Winsted Leaders Eye New Budget, Speed Cameras, Communications Upgrade

6/1/26

Present: Mayor Todd Arcelaschi, Selectmen William Hester, Troy Lamere, Paul Marino, Kevin Bishop, Cheryl Heffernan McGlynn, and William Pozzo.

Winsted officials are preparing to implement the town’s newly passed FY26-27 municipal budget by July 1, Town Manager Paul Harrington said during the June 1 Board of Selectman (BOS) meeting. The budget, which was approved by referendum in May, totals $42,290,600 with a mill rate of 30.00.

In other business, following the state Department of Transportation’s recent approval, the town has begun implementing installation of two-way speed traffic cameras in town, Harrington said. Plans call for the cameras to be installed at three locations: Route 44 Main Street in the area of Railway Cafe and Mario’s Tuscany Grill; Route 44 heading toward Norfolk in the area of the dry dam; and North Main Street in the area between Wallens Street and Route 20 near the sewer plant.

Harrington said he expects installation to be completed at Main Street by the end of June. “The goal is to have these cameras up and running and issuing actual citations … [by] the end of July,” he said.

Winsted has completed an $850,000 federally funded public safety communications upgrade, Harrington said. The federal grant provides for new 800 MHz radios for the local police, fire and public works departments as well as the fire marshal’s and Emergency Management & Civil Preparedness offices, according to a town statement. Completion of the project brings a major upgrade to the town’s emergency communications infrastructure, according to the statement.

In other action, the board unanimously approved up to $100,000 in funding for emergency replacement of the Isabelle M. Pearson School building’s 28-year-old hot water boiler system. An official told the BOS that the building cannot be used without hot water.

Selectman Bishop asked Harrington when the town is likely to know whether it will receive federal funding for capital expenses at the school. Harrington said he expects to hear by mid-fall whether the town’s application has been approved.

The board also unanimously approved a bid waiver for AllState Waterproofing to make repairs at the Soldiers‘ Monument at a cost of $27,620.

“We're talking about the arch, just as you’re approaching Soldiers Monument,” Harrington said. The proposed project would be funded through the Soldiers Monument Commission’s capital account, he said. The Commission has asked that the work be performed by AllState, which previously completed maintenance work on the monument.

Public Works Director Jim Rollins gave an update on a number of road and bridge projects. These include the Grantville Road Bridge construction project, which has been postponed until the spring of 2028.

The board entered executive session for 20 minutes to discuss personnel contracts as well as 281 Walnut St., a parcel of land near Tatro Pond that the board previously agreed to put on its agenda to consider the possibility of allowing Habitat for Humanity to build there.