2019 CSNA Retreat Notes and request

[Lee Cruz]

Dear Friend and Neighbors:

As promised below are the notes from our 2019 Retreat.

• If you attended the retreat you are invited to use the comments section under the notes to post additional information that is missing or corrections. We would like for the notes to be community-owned so please make a note if you have something to add or to correct.

• If you did not attend the retreat but you are interested in leading or assisting with one of the many great community led activities use the comments section to make you voice heard. You can also ask a question or request clarification.  There will also be an opportunity to add your voice at the first 2019 CSNA meeting 6pm, February 20 at the Mary Wade Home.

Soon after the February meeting we will finalize the notes and make them available to everyone in final form. 

2019 CSNA Retreat 

2019 Calendar Planning

What events do you want to see happen in 2019? Which ones are you ready to take part in planning? (these were transcribed the same exact way they were written on the post it notes)

Year Round

Have Quinnipiac river promoting events 4 times a year during each season change.

Idea- Acousting music during the farmers market to bring people in.

Neighborhood newsletter - Natalie Coe

January - Community Dining out night - La molienda - Lee

Annual Retreat - Lee, David, Sally Esposito

Feb

After School Program (Crafts) - ARTE , Susan Regan

Slate Program - Life + Social Skills Program - Thursdays 3-5 -Martinez School - Looking for guest speakers/instructors

“Hacer”: Saturday Academy - Starts late feb or March- Afternoons on Saturday. - Need Instructors. - Arte

Community Soup night, home of JR Logan

March

Community dining out - lee

Raised Garden Bed Business- NH LAND TRUST

Management team moves to the library - David W.

Support y2y (LBGT Youth Homeless shelter) at board of zoning appeals - David W.

April-

Clinton Ave Garden - Fair Haven Library Garden - Mary Ann Moran

Community Soup Night -Lee

Spring Festival (April 21st) - Margaret Dunn, Susan Regan

English Street community garden work days begin- (Wednesdays)

Grand Ave Garden works days begin - (Thursday)

May-

NHPS annual Student Art Show-

CSNA Door Knocking Campaign - May-October - Sarah

Community Dining Out - Lee

FHCHC - All of Us - Mobile health exhibit - 5/16 -Karen - Bilingual Guides Needed

Quinnipiac Riverfest(May 18) - Christel, Margaret, Susan, Lee

Fair Haven Festival in collaboration with the Festival of Arts & Ideas) - David, Lee

NH Bike Month (month long series of events, some of which happen in Fair Haven) - David, Lee

Fair Haven Community Parade and Mary Wade Annual Wine Tasting event - Mary Wade Home staff

June

Strong School Mural touch up - Sheila

Complete Maintain Strong School Mural - Beth P.

Mary Wade groundbreaking for new building - Mary Wade (Staff)

Art events in community gardens start happening - New Haven Land Trust

Community Soup Night - City Seed\NHLT tentative - Alyssa, Lee

Slate Program Cultural trip to Puerto Rico - Donations and Sponsorships - Arte

July

Fair Haven Farmers Market - Opening day 7/11 -Alyssa

Fair Haven Community Health Fair - Alyssa

Community Dining Out - Lee

Schooner -Camp Starts

New Haven Land Trust - Ideas Fair

August

Community Soup Night - Lee

Arte Scholarship Applications due end of August.

September

Fall Festival, Back to School Picnic with management team (Columbus School)- David, Lee, Susan Regan

Community Soup Night - Lee

Mary Wade family fun festival + Concert

October

Community Dining Out Night - Lee

Day of the Dead and Halloween Celebration - Alyssa -  NH Land Trust

November
Thanksgiving Turkey Trot - we need find someone to organize this event in order to keep it

Community Soup Night - Lee

Community Garden Clean ups - Due by Dec 1st

Land Trust Accepting application from freshmen+sophomores (Nov-Jan)

December

Community Dining Out Night - Lee

Tree Lighting - we need find someone to organize this event in order to keep it

Break out Sessions:

Session I: Strategy for Strong School District

Kenneth presented the findings from the Fair Haven: Strong School District Charrette research that was done over the past year during the community meetings. Findings included Strengths, Resources needed, and Barriers, as outlined in the document passed out to everyone (I imagine this information is already available and doesn’t need to be retyped).

We then discussed the 10 criteria that should be included in any proposal for the Strong School, criteria that will be presented to the City of New Haven. There were some changes made to criteria 10 and an 11th was added, as outlined below. The criteria are:

1. Enrich social and cultural life
2. Drive economic development
3. Facilitate growth of local businesses and entrepreneurship
4. Serve diverse neighborhood constituencies
5. Serve diverse neighborhood constituencies
6. Host continuous activity, daytime and evening, for safety
7. Provide revenue to the City of New Haven
8. Include businesses and organizations working in the arts, education, health and wellness, food, and/or youth services, encouraging shared space and co-leases
9. Include public-interacting business on Grand Ave., such as shop or restaurant
10. Include housing only as part of mixed-use concept, with emphasis on affordable housing and supporting where possible creatives who already live here.
11. Strong School integrated into a responsible development plan for the Strong School District and the broader FH community.

