Serving Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall
Volume 16, Issue 39
Winds of change blow through Middlefield selectmen’s meeting By Sue VanDerzee Town Times At their first meeting of the new year on Jan. 4, the Middlefield Board of Selectmen met the future head-on. First was the approval of a Middlefield Comprehensive Energy Plan, prepared by Clean Energy Task Force member Jen Huddleston, and a resolution about the adoption of the plan. Both were adopted unanimously, with kudos to the author and the task force, in time to become part of a grant application for study of a possible wind farm in town. That application for federal money for a study of the feasibility of such a project is a joint endeavor of Middletown and Middlefield, with
Middlefield taking on the role of lead municipality for purposes of the grant. (See article on page 3.) Permit fee changes Second was continued discussion of and enthusiasm for a revised fee schedule for the Building Department based on “construction value” (CV) of planned improvements, not on construction costs. According to First Selectman Jon Brayshaw, “Honest citizens are getting penalized because of a certain historical ‘looseness’ in the way the office has been run. We’d like the Building Department to be a ‘zero sum game’ where the fees for permits and applications pay for the inspection services See Selectmen, page 12
Picture this
Good food, good fun, good deed
The moms and girls of Brownie Scout Troop 62199, based at John Lyman School, gathered to make 15 homemade pumpkin pies. The pies were delivered to the Middletown Red Cross office to be included in their Thanksgiving baskets. The scouts would like to thank Pizzeria Da Vinci of Rockfall for supplying the perfect boxes to protect the pies in transit. More holiday scenes from the Brownies on page 10.
Powder Ridge project continues to stir up Middlefield officials and residents By Sue VanDerzee Town Times “What’s going on at the Ridge?” That’s a question on many people’s minds and much discussion took place at the Jan. 4 Middlefield Board of Selectmen’s meeting about plans for Powder Ridge, as well as whether or not those
In this issue ... Second place winner Kelly Viski and her brother Joseph, of Durham, enjoyed the Durham Middlefield Youth and Family Services photography show in Decmber, held to highlight scenes of our towns and honor winners of their photo contest. See more on page 5.
Friday, Januar y 8, 2010
Arts..................................17 Calendar............................4 Church News ..................11 Durham Briefs ...........13-14 Libraries .........................16 Middlefield Briefs ......12-13 Obituaries ..................18-19 Sports..........................22-23
plans were being developed using proper procedures. First Selectman Jon Brayshaw’s contention that discussion of plans can continue in executive session was largely upheld by a phone call to the state Freedom of Information Commission the next morning, but the question of keeping at least the rest of the Board of Selectmen informed was less clear. What is clear at this point is that Brayshaw, with support from select members of the ad hoc committee on Powder Ridge, are continuing to negotiate with Dan Frank, a principal of Snow Time Inc. According to Frank, who was enthusiastic in a phone interview on
Wednesday, the plans of his company are to get everything settled as soon as possible so as to break ground by April 1 on needed improvements for the facility. Meanwhile, some members of the ad hoc committee, as well as selectwoman Mary Johnson, are concerned that they don’t have enough ongoing information. “I’d love to stand up at a public meeting and support this plan,” said Johnson, “but I don’t know enough about the details to do that at this moment and it makes me sad.” “That’s not to say that the plans are bad,” she hastened to add. “I just can’t tell you. The devil is in the details.”
See Powder Ridge, page 7