Selectman’s Corner

Summer is here and we all need to get out and enjoy it. The one thing that so many look forward to is a day or just a quick swim at Tobey Pond. Tobey Pond has been made available for all to enjoy for years by the Childs family and Great Mountain Forest (GMF). We all want to enjoy it for years to come, so please remember that we need to respect the rules. Again, when the gate at Tobey is close, the area is closed. We need to adhere to this not only because it is a stipulation in our contract with GMF, but it is also part of our contract with our insurance company. Please abide by the rules. We know many sneak in to take a dip in the early morning after a run or in the evening after mowing the lawn or a bike ride. All I can ask is please consider how important Tobey Pond is to all. We do not want to jeopardize our ability to have Tobey available for future summers. Thanks.

More construction projects are underway with the installation of the new water main on Litchfield Road from Route 44 to Winchester Road, the paving of Litchfield Road from Route 44 to Bruey Road and the finishing of the sewer line relining and repair project. Our town road projects will continue through the summer. The public works crew is busy working on fixing the drainage and uneven road surface on Laurel Way from Route 44 to Laurel Lane, the tree removal, drainage and paving work on North Colebrook Road and the repair of the sidewalk on Route 44. We have finally been given the go ahead for the Mountain Road bridge. Unfortunately, we must go out for bid again. Hopefully, the rebuilding process will start next spring. 

I would like to address the question of who made the decision to pave Lovers Lane. First, it was not paved. And second, I made the decision to repair the road in the best way we could with the funds we had. Our public works department, and our supervisor, Troy LaMere, have been doing an excellent job with keeping our roads in good condition in summer and in winter. Last year we started a plan to use asphalt millings that we collected from various road projects in the area. The millings were free except for the cost hauling them. These millings were processed by our public works crew with a machine we rented. Our program for our dirt roads was first to correct any drainage issues, grade the roads, roll them, apply a layer of the millings, and roll them again. The third process was to coat the road with a sealer and them apply stone. We did Lovers Lane, Elmore Road, Beckley Bog Road, and Westside Road. Our focus for this process was to make the roads more stable in the winter months for our plow crew. Having a stable surface is critical for winter maintenance. This surface will also be much better during the spring thaw. I like dirt roads as much as everyone else, but safety and maintenance costs are our main concerns.

Our Fire House Committee, consisting of Matt Ludwig, Grant Mudge, Mark Morgan, Lou Barbagallo, Ron Zanobi, Jeff Torrant and Sandy Evans, has been meeting for the past nine months and we have chosen an architect. Silver/Petrucelli of Hamden was picked from a short list of three who were interviewed by the committee. There were six interested firms. Over the next months they will be developing concept sketches, timelines, and construction estimates. The committee meets on the second Wednesday of each month at the fire house. As we collect more information, we will keep you updated. As with all projects, funding is always a question. We will be working with our architect who has a vast amount of experience in the design, construction, and funding of fire stations. 

Take care & stay healthy.