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Beginning October 2nd, the Market will be ending at 6:30, due to diminishing daylight.

See you at the Market!
Liz

While the atmosphere inside the room was warm with passion, a proposal to develop a new transfer station on town-owned land located on Cedar Lake Road near CT Route 9 received a reception as chilly as the 20° weather outside.

After a lengthy presentation by Anchor Engineering’s principal owner James Otis about the recent history of Haddam’s search for a new site for a transfer station to replace the existing facility, resident after resident spoke against the idea of locating the new operation in a remote residential neighborhood, reachable only on circuitous back roads already heavily traveled by dump trucks violating town permits by traveling too fast and too frequently.

Questions about the project previously directed to the Board of Selectmen by Haddam’s Energy & Sustainability Committee were not directly addressed by Mr. Otis or any of the Selectmen.

A mix of opinions were presented on whether a town-owned transfer station is a good or reasonable goal, but a clear awareness of the impact a faltering economy might have on financing such a project hung in the air, as speakers lined up to voice their concerns. 

All three Selectmen present voiced varying degrees of distaste for the idea of using eminent domain as a tool to secure a site. 

Contracted curbside pickup of household waste appeared to be viewed as an inevitable, if perhaps only temporary solution to Haddam’s current challenge. 

A variety of printed materials were available, including additional copies of the town newsletter mailed earlier this week, as well as a response by a group of concerned Haddam citizens.

Viewed by many as a trial-balloon session to guide the Selectmen in creating a more specific ordinance to be discussed at a future Hearing and voted on at a subsequent Town Meeting, comments indicated that the three-way choice offered in the current newsletter would not sit well with many voters; and that an entirely different proposal should be considered: that an interim curbside pickup contract be prepared while a new Community Waste Management Task Force be created to reexamine waste management alternatives passed over by previous committees which were more focused on choosing a new transfer station site.

Hearing Moderator John Sibley and Selectman Sean Donlan emphasized to the audience that the Board of Selectmen are open to continued input from the public on the matter.

Messages can be directed to the Selectmen by email or by calling 860 345-8531.

The following are dates and time of broadcast by HKTV (Channel 18 for Comcast Clinton customers) of the public hearing on the transfer station from January 29.  

Constructive comments on the meeting or the topic are welcome here.

Having worked on a solution to Haddam’s Transfer Station issue since he took office in 2000, First Selectman Tony Bondi today distributed by mail a six page newsletter with his account of the state of the matter. Residents should receive copies Saturday, Monday or Tuesday.

A Town Hearing has been set for Thursday, January 29 at 6:00pm at the High School Auditorium on Little City Road. The Town Hearing will be an opportunity for residents to discuss Haddam’s waste management options and to ask questions of the Board of Selectmen and Anchor Engineering, the consulting engineering firm hired by the town to advise on the topic. No vote will be taken at the hearing. However, the discussion may influence the contents of a referendum to be considered at a Town Meeting to be held after the hearing. By Charter, the Meeting must be held within 15 days of the Hearing, unless the Board of Selectmen decides that a second hearing should be scheduled to continue the discussion.

The images below can be viewed individually, (click on each image to enlarge it, then use the “Back” button in your browser to return to this article, then click on the next image) or a .PDF file containing all six pages can be downloaded for printing here.

To comment, click the headline above, then use the text box below the thumbnails.

Anthony J. Bondi, Sean E. Donlan, Robert P. Duvall

Board of Selectmen

Haddam, CT                                                                                        January 20, 2009

Dear Selectmen:

Haddam’s Energy & Sustainability Committee has met several times since being appointed last year to promote efficiency and sustainable patterns of development, practices and operations of the Town and its residents.

One of the matters we have repeatedly discussed at length is the Town’s need for a transition from our current Transfer Station to an as-yet undetermined future waste management system.

The following are several basic questions we believe residents must have answers to before they can make good decisions about how to proceed. We look forward to your providing in-depth information to the public on these questions and others to be raised during the January 29 Hearing on the matter.

• What are all the possible methods of waste disposal which might make sense for Haddam and Haddam Neck, and what are the pros and cons of each?

• How much will each of these alternatives cost residents over the short and long term?

• What are the short and long term environmental impacts of the various methods of disposal? 

• What information has been gathered about the types and quantities of waste Haddam generates?

• What possible methods might be used to decrease any portions of that waste stream to reduce disposal costs?

• What do we know about neighboring towns’ waste management systems, and their costs? 

• What parts of Haddam’s waste management could be handled regionally with less cost and greater efficiency? 

• Is an appropriate waste management solution for Haddam Neck the same as the one for the rest of Haddam?

The members of the Energy & Sustainability Committee thank you in advance for your candor on the topic.

Very sincerely,

Mark Stephens, Tom Worthley, Ben Tyson, Diane Sikorsky, John Friedlander, Philip Mueller, Phil Devlin

Every junior high school civics student knows that a free and inquisitive press is one of the most important checks on unfettered political power. This is not just a theoretical concept. Many feel that the general media’s unquestioning rubber-stamping of the distortions and lies that led up to the war in Iraq is proof that freedom, security and democracy itself are in danger when the public is kept in the dark.

Good coverage of local news is also what makes communities feel like home. Knowing what’s going on in town helps residents put down roots and sense ownership, both of positive developments and challenging circumstances.

