Mobile phone users urged to sign up for reverse 911

For all the details on this news story please see “Mobile phone users urged to sign up for reverse 911” via the Record Journal 

For the time being taking this action is especially important in Wallingford since there is no other method of alerting or push communications to the residents in the event of an emergency.

Unlike other towns that leverage the internet completely as well as through the use of social media like Facebook and Twitter, the reverse 911 system is the only way to reach town residents with automated messing. Unless you register your home or mobile phones for the reverse 911 service, you will not receive important information in an emergency.

You can select to get the alerts when driven by an emergency situation by text, email or a pre-recorded message by registering at www.ct.gov/ctalert

Tree talk gets testy at times

As published in the Record Journal Wednesday July 17, 2013

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter:@AndyRagz

WALLINGFORD — A sometimes contentious discussion was held at Tuesday evening’s Town Council meeting on the proposed removal of 28 trees along Quinnipiac Street between Washington Street and Route 5.

The discussion was prompted by Councilor Nick Economopoulos, who said he is concerned that an arborist wasn’t consulted about work being planned, or for past downtown tree work. Economopoulos claimed that Public Works Director and Tree Warden Henry McCully said last year, during a hearing on the removal of six trees at Fishbein Park, that an arborist would be consulted in the future.

“I’m not going to dispute that,” McCully said, adding that the last time he spoke to an arborist was more than 10 years ago.

Over the next two years, McCully said, trees uptown and downtown would be replaced, but the type of trees that will replace them is still unknown. Not every tree will be replaced, he said; about 100 are marked for replacement.

“The trees are obviously overgrown and should be replaced,” McCully said.

Most trees in those areas were planted in the mid-1990s, others in the early 1990s, he said. In his time as tree warden, McCully said, trees have been replaced three times.

Overall, the project is estimated to cost about $65,000, McCully said, with the replacement of the 28 trees on Quinnipiac Street estimated at $15,700. The town has a tree removal and planting company under contract, he said. Trees cost about $268 each.

McCully and Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. said that this will not be the last time trees are replaced.

“Are you telling me 12 years from now we’re going to do it again?“ Economopoulos said.

“Absolutely,” McCully responded. “Maybe a little longer than 12 years.”

“Will this be the last time trees are cut down? Absolutely not,” Dickinson said. Economopoulos was also displeased that a public hearing required by state statute on the removal of trees has been scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday at Town Hall.

“I’m the one who requested it, and I can’t be there,” he said.

Town Councilor Jason Zandri and his father, Geno, both suggested that hearings be held at times more convenient to the public.

McCully said he held last year’s public hearing on tree removal at 3 p.m. “I don’t see why 4 p.m. is all of a sudden difficult,” he said.

At one point, Council Chairman Bob Parisi had to slam his gavel to bring order to the meeting, as Economopoulos took offense to Councilor John LeTourneau’s remark that “It’s amazing we’re having an in depth discussion over trees.”

LeTourneau said trees shouldn’t even be planted downtown because there is not enough room between sidewalks and buildings.

“I believe Henry has been doing the right thing,” he said.

Jason Zandri said business owners in the area should be surveyed to see what they want.

“I would really like us to accommodate their concerns,” he said.

Councilor John Sullivan said he would like trees to be replanted; “I just want to make sure we take a lot of care in terms of layout.”

McCully said there is a desire to keep the layout as is, and to plant new trees in the holes where old trees are removed. It’s easier to plant them in the spot they were removed,he said. To his knowledge, McCully said, the trees are not regularly trimmed and are only pruned on an as-needed basis.

Jared Liu, a Wallingford resident with a background in urban forestry in the Washington, D.C., area, said during the meeting that to cut several trees down at once is “incredibly unprecedented.”

Typically, every fifth tree should be replaced every five years, he said, so that a replacement cycle is created.

Taking all the trees down at once “would create a lot of problems,” he said.

Liu suggested that the town consult with the state’s urban forester, who can give the town free advice. He also suggested the town look into grant and loan programs with the U.S. Small Business Administration, The U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. If there is enough interest in town, he also said state forestry officials can help organize a volunteer citizen action group that could help perform necessary labor at no charge to the town.

Paul Pender, who owns The Old Dublin on Quinnipiac Street, said he initiated tree removal when he lobbied the town to remove four trees from in front of his business because people could not see his sign.

“My only concern is my business,” he said. “I can’t blame Mr. McCully for any of this. He’s under direction from the mayor and the council.”

The public hearing on Friday will not be televised, McCully said. Several residents asked that the meeting be televised, or audio be recorded, but Dickinson said staff is not available. McCully said he would take note of all objections and render a decision by Monday.

