[Correction: The number of hours worked by Beth Paul is 20 hours for Burlington and 20 hours for New Hartford, not 15 hours for New Hartford as our reporter assumed in the original report.  The information regarding the breakdown of her hours was not forthcoming from the First Selectman's Office, therefore our reporter assumed that Beth was working the 35 hours specified by the employees' union contract since Beth is a union member.  Today our reporter confirmed unofficially that Beth's work hours are 20 hours for Burlington and 20 hours for New Hartford.  We have not been able to confirm officially whether the additional 5 hours are being paid to Beth as overtime; nor have we been able to confirm officially whether the town is being reimbursed by Burlington for a proportion of her salary and benefits, as has been customary when the town has contracted out its employees to other municipalities in the past; 7:15 p.m., Friday, July 23]

[Correction: The union representative corrected the statement regarding the union not being approached for concessions during the budgetary process as stated in this report.  The union said that the First Selectman had asked for concessions on the health insurance, the union wanted to negotiate saving the Administrative Assistant's position in the Land Use Office; this was not made negotiable by the First Selectman and no concessions were made by the union.  Subsequently, a part-time Administrative Assistant position was reinstated in the Land Use Office and has been filled; 7:30 p.m., Friday, July 23]

[Correction: The number of hours worked by the Registrars of Voters is 10 hours per week, plus any additional days required for elections; this number was incorrectly given as 15 in this article and has been changed to 10.  The corrected total hours worked by Lila Tuxbury are 20 hours per week, which still make her eligible to qualify for the town's pension plan.  We apologise for this incorrect number; 1:00 p.m., Thursday, July 22]

By: Maria Moore

With the Jerram administration now well into its 7th month in office, that is, over a quarter through its term, NewHartfordPlus is looking at the functioning of Town Hall to see what that might tell us about the current administration. Following is Part II of a two-part report that looks at the way the Jerram administration has handled personnel changes at Town Hall. Part I, published yesterday enumerated the changes in staffing at Town Hall that have occurred since the Jerram administration came into office on December 1, 2009.

Over the past 6 months or so our reporter has spoke many times with First Selectman Dan Jerram regarding personnel changes at Town Hall and the manner in which those changes are being handled. The last contact she had with him regarding staffing at Town Hall was at the beginning of last week, the week of July 12. On Thursday, July 15 she stopped by his office to speak with him about the vandalism at Brodie Park; on Friday, July 16 she stopped in again a few minutes before noon to ask him personnel-related questions for this article; however he had just left for his one-week vacation. Our reporter also speaks with Christine Hayward, Dan Jerram’s administrative Assistant several times a week regarding municipal personnel matters. Her last conversation with Christine regarding personnel matters at Town Hall was this afternoon, Wednesday, July 21.

Our reporter mentioned to First Selectman Dan Jerram this report on personnel changes at Town Hall that she was working on and he said that he had stepped into “a particularly challenging time” when his administration came into office.  He pointed out the fraud that he had had to deal with and also the recession which had a huge impact on his budget for this fiscal year. Our reporter acknowledged the challenges he faced but also pointed out that each administration has had to face its own challenges; for example, his predecessor, Earl MacInnes had to deal with getting the approval by the townspeople for the sewer plant and then getting the construction of that plant off the ground.  Dan emphasized that there are more positive things for our reporter to focus on, such as the road repairs that are ongoing.  A report on the road repairs will be forthcoming; however, this report will concentrate on how changes in personnel are being dealt with by the First Selectman since we believe this gives valuable insight into the management style of the Jerram administration.

Following is how some of the personnel changes outlined in Part I of this report have been, or are being handled by the First Selectman:

1.  The replacement of the Highway Superintendent

The day after the Highway Superintendent was suspended without pay on January 7 First Selectman Dan Jerram appointed fellow Republican Selectman Bruce Gresczyk as Interim Highway Superintendent.  Beginning January 8, Bruce was paid $30 per hour, without benefits and with the use of a town vehicle and a gas card.  Dan pointed out the need to have someone with experience step into the position immediately since it was the middle of winter and the town was almost out of salt.  Bruce had been First Selectman in town from the early ’90s through 1998 when he left that position to move to one at the state Department of Agriculture.

Selectman Bruce Gresczyk served as Interim Highway Superintendent from January 8 through March 12, when he resigned from the position to go back to work full-time on his family’s farming business.   During his two-month stint as head of the Highway Department, Bruce reported to both the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance that he had undertaken an extensive survey of the town roads, most of which he said were in “deplorable condition”.  Bruce completed that survey and helped set priorities for the roadwork to be done with the newly-elected First Selectman. Our reporter asked for a copy of Bruce’s report on the town roads and was told that Bruce had not produced a written report, neither was there a written list of priorities for road work to be undertaken; the First Selectman did show our reporter a photocopied map of the town with roads to be worked on highlighted in yellow.

Bruce also began a major tree-cutting operation in town because, as he reported to the Board of Selectmen and to the Board of Finance members, the town had neglected to keep up with tree maintenance and there were many trees that were a danger.  Our reporter asked at the end of a selectmen’s meeting what happened to the trees that were being cut down around town and she was told that they were left where they were cut and that the property owners normally took the wood.

On March 22, one week after Bruce had vacated the Interim Highway Superintendent position a new Interim Highway Superintendent (or Interim Highway Foreman as he corrected our reporter) was appointed by the First Selectman. That second Interim Highway Foreman is Doug Spencer, a 37-year veteran of the town’s Highway Department and the head of one of the town’s two road crew groups.

Our reporter checked in with the First Selectman’s Office about the “Interim” status of Doug Spencer’s appointment as Highway Foreman and she was told that it would continue for the foreseeable future.

2.  Resignation of the Town Hall Custodian and His Replacement

Norm Paul, the part-time Custodian at Town Hall worked early morning hours, completing his work before Town Hall staff arrived at work at 8:00 a.m.   Norm was informed in February by First Selectman Dan Jerram that he was needed to work during the hours that Town Hall was open.  Norm agreed to change most of his work hours to accommodate the new requirements, but not all.  This was unacceptable to the First Selectman and Norm resigned.

Our reporter asked what Norm’s work hours were when he was hired and she was told that he had been hired to work while Town Hall was open; however, he had been allowed to change his hours to early morning hours under a previous administration.

