In the first edition of the series I’m calling “West Hartford Perspectives,” what would you expect, but the topic of Blue Back? What I'd like to do this week is show you what it looks like from across the street from the construction site. Let me start by saying that yes I do understand that construction sites are dirty, loud and a necessary beast in this age of development. Building the biggest and best is what every person dreams of, especially people who devote their lives to development.
My West Hartford Perspective of this week is from Burr Street. Burr Street, if you aren't familiar, is a small cut-over to Raymond Road lined on the South side with homes, some single-family and some multi-family and before the debacle that is Blue Back, lined on the North side with the West Hartford "Town Green." Some of the homes on Burr Street date back to the early 1900’s. The town green has been used for a great number of years (how many I haven't researched) for town events and gatherings for the enjoyment of the community. The open space provided by the green provided hours of pleasure for residents who live close to Town Hall and residents who have to walk or drive from outside the center.
Below are a few photos taken after the sesquicentennial parade in 2004. As you can see our children had a great time playing on the green that day. Take a look at these and remember what the green looked like not too long ago…
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[Click to Enlarge]Fast forward to January/February 2006, after months of construction, the area where the green once was is now what I’d call the junk area of the construction site. The area where the builder and employees park their cars, maintain their huge mound of earth and store materials for construction. That’s right, the portion of the site adjacent to the neighbors who live closest to the development is what I’d term the ass end of the development. Not only have the residents of Burr Street been promised the ass end of the completed project by having a parking garage and open air parking lot directly across the street, but they get the moon shot during construction as well. Neighbors across Burr Street wake to the tranquil sounds of bulldozers and backhoes at 6:30 AM. Throughout the day, their children have trouble napping with all of the noise pollution. Does anyone really wonder why some of the residents have taken the town and the developer to court?
See how you feel when you view Blue Back from the perspective of a Burr Street resident…
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