I roundly criticized landlord Shelto for being late on taxes and playing shyster to the city. Shelto, you may recall, owns the space on the corner of Laurel and Farmington, where the U.S Army national guard used to recruit from.

The story this summer was that Shelto allegedly offered the city reduced rent on the space for a community policing substation. I discovered he owed it considerable back taxes on other properties in the neighborhood and around the city. Nor did I believe the stories about Shelto's offer, first, because I didn't have the document, and second, because I got so many wildly speculating prices from so many sources.

Well, we don't have a police substation there, but Shelto has temporarily offered it to the community for use. Brenda McCumber, the community garden maven who spearheaded the effort to plant grass and flowers at the corner of Laurel and Farmington, has organized regular community "Coffeehouse" meetings and even a group sing-song event at the space.

Passers-by read the notices she has taped to the windows, and the giant white letters taped to the glass reading "Coffee Talk" make the corner inviting, interesting, alive. I can't wait until she puts together a Christmas Carol sing for the corner, preferably at night. Maybe we can find some Christmas lights for the trees, too.

While drug dealing still continues on the corner at night, I see more and more police foot patrols, mostly during the day. These officers stroll past the Willoughby, down Laurel, and, hey, even the sidewalk they patrol is flat and even.

Astute 40-Year Plan readers may recall I wrote about this sidewalk, owned by - you guessed it - Tom Shelto. The jumble of pretty bluestones and concrete and bituminous patches had become unsafe for wheelchair users, and perhaps some pedestrians, too.

I described the problems one resident had in trying using the city's civicradar.com website to force a fix. Rather than wondering what mechanism was responsible for the fix, I would simply offer some gratitude to Mr. Shelto for fixing it.

In late summer, early fall (I don't recall), he hired workmen to pour new concrete for the sidewalk, which is about 60 feet long. I know they weren't city hired workmen, because I spoke with them the day they were there. And no, I didn't write my name in the fresh concrete (although it was tempting).

The repair represents a major improvement to that part of the street. Wheelchairs move along it smoothly now. So, thanks Mr. Tom Shelto for doing your part in improving the street.

This city is improving, it is looking a bit better because Hartford is attracting more like McCumber and, working with landlords like Shelto.

A realization seems to be dawning: that we are the city, that we have to step up and take ownership of problems. The state and city governments are stretched to their limits; parts of the federal government may actually be at odds with what we seek to accomplish.

And citizens are stepping up. As more people like Shelto and McCumber understand that their ownership of property here demands more responsibility to the neighborhood and city than paying taxes and fees on time and collecting rent, and take action, this city will be like Twain said: the most beautiful city on Earth.

11/28/05

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So, thanks Mr. Tom Shelto for doing your part in improving the street.

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Report from Laurel Street: We Are the City!

So, thanks Mr. Tom Shelto for doing your part in improving the street.