Eye on Town Government

By Ruth Melville

The first item of discussion at the Oct. 5 Board of Selectmen’s (BoS) meeting was a request from the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) for approval to opt out of Connecticut’s Public Act 21-29, which, among other things, relaxes restrictions on accessory apartments (an accessory apartment is defined as a separate dwelling unit located on the same lot as the principal dwelling; it is sometimes called as “in-law apartment”.)

Selectman Paul Madore, who is also a member of the P&Z, said that commission feels that the town already has zoning regulations that cover this situation, and so would rather incorporate the state’s rules into the town’s rather than adopt the state’s. In particular, under Norfolk’s regulations, the homeowner renting the accessory apartment has to live on the property, but PA 21-29 would do away with that requirement. A motion was approved to table this discussion until First Selectman Matt Riiska has had a chance to discuss this more fully with P&Z chair Tom Fahsbender, particularly to find out the deadline for opting out.

Road issues in town continue to be a major topic of discussion at the Board of Selectmen meetings. Riiska brought up three new proposals for changes in how town roads are owned and maintained.

The Northwestern Connecticut Sportsmen’s Association has asked that the end of Tim O’Connor Road where it heads into their property, about 450 feet long, be turned over to them. The town would still maintain drainage and the gravel on the rest of the road. The two neighboring property owners have to agree to the proposal. The Sportsmen’s Association would pay for the necessary survey, and the issue would have to go before a town meeting.

On Bald Mountain Road, Jon Rotolo, who owns the land on both sides of the road, would like to take over part of the road for about half a mile. The section of road that the town would be abandoning goes from the turnaround area at the top of the hill down to the end of Bald Mountain Road. The BoS has no objection to this proposal, but it too would have to be approved at a town meeting.

The third case involves Old Colony Road. The state needs to rebuild the wall along Route 44 where Old Colony Road come into 44. The state has asked the town to make Old Colony Road a dead-end street and eliminate the entrance of the road onto 44. Riiska supports this idea because, he said, as it is now the road is too narrow, steep and dangerous, and the problem will become even worse once the Haystack Woods housing project is completed. Again, this proposal would have to go before a town meeting.

Ongoing road works include the bridges at Mountain Road and River Place. The work at Mountain Road is done, and the road should be open by the end of October. The existing planters and the capstone are all back in place. During the construction a wall on the Battell Stoeckel Estate side was damaged. The cost for repairing the wall is $50,000, which will be split 50/50 between the state and the town.

The news on the River Place bridge is not so good. Progress has been delayed, and the new estimated completion date is June 30, 2023.

One piece of good news is that the town has received $500,000 from the state for the work being done on Maple Avenue.

Mike Halloran has resigned from the Historic District Commission, and the commission will need to find another person. Halloran receives a salary from the town as its zoning enforcement officer, but a salaried person cannot serve on the Historic District Commission. The four remaining members of the commission are Julie Scharnberg, Joe Stannard, Tom McGowan and Marion Felton; at least one member of the commission must live in the Historic District.

Residents on Bruey Road have complained to Town Hall that their neighbor sprayed a defoliant along the roadside, probably to get rid of poison ivy. This is a town issue because there are wetlands nearby, and the town owns the land 25 feet from center of the road. Hartley Mead, chair of the Inland Wetlands Commission, Riiska and Halloran, in his role as zoning enforcement officer, have been in contact the residents.