Councilor suggests downtown site for Wallingford school offices

As published in the Record Journal, Saturday February 11, 2012

By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225

WALLINGFORD — The Board of Education has looked in the past to move its administrative offices from Sheehan High School, and one town councilor thinks he’s found a place that will suit their needs as well as offer more downtown parking. Nick Economopoulos, a Democrat, said the town should investigate buying the property at 50 S. Main St., an building across the street from Town Hall, next to the post office.

According to Town Assessor Shelby Jackson, the property is appraised at $1 million and assessed at $728,000. Economopoulos said the property is listed for sale for $1.2 million. Jackson said the building, which was constructed in 1973, has 16,000 square feet and sits on a half-acre.

“It’s mostly medical offices,” Jackson said.

Economopoulos, a former school board member, said Sheehan High School was looking to begin a nursing program that would require a hospital- type setting. Moving the administrative offices would free space for that, he said.

Another advantage of the South Main Street property, in addition to office space, is the parking, Economopoulos said. The parking would be available for municipal use when the offices were closed.

“There’s 26 marked spaces in each lot, on the South Main side and the Center Street side,” Economopoulos said. “We’re killing two birds with one stone, increasing parking on the nights and weekends when the town is busiest, and finding space for the Board of Education.”

He added that town departments looking to expand could possibly use the space.

School Superintendent Salvatore Menzo said the school district had explored moving the Board of Education offices “on a very basic level,” but the current fiscal situation doesn’t make it appear likely.

“It’s a dream of ours ... there’s a lot of possibilities if we were to leave Sheehan,” Menzo said. “We could expand some programming and look at some other opportunities. But, he added, “right now the finances wouldn’t allow us to make any changes.”

“We have to focus our attention at this point on getting budget passed by the mayor before we can investigate anything beyond that,” he said.

Chet Miller, a Republican Board of Education member, said the school district was interested in one point in property at 60 N. Main St., the old library building owned by Fred Ulbrich. “They looked at it, but I don’t know if there was any real sense of it being the right building,” Miller said. “But I know we’ve looked at properties before.”

Miller said he hoped that before the town purchased any properties officials would “look for alternatives within the existing school system.”

“We have a diminishing student population. It keeps dropping,” he said. “Some space has got to be freed up.”

Miller said he didn’t know specifically what the new office space would be used for.

Economopoulos said that the town had planned to spend $500,000 to improve the parking lot behind the businesses on Simpson Court, and that coming up with another half-million dollars shouldn’t be too difficult. He believes the town could buy the property for about $1 million.

But Craig Fishbein, a Republican councilor, disagreed, and said the town shouldn’t be in the business of buying properties. He said he wouldn’t support any purchase “until there’s an identified need for use by the town that’s viable.”

“The track record is clear, the town should not be in the general real estate business,” Fishbein said.

He pointed to the Wooding-Caplan property, located off Center Street, which the council voted to purchase in 1991 for $1.5 million, but has remained largely vacant since. A referendum in2006 overturned the Town Council’s decision to sell the property to a local developer.

Fishbein also mentioned the American Legion building, which was sold recently after a long legal battle over its protected status as a historic building, and a town-owned building at 390 Center St., next to Wooding- Caplan, that was ultimately demolished.

Economopoulos said he wouldn’t support going forward with the purchase without knowing the school district was ready to move.

As far as parking concerns, Fishbein said that the council was exploring the creation of a temporary parking lot on the Wooding-Caplan property.

Councilors will receive a report in March from the Engineering Department with drawings and cost estimates.

Dave Zajac / Record-Journal

Wallingford Councilor Nick Economopoulos has suggested the town look at buying the office building at 50 S. Main St. as a site for education offices and more downtown parking.

Councilors seek help with fireworks fundraising

NOTE: The Wallingford Fireworks Fund will meet at Gaetano's Tavern on Main (40 N Main St  Wallingford) on Wednesday February 8th at 7:30PM in the dinning area.

The meeting will be to recruit volunteers to work as part of the fundraising committee for the 2012 fundraising season which will kick off on March 1st.

For more information contact Jason Zandri at 860 614 6069 or via Jason@Zandri.net. You can also contact Craig Fishbein at his law offices - (203) 265-2895

As published in the Record Journal on Tuesday January 31, 2012

By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225

WALLINGFORD — If Jason Zandri has learned one thing in his past two efforts to raise money for the town’s Fourth of July fireworks celebration, it’s that you can never start too early.

Zandri, a Democratic town councilor, has headed the effort to pay for the fireworks since the town dropped the festivities from its budget in 2010. He’s already started a blog to promote this year’s fundraising efforts, and will be holding a meeting soon, looking for people to join a fundraising board to oversee the operations.

“We’re looking this year to get a formal fundraising committee established,”Zandri said. For the past two years, Zandri, his father, Geno, and Republican Town Councilor Craig Fishbein have collected most of the donations. But Jason Zandri said it can’t continue with just the three of them.

“It can’t just be the Jason, Craig and Geno show,” he said. “We lucked out doing it twice like that.”

