Rich Cabral and Fred Dudek

"The die is cast!" It is quite apparent that pages could be written on the handling of the Reservoir Road Project, but, since we have already embarked upon an avenue with the Federal Government as our partner to remediate the bridge, there is very little we can do to expedite the project. To pull out of the process already begun, would only lengthen the project and increase the frustration of the neighboring residents. Knowing that we could have probably completed the project in less time, we, apparently, chose the avenue that would be less costly. Many times the cheapest route is not always the best for all concerned. However, as your First Selectman, I vow to investigate all possible avenues to secure a temporary way to allow passage along Reservoir Road until a permanent bridge may be put into place. I do appreciate the fact that a lack of a bridge is a major inconvenience for the citizens that live in that area.

As for the future, we can only say that every effort will be made to not have history repeat itself. As indicated in Priority 3 of Question 1 of the Second Round, it is most important that a long term master plan be developed by the Selectmen in consultation with its engineer for repair and upkeep of its roads and bridges. With such a plan in place, the engineering for such road and bridge projects can be done far in advance of the project and, thus, shorten the time that a road or bridge will be out of commission.