Wild kingdom.
It's no secret that Killingworth has been one of the fastest growing towns in Connecticut for more than a decade, and it has become sadly common for new homes to be both sited and sighted on the fields and forests where many of us played as kids. In an interesting display of irony, at the same time that new homes have proliferated many different forms of wildlife are also busily being sighted, making a strong and glorious comeback after years of noted absence. Coyotes (that I could do without); turkeys ( not the elected official variety); fishers; and most recently, bears.
The latter new arrival was met with great amusement in my home. Bears were the animals that terrified me most when I was a boy. Strong, fast, able to climb and run with equal ease, a bear (to me) was always the bogeyman of the woods: hundreds of pounds of teeth, claws and attitude. I would learn much later that my fear of that animal was extremely displaced; that a local brown or black bear was likely to be far more frightened of me than I of him, a lesson I hope by now has been adequately conveyed to everyone in Killingworth. Yes, no one should mess with a bear. But if we keep our garbage locked up tight, don't feed the little cuties and just leave them all alone we should all do fine and peaceably co-exist.
This week, however, I'd like to talk about a pest that has always been around to bother us, one that poses a health risk, however slight, that might even exceed that of the occasional bear. One that we can arm ourselves against with equal ease, and one that each of us can, with a little effort, greatly reduce our chance encounters.
It's mosquito season again, and I recently met with representatives of the DEP, mosquito control division (formerly part of DPH), for a refresher course in prevention of mosquito breeding, mosquito exposure and prevention of mosquito-borne illnesses. Most of the information is common and well known. Some, however, may be new to some, and as we prepare to enter the height of biting season, a review of this information may be helpful.
We all know by now that mosquitoes breed in standing water, most commonly in water that does not contain an active fish population. This could easily be the vernal pool in the woods behind your home or that small pond or marshy area that only dries up toward the end of the summer. For many, however, the breeding areas are manmade: the kiddie pool that goes unused; the birdbath that never gets changed; the wheel barrel left standing and unattended; the gutter that doesn't get cleaned, etc. Thus, the best way to prevent mosquitoes from pestering your family is to police your yard and eliminate areas where water might collect and stagnate. Remember, one female mosquito will lay between 100 to 300 eggs at a time and nearly 3000 in her lifetime. It takes less than two weeks for mosquitoes to hatch in standing water, so be vigilant. Any standing water can produce thousands of hungry bugs, many times throughout the summer.
Once the mosquitoes hatch there is very little the Town can do to control them. Spraying is a technique that works poorly in a community such as Killingworth: our homes are too far apart, there are far too many pools of standing water (breeding sources) to effectively reach infected areas, and the sprays available to do the job breakdown (biodegradable, and they lose their effectiveness) in about 45 minutes. The sprays also do not prevent existing larvae (in standing water) from hatching, so even if spraying knocked down adult biters for 45 minutes, within hours (if not days) the problem has returned.
The best way to avoid contact with the critters is to use common sense. Eliminate standing water; use insect repellent; if going outdoors in the early morning or at dusk, where long sleeved clothing. Of these preventative measures, perhaps insect repellant is the most important. State officials confirm that for nearly every Connecticut case of West Nile Virus recorded last year, each person diagnosed with the illness confirmed that during the period they contracted the illness they had been out in the woods for an extended period, camping or hiking, with no insect repellant.
Please remember that there are hundreds of types of mosquitoes but very few are carriers of human illnesses. It is quite hard to contract West Nile or EEE, but the old saying has never been truer: an ounce or prevention, etc. The Town of Killingworth , this year as always, will do its fair share. Our annual program of catch basin and road side culvert cleaning will continue, and where necessary, the Town will install “dunks” that kill mosquito larvae. The bulk of Killingworth's standing water, however, rests on your property and on mine. So the real effort to eliminate these pests must be conducted in your neighborhood, one backyard at a time.
West Nile Virus was unheard of in the western hemisphere until just a few years ago. Now it has spread to all regions of the country, and for some reason California (the Golden Bear State) is projected as the area that will, um, bear the brunt of human infection this year (last year it was Colorado). For this reason maybe they're busy right now, cleaning gutters, stockpiling repellant and rescheduling nighttime little league games. Or maybe they're still wondering why they ever paid to see a Shwarzenegger film. The point (yes, I do have one) is that bears can be scary, but if you follow proper precautions they pose no threat to your family. True, also for the ubiquitous summer mosquito, a rascal we can control and, ahem, take the bite out of, if we arm ourselves with a little bit of knowledge and follow the proper course.
Take it from a lawyer (let the bloodsucking jokes begin); doing the right thing now can save you a lot of grief later. Let's keep the mosquitoes at bay this year and hope that our west coast friends don't have too rough a time of it.
Reminders: June 8: at the Town Hall, 7:30 p.m. , Inland Wetlands and Watercourses, and the Board of Finance; at HKHS, the Board of Ed. at 7:30 p.m. June 9, Town Hall, 7:00 p.m. , Youth and Family Services. June 10, Town Hall, 7:30 p.m. , the Conservation Commission, the Pay As You Throw Committee, and the Land Use Committee. June 14 at the Town Hall, the Board of Selectman at 7:00 p.m. ; Park and Rec. at 7:30 p.m. Please note: the office of the Tax Collector will be closed on June 30.
Please drive carefully during your busy travels. I look forward to speaking with you next week. Until then, I remind you that the First Selectman's door is always open.
Night and Day.
Everyone knows there are two sides to every story. That when you wash a pot there's an inside and an outside, when you flip a coin it might come up heads or tails, and that for every Dr. Jekyll you'll surely find a Mr. Hyde. If you buy into this idea of balance, that there's a ying for every yang, then I suppose that means that for every modestly brilliant thing I write there's bound to be a thought I express that is equally dumb and foolish. I hope, of course, today isn't that day, but with a fool's courage (careful, everybody) I'll give you that chance to decide.
Last week two faces of public debate were on display in Killingworth. At Monday's Annual Town Meeting, spirited and (with few exceptions) courteous debate unfolded on a variety of topics, the most significant being the lengthy give and take that produced the narrow (47 yea, 45 nay) passage of an alcohol ordinance. As the close vote indicates, that proposal produced an equal variety of pro and con opinions, each (I believe) accorded due deference and respect. A fair and balanced debate; the New England Town Meeting at its finest. The very next evening about the same number of citizens gathered for a public hearing on proposed changes to the Town's zoning regulations; and, my, what a difference a day makes.
Let me begin by saying I applaud every citizen who attended either of the meetings, and say an additional thank you to those who went to both. Our community is what we make of it, and one of the most important things we must each do is remain engaged in our own future. We must gather to debate the issues of the day, make our voice heard, not go gently into that good night; and, attending the municipal meetings throughout the week is one of the best ways to do this.
I'm delighted to receive the opinion of any Town resident, but increasingly the opinions I hear – their tenor, in particular – leave me to wonder if our debate has lost direction. At Tuesday's public hearing, three people – count ‘em, three – stood to speak in favor of one portion or another of the proposed zoning changes. I dare say that ten times that number spoke against them. Nothing wrong with that, of course, and if a proposed reg. isn't good for your neighborhood, stand up and shout it down. But, when only one side of an issue is presented for public thought; well . . . is there anything left to debate? And why, if at all, is this important?
Well, fifteen months ago the referendum to build the school passed in Killingworth by more than 520 votes, and since then the “yes” votes have all but disappeared. And what's wrong with this? Maybe nothing, except that this phenomenon goes beyond Tuesday's public hearing and looks far more like a trend. At numerous Selectmen's meetings over the past year many presentations during the “visitors” section have aimed strong (and frankly, not wholly unwarranted) critiques of the school site selection process and the general methodology of the building committee as a whole. This, too, is fine; that's what the visitors portion of the meeting is for. The problem is that if the “nays” now have it, so to speak, your elected officials are left with a strongly mixed message, and a mixed message is a poor place to start from when you're trying to lead us to the promised land.
Mixed message? What? (and why doesn't he just go back to his ballgame?) Here it is: a year ago support for the school was overwhelming, and based on that support the Selectmen have urged patience and trust in the school construction process. But if there is no longer any support for the school in our community, your Selectmen need to know this. If the moment has been lost; if the general opinion is that we should just pull the plug; if a vote held today would send the project down in flames; well, that's something each of us needs to think about. And more importantly, it's an item that should receive the fairest, most balanced, most carefully respected debate to assure that if we stay the course or abandon ship we do so for the right reasons. If the decision, today, remains build it, that message must get out. Otherwise, the distinct lack of support speaks in a volume of its own.
I've written many, many columns urging continuous, open debate, and meant every word on that topic that I've written. As Americans, debate is our birthright and it is through a thorough and courteous thrashing of the issues that we, as a nation, have successfully charted our course. For debate to be beneficial, however, it must be two-sided, and that doesn't occur when only one side comes to light, or when a speaker duly called upon is denigrated, interrupted, or otherwise confronted with contentiousness or contempt.
On Monday, the good people of Killingworth will again gather. Gather for one of the most solemn days on our calendar, Memorial (Decoration) Day. We will gather to honor and remember the men and women, sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, et als who gave their lives for our nation. Gave their lives for our values, for our chance to gather and debate the issues of the day. With fairness; with dignity; and adherence to the principles that made our nation great. We do them honor by attending to their graves, and by gathering to memorialize their lives and their sacrifice. We honor them, better, by assuring that what they fought and died for – the American principles of democracy and fair, open debate – remain forever strong and alive in our hearts, in our minds; and, always here in Killingworth.
Every meeting. Every issue. Every debate.
Reminders: May 25, Town Hall, 7:30 p.m. , Inland Wetlands and Watercourses. May 26: at the Black Rock School , 7:30 p.m. , the Historical Society Board of Directors; and, at the HKHS Rec. office, the HK Rec. Authority at 7:30 p.m. May 27: at the Town Hall, 7:30 p.m. , the Land Use Committee and the Pay As You Throw Committee; and, at the South Fire Station, 7:30 p.m. , the Board of Fire Commissioners. Please note that on Monday, May 31, all Town Offices will close for Memorial Day.
Please drive carefully during your busy travels. I look forward to speaking with you next week. Until then, I remind you that the First Selectman's door is always open.
Fourth in the order.Everyone deserves a mental health day now and then, a day to play hooky, enjoy the warm weather and burn one of those vacation days you've got to use or lose before your employer closes the books on another fiscal year. Your First Selectman is no different in this regard, and on a recent sun drenched day I did exactly that. My fifth vacation day since July 1 found me sitting in the shade (actually), munching on peanuts and watching (who else?) Jeter, A-Rod et als; living in the splendor of a Bronx Spring day. Hot dog! Box seats at the house that Ruth built and a cold refreshment on its way up the aisle. Green grass and pinstripes. Truly, la dolce vita.
It was a good day to be a Yankee fan. A win over the best team in baseball (the Angels), home runs by Matsui, Bernie and Sierra, a strong outing by one of their new pitchers. The only player without a big hit was the man batting clean up, but you have to take your runs where you can get them. Sometimes someone unexpected steps to the plate and delivers, and whenever that happens it is the most pleasant of surprises. This week I'd like to thank two heavy hitters that recently surprised us with their generous spirit, considerable effort and emerald green thumbs, cleaning out and sprucing up our local fields of dreams.