Dickinson said that before fall, another meeting will be held by either the Town Council or Wallingford Center Inc. — which played a part in the decision to remove the trees — in order to discuss replacement plans.

Councilor John LeTourneau said trees shouldn’t even be planted downtown because there is not enough room between sidewalks and buildings. Councilor Jason Zandri said business owners in the area should be surveyed to see what they want.

First Half installment of Real Estate and Personal Property Taxes are due

As published in the Record Journal Tuesday July 9, 2013

Buying houses would add land to old cemetery

This will be discussed at the Town Council meeting (TONIGHT) on Tuesday June 25, 2013

As published in the Record Journal Saturday June 22, 2013

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter:@AndyRagz

WALLINGFORD – The town is considering the purchase of two houses on Prince Street to create more space for the historic Center Street Cemetery.

The purchase of property at 58 and 60 Prince St. will be considered at Tuesday’s Town Council meeting, said Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. The plan is to move the cemetery’s maintenance and office building to the property.

The town expects to buy 58 Prince St. for $148,000 and will look to acquire 60 Prince St. by eminent domain. The property was foreclosed upon and is for sale through a bank, Dickinson said.

The town is considering use of eminent domain because its inability to reach an agreement on a reasonable purchase price with the bank, Dickinson said. “We don’t want to pay more than it’s worth,” he said.

According to the town assessor’s office, 58 Prince St. is owned by Jack Delieto. As of 2010, the assessed value of the property is $113,400. Its full-market value is $162,000. According to the assessor’s office, 60 Prince St. was owned by Jo Santiago. Its assessed value, as of 2010, is $112,600. Its full-market value is $160,800.

Dickinson said it’s rare that two houses next to the cemetery are for sale at the same time. Since the Center Street Cemetery Association has identified a need for space, “now is the opportunity to acquire something,” he said.

The association operates and maintains the cemetery under an agreement with the town, he said. The organization is primarily funded by the town.

The six-acre cemetery, at the intersection of Center Street and Route 5 was established, in 1670. Lyman Hall, a Connecticut native who signed the Declaration of Independence, and Moses Yale Beach, a newspaper publisher and one of the founders of the Associated Press, are among those buried in the cemetery. Other graves contain those killed in both the Revolutionary and Civil wars, and the father of a woman tried for witchcraft.

Purchasing the two houses on Prince Street “would enable a move of the cemetery’s maintenance office and buildings off of their current site and into this area so there’s more area in the cemetery for the more typical purposes of a cemetery,” Dickinson said. “It allows for more flexibility.”

Bob Devaney, the cemetery’s caretaker, works in the maintenance and storage building. He could not be reached for comment Friday. Town Councilor John Le-Tourneau said a new, larger storage facility built on newly acquired land would allow Devaney a larger office space to meet with families.

A bucket loader used by Devaney is kept under a tarp right now, he said. A new building would create a storage garage for the machine. The current building would be demolished, according to LeTourneau, potentially creating “a great place to put a receiving vault for cremated remains.”

“Rarely do pieces of property surrounding cemeteries come up for sale like this,” LeTourneau said.

The Town Council will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Town Hall auditorium, 45 S. Main St.

Waivers leave two with bitter taste

As published in the Record Journal Wednesday June 19, 2013

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter:@AndyRagz

WALLINGFORD - At the Town Council’s June 11 meeting, 54 bid waivers — from nine departments and one miscellaneous item from the mayor — were on the consent agenda, which is used to quickly deal with items that normally don’t warrant discussion. But not all councilors agree that bid waivers are good business.

“This is the start of the next (fiscal) year, so we have ongoing contractual issues for most of these, if not all of them,” Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. said. “You want to start the new year able to pay bills and utilize services without having to come before the council with every issue.”

All the bid waivers were approved, but two councilors voted against them.

“This bid waiver thing, I don’t like,” Jason Zandri said.

Zandri, a Democrat, is running against Dickinson, a Republican, in the upcoming mayoral race. Town Councilor Nick Economopoulos, a Democrat, also voted against the waivers.

“I’m just not going to go with that,” Economopoulos said.

There’s a chance that, if certain services are put out to bid, the town could save money, Zandri said.

An example he used earlier this week is the Independence Day fireworks. The fireworks are no longer funded by the town, but were four years ago. Zandri said the town went out to bid for the show every year and always used the same vendor, paying about $40,000 a year. But now, Zandri said, he raises money through his own efforts, and can put on the same event for about $25,000 by using different vendors.

“Just because it’s something we’ve always done for simplicity’s sake, why not once in a while pick apart all of these to see if we can save something?” Zandri asked.

