Board of Selectmen: Storm Aftermath, White Kia with FL Plates, Drug Take-Back Day, Honeybee Come-Back, FEMA Funds, FOIA Inquiry
08/01/23
The Board of Selectman held their first meeting of the month of August on Tuesday, August 1st. All three Selectmen were in attendance including First Selectman Todd Carusillo and fellow selectmen Mark Harris and Dexter Kinsella. Kinsella joined the meeting remotely via Zoom. Kinsella began the meeting by motioning to approve July 25th’s meeting minutes. This was unanimously approved. With matters arising out of last month’s minutes, the Town’s Historian Henrietta Horvay advised the selectmen to make corrections to the prior week’s minutes during public comment, “Goshen has many elders, not elderly, elder citizens… I'd like that corrected.” Identifying senior citizens as elderly was not acceptable and it was stated that they should instead be referenced as elders. Harris then motioned to approve town payroll and warrants for August 3rd in the amount of $112,056.27. This was unanimously approved.
For the First Selectman’s Report, Carusillo began by noting that the Public Works Department is continuing to work on road repair from damage caused by torrential July rainstorms. Last month the town spent $33,000 on gravel to fix the roads but further rainstorms caused the gravel to wash away.
Carusillo continued his report by summarizing the townwide Neighborhood Watch Program Informational meeting that took place on Monday, July 31st at Camp Cochipianee. The in-person meeting hosted State Trooper First Class Roy Dungan of Troop B to discuss how the watch program would work, address resident concerns, and review local crime statistics from 2022. “Total calls for the calendar year of 2022 in Goshen was 2,073,” Carusillo reported. “Reports written 118. Traffic stops 472. Traffic accidents 48. Domestic violence 19. Larceny 6. Burglaries 3. Medical assistance 46, and DUI’s 3. They’re not as bad as everybody thought they were going to be but still. About 60-70 people attended the meeting. Attendees were able to sign up for neighborhood watch signs to be put up in their neighborhood.
Public Works Supervisor. Garret Harlow, ordered 15 signs and they’re expected to arrive in about two weeks. Public works will install them at various neighborhoods save for Woodridge Lake. Carusillo is waiting for a response to a letter sent to the Woodridge Lake Property Owners Association requesting permission to put up signs in that area and choosing sign locations.
Carusillo ended the meeting by stating he hopes to purchase two automated cameras to enforce speed limit and red-light violations, “I’m going to apply for those cameras from the state and maybe we can do some speed enforcement over at Woodridge, Beach Street, and center of town.” Governor Ned Lamont signed legislation in June allowing state municipalities to purchase and install these cameras starting in October. He plans on organizing a town meeting to pass an ordinance to purchase these cameras.
08/08/23
On Tuesday August 8th, the Board of Selectmen held their second meeting this month. All three Selectmen were in attendance including First Selectman Todd Carusillo and fellow selectmen Mark Harris and Dexter Kinsella. Kinsella joined remotely via Zoom. The meeting began with Kinsella motioning to approve last week’s meeting minutes. This was unanimously approved. Harris then motioned to approve town payroll and warrants for August 10th in the amount of $125,140.83. This was also unanimously approved.
Carusillo began his report by noting that Public Works continues to conduct repairs on damaged roads. State Trooper Roy Dungan sent Carusillo an updated stolen vehicles report for this year to date. Only two vehicles were stolen at Marshepaug Road and Cottage Grove Road. With the Goshen Fair coming up soon during Labor Day weekend, town officials will host a Unified Command Meeting for protocol and briefing at the Goshen Fire Company at 3 pm on Monday, August 21st. Emergency briefing notices will be included in special event applications going forward to indicate to organizers the protocol needed to handle emergencies and that they would be liable for any disturbance that may occur. “...It’s protocol that the fire department, police departments know [in] case there’s a storm or an active shooter or, if somebody gets hurt, where the helicopter’s gonna land…,” Carusillo explained.
A white Kia car with a Florida license plate has been driving randomly through people’s driveways. Carusillo is requesting people contact him or state police if they see it in order to get a record of its sighting.