The first year the money was raised, Jason Zandri worked from his Wallingford home and his flexible schedule allowed him time for fundraising outside Stop & Shop and Dunkin’ Donuts. But last year, Zandri took a job in New York City and had to restrict his efforts to the weekends.

“For 16 weeks that’s all I did on the weekends,” Jason Zandri said.

With his new responsibilities as a councilor, putting in the same effort this year will be “impossible.”

“I’m just too involved,” Jason Zandri said. “I have to tend to my council duties, and the majority of the fundraising comes during budget season.”

Fishbein agreed, noting that he too became busy in 2011 and didn’t help out as much as he did the year before. “We need all the help we can get,” Fishbein said.

Jason Zandri said he hopes more of the people who come out to the show will help pay the costs associated with it. Many of the donations in the past two years have come from large businesses and not individuals.

Fishbein said he was disappointed that two fundraisers scheduled last year — a matinee movie and a concert at Zandri’s Stillwood Inn — drew small numbers of people.

“It was very discouraging,” Fishbein said.

Fundraising efforts at the show last year also didn’t garner as much money as was expected, Fishbein said.

Jason Zandri will once again ask the mayor if the town can pay a portion of the costs, such as the police and public works overtime, but he said he wasn’t optimistic the town would put money toward the project. The fund has about$1,000 left over from last year to put toward the 2012 show.

Last year the $24,150 for the show was raised with little time to spare. Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. said the check was delivered to the town at 2:30 p.m. on May 27, 2011, only hours before his 5 p.m. deadline.

A $2,500 donation from New Life Church helped the charity reach its goal in 2011. Similarly, a $5,000 gift from Choate Rosemary Hall in 2010 pushed the fund past its $30,000 goal.

For more information on fireworks fundraising, visit http://wallingfordfireworks.blogspot.com.

Lacrosse backers focus on one goal

High school team proposal in hands of school board, Mayor Dickinson

As published in the Record Journal, Saturday January 28, 2012

By Stephanie O’Connell
Record-Journal staff

WALLINGFORD — The lacrosse community is thrilled that this year’s school budget includes money to add junior varsity lacrosse teams at both Sheehan and Lyman Hall high schools.

School Superintendent Salvatore Menzo’s proposed budget would set aside $81,058 in the first year for two teams and $66,932 in the second year. The budget is still being discussed by the Board of Education and will be passed along to Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. for final approval.

“Right now it’s not a done deal, the mayor still has the final say but being included in the initial budget is a big step for us,” said Tim Taylor, the Wallingford Youth Boys Lacrosse coordinator. “Right now we have about 200 kids between boys and girls that are playing in the youth leagues. It is the right time to be adding the teams.”

At a public budget forum in November, Menzo said that he was approached about adding the sport in his first year as superintendent, but was concerned because there wasn’t a club program for girls on both sides of town. There was a high school-age girls club only on the Sheehan side. This past spring was the first year that the youth league fielded teams for both sexes on both sides of town. The town’s youth program began about six years ago with 20 boys and 20 girls. The program has grown to 55 boys and more than 60 girls in grades 9 through 12.

Taylor has three children who have been playing lacrosse for years. They play in the youth program that travels to play teams in Madison, North Haven, Cheshire, Guilford and Clinton.

Sheehan and Lyman Hall are the last two schools in the Southern Connecticut Conference without lacrosse teams. The school plays in the Housatonic division with Amity, Shelton and Cheshire.

“In our conference we are the only schools who do not provide lacrosse so I think that it’s time we consider it and add it to the budget and to the schools,” said Roxane McKay, chairwoman of the Board of Education. “We are talking about a lot of kids who are interested and when you look at those numbers you can tell it is an up-and-coming sport.”

McKay has been in contact with Taylor, Wallingford Lacrosse President Michelle Milslagle, coaches and players for over a year. They have had open conversations about the pros and cons of adding the sport.

“I have been very upfront with the lacrosse folks as they have with me,” said McKay. “They know that even though we put it in the budget today it doesn’t mean it’s a done deal. We have a very long way to go.”

McKay has been impressed with the support shown by Wallingford Lacrosse parents, coaches and players at meetings. She said that she understood their level of dedication after a group of teenage players showed up at an 8 a.m. meeting on a snowy Saturday morning.

“The board has been on our side since we first brought this up years ago, so we find it necessary to show up at meetings when it is going to be discussed to show our dedication,” Milslagle said.

McGuire’s letter to Holy Trinity

As published in the Record Journal on Saturday January 28, 2012

Editor’s note: This is the text of a letter sent by Ferguson & McGuire to Holy Trinity School:

January 4, 2012 We regret to advise you that as of this date, we will no longer be able to allow your parishioners, faculty and parents to use our parking lot located behind TD Bank at 6-28 North Main Street.

Because of the town referendum, this property is considered private and no longer a municipal parking lot. Accordingly, our insurance company does not want us to assume liability for any accidents that may occur on the parking lot property. When the lot was considered public, the Town of Wallingford assumed all responsibility for accidents and agreed to hold Ferguson & McGuire harmless for accidents that happened on it. This is not the case at this time.

When the lot was considered municipal, it worked well for all of us, and we were in favor of it remaining that way and being expanded by the town. Unfortunately, that cannot happen at this time. Also, the Town was supposed to maintain the lot, and as you know, other than plowing it, they have not done so.