There's a lot of busy work to do when winter ends in Killingworth. Sand to be swept, gravel roads to fill and re-grade, etc. And, litter to be retrieved that you didn't see when snow covered our roadsides. Years ago one local commission annually sponsored a “clean up” day whereby residents walked the sides of our roadways and picked up the trash. But like many projects dependent upon the volunteer efforts of busy families like yours, there wasn't enough man (or woman) power to keep the idea afloat for more than a few years.
This year, clean up day made a very successful return, and I'd like to extend heartfelt thanks to those that got out and did the work. Our roads are cleaner and prettier and the hours you put in produced tremendous results. And in particular, I am pleased to thank Chris Daignault, who resurrected, organized and ran the whole show. We needed a clutch hit, Chris; and you stood and came through. Thank you for a job well done, and for knocking the ball out of the park. And did I mention that Chris is a high school student? Welcome to the majors, kid.
But it's not just the clean up that makes our curbs shine brighter. There's also planting to be done, and it's been impossible during recent weeks to drive past the Town Hall or take your daily tour of the traffic circle without noticing volunteers at work. Rakes, spades and shovels in hand, they're members of the Evergreen Garden Club, and they're weeding, pruning and planting their way to a cleaner, greener Killingworth. Our traffic epicenter has never looked more attractive, and the garden near the war memorials at the Town Hall looks pristine and serene. There's a danger in trying to list all the members who aided in this makeover, and to avoid offending any (by omission) I won't name names. But let me collectively say thank you to each and every one. A very pleasant surprise, and your work produced spectacular results.
Yankee stadium is a great place to visit, win or lose, but following every home victory there's a tremendous sense of camaraderie as you make your way – with 55,000 strangers – down the ancient ballpark ramps. As soon as the last out is recorded Frank Sinatra blares over the P.A. system, singing over and over and over again his Big Apple anthem. And as the Gotham City fans head home after another satisfying day, they're reminded what each of us, for the good of our own hometowns, should all recall.
It's up to you, New York, New York (Frank sings); and indeed, for each of us that want to keep our Town special, it's up to us, too. Team players, leading by example, have quietly shown the way, and one last time I say thank you, Chris, and members of the Garden Club. If we don't do it, no one else will; one foam cup, one McSomething wrapper, one long hour of labor at a time. Together, we can make a difference, all in the time it takes to enjoy a memorable day, watching grown men play ball.
Reminders: May 18, Town Hall, 7:30 p.m., the Planning and Zoning Commission will conduct a public hearing on proposed changes to the P & Z regulations, with a meeting to follow. May 24: at the Town Hall, the Board of Selectmen at 7:00 p.m., and the ZBA at 7:30 p.m.; and, at the Library, the KLA Board of Directors at 7:00 p.m.
Please drive carefully during your busy travels. I look forward to speaking with you next week. Until then, I remind you that the First Selectman's door is always open.
TOP
Saturday, May 8, 2004Tour de force.
People often ask what a First Selectman does with his time, and different individuals may answer the question differently. One obvious duty is attendance at a myriad of evening meetings – the First Selectman is an ex-officio member of every board and commission in town – and he or she must also appear at a variety of state and local civic events and lobbying activities to rub shoulders with the mighty in the hope that a few state or federal dollars might trickle down our way. This past week has been somewhat ironic; for the very first time in nearly three years, I didn't have an evening meeting where my attendance was compulsory, yet it is this week where time grows short and my editorial deadline approaches. Count your blessings while ye may; a column short on musings, direct and to the point.
Our Annual Town Meeting will be held on Monday, May 17 at 8:00 p.m., so we may: approve the proposed operating budget and capital budget for the coming fiscal year; appoint representatives (Stephen Hollander, Michelle Cumpstone and John Machold) as representatives to the Regional Recreation Authority; and, act upon a proposed ordinance to outlaw possession of alcohol by a minor on private property within our borders.
We are meeting at a surprisingly different location this year: the vacant, still (relatively) brand new Pharmedica Building (Route 80, immed. east of the traffic circle). The building will open at 7:00 p.m. to permit self-guided tours, and the meeting will convene promptly at 8:00 p.m. on the ground floor. Please note, that only approximately one hundred chairs will be provided, and those that need a seat (or will depend upon others giving up theirs) should arrive early.
The absence of chairs, and in fact, the paucity of meeting space in Town that evening results neither from oversight nor lack of planning. Usually we meet at KES. However, another fine volunteer organization in Town booked the All-Purpose room many, many months ago, and who could blame them for not knowing the Town Charter requires we hold the Annual Town Meeting on the third Monday in May. Our second choice, usually the firehouse, is occupied with scheduled training exercises. So in many, many ways, meeting at Pharmedica is an event forced upon us, but in just as many more the choice is not an accident.
It's no secret that the buildings are for sale and that many folks in Town, including Moe, Larry and Curly are very interested in acquiring them. Plans were about to be disclosed to open the building on Memorial Day for parking, restroom use and a general tour of the facilities. A large number of spectators gather at the circle for the parade, the building is just a stone's throw away from there, and sooner or later (if we're going to discuss buying a building or two) everyone in Town should have the chance to take a long hard look. For these reasons opening them for public viewing was fait accompli. The only real question was when; and, when it became clear we had to be creative to find a spot for the Town Meeting, a simple change of plans was in order.
The chairs? Well, that's another story. Since KES is booked, their chairs are, too. We'll be borrowing a hundred or so from the fire company, thus the reason to arrive early if you'd like to have a seat when you finish your inspection. Once seated you might like to know where we stand on some of the other major capital items also under consideration. So, once more unto the breach; a la Bosco and Venuti.
The professional real estate appraisal of the Venuti property acquired by the Town produced a value of $3.88 million dollars. A month or more ago legal counsel retained to conduct the Town's negotiations offered to acquire the land for that price (subject to numerous contingencies, including Town Meeting approval). We presently await a response. The Bosco “re-design” is underway. The Land Use Committee has met with representatives of Clough Harbour Associates and their work is ongoing. The current, unfinished recommendation to scale back the cost is to: eliminate the skating, basketball and tennis courts, the T-ball field, the concession areas and enclosed (indoor) toilets; use all gravel (instead of some macadam) roads; “phase” construction of one soccer field (cut it and fill it, but not grade it, irrigate it or sod it); and, eliminate completely the field closest to the Beechwood community. This narrows the project to two soccer fields (with one to be finished later), three baseball fields, a softball field, parking, roads, hiking trails and a few smaller amenities. Nothing at this point is set in stone, so to speak, and current cost estimates of this redesign have yet to be determined. The best guess is between $3.2 - $3.9 million dollars; stay tuned.
The chance to view Pharmedica on May 17 will not be the only one offered if the Selectmen choose to pursue the purchase. So, too, will an opportunity be offered to tour the Bosco lands if the Selectmen vote to proceed again with that project to a bonding referendum. As promised many times, the Selectmen will make no rash decisions, and we are pursuing all avenues at once so that when the details are in, we can gather at yet another Town Meeting and talk apples to apples instead of oranges to pears. You'll have questions and we'll have all the answers we can muster. In this manner, as we collectively tour the Town's options, each possibility will have been fully explored, so that no one, hopefully, can honestly say they had a decision or a vote forced upon them.
Reminders: May 11, Town Hall, 7:30 p.m., the Board of Finance, and the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission. May 12 at HKHS, 7:00 p.m., Youth and Family Services. May 13, Town Hall, 7:30 p.m., the Conservation Commission, the Land Use Committee and the Pay As You Throw Committee.
Please drive carefully during your busy travels. I look forward to speaking with you next week. Until then, I remind you that the First Selectman's door is always open.
TOP
Recycle Way.
Decades ago during my undergraduate days at UConn I knew two young ladies living on the same dorm floor both dating boyfriends named Peter. Understandably, this led to more than a few garbled phone exchanges; when calls for “Pete” were received on the one phone shared by more than a dozen coeds, inevitably the wrong message went to the wrong girl. Eventually, the problem was resolved by a little college creativity. One of the boys retained the name Pete. The other? They named him RePete, of course.
If only it were so easy to solve our larger obstacles. This week I need to preach about a dragon slain a year ago, one that has repeatedly risen to challenge us and again rears its ugly head.
You may recall that at this time last year Killingworth was engaged in a series of Town Meetings, one or more month, to address a variety of pressing issues. Two of those meetings were called by town petition, and one of them concerned our Probate Court. Our Board of Selectmen had voted 2 – 1 (yours truly, dissenting) to merge our Court with the one located in Chester (and physically move it there, too), and a fair number of citizens thought the idea was a little, well, half-baked.
We gathered at KES to discuss the matter, and by an overwhelming vote the Selectmen's decision was reversed. Our Probate Court would stay where it was and life would go on in Killingworth. But efforts to force small towns to merge their Probate Courts have apparently not ended, and as we face this renewed threat we should arm ourselves with the knowledge of how that is, why that is, and exactly what we can do about it.
The movement to consolidate the State's Probate Courts
has been active for many years. At its basic level it's about money. Not every town in Connecticut has its own Probate Court (some Courts have merged, voluntarily, and a few of Connecticut's smallest towns have always had their Probate business conducted in the Court of another), but the vast majority do, and it costs a certain amount to run each and every one. Most operational fees are derived from revenues collected as part of the probate fee and succession tax structure, but you don't have to be a UConn grad. to see that at some point, it's cheaper to run one large court instead of ten small ones. Duplicative staff, building resources, etc. So, to save money, some of the larger courts (running little risk of being displaced) and some governmental muck-ee-mucks have continued the effort to force small towns (read: Killingworth, Chester, Lyme, et als) to “voluntarily” merge.
My dad served in the Air Force during the Korean War. He speaks occasionally of the many assignments he would surprisingly be told he volunteered for. And there is no doubt that Connecticut towns, urged to consolidate their Probate Courts, are being told this: merge, now, on your own terms with partners you can choose. Otherwise, you'll learn you've “volunteered” to merge with Middletown, New Haven or some other large urban hub. And, if the smaller towns with their smaller courts don't organize to oppose this, it's only a matter of time before the time-honored tradition of local probate matters being handled in the more informal manner of a local Probate Court is taken from us by operation of our State Legislature.
As it is with all things that come before State and local government, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. And if I may be permitted to mix metaphors, small towns run the risk have having their voice on this issue ground beneath the wheels State government if their residents do not collectively have their voice be heard. Our Probate Courts handle a wide variety of vital, personal matters; it's not just about who gets the family silver, it's adoptions, competency hearings, appointments of Conservators over persons and estates, review of trusts, supervision of care given to wards and dependents, etc. The “local” system has allowed the Courts to operate without stringent adherence to lengthy rules of evidence and voluminous legal practice manuals, and (of course) often without attorneys. Does anyone think this informality will remain if Killingworth's probate matters are sent to a Court serving 10 other communities? That the same level of personal attention, consideration and compassion won't be sacrificed due to constraints of volume and efficiency? We have been blessed in Killingworth by our election of Town Probate Judges of the highest Judicial caliber. Can Killingworth's voice (when electing a Probate Judge) compete with the populace of a community several times our size?
