Eye on Town Government

By Ruth Melville

At the Jan. 4 meeting of the Board of Selectman, First Selectman Matt Riiska reported that two of the town’s ongoing projects are facing slowdowns.

First, in regard to the proposed new firehouse, Riiska said that although a good design has been drawn up, there are still issues that need to be resolved about the siting of the new building. The Inland Wetlands Commission and the Planning and Zoning Commission are involved, and the Army Corps of Engineers may have to be consulted. Riiska explained that if any wetlands are lost, a larger area of wetlands will have to be created somewhere else in town.

Second, the River Place bridge project, originally scheduled for completion by the end of November 2022 but extended until June 1, 2023, has been delayed again, this time until next September. The engineers have run into problems with the footings of the bridge.

Meanwhile, there has been no word from the state on a start date for the repair to the retaining wall on Route 44 just west of town.

The town is currently getting estimates on how much it would cost to convert the fire department’s old tanker truck into a plow truck. If that proves to be too expensive, the town will probably just sell the old truck instead.

As part of the recovery from the gasoline tanker spill, monitoring and cleanup are continuing. More excavation will be needed, but the material that has been removed so far is slowly being disposed of. The liquid frac tanks are all gone, and the containers of contaminated soil are down to just over 20.

Riiska said he was hoping to talk with the carrier’s insurance company, Federated Insurance, the next day. So far, the town has about $170,000 in claims.

In the midst of this recovery effort, the planned refurbishment of Maple Avenue will go forward, and the project is going out to bid. The bid process will include all of the work on Maple Avenue, but the town will ask for a separate quote for the stretch of road from Pettibone Lane to about 52 Maple Ave., so that portion can be billed to Federated Insurance.

The Haystack Woods Project has received $1.3 million in additional funding from the state of Connecticut. Guerrera Construction Company will be doing the work, which they hope to start shortly.

Budget season is coming up soon. Riiska said he would love to see no increase in the budget over last year. He discussed the town’s long-term debt with the Board of Finance at their December meeting. The town currently owes $132,000 a year over the next three years for the ambulance building and new doors and windows at Botelle School.