First Selectman Weekly Update 5-1-2020
Happy Friday North Stonington,
Things are still as busy as ever here in town. Here are some updates...
We are happy for Town Treasurer Mark Donahue that he has decided to move on to greener pastures in retirement. We are very sad to see Mark go. His work as a Selectman, Board of Finance Chairman, and head of the Tri-Board tasked with school modernization were among the many roles he filled in our town. Mark’s accuracy, dependability, and work ethic will be missed as our Town Treasurer. When one door closes, another opens however, and with Mark retiring the Board of Selectman have appointed Mustapha Ratib the new Town Treasurer. Mustapha served on the Board of Finance for the last decade and is intimately familiar with the town budgets and processes. We were incredibly fortunate for him to have put his name forth and are excited to have him serve in this capacity within our Town. This transition officially takes place on Monday.
With this transition we will be looking for someone to fill the vacancy left by Mustapha on the Board of Finance. We are also still looking for additional volunteers to serve on Affordable Housing. If you feel called to either, please fill out the application and return to townclerk@northstoningtonct.gov
Click Here for the Application for Boards and Commission Membership
The Governor has asked anyone with a smart phone to download the "How we feel" app. Consider downloading the app if you have a smartphone and check in regularly to help us gather data as to how the pandemic is affecting different areas in the State.
If you are an essential business in town (which is any that are allowed to currently remain open under the Governor’s Executive Orders) and need masks we have a small limited supply designated for businesses. Please contact Emergency Management Director Gary Baron at 860-912-0004 to coordinate receipt. They will be available on a first come, first served basis.
In highway news, this week the crew cleared the roads of fallen trees on Hangman Hill and Babcock Roads. Trees were trimmed on Wyassup Road and Grindstone Hill. Northwest Corner and Anna Farm East and West were swept. Some crack sealing began on Button Road. Mowing took place along Wintechog Hill and Boombridge Roads. Town properties were mowed.
Next week more tree trimming will continue. Button and Putker Roads will be crack sealed and sections will be paved over. Sweeping and mowing will continue of main roads. The State has also begun road work on Route 49 in North Stonington to Route 165 in Voluntown with some lane closures which may slow down traffic a bit.
The budget process is in full swing and with that I would like to offer some clarity on a couple of the items that I've heard brought up in different forums and meetings...
Why did the Selectmen deny the Fire Company's request for staffing funds?
The Fire Companies request for $100,000.00 in funding for staffing was not ever passed to the Board of Finance for consideration. The Board of Selectmen wanted to be sure we did our research on all possible ways this challenge could be addressed. We have formed a committee to look at the options for our Emergency Services in town. If you see here https://www.northstoningtonct.gov/emergency-services-operations-committee they have already met three times and are in the process of putting together a proposal for the Board of Selectmen's consideration within the next several months. The committee includes Chairwoman Tricia Cunningham, Vice Chair Carl Johnston, Secretary Sarah Nelson, Chief Charlie Steinhart and President of the Ambulance Association Jim Tuttle. Feel free to attend one of their meetings to see the quick progress they are making towards a viable solution to our Emergency Services delivery in town.
Are we tearing down the old middle school?
You may remember if you have been in town long enough, the initial vote of the school modernization project called for a tear down of the Middle School as part of the project. For those who were here you also may remember we ended up going for a re-vote on the project in early 2018. Prior to and at the re-vote we addressed the subject that the middle school tear down was an "alternate" which would be done if there was funding available as we moved through the project. Please watch this video at the exact time 20:07 https://www.northstoningtonct.gov/home/news/town-meeting-video-february-1-2018-available-online for the clear communication to the crowd of 800+ voters about this. We also obtained a letter from the town attorney in December of 2017 which clarified this point prior to us going through the town meeting and subsequent referendum. This was all done very transparently and properly and was discussed in depth at several open meetings before this went to re-vote in early 2018 and passed by a 2-1 margin. As the project continued early this year, we had additional unexpected PCB remediation to the tune of 700,000+ dollars which made middle school demolition unfeasible and thus the alternate for that work will not be accepted.
What is the School Repurposing Committee's purpose?
Knowing the middle school demo was unlikely to happen as we watched the additional PCB unforeseen costs mount, the Board of Selectman appointed a committee to look at future uses of the building which could still include tear down. That committee has met about 1/2 dozen times and is working hard to come to the Selectmen with some recommendations in short order. Please review their meeting minutes to be informed of their progress and many different ideas they are discussing. https://www.northstoningtonct.gov/school-building-repurposing-committee. Although renovating this building as a public school did not make sense for fiscal and other reasons including the hazardous materials in the building; the rules for non public school uses are much more feasible. It is quite possible there maybe a great option to help this building in the heart of our village once again be an integral facility in the community.
Can we have a referendum or town meeting in person while the pandemic is taking place?
I have been on multiple calls with the Governors office and talking with many representatives about this topic. To be clear, people should not feel they are at risk of their own health and safety to vote. Town leadership cannot risk peoples health and wellbeing in opposition to the Governors orders. We will work with Ledge Light Health District to make determinations on an in person vote when the time comes. If there is a way that is safe to do an in person vote that can be managed accurately by the town we will look at that option. I am also currently working with the Governors office on the idea of mail in voting. Many ideas are being discussed. Right now the next step in our budget process is a town hearing which will happen virtually once the Board of Finance finishes their deliberations. This hearing will be available to attend by phone or on zoom.
Stonington is not asking for increases in their budget...can North Stonington do the same?
Everyone should know the Boards of Selectmen, Education, & Finance have been working since November on putting a conservative and healthy budget together for our town. North Stonington and Stonington are incredibly different communities with different tax bases and revenue sources. We cannot look at Stonington as a comparison to us. If you wish to look to other towns to compare us to, look at the attachment below which we have provided. It shows similar towns based on geography and population. We did this comparison as a piece of data when we were looking at salaries in town vs other "like" towns. At this time our budget is still being reviewed and we are working towards putting forth the most conservative budget possible while maintaining necessary funding for our town and schools.
**Click the image below to see a larger version**
How do we set priorities in North Stonington?
The town has a Plan of Conservation and Development and last year leadership put a Strategic Plan together to help augment action on that plan. This plan was written by the people and it is the collective people that we represent, not individuals. Among the top priorities for the town is to help find more revenue sources to help grow our grand list. In the event we continue to lose State funding, we are looking to be able to take care of ourselves without a tremendous burden to the individual tax payer. A large scale project in our EDC or Industrial Zone could help us do that. Without water and sewer the chances of a larger scale project are slim to none which is why this is a top priority for the town. Please review the attached Strategic Plan so you might be familiar with the Towns priorities. Click Here to view the Town's Strategic Plan
In closing please always feel free to attend a meeting of any board and commission. All agendas are posted on the town website with call in information listed on the agenda at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. We are so thankful to all who contribute to the meetings and especially for those who serve on boards and commissions.
Stay well and everyone have a great week!