Killingworthers (or worthians, you pick it), our State Representative is Brian O'Connor (D) of Westbrook; our State Senator is William Aniskovich (R) of Branford. Please let them know how you feel about this important issue, and please; the time to call is now. Our new friends in Madison (reading The Source) should also call Senator Aniskovich, or your own superb State Representative, Peter Metz (R). Clinton residents learning of this from The Recorder may call Senator Eileen Daily (D) of Westbrook, or your local Rep., Brian O'Connor.
I have many fond memories of my days as a Connecticut Husky, and there's a lot to be proud of from Storrs these days. It's great to see the men repeat as NCAA basketball champions, but on the other hand, things that repeat themselves can disgrace us, too; rowdy fans destroying personal property and an annual beer bash that brings shame to all involved. My remarks this week are, of course, a repeat from something we collectively conquered a year ago, and it is a topic I will bring up repeatedly until we finally put it to rest once and for all.
Repeats can be wonderful, and the recent three-peat (you go, girls) on the court of William Naismith remains a treasure to behold. Neither you nor I, however, want me to be here a year from now, talking for the third time about saving the Court we've proudly called our own, and it will take teamwork to get us there. So for the second time, please; take a moment to make the call. Time is running out and the game is on the line.
Reminders: May 4: at the Town Hall, the Pension Committee at 7:00 p.m., and both the Bd. of Finance and Planning & Zoning Commission at 7:30; AND, the RSD 17 budget referendum will be conducted all day at KES. May 5, Town Hall, 7:30 p.m., Water Pollution Control. May 8 at the Black Rock School from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., the Historical Society Tag Sale. On May 10 at the Town Hall, the Selectmen will meet at 7:00 p.m.; Park and Rec. at 7:30 p.m.
Please drive carefully during your busy travels. I look forward to speaking with you next week. Until then, I remind you that the First Selectman's door is always open.
Crossing the line.
Putting your children to bed at night is a truly special time. One to one, snuggling, sharing a story and enjoying the chance (for once) to have your child hang on every word. I am grateful for the evenings I can be home to share in this, with one small regret. My oldest daughter, Mary Grace, has trouble falling off to sleep, a small but important matter that evokes more than my parental empathy. I know from my own (misspent) youth that sleeping problems make a child's evening difficult, and my heart goes out to her.
When I was a tyke, playing with blocks all day didn't tucker me out. Each night I'd toss and turn ‘neath the glow of a Johnny Quest nightlight, watching minutes turn to hours (training for government service). Later in life I'd discover that to nod off easily, a minute or two of bedtime reading calms my mind. Classified ads, stock proxies or what's handy at the moment, and for the last two weeks John Grisham's The Last Juror has summoned the sandman to my pillow.
Yeah, I know; another lawyer reading Grisham. Except that his recent stories, A Painted House, Skipping Christmas and Juror aren't legal thrillers, they're plain, simple stories, and darn good ones at that. The Last Juror chronicles Clanton, Mississippi during the 1970's, preaching now and then about small town character; about a good local paper, the strength of good churches, the need for close families and faithful friends. And, about how fragile that character can be, easily shattered by giant discount stores or the fast food outlets that line our roads like weeds. A coincidence, perhaps, that recent Town events left me fearing for our character, and as I shopped for things to write about this week, those events soon filled my basket.
The Board of Selectmen recently voted 2 – 1 to paint stripes down the middle of certain town roads, and as the dissenting vote I feel I owe an explanation. Mind you, I don't suggest Killingworth's virtue is lost by a swipe of yellow paint, but this will change the way our town looks and come as a surprise to many.
Years ago many town roads bore the ubiquitous “Pepe la Pew” double stripe, and those lines disappeared with every repaving or coat of chip seal. For most of the people I've spoken with, this was problematic. The stripes are quite a help on our frequent foggy evenings, but they also create a “highway” effect, exacerbating the largest public safety problem in town.
At some point in our history speeding on our roads became a birthright of residency. It is the problem on every town road, but don't take my word for it. In the last eighteen months State traffic experts were twice invited to Killingworth to study traffic safety, particularly on Green Hill Road and at the intersection of Route 81 and Hemlock Drive. At my request other roads were reviewed and the conclusions were the same: Killingworth roads are wide enough, flat enough and have fine sightlines. Our signs are appropriately placed, and no (gasp) traffic lights are needed. The one and only problem identified by the State wasn't road stripes, it was that people on our roadways – some residents, some not – are simply driving too fast. (click)
Further, a State Police accident analysis finds NO mishaps traced to the lack of yellow road stripes. The number one cause is operator error, excessive speed or inattentive driving. (click, click)
Absent any statistical analysis to suggest a defect in our roads, and just as important, with no data to suggest the stripes will improve safety (and no way to measure if they do) I didn't see the need to stain the beauty of our back country roads. True, if a stripe prevents even one injury, the trade off is worth it. I question, however, how we'll ever know this, and lament what we've chosen to let slip away with the stroke of a brush.
The other news to report – one that again reflects on character – is a zoning issue that has dogged us for more than a year.
Many, many months and thousands of attorney's fees ago, our Zoning Enforcement Officer told a resident (and rightly so) that they couldn't keep seventeen dogs as household pets unless they were licensed as a kennel. The reason (I thought) was relatively clear. When you buy residential property in any town you acquire rights to “accessory” uses that are not ever listed in town zoning regs. For example, to plant shrubs on your land, erect a swing set, put up a basketball hoop, have household pets. But, those uses have their limits. A basketball hoop doesn't mean a full size court open for round-the-clock play for a league of twenty teams. Children's swings don't mean a playground rivaling a city park, or one that a hundred kids a day can use. The question for accessory uses is what is customary, what is reasonable, and no matter how you feel about zoning laws, seventeen pet dogs for one residential lot simply isn't reasonable. (click, click)
The decision of the ZEO was sustained after a hearing before the Killingworth ZBA, the aggrieved homeowner (the Town ruling was that four dogs – and no more – was an acceptable accessory use) took us to court, and as you have no doubt surmised, the Superior Court did not side with us. (click, clickety, click)
In the larger scheme of things, the ruling is a small (albeit expensive and far from over) bump in the road. It goes, however, to the heart and soul of a community. God Bless the right of any citizen to challenge our government when we think our leaders are wrong. But at some point, personal responsibility – not just for your own special interest, but for the good of the Town as a whole – must come first. Okay, I don't see the need to have seventeen dogs, and as an elected official I must take a larger perspective. But from where I sit, a fight to keep as many animals as you want on your residential lot not only disrespects your neighbors, it does a disservice to the Town as a whole. Living in a town with character is wonderful. Living in one full of characters isn't. (click click click click)
I've used many a rousing novel to get myself to sleep, and a favorite remains The Caine Mutiny, Herman Wouk's compelling drama of a by-the-book Naval officer pushed over to madness. He folds in the heat of battle and steams away from the fight, earning scorn from the crew, the moniker, “Old Yellow Stain” and a loosening hold on sanity. At critical moments he is reduced to rants and rambling tirades over matters of little substance, and to comforting himself by juggling ball bearings in the palm of one hand; tumbling them (click) repeatedly until his stress has passed. Perhaps they should call me “No Yellow Stains”; I've had my little rant and I still don't like the road stripes, but for now all I can say is . . . let's see what tomorrow holds.
It may be awhile before a verdict emerges whether yellow stains on our roads prove the right way to go. It may be awhile before we learn if we'll become the dog capital of the world or if further court action will save us. In my myopic mind, however, one thing is certain. Little by little, great towns become fair ones and fair ones wither and die, and neither you nor I want to see this fate for Killingworth.
Everyone fights the discount store that wants to come to town because it's a gorilla easily seen. So, too, do we fight Starbucks, Wendy's, Blockbuster video. But it's the little things that sneak up on you, the little things that matter. The little things that collectively cause you to wake up one day and learn that a line has been irreversibly crossed. And, that the little town you loved so much has been left on the other side.
Reminders: April 27: at KES and 8:00 p.m., a public hearing on the proposed Town Budget; Inland Wetlands at the Town Hall at 7:30 p.m.; and, the RSD 17 Education Committee at HKHS at 7:00 p.m. April 28: the Historical Society Board of Directors at the Black Rock School at 7:30 p.m., and at the same time, the HK Rec. Commission at KES.
Please drive carefully during your busy travels. I look forward to speaking with you next week. Until then, I remind you that the First Selectman's door is always open.
Dollars and sense, Part II.
Last week we talked about the budget process as a whole. How preliminary numbers are put together, the criteria the Selectmen review, and the timing of various public hearings and meetings so the Selectmen and Board of Finance can hear directly from you how you want your money spent. By now, of course, the Selectmen's proposed budget has gone to the Board of Finance for their review and submission for your approval, and this week I'll talk about some of the constraints that must be dealt with as the Selectmen's budget makes its way to the BOF.
Operating costs. Nearly every household, business, non-profit (or for profit) entity that needs money to stay afloat operates under some form of planned budget, and for every one of them, fixed operating costs consume the lion's share. Killingworth is no different, and the proposed town budget for 2004 – 2005 contains little discretionary spending.
The largest fixed cost within the budget is comprised of salaries and benefits. Salaries are nearly one million dollars, or approximately 29% of the proposed budget. This year, the collectively bargained contracts for the two employee unions in Town, the KMEA (Killingworth Municipal Employees Association) and AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) both expire, and all wage figures have been budgeted at an estimated increase of 3%. Negotiations for new, three-year agreements are ongoing, and for this reason actual payroll expenses for the coming year can't be predicted with precise accuracy. Three percent was deemed an “outside” estimate, a worse case guess, if you will, as to what might be agreed to or otherwise awarded in arbitration. Whether that number proves true or not remains to be seen, but it should be noted that a payroll of one million dollars means if the projection is off by one percent, the difference is $10,000.
Benefits/Insurance. Another of our largest fixed costs is insurance expense, for the health and worker's compensation costs we bear for our employees and the property, automotive and liability coverage needed to protect town assets. The largest of these is health insurance, currently budgeted at $187,000 annually. For the coming year we project an increase under 10%, and have proposed a line item of $202,000. To give an idea of how much those costs have increased, in the budget passed just three years ago, in May of 2001, this expense was $50,000 less; a 25% increase in one of our largest line items in just 36 months .
The news is better for our other insurance obligations. In fiscal year 2002 – 2003 those costs were $83,500. We changed carriers last year, joining a newly formed group, the Municipal Interlocal Risk Management Agency, a non-profit organization (I am V.P. and serve on its Board of Directors) and the result was a reduction in premium of 16.2%. While those costs are projected to rise to $77,000 for the coming year, we are still well below where we were in prior years.
Highway . Aside from the category of general government the largest budgeted town department is Highway (25%), though in fairness it should be noted that a large part of their budget is (as you would expect) wages. Again, little discretionary spending exists. Most expenses such as road resurfacing, equipment refurbishing and maintenance, fixed expenses for salt, sand, paint, fuel, etc., mean the only “discretion” is whether, for example, we delay a road surface project to spend the money on guardrail replacement instead; or exercise similar restraint on one project, at the obvious cost of another.