We hope that you will advise the Mayor and Town Council about your need for parking in the Simpson Court area and request that they reinstate our lot as a municipal facility.

Yours very truly, Ferguson & McGuire, Inc.

Jack McGuire, Chairman John McGuire, President Christopher McGuire, Vice-President

No parking, McGuire tells Holy Trinity

As published in the Record Journal on Saturday January 28, 2012

By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225

WALLINGFORD — In a letter to Holy Trinity School officials earlier this month, Jack McGuire wrote that he would no longer let the church use the portion of his parking lot behind the businesses on Simpson Court. “We regret to advise you that as of this date, we will no longer be able to allow your parishioners, faculty and parents to use our parking lot located behind TD Bank at 6-28 North Main Street,” McGuire wrote in the Jan. 4 letter.

McGuire, who is in Florida, did not respond to a request for comment.

A November referendum overturned the Town Council’s decision to spend up to $500,000 to improve the parking lot behind the businesses on Simpson Court in exchange for keeping the lot public.

When the new lease agreement with owners of the four properties abutting the lot was reversed in the town-wide vote, the town and the property owners reverted to a year-to-year agreement already in place that offered public parking in exchange for plowing and other maintenance by the town.

McGuire, CEO of local insurance company Ferguson & McGuire, owns two of the four properties on Simpson Court through a limited liability company, one at 2 N. Main St. and another at 26 N. Main St. He filed his notice to quit the year-to-year agreement in 2009. Shortly after that, he withdrew his notice orally, but not in writing.

“Because of the town’s referendum, this property is considered private and no longer a municipal parking lot,” McGuire wrote. “Accordingly, our insurance company does not want us to assume liability for any accidents that may occur on the parking lot property.”

Christine Mansfield, chairwoman of the Holy Trinity School board, said the loss of parking has had an impact on the school.

“I think the effect has been tragic and disappointing,” said Mansfield, also a member of the Board of Education. “A winter scenario can only exasperate the problem. Until a solution is in place, we’re putting the kids at risk.”

An article in the Record-Journal last week said that McGuire had closed his lot to municipal parking. But John Le-Tourneau, a Republican town councilor who owns Wallingford Lamp & Shade on Center Street, has said he’s still seen people parked there when the businesses are closed. “I expect people to continue to park there because they have for years,” LeTourneau said. “It’s posted, but the lot is not shut down.”

McGuire wrote that he was in favor of the new lease agreement, and wanted to see the parking lot improvements go through.

“When the lot was considered municipal, it worked well for all of us, and we were in favor of it remaining that way and being expanded by the town,” McGuire wrote. “Unfortunately, that cannot happen at this time. Also, the town was supposed to maintain the lot, and as you know, other than plowing it, they have not done so.” McGuire said school officials should “advise the mayor and Town Council about your need for parking in the Simpson Court area and request that they reinstate our lot as a municipal facility.” Mansfield said that the church has been adjusting by having members park farther down in the public portion of the lot, or by trying to find parking on the street. But on-street parking is limited to two hours, she said.

A line has been drawn in the lot by the town and signs have been moved to demarcate the lot, but some people Friday were continuing to park in McGuire’s portion of the lot — behind TD Bank and the Body and Soul Day Spa. There is no physical barrier to keep parkers from using McGuire’s lot.

McGuire has said before he would consider restrictions on his portion of the parking area. “My response would be to treat my property as private property and restrict it to people who use my buildings, period,” McGuire said in August, when asked of his plans if the parking lot deal fell through. “Why should I be maintaining the property for other people? If the town is not going to come in and maintain it as a public parking lot, then I’m going to treat it as a private parking lot.”

The remainder of the municipal parking lot is behind Gaetano’s Tavern, the Masonic Temple building and the old library building at 60 N. Main St. Corporation Counsel Janis Small said no other property owners have filed the required one-year notice to quit the year-to-year agreement.

Wallingford official admits wood disposal mistake

As published in the Record Journal Friday January 27, 2012

By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225

WALLINGFORD — Responding to a town councilor’s concerns, Public Works Director Henry McCully admitted Thursday that some wood cut from town parks has been disposed of improperly.

McCully said it was due to a misreading of a contract with Randy Mangino, a public works employee. The wood has since been returned.

“The wood has been brought back to Garden Road (the Public Works yard),” McCully said. “We corrected that. It was an error on my side.”

Town Councilor Nicholas Economopoulos, a Democrat, had sent a memo to McCully asking him to look into a report from someone who saw town trucks making several trips with cut wood to a site the wood was not usually taken to. McCully replied several days later that he had “investigated your ‘missing wood’ complaint.”

The wood was cut from Jan. 3 to Jan. 9 and included the cleanup of several town parks after a late October snowstorm. Wood was removed from Pire Park, Marcus Cooke Park, Lufberry Park, Bertini Park, Wallace Park and Kendrick Park.

McCully said that the wood was delivered to Garden Road, the Public Works yard on Town Farm Road and a disposal site owned by Mangino.

