First Selectman's Report - January 29, 2015
First Selectman’s Report
January 29, 2015 Special Meeting
Simsbury Town Staff, Emergency Personnel and Residents Were Prepared for Winter Storm
I would like to thank our Town staff and emergency personnel for their preparation and hard work during this week’s storm. Public Works staff had 14 plow trucks clearing 165 roads, and put in long hours to ensure that our roads were accessible to emergency vehicles as soon as possible and that Simsbury was able to return to normal business. In addition to the great job done by Public Works, many departments also put in long hours to ensure Simsbury was prepared and our residents were safe. I'd like to thank our Police and Fire Departments, EMS, Parks and Recreation, Social Services, our Technology department and our Communications personnel for a job well done Prior to, during and after the storm, we posted up-to-date information on our website and on our storm information telephone hotline.
Finally, a big thank you to our residents who were prepared, sheltered in place and observed the travel and parking bans. Because of you, we were able to clear roads efficiently and quickly.
Town Moves Forward with Planning Process for One Old Bridge Property
As you know, the future use of the One Old Bridge property has been referred to the Open Space Committee for their consideration and recommendations and will be referred to other land use boards as well. Earlier today, we conducted a walk-through of the Betty Hudson property as we start to envision the potential uses. Remember that this is your property – if residents have thoughts on how to use this site, please don’t hesitate to contact my office or other Board of Selectmen members with your ideas.
Town Continues to Monitor State DEEP’s Proposed Storm Sewer Permit
The State of Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (“DEEP”) has proposed revisions to its storm sewer permit. As initially proposed, the permit would have placed unfunded mandates on the Town in excess of $400,000. DEEP has issued some revisions which apparently reduce the potential burden and cost, but there will still be a financial impact and Town Staff are working now to estimate what the cost would be. Simsbury is absolutely committed to environmental stewardship, conservation and protection of our natural resources. DEEP’s proposed permit goes beyond what is required by Federal law and regulation, and we will continue to work with CCM, COST and others to seek modifications to DEEP’s proposal.
Town and CL&P to Meet Concerning CL&P Plan to Move Simsbury Area Work Center
On January 20, 2015 CL&P informed the Town of Simsbury that it plans to move all of its 69 employees in the Simsbury Area Work Center to Cheshire, Torrington and Hartford. We will be meeting with CL&P officials to voice our concerns about the potential impact of the move on the safety of Simsbury residents. We are particularly concerned about CL&P’s ability to respond in a timely manner to emergency situations. Last November, when one of our Public Works drivers was trapped in his truck by live wires, CL&P was able to respond in 20 minutes and a catastrophe was averted. I will provide you with further information on this situation after the meeting with CL&P.
Simsbury Remembers Martin Luther King, Jr. at January 19th Ceremony
Many of us were privileged to participate in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Simsbury Celebration held last Monday at First Church of Christ. The large crowd in attendance was fortunate to hear long-time educator Martha Brackeen-Harris as the guest speaker and wonderful performances by the Henry James Memorial School Select Chorus and the Simsbury Intonations. I would like to thank Representative John Hampton who chairs the MLK in Simsbury Celebration Committee as well as the committee members, First Church for its hospitality, the Simsbury Free Library, the Simsbury Historical Society and the Simsbury Public Schools’ Music & Performing Arts Department for the roles they each played in making this a very memorable event.