The Jonah Center has been working on “Complete Streets” projects in both the City of Middletown and the Town of Portland for several years and helped initiate Complete Streets committees in both municipalities. But what are “Complete Streets“? We are happy to present a recently completed short video that explains what the term means featuring Jonah Center Executive Director, John Hall and Board of Directors President, Krishna Winston. The video was produced by Wesleyan University film students, Jackson Barber-Just and Cyrus Mailer, with assistance from John Shafer, Director of Media, Art, and Technology for the Jonah Center.
Overhead view of the East Hampton Air Line Trail gap near Route 66 where a proposed boardwalk will be installed over the wetlands area. Google Earth image.
Portland to East Hampton Developments
There is a major development happening with the Air Line Trail in Portland and East Hampton Connecticut. Users of the trail will be glad to know that significant progress is being made to connect the Portland and East Hampton sections of the trail and thereby connect the Portland trail to the rest of the 55-mile long Connecticut State Park Air Line Trail. This has been a long-term goal of the two towns and the State Parks Division.
June 3 marks the 7-year anniversary of the ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the opening of the Air Line Trail in Portland in 2018. A few months later, East Hampton completed a section of their trail connecting it to Portland’s. However, a small 1800-foot gap remained in East Hampton separating the two segments. This gap has frustrated many users of the trail for the past 6 years.
The 1800-foot gap was unable to be completed as part of the original plan because a stream ran through it and it was designated as wetlands, requiring a wetlands study. A plan then needed to be developed to allow the trail through without disturbing the stream and water way and appropriate permits obtained. Eversource also had power lines running through this section that further complicated the situation. Sufficient funding also needed to be found. This all took several years to work out.
The Jonah Center will be hosting two separate litter cleanup events this month, on April 19 and 26 and we’d like to invite you to join us. Litter Cleanups are a fun way to help your community and meet other like-minded folks who care about keeping our towns, cities, and the natural environment clean. Help celebrate Earth Week by pitching in.
Smoke stacks at the Cleveland-Cliffs Northshore Mining Company in Silver Bay, Minnesota. The facility’s pollutants and emissions include CO2, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ammonia, lead, and mercury. Under the EPA’s proposed new environmental policies, pollution from plants such as this may no longer be regulated by the EPA nor will other states be able to appeal to the EPA if their pollutants cross state boundaries. Photo by Tony Webster, Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons license.
Like many Americans who care about the environment, we here at the Jonah Center are deeply concerned about recent proposed changes to America’s environmental laws by the new EPA Administrator, Lee Zeldin, which were announced earlier this month. These proposals appear to be part of a dramatic shift in the federal government’s approach to environmental regulation by reducing or eliminating regulations restricting pollutants in order to promote the greater use of fossil fuels and limiting the development of clean energy and anything else related to climate change mitigation. Unfortunately, these proposals may have a dramatic impact on our nation’s ability to maintain clean air and water and make it harder to address climate change or support clean energy.
In case you missed it, here are a few of the recent changes proposed by the administration:
John Hall, Founder and Executive Director of the Jonah Center speaking at the Arbor Day Ceremony in Middletown on April 30.
On Arbor Day, April 30, Middletown’s Urban Forestry Commission recognized the contributions of John Hall and the Jonah Center for successful initiatives to fund tree-planting by the Urban Forestry Commission and Public Works Department. A London plane tree will be planted on Main Street in Middletown in honor of John’s service to the community.
The Urban Forestry Commission also honored with new tree plantings: Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz; State Senator Matt Lesser; former State Representative Joseph Serra; State Representative Quentin Phipps; State Representative Brandon Chafee; and Girl Scouts of America Troop 62838 led by Jennifer Tortora, who raised money to plant a tree in the arboretum on Long Lane. Continue reading →
