Hamden Daily News - Your hometown cyberpaper

December 17, 2007

Out With the Wood

A new playground is being built at Dunbar Hill School. They started on Dec. 3 and were still finishing it up on Dec. 14. The new playground is being built with plastic because it is a state law that there can be no playgrounds made out of wood. While I was there recently, the workers were cutting some poles to support the slide. Stay tuned for continuing coverage on the Dunbar Hill School playground. -- Eunes Harun

November 20, 2007

Out With the Old

Town workers take down a school playground Monday that was said to be unsafe.

Story and photos by Eunes Harun

Yesterday the Dunbar Hill School playground was finally down. It took the whole school day but now mostly the whole thing is down. We had an exclusive interview with the Parks & Rec director of Hamden.

"From my understanding, it [building of new playground] will start on Monday," said Frank Rizzuti. "A private company will come and it is up to them and the Board of Education. There were no problems at all [with tearing down the old play equipment]."

About five to 10 people helped take out all of the things in the play area. Students were not allowed to have recess near the construction area. Everything was going great and by 3:00 they were all done taking out everything from the playground.

The barren land is now ready for new swings, slides and other fun stuff.

Coming soon, a full update of the building of the new playground and when it will be all done!

HDN reporter Eunes Harun captures the last of the Dunbar Hill School playground razing. Click arrow to watch.

Eight-year-old Eunes Harun, a Dunbar Hill student, will report on what’s happening at the 315 Lane Street school. He runs his own TV station called News Channel 12. You can watch it every Monday at 5 p.m. on Channel 27 on Comcast. His news Web site is called 12.24newsnow.com. Eunes can be reached at eunesharun@newschannel12online.com.

November 18, 2007

'You Could Just Walk Right Through the Windows'

By Eunes Harun

At about 9:30 this morning there was a fire starting at Miami Glo off Dixwell Avenue in Hamden. There were no deaths or injuries at this time but the firefighters and the Hamden police are still investigating how this fire got started.

Firefighters say that the fire started at Miami Glo and kept spreading to other businesses.

“The dining-room carpets are all messed up, a lot of water damage,” said Andrew DiMatteo, one of the owners of DiMatteo's Pizza.

Fire crews were using ladders to get to the roof. All the glass in front of Miami Glo and some other buildings were knocked down so you could just walk right through the windows.

“There was a lot of smoke and glass on the floor,” said the owner of Lovely Nails, located right near Miami Glo.

“The fire may be upstairs but the water goes downstairs, so I am currently waiting to see what I need to do,” said the owner of Johnson’s Bowling Academy.

“The fire is out but we are looking for hotspots,” said the Hamden fire chief.

The fire is still under investigation.

September 8, 2007

Out With the Wood

By Eunes Harun

It is finally coming, the new Dunbar Hill School playground. Even teachers are happy about the new playground. Ms. Wong, a fourth-grade teacher, said she is happy that we are getting the new playground because it is fun writing a story on the steps outside. And when the students are done, they go play!

"I think the playground gives a lot of great ideas while writing," Ms. Wong said.

But kids are the most excited.

"When I was on the playground, I noticed it rotting and there are bees in the wood," John Vitale said.

"I even got stung by some bees once," Chad Wilson, another student, piped in.

See all that wood? It's now against state law.

The funding for the new playground was approved by the Town Council in August 2007. The old playground is going to be demolished soon and the new one will be built in late October or November. The new playground will be made of plastic because now the state law says school playgrounds can't be made of wood. This new playground will be much safer and fun!

Take a tour of the old Dunbar Hill playground with Eunes Harun.

August 23, 2007

New Dunbar Hill School principal Steve Bergin heard great reviews from a lot of teachers and parents about the school. Mr. Bergin, now, on a daily basis is trying to be in the school or his office about 12 hours a day except weekends.

He worked in North Haven as a fourth-grade teacher for five years. Right before his new principal job at Dunbar Hill, he was an assistant principal at a K-5 school. When he is not at the school, he is usually spending time in Cheshire with his family, with his wife and two children Lilly, 3, and William who is 5 years old.

Mr. Bergin will try to make our whole school a community and try to work together. Mostly, he is just excited to be the new principal at Dunbar Hill School!