Public Safety. This category represents one of the most cost effective aspects of Town management. For a total budgetary share of 7.5%, we have a fire company second to none, and enjoy one of the lowest crime rates among communities our size throughout all of Connecticut. The Fire Company manages their business with nominal (last year, none! ) increases in funding, and your Selectmen try to stay out of their way and let them do what they do so well. Our police expense, subject to a negotiated agreement between the First Selectman and the Commissioner of Public Safety, continues to serve our Town well.
Miscellaneous. Many town expenses, most in the form of social service costs, can't be pigeonholed into one category or another. These “miscellaneous” expenses (8% of budget) range from library funding to services for the blind; support for the Estuary Council of Senior Clubs, literacy volunteers, mental health and addiction services, etc. This year, the Selectmen continued a trend of examining those service providers with renewed scrutiny, increasing funding to those agencies that are “closer to home” and serve Killingworth residents directly, curtailing funding to the regional service providers that serve our town peripherally.
Capital Costs. These are our long-term expenses; primarily associated with the acquisition of items we'll use for many years to come, be it a new bridge, significant road repair, new vehicle, etc. This year those expenses (exclusive of bridge repair) represent 6.3% of the proposed budget requests. The items to be funded include a new vehicle and a new compressor for the Fire Company, and new dump truck for highway, a new voting machine, new computer software, completion of the Alder's Bridge Road alteration, and a set aside of $50,000 for the state mandated property revaluation (estimated cost of $100,000) that must be performed next year.
When it comes to the budget, there's a lot to talk about. I've now reached my self imposed (and for some of you, sleep induced) limit on how much I'll write about for a given week, and I've yet to touch upon entire budgetary categories: Welfare, Recreation, Sanitation, Conservation and Land Use, lakefront hot tubs (oops). By operation of Town Charter, the public hearing of the Board of Finance will convene on the evening of April 27, 8:00 p.m. at KES; the final, proposed (BOF) budget will be published in the May 13 th edition of the Source newspaper; and, written copies of the proposed budget will be available to the public at the Town Clerk's office at the end of business on May 10 th.
Please take advantage of the many opportunities available to you to call, write, email ( twn.Killingworth@snet.net ) or visit the First Selectman to voice your opinion on where, why and how your tax dollars should be spent. For the benefit of all, please do it in advance of the annual Town Meeting. And, most of all, please join with me on May 17 at 8:00 p.m. at the all-purpose room at KES, where we will continue the remarkable tradition of a New England Town Meeting, passing a multi-million dollar budget by a stately show of hands.
Reminders: April 20, Town Hall, 7:30 p.m., Planning & Zoning. April 22, Town Hall, 7:30 p.m., the Land Use Committee, and the Pay-As-You-Throw Committee. In advance of next week's publication, at the Town Hall on April 26, the Board of Selectmen will meet at 7:00 p.m., Park and Rec. and the ZBA will meet at 7:30 p.m.; and, at the Library, their Board of Directors will convene at 7:00 p.m.
Please drive carefully during your busy travels. I look forward to speaking with you next week. Until then, I remind you that the First Selectman's door is always open.
TOPDollars and sense, Part I.
The busiest time of year for any town government is the Spring. Winter damage needing seasonal repair. Preparation for the recreation demands of warmer weather. Pruning, planting, raking and painting, the same things that occupy your time, too. Except the Town of Killingworth doesn't just have a sixty-foot driveway to seal. It's got nearly eighty miles of roads to patch, weeds to trim, sand to sweep, limbs to cut; you name it, we got it, and it must all be done with a budget approved nearly a full year before at the annual Town Meeting.
As we spring forward (the worst night of the year) the last fiscal quarter commences, and budgeting is on everyone's mind. Spending is closely monitored for the current fiscal year. What we've overspent must be accounted for: why, how, and what could have been (or will be) done to prevent it. What we've under expended is also carefully noted: budgeting too high does no one any good, and the temptation to “spend what's in the budget” must be quashed at all costs. And in the midst of putting down cold patch, spreading the fertilizer (my particular specialty) and occasionally robbing rich Peter to pay poor Paul, the new budget for the coming year must have its day in court. Right on schedule, another budget season, coming soon to a Town Meeting near you.
The rituals of Spring go far beyond first pitches and Easter parades. For anyone that may have forgotten, the budget process goes like this. The Selectmen solicit budget requests from every board, commission, department and agency. The written proposals are submitted to the Board by early January, and in February and March the Selectmen gather at a series of workshops to discuss what must be spent. Each and every request receives individual attention, including a tracking of what was spent in the previous fiscal year, what has been spent to date for the current fiscal year, and what is proposed by the agency (board, commission, etc.) to be spent during the coming year.
The wide-ranging discussion doesn't end there. The Selectmen jawbone the history of expenditures for the agency in question, review the quality of personnel both serving and being served, and generally consider the wisdom (well, as best we can) or necessity of funding the particular request. In short, the Selectmen don't just pick numbers out of a hat. It is the time when the greatest attention is paid to the policy belying the expenditure. Where has that agency been? Where is it going? How does it serve, and how can it better serve, our friends and neighbors in Killingworth? And, can we find a way to save ten bucks buying copy paper from a different vendor? If so, the decision is made and budgeted accordingly.
But the spending decisions aren't limited just to decisions about existing programs. This is also the time policy decisions are made about the “big ticket” items. Which road or bridge in town will receive major repair. Which path to choose for open space and recreation. Which vehicle to replace; whether to hire added staff; do we borrow (for funding) or pay-as-we-go, etc. Each of these questions and more are passed around the table.
After all is said and done, the Board breathes a big sigh of relief and hands the proposed budget – a book of some hundred and ten pages or so – in mid-March to the Board of Finance. They, in turn, must flip through the pages and walk the same road. The difference, one both subtle and substantial, is that the BOS, in appropriating funding, makes policy decisions; the BOF, financial ones.
The Board of Finance, per Town Charter, conducts a public hearing on the budget they initially propose. This year that meeting is slated for Tuesday, April 27 at KES, 8:00 p.m., if you please. There is no vote that evening; but, it is your best chance to ask any question (they'll tell you no lies) or make any statement if, in your opinion, neither the Selectmen nor BOF budget your concern at the level you think appropriate. After that meeting, the BOF convenes one more time before submitting the final proposed budget to Town Meeting vote. And again, in case you didn't know, at that meeting (which the Charter mandates be the third Monday in May) individual line items may be decreased , only. No proposed expenditure may be increased or brought to the floor for the very first time. For this reason, the April 27 public hearing represents your best chance to add something – large or small – to your Town spending plan.
Budgets are far more than spending promises. They're plans. Proposals. A blueprint, if you will, about where we'll go in the years ahead and exactly how we'll get there. Lou, Charlie and I try to be frugal with your funds, and the truth be told, I'm a little tight with a dime (or cheap, as L.J. would say). I've got a lot more to say about this year's proposed budget, and next week I'd like to share with you some of the whys and wherefores; to highlight, if I may, some of the decisions the Selectmen have made and the obstacles the Town faces. For now, however, I'll put my money where my mouth is and try to be as niggardly with my words as I hope to be with your money. A lot more to say, but not the time to say it.
Next week, then, we'll talk again. Your Town budget, part II: the devil is in the details.
Reminders: April 13 at 7:30 p.m.: at the Town Hall, the Board of Finance, and Inland Wetlands; and, at the HK Middle School, the Board of Ed. April 14 at Burr Elementary School, the annual RSD 17 budget hearing at 7:00 p.m.; and, at the same time at the High School, Youth and Family Services will meet. April 15 at the South Fire Station, 7:30 p.m., the Board of Fire Commissioners. Don't forget the Fire Company Auction at the Route 81 Fire Station on Saturday, April 17 from 9:30 to 4:30. Food, fun, and something to bid on for the home, the hearth and the kiddies.
Please drive carefully during your busy travels. I look forward to speaking with you next week. Until then, I remind you that the First Selectman's door is always open.Waste not, want not.
In the general scheme of things, garbage isn't the most exciting part of serving as First Selectman. Sure, it represents one of the most visible services that town government provides and it consumes 7% of our operating budget, but unless you're appointed as a big city Sanitation Commissioner there really isn't a whole lot of glamour in dealing with municipal waste.
Every now and then, however, a sparkling bit of news emerges from the land of diapers, rinds and coffee grounds, and today (how'd you guess?) is one of those days. Today I get to share with you some really great news. Well, I think it's great. The rest is up to you.
Of the many different types of waste towns must deal with, none is more frightening than the liquid kind. Pesticides, oil based paints, thinners, poisons, et als. The kind of stuff you can't just throw in the compactor, but (gasp!) you don't want people pouring down the storm drain, either. This is particularly true in Killingworth, where there's a chicken in every pot and a capped wellhead in every yard. It isn't just that we're protecting our own drinking water. Killingworth is bracketed by Lake Hammonasset (a reservoir of the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority) on our west and the Killingworth Reservoir (Connecticut Water Company) on our east; and, we've had our fair share of dealing with toxic troubles.
For most of my first five years as your Selectman (1993 to 1998), Killingworth paid tens of thousands of dollars to a law firm in Washington . Our humble hub, and dozens of other Connecticut communities, were forcibly dragged into a Superfund (EPA) clean up, all because our municipal waste was, for a short period of time, tipped at a landfill in Beacon Falls that proved to be significantly contaminated with toxic chemical waste. Mix a pesticide with a few petroleum products; let it seep into the ground for a number of years and it's a real mess to deal with. The obvious question – so what do we do with the stuff? – (at last) has a happy, timely, and rather convenient answer; one I'm glad to be able to share with you.
For the last four years, Killingworth has worked with the eight other towns of the Connecticut River Estuary Region to acquire grant funding and construct a permanent facility in Essex (right off exit 4, Route 9) to accept the common household hazardous wastes (HHHW) that the Killingworth transfer station cannot accept. Construction is now complete and the facility should open (waiting for a certificate of occupancy) within the next two weeks. It will not operate every day of the year, but Killingworth residents will have – free of charge – access to the site nearly two dozen times per year.
This facility will be open to accept a wide variety of HHHW, a number of which I list for purposes of example (a non-exhaustive list): Paint products (oil based, such as thinners, lacquers, turpentine, primers and epoxies, stains, shellacs, etc.); organic solvents such as methylene and chloride-based products; oxidizers such as ammonium nitrate, fertilizers, dyes, nitric acids, chlorates, flourines, peroxides, etc.; flammables such as acetones, motor vehicle fluids, gasoline and kerosenes, cements and glues, polish removers, etc.; all forms of acids, bases and cyanides; non-flammable organics such as greases, creosote, putties and oils; and, most forms of pesticides.
You may read this list and console yourself that none of the named materials ring a bell; that they aren't in your shed, garage or basement. What I have listed are simply the chemicals involved. If I started to call them by more familiar names; brake fluids, barbeque lighters, insect repellent, etc., this might start to make more sense. The point is that there will be a period of public education involved, and in the near future lists of materials accepted at the site will be distributed at the transfer station and available at Town Hall. For now, however, please just keep in mind that the time is coming to safely – and permanently – rid your home of these materials.
