Board of Selectmen: Plans for New Storage Facility Turn Towards Existing Public Works Site, Cemetery Damage Evaluated, Commission Vacancies Filled NOTE: TOWN MEETING ON JUNE 27TH AT 8PM, GOSHEN CENTER SCHOOL, WILL ELECT BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBER

05/14/24

First Selectman Todd Carusillo reported that he met with Public Works Supervisor Garret Harlow at the Public Works building at 38 Torrington Road and they determined that there is room to build a storage building behind it. “We went down to Public Works, we measured around the old salt and sand spreader shed… I read the Plan of Conservation and Development which was accepted by P and Z,” Carusillo explained. “It says there’s room at public works to build another structure.” Carusillo contacted an appraiser to appraise the 190 Sharon Turnpike to determine if the town should retain it or if it should be sold to the public. He wants to move grants allocated to build a new storage facility at 190 Sharon Turnpike to 38 Torrington Road. He suggested that if the 190 Sharon Turnpike Property is sold, the Board of Finance could allocate some of those funds towards helping construct the storage facility at Public Works. 

Board of Assessment of Appeals’ member Audrey Blondin questioned what would happen to the $500,000 STEAP grant that was allocated for the 190 Sharon Turnpike Property if it’s sold. Carusillo explained that the grant was a public works grant and will have the town vote on moving the grant to the 38 Torrington Road property in June. The grant fund won’t be lost if this vote is passed.

Selectman Scott Olson motioned to add the 190 Sharon Turnpike application to the agenda. This was unanimously approved. He then motioned to withdraw the application from the Planning and Zoning Commission. This was also unanimously approved.

Olson reported that the board is looking for someone to fill a Republican vacancy on the Inland Wetlands and Water Courses Commission. Carusillo added that there’s a vacant alternate position on the Economic Development Commission and two Republican vacancies on the Zoning Board of Appeals. Anyone who’s interested in filling these roles can reach out to the Board of Selectmen.

05/21/24

Chip sealing will begin on Wednesday, May 22nd at Bare Hill Road, Deming Road, East Street North, East Street South, Hilltop Road, Meadowcrest Drive North, Meadowcrest Drive South, Reservoir Road, and West Street. Recreation Commission member Angela Rossbach and Goshen Public Library aide Cinzi Lavin submitted letters of resignation.

Selectman Scott Olson motioned to appoint Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) alternate Mark Beeman as a regular board member to fill Bruce Arsego’s position on the ZBA. Beeman has been serving as an alternate for the board for several years. This was unanimously approved. Selectman Dexter Kinsella motioned to appoint Board of Assessment of Appeals’ member Audrey Blondin to fill a vacant alternate position on the ZBA. Before a motion could be decided, Blondin spoke up and said, “Pass me for now. If someone else wants it, that’s totally fine… Honestly, I don’t really want to be an alternate anyway.” Kinsella then withdrew his nomination and suggested candidates for all current vacant boards and commission positions come in to speak on why they should be accepted. Both Carusillo and Olson agreed. Invites for the candidates will be sent out for next week’s Board of Selectmen’s meeting.

Olson asked about the status of a previously mentioned plan to go out and take pictures of headstones for town cemeteries repair review. He suggested the selectmen host a special meeting to go out and walk through the cemeteries to review their condition. “We have over $40,000 in accrued money in the cemetery repair budget over the course of the last six years or so,” said Olson. “We talked about spending that down because the cemeteries are in disrepair. They got some broken stones, so I think that’s an important meeting to set up soon.” Carusillo suggested the three walk through a couple of cemeteries over the course of a few Fridays. The selectmen agreed and will begin by reviewing God’s Acre Cemetery and East Street North Cemetery starting at 7 am on Friday, May 24th. They will report their findings to the Board of Trustees. 

05/28/24

A hybrid annual budget and special town meeting was scheduled to be held at the Goshen Center School cafeteria on Wednesday, May 29th at 8 pm. The meeting was to have residents vote on a town budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, authorize the Board of Selectmen to apply for and receive state or federal grants for the town, elect one member of the Board of Education of the Regional 6 School District from Goshen for a term beginning in July till the school district’s finalization, and to enact a Farm Machinery Tax Exemption Ordinance.

First Selectman Todd Carusillo reported that the selectmen found 10 broken headstones at God’s Acre Cemetery and 10 broken headstones at East Street North Cemetery on Friday. They planned to host another special meeting on Friday, May 31st at 8:30 AM to review more town cemeteries starting with the West Side Cemetery. Carusillo expected to have the 190 Sharon Turnpike property appraised by next week’s Board of Selectmen meeting.