The town looks to waive the bidding process because, in certain circumstances, “only one vendor can provide the service,” Dickinson said. Such services included in the latest round were computer maintenance and telephone services, he said.

The mayor gave an example. If the town had a truck that could only be serviced by one company, he said, there’s no point in putting the job out to bid again.

Dickinson said there is history and rationale behind every waived bid.

Councilor John Sullivan, a Democrat, said he understands Zandri’s point, but added, “there’s a time and place for bid waivers, obviously.”

Sullivan said that if Zandri and Economopoulos were concerned, they should have had the bid waiver items removed from the consent agenda. Councilors can request before council meetings that items be removed from the consent agenda.

Councilor John LeTourneau, a Republican, said the town is always looking to save money. He said he feels confident that if there were a way to save money by putting services out to bid, it would have already happened.

“It’s not stuff you’re going to find big price variances in,” Councilor Vincent Cervoni, a Republican, said of services for which bids were waived.

Councilor Craig Fishbein, a Republican, said he has objected to specific bid waivers before, but had no issue with the waivers passed last week.

Train station safety issues have some apprehensive

As published in the Record Journal Sunday June 9, 2013

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter:@AndyRagz

WALLINGFORD — With a new train station will come added responsibilities for the Police Department, said Deputy Chief William Wright.

The station will be built at the intersection of South Cherry and Parker streets, according to state Department of Transportation plans. Construction is to begin in early 2014.

Wright said that “anytime you add another facility to the town, it is an added responsibility.”

“We are short-staffed,” Wright said, “but responsible policing will take control.”

Security concerns regarding the station were brought up by several town councilors at a public input session two weeks ago. At the meeting, state DOT officials presented plans for the new station. Plans include emergency telephones to be installed throughout the station and two parking lots. John Bernick, who is managing the New Haven-Hartford- Springfield commuter rail project that was the emphasis for the new station, said that the new station will be designed to be open, well-lit and safe. Bernick said cameras will be installed throughout the station and parking lots, and the station will be built with see-through paneling because “you want to be able to see what you’re walking into before you get into it.”

Councilors expressed concern over the fact that there will be no security personnel provided by the state or Amtrak at the station. Since the station won’t have security, Wright said it will become part of the department’s routine patrol. Just as is done in the current train station, Wright said officers will periodically walk through and patrol the new station on foot. “We are out on foot very often,” he said. Still, it’s “impossible to see every nook and cranny.”

Also, councilors said during the meeting that they feel cameras won’t help with safety because there would be no live feed anywhere. Bernick said the cameras are to serve as a deterrent, and to help catch criminals after the fact.

Video is only really useful “after the fact,” Wright said.

In Meriden, Bernick said some police officers will receive a live feed of video from the city’s new train station on displays in vehicles.

“Currently, we don’t have that technology in our patrol cars,” Wright said.

During the meeting two weeks ago, Town Councilor Craig Fishbein brought up concerns about the design of the parking lots. Bernick said the lots will be surrounded by foliage so that people in neighboring homes don’t have to look at a parking lot when they look out of their windows. Also, lighting in the lots will dim after a certain hour so the light does not bother neighbors late at night.

Fishbein said during the meeting that this design might actually attract crime.

“It remains a concern,” Fishbein said Friday.

“We share those concerns,” Wright said. But Wright said that he understands the complexities of trying to fit a new building where there has never been one.

The state is “trying to be a good neighbor,” he said. Wright said he understands both sides of the argument, and that responsible policing will prevent any issues.

Police Chief Douglas Dortenzio was involved with a group of town staff that worked with the state DOT to design the station. Dortenzio was unavailable for comment on Friday. Wright said Dortenzio did provide input on potential safety issues at the new station.

For police departments everywhere,“train stations have become areas where we spend a great deal of time,” Wright said. With good design and policing, crime can be minimized, he said. “We’re concerned about any areas where mass transit occurs.”

VIDEO - Recent Council discussion regarding prescription dropbox

As brought up by the public during the Public Question and Answer agenda item at the May 25th Town Council meeting:

TONIGHT - (May 28, 2013) The Wallingford Fireworks Fund will be presenting the donation to Wallingford at the Town Council meeting for the 2013 event

Tonight at the regularly scheduled Town Council meeting I will be asking to waive Rule 5 in order to present to the town (on behalf of The Fund) the donation for the Independence Day celebration which includes all the costs for the event (the fireworks, the town services, overtime for police and fire, etc.) as well as all the costs for the R Band performance which we were also able to save.

The meeting starts at 6:30 and I am expecting to be able to waive Rule 5 fairly early if you wanted to stop by and just see the Town Council vote on accepting the donation.