Norm’s position was not advertised as being available but rather was filled by word of mouth.  An Interim Custodian, who is related to a road crew member has been hired for the position.  However, since she is not available to work during the summer ~ she works at Brodie summer camp ~ the First Selectman’s Office advertised for a temporary summer Custodian.  A college student has been hired for the summer until the Interim Custodian is available to return to the position.  Our reporter asked whether there were any plans to hire someone permanently for that position, and was told that for now it was an interim position.

3. The suspension and retirement of the Land Use (Zoning) Officer

The town’s Zoning Officer, Karl Nilsen was suspended without pay on the basis of an internal investigation by the First Selectman of alleged time card fraud; please see our coverage of Karl’s suspension which led to his retirement.  At the beginning of this year our reporter had asked Karl about his retirement plans and Karl had responded that he had “another 5 years” before retiring.  Karl, however was openly unhappy with the new administration’s plan to eliminate the Administrative Assistant from the Land Use Office.  Like other office heads at Town Hall, he had not been asked to submit a department budget for the new fiscal year as had always been the practice of previous First Selectmen.   This year Karl and other other department heads were informed of what their budget would be and what cuts were being made.   The department heads were concerned about what the cuts proposed for their offices in the new budget and three of them attended the Saturday morning workshop held by the Board of Finance this past March; however, no public input was allowed at that workshop.

The internal investigation carried out by the First Selectman centered around Karl’s allegedly billing the same work hours to both New Hartford and Burlington.  While the investigation was ongoing our reporter asked the following questions of the First Selectman’s Office:

• Has there been a specific policy regarding employees to sign in and to sign out when leaving the building, as the new administration was now requiring all employees to do?  From what our reporter could gather, there was no set, written procedure; each First Selectman handled it differently, with the most recent First Selectman, Earl MacInnes not requiring anyone to sign in or out.
• Do employees have regular job performance reviews where they receive input regarding their performance and the expectations of their employer are clarified?  From the information our reporter was able to gather, it appears that employees at Town Hall do not receive job performance reviews or evaluations, nor have these been instituted by the Jerram administration.
• Is there an employee policy handbook, with specific guidelines and requirements of the employees at Town Hall?  Our reporter was told that there is no  employee policy handbook, nor are there any plans to put one together; rather, the response was that “we’re too small an organization” to put together an employee policy handbook.

Following the acceptance of Karl’s retirement request by the First Selectman on June 6, an Interim Zoning Officer was appointed.  Rista Malanca, who previously worked as the Administrative Assistant in the Land Use Office, has been appointed to the interim position.  A copy of the Memorandum of Understanding which was just signed last week was not available to our reporter.

4.  Bookkeeper’s Assistant Position

Roxanne Helt resigned from the Bookkeeper Assistant position in May.  Her resignation was not communicated generally to the other staff at Town Hall; however, Lila Tuxbury, the Republican Registrar of Voters, was observed being trained for the assistant bookkeeping position.

Roxanne’s position was not advertised as being available internally or in general, but rather was filled by the wife of the Vice Chairman of the Republican Town Committee, who is a close confidant of the First Selectman.  Our reporter asked about the lack of advertising and she was told that Town Hall is not required to advertise open positions.  Our reporter observed to the First Selectman and to his Administrative Assistant that, if only for appearance’s sake, she would have advertised the position.  Asked about Lila’s qualifications for the position, the First Selectman answered that she was qualified for the position, having in the past worked as a bank teller.

As noted in Part I of this report, the Bookkeeper’s Assistant position was cut from 15 hours per week to 10 hours per week;  however, since the Registrar of Voters also works 15 hours per week as a Registrar [ corrected to 10 hours per week plus any additional hours as required], the 25 hours per week make Lila eligible to qualify for the town pension plan.  [The corrected total, 20 hours per week still make Lila eligible to qualify for the town pension plan.]

However, the Assistant Bookkeeper position has not been officially filled.  Since May, the First Selectman’s Office has said that Lila Tuxbury is working as the Bookkeeper’s Assistant “on a trial basis.”  When questioned further about this, our reporter was told that they wanted to see if the position worked out for both parties.  As of the beginning of last week, July 12, the First Selectman confirmed that the position was still being filled on a trial basis.

Part-Time Administrative Assistant Hired For Land Use Office

The First Selectman commented several times since he took office that he believes that certain offices at Town Hall are overstaffed, specifically the Assessor’s Office and the Land Use Office.  At the time that he eliminated the Administrative Assistant position in the Land Use Office he said that support staff would be cross-trained to work in different departments, and that the Land Use Office would receive administrative support in this way.  However, a part-time Administrative Assistant position for the Land Use Office was advertised at the end of June and a new person has been hired for that position.  The position is now a 15-hour per week position.

Our reporter checked in with the First Selectman’s Office about the original plan for the administrative support for the Land Use Office to be provided by other employees at Town Hall.  She was told that that idea had been met with resistance by the employees concerned.  The First Selectman’s solution appears to have been to contract out the town’s Assessor to Burlington and to hire a part-time Administrative Assistant for the Land Use Office.

Cut In Funding Of Tax Collector Assistant Line Item May Hurt Bottom Line

[Please see the comment submitted by the Tax Collector clarifying and correcting some of the information below regarding her department]

Another notice on the doors of Town Hall is from the Tax Collector’s Office and it informs visitors that Notary services will not be available in the Tax Collector’s Office during the month of July, the busiest month of the year for the Tax Collector.  Our reporter stopped by the Tax Collector’s Office and Linda Sheffield informed her that the combination of cutting the funding in her Assistant line item, together with giving her Assistant the same raise as everyone else at Town Hall meant that this fiscal year, she will only be able to have her Assistant, Debbie Ventre work for 876 hours, rather than the 1030 hours Debbie worked last year.  This, despite the record collections by the Tax Collector’s Office last year.

Linda said that because she had Debbie available to follow up on collections, he office brought in $314,807 in back taxes owed; the previous year they had only been able to collect $115,000 in back taxes owed.   Her office also collected 98.5% of the adjusted grand levy; the Board of Finance assumed a 96% collection rate.  Linda attributes the exceptional tax collections of her office directly to her having the extra help available to follow up on collections, either directly or through hiring marshals.  This year, she said, they probably won’t be able to reach the same collection rates because she won’t have the same level of help from her assistant.  Linda also confirmed that with the cut in help, she cannot spare the time during her busy month, July to carry out Notary duties, as she has done in the past.  Requests for Notary services are being directed to the First Selectman’s Office.

