Boards Working Together

Last Tuesday night, members of the Boards of Finance and Education attended the Selectmen’s meeting to discuss the coordination of efforts regarding the evaluation of the School Building Feasibility Study. A series of Town hearings, meetings and ultimately a referendum are planned over the next 6 months.

Bids to reconstruct the Main Street Bridge are due to Town Hall by Monday, Dec. 12^th. We expect to complete reviews of the bids and determine the low cost proposal by early January, if not by the end of the December.

Evaluation of the offer to donate to the Town 5 parcels of land (108+ acres) off Wintechog Hill Road is progressing. Planning and Zoning Commission was notified officially of the offer last week, in accordance with Sec. 8-24 of the General Statutes. The Selectmen and some residents walked the property last Saturday (Dec. 3^rd) along with our environmental consultant. While the buildings appear in very poor condition and need to be demolished, very little other debris and refuse was found. The property title search continues and an update is pending. Stay tuned as we may try to bring this proposal to a Town Meeting before the end of this year.

Work continues on other repair projects also, specifically the Hewitt Dam and Boombridge Road Bridge.

Just a reminder, the Board of Education will be addressing the “School of Choice” feasibility study this Wednesday (Dec. 14th) at their regularly scheduled meeting.

This week, the Assessor reported to the Board of Finance that the revaluation process is almost complete. Some additional photos of property need to be taken but the data collection is done and hearings have wrapped up. The contractor, Vision Appraisal is revisiting the basis of some assessments, particularly in the Blue Lake area to ensure they are consistent with surrounding areas. In general, the Assessor reported that the Commercial portion of the Grand List has declined about 7% and Residential properties are down about 17% in assessed value. A more complete report is due the end of January when we will have the annual Tri-Board meeting to discuss the economic condition of the Town and the budget guidelines.

Economic and Development Commission is scheduled to interview Planimetrics on Dec. 15th about their proposal to help the town develop an Economic Development Plan. Three other consultants will pitch their proposals on Dec. 19th before the Commission awards the work. Such a plan will be coordinated with the Affordable Housing Committee’s study, likewise being developed this year, so that we can consolidate them into the overall update of the Town’s Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) which is due to the State in 2013.

Mark