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Residents urge action on ADA access and safety at Meriden Housing Authority properties
Summary
Public commenters at Meriden City Council raised persistent ADA-access problems at City Hall and serious safety and maintenance concerns at Meriden Housing Authority properties, including Yale Acres and 143 West Main, and urged stronger code enforcement and staffing changes.
Several residents used the council’s public-comment period to press Meriden elected officials for immediate action on accessibility and housing-safety problems.
Dan Zebrowski said bathrooms the city had closed are not ADA accessible and criticized what he described as staffing increases in city administration while the Board of Education is cutting positions. “That door downstairs is not ADA accessible,” Zebrowski said, urging officials to reopen facilities or provide accommodations.
John Malavenda called attention to long-running problems at 143 West Main and other properties managed by the Meriden Housing Authority, including alleged rodent infestations and water intrusion. Malavenda said email complaints to the housing authority went unanswered and urged the council to press for a permanent executive director to replace the interim director.
Public commenter Jennifer Adam told the council she encountered barriers entering City Hall and called ADA access “a right,” not a privilege. Adam added that Yale Acres and Community Towers suffer from poor police response and open drug activity: “Felons living on the property, drug deals happening right out in the public,” she said, urging the housing authority and council to take responsibility.
Larry Scala described conditions at 19 Summer Street and surrounding properties, alleging unscreened recreational vehicles, livestock and multiple parking code violations and saying he believes a zoning appeal contained incorrect ownership information. Scala asked the council to direct planning and zoning and code enforcement to inspect properties, issue violation notices and provide a neighborhood timeline for enforcement.
Councilors did not resolve the individual complaints during the meeting; the mayor said written complaints would be followed up by the new constituent caseworker. City staff and council members acknowledged receipt of concerns and noted staff would report back.