Thank you again Wallingford for helping us to get it done.

Public Information meeting with State of Connecticut Department of Transportation regarding the Wallingford Railroad Station Relocation

This is going to be item #9 on the Town Council Agenda for Tuesday May 28th; the meeting itself begins at 6:30PM

There is no way to be certain when the item will come up and it may be taken out of order; if you have any interest at all on this I would suggest you attend the meeting.

Outdoor dining: a palatable concept; Ordinance would extend hours, amend ‘archaic thinking’

As published in the Record Journal Thursday May 23, 2013

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter:@AndyRagz

WALLINGFORD — Town councilors said Thursday that they believe proposed changes to an outdoor dining ordinance will help downtown businesses attract more patrons.

“Let’s loosen it up a little bit to promote downtown businesses,” said John Sullivan.

A public hearing will be held Tuesday on the repeal of an ordinance that prohibits restaurants with outdoor seating from using umbrellas bearing the names of producers of alcoholic beverages. The new ordinance would also allow patrons seated outdoors to order drinks without ordering food, and to drink out of bottles.

The new ordinance also would extend outdoor dining until midnight. Currently, outdoor dining is supposed to end at 11 p.m. “It was archaic thinking,” Town Councilor John LeTourneau said of the ordinance enacted in 2004. Restaurant owners have voiced their concerns previously, he said.

“I assume it’s a good move for businesses at this point,” Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. said. “I don’t see that it’s harmful.”

The proposed changes were approved by the Town Council Ordinance Committee on April 4. The committee is co-chaired by Craig Fishbein and Vincent Cervoni. The entire Town Council must vote on the issue after the public hearing.

Cervoni said Thursday that the ordinance change doesn’t only cover outdoor dining areas that serve alcohol. The revision clarifies how far an outdoor dining area can protrude onto a sidewalk.

The revision states that there must be enough space on the sidewalk to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Town Council Chairman Bob Parisi said proposed revisions “make the ordinance a little more business friendly.”

“We certainly don’t want to work against our businesses,” Parisi said.

In March, Cheryl Milot, owner of Gaetano’s Tavern on Main, offered her concerns to the committee. She argued that outdoor dining should be allowed past 11 p.m.

“There are times that we have to tell people, ‘You’ve got to come in now,’ “ Milot said at the time. “We do have people who come, have dinner and linger and have a couple more cocktails.”

Councilor Nick Economopoulos said Thursday that the changes will encourage business.

“I don’t see our town as being too rowdy,” he said.

Councilor Jason Zandri said the town should not be overly restrictive about drinking in outdoor dining areas.

“I definitely support it when I look at what other towns allow,” he said.

 

Photo by Dave Zajac courtesy of the Record-Journal

Patrons of Gaetano’s Tavern on Main enjoy a table outdoors Wednesday in downtown Wallingford. An ordinance being considered in town would, among other things, allow patrons seated outdoors to order drinks without ordering food, and to drink out of bottles.

MY TAKE - Wallingford budget passes with additional cuts

So as two points of reference you have the blog post I put up on Monday May 13th titled Wallingford Budget to be decided upon at the 5/14 Town Council Meeting and the story that ran in the Record Journal on Thursday May 16th titled Wallingford budget passes with additional cuts.
 
For clarification purposes from the article I am going to first address the following:

Town Councilor Jason Zandri, who supported Sullivan’s amendment, said increasing the tax rate to balance the budget instead of cutting education money would only mean an additional $5 a month for the average household.

“The lesser of the two evils here is to charge a little more in taxes,” said Zandri, a Democrat.

I want to have full context and explanation around this because as printed it is not fully clear.

The comments I made of "an additional $5.00 a month per average household" would be the TOTAL additional taxes charged IF we saved the additional Board of Education cuts AND included the increase in taxes that Mayor Dickinson already approved.

Mayor Dickinson approved $46.00 a year of additional taxes for median assessed homeowners and we were discussing an additional $14.00.

The "lesser of two evils" (further tax increase) comment came AFTER we had proposed other alternatives. I would rather pass on $14.00 of additional taxes than cut the Board of Education budget further. 

We offered to raise the revenue side (income) calculations and proposed some other cuts to totally negate the tax increase and save the additional cuts to the Board of Education budget. This was voted down 6 to 3.

We offered to use an additional $280,000.00 from the rainy day fund to offset the additional cuts to the Board of Education budget. This current budget already included $4.3 million dollars from that fund allowing $6 million to remain behind - an additional $280,000.00 was easily handled. This was voted down 6 to 3.