Carusillo and the Public Works personnel will meet with FEMA officials later this week to review damage done by July rain storms and floods. “So hopefully we [will] get some funds out of FEMA” said Carusillo. He then ended his report by recommending board and commission members along with other town officials and staff to set up gmail or outlook email addresses that can be posted on the town website or other publications.
(Note: To date only 2 people have submitted their contact info for the benefit of townspeople to contact their representatives. As many people in town government use their personal emails for town business the email addresses and their content become FOIA information and are allowed to be accessed by the public. To avoid using these emails, all persons serving in public bodies must send other email addresses to avoid publication of their current ones now in use for town business.)
“So you keep your personal emails, won’t be publicized,” Carusillo clarified. “So in case a resident wants to email you and ask questions to you… Try to get a gmail account or outlook account that’s separate from your personal (email-account).” Town HIstorian Henrietta Horvay asked in public comment if town staff have to set up emails for every board or commission people are a part of if they’re involved in multiple positions. Carusillo stated staff only need one email even if they’re involved in multiple positions.
For Correspondence, the Woodridge Lake Property Owners Association sent a letter responding to Carusillo’s letter requesting permission to put up signs in that area. The association approved the First Selectman’s request and requested that they be included in any information of criminal activity found or signage needed by the neighborhood watch. Woodridge would also like some speed cameras placed in their area to address speedsters seen on East Hyerdale.
Carusillo also attended a Wamogo Wellness & Prevention Coalition meeting earlier today and announced that the Goshen Drug “Take Back” Day will take place on Saturday, October 28th at Town Hall. There, residents can drop off left-over prescription medications to state troopers so that they can properly dispose of the unused drugs. Note: A 2022 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry report found that 43% of the world's rivers are polluted with ingredients from pharmaceutical drugs through waste discharged by pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities, farms, and people who dump unused drugs in plumbing.
Old Business, Harris motioned to add the appointment of current Goshen Agricultural Council board member, George Motel, to an alternate position for the Economic Development Commission, to the agenda. This was unanimously approved. Harris then motioned to approve Motel to the position which was also unanimously approved. Note: Motel was not at the meeting but later met with the Town Clerk Barbara Breor to be sworn in.
Harris noted the apparent increase in pollinator insects, thanks to the town gardens tended by the Goshen Garden Club. The club maintains these gardens, filled with pollinator friendly plants to help endangered bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. Note: According to PBS, 48% of bee colonies nationwide died in 2022, the second highest honeybee death rate on record. This is due to an increase in parasites populations, pesticide use and widespread climate change effects. One-third of the food Americans eat come from crops pollinated by honeybees including nuts, vegetables, berries, citrus and melons. “Without bees, we don’t live,” Carusillo added.
08/15/23
The Board of Selectmen held their third meeting for the month of August on Tuesday, August 15th. All three Selectmen were in attendance including First Selectman Todd Carusillo and fellow selectmen Mark Harris and Dexter Kinsella. Kinsella joined the meeting remotely via Zoom. The meeting began with Harris motioning to approve last week’s meeting minutes. This was unanimously approved. Harris then motioned to approve town payroll and warrants for August 17th in the amount of $76,747.83. This was also unanimously approved.
Carusillo began his First Selectman Report by discussing how he, along with Public Works Supervisor Garret Harlow and John Fields, met with FEMA Supervisors last Wednesday to survey the damage done to roads from the severe July rainstorms. It was determined that FEMA would only cover costs for certain repairs and won’t cover costs to install upgrades on underground pipelines, “FEMA is only going to pay for the culverts that we have in the ground.
We want to put in two pipes, 60 inch pipes, to handle the hundred year storm–they’re only paying for that 30 inch pipe. They’re not going to pay for the upgrades.” FEMA will cover processed gravel, new pavement costs, and clogged or damaged pipes to repair roads along East Street North, Hageman Shean, Gray Lane, and North Goshen Road. However, Carusillo noted in public comment that reimbursement is not guaranteed until the town is declared as a disaster area by September 9th.
