In the Weeds with a New Law Building Better Broadband for Connecticut’S Fiber Future

August 2021

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OFFICERS President Luke A. Bronin, Mayor of Hartford 1st Vice President Jayme J. Stevenson, First Selectman of Darien 2nd Vice President Thomas Dunn, Mayor of Wolcott DIRECTORS Elinor Carbone, Mayor of Torrington Justin Elicker, Mayor of New Haven John A. Elsesser, Town Manager of Coventry Carl P. Fortuna, Jr., First Selectman of Old Saybrook Laura Francis, First Selectman of Durham Joseph P. Ganim, Mayor of Bridgeport Barbara M. Henry, First Selectman of Roxbury Matthew Hoey, First Selectman of Guilford John L. Salomone, City Manager, Norwich Laura Hoydick, Mayor of Stratford Catherine Iino, First Selectwoman of Killingworth Matthew S. Knickerbocker, First Selectman of Bethel Marcia A. Leclerc, Mayor of East Hartford Curt Leng, Mayor of Hamden page 12 Rudolph P. Marconi, First Selectman of Ridgefield W. Kurt Miller, Chief Fiscal Officer, Ansonia CCM Annual Convention Returns 4 Edmond V. Mone, First Selectman of Thomaston Michael Passero, Mayor of New London American Rescue Plan Toolkit 6 Brandon Robertson, Town Manager of Avon NLC REAL Initiative 8 Erin E. Stewart, Mayor of New Britain Mark B. Walter, Town Administrator of Columbia Online Gambling 9 PAST PRESIDENTS Infrastructure Investment 10 Susan S. Bransfield, First Selectwoman of Portland Mark D. Boughton, Mayor of Danbury Marijuana Legislation 12 Michael Freda, First Selectman of North Haven Population Decline in CT 15 Neil O’Leary, Mayor of Waterbury Herbert Rosenthal, CIRMA News 18 Former First Selectman of Newtown Town News 20

CCM STAFF Expand your municipality’s Executive Director, Joe DeLong E E EE rtirmnt plan potntial Deputy Director, Ron Thomas it inancial solutions Managing Editor, Kevin Maloney rootd in 50+ yars o Layout & Design, Matthew Ford institutional xprinc Writer, Christopher Gilson

Connecticut Town & City CONTACT US

Phone: 888-231-6372 BWC is an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Visit the CT&C Archives at: Email: [email protected] Registration does not imply any specific level https://issuu.com/ccm_ct of skill or knowledge. Website: www.beirnewealth.com

AUGUST 2021 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | 3 TOGETHER AGAIN NEW LOCATION, NEW DAY Back Together Again! 2021 CCM Convention agenda is being set

s promised, the 2021 CCM Convention, to be held For the second day, we have invited Connecticut’s fed- on November 30 and December 1 at the Mohe- eral congressional delegation to participate in a panel Agan Sun Earth Expo Center, will bring us back discussion. together again! The exhibit hall is filling up, our popular Already confirmed to be at the exhibit hall as of Au- workshops are nearly set, and the schedule is being gust 11 are CIRMA, ACV Enviro, Beirne Wealth Consult- completed. The only thing left is for you to register to ing Services, LLC, BELFOR Property Restoration, BL be part of this exciting opportunity to network with Companies*, Cardinal Engineering Associates, Colliers your peers and learn from experts in the municipal field. Project Leaders, Competitive Energy Services, Con At the heart of the event will be the same great Con- Edison Solutions, ConnectiCare*, Connection Public vention that you’ve come to expect from CCM. There Sector Solutions, Construction Solutions Group, Crown are going to be over a dozen workshops including a Castle, Distinctive TreeCare, Downes Construction panel of state commissioners, nearly 150 exhibitors, Company*, Eagle Environmental, Inc., The ECG Group*, the awards dinner and more. Edmunds GovTech, Environmental Partners*, Full Circle Technologies, Inc., Indus, Loureiro Engineering As- Key workshops include Risk Management for Municipal sociates, Inc.*, M.E. O’Brien & Sons, Inc., The Mercury Officials; CCM’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) Adviso- Group, Nationwide Security Corporation, NIC Con- ry Service Committee; PFAS – The Hidden Expense; necticut, OneDigital*, OpenGov*, Pality*, PFM Asset CT Trail Finder: Engaging Trails & Greenspaces for Management, LLC, Post University*, Savy & Sons, Ser- Economic Development & Public Health; Risks of Not tex Broadband Solutions*, Specialized Data Systems, Promoting Fair & Equitable Workplace; Connecticut Inc.*, Stirling Benefits a 90 Degree Benefits Company, Association of Public School Superintendent’s Blue- Superior Spring & Mfg. Co. Inc., Tighe & Bond*, Titan print to Transform Connecticut’s Public Schools; Social Energy New England*, Tyler Technologies, Unique Pav- Services: Everything you wanted to know; Update on ing Materials Corp., United Concrete Products, Weston Affordable Housing & Land Use Legislation; Making & Sampson, and Woodard & Curran*. Our Communities Great Places To Live For All: Exam- ples & Stories From CT Municipal Leaders; State Com- *CCM Municipal Business Associate members missioners’ Panel; Successfully Managing Short-Term Thanks to this year’s sponsors — CIRMA, Post Universi- Grants and Funds; Cybersecurity: Preventing Costly ty, Halloran Sage, Connecticare, Bank of America, and Attacks to Your Municipality; Municipal Collective Bar- Sacred Heart University! gaining After COVID-19; and Connecticut’s Financial Outlook – Beyond the Headlines. Here’s what else we have planned on the agenda:

4 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | AUGUST 2021 Municipal Excellence Awards Sustainable CT The 2021 Municipal Excellence Awards will be once Municipalities who have achieved certification in the again awarded in four categories, two for cities and Sustainable CT program will receive recognition and two for individuals. their plaques during the Convention. • Three General Entry Awards by Population Size • A Topical Award (To Be Determined) Connecticut Certified Municipal Officials • The Joel Cogen Lifetime Achievement Award We will once again be lauding our municipal officials • The Richard C. Lee Innovators Award who have completed enough credits to become certi- The award recipients will be honored at the Conven- fied municipal officials. tion, as well as featured in a future issue of CT&C. Game On! #LoCoolGov Contest At the end of the evening on November 30, we will A $500 scholarship will be handed out in two age have a lively reception at GameOn, where you can con- groups to a Connecticut student in a public middle tinue networking, drink, relax, and bowl or play arcade school or high school. games. Participants must create their own original work them- To be a part of this fun and informative experience, selves, but may get help from teachers, parents, or you can go to www.ccm-ct.org and follow the links to friends in the form of ideas. They may also collaborate the 2021 CCM Convention Registration Page, or take on projects of no more than three people. a snap of this QR code with your phone and you’ll be For more information on these two awards, visit brought right to the page. https://www.ccm-ct.org/Resources/Municipal-Excel- We can’t wait to welcome you to this year’s Conven- lence-Awards and https://www.ccm-ct.org/Resources/ tion and to be back with you in person! LoCoolGov-Youth-Scholarship

AUGUST 2021 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | 5 Toolkit For ARP Funds Released ARP Advisory Committee lays path for municipal best practices

ver the next several years, towns and cities across the country are being handed a unique Oopportunity. The American Rescue Plan is an unprecedented amount of federal funds aimed at helping municipalities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic as well as look towards the future. CCM has convened an advisory committee of experts to help create a toolkit to help navigate the best-practices in administering these funds. The American Rescue Plan, or ARP, has allocated $65.1 billion to municipalities, with Connecticut set to receive $2.55 billion - $1.56 billion to general government and an additional $995 million to Boards of Education. ARP requires that the funds be accounted for and used in explicitly approved purposes: • Responding to the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including assistance to households, small businesses, and nonprofits as well as aid to affected industries such as tourism, travel, and hospitality; • Providing government services previously cut due to pandemic-related revenue shortfalls, and; • Erin Stewart, Mayor, City of New Britain • Making needed investments in water, sewer, or • Steve Mednick, Attorney, Law Office of Steven G. broadband infrastructure. Mednick It was for this reason that the Advisory Committee was • Kari Olson, Partner, Murtha Cullina LLC convened. The group consists of: • Tim Weber, Director, Security Services, ADNET Tech- nologies • Courtney Hendricson, Vice President of Partnerships, • Jody Barr, Executive Director, Council 4 AFSCME AdvanceCT • Julie McGrath, Grants Coordinator, Office of Con- • Brig Smith, City of Middletown, General Counsel and gressman Joe Courtney President, CAMA • Betsy Gara, Executive Director, COST • Eric Gjede, VP, Government Affairs, CBIA • Kimberley Parsons-Whitaker, Interim CEO, CT Main • Chris Dipentima, President & CEO, CBIA Street Center • Gian-Carl Casa, President & CEO, CT Community Through many meetings, they developed the ARP Nonprofit Alliance Advisory Committee Toolkit. It is intended to be a • Gene Goddard, Chief Business Investment Officer, resource and supplement formal information provided METRO Hartford Alliance by federal and stage government agencies. • Fred Carstensen, Professor of Finance and Econom- ics - Director, Connecticut Center for Economic Anal- Used in concert with the formal guidance from the ysis -School of Business, University of Connecticut Department of Treasury, local leaders can begin under- • John Glascock PhD, Professor of Real Estate and standing the uses and full impact of the ARP funds, the Finance Director, Center for Real Estate and Urban do’s and don’ts, suggestions for consideration, as well Studies, University of Connecticut as a robust FAQ section that will answer many of the • Dale Graver, Regional Director, VC3 most common questions. • Mike LeBlanc, President, GFOA As we move forward, it is important that our local • Norm Needleman, First Selectman, Essex leaders understand the ins and outs of ARP funding. • Carl Fortuna, First Selectman, Old Saybrook This is an opportunity that CCM believes will allow lo- • Dave Demchak, President & CEO, CIRMA cal leaders to engage partners in their town and region • Lynn Stoddard , Director, Sustainable CT to jumpstart a long and large economic recovery from • Jay Williams, President, Hartford Foundation for the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects. Public Giving • Sam Gold, Executive Director, Lower Connecticut Read the full toolkit at our website, www.ccm-ct.org, River Valley Council of Governments or more information contact Michael Muszynski at • Pam Keyes, Vice President of Risk Management, [email protected] or Ron Thomas at rthomas@ CIRMA ccm-ct.org.

6 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | AUGUST 2021 Post University is a proud CCM partner.

