RESIDENTS unite to take back neighborhood

New Britain Herald - New Britain,CT,USA

Basketball court and two ancient chess tables, was scrubbed clean from early morning until after lunch, as residents pulled weeds, removed graffiti, fixed play ...<http://www.newbritainherald.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11941357&BRD=1641&PAG=461&dept_id=10110&rfi=6>

Residents unite to take back neighborhood

By PENNY RIORDAN , The Herald Press

NEW BRITAIN -- One of the smallest and probably most-forgotten parks in the city got a facelift Saturday morning from a large group of neighbors, community organizations and city departments.

The Willow Street Park, comprising some playground equipment, a basketball court and two ancient chess tables, was scrubbed clean from early morning until after lunch, as residents pulled weeds, removed graffiti, fixed play equipment, planted flowers and picked up broken glass.

Residents who have lived there for a few decades described a once-vibrant neighborhood hang-out more than a decade ago, before the nearby Willow Street apartments were abandoned and drug activity increased.

But, in the past few years, as the Human Resources Agency of New Britain has set up a community center on Oak Street, as the Willow Street apartments have been demolished and as crime has decreased, residents are taking back the streets and the park.

Representatives from Free to Grow, a branch of federally funded Head Start, Neighborhood Housing Services, Weed and Seed, city police officers, as well as volunteers from three of the city’s Neighborhood Revitalization Zones were spearheading the cleanup effort.

Bringing in representatives from community groups from across the city is an expansion of sorts for community partnerships, and lets the Willow Street residents to see that the entire city cares about what happens at that park, organizers said.

"You want to make the whole city better instead of just one block," noted Weed and Seed coordinator Mary Ann Drury.

Police Chief William Sencio said in the past few years, the neighborhood has been rid of a lot of crime and drugs that once plagued it. "You don’t see a lot of intensity now," he said. "The only complaint you get from the residents is loud music."

Out of the roughly 60 people cleaning up the park Saturday morning, more than half of them were children and parents from the neighborhood, organizers observed.

In fact, Saturday’s event had residents of all races and cultures, elected officials, community leaders, police officers parents and children all working side by side for one cause.

"This demonstrates that we care what happens in the park and in the neighborhood," said Lucy Velazquez, who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 30 years.

Other than the smaller playground at Smalley Academy a short walk away, this is the only park for children to play in within a few miles.

Velazquez pointed out this is a city-owned park, and said she hoped with the decreased crime and the increased community involvement, the city’s Parks and Recreation Department will make more of an effort to come out and clean up trash and graffiti more periodically.

For 13-year-old Marquis Fisher, his reason for coming out on a Saturday morning was simple. "This park was disgusting and I wanted to make it better," he said.

Fisher, who has lived in New Britain since he was 3 years old, said the quality of the park and the neighborhood had deteriorated so bad at the end of his elementary school years that his mother did not want him to come here to play anymore.

Now, he said he and his friends will be able to visit and play basketball again, he said. Community organizers said they hope that with all of the community action that has taken place within the past six months, residents will stay involved and take ownership and responsibility for what happens at Willow Street park.

"I get worried because there are so many kids out in the streets ... because they don’t have a place to play," said Yvette Ghannam. "Now they do."