Town-Gown looking for more community/student involvement

Meetings of the Town-Gown Committee are currently held at the J. Eugene Smith Library on the Eastern Campus. Contributed photo.

Topics brought up at the Feb. 9 meeting of the Windham/Eastern Community Action Network Town and Gown Committee meeting included graffiti, loud parties and beer can and soda bottle-strewn yards. Not surprising, considering that the meetings are primarily intended as an opportunity for residents to voice their concerns regarding the relationship between Eastern Connecticut State University and the surrounding community. 

But the meetings are experiencing a bit of a lull, and university and town officials have begun advertising and brainstorming in an effort to draw in some new participants. “We’re really trying to get a broader range of people to come to these meetings,” said Angelo Simoni, Eastern’s director of judicial affairs.

The mission of W/E CAN is to “work together to effectively address the quality of life issues in the Windham Community through positive actions to achieve positive results.” The Feb. 9 meeting included Simoni, along with other representatives from Eastern Connecticut State University, town officials, including Windham Mayor Ernie Eldridge and Code Enforcement Officer Matthew Vertefeuille, students and residents living near the university. Joel Meyer represented the Windham-Area Landlords’ Association, a group encompassing landlords owning between 800 and 1,000 of the rental units in the area. “Joel’s been great about taking concerns to the other landlords and helping us work out issues,” said Vertefeuille.

By bringing all parties together in a spirit of cooperation, the meetings serve as a great resource for both concerned residents and students. Ideas for future potential topics include helping local businesses provide goods and services that would appeal to university students, and an overview of the revenue that students currently provide to the community.

“We’re open to issues, concerns, compliments,” said Simoni.

Town-Gown Committee meetings alternate between the Arthur L. Johnson Community Room in the Eugene Smith Library and the Windham Town Hall Auditorium. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 13, in the library, beginning at 6 p.m. Refreshments are provided.

For more information, please go to http://www.easternct.edu/towngown/ or email towngown@easternct.edu.