Board of Selectmen: Next Steps for 190 Sharon Tpke, Passive Recreation Ordinance, 7 PM Town Meetings?, Resident Questioning Region 20 Consultant’s Criminal History REGION 20 BUDGET REFERENDUM MONDAY OCTOBER 14, 12-8 PM, TOWN HALL

08/13/24

First Selectman Todd Carusillo reported that Region 20 has a $3.6 million shortfall which will be the subject of a referendum vote on Saturday, September 14th at Goshen Town Hall from 12-8 pm. (Note: The referendum has since been rescheduled for Monday, October 14.) Carusillo advised, “I tell everybody to come and attend and vote on that. I can't tell you which way to vote, but I know which way I'm voting because I don’t want my taxes to go up.” Carusillo claimed the Region 20 merger doesn’t need eight math teachers, eight English teachers, eight science teachers, and needs to make more cuts. He further suggested that if the current Region 20 budget is not voted down, Goshen’s town budget might increase by $2 million to cover costs for the school district.

The single entrance to Lakeview High School from Rt. 202 has created a traffic chokepoint since WAMOGO's re-opening as Lakeview High School/ Courtesy Google Earth; This map includes data from Airbus Landsat / Copernicus Data SIO, NOAA, U.S. Navy, NGA, GEBC

Tipping fees in Goshen for the month of July cost the town $21,529.85. According to Carusillo, monthly tipping fees, on average for the past three years, cost between $12,000 and $16,000. That corresponds with collections of 127 to 137 tons, but in July 2024, 164 tons of garbage were collected. “I plead to everybody, please recycle”, said Carusillo. “You got to get those recycling out of the garbage and we got to reduce our weight.”

Donna Molon submitted a letter of resignation from her position as Agent for the Elderly. Goshen is looking for a deputy animal control officer. The position is part-time, on call, and pays $2,400 annually or about $200 per month. According to Carusillo, Goshen only gets eight to nine animal control calls annually. Meanwhile, Camp Cochipianee is still looking for a part-time custodian. Only one application for the custodian position has been received so far.

The Goshen Land Trust is interested in purchasing the 190 Sharon Turnpike property. They plan on hiring an appraiser to appraise the property so they can make an official offer to the Town. If the Land Trust decides not to purchase the property, Carusillo plans on contacting other land conservatories to see if they’re interested in the property. Should no conservatories express interest, Carusillo suggested that they may have to organize another town meeting to vote on selling the property in an open market. If the property is sold, Carusillo intends to use those funds to match grants for a storage facility at 38 Torrington Rd.

Selectmen Scott Olson then read a proposed ordinance for passive recreation sites in town. “The town of Goshen hereby provides provisions that are permissible for properties that are voted or gifted as passive recreation…,” Olson read. “Passive recreation refers to recreational activities that do not require prepared facilities like sports fields, passive recreational activities place minimal stress on a site's resources. As a result, they can provide ecosystem service benefits that are highly compatible.” According to the ordinance, residents can use passive recreation sites for camping, hiking, picnicking, swimming, bicycling, horseback riding, community gardening, and more. However, people cannot hunt on town-owned lands. This ordinance is expected to be voted on and potentially approved in a town meeting in November unless the Goshen Land Trust purchases 190 Sharon Turnpike before then.

Selectman Dexter Kinsella motioned to accept a special events permit for the 111th Goshen Agricultural Fair. This was unanimously approved. The permit is expected to be approved during next week’s Board of Selectmen meeting. The 111th Goshen Agricultural Fair ran from Saturday, August 31st through Monday, September 2nd at the Goshen Fairgrounds.

08/20/24

The referendum vote for Region 20’s school budget was moved from Saturday, September 14th at the Goshen Town Hall from 12-8 pm to Thursday, September 12th at Goshen Town Hall from 12-8pm. (Note: The referendum has since been rescheduled for Monday, October 14.) First Selectman Todd Carusillo advised residents to vote on the currently proposed $3.65 million school budget. “We all have to participate, show up, ask questions, and make them go back to the drawing board because our budget’s already set,” said Carusillo. “Our lifestyle is already set. You know what I mean? I want everybody to please show up.” Carusillo explained that Goshen’s town budget has a mill rate of 14.2 but it could increase by one or even two mills if the budget is approved, leading to a 14% increase in taxes. Selectman Scott Olson further suggested residents attend Region 20 Board of Education meetings or at least read meeting minutes to stay up to date with the region’s budget developments. “Right now, it's a critical time for Region 20 and this is an issue that involves everybody in town and everybody has a lot of concern about this right now,” Olson explained. “The absolute best thing we can do as residents is to keep ourselves informed… At least look at the minutes and see what goes on in there because there's going to be some decisions that we're all going to have to make as residents in the upcoming couple of months.”

