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Meriden residents urge council to act on homelessness, drug activity and inaccessible sidewalks
Summary
Several Meriden residents used the public input period to press the City Council for action on homelessness and drug activity on Casimir/Cashmere streets and to raise concerns about sidewalk accessibility and tenant organizing. No formal council action resulted from public comment.
Members of the public at the Meriden City Council meeting pressed elected officials on a cluster of public-safety and quality-of-life concerns that residents say have grown worse in recent months.
"Homelessness is a problem in Meriden," said Jennifer Addy of 55 Willow, who told the council she attended the homeless commission’s third meeting and questioned what the commission will do as winter approaches. Addy said she has seen "about 15" people at a camp on Casimir and reported seeing open drug transactions on Cashmere during a morning visit to the farmers market.
"We're being held hostage in the city of Meriden," Addy said, describing sidewalks she called impassable in a wheelchair on East Main and Pleasant streets and urging the city to make them accessible. "You can't even get down the sidewalk because they will not move."
Other speakers described related neighborhood concerns. John Malovanda said he has been speaking with shelter staff and community-tower directors about forming tenant associations after encountering resistance from an association leader; he also referenced a recent $6,000,000 lawsuit tied to equipment, without providing further detail. "We're gonna try to have some kind of tenant association," Malovanda said, urging better coordination with residents.
Brian Stedman confirmed complaints about loitering and ticketing on Casimir Street, saying patrols and citations have not stopped the behavior and that he feels targeted after speaking out.
The comments were part of the meeting’s allotted 30-minute public input period; the council clerk reported no written submissions. The council did not take formal action on the issues during the meeting. The presiding official closed public input and proceeded to the consent calendar and regular business.
The public raised three categories of requests: clearer, timely plans from the Homeless Commission to address encampments before winter; more effective enforcement or alternative responses to persistent loitering and drug-related activity; and fixes to sidewalk accessibility that interfere with mobility for people using wheelchairs. Council materials provided at the meeting did not include staff answers or follow-up tasks tied directly to those comments.
The meeting record shows residents identified specific locations (Saint Casimir Drive, Cashmere Street, Willow Court, East Main Street, Pleasant Street) and called for action from police and city staff; no council member announced immediate directives on the floor to resolve those matters during the session. The council moved on to adopt the consent calendar and other agenda items after public input closed.