Mangino has a contract with the town which allows it to use his disposal site for clean fill and debris. But McCully wrote in a Jan. 23 letter responding to Economopoulos, “Randy Mangino’s contract does not allow him to receive wood generated from our parks cleanup.”

Corporation Counsel Janis Small said that the Town Charter doesn’t prevent town employees from bidding on a contract.

“No officer or employee shall enter into any contract with the Town other than a contract of employment, unless the contract has been awarded through an open and public process,” the charter reads.

McCully also said that the practice of town employees taking wood home from the Public Works yard has been stopped. Some of the excess wood the town cut had been stored in the yard in the past, and employees would take small amounts home to help clean up the yard.

Reached Thursday, Economopoulos said he was still looking into the matter, and wouldn’t comment further until he had “all the information.”

The October snowstorm resulted in an abnormally large amount of debris, McCully said. Once the town finishes cleaning out its parks and other properties, the disposal of the wood will likely go out to bid. McCully said that with so much wood already available, having the town sell it back isn’t a viable option.

“The market is already so saturated,” he said.

Keeping jobs unfilled yields town surplus

As published in the Record Journal, Thursday January 26, 2012

By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225

WALLINGFORD — The town ended the 2010-11 fiscal year with a surplus largely due to town employee positions’ remaining unfilled, a practice that has become more common in tough fiscal times. According to an audit of Wallingford’s finances released in December, the town ended the fiscal year $671,000 in the black. But a large amount of the surplus can be attributed to the retirement of 10 town employees who weren’t replaced.

“No amounts were budgeted for 10 open positions in the General Government: three in Public Works, three in the Comptroller’s office and four police officers,” the audit said. “These positions were vacated by retired employees and will probably remain unfilled until the economy recovers.”

In the current fiscal year, the Police Department’s salaries budget was cut by $170,106. Police Chief Douglas Dortenzio said Wednesday he wouldn’t be asking for additional officers in next year’s budget. The request has been denied in the past. The department has 71 sworn officers, including Dortenzio, and a total of 91 positions including clerical staff.

Dortenzio said that when a position remains vacant for a year, it is generally eliminated from the budget. Staffing is down about 6 percent from a couple of years ago, he said.

The department has had to shift officers around and make changes, including reducing the size of the detective bureau, to get more uniformed officers on the street.

“We do the best we can with what we have,” Dortenzio said. But, he noted, “the town has grown, and we have not kept pace.”

Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. said that, in tough economic times, the town has had to cut back to avoid increases in taxes, and he doesn’t expect many new hires.

“Chances are, some, if not all of these positions will remain unfilled,” Dickinson said. “The police no longer has a DARE program; Public Works has lost positions that handled landscaping duties.” But John Sullivan, a Democratic town councilor, said he doesn’t think a surplus matters if it comes at the expense of public safety officers.

“I always have concerns about police, fire and emergency response,” he said.

According to the audit, public safety expenditures in 2010-11 were $708,000 below budget due to $412,000 less in police wages, “due to the time lag in replacing employees who retired or resigned and less overtime.”

Dickinson said that the town isn’t getting any new money, and that, short of a large increase in the grand list, services have to be trimmed.

He said the departments have been continuing to provide services but that they’ve had to “get back to core missions.”

“Just the essentials,” Dickinson said.

Sullivan said that other budgets have ended in a surplus for similar reasons, and the extra money isn’t always a good sign. “This is typical every budget year,” he said. “And who is the big loser? The people in Wallingford.”

Dickinson countered by saying that the $671,000 surplus didn’t tell the whole story, and that $4 million to $5 million of the town’s general fund was used to cover expenses and stave off a tax increase.

Wallingford Town Council - Swearing in Ceremony

Dickinson urged to activate insurance panel

As published in the Record Journal, Wednesday January 25, 2012

By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225

WALLINGFORD — Town Councilor Nicholas Economopoulos made his case Tuesday night for the town to revive its long-dormant Insurance Commission.

The commission was created by a town ordinance in 1986 to assist the town in insurance matters, but has never had any members. A risk management office created in 1987 took over some of the duties that the commission had been tasked with carrying out.

But Economopoulos, a Democrat, said during a public hearing on repealing or amending the ordinance that insuring the town and its employees is a complex issue, and that those types of decisions should not be made by one or two people.

“Insurance is a very intricate and difficult thing to understand,” Economopoulos said. “Our premiums (for health insurance) are $45 million over the next two years. ... I think it’s a wise thing to add some more eyes.”

Health insurance is the second costliest item in the town budget after salaries, Economopoulos said.

The ordinance states, in part: “Due to conditions of instability and dysfunction in the procuring and maintaining of insurance coverage for the Town of Wallingford , the Town Council has determined that a separate and dedicated advisory commission in the area of insurance coverage is warranted and desirable.”

One of the responsibilities of the commission, which would comprise five members appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council, is to “investigate alternative sources for insurance coverage and/or evaluate options of self-insurance versus purchased coverage.”

The town became self-insured in 2008 when it faced an 8 percent rate increase by Anthem Blue Cross, a change that saved millions of dollars. But Economopoulos said that a study done 14 years earlier had referenced the potential change, and that the town “missed the boat” on millions of additional savings.