We offered to up the taxes an additional $14.00 a year to avoid the additional cuts to the Board of Education budget. This was voted down 5 to 4.

At the end of the day, three ways to get the job done were proposed and all were rejected. It is pretty clear that the intent was to make sure this cut stayed since they went through so much trouble to keep saying "no" to every solution provided. If they wanted to correct the problem another way they could have offered it. They didn't. They had their solution already there - add further cuts to education.
 
If you favor this outcome then you've voted the correct people into office in 2011 and they have represented you well.
 
While I am disappointed with the cuts I am content with the process at how we arrived at this outcome; the people that did show up to vote, elected officials to perform this work on behalf of them and they carried out that duty.
 
If you think one of the other solutions provided was better or something else should have been suggested then you need to consider more like minded people when you go to vote in November.
 
As a follow up to that - only 37% of the registered voters showed up to vote in the last local election; the minority of about 6,000 voters is having their say for the majority of all Wallingford residents (approximately 45,000) many of whom cannot vote like the children in the school system.
 
More food for thought. At the end of the day, your local elections are at least as important as the Presidential ones (where Wallingford voters turn out at 85%). They impact your property taxes and the type of local services you receive, from Police and Fire to town operations. It also impacts the public school system where your children and grandchildren go to learn and become productive members of society.
 
It is important to vote always; to me there is more impact being one voice of 25,000 (the number of registered voters in Wallingford) over one voice of 150,000,000 (the approximate number of registered voters in the United States).

 

Wallingford Budget to be decided upon at the 5/14 Town Council Meeting

This is your last chance to speak on any items that come up for change on the budget; I will post the full agenda but I can tell you right now it will be a long meeting.

Please see the below information regarding the changes being proposed due to an expected $531,411.00 shortfall from state funding.

The proposal is to make changes to nine general fund expenditures, the largest of which is expected of the Board of Education budget. This is being done to prevent a further increase in taxes.

Before this shortfall of funding from the state, taxes were proposed to go up approximately $46.00 per household on an median assessed home ($191,000.00). If your property is less than this, you could have expected a smaller increase and if it was larger then it would be more.

If these changes are not made or some other changes are not proposed and adopted then the only way to gap the $531,411.00 would be to raise taxes further. To do that the tax increase would need to go up by about an additional $26.00 so the total change for this year would be about $72.00 as listed above rather than the current $46.00

 

Meriden (and other towns) are about to “eat our lunch”

The much discussed Wallingford Incentive Housing Zone needs to become a part of our own reality to an area of development such as the one below outlined by Meriden (and by other towns along the rail line) or else we run the risk of not being in a position to compete with them.

In the 1970s Wallingford very wisely established the Industrial Zones and the Wallingford Industrial Park area which led to a boom of development for years. That boom has to this day bolstered the base in our Grand List but it’s pretty much at a plateau.

The Incentive Housing Zone and other transit oriented zones in and around the rail line is the next boom.

The commuter rail line for all the pro and con arguments is coming - question Wallingford needs to ask itself is “do we want to be a destination stop or a place for people to board and go elsewhere?”

Town Council votes big boost to mayor’s pay

As published in the Record Journal, Wednesday May 1, 2013
By Eric Vo
Record-Journal staff evo@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2235Twitter:@ericvoRJ

WALLINGFORD - The Town Council voted unanimously to increase the mayor’s salary by $12,000 at a budget workshop Tuesday night.

In Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr.’s $147.94 million budget proposal for the next fiscal year, he kept his salary at a figure that has been the same since at least 2002 — $73,140. With the $12,000 increase, the mayor’s salary would increase to $85,140.

According to the Town Charter, compensation cannot be changed during the term of the incumbent mayor. Dickinson’s term is ending after this year, so the salary for the next term can now be set.

Town Council Vice Chairman Vincent Cervoni, a Republican, said he believed the position’s salary should be comparable to what area chief executives are making.

As of 2011, Southington Town Manager Garry Brumback was paid $149,000 per year; Meriden City Manager Lawrence J. Kendzior was paid $139,000 annually and Cheshire Town Manager Michael Milone earned $131,350 per year.

Dickinson, a Republican, has repeatedly refused raises because of the state of the economy. When a motion to increase the mayor’s salary was introduced by Cervoni Tuesday night, Dickinson advised the council to be cautious.

“It might be good to wait on this until we know what’s going on with the larger picture,” Dickinson said. “There’s so much going on with the state.”

But Town Council Chairman Robert F. Parisi said he would rather the councilors vote on the motion and remove it in the future if it came down to it.