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t is fast approaching a year since the first CCM CARES town halls Iwere announced to begin the crucial conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion in our towns and cities. CCM is committed to continuing those conversations and the work that follows with key partnerships and workshops. One exciting partnership that we are happy to continue is with the National League of Cities (NLC) Race, Equity and Leadership (REAL) Initiative. Many will remem- ber the key role they played in our national CCM CARES panel this past December. In June, CCM along with the other northeastern state municipal leagues, invited NLC to give their REAL 101 training to hundreds of staff in the region called “Normalizing Racial Equity in Local Government.” The goals and objectives of this training were to “understand the foundations for normalizing racial equity in governing,” as well as “explore opportunities to take action to advance racial equity.” Building on that knowledge, in a condensed version of their 201 and that includes training sessions, peer force, and other key metrics or 301 level course, NLC REAL dis- roundtables, individual technical indicators of progress. cussed the very real action items that assistance, resource lists and recog- • Establishing policies and prac- local leaders can be taking now. In nition of progress/achievements. tices related to procurement and their framework, this is moving from contracting that provide more ac- normalizing to organizing to opera- Municipalities will be guided cess and opportunity to minority tionalizing, with the goal of promot- through these action items: contractors. ing real progress on racial equity in • Issuing a proclamation or reso- • Adopting a municipal racial communities across Connecticut. lution outlining a statement of equity policy and plan/strate- After this, attendees from the first racial equity goals and strategies gy to address a specific racial two webinars were invited to a • Building organizational capacity equity goal for your community smaller, more focused town hall dis- to guide municipal racial equity with clear actions, timelines and cussion where local leaders talked efforts responsibilities. about local challenges and their • Employing a simple set of ques- The most important thing is to keep solutions. tions to view budget, policy, addressing the issue of diversity, and service delivery decisions For those that could not make equity and inclusion in our state. through a racial equity lens these workshops, CCM’s Board From REAL workshops last year, we • Developing formal community Inclusion Committee has authorized learned that race is still the number partnerships with under-repre- a “guided process” over the next one predictor of success in Amer- sented residents six months to help municipalities ica. Until it is not, we are commit- • Presenting annual reports to the implement seven action items from ted to working together to make Municipal Governing Body on the CCM Racial Equity Toolkit that sure that every resident can access Racial Equity, including composi- was distributed earlier this year. the benefits and opportunities to tion of boards and commissions, enable them to make a good life for This will be a well-rounded process composition of municipal work- themselves and their families.

8 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | AUGUST 2021 Keeping Equity In Focus A Mitigated Risk CCM continues its commitment to equity in our towns and cities Online gambling is more over than under for state, municipalities, and tribes

vershadowed by the recent marijuana legislation, the le- Ogalization of online gambling was certainly a controversial topic in its own right. But with the passage and arrival of online gambling, the State and the Tribal Nations are seeing more pros than cons. Like so many other areas of industry, gambling or gaming is no longer tethered to the craps table, but accessible to individuals through their computers and mobile devices. What was lacking, was a way to regulate this industry in a way that would benefit everyone. Governor Lamont, Mohegan Tribal Council Chairman James Gessner Jr., Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Chairman Rodney Butler and the legislative leaders worked on an agreement that would equitably share the benefits of this new industry, as well as allowing the Connecticut Lottery Corporation to partner in these efforts. The details of the plan per the Gov- ernor’s press release include: • An 18 percent tax rate for the first five years on new online commercial casino gaming (or “iGam- ing”) offerings, followed by a 20 percent tax rate for at least the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Chairman Rodney Butler next five years • A 13.75 percent tax rate on • Both tribes agree to halt develop- Chairman Butler said “Gaming is sports wagering ment of an East Windsor casi- more than a business to our tribe, it • Connecticut Lottery shall have no through the duration of this is the way we fund our government, the right to operate 15 retail agreement pay for our children’s education, sports betting locations, as well While one of the main fears is care for our elders, and provider as operate an online sports bet- that this would lead to increased healthcare to our members. The ting skin gambling addiction, both tribes as agreement not only ushers in a new • Connecticut Lottery shall have well the Connecticut Lottery have modern era of gaming, but it solid- the right to sublicense locations agreed to allocate $2 million to- ifies our tribal/state partnership for to the state-licensed parimutuel wards gambling addiction services years to come.” operator in Connecticut. This is of course true for the rest • Connecticut Lottery will under- According to the Mayo Clinic, gam- of the state, as Chairman Gessner take new retail sports betting bling triggers the brain “much like notes: “This will allow Connecti- venues in Hartford and Bridge- drugs or alcohol can.” There is no cut to generate tax revenues from port proven treatment, but educational sports and online gaming that are • License agreement to be for ten programs seem to be helpful. competitive with other states, to years with a five-year extension the benefit of both state and local option While there is risk in any behavior municipal budgets, as well as our • Expansion of iLottery and Keno becoming addictive, there is hope tribe’s members.” through the Connecticut Lottery that the pros will far, far outweigh Corporation, including the sale of the cons. draw tickets online

AUGUST 2021 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | 9 Infrastructure Needs Heating Up Climate change makes investment in future infrastructure essential

hile temperatures continually hit new records safe, our new infrastructure must take into account cli- around the world, historic droughts in some mate change. For his part, Governor Lamont has been Wareas of the world are matched by historic incentivizing electric vehicles. In June, he announced rains in others, and the sea water level rises on every improved incentives to the Connecticut Hydrogen coast, every community will have to deal with the side and Electric Automobile Purchase Rebate (CHEAPR) effects of climate change. One of the most discussed program. Despite not needing gas, EVs still need an consequences is infrastructure that will need to be investment in infrastructure. invented or reimagined in the face of our climate crisis. The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority has recent- With record or near-record amounts of rain falling in ly approved a program to support the installation of Connecticut, flooding has been an issue for towns and charging ports for EVs, partnering with Eversource and cities across the state. For the coastal towns, the near United Illuminating. The program incentivizes home future will force them to ask if sea level rise will force charging stations, as well as fast charging stations the issue on sea walls. and workplace charging stations. The rebates are up to $500 for homeowners and $40,000 for apartment In Miami, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed a complexes or businesses. wall 20-feet high for six miles in Biscayne Bay to deal with the same set of problems. There, they are receiv- Perhaps more effective than electric vehicles reserved ing pushback as arguments pour in over the effects for personal use, is investing in a robust public trans- on the quality of life if access to the ocean becomes portation system. blocked by a wall. Connecticut is home to the most widely used commut- Back in Connecticut, the flooding did cut off the ocean er rails in the United States, but it pales in comparison for many. Beaches along the coast were closed tempo- to commuter lines around the world. The daily ridership rarily as bacteria and sewage infected the waters. is 385,000 across the entire MTA line, where commuter Inland, roads and bridges crumble not only from lack lines in Europe and Asia can reach into the millions. of funding, but the increasing heat and the increasing Faster and more reliable service on all of Connecticut’s usage that diminishes the lifespan of our infrastructure. rail lines could translate to hundreds to thousands of We wrote in the May issue of CT&C that our Infrastruc- cars off the road, which could lead to even the un- ture report card gave us a C – for the year of 2018. intended side effect of lessening commute times for With little to no support given for the kind of funding those that still do need to drive. needed to bring it back up to serviceable, many of Harkening back to the WPA and post-Great Depres- the 2100 miles of highway and 248 bridges in need of sion America, we can understand the need for invest- repair then are still in that state today. ments in infrastructure and a reimagining of what that means for our towns and cities. On many fronts, there is movement to change this. The impetus of the May article was the American Jobs Plan, Across Connecticut, post offices, schools, roads and a grand project of President Biden that needs broad bi- bridges built during that time still exist. Roads were partisan support to pass. It is modeled on the Depres- created with a new technology in mind – the automo- sion-era Works Progress Administration in its largess. bile was just still in its infancy at that time. In the same way, we must look at the possibility of new infrastruc- Despite this, Senator Chris Murphy said on our Munici- ture spending and ask what will the world look like in a pal Voice podcast that this might not be even enough decade or even a century ahead given what we know for the kind of investments we need across the country. about climate change now. In addition to projects to make our streets and roads

10 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | AUGUST 2021 Innovative Ideas Needed! CCM’s annual compendium shows the breadth of ideas throughout CT fter making it through a tumultuous year that almost seemed like it would never end, 2021 has Anearly flown by. But much of the uncertainty that we face now is related to reopening, ARP funds, and returning to what everyone calls the “New Normal.” We are pleased to present our 34th edition of the Innovative Ideas for Managing Local Governments compendium. Reprinted from the previous year’s issue of Connecticut Town & City, the quarterly magazine of CCM. We developed these stories from many sources, including visits to Connecticut local governments; suggestions from municipal officials; newspapers and magazines in Connecti- cut and abroad; publications of the National League of Cities; and publications of other state municipal leagues. There are nearly 80 pages of stories on topics across compendium, we hope to give each of our 169 mem- Civic Achievement, Economic Development, Education, bers a glimpse at what other municipalities are doing Energy, Environment, Governance, Housing and Infra- and to see if you use or adapt the innovative ideas that structure, Public Safety, Social Welfare, and Technology. are coming out of our towns on a daily basis. They are presented, as always, not as a strict blueprint Be sure to check out the issue at: issuu.com/ccm_ct that your town needs to follow. These are great ideas If your town or city has an innovative idea that you that can and should spur ideas in your town or city, to think would be perfect for a future issue of Con- have conversations about what can be accomplished. necticut Town & City, send over a news article, press As we move forward, Connecticut’s towns and cities release, or social media post to Christopher Gilson, will continue to need innovative ideas. Through our [email protected].

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AUGUST 2021 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | 11 In The Weeds With A New Law CCM looks at the municipal impact of marijuana legislation n 2019, CCM hosted municipal representatives from Colorado and Massachusetts at our Annual Con- Ivention to share their perspectives regarding the legalization of recreational marijuana, such was the likelihood that it was going to come to Connecticut. As we all know, legislation has passed and recreational usage is legal with a regulated market following close behind. CCM has prepared information on the passage and impact of this legislation that will help guide municipalities through this new law. At a glance, Public Act 21-1 (Special Session) legaliz- es the use of cannabis for individuals over the age of 21, limiting possession to 1.5 ounces and 5 ounces in a locked container in the person’s residence or ve- hicle. But it also creates a process for the erasure of previous marijuana related convictions, allows for the home-grow of the plant beginning in 2023, and estab- lishes a marketplace for the legal sale of marijuana.

