By Susan MacEachron

The Inland Wetlands Agency (Wetlands) meeting on Jan. 6 began inauspiciously with agency members standing in the frigid town parking lot, locked out of Town Hall. The only person with a key, Wetlands Enforcement Officer Stacey Sefcik, was on vacation.  First Selectman Matt Riiska responded to a call for his assistance with a key and the meeting commenced on time at 7 p.m. and was adjourned at 7:10 p.m.

The application for the construction of a walkway around the northern side of the pond at 207 Westside Road was tabled since no representative from the applicant, the Confucian Study Association, was in attendance.  Wetlands Chair Hartley Mead did not want to discuss the matter without a chance to ask questions of the applicant.

The second matter on the agenda was a discussion of the appropriate fees to charge for wetlands permits, but without Sefcik that topic was also postponed.

Mead introduced Jeremy Withnell and David Sierra, noting that he had invited them to attend the meeting and hoped to interest them in joining the Wetlands agency board.