PLAN OF CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT
The Planning Commission and Land Use Department, in conjunction with the consultant SLR International Corporation, have started the process of updating the Town’s Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD). The update is an important undertaking that happens every ten years and is an essential part of town governance. The POCD reflects the Town’s priorities and vision for the future and is a guiding document for decision making. The plan addresses a range of areas such as housing, parks, open space, sustainability and business and infrastructure development. Community input is an important part of the update process and will be used to identify the Town’s priorities for the future. The Planning Commission and SLR have created a survey that I welcome all residents complete. The questions address quality of life in Southbury, recreation and land use, among other topics. The information about how to complete the survey can be found here.
BUCKS HILL ROAD CLOSURE
A portion of Bucks Hill Road closed this past Monday due to a pipe failure caused by the large amount of water in the system from Hurricane Ida. The road was expected to be closed for ten days, but our Public Works crews worked diligently to repair the road and completed the project in two days. The decision to close the road allowed the crews to work faster and accelerated completion of the repairs as well as keeping the crews and public safe. The road has to be paved but has been open to vehicles since Wednesday morning. I would like to thank the Public Works crews for their hard work in getting this project completed so quickly.
ARPA MEETING
The American Rescue Plan Act Task Force held its first meeting on September 7th. We discussed the input we received from the community and possible projects the grant could fund. For future meetings, we are going to invite stakeholders from the community to discuss different ways the money could help them. I am looking forward to meeting with the community to hear their ideas and formulate a comprehensive spending plan that benefits the citizens of Southbury.
CHIP SEALING RECYCLING
The Public Works Department has rented a screener to recycle the leftover chip stones from the chip sealing process. The screener separates the stone into the two sizes we use for chip sealing and removes debris so we are able to reuse the stones. Screening the chip stones will save on materials for next year and is a new cost saving measure the Public Works Department has decided to implement. I appreciate the efforts of my department heads to develop ideas to save taxpayer money, and I support their efforts in any way I can.
THE PILATES ROOM
The Pilates Room celebrated their one year anniversary of business last week. I was able to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony they held to celebrate. The owners had been unable to hold one upon opening due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was great to be there to support their business, and I wish them continued success.
Jeff Manville
Southbury First Selectman