Local referendum (Sections 83-84) Effective July 1, 2021, if at least 10% of a municipalities electors petition for a vote to allow certain marijuana sales, it must be done at least 60 days before a regular election. If met, the municipality must hold a referendum to determine whether to allow (1) the recreational sale of marijuana in the municipality or (2) the sale of marijuana in one or more of the cannabis establishment license types. The law does specify what specific language needs to be used in a referendum question. Zoning Authority and Restrictions (Sections 83-84, 148) The law allows municipalities to amend their zoning regulations or local ordinances to take the following actions regarding cannabis establishments: a) prohibit them from opening; b) reasonably restrict their hours and signage; or c) restrict their proximity to religious institutions, schools, charitable institutions, hospitals, veterans’ homes, or certain military establishments. If a municipality imposes additional or modified reg- municipal residents, as determined by the most recent ulations or ordinances regarding the above, they shall decennial census. not apply to existing cannabis establishments for a The law also allows municipalities, for the first 30 period of five years after the restrictions are originally days after cannabis retailers or hybrid retailers open, adopted unless the cannabis establishment converts to charge them up to $50,000 for any necessary and its license to a different license type. If municipalities reasonable municipal costs for public safety services take no action through zoning regulations or ordinanc- related to the opening (such as for directing traffic). es, these establishments must be zoned as similar uses would be. The law prohibits municipalities from regu- Regulating Cannabis Usage lating the delivery of cannabis of any form. In addition, (sections 83-84) the law prohibits municipalities from negotiating or entering into local host agreements. Effective October 1, 2021, existing law allows municipalities to regulate activities deemed harmful to public Until June 30, 2024, the bill prohibits municipalities health, including smoking, on municipally-owned prop- from granting zoning approval for more retailers or erty. The law broadens this to include property that micro-cultivators than a number that would allow for a municipality controls but does not own. It specifies one retailer and one micro-cultivator for every 25,000 that this regulatory authority applies to (1) smoking

12 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | AUGUST 2021 tobacco or cannabis, including cannabis ecigarette use or micro-cultivator is located will need to submit to (i.e., electronic delivery systems and vapor products) the DRS commissioner, at least annually, the name and and (2) other types of cannabis use or consumption. It contact information of the individual designated by the allows municipalities to ban cannabis smoking (includ- municipality to receive notifications regarding the local ing ecigarette use) at outdoor sections of restaurants. cannabis tax. The DRS Commissioner will then notify Through regulations, municipalities may set fines for (and establish policies and procedures) the municipally violations, up to (1) $50 for individuals or (2) $1,000 designated individuals of the tax amount reported due for businesses. from each cannabis and hybrid retailer and micro-cultivator located in their respective municipalities. For municipalities with more than 50,000 people, if the town or city decides to regulate the public use of Within 60 days after receiving such a notice from DRS, cannabis, the local regulations must designate a loca- each municipality must invoice each applicable canna- tion in the municipality where public consumption of bis retailer, hybrid retailer, and micro-cultivator in ac- cannabis is allowed. cordance with the law for DRS notices. This will need to be done through an invoice by first-class mail to the Municipal Cannabis Tax address of the facility on file. The retailer or micro-cul- (Sections 126—127) tivator must remit payment to the municipality within 30 days after the invoice was sent. The law imposes a 3% municipal sales tax (in addition Under the law, the amounts remitted become a part to the state cannabis tax of the municipality’s general revenue and must be established at 6.35%) on the used for the following purposes: a) streetscape im- gross receipts from the sale provements and other neighborhood developments of cannabis by a cannabis or in communities where cannabis or hybrid retailers or hybrid retailer or micro-cul- micro-cultivators are located; b) education programs tivator. Under the law, “gross or youth employment and training programs in the receipts” means the total municipality; c) services for individuals living in the amount received from can- municipality who were released from DOC custody, nabis sales by the retailer probation, or parole; d) mental health or addiction ser- or micro-cultivator. The tax vices; e) youth service bureaus and municipal juvenile. must be collected from con- It takes time with the passage of any new law for it to sumers at the time of sale be handed down from written legislation to legal inter- and be held in trust until pretation to municipal implementation, but the legisla- remitted to the municipality. The law exempts from the tion that legalized recreational marijuana is especially municipal sales tax: a) cannabis for palliative use; b) complex. CCM will be there to help pass along import- sales of cannabis by a delivery service to a consumer; ant information regarding this and all laws. and c) the transfer of cannabis to a transporter for transport to any cultivator, micro-cultivator, food and For more information on this issue, please contact Mike beverage manufacturer, product manufacturer, product Muszynski at [email protected]. And if you are packager, dispensary facility, cannabis retailer, hybrid interested in revisiting the 2019 Panel Discussion on retailer, or producer. the Legalization of Recreational Marijuana, you can follow this link: http://ct-n.com/ctnplayer.asp?odID=16938 Any municipality in which a cannabis or hybrid retailer

AUGUST 2021 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | 13 A Partnership That Works CCM Municipal Business Associate Program helps towns and cities e’re all about partner- Members who are looking to start ships at CCM. With 169 a project can turn to our Busi- MB towns and cities, we want ness Member Directory (https:// MUNICIPAL Wall of our towns coming together www.ccm-ct.org/Resources/Busi- BUSINESS to work for the greater good. And ness-Member-Directory) to look just like our public partnerships, through the MBAs that might be ASSOCIATE private industry can play a role to right for them. Services. help improve the everyday life of If you know or represent a business • Enjoy special pricing and dis- every resident – and that’s where that wants to join our members as counts on select services, such as the Municipal Business Associate we build a better tomorrow, you can: mailing lists, advertising in Con- (MBA) program comes in. necticut Town & City magazine, • Provide your business with an Aimed specifically at business- and a booth at the CCM Annual edge in Connecticut’s competi- es that want to do work with our Convention. tive municipal marketplace, which members, this program provides • Choose from four levels of mem- spends more than $3 billion a valuable ways for engaged busi- bership: platinum, gold, silver, year on products and services nesses to stay connected with Con- and bronze. You can participate • Raise your profile with elected necticut’s municipal markets. at the level that best suits your and appointed municipal officials, objectives. More than ever, with Connecticut in in person, in print and online; Visit https://www.ccm-ct.org/ a position to grow, these partner- Members receive free or dis- Services/Municipal-Business-Asso- ships will be crucial in getting the counted advertising in our mag- ciates or contact Beth Scanlon at municipal projects completed that azine, Connecticut Town & City, 203-946-3782 or bscanlon@ccm- will put our towns and cities on the and are all included in our annual ct.org for more information. road to success. Directory of Business Products &

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860.646.2469 www.fando.com Connecticut • Massachusetts • Maine • New Hampshire Rhode Island • Vermont

14 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | AUGUST 2021 Will Connecticut Sustain? Population declines the world over pose problems at the local level

The population of Connecticut today nearly exceeds the entire population of the United States at the time of the first decennial census. For two- and-a-quarter centuries, our state and the nation could count on overall population growth. But due to factors such as the 2009 recession, the COVID-19 pandemic, global warming, and economic inequality, populations around the world are seeing unprecedented lags in birth rates. If this trend persists, there will be far reaching implica- tions for municipal government around the state. While this trend is worldwide, in the just released 2020 Census figures, America saw its lowest population growth since the Great Depression. In fact, population growth has been steadily declining since the 1850s. If this trend persists, the country would reach a peak population of about 361 million in 2050. This information hits so close to home because Connecticut currently has one of the lowest fertility rates in the nation alongside many of our neighboring states in New England. According to National Vital Statistics Reports, Connecticut has seen its Total Fertility Rate (TFR) drop from 1.8 to 1.54 in the past decade. For a population to sustain itself, that number has to be 2.1. One could easily see the ramifications in the most recent Census data. Just five towns saw an increase in total children, with some towns seeing the total children population decrease by just over a third. This all in spite of the fact that the total population of Connecticut grew by 1%. At least one town in Italy referenced in a recent New In many towns, this information will come as no shock. York Times article on this subject was able to come Schools have had their school enrollment numbers drop up with a clever solution to two of these problems: “In for years. According to figures published in the CT Ex- Capracotta, a small town in southern Italy, a sign in red aminer, for the last decade schools around the state have letters on an 18th-century stone building looking on to “reported annual declines of about 0.5 to 1 percent.” the Apennine Mountains reads “Home of School Kinder- The effects of population decline will necessitate a garten” — but today, the building is a nursing home.” reimagining of municipal forecasting. Whether it’s a Globally, these changes are going to be dramatic – from 10-year Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) that same Times article, they write that China will see its — which already deals with population density — or population halve from 1.41 billion to 700,000 million by infrastructure to handle the repercussions of global 2100. That’s like losing the entire population of America, warming, towns and cities are already planning into twice. the future. If populations were to continue to decline, economic growth, population density, and more would The effects in Connecticut towns and cities will not be likely fall in lock step. so drastic, but the evidence is there that populations will contract over the coming decades. Residents from What remains true is that areas with a depressed TFR other states will not be a reliable salve if those states will not only see a population in decline, but those are experiencing similar trends. areas are expected to grow older. The life expectancy in Connecticut is one of the highest in the country, almost What remains is the fact that towns and cities will have two years longer than the average American, which a to incorporate this thinking into their long term goals. 2016 CT Mirror article says will lead to a “graying” of Alongside global warming, population decline requires the economy. This could lead to an increased need for a complete rethinking about where we see the future of affordable housing, health care facilities and more. our municipalities, the state, and the world.

AUGUST 2021 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | 15 CCMs Homepage Gets A New Look! With ease of use in mind, the webpage and portal get a fresh update

ne of the most common threads through the Once you log in, you’ll be asked to change your pass- past year is that people sitting at home real- word. And after that, you are all set. Just make sure Oized just how outdated some of their rooms that you only create the one account. were – kitchen cabinets need new hardware, the living From there you will be able to see any members-only room needs a coat of paint, new shower curtains in sections or information on our new site. You can also the bathroom. CCM was right there with you – as our click on your name at the top of the home screen to homepage got a brand-new update for 2021! access your new Member Dashboard. Here you can The most obvious change will be when you first land make sure we have the right information for you on file on our homepage – www.CCM-CT.org. The layout is you are now able to register for upcoming events and cleaner and easier to read than our old website. The trainings and check your progress toward earning your drop-down menus are larger and easier to navigate. certification if you enrolled in our CCMO program. You The main page is less cluttered, making it easier to find can also update your interests and communications that section that you’re looking for. And if you don’t preferences. find it – hey! the search bar is fully functional and easy We want you to get the most out of our new website. to find right at the top of the page. If you have any issues logging in, changing your pass- But to achieve full functionality of the website, you need word, or using your new Member Dashboard, please to activate your account. Members with existing ac- don’t hesitate to reach out to us at memberservices@ counts should receive an email from CCM staff with their ccm-ct.org. new login information. If you did not receive an email, This is an exciting time at CCM. We built this new web- please contact us at [email protected]. site and member portal with our municipal members If you do not have an existing account, you can create in mind. So be sure to take a look around. You’ll find one be visiting the website and clicking “Register” at information on CCM’s programs and services, as well the top of the page. as a host of information and features available only to CCM members. Many of you have already done this, and have enjoyed the new, quick and easy functionality of signing up for a workshop.

Our new website’s layout is cleaner and easier to read.

