Jason Rojas

• Town Hall
• State Update
• Today in CT History
• Manchester Community Events and Information
• East Hartford Community Events and Information

The East Hartford Delegation invites you to attend our Legislative Town Hall at Wickham Library 656 Burnside Ave., on February 13th from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM. This is an excellent opportunity to engage with your elected officials and discuss the issues that matter most to you and our community. Town hall events are a chance for you to ask questions, share your thoughts, and listen to what others in the community have to say. Your voice is important, and we want to hear from you. We hope you’ll join us for a productive and engaging evening, and we look forward to seeing you there!

• Raise reimbursement rates
• Support providers in Family planning, autism, behavioral health, dental, and more
• Prevent another 18-year Medicaid funding stagnation

Connecticut families, patients, and providers – our neighbors - deserve better, and we’re making sure they get it. I’m proud to fight for you every step of the way.

Moving forward, should these tragic situations occur again, this change will be applicable to that state employee and their loved one.

As the 2025 legislative session begins, I would like to hear from you! I hope you will take a few minutes to complete this survey. Your voice informs the decisions I make as your State Representative. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if I can assist you, your family, or our neighbors. It’s an honor to serve as your voice at the State Capitol and I look forward to hearing from you on ways in which we will continue to make Connecticut a place where individuals, families, and businesses thrive.

In 1860, residents living in Danbury, Connecticut banded together to build a large, earthen dam to create a reservoir that would provide a steady water supply for the town’s steadily-increasing population and burgeoning factories.  A few years later, they built a second dam about a mile downriver, and the structures became known as the Upper and Lower Kohanza Dams, named for the Kohanza Brook that flowed from the newly-built reservoirs into the heart of downtown Danbury two miles away.

In late 1868, a slight crack had been discovered in the Upper Kohanza Dam, but no action was taken as residents were confident that such a small fault would have no effect on the massive earthwork.  On the frigid evening of January 31, 1869, however, disaster struck as the upper dam collapsed under the pressure of the ice-choked body of water it was designed to hold back.  As the wall of icy water roared downstream, it completely washed away the Lower Kohanza Dam.  Minutes later, a massive wave containing two reservoirs’ worth of water, as well as ice chunks, boulders, and tree trunks, slammed into downtown Danbury.  A February report in Harper’s Weekly described the terrible moment in sensational detail:

“With terrible velocity [the floodwaters] struck the houses on Main Street near the river bank, instantly sweeping them from their foundations. …The water seethed and roared fifteen feet above the bed of the river; the noise of wrecked houses mingled with the screams of drowning men, women, and children; and what the water did not overwhelm was demolished by the rushing ice and timber.”

At least eleven people were confirmed killed by the flash flood, which had come and gone in less than 30 minutes.  Bridges, railroad tracks, and factory buildings were completely destroyed, ensuring a long and painful rebuilding process for the town. By all accounts, the flood caused by the broken Kohanza dam was the worst recorded disaster in Danbury’s long history, in terms of lives lost and property destroyed.  In spite of the disaster, the Kohanza dams were eventually rebuilt, though on a much smaller scale than before.  A disastrous night to remember in Danbury, today in Connecticut history.

Town Resources
https://www.easthartfordct.gov/residents
 
Town Newsletters
Pulse of East Hartford     
East Hartford Public Schools
East Hartford Works

The Town of Manchester’s Downtown Arts and Culture Grant Program seeks to encourage and support initiatives, events and installations that contribute to the vibrancy and engaging atmosphere in the Downtown area defined by the boundaries of the Special Services District (map attached) plus Charter Oak Park, Center Memorial Park and Center Springs Park.

Funding is available to be granted for individuals or organizations that effectively propose initiatives, projects, events or installations that the Oversight Committee determines to be most appropriate and timely for this round of grant awards.

Applications are due to the Budget & Research Office electronically by 5:00 p.m. Friday, February 13, 2025.

The Committee’s intention is to award grants by March 11, 2025.

Read Full Packet(PDF, 316KB)

Rebuilding Together Manchester, a non-profit organization, is now accepting applications for our 2025 home repair and maintenance projects. We assist low-income homeowners in Manchester—especially the elderly, disabled, and families with children—by providing essential home repairs they cannot handle themselves.
Application Deadline: February 1, 2025
Eligibility Requirements:

• Home must be located in Manchester.
• Applicant must be the legal owner of the property.
• Income verification required (low-income homeowners only).

Services Offered:

• Interior and exterior repairs
• Accessibility modifications (e.g., grab bars, railings)
• Painting and yard work
• Clutter removal
• Roof rehabilitation and handicap ramp installation (grant-funded for those who qualify)

Key Event:
National Rebuilding Day: April 26, 2025 (Projects are also done year-round)
Our work is provided at no cost to homeowners, utilizing volunteer labor. We are also seeking sponsors and volunteers for our projects.

Help shape Manchester’s 2025-29 Consolidated Plan and 2025-26 Action Plan for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding! Join us for public hearings to discuss priorities for affordable housing, homelessness prevention, neighborhood safety, and job training. The hearings will be held on February 3^rd at 11 AM and February 5^th at 5:30 PM at Lincoln Center (494 Main Street) and online. Your input will help guide the allocation of funding to improve housing, neighborhoods, and economic opportunities. RSVP for virtual attendance at hguerette@manchesterct.gov or call 860-647-3044 for more information.

When

• Monday, February 03, 2025 | 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

• Wednesday, February 05, 2025 | 05:30 PM - 06:30 PM

The Department of Leisure, Family, and Recreation Winter/Spring Program and Event Guide is here!

• The workshops will be held in the Town Council Chambers on the second floor of Town Hall (740 Main Street)
• Call-in options are unique to each workshop. Access details are listed on the public meeting calendar on the Town Council webpage here.

Residents are invited to engage in these meetings, where the Mayor and town directors will present and discuss the proposed budget for FY 26. The Mayor's recommended budget book will be available on the East Hartford Finance Department webpage. Once adopted, the book will be updated.

• FY 2026 Town Council Budget Presentations & Public Hearing Schedule
• Previous years’ adopted budgets