And it gets better. On May 15 at KES a portable unit from the permanent site will be available for town residents from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (times subject to minor change). All town residents are invited to take advantage of this first-ever “in town” opportunity to dispose of these wastes, and avoid the trip to Essex , to boot. (And, we could use a few volunteers to keep things running smoothly that day. Mostly just greeting the vehicles and helping them list on a pre-printed form what it is they're disposing of. If you are interested in this extremely worthy, one day effort, please contact the First Selectman.)
If you do plan to participate in the (May 15) KES pick up, or if you plan to visit the permanent facility when it opens to Killingworth residents, please keep something in mind. Although there is no direct charge for anyone to participate, the Town does pay a fee to the facility based upon the number of vehicles from Killingworth that visit the site. Thus, you can save your own tax dollars and decrease the Town's cost by pooling your materials, so to speak, with your neighbors. If you think you might be going, knock on your neighbor's door and ask if they were thinking of it, too. Only one of you needs to make the trip, and by doing so, you'll halve the cost to the Town.
As this article is hammered out, rain hammers down upon Killingworth. We've had about three inches fall in the last two days, and between the pouring rain and my morning spent sloshing through knee deep water beneath the Reservoir Road bridge I, for one, can't help but think about our remarkable water resources. The effort to bring the HHHW facility to Essex (and by extension, to Killingworth) has been a long and worthy one (and thanks, W.D. LeVasseur, for the work you did on this), and now that the gates are opening, I hope all residents will partake. It doesn't do anyone any good to allow these harmful and hazardous materials to gather dust in our basements. As you do your Spring-cleaning this year, let's clear these wastes out. The right way. Once and for all.
Reminders: April 6, Town Hall, 7:30 p.m. , Planning & Zoning. April 7, Town Hall, 7:30 p.m. , Water Pollution Control. April 8, Town Hall, 7:30 p.m. , the Conservation Commission, the Land Use Committee, and the Pay-As-You-Throw Committee. All Town Offices are closed on April 9 (Good Friday). On Monday, April 12 at the Town Hall, the Board of Selectmen meet at 7:00 p.m. ; Park and Recreation at 7:30 p.m.
Please drive carefully during your busy travels. I look forward to speaking with you next week. Until then, I remind you that the First Selectman's door is always open.
A bump in the road.
March madness is upon us, and what could be more fun than watching the men and lady Huskies dribbling (and drubbing) their way to the final four. CBS, ESPN and the gods of television broadcast every single game, and nothing, nothing could make me reach for my remote when Emeka, Diana et als are doing what they do so well.
Well, maybe nothing is too strong a word. If Kerry dropped out and endorsed Al Sharpton, if a UFO landed in Bushnell Park or if Elvis was sighted at Dunkin' Donuts maybe then I'd turn to CNN. Or if, for example, a tanker truck split open on I-95, turning the country's busiest stretch of road into a pile of molten macadam, maybe I'd turn the game off then, too. But, c'mon, this is Connecticut; land of the world's most perfect roadways, so how likely is it that that would happen? Friday's headlines? A Judge rejected and a major highway closed. Either way, a question of bridges being burned and the consequences that follow. Chickens home to roost; goes around, comes around. Yada, yada, yada. Quick, turn back to the game.
Regretfully, a road problem of our own has surfaced, and since this development will have an impact on our community of a (not quite) similar scale, a full review and projection forward will benefit us all.
The small and innocuous bridge over the Menunketesuck River on Reservoir Road in Killingworth is so, well, small and innocuous that many people don't even know it's there. In part this is because the bridge is somewhat subtle, and in part because Reservoir Road isn't the busiest road in town (what it lacks in traffic it makes up in scenery). And, for a period of about two years the bridge has been listed in a State publication (with about three hundred and forty other bridges sprinkled throughout Connecticut) as one that qualifies for priority funding through the State's Local Bridge (Funding) Program for replacement or repair.
I actually began the repair process on this bridge more than 15 months ago, in December 2002, by discussing with Town Engineers four bridges in Town that might benefit from attention. In February 2003 the engineers received the green light to prepare replacement plans for two bridges in Town, including the one on Reservoir Road. Thereafter, inquiries were made to various State and federal agencies regarding replacement of that bridge, to determine (for example) whether a new bridge would adversely affect any native animal or plant species, or if the bridge or its surrounding area held any historic significance that might be altered by such repairs. When those reports (all in the negative) were received from the DEP, U.S. Dept. of the Interior and Connecticut Office of Historic Preservation, our engineers were instructed to formulate estimates for proposed replacement techniques, and to explore available funding (grant) resources.
Their report, and proposals, were received in October (of '03) and discussed at the Selectmen's table. At about the same time, the Reservoir Road bridge was inspected (as it is twice a year) and the State report was unnoticeably changed from previous reports. No indication was given that the bridge was in jeopardy of failure, or that its structural integrity had deteriorated from prior inspections. So, with cost estimates in hand to replace the bridge, further discussion was shelved pending the arrival of budget season. Imagine our surprise, then, when State Bridge inspectors, re-inspecting the bridge on March 15, summarily expressed grave concern as to the whether the bridge should remain open.
Action in the week since that date has been swift. Within an hour of the State inspection our engineers were on the scene. Within 18 hours our engineers and highway department were on the scene; and, in that same time, both groups met with the Board of Selectmen to discuss our options. While the State has not yet written to advise the Town to close the bridge, I have requested the loan of a “Baley” bridge to keep Reservoir Road open, and the Selectmen instructed our engineers to apply for state funding to begin the needed replacement.
The good news is that we had already prepared preliminary cost estimates (the ones received in October); the bad news is that estimates don't hurt until the time comes to spend the money, and now, that time has come. At a minimum, repairs will cost our Town $350,000; pushing a likely municipal ( not school) mil increase this year to .91 mils.
One of the Selectmen at a recent Board meeting summed it up quite well. Sometimes you need to bite the bullet. Big repair bills come every now and then, to your home, to mine, and to the nearly eighty miles of roads and bridges that make up our fair city. Fortunately, when you build a quality bridge it stands the test of time. It doesn't sink, it doesn't buckle and does everything you ask of it; unless, of course, it becomes an inferno and cooks for several hours.
As more information on this important bridge develops, all news will promptly be shared. Be forewarned, however, that if and when we receive DOT notice suggesting the bridge be closed, the Selectmen will probably take such action, with our without the Baley bridge. Should this unfortunate event come to pass, please be patient. The repair process started fifteen months ago; our estimate was received in October. Now, we must draw up the plans, come up with the monies and put the job to bid. In recent years we've survived the closure and replacement of bridges on Green Hill Road and Chestnut Hill Road. Never a pleasant process, but a road that must be traveled; one that has, for now, a bright side.
A bridge closed means a detour, and I, for one, am glad that ours will take us through scenic, bucolic Killingworth. Think you've got it bad? How about a daily trip, with rush-hour interstate traffic, through the (um) splendorous Park City of Bridgeport? If I had to choose between that daily nightmare and a loss by the Huskies this week, I'd think that I'd . . . Well, let's just say I'm awfully glad I haven't had to cross that bridge yet.
Reminders: March 30, HK Middle School at 7:30 p.m., the RSD 17 Education Committee. There are no meetings scheduled for Killingworth Town Boards until the week of April 5.
Please drive carefully during your busy travels. I look forward to speaking with you next week. Until then, I remind you that the First Selectman's door is always open.Hope springs eternal.
My regrets to all for missing the deadline for last week's Recorder . A few days in Florida for business in the office, on the fairway and at the beach left me little time to do my job, write my column and get sunburned. Something had to give, and the result was your salvation: you didn't read my comments about low turnout at the March 2 primary and the school budget meeting (and kudos to you, Hillary, for saying what needed to be said). Now, it's back to the grindstone ( Blarney stone, whatever) for another adventure in black and white.
Hartford 's famous son, known for the mother of all weather quotes (wait a minute, it'll change) less famously quipped he'd seen one hundred and thirty six kinds of weather, all in one Spring day; a notion I lived through last Tuesday. As the snows piled upon us, I tortured Town Hall staff with self-pity: (“Twenty four hours ago I was sitting at the shore; gobbling fried oysters, sipping ice cold . . . “). Well, no one ever said working for me was easy. Rather than eat your heart out, however, have a last laugh, on me. Think you're unhappy to see snow? I spent an afternoon on a sun-drenched beach, landed at Bradley at 10:45 p.m. , turned the ignition on my snow covered car and heard the battery say !No comprende, Senor. No vas, amigo.
Ah, the Nutmeg State . At that hour, enough to drive me nuts.
Spring, the season of beginnings, will bring us many, many chances to see what grows in town, and it's my pleasure to be home in Mecca to explore those chances with you. Like the cycle of growth, things are beginning to spring (sorry) up overnight, and I urge everyone to think – as I will – carefully about the opportunities before us. We should move prudently, but we do need to move, and to help us make the right decision we must think about the big picture.
Here's part of it: last week the Board of Selectmen instructed legal counsel to commence negotiations for the possible purchase of the Venuti property. Whether the idea thrives in the sunlight or dies on the vine is far too early to tell, but be forewarned: the genie is out of the bottle. If you'd like to voice your vote when the dye, too, is cast, please pay attention. Don't let voter apathy be the real winner when a referendum comes to call.
The Board is also seriously considering a purchase of the “Pharmedica” property (two spectacular buildings and a building lot overlooking a pond [talk about a town green!]). While two multi-million dollar purchases may seem at odds, your Selectmen are obligated to seriously review all options that present themselves. We pledged to do that – and present all options for discussion and consideration – and we stand firmly behind that pledge. Part of that pledge is my belief that a top priority for our remarkable bedroom community – if not the top priority – is the need to support active recreation; yeah, that's right, ball fields; and, I am loathe to let a few months pass without a vote on where, how and when we might build them.
The obvious question – why so many options? – brings to mind two of my favorite proverbs. Russian: One who sits between two chairs may easily fall down; and, Yiddish: If all pulled in one direction, the world would keel over. Our community may have different ideas on priority one (Bosco ball fields, Venuti open space, the Town Center ); one of my tasks as an elected Selectman is to try to satisfy all three. I said try, mind you. Plato cautioned that wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something. If I make one promise on our land use decisions, let it be that your three wise men aren't so disengaged as to think we can please everyone, nor so foolish as to think such effort worthy.
Sooner or later a choice will be made; what we're doing now is our homework (as pledged) so that when we gather together in the months ahead we can kick every concept around: the opportunities of the Town Center, Bosco fields, Venuti acreage and (more appropriately, or ) the chance to purchase a true, town campus; all in a way that delineates and juxtaposes, the good, bad and indifferent of each and every idea.
Our town continues to grow, a storm we continue to weather; and, we've seen the wind blow in many different directions. Your Selectmen have (I'll admit) kept us at sea, declining to pull into port until a full evaluation is completed as to which harbor offers the best refuge. Once the decision is made (at referendum) there'll be no going back; so pardon us if we double check our compass. Measure twice, cut once; you know the drill.