Meeting The Challenge in Tough Financial Times

The First Selectman told our reporter that these were challenging times with the economy in recession.  The cutbacks in staffing and in the staff’s hours are his administration’s way of meeting that challenge.  However, one has to note that against this backdrop of cuts, his budget included 3.6% raise to non-union town employees, and he did not approach the employees’ union for concessions.  Our reporter spoke with the union representative, Nancy Eldridge who confirmed that the union had expected to be approached for concessions, and that the union had hoped to have been able tosave the Administrative Assistant position in the Land Use Office.  Nancy said that the First Selectman had never approached the union for concessions during the budget process and no concessions were offered by the union.  [The union subsequently corrected this by saying that the First Selectman had asked for concessions on the health insurance, the union hoped to save the Administrative Assistant's position in the Land Use Office; this was not made negotiable by the First Selectman and so the union made no concessions.  Subsequently, a part-time Administrative Assistant position was reinstated in the Land Use Office and has been filled.]

Part-Time Employees Also Eligible To Join Town Employees’ Union

During her discussions with the town employees’ union regarding staffing changes at Town Hall, our reporter was able to confirm that all part-time employees at Town Hall are eligible to join the employees’ union.  The assumption had been that part-time employees had to work at least 20 hours per week to be eligible; however, Mike Brady, the employees’ union attorney, confirmed the following to our repoter:

“As the plain language of the statute states, only part-time employees who work on a seasonal basis are excluded from MERA (see definition of employee). One who is employed for a period of more than 120 days per calendar year is covered by MERA regardless of the number of hours worked per week.”   Police Dept. of the Town of Windsor Locks v. Board of Labor Relations, 225 Conn. 297, 622 A2d 1005 (1993).

The town employees’ union representative confirmed that all existing and future part-time employees would be given the opportunity to join the employees’ union if they so wish.

[Part II of this report is in the process of being edited and will be published on Thursday. Thank you for your understanding; 9:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 21]

[Addition: We have added the Building Inspector's position in the section 'Other Cuts in Personnel' since the status of that position was changed from a part-time position to a contracted service, resulting in a cut in the funding for that position; many thanks to a friend of NewHartfordPlus who pointed out this omission in our report; 10:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 21]

[[Correction: The wording of the notice originally quoted at the beginning of this article is the wording in the Notices/Announcements section of the town's website. The notice on the doors at Town Hall is worded slightly differently. We have also added the wording of the notice on the doors to this article. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused; 9:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 21]

By: Maria Moore

With the Jerram administration now well into its 7th month in office, that is, over a quarter through its term, NewHartfordPlus is looking at the functioning of Town Hall to see what that might tell us about the current administration. Following is Part I of  a two-part report that looks at the changes in the staffing of Town Hall and the way the Jerram administration has handled those changes.  This report follows up on our June 29 report Notices and Help Wanteds: Town Hall.

If you have had occasion to go to Town Hall in the last month or so you will have been met by a notice prominently displayed on the doors of the building that says:

“NOTICE:

Please be advised that summer vacation schedules may have an impact on daily office staffing.

It is always best to call ahead to insure that staff in a certain office will be available to assist you if you have business to conduct that is of a specific nature.

If you have a question or concern, and no one is available to assist you, please stop by the Selectman’s Office.

We thank you in advance for your understanding of employees’ vacation schedules.”

A similar notice is also posted on the town’s website:

“NOTICE:

Town Hall office staffing may be impacted by summer vacation schedules. If you have specific business to conduct that requires the assistance of specific personnel, it is advised to call ahead to ensure that someone with the expertise required will be available to assist you. We thank you for your understanding of summer scheduling.”

Our reporter didn’t remember seeing a sign like this at Town Hall in previous years and she checked around informally to see if anyone else remembered such a notice in the past.  None of the half-dozen residents she asked could remember such an occurrence either.  On checking with Christine Hayward, the First Selectman’s Administrative Assistant, Christine said that there had been such a notice before and that perhaps people just hadn’t noticed it in the past.   The notice itself may be a moot point: if someone has gotten to the doors of the Town Hall to read the notice, then they may already have made that trip for naught if the person they need to see is out.  The notice is also posted on the Town’s municipal website under Notices/Announcements; however, someone interested in talking to the Assessor, for example, might not think of looking in another section for information pertaining to the Assessor’s Office.

During our own trips to Town Hall over the last couple of months we noticed the following disruption in the service of several offices:

• the Land Use office was unstaffed between Thursday afternoon and the following Tuesday morning during the Memorial Day weekend.  Rista Malanca, who was the only employee who would have been available to staff the office during that time was taking a combination of comp time and a vacation day during that holiday weekend period;
• during the 4th of July, a notice on the door of the Assessor’s Office informed the public that the office would be closed two days during that week.  Laura White was on vacation that week and Beth Paul, the town Assessor was working at the Burlington Town Hall.
• on a Friday morning, the general contractor for the St. John’s Episcopal Church addition was using the credenza in the reception area of the First Selectman’s Office to go through the plans for the addition that he would be leaving with Christine Hayward since the Land Use Office was unstaffed that day.

The service provided by some of the municipal offices has definitely been impacted; however, that is due more to the cuts in the hours and in the personnel of those offices than in the fact that it is summertime.  In the past, each office at Town Hall has been staffed by two employees who staggered their vacation times so that each office was staffed by a member of that office.  With the recent turnover in employees and cuts in the number of hours staff work, it is inevitable that service to the public should suffer.

Since last December 1, when the present administration came into office, the changes in staffing at Town Hall are as follows:

Terminations/Resignations:

1. January 6: Dan LeGeyt, full-time Highway Superintendent was suspended without pay while police investigated the larceny of town money and/or town property.  Dan LeGeyt’s employment was terminated on March 26 for thefts totalling approximately $3,500 over a three-year period.  Dan LeGeyt was one of the highest paid employees on the Town Hall staff with a salary of $63,116.66.  For the specific reasons given for Dan’s termination,  see our March 29 report Town Terminates Employment of Former Highway Superintendent…
2. February: Norm Paul, part-time custodian at the Town Hall, resigned after having been asked to change his work hours from early morning to coincide with the hours Town Hall is open. Norm and the First Selectman were not able to arrive at a mutually-acceptable work schedule and Norm resigned.  Norm earned $17,000 for his part-time position.
3. March 29: Karl Nilsen, full-time Land Use Officer, was suspended without pay while an internal investigation was being conducted into allegations of time card fraud.  Karl submitted a letter of retirement to the town effective April 22. On June 6, the Town reached a settlement with Karl whereby Karl gave up accrued benefits due to him and his retirement was backdated to March 29, the date he had been suspended without pay.  Karl was also one of the highest paid employees at Town Hall with a salary of $61,516.
4. May: Roxanne Helt, part-time Bookkeeper’s Assistant, resigned her position in May for personal reasons.  Roxanne worked 15 hours per week at a salary of $12,573.