16 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | AUGUST 2021 AUGUST 2021 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | 17 CIRMA CIRMA Returns Nearly $5M To Connecticut Communities Nearly $37 million delivered to members over the last eleven years

he Connecticut Interlocal Risk Management With 362 members across the Constitution State, CIRMA Agency, CIRMA, returned approximately $5M to provides Workers’ Compensation, Liability, Auto, and TConnecticut cities, towns, public schools and local Property insurance coverages to Connecticut public public agencies last month. Over the past eleven years, entities. CIRMA is also the only insurance provider that CIRMA put nearly $37 million in equity back in the hands returns equity to its members—not shareholders. of its members. “The strength of our balance sheet is undeniable, and “CIRMA’s Members’ Equity Distribution program despite unprecedented market conditions, CIRMA continues to affirm the organization’s deliberate and continues to see consistent, top-tier financial results disciplined approach to creating member value and across the board. Our overall financial strength routinely substantiates its long-term financial strength. Over the exceeds expectations as we continue to strike a perfect past year, CIRMA further distinguished its many com- balance between risk and reward. These results directly petitive advantages, dispelling a common assumption affect our ability to distribute equity back to our mem- that one insurer is as good as another,” said Matthew bers,” lauded David Demchak, CIRMA President, and Knickerbocker, Chairman, CIRMA Board of Directors. CEO. CIRMA Helps Give Kids A Chance oday 12 employees will lose their lives while CIRMA is a leading provider of property and casualty working on the job. Catastrophic workplace injuries insurance products and services, including Workers’ Tare often life-altering for affected families, causing Compensation coverage and claim services, for devastating emotional and financial strain on loved ones. Connecticut’s public sector. Cumulatively, CIRMA is And with over 4 million employees suffering severe work- responsible for protecting the lives of over 71,000 related injuries or illnesses throughout the U.S. each employees and volunteers across the state. year, the poignant question lingers: who’s looking out for “CIRMA has a rich history serving Connecticut’s com- their children? munities, and we view the thousands of injured em- The answer? Kids’ Chance of America. Prominently ployees we support as extensions of the CIRMA family. known as Kids’ Chance, this national non-profit organi- So it’s only natural we embrace the opportunity to zation provides critical scholarships to children with support their children—especially those who are so parents who have been affected by a catastrophic work- deeply affected by these situations. And we’re thrilled place injury, including loss of life. Since its inception in to support them locally through an organization like 1988, Kids’ Chance has expanded its geographic spread Kids’ Chance of Connecticut,” said David Demchak, with present-day representation spanning all 50 states. CIRMA’s President, and CEO. The Constitution State’s local community chapter, Kids’ Strategic partnerships with businesses and community Chance of Connecticut, was established in 2018. The non- organizations help support Kids’ Chance of Connecticut’s profit has gifted approximately $42,000 in scholarship work, making the dream of higher education a reality funds to ten deserving recipients in 2021 alone. for deserving students. Visit their website, kidschance After identifying marked congruencies between the two ofct.org to learn more about how you or your organ- organization’s community-centric missions, the Connect- ization can help support their mission. icut Interlocal Risk Management Agency (CIRMA) Board of Directors recently approved a $10,000 contribution to Kids’ Chance of Connecticut.

182 | | CONNECTICUT CONNECTICUT TOWN TOWN & & CITY CITY | | AUGUST 20212021 CIRMA CIRMA Welcomes New Staff Central to CIRMA’s success is its employees

We’re excited to welcome this impressive group Jessica Marinuzzi joined CIRMA’s of professionals to CIRMA. It’s our staff who Underwriting team and will be help create our innovative solutions and deliver working in the position of Under- on the promises we make our members, every day. The writing Technical Assistant. Jessica CIRMA team makes a difference,” said David Demchak, a resident of North Haven, recently President and Chief Executive Officer of CIRMA. graduated from Albertus Magnus College earning a bachelor degree Linwood Lang is joined CIRMA’s in Accounting and Finance. Prior Finance team as their newest to joining CCM/CIRMA Jessica held Statutory Accountant. Linwood, a the position of Member Service resident of Hamden, received his Representative for Connex Credit Jessica Marinuzzi bachelor degree in Accounting Union located in North Haven. from the University of New Haven and is a certified CPA. Prior to Vignesh Rajaram recently joined joining CCM/CIRMA Linwood held CIRMA’s Business Intelligence team the position of Senior Accountant as a Senior Software Engineer. for HealthyCT located in Wallingford. Linwood Lang Vignesh, a resident of Simsbury, joins CIRMA with almost 15 years Brian LaJoie joined CIRMA as their of experience in application design newest Liability-Auto-Property and lead developer on implementing Claims Specialist. insurance web applications. Brian, a resident of Putnam, has over 24 years of insurance claims Vignesh Rajaram experience with a focus on managing complex claims and litigation matters.

Ashtyn Totora is CIRMA’s newest Workers’ Compensation Claims Brian LaJoie Assistant. Jonathan Kania joined CIRMA’s Ashtyn, a resident of Guilford, Workers’ Compensation Claims team received an associate degree in as a Senior Claims Representative. Liberal Arts from Gateway John, a resident of Plantsville, Community College. Prior to joining received his Juris Doctor from the our team, Ashtyn was a Workers’ University of Miami, School of Law. Compensation Claims Assistant for John joins CIRMA with over ten Chubb Insurance. Ashtyn Totora years of Workers’ Compensation claims experience. Prior to joining CIRMA, John was a Senior Workers’ Compensation Claims Represent- Jonathan Kania ative for ESIS located in Simsbury.

AUGUST 2021 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | 19 CIVIC ACHIEVEMENT

The Wicked Cricket Pitch New sportsfield is a home-run for towns

aseball may be America’s pastime, but the sport Thanks to work done in-house from the town engineer- of Cricket has seen a growing fan base in Con- ing and public works departments, the project came in Bnecticut. But despite similarities, the sport needs under budget, as quoted in the Courant article. its own field. In Manchester, they renovated an old The Connecticut Cricket League boasts 16 teams from softball field so that the burgeoning sport has a place around the state, including teams from the Hartford area, to grow in the city. Southern Massachusetts, and Southern Connecticut. To say that Cricket is growing in popularity undersells This is exemplary of the growing popularity of the the phenomenon. Second only to Football – Soccer to us sport throughout Connecticut. Americans – Cricket holds a worldwide audience of 2.5 billion fans according to the World Atlas, mostly cen- Earlier this year, the New Milford Town Council voted tered in former British Colonies like India and Australia. to approve the construction of a cricket field in town. Compare that to Baseball’s 500 million fans worldwide. The field would support the New Milford Cricket Club The rules of which are very similar to cricket as both (NMCC), which has been active since 2006, who pro- are considered “bat-and-ball” games, where one team vided fundraising for the project, with additional funds is batting and the other team is playing defense. coming from the Waste Management Fund according to the Danbury News Times. With that kind of popularity around the world, it was bound to make its way to America. According to NMCC recently hosted what they called a “historic” figures from the Hartford Courant, the Asian Pacif- cricket match between a local youth team and a youth ic American population grew 65 percent in the last team from Norwalk. (The match is available to watch census period, which they argue led to the increasing on the NMCC YouTube page). popularity. As the sport grows in popularity around the state and Support came from Manchester Mayor Jay Moran around the country, the infrastructure is going to need and General Manager Scott Shanley who allocated to grow. Thanks to its similarities to Baseball, convert- $350,000 for the project in 2019 – to be reimbursed ing a field from one to another might prove a simple through the state’s Local Capital Improvement Pro- option. gram. The project, like so many others, was delayed Thanks to efforts in Manchester and New Milford, the due to the pandemic. sport has room to grow, welcome fans new and old alike.

20 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | AUGUST 2021 CIVIC AMENTITIES Culture In The Northwest Spring Hill Arts Gathering brings vibes, culture to Washington

ith Cultural Districts now programs, food vendors and a free for all to attend. available for all Con- makers market. Tickets to the event When discussing the possibility of Wnecticut municipalities were $45 for individual days, ex- cultural districts at a local webinar to pursue, one of the key jumping cept the last day, which was free. hosted by CCM in partnership with points is looking at those cultural One day is a cross promotion be- the Connecticut Main Street Center, touchstones. In Washington, one of tween SHAG and Pride in the Hills they advised towns not to overlook the newest cultural programs is the (PITH), an organization whose mis- important cultural happenings in Spring Hill Arts Gathering held on sion it is to “support, inspire, and town rather than singling out the seven days across two weekends celebrate LGBTQ+ people in the usual museums and theatres as im- this past summer. Greater Waterbury and the Litch- portant cornerstones to the culture The Spring Hill Arts Gathering festi- field Hills” areas. of a town. val is being put on Spring Hill Vine- In addition to their day at SHAG, Festivals like the Spring Hill Arts yards, which was founded in 2006. PITH has sponsored 160 young Gathering festival are important Since then, they have put together people to attend the True Colors in bringing the kinds of diverse entertainment and arts centers on Convention in Storrs, awarded crowds and new people from the their property, which is where most grants and other financial support area to a town like Washington. of the festivities were to be held. to LGBTQ+ groups, contributed Especially with the focus on diver- The goal of this festival is to connect to libraries in conjunction with the sity with the partnership with Pride artists with nature and encourage Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education in the Hills and the reflection on the diverse perspectives with creative Network, and much more. local with the Town Party, towns collaborations and discussions. The last day of the gathering was and cities across the state should Some of the highlights of the fes- specifically produced as a Washing- reflect on those places where they tival include music by KT Tunstall ton Town Party, featuring tributes see cultural value. That way, years and Sophie B. Hawkins, a conver- to local town heroes, as well as down the line, they won’t be saying sation with Graydon Carter, dance local town artisans. This day was “Suddenly I see!”