Carsusillo met with the town’s new Emergency Management Director Shilo Garceau with representatives from Eversource. Garceau took classes with Eversource to learn protocol in how to deal with power outages, blocked roads, and how to report emergency instances to Eversource. The energy provider additionally requested the town update its critical customers registry. “Critical customers are somebody that's on some type of oxygen or dialysis machines that need electricity,” explained Carusillo. “Eversource would like to have an update so anybody out there that knows somebody that's on oxygen or dialysis or any other life support systems that our seniors are getting, please let me know so I can update the list…” According to the First Selectman, the average age of Goshen residents is 58 years or older.
Speedsters continue to disrupt residents in town. A Woodridge Lake resident reported to Carusillo of a car speeding on East Hyerdale that almost hit her and her son on his bicycle. She asked when speed cameras can be installed to track down these speedsters going 60-70 mph on these roads. Harris explained that while the state law allowing state municipalities to purchase and install these cameras would come into effect in October, the state Department Of Transportation’s regulations for the cameras won’t be finalized until January 1st, 2024 at the latest. The town would then have to issue an ordinance for the DOT to review Goshen’s speed camera regulations following a town meeting approving the installation of the cameras. This would push back installation of speed cameras in town till early 2024 at the earliest.
Carusillo ended his report by announcing that he received a letter of resignation from Devin Stilson, a member of the Goshen Conservation Commission. Town Clerk Barbara Breor accepted Stilson’s letter of resignation. Carusillo additionally noted that reconstruction of Holmes Road is well on the way, “They are laying gravel right now, spreading gravel. The crew is up there…finishing up the road. They just put some culvert pipes in, new ones.” Finally, Carusillo received the (MIRA) Dissolution Authority’s recycling and composting bill for July services. (Note: The Dissolution Authority was created by State of CT in July of 2023 as a response to the closure of the resource recovery facility in Hartford.) Goshen was billed $16,740. Carusillo urged residents and seasonal visitors to recycle or compost as much trash as possible.
For appointments, Harris motioned to appoint Devin Stilson as a member of the Inland Wetlands and Water Courses Commission and Annette Lott as a member of the Conservation Commission. Both of these motions were unanimously approved.
For New Business, Harris represented the Town of Goshen in Hartford in a complaint against the town under the Freedom of Information Act last week. The complaint was originally issued in April 2021 during First Selectman Robert Valentine’s tenure and a hearing was held in 2022. The complaint requested public information regarding the town’s connection to the Goshen Housing Trust. Selectman Harris claimed that the dismissal by a FOIA commission court ruling on Wednesday, August 9th was proof of the Town’s transparency.
Note: But according to one of the originators of the FOIA complaint, Goshen News Publisher Leya Edison, no conclusion was reached during the first hearing because Enforcement Officer Martin Connor and Planning & Zoning Commission Chairman Don Wilkes failed to respond to the complaint or to attend hearing. While Town officials claimed that the requested supplementary information was provided, the information received was characterized as superficial and unresponsive to the request. The complaint was allowed to lapse because none of the issuers could commit to continuing the complaint and the information requested will be sought by alternative means.
08/22/23
The Board of Selectmen held their fourth meeting for the month of August on Tuesday, August 22nd. All three Selectmen were in attendance including First Selectman Todd Carusillo and fellow selectmen Mark Harris and Dexter Kinsella. Kinsella joined the meeting remotely via Zoom. The meeting began with Harris motioning to approve last week’s meeting minutes. This was unanimously approved. Harris then motioned to approve town payroll and warrants for August 24th in the amount of $82,519.62. This was also unanimously approved.
For the First Selectman’s report, Carusillo compared the recycling and composting bill for July 2022 services to this year’s bill. In 2022 Goshen was charged around $13,000 while the town was billed $16,740 in 2023. “Everybody has to learn to recycle, compost, and scrap,” Carusillo reiterated. They can’t just throw it in that bin. It’s costing us too much money.” Republican Registrar of Voters Dawn Wilkes noted in public comment that the lower recycling and composting bill for July 2022 was in part due to the fact that July 2022 had only four Mondays billed, while July 2023 had five. Carusillo then brought up the matter of the speed cameras and reminded attendees that the selectmen will have a vote to order the cameras before a town meeting is held to purchase the cameras. Kinsella is hesitant on purchasing the cameras and wants to research how the cameras operate exactly before installing the cameras, “...I just briefly have some concerns about who’s gonna have the information, how we’re going to warrant this out, what information is collected and how is it disseminated. Who’s gonna do the tickets, etc. Do we wanna do just a mailing to the people? There’s a whole million questions I have.” Harris suggested they look further into speed preventing alternatives such as speed bumps.
