Birch Road repaving to begin soon: Paving is two weeks behind schedule on the Steele Road-Birch Road project due to the amount of traffic on Steele Road. It is anticipated that paving should be completed on Steele Road within a few weeks, at which time paving can begin on Birch Road. It will take one week to prepare the road and another week to pave it.  When completed, the street will have been reconstructed with new gas mains, water services, curbs, driveway ramps and pavement. The expected life is 30 years.

Bike symbols to share the road will be installed on both streets after the completion of project. A 4-foot shoulder will be marked to allow bikers a safer area than the roadway.

MAP offers reliable transportation service: Beginning the first week of September, the Town will launch a new medical transportation service called MAP (Medical Access Program) as an expansion of its existing Dial-A-Ride. MAP offers dependable transportation service tailored to residents who require a ride to scheduled medical appointments on a reoccurring basis, for example kidney dialysis or chemotherapy.  To be eligible to participate, a rider must be a West Hartford resident and a member of the town’s Dial-A-Ride program.  Participation also requires a supplemental application documenting the rider’s ongoing medical need.

The cost for the Dial-A-Ride program is $25 per year.  There is no additional charge to participate in MAP.  The preliminary operation schedule is Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 8:00 a.m. through 2:00 p.m.  For additional information or for an application, please call West Hartford Human & Leisure Services at 561-7561.

New floodplain maps put homes in flood zone: The Federal Emergency Management Agency has issued new floodplain maps to cities and towns across the country. The new maps mean that more than 200 West Hartford properties now fall in a flood zone and will require homeowners to purchase flood insurance to protect their properties. Homeowners are eligible to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program’s grandfather provision if they purchase insurance by SEPTEMBER 26.  The NFIP offers homeowners hundreds of dollars in premium savings for structures that were built before a flood map was issue for the community, or that were built in compliance with the flood map in effect at the time of construction. After Sept. 26, premiums will be based on the new maps and much higher.

*NOTE: You may obtain a copy of your property’s floodplain map by visiting FEMA’s website at http://www.msc.fema.gov. Type in your address and then use the ‘Zoom Window’ key to zoom in on your parcel.

A free Motorcycle/Scooter friendly parking area is now located at the Arapahoe parking lot, at the corner of LaSalle Road and Arapahoe Road near the heart of West Hartford Center. The Motorcycle/Scooter parking area has a kickstand-friendly surface, a hard surface storage rack, and secure bollards for locking.

The annual Labor Day Weekend Concert will be held on Monday, September 1st, 5:00-7:00 p.m. in the Town Hall parking lot (in the northwest corner closest to Sovereign Bank).  The concert will feature The Hartford Pops Band performing a repertoire of Hollywood hits, Broadway favorites and patriotic marches.  The concert is free to the public.  Snacks or picnic suppers are encouraged. (Alcohol is not permitted.)  This is a “lawn seating” concert – so please bring chairs or blankets to sit on. The rain location is the Town Hall auditorium.

James Francis
Town Manager

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