Spring, the season of growth, is tempestuous at best. In like a lion, out like a lamb; warm breezes, freezing winds, bulbs bursting from the soil and snow falling from above. We will get through this if we remember the tried and true cycle of nature, the lesson we've seen time and time again, the one that teaches us, when the ice forms in March, to look ever forward to what will most certainly come to be. As eloquently versed by Margaret Elizabeth Munson Sangster, editor of the Christian Intelligencer (1876) and Harper's Bazaar (1889 to 1899), the new season will come, come whatever may.
Never yet was a Springtime/Late though lingered the snow/That the sap stirred not at the whisper/Of the southwind, sweet and low/Never yet was a Springtime/When the buds forgot to blow.
May the sun shine warm upon you, now and in the months ahead.
Reminders: March 23, Town Hall, 7:30 p.m. , Inland Wetlands. March 24: at the Black Rock School (Recycle Way), 7:30 p.m., Historical Society Bd. of Directors (thanks, guys!); at the HK Rec. Office (HKHS), 7:30 p.m., the Reg. Rec. Authority; and, at HKHS at 7:30 p.m., the Bd. of Ed. Budget Committee. March 25, Town Hall, 7:30 p.m. , the Land Use Committee, and the Pay-As-You-Throw Committee. PLEASE NOTE, ONLY ONE WEEK(!) REMAINS TO OBTAIN YOUR NEW TRANSFER STATION DECAL. AFTER MARCH 30, NO VEHICLE WILL BE ADMITTED WITHOUT A NEW DECAL; AND, THEY MAY NOT BE OBTAINED EXCEPT DURING REGULAR TOWN HALL OPERATING HOURS.
Please drive carefully during your busy travels. I look forward to speaking with you next week. Until then, I remind you that the First Selectman's door is always open.A few good men.
I admit to being fascinated by government, so yes; I am a fan of The West Wing. The departure of its chief architect, Syracuse-educated author, playwright and screenwriter, Aaron Sorkin (who left the Emmy-award winning series last year), means that the tenor of the show has changed, but it's still one of the most compelling dramas on television. If only I could get home by 9:00 p.m. on Wednesdays to watch it, life would be grand.
My admiration of Sorkin's work predates his years in Hollywood. Fans of the theater know Sorkin as the author of the 1989 stage drama, A Few Good Men. The highly successful screen adaptation of that play appears on TNT about four times a week now (who among us hasn't heard “You can't handle the truth!”), so I am certain the sound bites are known to us all, many of which are platitudes to courage, honor and heroism. Although the play is limited to a military setting, the ideas it stages are meant for a broader realm. You don't have to go to battle, it coaches, to do the right thing. Honor, indeed, can be found anywhere, and in Killingworth, one place it is found is in the men, and their families, of our Volunteer Fire Company.
Although the First Selectman of any town frequently speaks with the press, the First Selectman of Killingworth doesn't often speak to an AP reporter. Last week, however I received such a call, wondering why Killingworth was one of two towns in Connecticut not awarded Homeland Security funds to obtain firefighter equipment. The answer to the question is one I'm very comfortable with, yet no one likes to learn his or her town turned down federal money. For this reason an explanation is in order.
The Department of Homeland Security (I still don't like that name) is completing distribution of Hazardous Materials suits for fire stations and ambulance companies that want them. I did participate in the initial stage of application, sending information request forms to appropriate Killingworth department heads. After due consideration, however, and consultation with our Town's fire professionals, the decision was made to forego the suits. It is a decision of our Fire Company I respect and understand, one I hope, in time, you will agree with.
Our Fire Company faces a Herculean task. They are officially 44 members strong, not counting juniors, but not all members can participate on a “full time” basis. They have two stations to staff and keep up, several specialized vehicles to maintain, numerous pieces of vital, life-saving equipment to clean and preserve. They have training to keep abreast of, new members to recruit and to train, new regulations to learn, 2500 buildings to protect, 6300 citizens to watch over, nearly 80 miles of roads to respond to when accidents occur, and, let's not forget, thousands and thousands of commuters passing through town each day, every one an accident waiting to happen. Our firemen have toiled for years to train for disasters ranging from nuclear contamination to propane leaks, home fires, brush fires, traffic accidents, fuel spills, power outages, medical evacs, floods, storms and locusts.
How much work does this amount to? Drive by the Firehouse on any Monday night. You'll see quite a few cars parked there for department meetings and training. Drive by the scene of any motor vehicle accident or medical call, and our volunteers are there, too. For calendar year 2003, 32 firefighters responded to more than 80 calls – one every fourth or fifth day – and this is in addition to all of their other tasks, the time they devote to their families and the hours demanded by their jobs.
The gear offered by Washington (via our local Homeland Security offices in Hartford) was for hazardous materials handling. While I'm certain our volunteers could accommodate that task with great skill and professionalism, the simple truth (“I want the truth!”) is that at some point, enough is enough. How much can you ask of our volunteers? In addition to all they do – as volunteers – should we now ask them to engage in more training? Volunteer more time? The fire department in Guilford contains a fully staffed “Hazmat” emergency response team, and, regional hazmat teams are also available to respond. The question remained: should we take the gear because it was free? Was it really free if it meant more training and demands upon our Fire Company? And, just because we didn't have to buy the gear, does that still make it free? Don't we pay for it one way or the other?
This is not to say, of course, that Uncle Sam wasn't good to us. Recently the Fire Company submitted a grant application for funds to replace very expensive breathing gear so necessary to emergency response. That application was approved by the folks at FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) for $135,000; and, since Killingworth had already agreed to a three-year budget commitment of $140,000 to buy that equipment, our Fire Company found a way, through a government grant, to save Killingworth 135K.
Aaron Sorkin didn't just write the play, he also penned the screenplay for Rob Reiner's adaptation, and my favorite line from that film appears in last scene. A deflated Marine is slowly exiting the courtroom. He's just been acquitted of murder, but dishonorably discharged for conduct unbecoming. He is bewildered and lost, grasping at what has happened, unsure of how to conduct himself outside the structure and “honor” he experienced and loved as a Marine. Tom Cruise picks him up with well-chosen words: “You don't have to wear a patch on your arm to have honor.” And, you're left to wonder if Cruise is speaking to the Marine, or whether it's a moment of inner self-realization.
Sometimes saying “no” to something that's free, even if offered with the best intentions, is the honorable thing to do. Our firefighters do more for us than we ever really know. Saying no, this time, isn't just a case of behaving honorably; it's a way of saying thank you, men. You honor us with your service. We'll return that honor by not asking you to do any more.
Reminders: March 9 at the Town Hall, 7:30 p.m., Inland Wetlands and Watercourses, and the Board of Finance; and, at Burr Elem. School, the Board of Ed. at 7:30 p.m. March 10, Town Hall, 7:30 p.m., a special meeting of the Conservation Commission; and, HKHS, Youth and Family Services, and, the Board of Ed. Budget Committee will meet separately at 7:30 p.m. March 11, Town Hall, 7:30 p.m., the Land Use Committee, and the Pay-As-You-Throw (dump) Committee. On Monday, March 15, the Killingworth Housing Partnership will meet at the Town Hall at 7:30 p.m. There are openings on this organization, so please contact the First Selectman if you would like to inquire about service. And, a Town Meeting will convene at KES that evening at 8:00 p.m. to discuss and act upon five matters of town business. For more information, please call 663-1765.
Please drive carefully during your busy travels. I look forward to speaking with you next week. Until then, I remind you that the First Selectman's door is always open.
TOPTomato juice.
Life as an elected official is never dull. It comes with a myriad of surprises; some good, some bad; and with an endless series of what-does-today hold. From the ridiculous: mail stamped “urgent” and addressed to a First Selectman that last served during the first Bush Presidency, to the sublime: our Killingworth Seniors Club recently reduced their budget request in an effort to lower town spending (and, Dunkin' Donuts opened and the sun still rose in the east). Day in and day out, it's never, ever boring.
This past week has been no different, carrying with it a pleasant, welcome bit of surprising good news, but also bringing to my desk, in black and white, the kind of event that leaves me sputtering like an idiot (well, more than usual). Momma told me there'd be days like this, so without wasting more time, ink or sentiment, let the tales be told.
The bad news came courtesy of the Hartford Courant. An otherwise quiet Killingworth story, inflammatory, wrong, and crafted to the point of bare recognition. (Let's see what those dastardly Selectmen are up to now.) Not that I have come to expect anything less from the Courant. If a widows and orphan's fund asked the Selectmen for one hundred dollars and the Selectman budgeted ninety-nine, tomorrow's headline would read SELECTMAN REFUSE TO GIVE ORPHANS ONE DOLLAR. The old saying about all press being good press never applied to Hartford's daily read, that's for sure.
In this case it was a story about the Bosco heating, and the facts (in case you couldn't find them in the article) went something like this.
The Selectmen voted to ask the Board of finance for roughly $4700 to install heating in the Bosco farmhouse. The BOF, for a variety of valid and reasoned concerns, said no. The Killingworth Historical Society then offered to pay the town the $4700 to have heat installed, so the Selectmen again asked the BOF to appropriate the money for the heat.
The Selectmen needed to do this because even if we accepted the money from the Historical Society, there still wasn't an approved budgetary line item for Bosco heat; thus, it was necessary for the BOF to make a special appropriation in order for us to legally (i.e., following the Town Charter) spend the money that the Historical Society would give us.
But there was a twist. The Historical Society, with nothing but the best of intentions, asked that they be repaid the money only if in the years ahead the town collectively decided to grant some other town organization exclusive use of the house – a request both reasonable, prudent and fair. The only problem is that for the money to be repaid in the future, payment would need to be an approved town expenditure – approved at Town Meeting as part of the regular budget process – and there is simply no way the current Selectmen can promise the Historical Society that the expenditure would be approved.
No one likes to willingly participate in misunderstandings, and a very real Selectmen's concern is that if we accept the gift, knowing that the Historical Society might like to get repaid, and for some reason a future request to budget monies for repayment is denied, the Historical Society might very well feel ill-used for their remarkable effort and gesture in helping preserve the Bosco farmhouse. This is something the Selectmen are eager to avoid; yet it is something the Courant, um, inadvertently admitted from page one. Surprise; surprise.
The week's good news comes to us (from all places) from our State Legislature in the form of potential funding for open space, all as part of a legislative bill (HB 5526, “An Act Concerning the Real Estate Conveyance Tax and Harbor Management Plans”) that I encourage you to get on the phone and trumpet to our local reps. The story goes something like this.
Years ago, prompted by a copy of Massachusetts legislation (brought to my attention by a certain sage Green Hill Road resident) I wrote our representatives (at the time) and asked for legislation permitting towns to pass a conveyance fee, unique to each town, with the proviso that money raised by that tax (payable only by the purchaser of land) be exclusively designated to fund future open space purchases in that town. The collective response from our General Assembly was that such legislation would advance when pigs flew, the Patriots won the Super Bowl or the Hartford Courant got a story right. The reasoning was that the real estate lobby was supposedly too strong; the State did not permit municipalities to have any revenue raising authority beyond property taxes; and, that towns should simply spike their mil rate and raise the money themselves.