AUGUST 2021 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | 21 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EN T V ER A M H The Economic Development section of CT&C I N

is sponsored by New Haven Terminal, Inc. L N

Learn more at: www.newhaventerminal.com IN C ED NEW HAVEN TERMINAL, INC. ORPORAT

You Mean Like The Mall? Municipalities take the initiative to repurpose vacant retail properties

onnecticut’s malls and retail centers have been hit especially hard in the wake of the pandemic. CHowever, these same struggling and often vacant properties present unique opportunities for repurposing and adaptive reuse. “The best use and most appropriate plan of implementation will vary by property and municipality,” says Pullman & Comley attorney Gary B. O’Connor, co-chair of Pullman & Comley’s Real Estate, Energy, Environ- mental and Land Use Department. “But there is con- sensus that time is running out. Municipalities must be proactive and take steps to ensure that these properties can be adapted to meet evolving market demands and community preferences, before decisions are Home Sweet Home? made by out-of-state lenders or discount purchasers Current planning and zoning regulations in many Con- that don’t necessarily take into consideration the best necticut municipalities are relatively restrictive, offer- interests of the communities in which these properties ing little flexibility with respect to the types of uses are located.” allowed in a particular zone. This poses a time-con- Some New England municipalities have already begun suming and expensive challenge to owners of malls to work with owners to adapt retail centers to new or and large retail centers who are attempting to avoid expanded uses. The CitySquare project in Worcester financial ruin. transformed a vacant mall into over 2 million square “It is incumbent upon municipalities, particularly their feet of desirable commercial, medical, retail, entertain- land use agencies and boards, to be more cognizant ment, and residential space. This mixed use project of the dramatic changes that are presently occurring included public-private financing: $25 million state in the retail industry,” says Pullman & Comley attorney financing, $70 million from the City of Worcester; $470 Amanda G. Gurren. “They need to create workable million in private development funds. Redevelopment standards and expedited approval processes that will of multiple big box stores are currently under consid- allow for the necessary repurposing, rehabilitation, eration in New Hampshire. and/or construction of these properties.” As mall properties tend to be centrally located and Likewise, in some instances, the investment of state well-connected to transit, with large numbers of park- and local funds may be necessary to incentivize a ing spaces, they also represent attractive spaces for property owner to repurpose a mall property in line potential housing developments, including affordable with the community vision. housing projects. In Trumbull, the city’s planning and zoning commission gave its approval last October on Large retail centers have been important contributors the plan to build 260 apartments at the Trumbull Mall, to the communities in which they are located. Histori- after having voted in favor of regulations in 2018 that cally, they have represented a source of millions of dol- paved the way for the project. lars of annual tax revenue, employed hundreds of area residents over the years, and drawn consumer spend- Centennial Real Estate, the owner of the Connecticut ing from beyond their immediate geographical areas. If Post Mall, has not enjoyed similar results. In October these properties are to remain community assets, local 2020, Milford P&Z rejected a proposal which would governments must take the initiative. have allowed a 300-unit apartment building at the mall.

22 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | AUGUST 2021 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Are You A Tourist? CT Towns and Cities look to summer vacation boost

ave you booked your summer vacation yet? If not, you might want to as a Hmixture of pent up demand and caution Hammonasset Beach might have Connecticut booming with tourists State Park this summer for a quick weekend getaway. Christine Castonguay, the Interim Director of CT Tourism came on the Municipal Voice, the Your next From Hartford: podcast of the Connecticut Conference of Mu- • Take CTrail Hartford Line from Hartford Union Station adventure awaits! to New Haven Union Station • Transfer to CTrail Shore Line East to continue to nicipalities and WNHH FM, to discuss why more The new ParkConneCT program expands Madison Station transit service and connections to some of people might be saying “Yes to Connecticut.” Connecticut’s most popular state parks. • Connect to 9-Town Transit 641 at Madison Station Start your journey with the information below. That is the slogan of CT Tourism’s newest campaign, which Castonguay says was born out of research and observing the trends of what’s From New Haven: going on. • Take CTrail Shore Line East from New Haven Union Station to From New London: Madison Station “We had almost 60% say ‘yes, once I am vac- • Connect to 9-Town Transit 641 at • Take CTrail Shore Line East from New London Station Madison Station to Madison Station cinated, I am going to be out enjoying tourism HARTFORD LINE • Connect to 9-Town Transit 641 at Madison Station activities,’” she said, “But the interesting thing New Haven Madison Station to note is people also were indicating that they Union Station wanted to stay within 100 miles of home.” SHORE LINE EAST In a reversal of the old adage that Connecticut is uniquely situated between New York City and NEW HAVEN LINE

Boston, the state’s location might be the selling Additional Information From Stamford: • The 645, Madison Shuttle, and Clinton Trolley will stop at the point – “it provides ample opportunity for ev- • Take New Haven Line (Metro-North) Middle Beach traffic circle within the park from Stamford to New Haven • 641, Old Saybrook/Madison: From the Route 1 & Hammonasset bus erybody to travel less and enjoy more.” Union Station stop, follow the paved recreation path through the campground and • Transfer to CTrail Shore Line East to to the beach (0.7 miles to the beach) Tourism is no small industry in Connecticut. continue to Madison Station • Madison Train Station will also connect to the 645 on weekdays and • Connect to 9-Town Transit 641 at Madison Shuttle 7 days/week According to her figures, the tourism industry Madison Station • Park admission is free when arriving by bus • Madison Shuttle and Clinton Trolley are fare-free 7 days/week; brings in $15.5 billion to Connecticut, support- all connecting bus routes are fare-free on weekends through Labor Day ing 123,000 jobs. Operator Information drinkCTrail when they showNew Haven Linethey (Metro-North) are vaccinated.9-Town Transit While it took a hit in 2020, Castonguay praised the HartfordLine.com | ShoreLineEast.com New.MTA.info EstuaryTransit.org industry leaders for being creative and innovative in Vaccination877-287-4337 clinics themselves87 7- 69 0 - 5114 are going860-510-0429 to be a fea- the way that they were able to provide services and ture at local institutions – the Stafford Motor Speed- leisure opportunities. Measures like outdoor dining and way and Hartford Yard Goats offered vaccination online art galleries allowed businesses and institutions clinics for guests. the ability to stay connected to the public while they “We’re starting to see some of those Fairs return, we’re weathered the pandemic. starting to see outdoor music festivals, and also some “I think communicating the cleaning protocols that indoor theater coming back online,” she said, “And that were in place, the social distancing, the mask wearing, really feels so good as a Connecticut resident.” the sanitation, but also a lot of the automated options, For those that want to head outdoors, Castonguay checking into your lodging facility via mobile phone or mentioned the ParkConneCT program which offers purchasing tickets online, cutting down on those touch fare free shuttle service to state parks, and Weekend points is what brought us here,” Castonguay said. Wheels which is free bus service on Saturdays and Some of the measures that were taken during this time Sundays. Both programs run through Labor Day. might be here to stay: some social distancing, hand “We need to support our local restaurants, to go to sanitizer stations, plexiglass barriers will all be part of Pomfret or small towns and walk the Main Street and the social landscape in the coming months, and maybe the Town Green, shop at the local boutiques, go to the years. local coffee shop, go to those local attractions and In the near-term, there are programs like “Connecti- really continue to support the economic recovery here cut Drinks On Us,” that were coordinated between in Connecticut,” she said. the Office of Tourism, the Governor’s Office, and the “That is really, at the end of the day, what we’re all Connecticut Restaurant Association to give folks a free trying to do.”

AUGUST 2021 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | 23 EDUCATION The Education section of CT&C is sponsored by

www.gatewayct.edu www.housatonic.edu Asking The Right Questions ER9 BOE DEI Survey to create a baseline to work off of

n many other areas of our daily life diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, often initialized as DEI, have Ibeen front and center. But in our schools, the day-today difficulties of learning during a pandemic were on the forefront. The Easton-Redding-Region 9 Boards of Education sought to change that by asking how students and staff felt in a series of surveys on the topic. The survey was created by the ER9 Joint Boards of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force, which itself is a new addition to the Boards of Education. Adopt- ed in July of 2020, they were charged with advising in “respect to the operation and financing of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiatives” in areas relating to hiring, discipline, enrollment, programming, curriculum and more. They are made up of two members from each board, the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, as well as non-voting members from the student population, two each from the community, and a certified staff member. Working on the survey, they sought to improve the DEI work at the Helen Keller Middle School, John Read Middle School, and Joel Barlow Middle School. But even before the work can be done, the DEI Task Force said that this survey was necessary to understand where the Boards of Education stood.

Redding Board of Education Chairperson Christopher enced bullying. Parents/Guardians and Staff are asked Parkin was quoted in an Easton Courier article on the if they’ve seen or heard of children experiencing these importance of the survey: issues. “How can we be serious in our efforts to ensure that Back in March, Superintendent Dr. Rydell Harrison we reach every student or respect one another … wrote in an Op-Ed to the Courier, “Focusing on diver- unless we can establish a basic baseline? Who is being sity, equity and inclusion is not a political act, and it left out of our caring community? Who doesn’t feel does not have to be controversial. Educational equity supported? Who is scared to ask for help? These are is ensuring that each child receives what they need to not radical questions.” develop to their full academic and social potential and There are four surveys being sent out, one to high taking the necessary steps to identifying and eliminat- school students, one to middle school students, as well ing barriers that would hinder their progress.” as parent/guardian and staff surveys. Parents must With this survey, the ER9 DEI task force is setting that opt-in to receive the survey for their children to fill out. “baseline” of just where they are in regard to their The focus here is on the experiences of the children. student’s well-being, what areas might need improve- Example questions ask if students feel safe, respected, ment, and where they are succeeding. It might be and included at school, and whether they’ve experi- self-evident, but you can’t know if you don’t ask.

24 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | AUGUST 2021 EDUCATION

A Summer Reset ARP funds help bridge the gap in New Haven

ith the American Rescue And while many recognized the im- going to improvements to parks Plan funds came a great portance of getting back to in-per- where they are most needed. In- Wresponsibility. Adhering son schooling, thrusting children cluding resurfacing and repairing to the strict guidelines and having back into this situation isn’t neces- playgrounds, adding murals and it be useful to your community sarily the best idea either. removing graffiti. narrowed down the qualified uses For New Haven’s part, that is where Quoted in a New Haven Indepen- of these funds, but New Haven has the Summer Reset comes in. It dent article, Mayor Justin Elicker come up with a solution that really is a suite of programs intended said “It’s critical that our young makes sense: A Summer Reset for to enhance summer activities for people have opportunities for their children. children with a goal of bridging the social and emotional development. It’s clear that distance learning gap from remote learning to in-per- That interaction with their peers saved the 2020-2021 school year son learning. can help develop their social skills, but most importantly, help them to some extent, but the figures on The Summer Reset was a four- have fun this summer.” school attendance, gaps in learning, pronged approach across Youth and the loss of quality of expe- Engagement, Clean and Safe Pro- While the American Rescue Plan rience has left something to be gram, Arts and Culture, and Safe funds are temporary, some of the desired. Summer. Each of these headings thinking behind these plans might In the State as a whole, absentee- had key areas for development or remain. There is reason to believe ism increased from 12% to 20% investment, with $6.3 million allo- that if children benefit from longer over the past year, and factors cated for the entire package. camps, outdoor classes, and entertainment this year, that might also like the digital divide meant that The city planned to use some of be true every year. some school children did not have those funds to extend summer the quality of education that they camps for an additional two weeks, For now, it is a worthwhile project otherwise could have. Let alone increasing classes for outdoor to think about just what can help the fact that school is often where adventures, youth summer concerts our children bridge the gap that you see your friends and mentors and more. was created by COVID. – socializing is an important part of growing up. Of course, some of the funds are