Self-insurance is generally cheaper than full insurance because the town, rather than the insurance company, accepts the risk of covering employees. Under self-insurance, the insurance company simply acts as a third-party claims administrator. Anthem was awarded the third-party administrator contract.

Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. said the town analyzed self-insurance options in the 1990s, but there were some concerns about making the switch for “good, solid reasons,” and that it wasn’t in the best interest of the town at the time. The town needed to have sufficient money in reserves before it could make the switch to self-insurance.

“It did not sit well with the finance department at that time,” Dickinson said. “It was touch-and-go as to whether there were sufficient funds.”

Dickinson also said that health insurance is largely a collective bargaining matter, and not something for a group of laypeople to oversee. It’s a matter for paid experts, he said. The commission, Dickinson said, was originally established to handle property/casualty insurance, but not health coverage.

Two residents, Wesley Lubee Jr. and William Comerford, filed an ethics complaint in 2008 against Dickinson for not appointing anyone to the commission, but the complaint was dismissed when no probable cause was found. Both spoke in favor of filling the commission Tuesday night. Public comment at the meeting lasted nearly two hours.

“I think this was a great conversation here tonight,” Democratic Councilor John Sullivan said. “I have to commend Councilor Economopoulos for bringing this documentation and presenting it to the council. There is a lot here to review.”

The council will continue the public hearing at its Feb. 28 meeting.

Fontana to challenge Fasano for Assembly seat

As published in the Record Journal Tuesday January 24, 2012

By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225

WALLINGFORD — For the first time since he was voted into office in 2002, state Sen. Leonard A. Fasano, R-North Haven, will have an opponent as he seeks re-election.

Democrat Steve Fontana, a former state representative from North Haven, announced Monday on the steps of Town Hall that he will challenge Fasano in the 34th District, which encompasses Wallingford, East Haven and parts of North Haven and Durham.

“There are too many politicians in Hartford that aren’t helping,” Fontana told a crowd of supporters, including state legislators and local Democratic leaders.

Fontana said he wants to focus on rebuilding the middle class and “restoring the American dream for everyone.”

No stranger to politics, Fontana, 48, served for 14 years as the representative of North Haven’s 87th General Assembly District. He lost his seat to Republican Dave Yaccarino by a little more than 1,000 votes in 2010. Earlier he had served on a number of boards and commissions in North Haven, including the Board of Selectmen.

Wallingford Democratic Town Chairman Vincent Avallone said he was pleased to see a qualified candidate step up to challenge Fasano.

“I’m glad to see someone of Steve Fontana’s caliber running,” Avallone said. “He has a history of working with people. He’s come from modest means; he knows what the middle class is like.”

Walter Spader, vice chairman of the North Haven Democratic Town Committee, said Fontana is “a dream candidate.”

“You don’t often get that record of achievement and accomplishment,” Spader said. “He has a good record.”

Addressing the crowd, Fontana said it was “time for a change.”

“Let’s make it happen,” he said. “Let’s work together to make this a reality.”

Fontana said he decided to run because “I believe strongly in public service, in giving back.” He attributed his 2010 loss to voters being “frustrated, fed up and they wanted a change.”

A seat in the state Senate, Fontana said, will allow him to work on policy that will have a greater regional impact. He hopes to work toward reducing health care and energy costs, he said.

Reached by telephone, Fasano said he has a record of standing up for the middle class.

“I’ve always fought for the middle class,” he said. “The tax hikes Steve has voted for hurt the middle class. The billion dollar tax hike by the governor crippled the middle class.”

Fasano said he is working to make Connecticut more job friendly, that strict regulations and “an onerous tax burden” are driving businesses and jobs out of the state.

On a personal level, Fasano called Fontana “a good guy” and said he welcomed the challenge.

“Competition is healthy,” Fasano said.

Having an opponent won’t drastically change his campaign or his message to voters, Fasano said. “It’s not going to change what I do and who I am,” he said.

Will it be a lot — or not? Wallingford - Wooding Caplan

As published in the Record Journal, Tuesday January 24, 2012

Feasibility study on parking plan due in March

By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225

WALLINGFORD — Town councilors will receive a report in March on the feasibility of converting the Wooding-Caplan property into a temporary parking lot.

In a letter to the council Jan. 13, Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. said cost estimates and drawings would be produced by March 20.

“After discussion with the Engineering Department, we believe that information including estimates and drawings regarding improvements to the Caplan/Wooding property will be completed by March 20th this year,” Dickinson wrote.

Councilor John LeTourneau, a Republican, pushed for the report at the council’s last meeting on Jan. 10. Le-Tourneau said Monday that he is proposing the town use leftover millings from road work to create the temporary lot.

When new paving is done, the surface of the road is ground up, LeTounreau said. Those millings are kept by the town, with most sold back to Tilcon, a local paving company. LeTourneau said the millings could be held, reground and rolled out into a fresh, blacktop-like surface.

“It’s recycling the road surface,” LeTourneau said. “It’s cheaper and it’s temporary until we decide what to do.”

The town bought the Wooding- Caplan property, located downtown off Center Street, for $1.5 million in 1992, but it has remained largely vacant since. A referendum in 2006 overturned the Town Council’s decision to sell the property to a local developer.

