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City manager reports website relaunch, public art unveiling, record hazardous-waste turnout and police station tour
Summary
City Manager John reported on a redesigned municipal website (norwich.gov), a public sculpture unveiling, a record household hazardous-waste event and tours related to a proposed new police headquarters at the former Chelsea Groton Bank Building at 300 Main Street.
NORWICH — In the city manager's report at the June 16 Norwich City Council meeting, City Manager John detailed a redesigned city website and a domain change to norwich.gov, a public-art unveiling funded by the American Rescue Plan, a record turnout at a household hazardous-waste event and ongoing planning activity related to the police department's potential relocation.
Website and domain: The city launched a redesigned homepage and modernized visuals, and moved the site from nonorwich.org to norwich.gov, the report said. The new .gov domain is administered as an official government domain; existing links to the old address will redirect to the new site. The city credited Ray LaRose (IT manager), Orla McKernan Rafferty (deputy controller) and Jackie Barbarossa (executive assistant) for their work on the update.
Hazardous waste and community events: Norwich's annual household hazardous-waste collection on Saturday, June 14, served a record 655 vehicles from Norwich and neighboring communities. Of participants, 58% brought household hazardous waste, 23% used paper-shredding services and 19% used both services, the report said. The Rose Arts Festival is scheduled for June 28 at Chelsea Parade from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and the city's fireworks display is set for July 3 (rain date July 6).
Parks and summer programs: Summer camp begins June 30 across three sites with approximately 140 participants and will run seven weeks. Mohegan Park and Park Spalding (as noted in the report) opened for public swimming June 21; seasonal pool hours and closures for swim lessons and staff development were listed in the report.
Police department planning: On June 4, the Norwich Police Department led a two-hour tour of the current police station for about 20 residents to highlight space constraints. The city announced the next tour is scheduled in July at the former Chelsea Groton Bank Building, 300 Main Street, the proposed location for the department's future headquarters.
Public art: The Cultural Coalition will unveil Promise Day, a three-panel public sculpture by artist Dee Derrick, in the roundabout at Main and Frank Oaks Streets. The sculpture, commissioned by the city and administered by the Cultural Coalition, was funded through American Rescue Plan dollars; an unveiling and ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for June 26 at 10 a.m.
Other notes: The city clerk's office reminded dog owners to register pets by June 30 to avoid a late fee of $1 per month; dogs must have up-to-date rabies vaccinations. The report also acknowledged an event at Brown Park attended by Kevin Brown, president of NCDC, and Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz that highlighted a $5.8 million waterfront refresh design planned for Wednesday, June 26.
What council members said: Alderman Singh thanked the city manager for the website improvements and encouraged continued accessibility updates to serve all age groups.
The city manager concluded the report with upcoming event reminders and operational notes; no immediate council action was taken on the items in the report.