Positions Eliminated/Unfunded/Cut In Current Fiscal Year’s Budget:

The following positions were eliminated by the First Selectman in his budget for the current Fiscal Year 2010/2011 which began on July 1, 2010:

1. One full-time road crew position was eliminated.  No-one was laid off due to the move of a crew leader into the Highway Superintendent’s position.
2. One full-time Administrative Assistant position in the Land Use Office was eliminated.  Rista Malanca, who was due to be laid off on June 30 was not laid off due to her move into the Land Use Officer position.  A part-time, 15-hour per week Administrative Assistant has recently been hired for this position.
3. One part-time Administrative Assistant position in the Rec Department was cut from the budget.  Christy Tellier, who works 15 hours per week, is being paid directly by the Rec Department out of its operating budget.  This effectively cut the Parks and Rec budget by $14,000, the amount of Christy’s salary.

Other Cuts In Personnel:

Other cuts in the hours of Town Hall employees made by the First Selectman in addition to the cuts outlined above and which were not part of the new fiscal year’s budget are:

1. The full-time Assessor’s hours available to service the Town’s needs have been cut from 35 hours to 15 hours.  Beth Paul, the Town Assessor has been contracted out for 20 hours per week to the town of Burlington.  When our reporter asked about the arrangement, she was told that Burlington pays a pro-rated amount for Beth’s services.  Beth continues to receive all full-time benefits from the Town of New Hartford, including being enrolled as a full-time employee in the Town’s pension plan.
2. The Tax Collector’s Assistant position has been cut back from 20 hours per week to 12 hours per week.  This means that Debbie Ventre, the assistant in that department is no longer eligible to be enrolled in the Town’s pension fund.  To be eligible for a town pension, the employee must work at least 1,000 hours per year which breaks down to approximately 20 hours per week.
3. The Bookkeeper’s Assistant position has been cut back from 15 hours per week to 10 hours per week.  However, Lila Tuxbury, who is now filling this position is now eligible to be enrolled in the Town’s pension fund because she also works 15 hours per week as the Republican Registrar of Voters; the hours of the two positions combined total 25 hours, more than the approximately 20 hours per week needed to qualify for a town pension.
4. The Building Inspector’s position was changed from a part-time position to a contracted service; see our report of the March 23 Board of Selectmen meeting that includes the First Selectman’s announcement that the Building Inspector’s position had been modified.  As a contracted service provider, Paul Volovski, the town’s long-time Building Inspector was to limit his hours to no more than 15 hours per week at a rate of $40 per hour.   This reduced his salary of $40,558 as a part-time employee to a maximum of $31,200 as a contracted service provider.

These, then are the cuts that have been made to the staffing levels of the different municipal offices.  Part II of this report will look at how staffing decisions have been made by the Jerram administration.

The notice on the right advises visitors that not all Town Hall services may be available due to summertime staffing. Photo: Maria Moore

Following are the Community Calendar listings for today in New Hartford, CT:

Tuesday,March 23, 2010:

• Early Literacy Program: Comprehension Session: registration for this session is now underway; session begins on March 30. For more information, see the Early Literacy flyer in our Bulletin Board; to register for this new session or for more information about this Early Literacy Program please call the library at 860-379-7235.
• Bakerville Library Story Time for 3 to 5 year-olds: at 10:15 a.m. Bakerville Library, 6 Maple Hollow Road, New Hartford. For more information about the library please visit the Bakerville Library website.
• New Hartford Senior Center activities: at Senior Center, Town Hall, 530 Main St., New Hartford. Activities: Fitness at 10:45 a.m. ($2.50 per person, per class, includes a fitness card which is stamped for every class attended); Cribbage ‘n cards at 1:00 p.m. For more information please call Jean Barnicoat at 860-379-3980 between 8:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays.
• Board of Selectmen Special Meeting : at 5:30 p.m. at the Town Hall, 530 Main Street, New Hartford. For the agenda for this meeting, please see our Community Calendar.
• Board of Finance: at 7:00 p.m. at the Town Hall, 530 Main Street, New Hartford. For the agenda for this meeting, please see our Community Calendar.
• Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting: For more information, please call the Assessor’s Office at 860-379-5235.
• Have a Spring-related business you want to have seen?: Check out our BRAND NEW Yellow Pages. Use the “Submit Your Listing” form to send us the details and we’ll list your business. Looking for a lawn care service? Check our Yellow Pages where we’ll be listing companies as soon as their info. is submitted to us.

Our Community Calendar section provides additional information about the events listed above and information on past, current and future events - a permanent record of events in New Hartford. Also check out our Bulletin Board where you can see flyers on events happening around town, and where we have listed information on local non-profit groups.

…NHGrapevine…

“This is to notify you that there will be a Special Board of Finance Meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at 7:00 PM in the Sessions Conference Room at Town Hall to discuss all the town’s budgets.”

An ALERTNOW message sent to all parents and other interested parties by the New Hartford Schools yesterday at 5:00 p.m. Get there early to reserve your seat at tonight’s Board of Finance Special Meeting at 7:00 p.m.

Contribute to the …NHGrapevine… Let us know what you’ve heard - or seen - in town and we’ll add it to this listing, and also add it to the …NHGrapevine.. section. So let’s hear what you’re hearing around town…

A view of the Farmington River at Satan's Kingdom in New Hartford this past Sunday, March 21. Photo: Neil Tolhurst

This weekend calendar is still being added to, as we find more events that may be of interest to our readers. Remember to Send us info. on events you think other residents might like to know about: newhartfordplus@gmail.com. Over the weekend we’ll travel farther for a fun event!