Town Engineer John Thompson said the Engineering Department is “actively working” on the report, but there are factors that need to be examined before drawings can be done.

“We’re looking at all the opportunities and the constraints, and there are a number on both sides,” Thompson said. “The focus of what we’re doing is to come up with a scheme to analyze temporary parking.”

Some of the constraints Thompson mentioned included where the town property ends and where private property begins, easements, drainage and issues of access.

In 2008, the council received a space needs assessment that determined the parcel was big enough for a new 47,000 square-foot police headquarters, but at a cost of more than $20 million. No action has been taken since.

The report is in the early stages, and Thompson admitted “we don’t know where it’s going to end up going.”

Craig Fishbein, a Republican councilor, said temporary parking is good “for the time being,” but that he’d like to see development. He pushed unsuccessfully at the Jan. 10 meeting to have the Law Department review the 2005 request for proposal to sell the property and bring it back before the council next month.

“We as a municipality are privileged to own this property, it is a shame that it has been neglected,” he said. “I’m looking to reverse that wasteful course.”

Not all councilors were in favor of the temporary parking idea. Republican Thomas Laffin said that he’d rather see something more permanent. A temporary lot will create dependence, he said.

“People will get used to parking there,” he said. “You can’t just rip up the parking.”

Laffin said he’d rather have the council commit to a longterm plan.

“Not just a temporary plan while we figure things out. ... How about we figure it out now?” he said.

LeTourneau, who runs Wallingford Lamp and Shade on Center Street, said he hears often that there isn’t enough downtown parking available, particularly in the evening hours. The temporary parking lot is “a very high priority” for him.

But LeTourneau also said the fact that Wallingford is faced with a parking shortage is a good thing.

“It means that you have a vibrant downtown,” he said.

State of the town: ‘No time to relax,’ says Dickinson

As published in the Record Journal, Saturday January 21, 2012

By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225

Wallingford Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. delivers his “state of the town” speech at Ashlar Village Friday.

Photo courtesy of the Record Journal

WALLINGFORD — While 2011 was a tough year, Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. said Friday that the town fared well, but can’t rest on its laurels.

Displaying a photograph of the cruise ship that recently ran aground off the coast of Italy, Dickinson said running the town “requires constant effort” and vigilance.

“There’s no time to relax,” he said during his annual State of the Town address to members of the Quinnipiac Chamber of Commerce. “It can be exhausting. It takes patience and hard work. It’s nothing you can sit back and relax on.”

During the event at Ashlar Village, Dickinson said the town had “a lot to feel good about.”

“Tropical Storm Irene and Snowstorm Alfred taxed the limits of local government, but we came through those in good shape,” he said. “Our structures held up well.”

Also in 2011, the town received a AAA bond rating — higher, Dickinson noted, than the credit rating of the United States. “I never thought I’d see that,” he said.

The town’s fiscal health, Dickinson said, can be attributed to one factor. “People pay their taxes,” he said.

Dickinson also praised the school system, noting that test scores had increased and that reconfiguration of the elementary schools led to “a greater racial balance” across the district. The Electric Division, he said, has kept rates low and outages infrequent.

Dickinson praised the Economic Development Commission for bringing new businesses to town. Among the businesses that have opened or expanded are Paradise Hill Vineyards, CVS, United Concrete, Holo-Krome, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Burns & McDonnell.

James Augur, of Anthem, said that the company has moved 300 employees to its new offices at the Campus at Greenhill on Leigus Road. The remainder of its North Haven staff would move to Wallingford by the fall.

“Wallingford is our new home, and we couldn’t be any happier,” Augur said.

Dickinson said state and federal deficits burden municipalities, often going hand in hand with costly mandates that are partially funded or not funded at all. Some recent regulations being discussed, such as removing more nitrogen from rivers and streams, could cost the town millions and should be postponed.

Robin Wilson, president of the Quinnipiac Chamber, gave her assessment of 2011 and her outlook for the coming year in more blunt terms.

“I think 2012 is going to be a lot better than 2011,” she said. “It couldn’t be much worse.”

This Week in Wallingford

As published in the Record Journal, Monday January 23, 2012

WALLINGFORD — The Town Council will meet Tuesday to hold a public hearing on repealing an ordinance that established the town’s Insurance Commission.

Monday : No meetings scheduled.

Tuesday : Town Council, 6:30 p.m., Earley Auditorium, Town Hall, 45 S. Main St.

Wednesday : No meetings scheduled.

Thursday : Wallingford Housing Authority, 5:30 p.m., Housing Authority Offices, 45 Tremper Drive.

Friday : No meetings scheduled.

Insurance company closes its portion of Simpson Court parking lot to public

By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225

WALLINGFORD — Two months after a referendum overturned the Town Council’s decision to spend up to $500,000 to improve the parking lot behind the businesses on Simpson Court in exchange for keeping the lot public, one property owner has made good on his promise to close his portion of the lot to municipal parking.

When the new lease agreement with owners of the four properties abutting the lot was reversed, the town and the property owners reverted to a year-to-year agreement already in place that offered public parking in exchange for plowing and other maintenance by the town.

