Date: Fri 27-Feb-1998

By STEVE BIGHAM

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

council-Rochman-ADA-Beres

Full Text:

Under Pressure, Council Shifts Its Meeting Place

BY STEVE BIGHAM

It looks as if Wendy Beres' persistent message has finally gotten through to

the Legislative Council.

Starting next Tuesday, the 12 council members will be meeting in a location

other than the Cyrenius H. Booth Library. The board has held its last three

meetings at the newly remodeled library, despite objections from the chairman

of the Persons With Disabilities Committee, who claims the library's sidewalk

and handicapped parking areas are inaccessible to handicapped citizens. For

the time being, the council will meet in the Board of Education conference

room on Queen Street.

Council chairman Pierre Rochman said he made the decision to move the meeting

location after a recent discussion with Public Works Director Fred Hurley, who

also serves as the town's Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) coordinator.

"The decision was that when Fred Hurley came back, his posture had somewhat

softened on how sure he was that the library was legally accessible," Mr

Rochman said.

Last week, the council chairman said that Mr Hurley had given the council the

OK to meet at the library. Mr Hurley was out of town at the time.

"I hope it was the letter of the law that was sent by this committee to all

council members that convinced them," Mrs Beres said.

Mrs Beres spent last weekend calling each council member to urge that they

become more sympathetic. The responses, she said, were mixed. Some agreed that

meetings should not be held at the library until the situation is rectified.

Others, according to Mrs Beres, said that they were volunteers of the town and

should therefore have a nice place to meet.

Nevertheless, the council has agreed to stay away from the library.

"With the budget process coming up, I couldn't justify taking a chance on a

technicality," Mr Rochman said.

Mr Hurley said the handicapped parking spaces at the library are indeed in

violation (the building department missed the error) of the code, but he

originally felt the council could still meet there. However, this week Mr

Hurley said the council was better off meeting somewhere else.

"I think in this case, cooler heads prevailed," he said.

Mr Rochman said he has asked First Selectman Herb Rosenthal for a legal

opinion from the town attorney on whether or not the library is handicapped

accessible. He also requested a list of all the possible meeting places that

are accessible.

As for Mrs Beres, Mr Rochman said he only wishes she would be more cooperative

with the town until the situation is resolved.

"I think she is being very unreasonable, but a law is a law," he said.

"How much more cooperative do you want?" Mrs Beres responded. "The library is

opened and it shouldn't be. I guess I could have filed with the state building

inspector and it would have been closed down and the CO (Certificate of

Occupancy) revoked. I personally think I've been very reasonable."

Mr Beres agreed that the council should have a nice spot to meet, but "not at

the expense of citizens."

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Well that is some spin. The Democrats have a super majority on the LC and passed the Education Budget without serious consideration of if the voters could afford the multi million dollar increase. "Was the request justified?" rather than "is this needed?" and "can the voters shoulder yet another large increase?" The voters rightly sent it back. Then for some reason all the discussion around reductions to the increase seemed to be coming from the classroom, rather than administration and overhead costs. Is this a coercive tactic to manipulate parents into supporting the budget like tacit threat of cutting freshman sports was two years ago? Who believes the Democrats did not caucus privately before the meeting and came in with a number already worked out? This is the Dems budget, they own it.

Education Cuts: Who Voted For What

I think it is important that we do not villainize every black box seen around a home, business, farm, or municipal property. A black exterior station does not always mean rat poison is being used. These stations can hold a number of different products, including monitoring blocks, snap traps, non-toxic bait, anti-tick bait stations, organic salt- or cornmeal-based control products, and newer fertility-control approaches intended to reduce rodent populations without traditional poisons. The better conversation, in my opinion, is not simply “black boxes are bad,” but rather: what is inside them, who is maintaining them, and whether the rodent issue is being managed responsibly. Exclusion, sanitation, trapping, habitat reduction, and careful monitoring should all be part of a responsible IPM strategy. To be fair, on my own property I do use rodenticides, including Bromethalin and Bromadiolone, in secured bait stations. But that is a choice I make for my property, based on my circumstances and the risk I am trying to manage. I also believe property owners should understand the tradeoffs and be encouraged to use the least harmful effective method whenever possible. I support protecting Newtown’s wildlife. I also support giving residents accurate information and not assuming that every black box represents reckless or unsafe pest control. The goal should be responsible rodent management, not fear of the box itself.

Discusses Policy Against Rodenticides

Debora, thank you! I accidentally doubled the project prices by adding the bond to the appropriation. Thank you so much for catching that and pointing it out. With the corrected numbers, the voters approved a combined $1.32 million for a salt shed ($600k) and library pavement ($720k), while rejecting the $1.12 million replacement turf. Regarding the 80s, I truly respect the hurdle of 14% mortgage rates. My point is simply that the math has shifted: in 1980, while the rates were higher, the price of a home relative to earnings was significantly lower. We are facing a different, but equally crushing, financial wall. Ultimately, it is disheartening that voters who recognized safe sidewalks and parking lots as essential, dismissed a playing field in the exact same condition. The turf has passed its life cycle and is just as much of a liability as the library’s pavement, the only difference is that this safety concern affects thousands of children who, coincidentally, cannot vote. These are apples-to-apples needs. I was hopeful our community would agree that all Newtown residents deserve safe conditions, regardless of which facility they utilize. Again, I would be remiss not to mention that when 82% of residents don’t show up, we have to deal with the interests of those who did. Hopefully, the next referendum will have a bigger turnout.

The ‘Me’ Generation

Thanks for the reply. I meant the numbers you presented in your letter. I found one place where other numbers were listed: https://www.newtownbee.com/04232026/get-out-and-vote-on-the-2026-27-proposed-municipal-and-school-budgets/?q=\\\%22advisory%20questions\\\%22. In that article, the numbers were cited as: Treadwell field: $1,125,000 Library: $720,000 Salt Storage: $600,000 As one who started out in the early 80's when inflation was double digits, my 1985 mortgage rate was 14%, and child care costs were comparable (in present value), I shared your grief but never considered the voters ironic or shameful. PS. I agree college tuition is ridiculous. Thankfully, universities are offering (or considering) waiving all or most tuition for middle class families (upwards of $200,000 incomes). Hopefully, they'll also reconsider their need for those funds in the first place.

Sure! Child care costs: https://www.ffyf.org/2022/10/13/data-child-care-prices-continue-to-rise-ahead-of-midterm-elections-outpacing-inflation/ (also from 2021-2025 we had 2 children in a local daycare in Newtown and it cost us $3200 a month, so that's a number I am very familiar with) Home price / median price vs income source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/home-price-income-ratios Tuition increase vs inflation: https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/noting-a-decline-in-middle-class-students-colleges-provide-more-aid/ Hope this helps :)

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Date: Fri 27-Feb-1998

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