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At the heart of the Six Lakes Park Coalition is a hardworking and passionate team: the steering committee.
"The coalition is dependent on the day-to-day work of the steering committee on its behalf; as a result, this half-century vision is no longer stalled in the past," said Justin Farmer, who originally convened the coalition and began building the steering committee around 2018. "These folks have successfully advocated for a town resolution supporting Six Lakes, collected over 2,000 signatures from the community, run an entire visioning process, and the list keeps growing. We're really fortunate to have this dedicated group of people who are in it for the long haul."
What is the steering committee?
The Six Lakes Park Coalition steering committee is a group of individuals representing a diverse array of community organizations with expertise and interest in a park at Six Lakes. These organizations range from the adjacent Newhall neighborhood to local religious organizations, as well as regional environmental non-profits and land trusts.
The steering committee meets twice a month to work on our action plan and collaborates with key stakeholders like the Town of Hamden, the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), and the Olin Corporation, which owns the Six Lakes property. The group's goal: to ensure thorough remediation of site contaminants and to align the property’s eventual use with the needs and interests of the Newhall neighborhood and the wider Hamden community.
Justin Farmer represents the Newhall neighborhood. He’s a community organizer, environmentalist, and former City Councilor who served Hamden's 5th District for 6 years. Justin has organized around issues both locally and at the state level. He also hosts a radio segment on New Haven Independent's WNHH at 103.5 FM.
Elizabeth Hayes also represents the Newhall neighborhood. She is a community activist and a member of the Hamden Democratic Town Committee, and she sits on the town's Inland Wetlands Commission. As a Newhall resident, she brings valuable local insights to the committee.
Kathy Czepiel is the Connecticut Land Protection Manager for Save the Sound, an organization Justin invited into the steering committee to help coordinate the project and bring expertise in environmental advocacy and land conservation to the table.
Gail Cameron represents the Hamden Land Conservation Trust, which was originally formed more than 50 years ago to respond to the opportunity at Six Lakes. Gail serves as its president. She is a lifelong resident of Hamden and retired after working 44 years at the Yale School of Medicine. Gail is also park naturalist for the Sleeping Giant Park Association.
Elizabeth Langhorne is an alternate representative for the Hamden Land Conservation Trust. She moved to Hamden in 1990 and supported the early efforts of the HLCT to open the "Olin Powder Farm" to the public. Elizabeth is also a member of the core group of the Hamden Alliance for Trees. She taught art history for 27 years at Central Connecticut State University.
Sue McDonald represents Congregations Organized for a New Connecticut (CONECT) as an active member of Congregation Mishkan Israel. She is a 20-year resident of Hamden’s Spring Glen neighborhood. Sue is retired from a career overseeing non-profit financial management.
Melinda Tuhus also represents CONECT, is also a member of the Hamden Alliance for Trees. Melinda is a mostly-retired journalist and a climate activist who blogs about the climate (and other topics) at melindatuhus.net.
Aaron Lefland represents the Connecticut Land Conservation Council, where he works as Deputy Director, delivering technical assistance to build land trust capacity and sustainability.
Joe Blumberg represents the residents of Whitney Center, where he and his wife live. Joe was a property and casualty insurance agent for 64 years. He has served as vice president of the Connecticut Audubon Society and as a board member and officer of several other nonprofit organizations.
Joe McDonough is the newest member of the steering committee, representing the Hamden Chamber of Commerce.
What’s next?
The steering committee will be hosting the third annual DEEP community update meeting late this spring, as well as a second perimeter cleanup as part of Hamden’s Earth Week in April. And it will be closely following the progress of a second round of testing by Olin consultant WSP under DEEP’s supervision this spring, with more data to come, bringing us one step closer to a cleanup plan. |
