Goshen Board of Selectmen

07/07/26 5:00 PM

Present: First Selectman Seth Breakell, Selectmen Scott Olson, Dexter Kinsella.

Approval of the last meeting’s minutes and current payroll and warrant were the first tasks handled by the Goshen Board of Selectmen on July 7. Then, storm damage on the north side of Goshen from the previous weekend’s bad weather was noted by First Selectman Seth Breakell in his report.

“Fortunately, most of Goshen escaped without any damage at all,” Breakell said. 

Breakell then announced the resignation of Bob Valentine as vice chairman of the town’s Board of Finance, effective July 6.

“I'd just like to thank Bob for his years of dedication and service to the town, not only, obviously, as the Board of Finance, but also as a First Selectman for many years,” Breakell said. “He'll definitely be missed.”

Breakell noted that public comment at the Board of Selectmen meeting is limited to two minutes per person.

“I'll allow some leeway on a two-minute time clock to finish the thought or finish the sentence or reiterate a point, whatever that may be,” he said. “And again, I just want to mention that it is public comment, not public discussion. We'll listen to it, and accept it, and we'll take it from there.”

The meeting adjourned at 5:09 p.m.

07/14/26 5:00 PM

Present: Breakell, Olson, Kinsella.

The Board of Selectmen approved minutes from the previous meeting and OK’d payroll and warrants prior to the First Selectman’s report, in which Breakell said he’s received calls about increased bear activity including at Woodridge Lake. Information on using caution around bears is on the town website now, he said.

“But just so someone knows, if there is a bear that's actively causing property damage, there's a direct line that's answered by a human being 24/7. That line is 860-424-3011,” Breakell said.

The First Selectman also reminded people to keep valuables out of their vehicles and keep them locked.

“I have got a report of a few break ins, people breaking into cars over the weekend,” Breakell said. “Tyler Heights, Allyn Road, and Turkey Hollow. So, it seemed a little bit sort of concentrated in that area. I know one of the cars, they actually physically broke the windows out of the car to gain access to the car. The other cars have to be unlocked, and they just rifled through them.”

Breakell said a new Town of Goshen website was to debut July 20.

“I'm pretty excited about that. I think it's going to be a lot more user friendly for both the staff and our residents,” he said. “It's gonna save us about half the cost of what we've been paying for our other website going forward.”

Also in his report, Breakell said some Goshen boards and commissions need commission clerks, and he encouraged people to spread the word for anyone who might be interested.

Breakell announced the West Hyerdale Bridge project has been re-evaluated, and the state now says it is eligible for 100% funding. The estimated total cost of the undertaking is about $3.5 million, he said. 

“There's still some paperwork and stuff to do with that, but that's good for us,” Breakell said.

He announced Patricia Sanders resigned as chair of the Goshen Public Library Board of Directors, effective July 9, and a new board member is being sought.

In public comments, Cindy Barrett of Dresden Court East said she appreciated the 250^th community picnic. Barrett, Henrietta Horvay of Breguet Road, and Audrey Blondin of Sherbrook Drive asked the 

Board of Selectmen to check on meeting agendas being posted on the town website since they said some recently were not.

The meeting adjourned at 5:12 p.m.

07/21/26 5:00 PM

Present: Breakell, Olson, Kinsella.

After minutes, the payroll, and warrant were approved, Breakell reported the town sold two cemetery plots on West Side Road. He also said chip sealing has been completed but was over budget due to a rise in adjustments, so he suggested pulling $54,000 from Town Aid Road (TAR) funds, which are state-allocated grants to support local infrastructure. Kinsella offered the motion, Olson seconded it, and the board approved that move.

In new business, the selectmen heard a Pavement Management Report from technical consulting firm Haley Ward. The 175-page report offers strategies and recommendations for maintenance, rehabilitation, and reconstruction over a 10-year period.

The report suggests the town invest at least $1 million per year in these efforts and that “noticeable improvement” in pavement conditions overall would require $1.2 million to $1.4 million annually instead. As to roadway conditions, the report grades 59% of Goshen’s paved roads in fair condition, 25% in poor or worse shape, and 16% in good or better condition.

The meeting adjourned at 5:41 p.m.

The Board of Selectmen also was scheduled to meet July 28.