Having been sworn in at a ceremony on November 29, newly elected First Selectman Bruce Walczak attended his first Board of Selectmen meeting on December 1.

In his inaugural first selectman’s report, Walczak recounted spending time over the last few weeks prior to the beginning of his term meeting with various department heads and commission chairs, to “get a feel of who they are, what they do, and how I can help them,” said Walczak.

Walczak also mentioned that prior to his term, he and former First Selectman (currently Selectman) Jeff Capeci met with Town Engineer John Curtis to discuss the Pootatuck culvert project. Walczak requested Curtis develop a detailed project chart to include activities, start dates, end dates, and milestones. The goal is to have the full chart ready for the next BOS meeting on December 15. Walczak reported that the Winn Development project at Fairfield Hills is continuing to move forward and that a buyer is “deeply interested” in 3 Main Street.

He also spent his first day in meetings concerning department budgets, and then, following a doctor’s visit, Walczak arrived at the BOS meeting.

Walczak showed a scheduling chart for the week divided into one hour blocks, showing how he was completely booked for the whole week.

Later in the meeting, Walczak suggested the possibility of changing the BOS meeting time to 7 pm from the current 7:30 pm.

Selectman Paul Lundquist said he was “not against” the idea, but had concerns with people, including himself, getting to the meeting after work. He also felt that with the BOS meeting starting at 7 pm and most other major boards and commissions such as the Legislative Council meeting at 7:30 pm, the change could cause confusion among the public. Selectman Jeff Capeci agreed with Lundquist’s assessment.

The time was not changed.

Lundquist was then named as acting first selectman in the event of absence, incapacity, or disability of the first selectman, and the BOS meeting calendar was approved. They then approved the re-establishment of three ad hoc committees, the Animal Care & Control Advisory Board, Bike & Trail Committee, and Newtown Building and Infrastructure Committee.

Not re-established was the Ad Hoc Committee For River & Watershed Improvement, which was formed shortly before the end of Capeci’s term last month and was intended to ensure that progress continues on the Pootatuck culvert repair. Walczak said he wanted two weeks to further review the committee’s purpose and structure, and noted the town was having a difficult time finding members with the needed credentials.

Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.