Old Sturbridge Village raised the frame on a new cabinetmaking shop March 31, marking the first addition in more than 50 years to the village’s Common.
Planning to vote at the April 27 Budget Referendum? Then 'Watch & Learn' during our special live webcasts highlighting two major spending authorizations you will be making.
Multiple Grammy-winning jazz guitar icon John Scofield is describing his upcoming socially distanced shows at the Ridgefield Playhouse like the musical equivalent of a tightrope walk.
The Charlotte Helen Bacon (CHB) Foundation is organizing a free StoryWalk on the Fairfield Hills campus from Saturday, April 10, to Sunday, April 18.
StoryWalk is an innovative and delightful way for ...
Want to be completely informed when you vote in this year’s budget referendum? Tune in at 5:30 pm Monday, April 5 and 12 to learn about the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial and Emergency Communications system improvements.
Flagpole Photographers Camera Club invites the public to join members for the club’s April events, which includes a portrait photography presentation and a monthly competition.
Julia Gerace will lead ...
The Mark Twain Library and Redding League of Women Voters present the second installment of the series “Conversations: Truth, Myth & Democracy” on Thursday, April 1.
C.H. Booth Library has scheduled three lectures that will continue the Main Street institution's concerted efforts toward diversity, equity and inclusion programming.
I have to love how the NIMBY crowd now opposes senior housing—yet if a developer proposed family homes on that same land, they'd be the first to complain that the added tax revenue wouldn’t cover the cost of more kids in the school system.
On a more positive note, I’m excited to hear that Aquila’s Nest is looking to add a beer and liquor permit. They have such an awesome venue and host some of the most creative events in town. Every time I visit, I find myself wishing there were more drink options—so a beer and liquor selection would definitely be a welcome addition.
It was an awkward meeting, discussing duplicative work and confusing processes, but not “uncomfortable.” In hindsight, the misstep was not putting an appointed alternative, independent of political pressures that prioritizes independence and expertise over electability and partisan loyalty, into the Charter. Look no further than the BOF funding recycling for only half a year, an apparent ~$400k punt until just after the election, to see how political pressures influence decision making.
While it's encouraging to see the town taking steps to put the sewer fund back on track, it's important to recognize how we got here. A significant factor contributing to the current financial strain was the $3.8 million expansion of the municipal sanitary sewer system in 2016—an expansion that was intended to support future development that continues to be blocked by persistent NIMBY opposition.
That investment was predicated on growth that has yet to materialize, leaving ratepayers footing the bill for infrastructure that's currently underutilized. Meanwhile, residents are now facing annual 9% rate increases just to stabilize the system—yet they’re not benefiting from the expansion that was supposed to help distribute those costs more broadly through new hookups.
