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Showing posts from April, 2018

Town Council to Consider Housing at Fermi Site

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Enfield is weighing redevelopment plans for the former Fermi High School Annex, with housing at the center and community spaces like the pool and auditorium set to remain. Enfield is considering selling parts — if not all — of Fermi High School, with redevelopment focused on new housing, most likely senior or age-restricted. The town wants to retain some of the building’s facilities, including the pool, auditorium, and meeting spaces, while the sports fields and track would remain town-owned. This plan is outlined in a request for proposals (RFP) that the Town Council will take up at a special meeting Monday at 6:15 p.m. at Town Hall. [ See Council agenda packet ] The presentation itself . Pickleball Courts and Hidden Motives    The timing sheds new light on the town’s recent decision to build pickleball courts at Fermi. That $600,000 project — paid out of town reserves — now appears less about meeting recreation needs and more about making the property attractive to potential...
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An impossible bicycle and pedestrian crossing in Enfield

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Enfield's central shopping area is not pedestrian and bicycle friendly. The Phoenix Ave and Hazard Ave. intersection is especially difficult. There are no crosswalks. There is no sidewalk on the Southeast side of Phoenix. The sidewalk on the Southwest side of Phoenix ends abruptly. There is no crosswalk for reaching the "Push button for green light" walk light. This traffic crossing -- absent the standard walk/don't walk signage -- is difficult to deal with. This intersection was not designed to help pedestrians or bicyclists. It is a hazard to them. It's fair to call it hostile to walkers.
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Thompsonville will never become Enfield's downtown, but something else might

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Freshwater Pond, Thompsonville, Connecticut Middletown is everything Enfield ought to be. That city's main street is a destination for Central Connecticut. It's filled with restaurants and shops. There's a movie theater. It’s a perfect place to spend an evening. Type "Enfield, Connecticut" in WalkScore.com and you get a "0" – "almost all errands require a car." Middletown scores 30, and that's because of its downtown. Where did Enfield go wrong? Enfield had a walkable area: Thompsonville. But that era began fading in the 1950s. It had no hope of recovery once Bigelow-Sanford Mill closed its doors in 1971. Enfield has toyed with the idea of re-making Thompsonville into a walkable area. Walkable means a place with shops, restaurants and stores. The town spent $2 million to restore the Freshwater Pond area. It created a village green space. On Enfield's radar is a plan to restore the Enfield Station to serve the new CT Ra...
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