Jack McGuire, CEO of local insurance company Ferguson and McGuire, owns two of the four properties through a limited liability company, one at 2 N. Main St. and another at 26 N. Main St. He filed his notice to quit the year-to-year agreement in 2009. Shortly after that, he withdrew his notice orally, but not in writing.

“My response would be to treat my property as private property and restrict it to people who use my buildings, period,” McGuire said in August, when asked of his plans if the parking lot deal fell through. “Why should I be maintaining the property for other people? If the town is not going to come in and maintain it as a public parking lot, then I’m going to treat it as a private parking lot.”

McGuire was in Florida on Thursday and could not be reached for comment. But lines drawn on the asphalt at Simpson Court and new parking signs make it clear that the lot has been divided between private and public.

At the point where McGuire’s property ends is painted a white line, with “town” written on one side, and “private” written on the other. Public parking signs which used to sit alongside Center Street near the entrance of the parking lot have been moved to the property line, with arrows designating that public parking begins on the portion of the lot behind Gaetano’s Tavern on Main, 40 N. Main St.

Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. said that McGuire contacted the town and requested that the Police Department move the signs last week.

“The signs were moved so it was clear that it was private,” he said. “He’s absolutely free to do that, he canceled the lease.”

It’s unclear what, if any, enforcement action McGuire will take against stray parkers, but Dickinson noted that, on private property, “the owner can have those cars towed.”

If any of the other businesses were to consider charging or limiting access to the lot, they would have to give the town a one-year notice.

Closing off the parking lot could also jeopardize a right of way that has existed between Center and Church streets, traveling through the lot and behind the buildings.

Dickinson said that McGuire has “expressed his consideration of closing that off.”

In a tough economy, Dickinson said losing any municipal parking “hurts the downtown area.”

“There’s no question it’s not a good direction,” he said. “Any change that can be potentially a discouragement to frequent an area is a natural subject of concern.”

Dickinson said that after Monday night’s snowstorm, the town did not plow McGuire’s lot.

Robert Gross, a resident who has run unsuccessfully for the council, started a petition drive a day after the council’s decision, raising the 2,491 signatures needed to force the referendum. Gross declined to comment Thursday on McGuire’s decision.

Nicholas Economopoulos, a Democratic councilor who worked with Gross on the petition, said Thursday he had no comment on McGuire’s decision beyond the fact that it “showed his character.”

“It makes me feel good that we didn’t go into a partnership with him,” he said.

Dickinson said that the full impact of the referendum vote hasn’t likely been seen.

“The potential for a more dramatic shutoff (of the lot) hasn’t been realized,” he said.

Wallingford 2012-2013 Initial Proposed Education Budget 01/09/12

http://www.wallingford.k12.ct.us/cf_news/view.cfm?newsid=89

Posted 01/10/2012 07:02AM

2012-2013 Initial Proposed Budget 01/09/12 Presented at the BOE Operations Committee Meeting (PDF)

WORKSHOPS FOR THE 2012-2013 EDUCATIONAL BUDGET

http://www.wallingford.k12.ct.us/cf_news/view.cfm?newsid=85

Meetings for the purpose of holding workshops for the 2012-2013 Educational Budget have been scheduled. The public is cordially invited to attend.

Schedule of Special Operations Committee Meetings for Budget Workshops

• Saturday         January 21, 2012 
  8:00 a.m. – Budget Review for all Departments
• Wednesday    January 25, 2012                  
  6:00 p.m. – Budget Review (if needed)

All workshops will be held in the Community room at the Vo-Ag Department at Lyman Hall High school unless noted otherwise.

WHA board looks to avoid repeat

As published in the Record Journal, Thursday January 12, 2012

By Dan Ivers
Record-Journal staff
divers@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2275

WALLINGFORD — Members of the Wallingford Housing Authority board began crafting a job description for its next executive director Wednesday in the hope of avoiding many of the pitfalls that led the last director to leave the position.

The position has been vacant since Dec. 2, when 26year veteran Stephen Nere accepted a $130,000 buyout amid mismanagement allegations. Nere’s deputy director, Theresa Ravizza, resigned shortly thereafter.

Board Chairman Michael Misiti and members Thomas Mezzei, Robert G. Weidenmann and Patricia Hogan began writing the job description, which included a responsibility to meet all federal, state and local codes, a requirement to produce a detailed report at the board’s request, and to oversee and account for the use of all funds the authority receives.

A forensic audit of the agency’s financial records from 2006 to 2008, conducted last year, uncovered major gaps in accounting, as well as inconsistencies in purchasing practices and employee travel reimbursements.

Hogan also suggested that the description include a requirement to document all mileage expenses, although Misiti said that would be covered under the board’s policies. Nere had sued Hogan and other members of the board in 2010, alleging that they violated his contract when they revoked his use of a WHA vehicle to travel between work and his home in Guilford.

Town Councilor Nicholas Economopoulos, who has closely followed the developments surrounding the WHA, said after the meeting that he believed many of the items in the new description were aimed at ensuring that the director would be a diligent record-keeper who would comply with requests from the board.