Well, stranger things have happened. Lo, and behold, a short time later the State found itself in a bit of a deficit (wasn't the income tax supposed to steady our revenue stream, preventing large surplus-to-deficit swings?), and who would have guessed, one of the money raising solutions was to increase State conveyance taxes, and . . . to pass a new law allowing towns to increase their already existing real estate conveyance fees.
So far, so good, except that the funds could be used for any purpose, and, the law carried a “sunset” provision, meaning that it expired after two short but wonderful years.
The good news is that the law is back, sponsored by Rep. James Spallone of Essex. The proposal is to make this new conveyance fee permanent, allowing towns to have a new, permanent means of raising revenues, and , the law would require towns to earmark those revenues for only a few select purposes: open space purchases, farmland preservation, brownfields (pollution or contamination) remediation, or acquisition of recreational (active and passive) lands.
The upside of this is twofold: it provides a means for towns to raise this badly needed revenue; and, it does so by levying a tax upon real estate conveyances, meaning that if you're going to come to our town and develop our land you're going to pay a tax to do so, and we're going to use that tax to buy up the land that's left to make certain no one follows in your path.
I know that I joke a bit too much about the history of this legislation. I can't help but laugh a bit, laugh at how an idea that was, well, laughed at, suddenly became a pretty good one when the State needed to raise their own funds. Laugh at the turn of events. Laugh at how funny things can turn out. Laugh at the moment (can you see it?): legislators sitting around in the wee morning hours, trying to find a way to raise some dough. Suddenly, one of them slaps the heel of their palm against their forehead. Wow! Why don't we, why haven't we, why can't we . . . ?
Why didn't they think of it sooner? Beats me. But after it was said and done I hope at least one of them realized that as the hours had passed, session after session, as they hunkered over their coffees, Snapples and soda pops, if they had only put their minds to it they could have something good for everyone. They could have had a V-8.
Reminders: Mar. 2 at KES, 7:00 p.m., a public hearing on the proposed middle school before the Planning and Zoning Commission. Mar. 3, Town Hall, 7:00 p.m., Water Pollution Control. Mar. 4 at HKHS, an RSD 17 meeting for community input on the proposed budget. Mar. 8 at the Town Hall, the Bd. of Selectmen at 7:00 p.m., Park and Rec. at 7:30 p.m.
Please drive carefully during your busy travels. I look forward to speaking with you next week. Until then, I remind you that the First Selectman's door is always open.
A poke in the eye.
It has only been in recent years that I have come to appreciate baseball. The subtleties of advancing a runner; the right pitch count to run on; when to change the on deck batter and force a team to go to their bullpen. For this reason I'm rarely drawn to baseball analogies, but this week there are two that I can't get out of my mind, two I'll attempt to share with you before the seventh inning stretch.
First, I am again amazed by what is fast (for me) becoming the most exciting spectacle in sports, the gamesmanship between da New Yawk Yankees and dem boys of April, the Bahsten Redstawckings. In the wake of the unfathomable A-Rod trade, I look with wonder at the way the deal was done and the lesson that it teaches.
Fans of the Fenway will hiss and groan. The lesson, they claim, is that if you spend anything you want you can acquire anything you desire. What they miss, of course, is that Boston tried exactly that and failed. They failed because in looking hungrily at what the Red Sox wanted – the best player in baseball – they missed a key ingredient in any matter of trade, what the other guy needed . The Yanks, realizing that to get the AL MVP onto a Bronx infield they needed to give the Rangers what they needed found a way to get Texas out from under the crushing debt of the mammoth Rodriguez contract.
Advantage Yankees. What a summer it will be, and a lesson to remember when you eye something you determine is vital to your future.
The second analogy comes to me from the silver screen, from The Natural, Barry Levinson's 1984 adaptation of Bernard Malamud's intriguing novel about baseball, perseverance, kismet, faith and hope. In the film, Darren McGavin portrays Gus Sands, a gambler with a unique talent. While we never learn if Sands supports Al Smith or Hoover, is democrat or republican, we do learn by his proud proclamation of his all knowing, all seeing, forever on target eye.
For those that haven't seen this fine film, I'll not spoil the ending. The protagonist, however, was cast to Robert Redford, so it shouldn't be surprising that Sands' “all knowing” eye makes an error or two, and costly ones at that. The lesson, I guess, is that no eye sees everything, and that the best vision to share is one that dreams great things yet remains grounded in reality.
And by now, no doubt, you have guessed where I'm going.
There's a watchful eye in Killingworth, too, and I compliment it upon its well envisioned, well-voiced and well-intended observations about the role each of us must play to keep government honest. It's one thing to unknowingly put a fox in the henhouse (or Statehouse). It's entirely another to turn our back and let the feathers fly. When our elected officials fail us, the task falls to each of us to ask ourselves where we were when things started south, and why we didn't do something about it. This point, too, is a lesson to remember, and I thank our friendly eye for bringing this shining thought to print.
Another eye, however, in an effort to blacken mine, painted a picture neither accurate nor true. A picture more from Boston than New York; one focusing upon what it wanted to see rather than what could be seen if it would, well, just open its eye and look. Specifically, the vision focused critically upon a variety of Killingworth land use issues, issues bemusedly portrayed as a drive down the road with the throttle wide open and our (well, actually my) eyes clamped shut. Understandably this is a vision I cannot share, so in the hope that we might see eye-to-eye (couldn't resist) I'd ask you to take a long, unbiased look at some of the other things to be seen.
Yes, we have questions about the Bosco property, but contrary to what the eye would have you see, Bosco questions aren't there because we didn't look to the future; just the opposite. Bosco remains a question because the first plan to build new rec. fields in the thirty years – a plan that looked, rather obviously, to the future – was put before the voters and failed by a remarkably close 71 votes.
Yes, there are questions about the school site. What surprises me, however, is that the “eye” – with a voice that demanded answers to those questions just a few weeks ago – now claims a solution is in sight: sell Bosco to the school district; and, build the new dump on Bosco, too. Sorry, but I just can't see selling the land (at the very least, shouldn't it be open space, or passive recreation?), and why would we want to build a dump near the middle school, or near recreation fields?
The dump itself is also “eyed” as a question: why build it near a proposed senior center? Why indeed? The fact of the matter is that no plans exist to build a new dump near a senior center, so the question asked is one I really can't answer. True, the town center plan (see below) did call for building a new dump and a senior center, but one would be on the front of a 45-acre parcel (the seniors); the other at the very rear (dump). My real desire is to see town issues discussed with an eye toward the truth, and claims putting a place for our seniors and a new transfer station side by side raise red herrings and spur inaccurate debate. I do not, with good reason, view them kindly.
A further question is raised about the Town Center Plan, a plan which open eyes have seen (both from the Selectmen's public statements and the minutes of various boards and commissions) as one the Selectmen have recommended be put on hold. And finally, of course, there are questions about Lover's Lane. A road built on forty feet of peat, a road we've seen sink year after year (because of the peat), a road that has been under water for part of the year, year in and year out (by some accounts) since the Truman Presidency. As to this complaint, I'll blink; I don't see a cost effective solution appearing to my eye any time soon. I've looked at the problem for eleven years as a Selectman and still don't see the answer; except, of course, to pour more money into a road that perpetually sinks. My mind is still open, but on this one; yeah, okay; my eyes are starting to close.
What isn't mentioned are some of the other things the Selectmen see. A spectacular building in town – presently for sale – that would meet all of our future needs, and completely eliminate the need to build the town center plan. Leaving us only to build the new dump, moving it to the rear of the “town center” acreage where the present dump sits. In doing so, remediation of the present dumpsite would require extensive excavation and landscaping, so while we're tearing up the land anyway, why not turn the site into a few ball fields? In one fell swoop we could acquire a civic building with room for a gathering place, senior center, youth center and all offices, build a new dump and add a few ball fields, all for millions less than the original town center plan. Not the solution to all of our woes, but it would be something to see, wouldn't it?
The past is littered with great ideas that didn't pan out quite right. Maybe as Labor Day approaches we'll all say: Alex who? Maybe someday I'll admit to having stopped at dunkin' donuts. Maybe by looking ahead – together – we can meet the future in style, solving all of our land use needs, and maybe I take things too personal, that having invested so much time and energy into the future of my hometown, I am too close to see some issues in the light that others might. For this reason (and with a tip of the cap to Yogi), I am grateful, truly, for as many eyes as I can hear from.
Then again, maybe, j-u-s-t maybe, the Red Sox will win it all. Sometime around 2019.
Reminders: Feb. 24, Town Hall, 7:30 p.m., Inland Wetlands. Feb. 25 at the Black Rock School, 7:30 p.m., the Historical Society Board of Directors, and at the HK Rec. Offices (at the high school), 7:30 p.m., the regional rec. commission. Feb. 26 at the Town Hall, 7:30 p.m., the Land Use Committee, and the Pay-As-You-Throw Committee. For advance notice, on March 2 at KES at 7:30 p.m., a public hearing of the Planning and Zoning Commission will convene to hear the application for the proposed middle school, and on March 4 at HKHS at 7:00 p.m., there will be an RSD 17 meeting for community input on the proposed school budget. Don't forget the informational meeting on the new school at the high school media center on February 24 at 7:00 p.m.
Please drive carefully during your busy travels. I look forward to speaking with you next week. Until then, I remind you that the First Selectman's door is always open.
Hearts and flowers.
Looking out my window on this snowy, slushy day I can't help but think I should turn the screen off, don my galoshes and do my shopping now. Maybe that way I can avoid the gouging, the mid-February madness where men and women pay three times what they'd ordinarily spend just to do something kind and make someone feel wonderful. I'm talking about roses, not the price of girl scout cookies, and with one week to go before cupid pays (why should he be exempt?) us a visit, I can't help but think about one of Connecticut's suitors.
Home is where the heart is, where you see yourself in the future, where your tax bills are sent and your skivvies and socks are quartered. Ambition is a wonderful thing, but it can also be a corrosive force in many different forms. Power corrupts, absolute power, absolutely. And when a public servant is AWOL for 57% of the votes they're elected to cast, I don't see the difference between overt corruption and benign neglect. But, rather than let my provincial opinion rain on one man's parade, let me, too, sing hosannas. Welcome “home”, my funny, funny valentine; and, on your ride back from the DMV with your new Connecticut license, pick up some candy or a fat federal grant for the good people of Killingworth.
News to us locals of a little more importance is the timely filing of our October '03 Grand List. Growth for the year was at 1.4%, about the same percentage of voters in South Carolina that supported (alright, alright; I'll stop). Growth that is far less than we have enjoyed in recent years; and, growth that is consistent with neighboring towns. But it is important to remember that in any given town it is not necessarily the size of the Grand List that matters – think back, if you will, to the huge bump in the List following a property revaluation – but the percentage of growth from year to year that most directly affects our wallets. This year, I'm afraid, the news is not good.
Growth at 1.4% (which strangely, by the way, reflects a decrease in the millions of personal property and automobile assessments) means “new” revenues – monies generated without any adjustment to the mil rate – of less than $170,000. While Town spending can easily be sustained by that number (an increase in the municipal budget at an unfathomable rate of 4% is still below $170,000), an overall increase in the education budget of that same percentage results in an added assessment to Killingworth of nearly half a million dollars, very close to one full mil of taxes.