Talks with FEMA on receiving financial assistance covering July rainstorm costs are almost complete. Carusillo explained that all the current work hours conducted on repairing town roads have been sent to FEMA, with the Public Works department expected to pave East Street North and patch parts of North Goshen Road this week. New pavement of the entire North Goshen Road will wait until the town receives word from FEMA if they will send funding to replace the damaged culvert pipe, “I don’t want to waste $25,000 on pavement if we’re going to be ripping it up…”
For old business, the Goshen Fair has received approval from Torrington Area Health, state police, and fire marshals. Upon receiving the fair’s special event application and all necessary approvals and permits, Harris motioned for final approval of the Goshen Fair. This was unanimously approved. This year’s Goshen Fair will run from September 2nd-4th from 8 am–9 pm on Saturday and Sunday and 8 am–6 pm on Labor Day at the Goshen Fairgrounds.
8/29/23
The Board of Selectman held their fifth and final meeting for the month of August on Tuesday, August 29th. All three Selectmen were in attendance including First Selectman Todd Carusillo and fellow selectmen Mark Harris and Dexter Kinsella. Kinsella joined the meeting remotely Zoom. The meeting began with Harris motioning to approve last week’s meeting minutes. This was unanimously approved. Harris then motioned to approve town payroll and warrants for August 31st in the amount of $48,219.19. This was also unanimously approved.
For the First Selectman Report, Carusillo reported that he met with the Honorable Probate Court Judge James Speck to go over the trust of resident Alice Carlisle and discuss how the Caroline T. Brooks fund is run. The fund “provides proper medical attention for children under the age of 18 years of said Town of Goshen whose parents or guardians are unable to afford such care or treatment.” Carusillo ended his report by mentioning that the Unified Command Meeting for the Goshen Fair was held on Monday at the Goshen Firehouse and will meet again once the fair begins, “... we’re going to meet Saturday morning at 9 [am], alright? So we worked out the details last night and we’ll go through everything at 9 on Saturday…”.
For Correspondence, Congresswoman Jahana Hayes sent a thank you letter to Carusillo for attending the Farm Bill Listening Session with Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson at Shepaug Valley School.
The selectmen received several quotations to purchase new tools and other equipment for the Goshen Fire Company. Firematic Supply Co., Inc., from Shirley, New York sent a quotation totaling $63,311 for the purchase of Hurst E3 Edraulic Tools. Otherwise known as the jaws of life, the tools are designed to help rescue people from vehicle accidents. Two local tire companies sent quotations for the purchase of new tires for the town’s fire truck. Zeller Tire Company from Torrington sent a quotation totaling $4,824.42 and Barnwell House of Tires, Inc. from Central Islip, New York sent a quotation totaling $4,529.18. All three companies are registered to do business in the state according to the Connecticut State Business website.
Harris motioned in two separate motions to add the purchase of these items to the agenda under New Business. These motions were unanimously approved. Carusillo will contact Torrington Attorney Charles “Chip” Roraback to determine if the Hurst tool is a necessary purchase and will be used as a town asset. Harris then motioned to approve the transfer of funds to purchase the Hurst tool after Carusillo signs off on it after counsel with Roraback. This was unanimously approved. After brief discussion of the fire truck tire prices, Harris motioned to purchase the fire truck tires from Barnwell instead of Zeller. This was unanimously approved.
Harris motioned to add Tax Collector Rebecca Juchert-Derungs’’s Report to the agenda. This was unanimously approved. “So far on collections on real estate she’s got 54.96%, personal property 56.05%, and motor vehicle 89.46%,” Carusillo explained. “So that’s pretty good so far. She brought in $6,512,838.33 [in total so far]”. Kinsella then motioned to receive the Tax Collector’s Report as submitted. This was unanimously approved.