Following are the Calendar listings for this weekend, Saturday, March 20 and Sunday, March 21 in New Hartford, CT:

Saturday, March 20, 2010:

• Board of Assessment Appeals: preset appointments at the Town Hall, 530 Main Street, New Hartford. For more information please call the Assessor’s Office: 860-379-5235.
• Bakerville Community Nursery School Fun Fair: from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon at the Bakerville Methodist Church, Litchfield Turnpike, Route 202, in the Bakerville section of New Hartford.
• Annual Maple Sugaring Festival: from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. at the Institute for American Indian Studies, 38 Curtis Road, Washington, CT. Every year when the days are warm but the nights are still cold, IAIS holds its annual Maple Sugaring Festival. Enjoy pancakes made by IAIS staff, local maple syrup, coffee and orange juice (served from 11:00am - 1:00pm) and learn how local Native Americans traditionally made maple syrup. Jim Dina will demonstrate the technique of collecting sap and boiling it down into syrup as he discusses its importance to Native American culture. Children’s activities will run from 1:00pm - 3:00pm. For more information, please visit the Calendar page of the IAIS website.
• Ephemera 30 International Fair and Conference: Hosted by the Ephemera Society of America from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., Appraisals from 12:30 until 2:00 p.m., $5 per item; at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 1800 East Putnam Avenue (Rt. 1), Old Greenwich, CT. For more information, please visit the Ephemera Fair website.
• Hartford Jewish Film Festival: Meeskeit & A Matter Of Size at 8:30 p.m. at the Wadsworth Atheneum, Main Street, Hartford. This annual 10-day film festival runs from March 13 until March 23. For more information please visit the Hartford Jewish Film Festival website.
• Nights At The Beekley Concert Series: Chris Rosser, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and composer: will be performing at the Beekley Library, 10 Central Avenue, New Hartford. Chris will be performing with River Guerguerian. Cheese and wine reception before the concert at 7:00 p.m., performance starts at 7:30 p.m. For more information, please see our March 19 article Chris Rosser to Perform At Beekley With Percussionist River Guerguerian.
• Robert Messore Coffee House: at 7:00 p.m. in the Ceder Room at White Memorial Conservation Center, 80 Whitehall Road, Litchfield. Members: $8.00, Non Members: $12.00; Pre-registration and Pre-payment required, please call the White Memorial Conservation Center at 860-567-0857. Singer, songwriter, exceptional guitarist, wonderful guy, Robert Messore returns to White Memorial performing a variety of Celtic and original pieces. Food available for purchase will have an Irish flair.

Sunday, March 14, 2010:

One of the booths at the Lions Club Antiques Fair last March, 2009. Photo: Maria Moore

Following are the Community Calendar listings for today in New Hartford, CT:

Thursday, March 18, 2010:

• Early Release for New Hartford Schools: Professional Day for teachers.
• New Hartford Senior Center activities: at Senior Center, Town Hall, 530 Main St., New Hartford. Activities: Line dancing at 9:30 a.m.; Fitness at 10:45 a.m. ($2.50 per person, per class, includes a fitness card which is stamped for every class attended; Bingoat 12:45 p.m.; Yoga at 4:00 p.m. For more information please call Jean Barnicoat at 860-379-3980 between 8:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays.
• Board of Assessment Appeals: Preset individual appointments. For more information please call the Assessor’s Office: 860-379-5235
• Thursday Night Celts, Pagans and Patrick, oh my!: With Annie Kelleher. Event starts at 7:00 p.m., vegetarian Irish Buffet will be served from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. For more information, please visit Passiflora’s website.
• Should your event be listed here and you don’t see it? Please email us the info. and we’ll add it! Send your email to newhartfordplus@gmail.com and write Calendar in the subject line.
• Have an item you’d like to sell?: Sell it in our FREE Classifieds! Send us the details and we’ll list it for you for free! Check out our Classifieds section which we update as we receive the ads.

Our Community Calendar section provides additional information about the events listed above and information on past, current and future events - a permanent record of events in New Hartford. Also check out our Community Bulletin Board where you can see posters and information on local groups and events.

…NHGrapevine…

“Right now, it’s budget, budget and more budget!”

Was our reporter’s answer to a friendly “How’s it going?” From a fellow resident in town. “Thank goodness it’s only once a year!” Our reporter added.

Contribute to the …NHGrapevine… Let us know what you’ve heard - or seen - in town and we’ll add it to this listing, and also add it to the …NHGrapevine… section. So let’s hear what you’re hearing around town…

Collecting sap at the corner of Maple Hollow and Stub Hollow. Photo: NewHartfordPlus archives

Technical Difficulties: Some of the links to the Community Calendar are not working. If you click on a link in this Daily Calendar and can’t access the corresponding Community Calendar listing, please go directly to the website of the particular organization in question. All the websites are listed on our home page under Town Sites, Related Sites, etc. in the right-hand side bar.

Following are the Community Calendar listings for today in New Hartford, CT:

Tuesday,March 16, 2010:

• Early Release for New Hartford Schools: Professional Day for teachers.
• Early Literacy Program: Comprehension Session: registration for this session is now underway; session begins on March 23. To register for this new session or for more information about this Early Literacy Program please call the library at 860-379-7235.
• Bakerville Library Story Time for 3 to 5 year-olds: at 10:15 a.m. Bakerville Library, 6 Maple Hollow Road, New Hartford. For more information about the library please visit the Bakerville Library website.
• New Hartford Senior Center activities: at Senior Center, Town Hall, 530 Main St., New Hartford. Activities: Fitness at 10:45 a.m. ($2.50 per person, per class, includes a fitness card which is stamped for every class attended); Massage with Mindy: at 12:00 noon; Crafts: at 1:00 p.m.; Cribbage ‘n cards at 1:00 p.m. For more information please call Jean Barnicoat at 860-379-3980 between 8:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays.
• Retirement Board/Pension Committee: at 6:30 p.m. at the Town Hall, 530 Main Street, New Hartford. For the agenda for this meeting, please see our Community Calendar.
• New Hartford Schools Board of Ed Meeting: at 7:00 p.m. at New Hartford Elementary School, Wickett Street, Pine Meadow. For the agenda for this meeting, please see our Community Calendar.
• Board of Assessment Appeals: Preset individual appointments. For information, please call the Assessor’s Office at 860-379-5235.
• Apartment hunting?: Check out our Classifieds section. Have an apartment available to rent? Send us the information and we’ll list it for you for FREE. We add listings as they’re submitted or as we become aware of them.
• We continuously update this daily Community Calendar as we come across more events of interest to our readers. If you know of an event that you think should be listed here but don’t see it, please share it with our community: email us the info. at newhartfordplus@gmail.com and write Calendar in the subject line.