“The job description is just an attempt to not have happen to them what happened to the last one,” he said.

The board voted late last month to begin advertising for the director position, and Misiti said it has already received “a lot” of applications, though he did not say how many.

“Only the five people here will know who’s applied, and how many have applied,” he said.

The board has stated that it hopes to fill the position quickly, and may begin conducting interviews as soon as next week. It is also accepting applications from property management companies, which could create cost savings. Nere was making about $100,000 at the time of his buyout.

Members of the media and the public were required to leave the meeting while the board discussed the applications it had received, after which the meeting was adjourned.

Cytec second on EPA list of state’s top polluters

As published in the Record Journal, Tuesday January 10, 2012

By Dan Ivers
Record-Journal staff
divers@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2275

WALLINGFORD — A local chemical plant has found itself near the top of a list of the state’s top polluters.

Cytec Industries, at 425 S. Cherry St., landed second on the list, behind only the AES Thames power plant in Uncasville. The list was compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency, using 2010 records of toxic releases required to be disclosed under federal law.

According to the EPA, the plant reported releasing 254,927 pounds of toxic materials at the plant during 2010, and another 18,425 off site. Most of the releases were chemicals such as trichloroethane, acrylamide and acrylic acids. The plant managed more than 2.6 million pounds of waste.

Brett Giles, the site manager for the Wallingford plant, said it is one of a handful of specialty chemical plants in New England, which inherently produce more toxic material than other industries. He stressed that the company is in full compliance with all of its state-issued permits, and has significantly reduced its chemical emissions in recent years.

“We’re committed to protecting our environment,” he said. “The state of Connecticut has very stringent permit conditions, and those permits are based on human health assessments. We work inside of those permits.”

A statement issued by the EPA along with the list noted that 287,337 fewer pounds of pollutants were released by New England companies in 2010 than in 2009, largely due to efforts to reduce damage to the environment.

EPA officials said the report did not mean the high levels of pollution were violating any law, but wanted to make the information public for those who might live or work close to the plants. The 250-acre Wallingford Cytec plant is adjacent to a largely residential neighborhood.

State Rep. Mary Mushinsky, who lives on South Cherry Street close to the plant, said that emissions at the plant have likely become less harmful to the environment as the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection steps up permitting requirements and other regulations.

“It’s actually gotten better over the years. The complaints have certainly dropped off as the permits are ratcheted up,” she said.

Nevertheless, emissions from the plant have been the object of concern from the community. In 2003, Wallingford Little League abandoned Cytec Field out of concern over the effects of contaminated soil. The only other area company to land on the list is a Tyco Healthcare Group facility in North Haven, which ranked just behind Cytec as the third highest polluter. Cytec’s Wallingford plant employs 150 people, and ranked 10th on the town’s list of biggest taxpayers, paying more than $13.3 million last year. Formerly known as American Cyanamid, it has been operating on the same site since 1941.

Menzo seeks 9% hike in school budget

As published in the Record Journal Tuesday January 10, 2012

By Ibrahim Hirsi
Record-Journal staff

WALLINGFORD — School Superintendent Salvatore Menzo presented his 2012-13 strategic budget proposal to the Board of Education Monday night at Lyman Hall High School.

At $94,576,853, the proposal represents an increase of nearly 9 percent from last year. Menzo’s 2012-13 sustained budget total — $90,188,979 — comes in at nearly 4 percent more than 2011-12’s. The sustained budget represents the minimum required to maintain services at the previous year’s level; the strategic budget reflects the funding needed to act on the school system’s strategic plan.

Last year, the final school budget came back from the mayor’s office with an increase of only about 2 percent over the year before.

Some teachers and parents at the meeting said the increase in the budget request is much needed and should be a priority.

“The country spends billions on wars,” said Lou Faiella, a Wallingford teacher. “Our children are very important and deserve to be spent on. With the sustained budget, the increase that [Menzo] is asking for is a reasonable amount of money.”

Though the new budget would cut 10 elementary and middle-school teacher positions due to enrollment decreases, it would allocate more teachers to the high schools and language programs.

Menzo’s plan includes the acquisition of new and replacement equipment, as well as the continued upgrade of wireless access points and servers throughout the school district; maintenance initiatives that include replacement of the outdoor track and indoor bleachers at Lyman Hall High School; and curriculum development and career readiness resources.

The proposed budget sounds expensive, said Sharon Dooley, a Wallingford teacher, “but the technology is expensive, too. And getting that technology in the hands of the students is important.”

This week in Wallingford

As published in the Record Journal, Monday January 9, 2012

WALLINGFORD — Superintendent Salvatore Menzo will unveil the 2012-2013 school budget proposal at the Board of Education Operations Committee meeting tonight - Monday January 9, 2012

Monday : Board of Education Operations Committee, 6 p.m., Lyman Hall High School, Vo-Ag Community Room, 70 Pond Hill Road.

Tuesday : Regular meeting of the Wallingford Town Council, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall, Auditorium, 45 S. Main St.

Wednesday : Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, 5:30 p.m., Savage Commons, Community Room.

Thursday : Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., Town Hall, Basement Conference Room, 45 S. Main St.

Friday : No meetings scheduled.