AUGUST 2021 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | 25 ENERGY HeatSmart Guilford The energy is in the soil, so keep your heat pumps in the ground ur partners in SustainableCT have been moving force be- Ohind so many great initiatives in the state of Connecticut. Recent- ly, the Town of Guilford announced a new program called HeatSmart Guil- ford aimed at building upon their already stellar Silver Certification as part of SustainableCT. From the town, Heatsmart Guil- ford is a volunteer education and outreach program designed to help residents take advantage of heat pump technology. Using geothermal, air-source, and mini-split heat pumps, residents can both heat and cool their homes at lower costs and with greater environmental benefits than conventional fossil-fuel based methods. The two major kinds of heat pumps according to Heat Smart are the Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs) and Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHPs) more commonly known as Geothermal heat. The former obtains the heating and cooling from outside air by a complex exchange of heat (either adding or subtracting). Geother- mal works in a similar manner, but through tubes buried in the soil or in wells. This latter method is more expensive, but is effective in larger temperature spectrums. Heatsmart connects homeowners 400 Branford households take ad- website, they are the largest all-vol- with pre-selected Home Energy vantage of this cost-effective green unteer organization in the state Solutions (HES) contractors and energy solution. engaged with these issues. specialists that are working directly with the town – although the op- This program is being offered In the town’s press release, First tion remains open for residents to through a partnership with People’s Selectman Matt Hoey said “This seek outside input. Action for Clean Energy (PACE) as program is highly beneficial, since well as the Guilford Board of Se- clean energy technologies can de- The team at HeatSmart came out lectman and the Sustainable Guil- liver real savings to individuals, and to the Guilford PD National Night ford Task Force, which is in charge as important, deliver environmen- Out, held on July 27 of this year on of their SustainableCT efforts. tal benefits to us all. This program the Guilford Town Green to speak also enables Guilford residents to directly to consumers about the PACE is an environmental organi- continue their leadership in Con- products and the extensive State zation that has for 40 years aimed necticut sustainability. I hope many incentives, some of which could be to wean houses off of wasteful of our citizens will take advantage a bear to navigate. resources and onto 100% renew- of all the program has to offer.” able energy sources like electric A program similar to this saw over and heat pumps. According to their

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ESPC: Owner’s Representation Service Following a competitive bid process completed by its member towns and cities, CCM has launched a new Owner’s Representation Service for Energy Saving Performance Contracting (ESPC).

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AUGUST 2021 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | 27 CIVIC AMENITIES A Greener, Cleaner Hamden Microgrids make up a large part of energy use in future limate Change has forced One of the benefits of such an Much of the plan was inspired by the governments and people arrangement is that microgrids are pathway laid out by Sustainable CT, Caround the world to learn capable of staying online during and according to their document, about new technologies, better power outages that affect the especially the “three-legged stool” systems, and more efficient tools greater grid. approach to sustainability: Focus on to help lower the burden we are In the initial thinking, linking solar people, nature, and economy. placing on the earth. Hamden’s arrays, batteries, fuel cells, and In order to be innovative, for- Energy Use and Climate Change backup generators, the town can ward-thinking, to have the kind Commission (EUCC) has come up provide full operating power for of success that you need to reach with a guide that includes a little the high school, ice rink, retail lofty goals like 100% clean energy bit of everything. shopping centers, restaurants, gas in 30 years, you need to have a It’s clear that municipal govern- stations, banks, emergency care sturdy base to work off of, but also ments in Connecticut are already facilities, and much more. the buy-in of all parties. doing their part to create a greener, The plan will offer the town greater The Hamden EUCC has come up cleaner future, but there’s always resiliency, and even some economic with a plan that doesn’t work just more to do. For their part, Ham- benefits if they sell back energy to for the environment, but the town, den is looking to decrease energy the larger energy providers. its people and business, increasing use in their town owned buildings the odds of success in achieving by 50% in the next twenty years, their goals. achieving complete renewable energy by 2050. Strategies in the proposal include adopting guidelines for municipal buildings and schools, upgrading existing high-pressure sodium streetlights with LED Lamps and heads, and encouraging people-powered transportation such as bikes and walkways. One of the more unique portions of their program is the building of microgrids over the next decade. “Hamden, like all other communities throughout CT must rely on the electric grid to provide electricity to homes, businesses, and town facilities. Our current grid performs exceptionally well, but was built and designed before the advent of solar panels, allowing individual houses and businesses to generate their own electricity, and batteries, allowing them to store it.” “A key building block of our future grid will be microgrids, consisting of smaller subsets of power sources, users, wires, and controls.”

28 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | AUGUST 2021 East Hartford Senior Center

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AUGUST 2021 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | 29 ENVIRONMENT Toss & Save The latest in food composting comes to Middletown

erhaps it’s a sign of the times the way that people think about be saving money on all the scraps that in each issue of Con- ‘waste’.” that does successfully go into the composting program, they’ll be Pnecticut Town & City there’s According to their site, American’s saving the earth as well. a new article about an innovative throw away approximately 40% of idea related to green initiatives. In the food that they grow. Not only In addition to the businesses that Middletown, they’re going green by does that food get wasted, but the are piloting the way on this new hooking up with Blue Earth Com- resources that went into growing initiative, Mayor Florsheim said that post for a first in CT project. that food as well. he’d like to see this program go citywide. Piggy-backing off the fact that The process of composting pre- throwing away trash has never serves some of those nutrients “The City of Middletown hopes to been more expensive and costly for and brings the equation closer to be only the first of many munic- towns and cities, local leaders have net-zero. ipalities in our region to explore been looking for ways to lessen the municipal composting in the years According to figures in the Middle- tonnage. One such way to accom- ahead,” Mayor Florsheim said, “This town Press, they are paying $88 a plish that is by removing waste could be the start of a new era in ton to dispose of waste, but $84.85 from the stream. food cycle management.” to compost. So not only would they As part of Middletown’s Feed the Earth campaign, the town has part- nered with Blue Earth Compost to do just that. Mayor Ben Florsheim held a Like many composting programs press conference to announce that required a citizen or business the program on July 13, 2021 to sign up for the service, users take their food scraps that would otherwise end up in the waste stream and brings them to a location where they would be turned into compost. The difference here is that the program is part of a municipal contract that allows the businesses to participate in this new green service. In a press release on Feed the Earth, Mayor Ben Florsheim says the program will “also educate consumers and businesses about the usefulness and ease of composting.” “This new campaign is just the latest in a larger effort to increase the role composting can play in everyday lives. As composting takes hold in hearts and minds across Connecticut, it has grown from person-by-person residential collections to municipal contracts like this new partnership.” Blue Earth Compost is a local Hartford area company. Founded in 2013, their mission is “to change

30 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | AUGUST 2021 ENVIRONMENT

Trash collecting in the brook, leading to Housatonic River

A Resource For Sustainability New Milford plans long term rehab of Great Brook

ne of the best resources for towns and cities is $15,000 for a “robust and comprehensive master res- SustainableCT. And one of the best resources in toration plan for the entire four-mile stream.” OSustainableCT is the Community Match Fund. According to the project budget, around $4000 was Recently, New Milford’s Sustainable Committee utilized to be spent on field assessment, $5000 towards a this resource to help them restore Great Brook, a small community-chosen long-term permitted-engineered tributary river located in their town. project, with other expenses going toward short term A large majority of towns and cities in Connecticut are projects and plans. already registered for SustainableCT, 123 out of 169, in Some of which included volunteer clean-ups in April, fact, and just over half of them are certified Bronze or June and September. The April and June cleanups Silver. But only 53 towns so far have taken advantage already happened with “masked volunteer residents on of the Community Match Fund. distanced and staggered shifts with technical exper- Any currently participating municipality can create a tise,” according to a letter to the editor to the New project on the Patronicity platform, and SustainableCT Milford Spectrum. will match it dollar-for-dollar. While this will be an ongoing project to help the en- In New Milford, the goal was to “remove years of accu- vironment surrounding Great Brook, it’s important to mulated rubbish and invasives that crowd out native salute the work and effort of the town, volunteers, and species, while strengthening the banks of Great Brook, supporters through the fundraising campaign. a Housatonic River Tributary.” It shows that the will to do these green projects is From their Patronicity page, they said that the banks there, and that the community is often willing to put of the brook are beginning to collapse where invasive their green – i.e. money – to saving the environment. plant species have overtaken native plants. As part of For more information on SustainableCT’s Community the ecosystem, these species can cause downstream Match Fund, you can contact Abe Hilding-Salorio, the – literally – effects where native birds and animals are Community Outreach Manager at (860) 465-0256, or locked out of their normal territories. at [email protected]. The campaign started in the middle of November For more information about all of SustainableCT’s 2020, and was officially fully funded on January 1, efforts, visit them at SustainableCT.org 2021. This gave the Sustainable New Milford team

AUGUST 2021 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | 31 GOVERNANCE A Down Payment On The Future West Hartford Pension Plan is 100% funded he old saying is that there are only two things ent value basis, officials said.” you can be sure of in life – death and taxes. For This figure, as astounding as it is, is based on a presump- many municipalities, you can add pension liabili- T tion of performance from future investments and could ties to that list. West Hartford just completed a historic change based on the actual performance of markets. sale of bonds to deal with just that issue. Hart said in the News article that oftentimes the pension West Hartford, as in so many other municipalities, saw obligation bonds are sold by distressed communities unfunded pension liabilities become the largest driver that cannot make payments, but using the low interest of budget increases. For years, pensions had not been rates available right now was an innovative way to get adequately funded for, which for a myriad of reasons, the town to a fully-funded pension plan. saw their expenses explode all over the state. Of course, this does not mean that the town is free Cited in the West Hartford News, Town Manager Matt from pension payments, but that those payments Hart said that the unfunded portion of the pension was would be significantly less than if they had not done around $315 million and about 41% funded. The bond the sale – with figures of $7 to $12 million annually sale covered about $365 million dollars worth of bonds cited in the News article. that had funded the pension plan to 100%. While there was some risk to this kind of plan, the argu- The remaining funds raised by the bond sale were used ment was that it was better to have a healthy pension to establish a Pension Bond Reserve Fund, which will plan than it was to not. be used to help in ties when there was a “significantly adverse market performance of pension assets.” This idea is growing in popularity as a revolutionary way to fully fund pension obligations, with Norwich present- According to a Patch article on the successful sale of ing a similar plan around the same time that West Hart- bonds, the town sold “$324.3 million in pension bonds at ford was completing its sale. In a world where pension a 2.539 percent ‘all-in true interest cost,’ which is 46 basis liabilities are as sure as death and taxes, it makes sense points less than the anticipated target rate of 3 percent. to take advantage of ways to lower that obligation in a “The town’s consulting actuary projects a savings of sensible, low-risk way. more than $140 million in future pension costs on a pres-

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32 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | AUGUST 2021 GOVERNANCE

