A series of entries designed to capture the ongoing adventures of NINA! See how we came to be where we are today, and follow along as we enter the new century of social media!
Page: 70The MetroHartford Alliance organized a press event today to announce the new and improved Homeownership Incentive Program (HIP). The event was held in the front yard of 33 Sargeant Street, NINA’s first new construction project that was sold to first time homebuyer Tiana Hercules and her family back in January.
The event announced in part the passage of SB 67, “An Act Concerning Revisions to the Baning Statues,” which clarified that the HIP lien that guarantees that the HIP recipient will occupy the home they purchased would not run afoul of existing statutes regulating mortgages. This bill permitted the corporations to proceed with HIP and to engage NINA and Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance (SINA) as administrators for the program. Multiple Hartford corporations and institutions will now offer $10,000 to employees who buy homes in Hartford, and the hope is that the program will encourage people to view Hartford as a place to live, even if they don’t choose to do so.
Speakers at the event included Oz Griebel, executive director, MetroHartford Alliance; Dannel Malloy, Governor, Connecticut; Pedro Segarra, Mayor, Hartford; Howard Pitkin, commissioner, State Department of Banking; Chris Montross, Aetna; and Tiana Hercules, NINA homeowner and host of the press event.
Jesse Rifkin reported on the work NINA is doing at 199-201 Sargeant Street. Bank of America has been an important part of this project, and we appreciate Dean Andrews's continued for support for our work!
Now that we’ve had a chance to catch our breaths after the big VPG event a couple of weeks ago, I thought it might be fun to post pictures of some of the other – and smaller—vest pocket gardens around the neighborhood. The big event focused entirely on Ashley Street between Huntington and Garden Streets, and it truly became a big event, morphing into a competition among the landscape architects who participated. It transformed the block beautifully! But from the beginning, the vest pocket gardens were meant to be small and, above all, manageable for the gardeners. The gardens pictured here are more in line with the original intent of the program.
These examples are from 33 Sargeant, 49 Sargeant, 140 Sargeant, 92 Atwood (235 Sargeant), and 89 Atwood.
Congratulations again to Al McFadden and his landscape architect Dana Woods of Stonehedge Landscaping!
Tonight, the Hartford Preservation Alliance (HPA) recognized NINA for its “in-fill construction” at 33 Sargeant Street at its annual awards ceremony. HPA also recognized NINA’s work on its new website, which we certainly appreciated.
NINA Board member Susan Winkler accepted the award on NINA’s behalf.
Debra Bogstie highlighted the work NINA is doing in Asylum Hill on tonight's 5:30 broadcast of NBC Connecticut News. Unfortunately, the video isn't available, but you can read the story -- and it's a pretty great picture of 8 and 18 Ashley Street, too!
It was a nice day, so I took a stroll down Ashley Street to admire the new vest pocket gardens. It was particularly nice to have a look at them after all of the hubbub of the big event, but it was just generally a nice relaxing stroll along a beautifully landscaped street. Which, I think, was one of the goals of this program!
The view behind the building today, from the aptly named fire escape on the first floor.
I went out for some official "after" shots today, and I came away with a few extra.