This is not, of course, an editorial on what we should or shouldn't budget. For both our beloved town of Killingworth and RSD 17 budget season is just beginning, and both groups have a long way to go before final numbers are put to a vote. We must remember, however, that large percentages of annual costs are already fixed; bonds, notes, purchases of capital equipment; so bringing in a bare-bones budget not only doesn't mean what it used to, it actually means a step backward. It is truly unfortunate that at a time when the Town (i.e., Bosco, Venuti, etc.) and the school have committed to significant infrastructure growth, the natural growth of the Grand List, perhaps reflective of international financial woes, has slowed faster than some campaigns for the White House ( this time, I mean it). But, such is economic life when there is a war to fund, planets to conquer, and such vital security issues as steroid use and same sex marriages to consume the national debate.
Who knows? Maybe life is like a box of chocolates. Maybe Janet Jackson really didn't mean to do it, and maybe the moon really is green cheese. Maybe a Grand List that grows a little too little is a good thing; and, maybe, just maybe, I shouldn't have made that joke about a famous Midwestern state.
Sooner or later my suspicions will pass and I'll accept what I can't at this moment. Suspicions that State and Federal spending are way, way out of control. Suspicions that it is becoming harder and harder for local government – without spiking the mil rate – to find a way to make ends meet. Suspicions that when you tell us, Joe, that you're glad to come “home” to Connecticut, you'd be a little gladder if this week saw you in Wisconsin, or Michigan, or Pennsylvania Avenue.
Remember us in the days ahead; and, good for you, Senator; good for you. I love Connecticut, too, and have lived here all of my life. But suddenly, strangely, I find I'm from Mizzoorah. Killingworth can always use some help. So this year, please; show me.
Reminders: Feb. 10 at the Town Hall, 7:30 p.m.: Inland Wetlands, and the Board of Finance. Feb. 10 at Haddam Elementary School, 7:30 p.m.: the Bd. of Ed. February 11 at the Town Hall, 7:30 p.m.: Conservation Commission. All Town Offices – and the Transfer Station – will be closed on Feb. 12 to observe the birthday of Abraham Lincoln; and, all Town Offices will close on Feb. 16 for President's Day.
Please drive carefully during your busy travels. I look forward to speaking with you next week. Until then, I remind you that the First Selectman's door is always open.
TOPFacing the music.
Serving as an elected official means different things to different people. To me, one of the most important things it means is that you make a lot of admissions. Yes, taxes are what they are. Yes, it would be great if we could spend more on guardrail maintenance; expand the dump hours; trim the mil rate, etc. Yes, your First Selectman is a bit of a prig at times (did I really say that?); after all, his favorite music is . . . jazz. Not just any jazz, thank you, but the old stuff: Basie, Hampton, Ellington, Krupa. Jack Teagarten, Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, Hoagy Carmichael, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young and on and on and on. Stuff you have to search for on the dial and at the record stores. Really search; long and hard.
Not all of my most memorable evenings have been spent in our all-purpose room. Some have been at the Blue Note, the Vanguard, The Jazz Standard, Club Carlyle or any number (what a hipster!) of other city clubs. One that predated my time, however, was The Famous Door, a Big Apple hotspot that “discovered” (such as it was) the Count himself and countless other talents.
My door? Well, certainly not famous, but maybe the fact that that special club on West 52 nd Street closed before my time had something to do with my (in)famous open door policy. A policy, by the way, that prompted me to vote with Charlie and Lou to ask the Board of Ed., again, to schedule a special meeting to talk, as we should, about our new school.
Let's get one thing out in the open, from behind closed doors, if you will. I most certainly do not think the Board of Ed., any of its members or the School Building Committee have anything at all to hide. I do not suggest (and do not suggest you do, either) they are hiding anything or have collectively or individually failed to disclose a single doggone thing. I simply believe that, whenever possible, all townspeople should be reading from the same sheet of music, and for that reason alone I voted “yes” to a motion presented at the Selectmen's table to call for a meeting to specifically discuss our new school.
It's been nearly a year since we overwhelmingly passed the school construction initiative. Since then, a design has been completed, a wetlands approval gained, state permits sought (and so far, obtained). And all of this has happened during a time that has included preparation of two school year budgets, a reorganization of several administrative positions within the school district, the successful search for a new Superintendent (who commences his duties in March) and countless other things that our citizen volunteers on the Board of Ed. and School Building Committee have had to wrestle with. And oh, by the way, they also had to manage their own careers, care for their families and find precious time to kick back and dance now and then to their own favorite tune.
For some, the news of the school's progress will be music to their ears. To others, the discordant sounds of What! How come! How could you! The simple truth is that it's impossible to orchestrate construction of so important a project without losing an occasional beat, and in this regard I've learned quite a bit from the world of music.
Major symphonic productions are always a triumph of faith. Only the conductor or concertmaster has an entire musical score, and each member of the ensemble must play the part assigned them, trusting the others to fill in and complete the notes and rhythms that are absent from their page. Jazz preaches even greater interdependence, encouraging the artist to paint outside the lines, inviting creation of an individual melody that dances around, but never quite leaves, the smooth and subtle support of the collective effort of all. The attraction of improvisational music for me has always been the dichotomy: jazz at its finest sounds effortless and simple, yet at its core it is infinitely complex. The musical embodiment that less can always be more, an idea many readers have asked I spend more time exploring.
On that note, then, enough. As the days go by I'll learn from the critics if this song is sung too pianissimo; if I made the point that public discussion should never go out of style. And, that by opening the microphone to all who choose to use it, no agenda is implied; no accusations are being made.
The reason for public discourse is to improve, not to disparage, and the simple truth – like classics that endure the test of time – is that not everyone listens to the same kind of music. The key, if you'll pardon one final pun, is that a song that's played fortissimo is only well and good for the person naming the tune. If everyone insists that theirs be loud, too, the resulting din is a cacophony no one enjoys; a racket no one can sing to; a concert where everyone leaves unsatisfied, demanding their money be returned.
Reminders: Feb. 3, Town Hall, 7:30 p.m.: Planning and Zoning, and a subcommittee of the Bd. of Finance. Feb. 4, Town Hall, 7:00 p.m.: Water Pollution Control. Feb. 5, Town Hall, 7:30 p.m.: Land Use Committee. Feb. 9, Town Hall: the Bd. of Selectmen at 7:00 p.m.; Park and Rec. at 7:30 p.m.
Please drive carefully during your busy travels. I look forward to speaking with you next week. Until then, I remind you that the First Selectman's door is always open.
TOPSome like it hot.
As this week's thoughts are put to press it's twenty-three degrees outside, and it seems like weeks have passed since the mercury moved above the zero mark (Celsius). It's an odd thing to cross the Connecticut River by bridge and see the whole river frozen, and for those of you that haven't done so, it's worth the drive to East Haddam to venture across and look over the rails. Quite a winter, so far. Quite a winter indeed.
Many of us have taken to thinking about our heating bills. To what we'll spend this year to keep our hearths warm, our water pipes flowing and our oil tanks full. Unless, of course, you're talking about the Bosco farmhouse, where a Selectmen-approved plan to restore heat to the building received a cool, if not frigid reception. A wonderful, wonderful thing, the separation of powers; and, no, I'm not complaining. But a couple of things about the Bosco heat, the building and the future of the land itself are worthy of discussion, even on yet another cold and windy winter's day.
As most of you know, the Bosco farmhouse, purchased in November 2000,
had its copper piping removed by vandals approximately one year later.
The vandals were caught and convicted, and presently pay the town court-ordered
restitution in dribs and drabs (about $2100 received to date). The building
remained unheated for the winter of '01 -'02 while we fought with our
(former) insurance carrier (they denied coverage), and during the following
year improvements to the home were encapsulated into the final design
for the Bosco recreation fields, a referendum scheduled for May of '03.
The referendum included a plan to preserve the building for future use; make whatever repairs were needed for heat, access, etc.; and by the time the referendum was held, the proposed town budget for the year had already been finalized. When the project came up 71 votes short, there were no new plans – nor funds approved in the coming year's budget – to perform work on the house, and without budgeted funds to revisit the lack of heat another summer would pass and this issue would lay fallow.
Which brings us to the present.
It's not my intent to debate in this column whether funds should or shouldn't have been approved to install a heating system. My vote is a matter of record, my opinion clear for all to read. What wasn't made clear, however, in the publicized accounts that I read, was why the heating bids were so disparate; and, since the bids were received from “local” companies, their good names and fine reputations deserve an explanation.
Calls were made to contractors inviting them to visit the premises and submit bids. Two reputable firms – and only two – took the time to visit the property and submit an estimate. As reported by the Fourth Estate, the bids were remarkable different in their scale, but the story was absent of any why's or wherefores.
The two proposed systems, both equally cost efficient and equitably priced, were essentially apples and oranges. One was a system to heat a lower floor, allowing natural radiance to heat upper levels; the other a more complex system with more piping, a more sizable heating area, and two separate heating zones. Both bids included removing the aged system and replacing the old tank with a new one, and both represented good value for the money.
Yeah, well, we know it by now: you shouldn't believe everything you read in the papers. But at least one editorial, in the (gasp) Hartford Courant appeared right on the mark when, in speaking to the issue of the heat, it opined that it's time the town decided where it's going with the building. Lou, Charlie and I couldn't agree more, which is why, of course, we approved installation of the heating in the first place.
But fear not. The Bosco project, again, should be front and center in the town's mind within the next few months. As our weather must inevitably warm up, things will heat up at the Selectmen's table as we debate which of several deserving capital projects is put to a bonding vote and sent to the Board of Finance. Within thirty days the Board will have completed its research into the proposed purchase of significant acreage in town. We hope that negotiations will then commence. Within sixty to ninety days a new design for the Bosco fields should (if it stays on schedule) be completed. Within ninety to one hundred twenty days we might have some final cost estimates to construct a new transfer station. And, there's a remarkable building in town that is about to hit the market, a building that could serve many town needs – a state of the art Town Hall, a senior center, a place for our youth to gather, a town meeting room, an emergency shelter, elevator, self-contained electrical generator, sprinkler system, etc., etc., all under one roof. It is a building we'd be foolish not to look at; and best of all, it already has heat.
In the months ahead, the ice will thaw, dispositions will soften and many of the current planning questions will find their way to answers. Reasonable people will reasonably disagree – even with me – so it's not entirely hard to understand why two HVAC contractors can submit different, yet evenly fair bids, or why three people can say turn up the heat, only to have six equally wise men deliberate their way to the opposite conclusion.
In the general scheme of things to heat or not to heat is not the largest question the future will force us to face. As a community, the real test will be how well we discuss the issues of the day when, in a matter of months, things again get hot as we debate Bosco, Venuti, the dump . . . and whatever other unique opportunities come warmly wandering our way.
Reminders: Jan. 27, Town Hall, 7:30 p.m. , Inland Wetlands and Watercourses. Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m., at the HK (Regional) Rec. Office at the high school, the HK Recreation Commission; and, at the Black Rock School (on Recycle Way), the Historical Society Board of Directors.