A Very Young Century Connecticut’s Youngest City Is Officially Old onnecticut is getting old! Our Park to commemorate the event. the city’s press release. oldest town was incorpo- This event was not only the blowing Throughout the rest of the summer Crated over 150 years before out of the “figurative candles” for its and into fall, there will be all sorts the United States became a thing. 100th birthday, but the first event in of concerts, bocce tournaments, a So it’s a milestone that our state’s six-month series of celebrations. sandcastle contest, and a Salute to youngest incorporated city – West In July, the city brought back the Veterans of the Last 100 Years at Haven – is just celebrating its 100th Savin Rock Festival, a two-day the West Haven Veterans Museum. anniversary in 2021. affair that includes fireworks, local One of the most interesting plans Being located next to New Haven, party rock bands, games & rides, as that they are working on is a reen- the area that is known as West Hav- well as a slew of local eateries. actment of a spirited town meeting en has been home to settlers going Future events include a suite of discussing West Haven’s separation back to the original colony, as well fireworks billed as “They Will Be from Orange in 1921 and starring as being the ancestral home to Heard on the 3rd,” taking place in leaders from both communities, many Native American tribes much September. A $10 lawn sign is be- according to the website. longer than that. ing sold at the Savin Rock Festival Not that there hasn’t been any And in a way, the city has taken a as part of a raffle to push the “start changes to Connecticut’s land- tortuous path to incorporation. It button” on the fireworks. scape in the last 100 years, it’s was part of New Haven, then part IN addition to the lawn sign, they interesting to think of our state as of Orange, before officially incor- are selling shirts, sweatshirts, tum- settled – we are the Land of Steady porating as a town in 1921 and as a blers, wine glasses, sunglasses, tote Habits after all. Happy 100th to city in 1961. bags and much more. West Haven, and we look forward to seeing what the next 100 hold On June 24, Westies as they are Portions of the vendors’ merchan- for them and the rest of our won- colloquially known, young and old, dise proceeds are going to support derful towns and cities. joined together at the Old Grove the centennial events according to

AUGUST 2021 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | 33 HOUSING & INFRASTRUCTURE

The Housing & Infrastructure section of CT&C is sponsored by Connecticut Basement Systems www.connecticutbasementsystems.com

Settling Down Near Home Affordable Housing Initiative Gets Regional Boost ne of the most inescapable facets of Connecticut living Ois just how expensive the state is. While there might be a dozen opinions on how it got to be that way, we know that housing is a large part of that additional cost. Many municipalities have already produced Affordable Housing Plans to deal with this issue, but thirteen municipalities have begun working on a Regional Housing Plan as part of their Council of Governments. Under Public Act 17-170 of the Con- necticut General Statutes, municipalities are charged with preparing and adopting an affordable housing plan every five years, or amending it if one already exists. The outline of the plan should be to “specify how the municipality intends to increase the number of affordable housing throughout the many conversations In areas that are already built-out developments in the municipality.” that took place around legislature with single-family homes, it could The Lower Connecticut River Valley in the past year. make more sense to allow for things like Accessory Dwelling Units, Council of Governments is devel- While public housing developments popularly called In-Law apartments. oping a regional plan that fulfills all or mixed-income apartments could Or incentives could be provided to the requirements of this section, be an obvious example for afford- owners of the traditional New En which must be adopted by June able housing, the COG suggests that - 30, 2022. All 17 member towns are many examples of Single-Family gland Triple-Decker Houses. expected have to have plans, that homes would fall under the afford- No matter what it looks like, un- “will address locally important is- able banner if they have subsidized derstanding that Connecticut is an sues while also aligning with larger mortgages through the U.S. Depart- expensive place to live is a jumping regional goals,” according to the ment of Agriculture or Connecticut off point for conversations about COG website. Housing Finance Authority. how to grow the state. By making a plan to grow the regional afford- They go on to define Affordable These kinds of homes make it pos- able housing stock, the towns in Housing as housing that costs 30% sible for younger first-time home- the Lower Connecticut River Valley or less of household income making buyers to take part in home-own- COG are looking for solutions that less than 80% of the state or Area ership, and many would argue, the make sense, and could lead to res- Median Income (AMI), whichever is American Dream. lower. For a family of four, the up- idents seeing themselves settling While mandated for each municipal- per limit is around $80,000 a year. down in the house around the cor- ity to have such a plan, asking what ner, not the one in another state. There has been a lot of miscon- affordable housing might look like ception about affordable housing as part of a regional conversation.

34 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | AUGUST 2021 HOUSING & INFRASTRUCTURE Meriden Innovates With Parking Lot Tech Get out of your car, and into their lot, and pay with your phone or years, companies had been working on wireless 19% of all payments. This raises the question of how infrastructure. With COVID-19, many people real- many people was the city missing because people just Fized quite how useful those technologies are. In the didn’t have cash on them. City of Meriden, they’ve begun to apply that technology Because the AirGarage system only requires a cell to parking by having people pay with their phones. phone – rather than a smart phone like the iPhone or The two lots that they’ve piloted this program on is the Galaxy – nearly anyone can use the lots. Per the latest city’s parking lots at Butler Street and Church Street, figures from Pew Research, 97% of Americans own a according to an article from the Record Journal, using cell phone, with 85% having a smartphone. technology from the company AirGarage. With the emphasis on cheaper and easier parking, Used in many private industries, and especially popular companies like AirGarage are trying to maximize the in the hotel business, the AirGarage platform promis- potential of real estate in towns and cities everywhere. es higher revenue to lot and garage owners. The idea They estimate that there are on average 8 parking behind this app is that parking should be easy and spaces for every car at any given time. By optimizing accessible for both the commuter and the owner, and the amount of spaces needed for parking within an they allow for a system that validates employees park- area, there’s the possibility for changing the unused ing and prevents violators slipping through the cracks. spaces into literally anything else. According to the article, the cloud-based system that The first step is getting everyone to use the technolo- “utilizes surveillance cameras to photograph license gy that is available to them. With the pandemic prov- plates, whereby the commuters can pay via credit card ing that whether it’s Zoom or QR codes, people can on their phones. This will lead to the city saving money adapt to pretty much anything if they need to use it. on the infrastructure and salaries of maintaining the parking lot, plus whatever earnings the lot makes on With the end of the pandemic and reopening of public top of that. spaces, more and more people might be looking for places to park their car. There are at least two places in Previously, the lots were cash-only. According to the the City of Meriden that will make it easier for them to Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco who releases come and go. payment studies, said that cash accounted for only

AUGUST 2021 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | 35 PUBLIC SAFETY

The Public Safety section of CT&C is sponsored by Emergency Resource Management. Learn more at: http://ermanagement.com

Carnival With A Soul Orange Firemen’s Carnival Came Back Better t’s hard to put into words just how incredible the response has Ibeen to the COVID-19 pandemic in the state of Connecticut. Over 80% of Connecticut residents over 18 had their first shot by the end of July. But we haven’t reached herd immunity quite yet, so municipalities around the state have to meet people where they are to get them vaccinated. One example of this thinking comes in the form of a carnival. The Orange Firemen’s Carnival is a yearly benefit to the town’s volunteer fire department, with roots for both the carnival and department going back nearly a century. Due to COVID, the Carnival had to be cancelled in 2020, the first time since World War II according to the organizers of the event. Although the raffles – which included prizes like a $10,000 gift card – were still held, the lack of a carnival left a budget shortfall for the department.

In a statement on last year’s can- executive director of the Orange who have not already received the cellation, Fire Chief Vaughn Du- Economic Development Corpora- vaccine). mas said that while in the past the tion (OEDC) according to the New Reaching those final people who Carnival could cover most of the Haven Register. budget, but with everything being have so far not received the vaccine more expensive it would be hard to The idea is simple – match a popu- is the only surefire way to make keep up. lar event that attracts thousands of sure that our state and the country people, and try to get some of the successfully reopens. Fortunately, despite an uptick relat- vaccine hesitant or those that just ed to the Delta variant, Connecticut It has been said in the pages of haven’t gotten it yet, by offering CT&C before, but the work that our has been extremely successful in them free rides at the carnival. mitigating outbreaks. From mask municipalities, our state leadership, mandates to vaccine outreach, cas- The partnership with the OEDC, and most importantly, the residents es have been low enough to hold Fire Department, and Griffin Hos- of Connecticut have done is a mod- our beloved summer events. pital, administered either the Pfizer el for the rest of the country. With or Johnson & Johnson vaccines to innovative ideas like this one from This is where the vaccine comes in. those eligible to receive it (essen- the town of Orange, we’ll be able to It was arranged by Annemarie Sliby, tially all people 12 years and older enjoy our carnivals and fairs.

36 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | AUGUST 2021 PUBLIC SAFETY A New Community Policing Willimantic PD teams up with ECSU Students for one of a kind internship ne of the biggest questions that arose in 2020 was: Just what should policing look like in the Ofuture? And it turns out that many people had a lot of thoughts about bringing those new ideas into departments around the country. In Willimantic, a new pilot program is pairing students from Eastern Connecti- cut State University with the local Police Department. Cited as a direct response to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the Police Accountability bill that was signed into law last year, departments were asked to look into using social workers in response to some calls, particularly non-violent ones. Students from the ECSU Social Work Program followed police over 400 hours “in an on-ground internship that engaged them with the community on nonviolent police calls and follow-ups pertaining to mental health, substance abuse, homelessness, and other social issues.” Social workers, or students on the path to receiving their degrees, are trained in the kind of issues that police officers might face but are not adept at handling. In the same way that an EMT can provide life-saving medical attention on the way to the hospital, they probably aren’t equipped to perform a heart transplant – police cannot be experts in all facets that people call them for. Willimantic Police Chief Paul Hussey told ECSU that “Many of the department’s calls are by ‘gravely dis- abled’ individuals – a classification for people who are presently unable to provide for their basic needs due to mental health or substance abuse.” Students in the pilot program spoke of situations where in a traditional case they would not have been “needed,” but their presence clearly helped. “[Emily] Constantino recalls responding with an office to a report of a drug overdose: ‘Upon arriving, I met a woman who had just witnessed her close friend overdose in her apartment. This woman was clearly trau- matized and was incredibly emotional while watching EMTs try to save her friend’s life. “During this situation, I was able to speak with this woman and calm her down while the police officers and EMTs helped her friend. I feel grateful that I was there to provide support for this woman during this call; I can only imagine how terrifying it is to witness something like that.” The first year was a success for both school and police, and the Willimantic Police Department said they’d like to hire full-time social workers in the future. It would mean, not an end to cops, but a reframing of what situation requires which response, leading perhaps to a safer tomorrow. ECSU’s Clock Tower

