Goshen Board of Selectmen

07/28/26

Present: First Selectman Seth Breakell, Selectmen Dexter Kinsella and Scott Olson (via Zoom).

The Goshen Board of Selectmen (BOS) unanimously approved minutes from the July 21 session after a motion by Selectman Dexter Kinsella and second by Selectman Scott Olson. The payroll and warrants for July 30 were approved after a motion by Kinsella and second by First Selectman Seth Breakell, with Olson abstaining. 

“I was not able to get in to review the invoices today, so I’ll be abstaining,” Olson said.

Breakell gave the First Selectman’s report, including an assessment of the Town’s new website operation.

“We’ve been very happy with the outcome so far,” Breakell said. “It’s been significantly more user friendly and easier to navigate for the most part. Like any new system, we’re working through a few issues and a few bugs, so I appreciate your patience as we continue to try to get those issues with that in order.”

Breakell said the site now includes video recordings of meetings available through the Minutes & Agendas shortcut.

In new business, Public Works Supervisor Garret Harlow requested funds from the 2025-26 Fiscal Year to pay Truck Parts & Sales of CT, Inc. a total of $2,722.73. Harlow also requested $6,270 for rental of a street sweeper from Northwest Hills Council of Governments (NHCOG), although the Town is awaiting a formal invoice, Breakell said. Unanimous approval followed a motion by Kinsella and second by Olson to release the funds.

The meeting adjourned at 5:08 p.m.

08/04/26 meeting was canceled.

08/11/26

Present: Breakell, Olson.

Excused absence: Kinsella.

This BOS session started with approval of the July 28 meeting minutes. Olson moved to approve, Breakell seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously. The payroll and warrants for Aug. 13 were approved unanimously after a motion by Olson and second by Breakell.

The Public Works Department is working on drainage on Pie Hill Road to prepare for paving in the Fall, Breakell said in the First Selectman’s report. 

Breakell addressed questions about construction activity on Newcomb Road by explaining Eversource is temporarily staging at a site during its transformer project at the Brooks Road substation.

“The property owner leased them the property over there for use as a lay down yard,” Breakell said.

The BOS congratulated Jim O’Leary for more than 50 years of service as a volunteer and Emergency Management Director. O’Leary was saluted at an Appreciation Dinner by the Goshen Fire Company. 

Correspondence included a recommendation from the Republican Town Committee that Dawna Beausoleil fill the open Republican seat on the Goshen Public Library Board of Directors. Later in the meeting, under new appointments, the BOS unanimously agreed to appoint Beausoleil to the panel on a motion by Olson and second by Breakell.

Old Business: Selectmen circled back to the June 30 meeting regarding a new bank account for the new senior transit van. The signatories on the account named are Breakell, Olson, Kinsella, Treasurer Devin Stilson and Deputy Treasurer Nanci Howard. Olson moved to add those signatories to that account, and the move was unanimously approved after a second by Breakell.

The BOS voted July 21 to apply $54,000 from the Town Aid Road (TAR) Funds to the chip sealing budget line item, so the Selectmen needed to apply that amount from the chip seal invoice to the TAR fund for accounting purposes. Olson moved to do that, Breakell seconded the motion, and the vote of approval was unanimous.

“We sort of did it in reverse, if you will,” Breakell said.

In the final agenda item under old business, the Selectmen approved the special event permit for the 2026 Goshen Fair with the understanding the emergency management onsite meeting will be held before the event. The unanimous approval came after a motion by Olson and second by Breakell. The fair is scheduled for Sept. 5-7 this year.

The meeting adjourned at 5:08 p.m.

08/18/26

Present: Breakell, Olson, Kinsella.

The first item was approval of minutes from the Aug. 11 meeting. Olson moved to do so, and Breakell seconded the motion. Kinsella, who had an excused absence Aug. 11, abstained from the vote.

The Payroll and Warrants were approved on a unanimous vote after a motion by Olson and second by Kinsella. Breakell then reported there is a need for clerks for the Library, Board of Finance, and Recreation Commissions.

Breakell said early voting drew 103 citizens. Final numbers were not yet in, he said, but he noted that is a small turnout in comparison to Town expenses for early voting.

In public comment, Janet Hooper of Sharon Turnpike attended in person and asked about the status of the Ethics Committee.

“We did get the revision back from the attorney a little while ago,” Breakell said. “We’ve pretty well got it reviewed and we should be making those changes or updates and have that moving forward relatively shortly.”

“We’re also in the process of doing a new employee handbook for the Town,” he said. “I wanted to get the handbook done before we implement the Code of Ethics.”

The meeting adjourned at 5:07 p.m.

The Board of Selectmen also was scheduled to meet Aug. 25.