The views stated here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editors of this newspaper.
Vote YES on the Bond Package August 6!
(August 4, 2019) — It is true that a number of options have become available to the town in the past few months with the purchase of the HES property by the town and the offer to the town to purchase the Rossi property. These developments open opportunities to transform Higganum into a thriving center where empty buildings now stand.
The OP-ED in the Haddam Bulletin proposes postponing the vote on the bond proposal because in the view of the writer the term “road reconstruction projects” needs to be changed to “road improvement projects.” The only way to postpone the vote on the bond is to vote NO on the bond ordinance. Others are proposing a NO vote so that money for improvement projects in Higganum center can be included in the bond package. This would either increase the total amount being bonded or cut money for road improvement or equipment needed by the fire department or the town road department. Voting NO will only kick the can down the road as has been going on for decades in Haddam.
Before the town can purchase the Rossi property it will be necessary to do due diligence with respect to environmental problems. Even though the owners seem to have documentation that they have done everything needed to clean up their property the town would need to verify this. Then the issue of purchase would be need to be brought before a town hearing and a town vote authorizing purchase.
At the P&Z Thursday night it was clear that there were a number of sites that have been considered for a new town garage. The Rossi site and the sand pit site in Tylerville are the two most likely sites.
The town will not take ownership of the HES property until September at the earliest. In order to provide municipal water and/or septic to Higganum center businesses which would go a long way toward revitalizing the economy of the area it will be necessary to obtain state approval as was needed just to bring water from Chester into Tylerville. Approval by town voters will be needed for these infrastructure improvements.
All of these are exciting opportunities for the town but are not a reason to vote down the bond project for road work and the purchase of trucks and fire equipment that the bonds will allow us to proceed with. In years past there have always been reasons to put off road work and needed purchases. Usually the reason is that we do not, as a town, want our mil rate to increase but now we are getting things done by bonding and spreading the cost out via bonding without an increase in the mil rate.
When the town’s collective wisdom comes together and we decide whether or not to buy the Rossi property, put in the water and septic infrastructure and the sidewalk connections to the Scovil property, etc. or some combination of these or other projects, there is no reason to stop progress on roads or purchase of equipment until we can make these decisions.
Vote YES on the bond ordinance on Tuesday!
Ed Munster,
Haddam, CT
Note: Ed Munster is President of the Haddam Civic League