Since the town’s budget doesn’t take effect on the first day of the year, but rather in the middle of a year, the 201314 budget would only be affected by $6,000, according to Councilor Jason Zandri, a Democrat who will run against Dickinson later this year. The budget for the following fiscal year would include the entire $12,000, he said.

Cervoni said he was trying to be conscious of the taxpayers when determining how much money to increase the mayor’s salary by. He tried to choose a number that “would minimize the impact on the taxpayer,” he said. But Zandri said $12,000 is “a rounding error.”

“It wouldn’t affect taxpayers’ money at all ... it’s too low of a number to change the mill rate or affect the taxpayer,” he said.

Although the Town Council voted to increase the mayor’s salary, the $12,000 increase isn’t exactly carved in stone, according to James Bowes, the town’s comptroller.

“Just because it is in the budget, doesn’t mean it’ll happen,” he told the council.

Zandri said there are a number of ways the salary increase could change. The Town Council still has to vote to approve the budget and Zandri said Dickinson can veto it if he sees something he doesn’t like. While there is a possibility the salary increase may not come to pass, Zandri was pleased to see the other councilors supporting the raise.

“It’s a start,” Zandri said. “The time to do this is now.”

MY TAKE - Trail grant is a win for Wallingford

Over on the MY WALLINGFORD blog I have a post titled Trail grant is a win for Wallingford which was published in the Record Journal Sunday April 28, 2013 by Mary Mushinsky and Cathy Granucci.

Rep. Mary Mushinsky and Cathy Granucci are co-chairs of the Quinnipiac River Linear Trail Advisory Committee.

I was contacted directly as were other Councilors and I am more than willing to publicly weigh in on this ahead of the vote. Below is my response to that email:


 

Hi Catherine,

Thank you for taking the time to send this email today.

Since $1 million has already been raised through previous budget appropriations and the final million will be coming from a reimbursement grant recently awarded by the state (all we have to do is appropriate the money now and it will be reimbursed to us later) I see no real reason to not support this.

We cannot use the grant funding for anything else and if we would not accept it for the planned use, the second choice on the list would get it.

Additionally, what has already been raised through previous budget appropriations would not be redirected to any other capital / non-reoccurring work, so if it will not be used for anything else that is needed then this is as good a use as any.

While the economy slowly recovers and with the whole mindset of “getting up and moving around” as a way to combat the obesity issue I see the trail as fitting both efforts – a place to go that has limited added cost for those that use it and is fully suitable to promote wellness and exercise.

Wallingford made a commitment a long time ago to support this project. The longer it takes to complete it, the more it costs in the end. Engineering and materials go up and sometimes, as we saw with Community Lake, you reach a point when costs become unattainable and / or permission to do the work becomes denied due to legislation or some other rules and regulations.

If we consider the economy to be still soft, now is a better time than after it picks up speed, to get us the materials and resources necessary to build out the project. Future demand and inflation will be more, not less.

Since Wallingford has made this commitment I say we see it through to its completion as we can and as we are able.

So to reiterate what I mentioned prior – the previous budget appropriations have been set aside and we have won the grant; let’s move forward.

Sullivan on the mend, grateful for support

As published in the Record Journal on Friday April 26, 2013

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter:@AndyRagz

WALLINGFORD — On April 11, the day Town Councilor John Sullivan walked into the Weill Cornell Medical College at New York- Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan to have an operation for the prostate cancer he was diagnosed with a year earlier, his nerves were a wreck.

But nerves did not get in the way of a successful surgery. To the excitement of Sullivan’s family and friends, he can say “they got it all.” Sullivan says he is cancer free.

“People have been so kind to me,” Sullivan said. “I don’t deserve it.” Sullivan, who announced his condition to the public in a Record-Journal article that ran the day of his surgery, was supported before and after surgery by his wife, Sue. On the day of his surgery, Sullivan said, he was surprised that he was not wheeled into the operating room on a stretcher, as is routine on television. He remembers feeling strange walking into the room and lying himself down on the operating bed.

“You had a look of a puppy dog that was about to be euthanized,” Sullivan recalls his wife saying about his demeanor just before the operation.

Sullivan remembers being cold. Once he was unconscious, five robotic arms operated by Dr. Ashutosh Tewari did the work of removing Sullivan’s cancer through dime-size incisions. All the while, taped to his chest — over his heart — was a picture of his wife and daughter, Riley.

“For me, it was seconds,” Sullivan said of the surgery. “But it was three-and-a-half hours.”

After the operation, Sullivan was in pain. He said that during the surgery, his body was tipped so his head was far below his feet, forcing the blood from his organs. He was also pumped full of gas that made for a “very painful post-op,” Sullivan said.