Our Community Calendar section provides additional information about the events listed above and information on past, current and future events - a permanent record of events in New Hartford. Also check out our Community Bulletin Board where you can see flyers on events happening around town, and where we have listed information on local non-profit groups..

…NHGrapevine…

“Any news on the Highway Superintendent’s investigation? On the appointment of an Interim Highway Superintendent? On the lease on the Brodie House?”

The reporting game our reporter plays every day with Christine Hayward, the First Selectman’s Administrative Assistant. Chris’ answer? “No, no, and nothing yet!” And then on to the topic du jour…

Contribute to the …NHGrapevine… Let us know what you’ve heard - or seen - in town and we’ll add it to this listing, and also add it to the …NHGrapevine.. section. So let’s hear what you’re hearing around town…

A path along the banks of the Farmington River on Monday, March 15 as the heavy rain of the past three days winds down. Photo: Maria Moore

Monday, March 15, 2010:

• New Hartford Senior Center activities: at Senior Center, Town Hall, 530 Main St., New Hartford. Activities: Fitness at 9:00 a.m. ($2.50 per class, includes a fitness card which is stamped for every class attended); Coffee at 10:00 a.m.; Advisory Council Meeting at 11:00 a.m. For more information please call Jean Barnicoat at 860-379-3980 between 8:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays.
• Board of Assessment Appeals: Preset individual appointments. For information, please call the Assessor’s Office at 860-379-5235.
• Car For Sale: Check out the new listing in our Classifieds section. Do you have a a vehicle for sale? Let us know and we’ll list it for FREE in our Classifieds.
• Do you know of an event that should be listed here and you don’t see it? Please email us the info. and we’ll add it! Send to newhartfordplus@gmail.com and write ‘Calendar’ in the subject line.

Our Community Calendar section provides additional information about the events listed above and information on past, current and future events - a permanent record of events in New Hartford. Also check out our new Community Bulletin Board where you can see posters and information on local groups and events.

…NHGrapevine…

“It’s up to us how we structure the payments.”

First Selectman Dan Jerram told the Board of Finance members about the wastewater treatment plant payments which apparently won’t begin until the 2011-2012 fiscal year, a year later than everyone had assumed. Board of Finance members asked to see a payment schedule at their next meeting.

Contribute to the …NHGrapevine… Let us know what you’ve heard ~ or seen ~ in town and we’ll add it to this listing, and also add it to the …NHGrapevine.. section. So let’s hear what you’re hearing around town…

A view of the trees in Callahan Park as seen from Route 219 during the rain at 7:30 a.m. Sunday, March 14. Photo: Maria Moore

By: Maria Moore

The Town Government budget for the coming fiscal year (beginning on July 1, 2010) which First Selectman Dan Jerram presented at the Board of Selectmen Special meeting last night showed a 0.2% increase which, he said, met the request of the Board of Finance for a 0% increase budget.  To get there, the budget cut funding for 4 positions as well as cutting funding to other government-supported areas.  By the end of the meeting, however, the selectmen approved a proposed budget with a 2.6% increase, in which one of the positions cut had been reinstated and other funding cuts to several areas had been restored.  Careful to abide by the Board of Finance’s request, the budget Dan will be presenting to the Board of Finance at their Saturday morning workshop tomorrow, March 13 will be the 0.2% increase budget, with the restored items that would bring the budget to the 2.6% increase level highlighted in yellow.

The 0.2% increase budget gives a total Government Budget of $4,908,408 which is $7,397 higher than the current year.  The 2.6% increase budget gives a total Government Budget of $5,028,750 which is $127,747 higher than the current year.

The Thursday evening meeting, on March 11 had been rescheduled from Tuesday, March 9 and it was attended by employees from five municipal departments who sat among the public, all awaiting news of how the proposed budget would effect their departments.   Also at the meeting were Board of Finance members Alesia Kennerson and Reggie Smith.

Cuts in Funding in Proposed Budget

Dan first read through the 0.2% budget, highlighting the cuts made.  The most important cuts, those to personnel, were as follows:

• Public Safety: One full-time resident state trooper cut;
• Highway Department: One full-time road crew member cut;
• Land Use Office: One full-time Administrative assistant cut;
• Rec Department: One part-time Administrative Assistant position not funded;

There was also a 50% cut in the number of hours worked by the Building Inspector who currently works part-time.  The First Selectman said that on an annualized basis, the Building Inspector made over $80,000, more than anyone else at Town Hall.  Dan did increase the Planning Department’s Professional Fees line item by $10,000, in case the town needed to fund more hours by the Building Inspector.   The Tax Collector’s Assistant also saw a 21.6% cut in her salary; she also works part-time.

Of the above positions, the resident state trooper position was reinstated in the 2.6% budget.  Dan said that the Rec Department will now be funding directly their administrative assistant position out of the fees Rec charges for their programs.

The cutting of the Land Use Administrative Assistant’s position caused concern.   One resident pointed out that it didn’t make sense to cut her position at $28,000 and then have to allocate $15,000 to unemployment.  Dan said that her salary with benefits was about $50,000, and that the $15,000 represented more than one employee; the union representative at the meeting said she thought the unemployment figure was closer to $20,000.  Later in the discussion, Tom Klebart said he’d like to look at ways of restoring the Land Use Administrative Assistant position.  The position is still shown as having been cut in the 2.6% proposed budget.

Government-supported areas that showed funding cuts in the 0.2% budget included the following:

• The two town libraries, each of whose  funding was cut by 15.8% (total cut $41,000);
• Communications expense cut by 41.8% (cut $3,590);
• Assessors’ data processing ($2,000);
• Animal control fund cut by 8.9% (cut $1,300);
• Ambulance Association cut by 9.5% (cut 11,582).

Of the above cuts, the 2.6% budget restored all of the funding to the two town libraries.

Beth Paul, the Assessor was present at the meeting and she was opposed to eliminating the Vision online service her office now makes available to the public.   She said it’s a very popular service and she would have reallocated some of her budget to make sure that the online service was continued.  The First Selectman indicated that she was free to move around her funds as she wished; he was interested in the bottom-line savings.

Other town department heads also voiced their concern in not having been asked for their budgets before decisions affecting their departments had been made.  One department head asked if they could meet as a group with the First Selectman to go over the budget; Dan responded that he had asked about items in their budget, and did not respond to their request for a meeting.