The selectmen then allowed candidates for a vacancy on the Inland Wetlands and Water Courses Commission to speak on why they should be accepted. Before the candidates were able to speak, Inland Wetlands Chairman Thomas Stansfield spoke on the importance of the commission. “Inland Wetlands is science based,” said Stanfield. “It’s not an opinion, we’re not there to decide how close something should be to what property line. We’re literally taking a scientific delineation and applying a regulation to it… We rely very strongly on the commission members to have not even a background but at least a knowledge of land use.” Each candidate was then allowed to speak beginning with Marissa Wright, owner of the local organic produce Wright Farm. She previously served as Thomaston’s Inland Wetlands Commission Vice Chairperson, is an adjunct professor in the biology department at Central Connecticut State University and works for the US Army Corps of Engineers. Mathew Wheeler, a stonemason and owner of the local vegetable Stonedrift Farm, spoke next. He currently works with Inland Wetlands Commissions in various Northwest Connecticut municipalities and was recommended by the Goshen Republican Town Committee. Chris Kennavane, member of the Lake Weed Committee, spoke next. He is a systems engineer and is Chairman of the Environmental Control Committee for the Woodridge Lake Property Owner’s Association. Dexter Kinsella thanked the candidates and motioned to appoint Wheeler to serve on the commission. This was unanimously approved.

06/04/24

First Selectman Todd Carusillo reported that the selectmen visited and reviewed two more cemeteries last week. Selectman Scott Olson suggested that broken or deteriorated headstones be replaced with new, engraved, granite stones if their proper burial sites can be found. Three headstones were in pieces and were placed on a nearby stone wall. They will acquire a map of the cemeteries to identify who is buried where for headstone replacements.

Carusillo motioned to add a bank resolution and a call for a special town meeting to the agenda. This was unanimously approved. Carusillo read the resolution that designated several banks as official depositories for Goshen’s treasurer, tax collector, town clerk, recreation commission, and public library. The banks include Litchfield Bancorp, Union Savings Bank, Torrington Savings Bank, Edward Jones, and the State of Connecticut Stiff Account. Olson then motioned to adopt the resolution. This was unanimously accepted. 

A special town meeting will be held on Monday, June 17th at 8 pm at the Goshen Center School. The meeting will have residents vote on authorizing the Board of Selectmen to transfer STEAP Grant funds from the 190 Sharon Turnpike property to the Public Works Department property at 38 Torrington Road. This will be used to construct a new Public Works storage facility. The meeting will additionally have the town vote to elect one member of the Board of Education from the Region 20 school district for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Residents will consider a petition question made by Marissa Wright and Robin Christopher to either protect the 190 Sharon Turnpike property as an open space, recreation use site or to sell the property to a non-profit land trust or land protection agency. Carusillo motioned to adopt the call for June 17th. This was unanimously approved.

Henrietta Horvay sent a letter detailing that Audrey Blondin is now interested in serving in the available alternate position on the Zoning Board of Appeals. Olson motioned to appoint Blondin as an alternate for the ZBA. This was unanimously approved. MacKenzey Melk, owner of the Goshen-based freelance Northwest Connecticut wedding floral company Fleur, requested to fill the vacant alternate position on the Economic Development Commission. Olson motioned to appoint Melk to the EDC. This was unanimously approved. Olson then motioned to appoint Goshen Community Care board member Kim Andrusia to the Recreation Commission as a regular member. This was unanimously approved.

Olson motioned to add a discussion on haying on town property on East Street South. This was unanimously approved. The discussion addressed the haying bid for the property originally introduced in March. The bid has since not been released due to concerns Carusillo had with tree stumps in the field, “Public Works this week, removed the stumps and I didn’t want to put it out to bid and have some farmer sue the town because he ran his mower into those stumps and cause liability reason or expense for the town of Goshen. That’s the reason it didn’t go out.” Olson claimed the hay at the property is drying out and losing its nutritional value. He suggested the town forgo the property and allow a town resident to hay the field. It’s currently tended to by the Action Wildlife Foundation for the town. Olson then motioned to have the Action Wildlife Foundation and Chase Jespersen of the Goshen-based Jespersen's Landscaping LLC hay the field for the town this year. Olson added that, “In my eyes, for at least this year, it was an emergency situation.” Carusillo requested a stipulation be made for 50 bales to be given to the Public Works Department. After a brief discussion, Olson withdrew the prior motion and motioned to have Chase Jespersen hay the field this season with the requirements that he has liability insurance, donate 50 bales to Public Works, and maintain the perimeter of the field. This was unanimously approved.