Dear West End neighborhood stakeholders,
Hello! During our last two meetings – starting on May 3rd with the post-it visioning exercise and in June – we’ve worked with West End stakeholders to draft a vision statement for the West End neighborhood. After including all of the concepts and comments from these discussions, we have a near-final draft that we would like to share with you. Attached is the draft vision statement. As you read the draft, keep in mind that a vision statement is intended to describe the neighborhood, identify what distinguishes the West End and makes it different from other neighborhoods in Bristol, and clearly states what we envision the neighborhood can look like and feel like twenty years from now.
If you have a few minutes, please take a look at the statement and tell us what you think. We seek any comments, feedback, and suggestions that you have that can help us make it better. If you could please send me any comments by Friday, July 18th, we’ll use all feedback to finalize the vision for the West End Neighborhood Plan. If you have questions as you are looking at this document, feel free to either email or call (grossman@cpstn.com or 203.785.0130).
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
Take care,
--Lisa
DRAFT West End Neighborhood Vision Statement
Our neighborhood, part of a growing Bristol, is a welcoming and supportive place in which residents, merchants, property owners, and civic leaders alike take great pride.
Located along Route 72 and adjacent to downtown, our neighborhood is both a gateway to the heart of the city and a desirable destination in its own right. Our neighborhood is defined by a unique blend of assets that include a diverse population; a variety of housing types and local businesses; distinctive architecture; three of Bristol’s finest recreation amenities – Rockwell Park, Muzzy Field, and Brackett Park; access to the Pequabuck River; schools, churches, and social organizations that strengthen and support our community; and close connectivity with the downtown.
We are proud because, through the positive efforts of many individuals and groups, the West End is once again a safe, friendly, family-oriented neighborhood with thriving businesses, convenient transportation options, and attractive amenities and activities, all within easy walking distance. We demonstrate our pride on an ongoing basis by taking responsibility for the care of our homes and properties, our parks, our river, and one another.
Our neighborhood, part of a growing Bristol, is a welcoming and supportive place in which residents, merchants, property owners, and civic leaders alike take great pride.
Located along Route 72 and adjacent to downtown, our neighborhood is both a gateway to the heart of the city and a desirable destination in its own right. Our neighborhood is defined by a unique blend of assets that include a diverse population; a variety of housing types and local businesses; distinctive architecture; three of Bristol’s finest recreation amenities – Rockwell Park, Muzzy Field, and Brackett Park; access to the Pequabuck River; schools, churches, and social organizations that strengthen and support our community; and close connectivity with the downtown.
We are proud because, through the positive efforts of many individuals and groups, the West End is once again a safe, friendly, family-oriented neighborhood with thriving businesses, convenient transportation options, and attractive amenities and activities, all within easy walking distance. We demonstrate our pride on an ongoing basis by taking responsibility for the care of our homes and properties, our parks, our river, and one another.
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
17 comments:
Nice first step. Making it a reality will take lots of hard work.
I especially am intrigued by the "access to the Pequabuck" reference. I hope they're looking at more than just Rockwell Park to achieve that goal. I think a homerun would be to raze the decrepit buildings at the West End where Divinity, 69 and 72 come together. 72 can then be straightened and access to the River also achieved.
"the West End is once again a safe, friendly, family-oriented neighborhood with thriving businesses, convenient transportation options, and attractive amenities and activities, all within easy walking distance. We demonstrate our pride on an ongoing basis by taking responsibility for the care of our homes and properties, our parks, our river, and one another."
Must have purchased the drugs they are on at the West end.
More progress by Mayor Ward!
"the West End is once again a safe, friendly, family-oriented neighborhood with thriving businesses, convenient transportation options, and attractive amenities and activities, all within easy walking distance."
Must be referring to the west end of West Hartford because I know this doesn't describe the west end of Bristol.
Mayor Ward has about as much to do with this as he does school CMT scores. Stop being ignorant, although he hasn't yet stopped the effort, so there is that bright spot.....
What a load of crap.
How about just cleaning out the drug dealers and petty criminals? How's that for a "vision"?
Hey Steve, when are you going to stop being a partisan hack for Ward?
so you rather leave the west end to continue to decay so that the future will be worse than today? progress doesn't happen overnight and it will take work - either try to help or get out of the way!
Apparently word comprehension isn't a requirement for posting on this blog. If some of you weren't so friggin' eager to post the next smart-assed comment, you perhaps would have taken the time to notice that the statement in question is a "vision", i.e., a statement of what the people who live and work in the West End would like their neighborhood to become IN THE FUTURE.
Maybe the naysayers on this blog should put their energies to a useful purpose and get involved in this study. Oh, wait, that would require getting your asses out from behind your computers. Never mind.
There are Families in the West End who take pride in their Homes and Properties and when you Naysayers literally want to throw in the towel on this area~then you take a look into their eyes and maybe speak to some of these Hardworking(working poor)people and their Children~they live where they can afford it and they DO NOT deserve to put up with Drug Activity/Blight etc.~
A Positive Enviroment Brings Positive Results and it starts with a Vision of Compassionate People and Hardwork.
So,Put up and Make A Difference or SHUT UP...
I can't wait for someone to explain why I'm "a partisan hack" for Ward for putting this little thing about the West End online.
In reality. Ward IS putting a damper on progress in the West End.
He refuses to consider doing anything with the Chic Miller property, which is a gateway to the West End, and as suggested would be a great location for a Fire House and or Police station.
Imagine seing a convenience store as the first thing in driving into the West End!
8:16 ~ Can you say R-E-C-E-S-S-I-O-N?
The game plan:
Don't do anything now, then next election cycle you can start again, "moving for WARD.
The game plan:
Keep the city's economic head above water in a sinking economy ~ definitely keeping Bristol moving forward!
And what is the plan?
The only way the West End will be a "safe, friendly and family-oriented neighborhood with thriving businesses..." would be if we razed all the drug infested rental apartments that abound in the area. Most of the tenement buildings and three family houses are such dumps. I love riding down West Street by Divinity and seeing people hanging out of their windows in the summer and the hookers strutting their stuff on the street - just like a ghetto. And where is Bristol going to get all the money to turn the West End into the Land of Oz? Talk about making a "plan" looking through rose-colored glasses. And the "gateway to Pequabuck" really floored me. Wow -- they must be talking about the ancient abandoned factory building on the scenic ride to Scaryville!!
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