Olson then discussed how Goshen’s two annual Town Meetings in May and November usually begin around 8 pm. The selectmen have received a lot of feedback from residents claiming the start time for these meetings is too late and suggested they begin at 7 pm instead. After speaking with Chairman Clint Thorn of Goshen’s Agricultural Council, Olson suggested to change the town ordinance to have these meetings begin at 7 pm. “I think that's just going to bolster the inclusion and the attendance of people in town to attend these meetings.” Olson then motioned to add a call for the next Town Meeting to vote on changing the town ordinance to have Town Meetings start at 7 pm instead of 8 pm. This was unanimously approved.

For Public Comment, Marianne Arancio Stilson asked if Goshen will make its own ordinance on private residence Airbnb’s. She claimed the increase of Airbnb’s nearby is becoming a noise and overcrowding issue. According to Connecticut General Assembly’s Raised S.B. No. 335, municipalities can adopt ordinances concerning short-term rental properties and hire consultants to assist in the development of such ordinances. Carusillo said he will look into it.

08/27/24

The referendum vote for Region 20’s school budget was changed for a third time from initially set for Saturday, September 14th at the Goshen Town Hall from 12-8 pm to now being set for Monday, October 14th at the Goshen Town Hall from 12-8 pm. First Selectman Todd Carusillo called for residents to vote “NO” to Region 20’s proposed budget, as they are spending too much on what he claims are unnecessary purchases. According to Carusillo, Region plans to spend $1,046,217 in capital expenses including Apple Mac computers and iPads for $259,000, band uniforms for $30,000, athletic uniforms for $93,000, a 48-spot parking lot for $154,000, an air compressor for the heating system for $13,000, a boiler for $85,000, a district van for $45,000, a truck for $150,000, and more.

Goshen received only one bid for surveillance cameras for the Town Hall ballot box for November elections. Carusillo claimed he walked around Town Hall with up to six vendors but only one bid was submitted. A+ Technology & Security Solutions, Inc. from Bay Shore, NY, submitted a bid of $9,841.00 including software, two terabytes of storage, and labor. A+ Technology is registered to work in the state according to the Connecticut State Business website. According to Carusillo, this was about $4,000 higher than their initial bid. Carusillo suggested they reject this offer and reopen the bid but Selectman Dexter Kinsella countered that option, saying, “I don't think we can put it back out to bid, no. We opened it. The only way you can put it back out is if we refused to open the bid and then send it out to rebid. But now that we've opened that, we've allowed competitors of this guy to have an in.” After a brief discussion, Kinsella motioned to have Torrington Attorney Charles “Chip” Roraback review the situation and advise the board on how to move forward. No second was made and the motion wasn’t officially passed but the selectmen appeared to reach a general, unofficial consensus on the matter.

In Public Comment, Susan Wheeler expressed concern over Thomas Ariola Jr. serving as Region 20’s financial consultant, referencing his criminal history.

According to the United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut, Ariola pleaded guilty in 2005 to bribery, federal income tax, and federal campaign offenses. From 1997 through July, 2001, Ariola conspired with a landscaping contractor, Martins Landscaping Inc., to defraud the United States and impede the Internal Revenue Service in computing and collecting revenue from the contractor. He faced up to 16 years in prison and a fine of up to $600,000 but by 2009, Ariola admitted to taking a $500 bribe from Martins Landscaping and was sentenced to spend four months on home confinement and the rest of his five-year sentence on probation. Ariola additionally had to pay a $15,000 fine, complete 450 hours of community service, and pay his outstanding tax debt of over $40,000. Ariola currently serves as Hamden Public Schools’ Chief Operating Officer for their Finance and Business Services Department.

09/03/24

First Selectman Todd Carusillo announced that Woodridge Lake will be drawn down to conduct repairs. Drawdown is a process wherein the water level of a lake or pond controlled by a dam is lowered for a period of time typically ranging from several months up to several years in rare cases. Lakes and ponds can be drawn down to conduct water facility repairs, to kill off invasive plants by exposing them to freezing temperatures, to manage flooding events, and to prevent ice damage to shoreline structures when the bodies of water freeze in the winter.

Carusillo reflected on the 111th Goshen Fair that occurred over Labor Day weekend. He judged a barbeque cook-off but only one contestant was submitted so they automatically won. He hopes more contestants will take part in the cook-off for the 112th Goshen Fair next year. Goshen is still looking for someone to fill the vacant Agent for the Elderly position after Donna Molon resigned in August.

In Public Comment, Janet Hooper asked about the status of the Goshen Land Trust reviewing the 190 Sharon Turnpike property. Carusillo said he hadn’t heard anything but hopes it’s moving in the “right direction.” Susan Wheeler addressed traffic stemming from the opening of the new Region 20 Lakeview High School and expressed concern that it may worsen Region 20’s financial issues if a new entrance must be developed to open traffic flow. Carusillo claimed the state is considering installing a traffic light at the end of Wamogo Road but suggested parents put kids on buses rather than dropping them off, “You know the parents could also, you know, stop dropping off their kids. That's why we pay $66,000 per bus. I mean, they don't have to be dropped off at the door…” Selectman Scott Olson noted that, based on where their houses are located, some students may be on buses for about an hour and would instead prefer to be driven directly to school with their parents.