We then discussed next steps, including:

-Organizing a press conference with diverse neighborhood representation, before the mayoral race starts heating up.

-Push for neighborhood participation-Create a 1 pager and do door to door outreach and flyering so everyone knows about the proposal.

-Finishing/adding to or doing another public art project like was done last year.

-Build base of supporters-reach out to more organizations and ask if they are still interested in space in the building. Interested in supporting? Invite business owners to meetings.

Kenneth and Sally will be working on the 1 pager.

Kenneth will be making a list of the constituents

Other ideas that came up:

-Focus should be not only on the school but on the whole district, creating a neighborhood feeling

-Economic Development should be on board-Mike Piscitelli-Our Aldermanic Representative has to be the point person on this.  

-Include coffee shop/art center

-Include evening activities to increase safe activities for youth

Grant Guidelines for RFP

• Building a sustaining community.
• Process Efficiency:
  • Quick Turn around.
  • Marketing
• Protect and Promote Fair Haven
• Natural environment, respecting natural resources
• Incentive for collaboration

Grant Review Committee

• CSNA contributors/donors
• Committee group- not during CSNA meetings
• 1 year to start.
• Bring proposals to CSNA meeting
  • -Regular Agenda Item
• There should be some reporting for grantees
• Priority to folks who typically find challenge or difficulty finding resources.
• Continuing effort over one time events.
• How many per year/ how much per year ($300/per grant?)
• Open/Public Events
• Define Geographic area to fair haven.
• Simple Application Form

Ideas:

• Bridge the ferry street divide.
• Quinnipiac River centered events
• Mill River Events
• Kayak Trips
• Regular Stipend for youth to monitor/clean neighborhood.
• Support Day of the dead
• Strong School Mural maintenance
• Riverfest.

[Esther Rose-Wilen]

CitySeed and the New Haven Land Trust will host June Community Soup Night at Grand Acres Community Garden (47 Grand Ave) on Sunday June 30th from 6pm-8pm!

[Beth Pellegrino]

Pellegrino's will take the lead on Halloween activities, including neighborhood gathering before trick-or-treating and the visit to Mary Wade.

[Joan Bosson-Heenan]

Spring Clean Up March 30th 9-11 not the 23rd.

[Joan Bosson-Heenan]

I will host the Spring Clean-Up at Chatham sq Park on March 23rd from 9-11.

[Christel Manning]

RIVEREST

Planning dates: Second Mondays of each month (Feb. 11, March11, April 8, May 13), 6 - 7 pm in the conference room at the Quinnipiac Marina, 315 Front St., New Haven

Volunteer opportunities: 

1. before event: planning (Riverfest always has food, live music, canoe rides, kiddie art, but beyond that we are open to new ideas for additional activities); advertising and publicity; outreach to vendors; move and set tables, chairs, tents from Wacoma to QR Marina

2. during event: CSNA table, event MC

3. after event: clean up and take down; move stuff back to Wacoma

[Sally Esposito]

The retreat was a great success.  Regarding the above retreat notes:

1. Please spell out the names of all organizations.
2. Please remove Mary Ann Moran from the April Spring Festival (April 21st)

Thank you.

 

[Lee Cruz]

Every other month, we do a Community Soup Night or a Community Dining Out Night.

Community Soup Night is typically hosted by a resident in their home; we have also had soup nights hosted by nonprofits. The host usually prepares one soup and finds a partner to prepare another. Guests bring their own bowl and spoon. Some also bring complementary food or drink, i.e. bread, a desert, beer or wine; though this is not required. There is no agenda for Community Soup Night other than building community. They are typically on Sunday evenings.

Community Dining Out Nights happen at local restaurants. The goal is to build community and support our local businesses. We focus on the restaurants listed on our website, as restaurant owners in turn support the the neighborhood association fund.

If you would like to help plan soup nights or community dining out nights--and/or know of a local business that might be interested in working with us--please let me know. A mutually beneficial relationship with local businesses is good us and good for them for them; it also helps sustain neighborhood activities. 

[David Weinreb]

As a representative of the Fair Haven Community Management Team, I will be supporting efforts to make the September picnic/celebration as well as the Thanksgiving meal @ Atwater happen. Email me ([e-mail]) if you're not yet involved, and want to get involved!

[David Weinreb]

Highly likely date for the Fair Haven Festival is Saturday, May 25th at Criscuolo Park (Chapel & James). I am excited to help make this happen. Absolutely looking for volunteers for planning and implementation! My email is [e-mail].