Life is now beginning to return to normal, he said. After staying in New York City the Friday night after his surgery, the Sullivan family returned home to Wallingford. His wife is back to work as a full-time substitute teacher at Moses Y. Beach School. Sullivan said he’ll be resting at home for at least another week before he returns to his job at AT&T on a part-time basis. He’s also excited to soon return to his seat on the Town Council, although he’s not exactly sure when. “People didn’t elect me to hang around the house,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan said he’s heard from all his colleagues on the council, calling them a “caring bunch.”

He doesn’t see party lines on the Town Council. “I look at this as one body,” he said. Sullivan, a Democrat, is especially thankful for the support of Town Council Chairman Bob Parisi and Vice Chairman Vincent Cervoni, both Republicans. Sullivan said they have known about his illness from the beginning and have been there for him without hesitation.

“I’m very excited for him and very pleased,” Parisi said. “John and I have been friends for a long time. He’s doing well, and he’s got a good attitude and taking care of himself.”

Cervoni said his conversations with Sullivan about the recovery process have been encouraging.

“I’m thrilled that the prognosis is good,” Cervoni said. “I’m happy for him.”

Town Councilor Jason Zandri, a fellow Democrat, has stayed in touch with Sullivan via email.

“I’m happy to hear he’s doing better,” Zandri said. “It’ll be nice when he’s back up to speed to have him back on the council.”

From the experience over the last year of being diagnosed, preparing for and receiving surgery, Sullivan said he’s learned and wants to pass on that “men need to take their health into their own hands.”

A powerful experience for Sullivan came on Tuesday, when a man who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer gave him a call to talk about what comes next.

“He was so happy to talk to someone,” said Sullivan, who referred the man to several doctors. “I know what it’s like to feel alone in this. I hope I helped this fellow.”

Sullivan is extremely thankful to his wife and daughter, and also appreciates the support of his in-laws, Bob and Ann DeMarchi, as well as the understanding of his employer.Friends such as Joe Gaetano and Shane and Chris Lachance have also been important to Sullivan, among dozens of other people.

From here on out, Sullivan will be checked every six months to make sure the cancer does not return.

“I’m just appreciative of all the support,” he said. “I do not have cancer anymore.”

PUBLIC HEARING on the 2013-2014 BUDGET

TOWN OF WALLINGFORD, CONNECTICUT

Special Town Council Meeting

WEDNESDAY

APRIL 10, 2013 - 6:30 P.M.

Town Council Chambers

PUBLIC HEARING

on the

FY 2013 – 2014 BUDGET

AGENDA

1. Pledge of Allegiance

2. Roll Call

3. PUBLIC HEARING

Ambulance/EMS Transport Fund
Animal Control

Board of Assessment Appeals
Board of Education
Board of Ethics
Board of Selectmen
Building Department

Cafeteria
Capital Appropriations Reserve
Capital and Non-Recurring
Capital and Non-Recurring Fund
Civil Preparedness
Conservation Commission
Contingency Account

Debt Services

Economic Development Commission
Employee Insurance and Other Benefits
Engineering Department

Finance Department
Fire Department
Fire Marshal

Government TV

Health Department

Inland Wetlands
Insurance-Property & Casualty

Law Department
Library

Mayor

Parks and Recreation
Pension Fund
Personnel, Pensions, & Risk Management
Planning & Zoning
Police Department
Probate Court
Program Planning
Public Utilities Commission
Public Works Department

Registrars of Voters

Six-Year Capital
Social Services Contributions

Town Council
Town Clerk

Utilities –Electric, Water & Sewer Divisions

Veterans Service Center

Youth & Social Services Bureau

Zoning Board of Appeals

Wallingford Budget Notice (summary information) 2013 - 2014

As published in the Record Journal Wednesday April 3, 2013

http://www.erecordjournal.com/ee/recordjournal/publink.php?shareid=206d6501c

Wallingford council gives OK to join CCM

As published in the Record Journal on Wednesday March 13, 2013

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter:@AndyRagz

WALLINGFORD – The Town Council has authorized Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. to join the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, an organization that the town has not been involved with since 1980. Two employees of CCM presented the benefits of membership to the Town Council, at the mayor’s request, Tuesday night. The council then voted 7-1 to allow Dickinson to join the organization. Town Councilor Craig Fishbein voted against the measure, while Town Councilor Rosemary Rascati abstained because her son works for the organization.

“We want a chance to prove to you that you guys should be back with us,” said Kevin Maloney, CCM’s member relations director.The town joined CCM as a charter member in 1967, Maloney said. There are now 153 municipalities, out of 169 in the state, that are part of the organization.

