Bite Sized Politics: Board of Selectmen April 5

Committee Chair Says 35 Leroy Report Not a Public Document

According to Planning, Zoning & Housing Committee Chair John Van Der Kieft, the draft report of the 35 Leroy Study Group is not a public document. The 30-page report was "made public," said Van Der Kieft, at a previous Board of Selectmen meeting, when study group captain Frank Adelman distributed hard copies of the draft to the board and encouraged the Task Force to consult the online PDF in future studies.

"It was supposed to be kept internally," said Van Der Kieft. "[Adelman] made it public without the committee's consent."

The report was discussed and reviewed at numerous public meetings; an electronic version of the draft is available on the Town of Darien website. All things considered, it's technically a public document, per Freedom of Information Act.

Watch darien.patch.com for the full story.

Latest Flood Fix Sees 'Subway Station' at Stop & Shop

The latest flood fix under consideration of the Board of Selectmen calls for a two-acre detention structure under the parking lot at Stop & Shop. It's a near $3.5 million flood mitigation project that hydrology engineer Leonard Jackson called "practicable" and "straight forward," and with the consent of the landowner, could relieve Heights Road from flash flooding.

"If you can make it work with this property owner, you could come up with a solution to the flooding," said Jackson.

According to First Selectman Dave Campbell, the board can make it work. Property owner and developer Tom Golden owns much of the commercial district at Noroton Heights and plans to resubmit plans for a major redevelopment of the area to Planning & Zoning this summer.

"I'm talking to him constantly, so he knows what we want to do. He's working this through his brain," said Campbell.

Moreover, Golden's application will be subject to zoning regulations circa 2010, which are strict and call for sufficient flood mitigation, said Public Works Director Bob Steeger.

Watch darien.patch.com for the full story.

Board Okays $55K Back-Up Radio
 
At the request of emergency responders' for a back-up radio system, the Board of Selectman approved an appropriation of $55,000 from contingency for referral to the Board of Finance.

The request comes on the heels of mid March's unprecedented storm that knocked out the radio within hours, leaving emergency personnel to rely on alternative, less efficient means of communication.

Such a system would be fully transferable to a new headquarters, said Chief of Police Duane Lovello.

Watch darien.patch.com for the full story.

Sullivan's Letter Sparks Communication Debate

In an opinion piece printed in last week's Darien Times, Selectman Callie Sullivan said a near $24,000 architectural study of the Senior Center was not fiscally prudent, given residents will likely see the property tax revenue drop by 10 percent at the resolution of numerous tax asessment appeals.

That's a "wholly inaccurate" speculation, said Campbell, who addressed Sullivan's letter in his First Selectman's Report.

"That's $960 million. If that were the case, we'd have bigger problems to think about than capital projects," said Campbell.

Sullivan apologized for the "aggravation [the letter] may have caused," and began a discussion on the lack of communication among board members, particularly over capital projects.

Watch darien.patch.com for the full story.