As a local example, are you aware that Haddam has been experiencing a crime wave? A series of home burglaries has kept state troopers busy since late October, yet area newspapers have barely covered the story. Arrests in a few cases point to the possibility of young offenders with expensive drug habits to feed. An increasingly rare well-reported story in the Courant places the story as close as East Haddam. How many burglaries could be prevented, or lives saved if facts related to these matters were carefully covered in Haddam?

On the positive side, do you know that Haddam has a highly motivated team of volunteers getting ready to hold weekly Farmers’ Markets on Higganum Green this summer? Read about it here.

From the sensational to the mundane

Residents who attend the many committee meetings which allow Haddam town government to function are often amazed at how few people show up at meetings, even when votes are scheduled to decide major issues like the town budget, tax breaks for area businesses, or how to deal with the impending closure of the transfer station. “Meetings are so hard to keep track of and fit into my schedule,” is a commonly-heard complaint. Without reliable press coverage of these meetings available in area publications it is easy to understand residents’ frustration with decisions made without their input.

Haddam does have the monthly Haddam Bulletin, which has just launched an online version. But, like its daily brethren, its coverage is constrained by available resources and economics. In addition, public opinion about the Bulletin seems to be mixed. Some prefer it to be a community cheerleader, with no critical coverage of town issues, while others applaud the investigative pieces it regularly runs. While it serves a valuable role in its reliable coverage of local organizations’ events, school awards, real estate notices and the like, as a “bulletin board” for local advertisers, and with magazine-like coverage of long-timeline issues, it cannot hope to cover daily breaking news.

The newly-arrived quarterly Haddam Events, while it carries a few informational articles, is better understood as a magazine, with an editorial slant clearly understood to be perceived as favorable to advertisers. The publisher’s goal is clearly an operating profit, not rapid-response news coverage.

Alternatives springing up

Faced with a vacuum of local news, online alternatives are appearing. Both Killingworth and Middletown have excellent blogs up and running. A recent story on NPR covered the issue in some depth, from a national perspective. In the spirit of CSPAN, a local all-volunteer group is now video-taping as many Haddam town meetings as possible, and airing the programs on Comcast Community Access TV on Channel 19, with plans for making the programs available on YouTube or another online source as well. Similar resident-produced video coverage of town meetings is happening in Deep River, and Middletown has video cameras built into its City Hall meeting room. RSD17 students are producing thought-provoking news and entertainment programming airing on HKTV at Comcast Channel 18. Haddam’s news blog is just getting started, and you’re reading it. 

Key to the success of these ventures will be finding an economic model that works. Just as Connecticut Public Television and Radio and National Public Radio depend heavily on the financial support of viewers and listeners, online blogs will vary in quality and depth, depending on the ability of readers to support them by contributing content and with financing when needed.

The Middletown Eye has over two dozen writers contributing on a daily basis, and on one recent day had over a dozen articles posted during the most recent week on its front page. Peg Scofield, Publisher of Killingworth Today, somehow manages to post at least one article every day while also maintaining her busy web services business. HaddamGreen.org was launched intending to cover only “green” focused topics, but now hopes to expand to cover a wider range of topics of interest to Haddam residents. This will be possible if contributors step forward as they have in Middletown.

In this new age of news, one thing is certain. Freedom of the press belongs to those who own the press. We can choose to remain only partially-informed by relying on mega-corporate owned press profit centers which eliminate local coverage as “too expensive”, or we can seek out, participate in and support locally-grown news sources, and help ensure that the local news which directly defines our communities does not fade from our view.

Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that the state Department of Agriculture has awarded nearly $1 million in matching funds to more than two dozen farms, non-profit agricultural organizations and municipalities for a variety of projects ranging from Haddam’s new farmers’ market to greenhouse expansion. Haddam’s market was awarded a matching grant of $9,300. The Market will have to raise $9,300 from other sources to receive the Department of Agriculture funding.

The Agriculture Viability Grants help finance on-farm improvements and fund programs that promote Connecticut agriculture. The latest round of grants –  $907,055 – will go to 13 agricultural producers, four non-profit agricultural organizations and 13 municipalities.

“These awards address the strength of Connecticut agriculture – its diversity,” Governor Rell said. “They will support a new farmers’ market in Bozrah, provide for a solar irrigation system for an Old Lyme nursery and protect shellfish beds on the shoreline. Agriculture is a $2 billion industry in the state and an important part of Connecticut’s past. These awards will help ensure it continues to play an important role in our future.”

Funding is not limited to farmers.  Non-profit organizations and municipalities also are eligible for the grants if agricultural components are involved.  The grants are awarded on a competitive basis and matching funds must be supplied by the applicant. 

“Each application is evaluated very carefully,” said Agriculture Commissioner F. Philip Prelli.  “A diverse panel of reviewers considers the soundness of the business plans and the long-term feasibility of the proposed projects.  The projects selected for awards are those best positioned to fuel the state’s economy and serve its residents for many years to come.”

The Agricultural Viability Grants are made available through Public Act 05-228, An Act Concerning Farmland Preservation, Land Protection, Affordable Housing and Historic Preservation.  This landmark legislation provides funding for municipal open space grants, farm viability and preservation, historic preservation, and new and existing affordable housing programs, along with new infrastructure to support and promote Connecticut agriculture.

How do YOU save energy?

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Why? Why not?