Winsted Town Meeting:

5/4/26, 7 PM

Present: Mayor Todd Arcelaschi, 2nd Selectman William Hester, and Selectman Troy Lamere, Kevin Bishop, Cheryl Heffernan McGlynn, and William Pozzo; Absent Excused: Paul Marino                     

A new state law aimed at increasing affordability for residents will result in the Town of Winsted receiving three increased “buckets of money,” Town Manager Paul Harrington said during the May 4 Board of Selectman meeting.

The increases are the result of the Connecticut state legislature’s recently approved revision of its FY2027 budget, which includes tax relief measures and supplemental funding for K-12 education.

The first bucket is for the town’s proposed FY2027 Supplemental Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Grant, which will be increased by $136,056, Harrington said.

The board’s proposed FY 2027 budget is $42,290,600, which will be discussed during Winsted’s annual town budget meeting that was scheduled to be held on May 11. The proposed budget’s mill rate is 30.00, which is down from the initially proposed 30.13, due to the increased state aid, according to the town’s website.

The second and third buckets are aimed at education and will each receive $160,499, Harrington said. These are the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) grant, and the school District Relief and Compensatory Use Learning Aid (DRACULA) grant.

In other business, Selectman Bishop asked for an update on legacy buildings along the Mad River.  

Harrington said that Tighe & Bond, which is also leading development of Winsted’s Safe Streets for All program, is working on that project.

“We’re looking at all of of our legacy buildings along Main Street and determining … roughly the cost of remediating those buildings to bring them back into use, whether it be commercial, retail — whatever the case may be,” Harrington said.

He also gave an update on the planned Bridge Street intersection project. “We’re still reworking the plan,” he said, adding that the town received a nearly $800,000 grant for the project. While the town previously considered making the road one way, it changed its mind after receiving strong objections from the community during a hearing.

“We went back to the drawing board, and I can speak confidently that whatever design we do do, it will not be a one-way,” Harrington said. “It’ll be a two-way.”

Another “interesting” item for possible consideration is 281 Walnut Street, a five-acre parcel of land near Tatro Pond, Harrington said. Habitat for Humanity is interested in possibly building a home on a half acre of that land, he said.

The board agreed to put 281 Walnut Street on a future agenda to consider the possibility of Habitat for Humanity building there.

The town received six applications from residents looking to form a new committee to oversee the $2.8 million roof replacement project at the Isabelle M. Pearson Middle School, Harrington said. 

Selectman approved all six applicants, who are: Robert Asselin, Dave Cruden, Jason Kent, Richard Mazzei as well as Selectmen TroyLamere and William Pozzo.