Elm City Beat

Do you have opinions about your neighborhood’s convenience, safety or appearance, skills you can contribute, or suggestions for improving the community? Do you want to help your neighborhood become an even better place to live and work?

We’re excited to announce the first-ever New Haven Neighborhood Quality of Life Survey!

This citywide survey is part of a grassroots effort to encourage more residents to participate in their local neighborhood associations and Community Management Teams. Many of these groups have agreed to formally participate in this inaugural year. They have agreed to distribute this email (and paper copies, available upon request) in order to give everyone an opportunity to share their perspective. Developed with the help of successful national examples, the survey represents many months of work and feedback from these associations and other local residents.

DataHaven, a non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)3 organization that compiles and shares high-quality public information, will ensure accuracy of reporting and maintain the anonymity of all information collected.

Immediately following the collection of surveys, DataHaven will make neighborhood-level results available at its website (http://www.ctdatahaven.org). Results will also be shared at informal Neighborhood Workshops, to be organized by CMTs, neighborhood groups and at a citywide level. The results may be used by anyone to help their neighborhood develop action plans to address quality of life concerns.

Please help our neighborhoods by distributing this email to your mailing lists and inviting your neighbors to participate at the link below. Any resident, employee, student or visitor to your neighborhood may take the survey.

The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete. We need you to help make this survey and this city the best it can be!

Survey Link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/neighborhoodsurveynewhaven

Happy Monday New Haven
photo credit: Andy Ross

On Friday, February 5th, the Chapel and Broadway Merchant Associations will host Flights of Fancy; an exclusive shopping and wine tasting event highlighting Downtown New Haven’s award winning shops and boutiques.

Attendees register at The Study Hotel at Yale, 1157 Chapel Street from 5 pm to 6 pm where they will receive complimentary hors d’oevures, a Flights of Fancy wine glass and a map of participating stores.

From 6 pm to 8 pm participants can sample fine wines and receive 25% off their favorite item in over 15 participating stores in the Broadway and Chapel shopping districts.

Attendees return to The Study Hotel at Yale at 8 pm for coffee, dessert, and a grand prize drawing for a complimentary stay for two at The Study Hotel. Additional prizes include dinner at 116 Crown, tickets to the Shubert Theater, a spa package from Jo-Bella Salon and Spa, and a luxurious leather date book from Hull’s Art Supply & Framing.

Registration for the Flights of Fancy event is $5 and includes the exclusive Flights of Fancy wine glass, a map and list of stores where participants can enjoy a free tasting of selected fine wines, entry into the prize drawing, hors d’oevures, coffee and dessert.

Free parking is available at the York Street Garage, 150 York Street for all Flights of Fancy participants. The event is limited to the first 300 registrants and reservations are encouraged.

Reservations for Flights of Fancy can be made by contacting info@downtownnewhaven.com.

Rena Leddy, Executive Director of the Town Green Special Services District expressed excitement over the event. “The holidays were hugely successful in Downtown and we want to build on that momentum to keep New Haven at the front of people’s minds as a shopping destination. Flights of Fancy provides a unique shopping experience and a fun way to spend a Friday night in February.”

Flights of Fancy is sponsored by the Chapel and Broadway Merchants Associations, The Wine Thief, The Study Hotel at Yale and organized by the Town Green Special Services District and Yale University Properties.

The Town Green Special Services District is a business improvement district (BID)funded by a sur tax on property in Downtown New Haven to fund programs such as public space improvements, cleaning and maintenance Ambassadors, INFO New Haven visitor centers, communications, advocacy, and the www.infonewhaven.com website.

The City of New Haven and the New Haven Public Schools will be collecting items to send to children affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Students in New Haven Public Schools will be packing backpacks with essential items to be delivered to children in Haiti.

Items to fill these bags are needed. Please reference the list below to make a donation. If you choose to donate an item, please drop it off in the Office of Public Information, located on the second floor of 165 Church Street before Tuesday, January 26th.

The Haitain government has expressed a need for the following items:

Toiletries (shampoo, soap, toothpaste)
Hand sanitizer
First aid kits
Socks
Raisins/granola bars/light, non-perishable foods
Mosquito repellent

Since these items are going to young people in Haiti, donations of notebooks and school supplies to include in their backpacks will also be accepted.

On Friday, January 8, Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. will accept NBC Connecticut’s Golden Local Award for Best Holiday Shopping on behalf of Downtown New Haven’s merchants. The Golden Local poll selects “the best of Connecticut as voted by the locals.” Over 2,800 shoppers went online to vote for their favorite shopping destination. After two weeks of voting, New Haven emerged victorious over West Hartford Center as offering the best holiday shopping.

“This is an exciting victory that further highlights what Downtown New Haven has to offer," said Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. "As the cultural capital of the region, we're delighted to be recognized for the unique blend of shopping, dining and cultural opportunities available here."

Fans of Downtown New Haven expressed their appreciation on NBCConnecticut.com’s message boards, citing the Elm City’s eclectic boutiques, fabulous restaurants, world-class cultural venues and special events that take place year-round. The Chapel Street and Broadway Merchants Associations went all out this holiday season to deck the halls, and New Haven’s windows wowed with live models, the air chimed with carols, and the streets rang with the clip clop of horse and carriage. The Town Green District’s Gift with Purchase program, which rewards shoppers with drink vouchers and movie passes to the Criterion Cinemas depending on how much they spend in Downtown, is another of the many reasons holiday shoppers flocked to New Haven throughout the month of December.

Abigail Rider, Director of Yale University Properties, the largest taxpayer in New Haven, said “We are delighted that our close work with the Merchants Associations to create a delightful holiday experience has produced such wonderful results. This award recognizes that New Haven, in addition to being the cultural center of the state and a dining destination that draws from all over New England, offers an exciting range of shopping choices in an enjoyable and unique setting.”

Rena Leddy, Executive Director of the Town Green Special Services District said “This is a great boost to all of Downtown’s business owners. Winning the Golden Local sends a positive message across the state that New Haven has weathered the recession well and has a thriving shopping scene.”

The award presentation will take place at INFO New Haven, Downtown’s visitor information center on the corner of College and Chapel Streets, at 5:15pm.

The Town Green Special Services District is a business improvement district (BID)funded by a sur tax on property in Downtown New Haven to fund programs such as public space improvements, cleaning and maintenance Ambassadors, INFO New Haven visitor centers, communications, advocacy, and the www.infonewhaven.com website.