The nine items (eight budgetary) passed at the well-attended 2/23 Special Meeting at the Sherman Town Hall, were as follows: $8,326.52 for emergency mold remediation and associated bathroom repairs at Happy Acres Farm; $7,000 for the purchase of five (5) HeartStart FRx defibrillators as requested by the Sherman Volunteer Fire Department; $10,000 for the purchase of a gear washing machine requested by the Sherman Volunteer Fire Department; $2,500 for the purchase of office furniture for the Social Services office; $800 for the purchase of stackable arm chairs for the Senior Center; $10,000 for the design and development of a new Town website; $99,000 from for the design and construction of three (3) new post tension tennis courts at Veterans Field as requested by the Parks and Recreation Commission; and $25,000 for the construction of new Trex docks, as requested by the Parks and Recreation Commission.
The first item was funded from the Happy Acres Farm Trust Account, and the others from the Capital Non-Recurring Fund, which is expected to have a balance of about $308,000 after these expenditures. A Dog Leash Ordinance, as requested by the Parks and Recreation Commission, was passed; the Ordinance is available in the Town Clerk’s office. Violations are enforceable by an officer serving other area towns
Questioning was lively from town residents, notably about the tennis court construction and the town website. Town Engineer Tony Iadarola’s knowledgeable explanation of the post-tension technology, and Selectman Bob Ostrosky’s comprehensive overview of the proposed town website’s capabilities, helped produce overwhelmingly positive votes for these projects.
Suzette Berger of the Senior Center provided a humorous yet effective rationale for the purchase of the stackable armchairs for the Senior Center, saying that when the chairs were tested in the Senior Center they quickly became prime real estate because of their arms and comfort. Now there will be enough chairs to go around all the tables.
The BOS meeting immediately following began with resident Scott Randall’s announcement that the petition protesting New Fairfield’s proposed use of algaecides in Candlewood Lake had already acquired 2300 signatures. Mr. Randall pointed out that the purpose of the petition was to “weigh and vote” on the issue, and urged the Selectmen and residents to contribute their opinions. At the end of the meeting, resident Gina Romano echoed Mr. Randall’s concerns in commending the BOS for their attention to the Candlewood Lake matter and asking for further action. First Selectman Clay Cope agreed to warn the issue as a special meeting, to take place on a Saturday during a budget meeting, and remarked this should happen “soon.”
Representatives of Julia’s Wings were honored with the proclamation that February 27th-March 5th would be Aplastic Anemia Awareness Week. The organization announced the launch of “Operation Wearing Red” during the week, asking residents to wear red and tie red ribbons on their mailboxes to raise awareness of the disease and help affected families. Julia’s Wings raises funds primarily to help parents and families stay with affected children while they are in the hospital.
First Selectman Cope reported that an ad-hoc committee had been formed to deal with Sherman’s high sodium chloride content in the town center’s water, consisting of himself, CT state water department officials, and researchers from U. Conn and Atlantic States Rural Water and Wastewater Association (ASRWWWA) who have been working on the issue for the past years. Selectman Don Cope requested that meetings of the committee be made public.
Other items included the proposed sale for $2000 of an unused sander, and Selectman Lowe clarifying that the supposed cost of $10-$15 thousand dollars of the Septic Walkover Program was not per year, but for 3 years; the latter issue was tabled to the March BOS meeting.
By Alexis Mace