glory as a community space for all -- instead of an abandoned building.

Excellent photographs of the Shul may be found here:

http://www.orchardstreetshul.org/photo.html

Today between 5 and 8 pm there was at least one squad car sitting in the parking lot across the street from my house. During that time frame somewhere half a dozen and a dozen cars/ bikers/ kids on motorbikes sped past them one Winthrop Ave. The speeders were noticed by the cops who would hit the siren every time, but the cops did nothing. No one was followed, no one was stopped, they just sat there and kept hitting that siren every 10 or 20 mins. Not only are people driving dangerously, but this was really frustrating to observe! This lack of action gave the impression that those officers are lazy or unconcerned - either way that's unacceptable considering we pay their salaries with our taxes. As if this wasn't upsetting enough - the constant blaring of their siren ruined an otherwise beautiful spring evening. Did anyone else hear/ notice this?

The sidewalks in front of 542/544/550 George St and alongside 542 George and Day St are in poor condition, with tree roots sticking up creating an uneven and potentially dangerous situation. There are holes that are a tripping hazard as well. The sidewalks on the neighboring three corners are in good/excellent condition, but this corner looks very out of place. These sidewalks need replaced and repaired.

I have live in my home for over TEN years now and i have been complaining abut the sidewalk needing to be repaved because of the city trees and their roots uplifting the concrete and it has been ignored.... I know its time for election let see what changes come from this is a long time coming all the street in our neighbor hood have been redone but ours is a big problem. If someone falls on my property I will ask them to take it up with your MAYOR and the city, it's not my problem to fix its the cities

Last summer and this past winter, several "light the night" installations were made, increasing light on George St and Day St. The trees alongside the property on the corner of George and Day are blocking this light and keeping the sidewalk and property in the dark. There has been a recent string of incidents, including vandalism and theft and more lights are being installed. If the trees block the light, then their light goes to waste. Also, old branches are falling into the sidewalk during inclement weather and large branches are intertwining with the wires. These trees need to be trimmed to allow light to pass, and prevent a branch from falling or taking down a powerline.

All of the large oak trees along Batter Terrace need dead branches removed.Many of the dead branches are large and are a great threat to automobiles and pedestrians.One tree between 20 and 24 Batter Terrace that seems to be dying has large dead branches that have started to break off and fall onto cars.

Be 1 of 500 neighbors to Donate $20 or more to help make this project happen: http://bit.ly/OoT9YG

This a project for Be The Change in NHV. In our project, we will build on what we have accomplished over the last four years in Monitor Square. The first component of our project aims to improve accessibility to Monitor Square. Currently there is only a single entrance to the park, and it is a narrow gap in the railing at Chapel and Winthrop (see photo).

We feel that a single, small entrance discourages people from using the park. We would like to double the width of this entrance and to create a second entrance at Derby and Winthrop. We will also create a transition from the sidewalk to the grass by installing a bed of pavers at each entrance. These three changes—doubling the width of the existing entrance, adding a second entrance, and installing the transitions—will make the park more enticing and encourage people to use it. Whereas the current entrance, narrow and unadorned, works to keep people out of the park, the new, welcoming entrances will invite people to cross the street and enter into and enjoy the park. The resulting increased use of this public space will make the neighborhood safer and more vibrant.

The other component of our project focuses on the centerpiece of Monitor Square, a monument topped by a statue of an eagle. This eagle is dramatic to behold, with wings spread, talons raised, and head staring down (see photos). (We think it is the most amazing sculpture in any park in New Haven, but we may be slightly biased.)

At nighttime, this great New Haven asset loses its value because it is all but invisible in the unlit park, and we would like to correct this by lighting the sculpture up from below. The site of the eagle lit up against the nighttime sky will be eye-catching for both pedestrians in the neighborhood and drivers heading west on Chapel or Derby.

Background

Monitor Square is a nicely scaled public space, about one-third of an acre, situated on thoroughfares that connect downtown with the western side of the city. It sits at the intersection of three neighborhoods—West River, Edgewood, and Dwight—and is bordered by Chapel Street, Derby Avenue, and Winthrop Avenue (see photo).

The story of our work in Monitor Square is part of the larger story of our work to improve the West River neighborhood. In 2008 the Community Foundation chose West River as a site for its Neighborhood of Choice program, and under the guidance of Kevin Ewing, ordinary residents began to come together, get to know one another, and explore ways to improve the neighborhood. At the very start of this effort, Monitor Square was the site of a tragic murder. On the evening of Sunday, June 29, shortly after midnight, 53-year-old Antoinette Joyner was struck and killed by a stray bullet as she sat on a porch overlooking Monitor Square petting a cat. This was one of the key reasons we decided that improving Monitor Square should be part of our efforts to improve West River.

In 2009 we successfully applied to have Monitor Square designated a Community Greenspace site by Urban Resources Initiative. We have just completed our fourth season as a Community Greenspace site, and over the course of those four summers we have transformed Monitor Square. We have built two flowerbeds, one at the corner of Chapel and Derby and the other around the monument in the center of the park. We have planted seven trees within Monitor Square and another seven on the curb strip around it. In the past two years, our efforts have spilled out to the surrounding blocks. There are ten new trees on curb strips across the street from Monitor Square, and last year we built a flowerbed in front of an adjoining apartment building. We’ve even extended our efforts to a site three blocks away, at the corner of Derby Avenue and Ella T. Grasso Boulevard. There we removed a huge stand of weeds, planted five trees, and built a flowerbed around a sign that welcomes people to New Haven.

This project is looking to raise $10,000 in 60 days from 500 neighbors: http://bit.ly/OoT9YG

If you would like to be thanked on facebook for your donation and let your friends know about the cause like us here: http://www.facebook.com/seeclickfund