Maloney said the organization’s benefits include representation at the General Assembly, before the state executive branch and regulatory agencies, and in the courts. CCM also provides management assistance, individualized inquiry service, assistance in municipal labor relations, technical assistance and training, policy development, research and analysis, publications, information programs, and service programs such as workers’ compensation, insurance, risk management and energy cost containment.

“The bottom line is we want the opportunity to earn your trust to work on Wallingford’s behalf,” Maloney said.

Membership in CCM is renewed annually and would normally cost the town $28,500. Maloney offered to make the town a member free until June 30, when a discounted fee of $20,000 would be imposed. The fee would be $28,500 in the following fiscal year.

“We have had zero dues increases three of our last four fiscal years,” Maloney said.

Also presenting on the behalf of CCM was Gina Calabro, director of membership services and marketing, who told the council about a prescription discount card program, introduced last September, that is available only to CCM members. The program offers discounts of 10 percent to 70 percent on prescription drugs at major pharmacies, and it is available to all residents, insured or not.

Calabro said that at no cost to the town, CCM mails cards to every family. One card can be used for an entire family, she said, and there are no age or in-

Please see CCM / 8

---

CCM

come requirements.

“It’s something that we’d love to see Wallingford be a part of as well,” Calabro said.

Dickinson said the prescription discount program is “a great way to assist people in a very practical, direct way.”

Fishbein opposed joining CCM because of disagreements on legal issues and legislation the organization has supported in the past. Maloney and Calabro were unable to answer several questions posed by Fishbein, instead saying they would get back to the town with answers.

Dickinson said that while disagreements on legislation can happen, the benefits of the prescription discount program outweigh any negatives.

“This is a program where the town becomes a member, and every person in town has a chance to benefit in a certain way,” he said. “For the fee we’re paying, I think we have a chance of extending a real helping hand.”

Fishbein responded that most residents in town are already insured, and that the largest beneficiaries to the prescription discount program would be illegal immigrants. Dickinson said that regardless of who you are, “you have an opportunity to receive a benefit that’s very practical.”

Fishbein argued that budget cuts have been made since 2009, including funding for Independence Day fireworks.

“And now, all of the sudden, we have $20,000 which we could’ve treated in the same manner,” he said. “I’m just having a lot of problems justifying between the two.”

“In my priority, entertainment is nice,” Dickinson responded, and “it certainly has meaning in patriotism, but it doesn’t come close to concerns in health.”

The mayor must finalize an agreement with CCM before the town is a member.

Municipalities group hoping to woo town

As published in the Record Journal on Wednesday March 6, 2013

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter:@AndyRagz

WALLINGFORD – The Town Council will consider joining the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities after hearing a presentation from the statewide association about the benefits of membership during its Tuesday meeting.

Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. said Friday that the association, founded in 1966, “came forward indicating their interest in having Wallingford.”

The town has never been a member of the CCM, but has periodically considered joining the organization, Dickinson said. “We previously felt it wasn’t justified,” he said, adding that “cost is always an issue.”

Municipalities must pay an annual membership fee to the CCM, Dickinson said. Normally, the yearly cost is about $28,000, but Dickinson said the CCM is currently offering a discounted, $20,000 annual rate to the town. Cost is based on population, he said.

According to the CCM’s website, the organization “celebrates the commonalities between, and champions the interests of, urban, suburban and rural communities.”

The services of the CCM listed on its website include management assistance, individualized inquiry service, assistance in municipal labor relations, technical assistance and training, policy development, research and analysis, publications, information programs, and service programs such as workers’ compensation, liability- automobile-property insurance, risk management, and energy cost-containment.

Dickinson said the CCM is “a resource for information and statistical backup for anything that might be of interest.”

Other benefits include the organization’s involvement with regulatory issues, such as phosphorous discharge limits, Dickinson said.

“I question why it’s necessary at this point,” Town Councilor Craig Fishbein said of joining the CCM. Fishbein said he was surprised to see the presentation on the council agenda, and is interested to “hear the reasons why (Dickinson) feels it’s necessary at this point.”

“I don’t know if it’s of any worth to the taxpayer,” Fishbein said of joining the CCM.

Dickinson wouldn’t offer an opinion Friday on whether or not he’d like the town to join the CCM. He said he’d rather offer his opinion on Tuesday.

“I’d like to see the presentation first,” he said.

Town Council Chairman Robert F. Parisi said he was “very pleased” with the proposal the mayor spoke to him about recently.

“It’s an excellent organization and they have a little different twist to it now, plus it’s always been a good resource,” he said. “I’m hoping it makes it through.”

The organization’s headquarters are in New Haven and it has offices in Hartford.