Increases in Funding in Proposed Budget

Employee Salaries and Benefits: Union employees at Town Hall are scheduled to receive a 3.6% salary increase under their union contract.  The First Selectman also increased elected officials’ pay by 2%, including his own salary; his administrative assistant, although not union, is receiving a 3.6% increase.

In the discussion portion of the meeting, Selectman Tom Klebart said that he felt that the town leaders should get a 0% raise to make a statement in such a tough economy.  Dan said he gave all elected officials a 2% raise.  Selectman Bruce Gresczyk supported the raise for the First Selectman saying it would be difficult to attract talented people to the position if it didn’t pay adequately.  The raise was left in place and the First Selectman’s pay is scheduled to increase to $65,309 for the coming fiscal year.

Employee health insurance costs show an 18% increase, a dollar amount of $73,878. Dan said that he has asked the employees’ union to take on a larger portion of that costs; employees now pay 10% of the premium.  The employees’ Pension Fund was also increased by 9.1%, thereby allocating funds for professional management, which in the past had not been budgeted, Dan said.

Highway Department Increases

Despite the cutting of one full-time road crew member who has yet to be identified, the Highway Department saw an overall 4.2% increase in its proposed budget, an additional $55,061, bringing its proposed budget to $1,367,116.  The following items in the Highway Department have been allocated additional funds:

• Tree removal was increased by233%, an additional $14,000;
• Snow sand account was increased by 20%, an additional $10,000;
• Snow salt was also increased by 20%, an additional $10,000;
• and the crack and chip seal account was increased by 369.8%, from $63,860 to $300,000.

These increases were to make up for underfunding of road work in the recent past.  The crack and chip seal account, in particular, was not used to chip seal the roads, leaving them in a “deplorable” condition, according to Selectman Bruce Gresczyk, who has been the Interim Highway Superintendent for the past two and a half months.  This additional funding will allow the town to chip seal approx. 16 miles of roads next year.

Brown’s Corner To Be Completed With “Reallocated Funds”

Completing the work at Brown’s Corner has been one of the First Selectman’s priorities since coming into office.  He is funding the work at Brown’s Corner with funds that had previously been allocated elsewhere, as follows:

• The Rec Department’s $50,000 Capital funds have been reallocated to Brown’s Corner.  Rec had previously earmarked those funds to several small projects in the town’s parks, including the replacement of the lights at Callahan Park to make it more user-friendly.  The funds will be used to pay for fencing and other enhancements to the ball park.
• The $35,000 allocated to the Brodie House to fund whatever was ultimately going to be done with the house has been reallocated to the work at Brown’s Corner.  The Brodie House line item has been eliminated from the Town Government proposed budget, leaving the problems associated with that town property and the lack of a rental arrangement still in limbo.

And The Largest Percentage Increase Of All…

A 5,000% increase goes to the Town Hill Cemetery line item.  Although the Town Hill Cemetery line item shows a 0% increase in the proposed budget, the cemetery is actually shown as receiving $5,000 of reallocated funds on the Reallocated Funds page.  This $5,000, Dan explained, will go to refurbish the Town Hill Church bell at the top of the hill, thus preserving one of the town’s historic treasures.

Capital Debt Service Discussion

The selectmen engaged in an animated discussion at the end of the meeting on whether the Town Government budget was being made to appear higher than it really was by having the Capital debt service for the schools and the Town Hall included in their budget.  The three selectmen agreed that the Capital debt service should be shown separately from Town Government operations.  They will likely broach this subject with the Board of Finance members.

By: Maria Moore

Both the Seniors and New Hartford Schools made requests of the town’s selectmen this past Monday, but they each  met with a different response.  The selectmen were holding their second regularly-scheduled meeting of the month on Monday, January 26, and their agenda included item # 4 Board of Education~ request for Building Committee and item # 5  Seniors ~ presentation re. Senior Center, as well as the Conservation Commission, item # 3 with their recommendation for a Clean Energy Supplier.  Following is a report on these items as well as other items of interest to our readers; please see the end of this article for the full agenda for this meeting.

Item # 4: New Hartford Schools Board of Ed ~ Request for Building Committee

The New Hartford Schools Board of Ed submitted a request in writing to the selectmen  for a Building Committee to oversee the work needed at Antolini School outlined in The Lawrence Associates engineering report in our September 30 article New Roof, Windows, Boiler, for Antolini…

First Selectman Dan Jerram read the written request for a Building Committee and gave his opinion: “In this current time, I don’t think we can go forward on it.  It could jeapordize the project.”  Dan wanted to deny the request, saying that projects which presented safety issues could be addressed under the budget.  Bruce Gresczyk asked when the current debt on Bakerville ends and he was told in 2014.  Bruce was referring to the bond which the town is still paying for the Bakerville school renovations in the 1990s.  He was of the same opinion as Dan, to deny the request at this time.   Tom Klebart asked: “Why not get started now with a Building Committee?”  Dan again said he didn’t want to jeopardize the project, that he didn’t know if they had fully researched it.  Tom inquired how long a Building Committee would take to get established.  He then followed the timeline given for a Building Committee to get up and running and said they’d probably be out into 2012 before the Building Committee would start to do anything with the project.  Bruce said he concurred with the First Selectman.  Tom, however, said: “I’m not saying we don’t put it off.  I just want to get more information.”  Part of the information he wanted to know is whether the town would save money by doing all the work as a bundle.  Dan agreed there were questions “Dr. Phil” (Dr. Philip O’Reilly, Superintendent of Schools) could answer and he agreed to table the item and invite Philip to come in and speak with the board members.

Item # 5: Seniors ~ Presentation Re. Senior Center

Andy Riess, who is a past selectman in New Hartford, made a presentation to the board on behalf of the seniors’ Building Committe. ”We want a new Senior Center.” Andy informed the selectmen. Problems with the current Senior Center inlclude that it’s up on the third floor, there’s a lack of parking when Town Hall offices are open, and the center won’t be adequate 10 years from now. He said the seniors had looked at town-owned property that could be a possible site for the center and had decided on a location at Brodie Park South on West Hill. He said they’d picked out a spot that will meet the seniors’ needs and won’t impact Rec. Dan Jerram asked if it’s where the kids practice now and Andy responded that it’s on the other side of the pines from the area the kids use now. Andy said that originally they had wanted to put the new center across the river (where the Highway Department is presently located) but he said that the Economic Development Commission had other plans for that area.