AUGUST 2021 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | 37 SOCIAL WELFARE This House Is Not A Motel Danbury plans revolutionary housing project

evolutionary is often used to describe products now – a Rrevolutionary new phone or knife. But a plan to turn a motel into a permanent shelter in Dan- bury is being seen as a revolution in the way we support unhoused individuals. Like many plans in 2021, the kernel of the idea came out of a necessity. The Super 8 Motel in Danbury was used as a way to help keep shelters socially distanced enough during the pandemic. All across the state, shelters worked with their host municipalities to find suitable arrange- ments for those in need. In Danbury, that was Pacific House, which serves Western Connecticut. The organization itself was born out of necessity as a “makeshift shelter in the basement of the First Congregational Church in Stam- ford.” They are hopeful that with a shelter like the motel, the city of Danbury could potentially eliminate homelessness. That includes anyone in need. While many of the current tenants in the ad-hoc shelter did not hail from Danbury, there is a duty and obligation for them to help anyone Pacific House’s ribbon cutting at their newly renovated home, located in Norwalk, in need. which will house 12 formerly homeless individuals. Quoted in a Danbury News-Times article about the purchase, Mayor each homeless individual a house there is a “five-year waiting list for Joe Cavo said “if you’re homeless, and a caseworker. affordable housing in Danbury” and some surrounding municipalities. then you don’t have a home. So I It is from these more permanent don’t feel there is any regional or situations that individuals could With this hopeful project, Connecti- regionalization to homelessness.” work with organizations like Pacific cut could build on its promise to Housing-first policies, in which House to find jobs or medical help lead the way on ending homeless- those experiencing homelessness that will help them out of the cycle ness in our state. While it may be are given places to live – however of homelessness. difficult and face roadblocks, it is a worthy cause. temporarily – are actually more In that New-Times article, the Mayor cost efficient than alternatives. noted that the permanent housing Pacific House, like so many other In one example cited in a 2019 Vox is necessary primarily because of organizations, are helping to create article on similar policies, it was the high bar of entry right now for a better Connecticut for everyone. found that in some areas of Flori- housing – home prices are skyrock- The partnership with Danbury on da, more was being spent policing eting, taking rents with them – and this new endeavor, should it suc- non-violent rule-breaking than it a nationwide shortage of affordable ceed, should go down as nothing would have otherwise cost to give housing. According to figures cited, less than revolutionary.

38 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | AUGUST 2021 SOCIAL WELFARE

Can You Hear Me Now? Stonington opens up the lines of communication with residents

he issue of how to reach people in 2021 is com- showcases that committees latest efforts. plicated: you have more outlets than ever, but it’s Traditional media outlets are still represented, as press Tdividing up your audience into smaller and small- releases and the aforementioned magazine still come er segments. That’s why it’s important for towns to out in physical media, and there’s even still some space take stock of their communication channels. Through- for radio. out this summer, Stonington did just that. Across these platforms, the communications plan is In November of 2020, the Board of Selectmen formed formed around a core mission, which they laid out in the Stonington Public Communication Ad Hoc Com- their Communications Strategy document: mittee to work on “ways to enhance municipal communication.” “To offer transparency in local government, by providing a diverse range of communication channels for the The Committee, with the First Selectman and rep- Stonington community. Striving to effectively com- resentatives from the various boards, commissions, municate the work of Town departments, Boards and and staff, produced the first official Communications Commissions, and relevant community information.” Strategy for the town of Stonington as well as a new Stonington Communication Inventory. And to prevent this strategy from becoming siloed, they make sure that all of the departments, board In a press release, they call them “living documents,” members and departments keep open lines of commu- and have produced a survey for direct feedback from nication to ensure a collaborative effort. the community. Keeping up with all the ways that people are consum- Like all modern outlets, the town has diversified their ing information could be a dizzying task. Who reads output to include their website, social media accounts, the newspaper? Who has an Instagram? Who watches and a quarterly magazine that is mailed to all residents. cable tv live while it’s happening and who watches it They have a baker’s dozen of social media accounts, while it is streaming? including multiple facebook accounts across depart- These are important questions for municipalities to ments as well as town instagrams and youtube pages. understand. Here Stonington has made sure that they Each account performs its own function. For instance, have a robust and diversified outreach so that each the Emergency Operations Facebook page lets resi- segmented audience still receives some form of com- dents know about Emergency and Disaster Informa- munication and connectivity with the town that they tion, while the Stonington Beautification Committee are in.

AUGUST 2021 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | 39 TECHNOLOGY

The Technology section of CT&C is sponsored by Digital BackOffice. Learn more at: www.digitalbackoffice.com

No More Telephone Lines Plainville’s Fiber Optic network will be almost as fast as light nybody who remembers Dial-Up Internet remembers Atwo things – that awful tone and the incredibly slow speeds. In the 30 years since, speeds have improved thanks to upgrades like Fiber Optic Cables, which the town of Plainville is installing throughout their municipal network. Unlike dial-up or cable networks that use metal wires to transmit electric signals, Fiber Optic cables are made up of very fragile glass fil- aments that transfer light signals – yes, there is a difference – reaching up to 70% of the speed of light. These cables are so fast that when maxing out networks, they can reach into the Terabytes per second download speed – with extreme- tech.com saying that the fastest ever network was able to reach speeds where a 1gb movie took .03 milliseconds to download. library; and all town departments and businesses would save mon- within and outside of the Municipal ey and actually have control over While these speeds were reached Center. their network. High-speed internet in an experimental setting, the access has so many advantages. Plainville will own the fiber optic speeds for the average fiber optic It could reduce costs and improve infrastructure rather than leasing network are more than enough for quality of life for current residents, it, saving approximately $40k per your average end-user. increase property values, and help year in costs according to Town us compete as a community for The first step to acquiring a Fiber Manager Robert Lee. The lifespan new businesses and residents.” Optic Network is installation of the of these cables is 25 to 30 years. wires, which was handled by Sertex Just a few years ago, having normal Furthermore, because the town will Broadband Solutions for Plainville. speed internet was fine for most own the system, it will have the op- people. Now, and especially after According to their press release, tion to open up that infrastructure COVID, people need better, high- they put in “12.5 miles of aerial ca- beyond the municipal network. bling and three underground spans er-quality networks for internet running beneath major highways.” “A town-owned broadband net- service. work would mean that residents So for now, town employees and This newly constructed system will would pay a much lower fee for departments can throw away their connect: all waste-water treatment much better internet service com- old modulator-demodulators (or facilities, allowing remote system bined with phone services,” Lee modems in layman’s terms) and monitoring and control; all schools; said in the release. “Our residents all public safety services; the work at (nearly) the speed of light.

40 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | AUGUST 2021 TECHNOLOGY Cyber Security With A SOC By: Dale Bruckhart, V.P. Public Sector Marketing, Digital BackOffice yber Security Operations A physical or virtual SOC may be Centers (SOC) and the integrated with current technol- Cemployees that staff these ogy, facilities, operations, curric- centers are often integrated with ulum or other current personnel. law enforcement departments, mul- SOC’s may also be shared between tinational companies and federal schools and municipalities with agencies. Municipalities employ representation from the first re- emergency management personnel sponder community; SOC’s should and prepare emergency operations be automated and/or outsourced centers for weather related and for faster response. While current natural disasters but not cyber-se- business and technology personnel malware, Next Generation securi- curity. Public sector agencies and are the logical candidates for CISO, ty systems using AI/ML, ask “is it K-12 schools rarely designate a key SOC personnel must be equal really you” and is the user trying to Chief Information Security Officer members of the school or town do something they have never been or staff a full-time cyber security leadership team. done before. In other words, is the operations center, but they should! user behavior normal or does it School board and town/city council Silos of Data warrant investigation. officials need to acknowledge that Competing firewall, antivirus, cybersecurity requires a top down intrusion detection, internet filter- A Skills Gap approach and should not be dele- ing, SIEM, 2FA and other security One of the key challenges facing gated to the technology director/ products create silos of complex, our K-12 schools and municipalities department without guidance, uncorrelated data. Detecting po- is a shortage of trained security policy guidelines, accountability tential threats in this hodgepodge analysts and a growing IT skills and adequate funding. School su- of data is the proverbial “needle in gap, especially, cyber security perintendents, First Selectman and a haystack” often resulting in a sea skills. According to a recent Global Mayors don’t want their names or of false alarms or false positives. By Information Security Workforce their schools or towns in a headline some estimates there are more than Study, the cybersecurity workforce story about the latest cyber breach 3,000 security product companies, gap is expected to reach 1.5 million or ransomware attack. Taxpay- and many “are a feature not a firm. by 2020, with 66% of the respon- ers, insurance underwriters and They solve one narrow problem and dents across all industry categories, auditors will increasingly demand really should be part of a platform report not having enough workers greater accountability for securing offering a mutually supporting mesh to address current and future cyber assets, protecting personally identi- of integrated security products.” threats. fiable information and guaranteeing See Note 1 the service levels of public digital Consider Managed Secu- infrastructure. Migrate Now to a Next rity Services Generation Security Plat- Why you need a SOC! The leadership team in your school form or town may choose to staff and The cyber threat crisis is real, but Todays’ attackers don’t just target manage a SOC locally or contract despite the warning signs, many email accounts or endpoint devices, with a Managed Security Services schools and government agencies they use stealth techniques and so- Provider (MSSP) for a fixed month- have no cybersecurity strategy in phisticated tools to move laterally ly fee. Managed security service place. It took mass public shoot- across networks and organizational providers provide continuity with ings to prompt board level policy units in order to exfiltrate valu- experienced employees, audited reviews and investment in securing able data or compromise network process controls, 24 x7 network op- physical access to our school build- operations. New defensive and eration facilities, software tools and ings and public facilities. automated security platforms are the ability to monitor and manage Designating a Chief Information increasingly available incorporating the logical network infrastructure Security Officer and a security artificial intelligence and machine remotely as well as on-site. The operations team is a long overdue learning (AI/ML). Unlike lega- MSSP can reduce the time, cost and response to the reality of digital cy firewall, antivirus or intrusion complexity of event triage, incident pedagogy, web-based delivery of detection systems which rely on investigation, response and minimiz- public services and cyber threats. port blocking or blacklisting known ing false positives.

AUGUST 2021 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | 41 Because experience & integrity count… Recognizing that hiring the best MUNICIPAL people requires both a significant CONSULTING investment of time and effort as well as a trusted partner, CCM has SERVICE added executive recruiting to our & Executive Search Municipal Consulting Service

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42 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | AUGUST 2021 LEAD WITH INTEGRITY MASTER OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

TRACKS AVAILABLE IN: — Nonprofit Management — Public Healthcare Management — State & Local Government

fairfield.edu/MPA SAVE THE DATES 11.30-12.01.21

TOGETHER AGAIN NEW LOCATION, NEW DAY 2021 CCM Convention

Returns in person this fall with attendees, including local government leaders from across the state and companies providing the best in products and services to towns and cities, gather together for two days of informative workshops, interactive discussions, and networking opportunities.

See you this Fall at: