Evening commute back-up on Route 9 southbound at Hartford Avenue

The Connecticut Department of Transportation and the City of Middletown have essentially agreed on a conceptual plan to remove the Route 9 traffic signals. While the proposal is not ideal, no one has proposed viable ways to improve it. CT DOT is in the process of federal and state environmental reviews of the plan to determine whether it can be built and, if so, what modifications, if any, will be required. Only when this review process is complete will actual design begin. Construction will not begin until 2027 at the earliest, according to DOT. Below are links to plan details. Continue reading →

On November 20, 2024, planning/engineering company VHB presented the results of the 2^nd study to determine the best route to connect the Air Line Trail in Portland with the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail in Cheshire. (A previous study of the Meriden section was conducted several years ago.) Completion of this 23-mile connector trail shown in the purple and green sections in the area circled below will be a boon to recreational and commuting bicyclists and to walkers in our area. It will also go a long way to completing a 111-mile loop trail: the Central Connecticut Loop Trail (CCLT).

The entire Central CT Loop Trail Route Study Final Report can be viewed and downloaded here: CCLT Study Final Report

We offer our readers here the results of the study of the Middletown and Portland sections, shown in lime green within the oval above. To enlarge these images, right click on the image and then click on “open image in a new tab.”  This summary starts at the west end (i.e. the Meriden-Middletown boundary) and works east. Continue reading →

The Jonah Center has reached its 20^th anniversary! Over these decades, our advocacy has produced the kayak and canoe launch at 181 Johnson Street; a multi-use trail adjacent to the public housing along Long Lane; many sidewalk and crosswalk improvements; increased tree- planting; and creation of Ecoin (Environmental Collective Impact Network), which got pesticides on city land and single-use plastic bags banned, supported natural grass playing fields, and educates residents on state and local legislation and actions affecting the environment.

In November, we sent our Annual Appeal letter to those who supported us in 2024, asking for your support in 2025. If you prefer to give online and save yourself postage,  you may do so on our website here.

Thank you, in advance, for your support.

By Chris Donnelly

The City of Middletown’s Urban Forestry Commission is conducting a street tree inventory. This effort is being funded by a grant from CT DEEP. Professionals have been contracted to inventory the trees. However, we need volunteers willing to survey potential street tree planting sites. Are you interested in helping? Here are the basic details:

Continue reading →

We urge the public to attend a special public meeting to hear the results of the route study for the Central CT Loop Trail segment from Portland to Cheshire, conducted by engineering firm VHB. The event will be held in the Council Chamber of Middletown’s City Hall on Wednesday, November 20, 6:30  – 8:00 p.m., beginning with a formal presentation and followed by questions and comments from the public. Continue reading →

Mike Thomas (the rower standing in this picture) prepares to receive plants from a paddler. Photo credit Phil LeMontagne.

The Jonah Center is looking for able-bodied individuals who have or are willing to obtain a CT Safe Boating Certificate to provide motorboat support for work parties removing invasive water chestnut plants (Trapa natans) in the Floating Meadows (Mattabesset River) next summer. Motorboat operators pilot our 14-foot flat-bottomed Jon boat equipped with a 6 hp motor. Taking the bagged plants from kayakers and canoeists greatly increases the productivity of the work party. Motorboat operators dispose of the plants on shore where they quickly die and dry out. Continue reading →

If you are in favor of preserving historic buildings, then pay attention to the ballot questions on the Middletown and Portland ballots. In both cases, the future of beautiful stone schools will be affected. The re-use of such buildings is beneficial environmentally, culturally, and often financially. Continue reading →

This 1-minute video was recorded by Phil LeMontagne on the Coginchaug River on September 6, 2024.  Each year in late summer, Red-winged Blackbirds feast upon the ripening wild rice in the Floating Meadows of Middletown and Cromwell. The Meadows, a rare freshwater tidal marshland, provides habitat for a wide variety of plants and animals, and nutrition for these wonderful migrating birds. Click on the image above or here to view.

The Wadsworth/Kerste DeBoer Arboretum looking south along the walking path parallel to Long Lane.

Enjoy an easy 45-minute guided tour of the Wadsworth/Kerste DeBoer Arboretum on Long Lane near the Wesleyan campus. Learn how to identify 12 of Middletown’s most common street trees and hear about the arboretum’s history and its 90 different tree varieties.  60% of the arboretum’s 200 trees are native species.

Park in the Long Hill Farm parking lot at 243 Long Lane. The arboretum is on the opposite side of Long Lane at this location.

Photo by Chris Donnelly

A Middletown Urban Forestry Program

Russell Library, Hubbard Room
Thursday, September 19, 2024
5-6 pm

Introduction and Overview
Jane Harris, Chair, Middletown Urban Forestry Commission

Tree Grants, including the Street Tree Inventory
Chris Donnelly, Middletown Forester
In 2024, Middletown received a DEEP grant to conduct a tree inventory. Chris will describe ways in which you can be involved.

Tree Walks and the ‘Microforest’ Project
Steve Cronkite, Vice-Chair, Middletown Urban Forestry Commission
Steve will discuss an upcoming tree walk, open to the public, and  plans for a ‘Microforest,’ based on the Miyawaki Forest concept.

Further Tree Discussions and a Look-Ahead
The people of Middletown have a great deal of interest in their trees, and trees are a fundamental part of the city’s environment. We all share in the benefits from trees. How can the community’s involvement with the urban forest  be increased?

All are invited! Come hear about what is going on with the trees in Middletown. Find out how you can help.

Photo by Chris Donnelly

This summer, the Town of Portland constructed almost 1 mile of new sidewalk along Main Street, replacing the uneven and broken sidewalks between Arvid Street and Gildersleeve School. Before construction began, John Hall expressed concern about the danger that excavation would present to the roots of a majestic pin oak tree. With the support of residents Beau and Holly Doherty, Portland’s First Selectman Ryan Curley, and Director of Public Works Ryan O’Halpin, the original construction plan was modified to save this historic shade tree.