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PROPOSED: Magnet School


Luca Brasi

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I just read in the paper today that at the site of the old Hartford High School, on the empty lot on the corner of Broad and Farmington, Mayor Perez is pushing to build a magnet school. Its already been designed and people are very critical of it.

1. It is inward facing. The actual front of the school faces the Capitol and I-84 meaning the back of the school faces the street. The view from the street has been described as "prison-like." It seems we will never learn.

2. The placement of the school is in an area of very high vehicular traffic that is inhospitable to the pedestrian. Some are worried that the students will be in constant risk of being hit by speeders on Farmington or Broad (two major streets), the off/on ramps to I-84 or even I-84 itself. There is also a worry of added congestion with parents and school busses picking up and dropping off students.

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That has to be the dumbest idea that I've ever heard of for that site...

agreed that is dumb for the 2 reasons above. Doesnt sound too safe or attractive.

However I like the idea of trying to keep students in Hartford, and a magnet school would hopefully draw students from outside of Hartford too.

I see that as a positive step because I went to high school with lots of Hartford students that were bussed out to the suburbs- which creates a bigger hassle and problem to the suburbs.

this could be a good turn around

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agreed that is dumb for the 2 reasons above. Doesnt sound too safe or attractive.

However I like the idea of trying to keep students in Hartford, and a magnet school would hopefully draw students from outside of Hartford too.

I see that as a positive step because I went to high school with lots of Hartford students that were bussed out to the suburbs- which creates a bigger hassle and problem to the suburbs.

this could be a good turn around

Hartford has plenty of great magnet schools now. The Prep Magnet at Capitol Community College, the Classical Magnet High on Woodland, The University Magnet School at UHART, The Learning Corridor, The Sports and Medical Sciences Academy Downtown. This is a Magnet that definately needs to get built somewhere. Let's all agree on that. The site, in my mind could potentially work. I think something needs to go there and with the right re-design, I think that intersection could be drastically calmed. All good things that could come from allowing the project to move forward.

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^^If you mean a short term solution for that particular site, maybe. But it's a good magnet school concept and should be built somewhere, which is a long term asset for the community. I just want it built, be it there or somewhere else. I, for one, just don't see it as this hellish nightmare development that I'm sensing you guys think it is.

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I'm sorry, but a Magnet School does not need to be built Downtown, and that is still Downtown, in my opinion. They could easily build that school on one of probably 20 other sites, but they pick prime real estate to do it. Why not just build it on the corner of Ford and Asylum? Why? Because it's prime real estate, that's why. They need people downtown, not kids running in the road. If they build a Magnet School, that building is empty after 4PM. They'd be better off building Capitol View II. As I said for the Space Needle, that spot is on high land, and, though I-84 is right there, it does afford a great view of the city and the capitol. Great plan, horrible location.

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no biggie but your 'o' should be an 'a':

When touring the capital, why not visit the capitol? Capital and capitol are terms that are often confused, mainly because they refer to things that are in some ways related. The term for a town or city that serves as a seat of government is spelled capital. The term for the building in which a legislative assembly meets is spelled capitol.

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^^If you mean a short term solution for that particular site, maybe. But it's a good magnet school concept and should be built somewhere, which is a long term asset for the community. I just want it built, be it there or somewhere else. I, for one, just don't see it as this hellish nightmare development that I'm sensing you guys think it is.

I do mean that site. Some people may look at it as putting a building where there isn't one now is an improvement. But I see much more potential here.

In the long term, perhaps 10 or more years from now, this site could be very pivotal for the city. What is holding it back now is the highway, which will one day be obsolete as we know it. Eventually, this part of I-84 will either need to be upgraded, rebuilt or relocated. Once this can be surmounted, The Capitol and Bushnell Park could be approached directly from Farmington Avenue. Instead of a no man's land, this area could become the common focal point to the surrounding neighborhoods.

Linking the Capitol area with Asylum Hill would be a great thing for Hartford. I think residential that is equidistant from the business districts of Downtown, the Capitol Area and Asylum Hill would be very appealing.

I have heard many times over, "the highway was always here, and it is here to stay". But, some know that it wasn't here from day one.

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On the whole magnet school subject the plan itself is wonderful but the location needs to be addressed. The magnet schools do wonders for students of all ages across the greater Hartford area. I have volunteered at the UHART magnet school and their are kids who live right down the road in the north end and kids who live in Avon, Glastonbury, Wethersfield, etc. These schools bring kids from all over to school in the Hartford area (UHART magnet in WH)

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Right, and just ask Boston how permanent a highway is, it can always be covered, and, in this particular case, they can just cover it further, from the tunnel, past the Capitol, and out past Aetna....

And this proposed school building will just reinforce the barrier. It reminds me of the Connecticut river. It was the construction of the dykes, not I-91 when Hartford turned away from the river. When it came time to build I-91, it wasn't severing the city from anything we were not already severed from. Today, it is I-91 that is considered to be the biggest obstacle between the city and river.

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The Sports Science Medical Academy is moving to a new location and a brand new building in Coltsville in a couple of years. Why not put the Pathways school in the current SMSA location downtown?

BJE

That may be possible, but wouldn't it be like 1 step forward and 2 back to open a Pathways to Technology-Themed School in an antiquated office building?

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This site has now been endorsed by Ken Greenburg for what that's worth.

Magnet School Site Backed

Urban Planner Says Traffic Would Have To Be Studied

April 19, 2006

By RACHEL GOTTLIEB, Courant Staff Writer

After two days reviewing the design of a proposed magnet school at Farmington Avenue and Broad Street, an urban planner who has worked extensively in Hartford endorsed the site Tuesday and said street improvements could counteract traffic problems in the area.

Ken Greenberg said the $24 million Pathways to Technology Magnet School could transform a barren lot into a gateway to the city. But he said his review of the site became secondary to an examination of traffic issues: Three major thoroughfares - Broad Street and Farmington and Asylum avenues - intersect at the site and two I-84 ramps are nearby.

"It's a problem about how do you rescue a `no-man's land,' "

Courant Article

I think if done properly the site could work. With this and the Culinary Institute coming, Asylum Hill will have some of the best Educational Institutions in the city. Asylum Hill is also home to my alma mater Hartford Public High School and The Classical Magnet School. (I graduated from Classical when it was a magnet program at HPHS, they now have their own school on Woodland St.) In addition to such treasures as the Harriett Beecher Stowe House/ Center and The Mark Twain House/ Museum. Not to mention the Global Headquarters of Aetna and The Hartford. Asylum Hill should be a powerhouse of a neighborhood that connects Downtown to West Hartford Center, or I guess I mean the West End. I don't want to leave that neighborhood out, but they are in better shape and have less of the major institunional organizations.

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