Community Meeting Thursday, June 11 regarding FedEx proposed development on Aetna Site

The Westfield Residents Association invites any interested residents to meet with FedEx Ground representatives on Thursday, June 11th, at 7pm in the Council Chambers at City Hall. FedEx will present its plans for developing the Aetna site on Middle Street into a package distribution center and answer any questions or concerns residents might have.

FedEx's application to the Department of Planning, Conservation and Development has been uploaded to the city's website. See the full application here.

Questions or concerns can be directed to WRA Chair Jennifer Mahr at westfieldresidents@gmail.com.

Meet the Candidates Forum tonight at Third Congregational Church

The Westfield Residents Association invites you to this evening's Annual Meeting and Meet the Candidates Forum:

Where:   Fellowship Hall at the Third Congregational Church, 94 Miner Street, Middletown

When:    6:30pm - Annual Meeting and Guest Speakers from the Charter Revision Commission

               7:00pm - Meet the Candidates Forum
          
                       CT House District 33:  Rep. Joe Serra v. Linda Szynkowicz

             CT Senate District 9: Sen. Paul Doyle v. (Earle Roberts - appearance not confirmed)

             CT Senate District 13: Sen. Dante Bartolomeo v. Len Suzio

                       US House of Representatives: Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro v. James Brown

This event is open to the general public. Questions can be directed to westfieldresidents@gmail.com

WRA Meet the Candidates Forum

The Westfield Residents Association invites all Middletown residents to its Annual Meeting and Meet the Candidates Forum this Monday, October 27, 2014. The event will be held in the Fellowship Hall at the Third Congregational Church on Miner Street in Middletown. There is no charge to attend.

The WRA will hold its Annual Meeting starting at 6:30pm. In addition to electing the 2014-15 Executive Committee, the organization will host special guest speakers Dr. David Larson and Robert Blanchard, members of the Charter Revision Commission. The following questions will be on the Nov. 4th ballot, and Larson and Blanchard will speak about the Commission's work and then answer audience questions:

1. Shall the Charter be amended to provide for a term of four years for the following elected officials of the City of Middletown: the Mayor, Common Council, Treasurer, Board of Assessment Appeals and Registrars of Voters?
2. Shall the Charter be amended to raise the bond limit for which the Common Council can approve spending without going to referendum to $1,000,000?3. Shall all other amendments to the Charter as approved by the Common Council from the Final Report of the Charter Revision Commission at its September 2, 2014 meeting be approved?

At approximately 7pm, the Meet the Candidates Forum will begin. The following candidates have been invited (candidates with * after their names have already confirmed their attendance):

US House of Representatives: Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro* v. James Brown*

CT House District 100: Rep. Matt Lesser v. Angel Fernandez

CT House District 33:  Rep. Joe Serra* v. Linda Szynkowicz*

CT Senate District 13: Sen. Dante Bartolomeo* v. Len Suzio*

CT Senate District 9: Sen. Paul Doyle* unopposed

This is not a debate, but rather an opportunity for the candidates to speak briefly and then answer audience questions. All members of the public are welcome to attend.

Here are the relevant details again:

WRA Annual Meeting and Meet the Candidates Forum

Monday, October 27th at 6:30pm

Fellowship Hall at Third Congregational Church

94 Miner Street, Middletown

6:30pm - Annual meeting, Guest Speakers from the Charter Revision Commission, and refreshments

7pm - "Meet the Candidates" Forum 

Questions can be directed to westfieldresidents@gmail.com

Westfield Residents Association Hosts Meet the Candidates Night

Last night's Westfield Residents Association (WRA) Meet the Candidates Night drew quite a crowd, and most of those individuals were candidates for office in Middletown!

All three mayoral candidates and the three city treasurer candidates had a chance to introduce themselves, as did many candidates from both the Republican and Democratic parties. Interestingly, both parties (as well as the independent candidates) repeatedly mentioned the need for transparency and accountability in public office, yet no one specifically mentioned how that could happen differently given the fact that most of the candidates already hold public office in Middletown. Mayoral challenger Dan Drew pushed hard for the concept of economic growth by targeting specific growth industries (bio-tech and green industries), but he didn't explain how he could offer tax incentives to such businesses AND cut taxes while also fully funding the education budget that has been level funded for the last 4 years (don't forget that level funded actually means a budget cut due to contractual increases in salary or services that force cuts elsewhere).

The three mayoral candidates got into an argument over the purpose of the city's reserve fund. Democratic mayoral candidate Dan Drew explained his view of the Democratic-controlled City Council using reserve funds rather than raising taxes: "I would say that we've been in trouble. How would it have been to have been taxed an additional $11.2 million? We are overtaxing if we're saving more than one month's operating expenses." Mayor Giuliano responded,

The concept that a healthy fund balance is overtaxing...the only people who used to advocate that are somewhat to the right of Russ Limbaugh. You need two months reserve to maintain your bond rating. To improve the rating, you need to grow your reserve balance and it needs to be sustained growth, not a yo-yo. Don't forget that you need to pay bonds back with interest, and right now, Middletown's debt service is $15 million per year - that's 10% of the budget, and you could cut 3 mils right there if you didn't have to service that debt.

Christine Bourne, the independent candidate for mayor and current City Treasurer, stated that Middletown has "barely one month's operating expenses in reserve." She also commented that if Middletown wants to be able to offer loans to attract more businesses to our town, we need to have a healthier reserve account to accomplish that.

Much time was also spent discussing the Senior Center, and whether or not Block Grant funds should have been allocated to support this project. Christine Bourne argued that Middletown citizens should have been able to vote on whether or not to spend the money on the Senior Center as the City's Charter requires voter approval for projects over $750,000. That the Council split the project cost into two and then voted to approve funding for 1/2 the project simply denied Middletown residents project approval they should have had. Dan Drew defended his vote against using Block Funds for the Senior Center, "I think we could have funded the center later on AND given $90,000 worth of funding to other organizations right now. That way we could have done both things - funded the Senior Center in another way AND helped out those organizations that really needed it instead of just putting $90,000 away in a bank account for a year."

Clearly the candidates were ready to debate far into the evening, and time ran out before it got too ugly. It was an informative night, but the limited time made it hard for any one candidate to really answer a question.

Public Service Announcement:

Election Day is November 8, 2011. Please take the time to review the different candidates' positions, and then just vote when Election Day comes. Change in Middletown doesn't come because a candidate does or doesn't get voted into office: change happens because individuals take a moment to get involved, and they exercise their free right to self-determination. Many people in other parts of the world would die for what we have, so don't squander a precious gift, and don't be casual about it! Decide what's important to you, and then support a candidate that will embrace your philosophy. Your vote does matter, and you do have a responsibility to your fellow citizens to participate in the process.

See you at the polls!

Westfield Candidates Forum a Lively Event

(Left to right: Matt Lesser, John Szewczyk, Paul Doyle, Joe Serra, David Bauer, and Dom Mazzaccoli)

All of the candidates running to represent the Westfield portion of Middletown turned out to make one of their final public pitches for votes on Monday evening, at a candidates forum hosted by the Westfield Residents Association. About 40 residents heard them discuss issues quite similar to those being discussed in statewide races in Connecticut and elsewhere: creating jobs, balancing the budget, and the value of previous government service.

Dom Mazzacoli (R), running to unseat Senator Paul Doyle (D), opened the forum by saying, "I'm running because we are moving in the wrong direction." Doyle countered by listing his experience and accomplishments over the past 4 years of serving his district, he said that he was most proud of the work he had done to help persuade the Army to move a training facility from Boardman Lane to its current site on Smith Street.

In the 33rd District, challenger David Bauer (R) promised that he would work harder to get Middletown a higher amount of Educational Cost Sharing revenue from the State, he would exert an effort to bring appropriate development of the Aetna property, and he would fight during the upcoming redistricting to get Middletown more favorable district lines. Joe Serra (D) touted his roots in the city, "I was born and raised in Middletown. I spent 37 years at the Public Works Department... I'm the senior member [of the delegation] in terms of time and age, and so they listen to me."

In the 100th District, John Szewczyk (R) is challenging one-term incumbent Matt Lesser (D). Szewczyk told the audience that if elected he would cut the budget by consolidating duplicate state agencies. In a departure, he said that the role of the government was not to create jobs, but rather to invest in infrastructure which would in turn promote economic growth. Lesser said that his first term was not an easy one, having started at the beginning of the economic downturn, but he said, "At the end of the day we were able to protect the city of Middletown [from significant cuts in funding]."

Jim O'Rourke, running for reelection in the 32nd District, spoke of issues on which he had worked with Westfield Residents in the past. Referring to a Dainty Rubbish landfill, he said, "We worked together on the Mt. Trashmore on Newfield Street." He expressed pride in endorsements he has received from environmental groups, "Environment has been one of my key things."

_________________

Disclosure: I am vice-chair of the Westfield Residents Association.

Army Unveils Training Facility, Plan to Protect Boardman Lane From Development

Boardman Lane Land to be Preserved by the Army

Pedro Wasmer, representing the group which owns 88 acres on Boardman Lane in Westfield, announced at the Westfield Residents Association quarterly meeting that he had reached an agreement to sell the majority of his land to the Army Corps of Engineers. He said that he wanted to subdivide the land into a 4.6 acre parcel which would include the historic farm and a 52 acre parcel which the Army would purchase, "We are very pleased to keep the land pristine." The sales price for the 52 acres is $1.4M. The remaining acreage is all unbuildable wetlands, except for a 1.6 acre parcel on Boardman Lane, and "less than 8" acres which are not accessible except through the neighboring property owned by Yellow Freight, Wasmer said they have no plans for the remaining land.

Diane McCartin, lead planner for the Armed Forces Reserve Center to be built at Cucia Park, said that the Army has held several working meetings with the Middlesex Land Trust, to transfer ownership of the 52 acres to the Land Trust, "The Army does not prefer to own it in perpetuity." She praised the Land Trust as a local land preservation organization, however, she said that there were federal laws which complicated the possible transfer of land. She was unsure what the long-term ownership of the land would be. McCartin said that under any circumstances the land would have permanent protection from development, written into the deed.

Dennis Lowry, wetlands specialist at the Corps of Engineers, explained that the 52 acres was being preserved to replace the function of 1.6 acres of wetlands to be destroyed at Cucia Park when the Armed Forces Reserve Center is built. He highlighted the efforts they would be undertaking to improve habitat for the Eastern Box Turtle, which include tight regulations on the time of mowing and the height of the blades on the mower. He also said there was a plan for removal of invasive species, and plantings of native trees such as pin oaks and cottonwoods.

The assembled WRA members applauded the outcome for the Boardman Lane land, and thanked Wasmer and McCartin for making it possible. Also in attendance was Council member Ron Klattenberg; speaking for the Mayor's Advisory Panel, which worked to steer the Army towards Cucia Park, Klattenberg said, "This is a dream come true."

The Armed Forces Center Plans

Jim Culkin, of KBE Building Corporation, presented the site plan and schematic of the $51.5M Armed Forces Reserve Center at the former Cucia Park. The complex will include a main building of 160,000 square feet, a storage building of 34,000 square feet, and a large parking lot.

Culkin highlighted the environmental features of the site plan and building, which is being built to achieve a "Silver" under the LEED process of certifying environmentally responsible construction. Storm water run-off will be handled by a series of bioretention basins, galleys below parking structures, and gentle slopes of vegetation to reduce erosion caused by water run-off from the adjacent I91. The building will have a solar water heater, solar power panels, a 'green roof' covered in low-maintenance plants, and be constructed partially with recycled materials.

McCartin said that the site plan would not be reviewed by the City's Inland Wetlands or Planning and Zoning Commission, but sighed that the review done by the Corps of Engineers environmental division and the EPA was extraordinarily thorough.

The ceremonial ground-breaking for the facility will take place on June 10th, although preliminary site work is beginning this week. Occupancy of the facility must take place by September of 2011, according to Federal Law.

-------

Disclosure: I am vice-chair of the WRA, and played an active role in the efforts to influence the Army's site selection process.

Doyle, Serra, and Lesser to Appear Tonight

State Senator Paul Doyle, and Representatives Joe Serra and Matt Lesser will be appearing tonight in Westfield to discuss the upcoming State Legislative session. They will be focusing on the impact of decisions in the Capitol on Middletown.

All members of the public are invited to attend.

Westfield Residents Association Quarterly Meeting

General WRA Business: 7:00 PM

Legislative Delegation: 7:30 PM

Fellowship Hall

3rd Congregational Church

94 Miner Street

Legislators to Discuss State Budget at Westfield Meeting on Monday

All of the elected state legislators representing Westfield will be at a Westfield Residents Association forum on Monday, to discuss the upcoming legislative session and what it means for Middletown. All members of the public are encouraged to attend.

Paul Doyle (Senate, 9th District)

Joe Serra (House, 33rd District)

Matt Lesser (House, 100th District)

Monday January 25th, 7:30 PM

Fellowship Hall

Third Congregational Church

94 Miner Street

(one block from the Westfield Fire Station)

The legislators will focus on the looming battle over the State Budget, which is projected to have a $500M deficit in the current fiscal year and an even greater structural deficit in the next two years.

Middletown receives a large amount of money from the state: for education, roads, public safety, and as payment in lieu of property taxes (PILOT) on state-owned property. These funds are used by our municipal government to support virtually everything the city does. Thus, the budgetary battles in Hartford, which will be difficult and long in this election year, will have an enormous impact on Middletown. The outcome will affect the services that the City can provide, and the taxes we pay for them.

There will be ample opportunity to question our representatives. The WRA invites all members of the public to attend, to learn about what will be happening at the Capitol this term.

Walk CT to be featured in Westfield

A new state-wide program to promote walking for both recreation and transportation is getting off the ground this year in Connecticut, and Middletown is a pilot program. Walk CT is a program being developed by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association, whose headquarters are in Middletown, on Washington Street. Jennifer Benner, who is working for CFPA to coordinate the Walk CT program, told me it consists of three primary elements:

1. A web-based guide to the walking routes in Connecticut. This web site is under construction now, the goal is to have in a single, easy-to-find location all of the paths and trails for walking (two example walking routes)
   
2. Family Rambles are family-friendly hikes on the last weekend of every month. One hike is to be offered in every county. Family Rambles are listed on the CFPA web site.
3. Walking as an integral part of a city. The goal of this program is to bring together all of the elements of the city, including municipal governance, schools, civic organizations, etc, to foster walking for pleasure and transportation. Middletown is the pilot city for this program!
   

Benner said that WalkCT organizers are holding meetings with city officials about fostering walking in our city. Besides the obvious benefits for health and the environment, Benner pointed to the commerce that can result from walking as a tourist attraction. With many Connecticut families staying close to home for vacation (staycation), she said that such events as garden walks and history walks could attract a lot of visitors to Middletown.

Tonight at the Westfield Residents Association quarterly meeting, Walk CT Director Leslie Lewis will give a presentation on all aspects of the program, focusing in particular on the efforts to promote walking in Middletown. Everybody is welcome to attend the WRA meetings.

WRA Quarterly Meeting
Monday, April 27,
3rd Congregational Church, Miner Street
7:00 PM (WRA business)
7:30 PM (Public Meeting)
Leslie Lewis, WalkCT Director

Westfield Fire Marshall to speak in Westfield

Art Higgins, Fire Marshall of the Westfield Fire Department, will be the featured speaker at tonight's quarterly meeting of the Westfield Residents Association. He will be joined by Ed Dypa, a longtime volunteer fireman in Westfield. Higgins and Dypa will present tips for preventing fires during cold weather, and will also discuss recent actions by Common Council.

7:00PM, January 26
3rd Congregational Church
94 Miner Street (just a few blocks from the Westfield Fire station on East Street)

The Westfield Fire District was chartered by state law as independent of the Middletown's central fire department (South District is also independent). Westfield Residents pay the lowest tax rate for fire protection in Middletown by far, benefiting from a relatively high tax base because of all the industrial development in Westfield, and from being staffed almost entirely by volunteer fire fighters (only 2 out of over 50 firefighters are paid). In January, the Common Council voted to authorize a committee to study the cost of providing fire services. Although this resolution specifically stated that a merger of the fire districts was not to be on this committee's agenda, residents in Westfield are concerned what this "City-wide Fire Services Cost Committee" will recommend.

The Westfield Fire Department's newsblog currently features recommendations for dealing with water pipes in cold weather.

DeLauro and Ferrucci to appear in Middletown

There will be a rare chance in Middletown on Monday evening to see the incumbent Democratic congresswoman Rosa DeLauro with one of her challengers, the Green Party candidate, Ralph Ferrucci. Congresswoman DeLauro represents District 3 (which encompasses most of Middletown) in the United States House of Representatives, and has done so since 1990. Ferrucci ran for this seat as the Green Party candidate in 2004, and for the Senate seat against Ned Lamont and Joe Lieberman in 2006.
They will both be appearing at the Westfield Residents Association annual meeting, which has for many years featured a Meet the Candidates event. The third candidate on the ballot, Bo Itshaky (Republican) was unable to make it.

WRA Meet the Candidates Night
October 27th, 7:30PM
Fellowship Hall, 3rd Congregational Church
94 Miner Street, Middletown.

The WRA annual meeting will begin at 7:00. The meet the candidates portion will begin promptly at 7:30, with the two candidates for the 3rd US congressional district (DeLauro and Ferrucci). When they are finished, it will continue with candidates for the 9th state senatorial district (Doyle and Capenera), the 100th state legislative district (Kalinowski and Lesser), and the 33rd state legislative district (Serra and Johnson).

Mayor Sebastian Giuliano will also appear, to discuss the city-wide referenda on the ballot.

The annual meeting is open to the public.

An open letter to our elected officials about the army base

To the elected officials who represent the residents of Middletown:

On behalf of the Westfield Residents Association, a 27-year old neighborhood association, I am writing to you with respect to the proposed Army Training Facility on Boardman Lane in Middletown. We are active, concerned citizens of Middletown, and we are dismayed by the decision to place the Training Facility on Boardman Lane. This decision violates both the letter and the spirit of Congressional legislation, and we ask that you do everything in your power to prevent the Army Corps of Engineers from taking this prime land from Middletown.
The Base Relocation and Closure act of 2005 mandated that a Training Facility be built in Middletown, “if the Army is able to acquire land suitable for the construction of the facilities.” The goals of this mandate were to provide intangible benefits to Middletown by integrating the military with residents and to provide tangible benefits to Middletown by the commerce associated with such a facility. We think the goals are laudable. Unfortunately, the Boardman Lane location does not realize either of these goals. Fundamentally, the Boardman Lane location violates a federal act: it is not land “suitable for construction of the facilities.”
The isolation of the site precludes any meaningful interaction between the soldiers receiving training and the town. Boardman is a small country lane with 9 houses on large lots, a cemetery from the time of the American Revolution, and the 88-acre parcel of pasture and significant pristine wetlands. Boardman Lane is a secondary road that is utterly inadequate not just for the number of cars, but also for the heavy military vehicles and trucks making deliveries (no through trucks are allowed on Boardman Lane). Two streets feeding Boardman, Bell Street and Sawmill Lane, are even smaller. These three streets are part of several different cycle groups’ featured rides through Middletown, two of them are also part of the Mattabessett hiking trail. None of these isolated, small country lanes are capable of handling the enormous increase in traffic that the Training Facility will generate. Boardman ends on Middle Street, which although only 2 lanes, is a major through fare for people working at Aetna and the many other companies within the IT zone adjacent to I91, as well as for people getting on or off of Interstate 91 to travel to or from Middletown. There are significant line of sight issues for any traffic turning from Boardman Lane onto Middle Street, which is already an overburdened and dangerous street. We fear that the only interactions that Middletown residents will have with military personnel is in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
The location of the site very far from any Middletown retail district precludes any economic benefit to the city. Boardman Lane is far more convenient and far closer to the hotels and cafés of Cromwell, Berlin, and Meriden than it is to those of Middletown. Middletown’s businesses will not benefit from the presence of this training facility in Westfield. The citizens of Middletown have strongly supported the preservation of open space. This land is zoned IT, and may not be preserved in its current condition of beautiful farmland and wetlands. However, it would be unfair for this land to be covered with the equivalent of two Walmarts and their parking lots, when the city bears a loss of tax revenue and an increase in the need for city services such as fire protection and water and sewer, as well as a decrease in the quality of life for our citizens. The loss of 88 prime acres zoned for Interstate Trade (IT) development forces Middletown citizens to pay higher taxes to support an Army Training Facility that provides no benefit to them. It is simply unfair to ask Middletown to make such an enormous sacrifice.
In addition to these traffic and economic issues, we note that the geology of the site will be very problematic for construction. This site is between two traprock ridges, Higby and Lamentation Mountains, and as would be expected, the ground is extremely wet and drains poorly, many of the houses in the neighborhood have special drainage systems to keep buildings dry. This site could require extensive blasting prior to construction. On ledge of the type found throughout this area, blasting forces travel large distances, and are known to damage homes and wells over 2,000 feet from the blast. Finally, there are significant concerns about whether there is adequate water pressure to accommodate a facility of this size.
In summary, the Boardman Lane site for this Training Facility does not meet the intent of the Base Relocation and Closure act of 2005. It provides no benefits to the city of Middletown, and comes at an enormous cost to our community’s future. Please do everything in your power to urge the army to place the training facility in another location more suitable for the army and also more suitable and fair to our community.
Instead of Maromas or Boardman Lane, the Westfield Residents Association suggests that the Army look at an urban site that will revitalize an under-utilized property, in line with “smart growth” principles. This will provide the army with an opportunity to integrate itself as a valued institution within the community and within a neighborhood. An urban site will provide the City with economic and community benefits that are meaningful both to the community and to the military, and will fulfill the spirit and the law of the originating legislation as it was intended to benefit both the army and the community of Middletown.
Thank you for your efforts on behalf of Middletown. We look forward to a meaningful sharing of ideas that meet both the military’s needs as well as the needs of the host community.  

Stephen H. Devoto

on behalf of the Westfield Residents Association

Westfield Residents Annual Meeting Tonight

Tonight will be the annual meeting and picnic of the Westfield Residents Association:

July 14th

Smith Park (on the north side of Country Club, between Higby and I91)

7PM: Business Meeting

All are welcome to attend the business meeting, which will focus almost entirely on the siting of a military training facility on Boardman Lane and Middle Street.  Prior to the business meeting (6PM), there will be a potluck picnic for residents.

Stephen H. Devoto