“To build a building we have to have town land.” Andy said and there was no other town property downtown, where they had originally wanted to be. He said they would need $2.5 million to start with and he asked the selectmen to get a grant for them: “We have to start with you; you own the land and you’ll own the building.” He said.

Dan Jerram said that to gather the funds will take time and that the selectmen can’t speak for Rec and the seniors should involve them. Bruce agreed with Dan, saying: “The seniors did give up their money ~ $180,000 ~ but they need to take the correct steps.” We’ll go to them (to Rec) when we get the money.” Andy responded. Paul Mahoney of the Conservation Committee, whose committee also has a say on the town-owned Brodie property, said Conservation has wanted to a sub-committee to be formed. “It’s a good, long-term plan to get everybody together.” Paul said.

The three selectmen agreed that they would go ahead and look for grant money and Andy agreed that the seniors’ Building Committee would go to Rec with their plan. Andy asked if there was anyone else besides Rec and Conservation that they should go to, and Dan said: “Get as many on board as possible!” Dan added: “If you came to get us to help get grant funding , you’ve heard a positive outcome.” And with that Andy left the meeting, as did a number of supporters, including Dianne Litchfield, Mary Kent (Commission on Aging Chairwoman) and Jean Barnicoat (Senior Center Director).

Item # 3: Alison Murdock/Conservation Commission ~ Recommendation for Clean Energy Supplier

Alison Murdock and Paul Mahoney were back before the board to make a specific recommendation for a Clean Energy Supplier as they had been asked to do at the January 12 board meeting; see our January 13 report Bruce Gresczyk Appointed… Since that meeting the Conservation Commission members had also carried out an energy survey of Town Hall on January 20; see photos accompanying this report.

The Conservation Commission recommended signing up with Dominion, LEVCO in Connecticut, which offers a fixed rate and is involved in the community with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity. Dan agreed to sign up on a trial basis a part of the 12 separate accounts that the town has, and if it works, he said, then to sign up the rest. “The fixed rate guarantees a lower cost.” Alison responded, but Dan asked them to stop by and do the sign-up and then they would revisit it in 3 months.

Item # 6: Operations Updates

Probate Consolidation: Dan reported that after meeting with Ryan Bingham (the Torrington Mayor) and others in the new probate district ~ 8 towns in total ~ the towns’ representatives had unanimously voted to locate the probate office in Torrington, in their newly-renovated Town Hall. Torrington will not charge any rent, and will pro-rate the electricity for the office. Member towns will also be able to vote on the staffing of that office and on the budget. The name for the new probate office will be ‘Torrington Area Probate District’.

Daily Operations ~ Bruce Gresczyk on Highway Department: Bruce said that it was a unique opportunity for him to survey the town roads and the equipment.  He reported that the trucks were in reasonably good shape but that the equipment was not.  He said the air compressor, the grader, the roadside mower, and the payloaders all have issues which he’s dealing with.  So far, he said, he’s surveyed 80% of the town’s roads and he’ll report back on them, on the “Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.”  He said the town has 80 miles of roads and that nothing has been done to seal them.  He said that if you take the labor costs out, there’s less money in the highway department budget than in 1998 (when he was last in office) but that the price of asphalt has almost doubled.  He will have recommendations on the roads in two weeks, he told the selectmen.

Bruce also reported back on the trees that need to be cut.  ”It’s astounding how many hazardous trees there are!” He said, pointing out that for the last few years the town has called in private companies to cut the trees, when the crews could do the work, other than the tree limbs that are near power lines.  He said the town crews have been busy cutting down the dead trees.  Bruce went on to talk about the catch basins, some of which are “deplorable.”  He mentioned in particular the ones on Highland Avenue where the water drains across the road.

Dan said he’d heard comments like: “Gee, I haven’t seen guys out cutting trees in winter for a long time.” And Christine Hayward, Administrative Assistant to the First Selectman, added: “It’s refreshing to see the forms coming back with issues taken care of.”

Dan proposed extending Bruce’s appointment as interim Highway Department Superintendent.  Tom asked about the timing of the investigation, and when Dan said he didn’t have any additional information on that, Tom said: “I’m not comfortable with a selectman in charge of the Highway Department.”  He was assured that they were not setting a precedent, that it had happened before on a short-term basis.  Bruce said he had limited time available until the end of February, and that he was not interested in the job beyond that.  The selectmen extended Bruce’s appointment up to their next meeting.

Item # 8: Appoint of Assessor

The appointment of Beth Paul as Assessor was approved.  Dan added that there was no growth on the grand list, something which will affect the budget.

Item # 9: Appointment of Tree Warden

Dan said that he can appoint himself as the Tree Warden and then appoint deputies as he wishes.  ”Most towns have the First Selectman.” Christine added.  Asked what the duties of the Tree Warden are the answer was marking trees that needed to be removed, and saving specimen trees.  Dan appointed Bruce Gresczyk and  Brenda Schauffler as the two deputies.

Item # 11: Correspondence

The three selectmen signed letters to all the volunteers who had been appointed to date to the town’s boards and commissions thanking them for their service.

To read the complete, official minutes: Of this Board of Selectmen’s Meeting when available, please see the Minutes/Agendas section of the town’s municipal website.

——————–

Board of Selectmen
Regular Meeting
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
7:00 PM - Town Hall

AGENDA

1.)Minutes of January 12, 2010
2.)Opportunity for Public Comment
3.)Alison Murdock/Conservation Comm. - Recommendation for Clean Energy Supplier
4.)Board of Education - request for Building Committee
5.)Seniors -presentation re: Senior Center
6.)Operations Updates
Grant Updates, Probate Consolidation, Others
7.)Appointments to Boards and Commissions
Conservation Commission, Historic District, RRDD#1, others
8.)Appointment of Assessor
9.)Appointment of Tree Warden
10.)Appointment to Northwest Connecticut Convention and Visitors Bureau
11.)Correspondence
12.) Request for Tax Refunds
13.) Any Other Business to Come Before this Board

Conservation Commission members Alison Murdock, Paul Mahoney and Chris James in the boiler room at Town Hall during the recent energy survey they conducted. Photo: Maria Moore

Alison Murdock, Dan Jerram and Chris James are seen checking out the boiler at Town Hall during the recent energy survey conducted by members of the Conservation Commission. Photo: Maria Moore