Newsletter features Derby-Shelton Rotary Club salute to veterans

Dear readers,

Our latest Valley Voice newsletter is out. 

It includes the Derby-Shelton Rotary Club's salute to veterans and photos of the final phase of demolition of housing units on Olson Drive starting in Ansonia.

Please click here to check it out.

~ Patti and Ralph 

Boxing show slated Friday at Ansonia Armory

Valley Arts Council to host veterans show Friday

Valley Arts Council President Rich DiCarlo hangs art work Thursday evening for the Visions from Veterans show at E Street Gallery. 
The show, featuring painting and photographs by area veterans, will open at 6 p.m. Friday, Veterans Day. The Gallery is at 35 Elizabeth St., Derby.


Below is a sneak preview of some of the artwork:

Public invited to charrette in Derby next week

DERBY - Mayor Anita Dugatto is inviting residents to the Charrette, the culminating public event of Downtown Now! Derby’s Blueprint for Progress.

The Charrette, an intensive and interactive multi-day design workshop, will be held at The Ballroom at 33 Elizabeth St. and will be led by Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ) – world leaders in traditional urban design.

The five-day event will start on Monday and run through Nov. 18. During this time, the public will have several opportunities, through scheduled drop-in times and formal presentations, to weigh-in and help define the redevelopment plan for the south side of downtown Main Street.
“At the Charrette, members of the DPZ team will put pen to paper, giving shape to the ideas that have been collected from the community leading up to this point,” Dugatto said. “Members of the design team will take inspiration from the vision shared by citizens at the two preceding public workshops and will anchor that vision in reality.”

To facilitate the work of the DPZ team, The Ballroom will be transformed into an architect and urban designer studio.
“The Charrette is an intensive and highly visual event. We will be starting with blank sheets of paper and will fill them in with drawings and ideas as the week progresses,” said Marina Khoury, DPZ team leader. “Input by the public at this creative stage in the design process is very important to the future of the redevelopment site, downtown Derby, and the city as a whole.”
On Tuesday, community members are invited to attend a public meeting where a preview of the preliminary design ideas will be presented. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at The Ballroom.

As planners and designers develop design alternatives, the public is encouraged to drop in and comment on what the DPZ team is doing. 
Citizens will be able to interact with the team by viewing their progress, offering feedback, and asking questions.
Drop-in sessions are as follows: Tuesday and Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday’s hours are abbreviated to allow the DPZ team time to complete the design and prepare for the presentation of the preferred design alternatives.

Preferred design alternatives will be presented at a public meeting Thursday at 6 p.m. at The Ballroom. Everyone is encouraged to attend.

The City of Derby has appointed a citizen Advisory Committee to guide the development of the plan. Advisory Committee members include: Shane Mangado, Jack Walsh, Christian Meagher, Jim Gildea, Christina DiMartino, Natasha Kelly, Virginia Russo, Willetta Capelle, Beth Colette, and Sarah Widomski.

With offices in Miami and Washington, D.C., DPZ Partners is one of the country’s preeminent urban design and planning firms, having designed over 400 new and existing communities in the U.S. and abroad.

For Downtown Now! DPZ Partners has joined forces with CDM Smith who will provide infrastructure and environmental engineering support; The Williams Group who will conduct market analysis to determine what the market can support, develop, and finance; Urban 3 who will analyze the tax revenue implication of proposed alternatives; Gianni Longo and Associates who will lead public engagement; New Haven-based Robert Orr Associates who will focus on the unique character of Derby’s urbanism and architecture; and Good Earth Advisors (GEA), also based in Connecticut, who will assist with community outreach and act as a local liaison. 

Pet First Aid program offered at Seymour Library

SEYMOUR - An Animal First Aid Program will be held from 6-8 p.m. Nov. 30 at Seymour Public Library, 46 Church St., led by EARS (Emergency Animal Response Service).

It will show pet owners how to provide emergency care to their pet if hurt as well as how to prepare for weather-related issues, house fires, and other situations. 

The audience will leave with handouts and a first aid booklet.

The program is geared for cat and dog owners.
Registration is required, in person or by calling the Library, 203-888-3903.

This information is shared from an online community calendar sponsored by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and The New Haven Independent.

American Legion Post 50 in Ansonia to hold Veterans Day ceremony

Ansonia Rotary Club to present benefit basketball game