ESSEX— The town will soon install video surveillance cameras at the parking lot for town hall and at the solid waste transfer station site. First Selectman Norman Needleman, who initiated the security enhancement, said Friday there would be two cameras at the transfer station site, and one or two cameras for the town hall parking lot. The solid waste transfer station site is located on Dump Road, off Route 154, behind the town highway department garage and the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority regional transfer station.

Needleman said the cameras would cost about $3,100. He said the video equipment would operate continuously, though no one would be asked to review the video coverage “unless something happened and there was a reason to look at it.” The video images would be preserved for two weeks.

Needleman said there have been cases of vandalism and theft of scrap metals at the transfer station site, while the town’s insurance carrier has been recommending video cameras for the town hall parking lot as a protection against possible unjustified slip and fall lawsuits. The cameras will be installed and put in operation this summer.

ESSEX— The board of selectmen Wednesday moved toward a change to a single monthly meeting, while also appointing Ivoryton resident Belden Libby as the town’s new animal control officer. Libby, a lifelong resident who is the husband of Democratic Selectwoman Stacia Libby, replaces Joseph Heller in the part-time position.

First Selectman Norman Needleman said Libby began working as animal control officer last week. Heller, who has served in the position since December 1994, announced his plans to retire earlier this spring. Libby was selected from five applicants for the position. Three applicants were interviewed by a panel that included Todd Curry, a state Department of Agriculture official who supervises municipal animal control officers around the state.

Needleman said the duties of the position include maintaining the town’s dog pound, and responding to calls for issues involving dogs or other animals. Libby will receive an annual stipend of $13,000, and use of a town vehicle while responding to calls for service.

While holding off a formal vote, the selectmen moved further toward changing the board’s meeting schedule to a single monthly meeting, rather the schedule of twice-monthly meetings that has been followed for decades. The board began discussing a possible change to the meeting schedule last month, with Needleman suggesting the schedule could be changed to a single monthly meeting with special meetings when necessary.The board currently meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 5 p.m. and on the third Wednesday at 7 p.m.

With no residents objecting to the proposed change at Wednesday’s meeting, the selectmen agreed to vote on the change at it’s July 3 afternoon meeting The plan is to retain the 7 p.m. meeting on the third Wednesday of each month and eliminate the afternoon meeting on the first Wednesday. The board also agreed to cancel the meeting scheduled for July 17. The once-a-month meeting schedule would begin in August with a meeting on Wednesday Aug. 21.

ESSEX— The zoning commission has scheduled a June 17 public hearing on a plan to expand the Dunkin Donuts-convenience store operation in the Shell service station at 23 Main Street in the Centerbrook section. The public hearing convenes at 7 p.m. in town hall.

Standard Petroleum/23 Main St. LLC of Bridgeport is seeking to amend the April 2007 special permit approval for the Dunkin Donuts and convenience store to allow an expansion in to adjoining space on the east side of the same building that is currently leased to the Ashleigh’s Garden florist shop. The plans call for 2,700 square-feet for the gasoline station and convenience store operation, and 500 square-feet for the Dunkin Donuts that would remain carry out service only.

The plans show 24 parking spaces, with provision for five additional; “reserve spaces.” Zoning regulations call for 29 spaces for the convenience store-carry out for service use. The hours of operation would be daily from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.  There would be a new entrance through the current florist shop space to the area of the relocated Dunkin Donuts.

ESSEX— The zoning commission has approved a special permit for an art studio in the commercial building at 61 Main St. in the Centerbrook section. The panel approved the permit for  NairCo LLC of Killingworth after a May 20 public hearing where the proposed use drew no objections.

NairCo LLC also operates the Killingworth Arts Center on North Parker Hill Road in Killingworth. Business owner Barbara Nair purchased the nearly vacant 61 Main St. building last November for $760,000. The art center would offer classes, programs, and workshops for children, teenagers, and adults. The hours of operation would be Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays 12 noon to 6 p.m.

The commission’s only condition for the permit approval was a requirement that signs for the use be consolidated. The 61 Main St. building has been mostly vacant for more than three years. Over the past year, a section of the building has been leased to a pool supply and repair business.

ESSEX— The board of finance Thursday set the property tax rate for 2013-2014 at 18.99 mills, an increase of 0.52 mills from the current tax rate. The new rate represents $18.99 in tax for each $1,000 of assessed property value.

The new tax rate funds the total $22,664,150 town/schools spending plan that was approved by voters at the annual budget meeting Monday. The new rate was approved on a unanimous vote, though some members expressed a preference for setting the rate at an even 19 mills. Board member Campbell Hudson, a Democrat, pushed for holding the tax rate below 19 mills.

In setting the new rate, the board made no transfers from the town’s undesignated fund balance, which now totals about $2.62 million, representing more than 13 percent of the town’s total annual operating expenses. Taxes jumped by 0.49 mills last year, when the board set the current tax rate of 18.47 mills.

The town is currently engaged in a full 10-year townwide property revaluation that includes inspections of all residential and commercial properties. In discussing the revaluation at Thursday’s meeting, First Selectman Norman Needleman predicted a 10 percent or greater drop in the grand list of taxable property when the revaluation becomes effective next year. The lower grand list, which would reflect the decline in property values since the start of the Great Recession in 2008, is expected to require a higher mill rate, though many homeowners will likely be paying the higher rate on a lower assessed property value.

ESSEX— The board of selectmen is considering a change to it’s meeting schedule to establish a single monthly meeting at 7 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month. The board currently meets two times a month, at 5 p.m. on the first Wednesday, and at 7 p.m. on the third Wednesday.

The idea of a single monthly meeting was raised by First Selectman Norman Needleman at the conclusion of Wednesday’s meeting. Needleman, a Democrat elected top job in 2011, said the board’s agendas have been light in recent months, and he “would be OK with having one meeting a month.”  Needleman said the board could call a special meeting if important issues arose that required another meeting.

Selectwoman Stacia Libby and Selectman Joel Marzi each said they were open to a change in the meeting schedule. The board agreed to discuss, and possibly vote, on a change to the meeting schedule at the board’s next meeting on June 5.

The Essex Board of Selectmen has been following a twice monthly meeting schedule for more than two decades. Selectmen in Chester and Deep River currently adhere to a twice monthly meeting schedule.

ESSEX— The zoning commission has scheduled a May 20 public hearing on a special permit application for an art studio that would occupy most of the vacant space in the commercial building at 61 Main St. in the Centerbrook section. Nairco. LLC of Killingworth is seeking approval of an art studio that would offer arts-related glasses, programs, and workshops for children, teenagers, and adults.

NairCo LLC is a partnership run by Barbara Nair, who operates the Killingworth Arts Center on North Parker Hill Road in Killingworth. The arts center is a non-profit organization in operation since 2003. NairCo. LLC purchased the 61 Main St. property for $760,000 last November.

The commercial building, located near the traffic light in Centerbrook, has been mostly vacant for more than three years, with a pool supply and repair business currently leasing space in a section of the building. In March 2012, the zoning board of appeals denied a variance appeal that would have allowed a coffee and pastries shop in a section of the building. Earlier this spring, the zoning commission approved NairCo’s request to amend zoning regulations to allow art studios as a permitted use in a commercial zone.

The May 20 public hearing agenda also includes a request by the Essex Volunteer Fire Co. to amend zoning regulations to include fire training facilities as a permitted use in the limited industrial zone on Plains Road. The volunteer fire company is hoping to construct a fire training facility on a section of Greider Field, a recreation field on Plains Road that is owned by the fire company. The public hearings convene at 7 p.m. in town hall.

ESSEX— The board of selectmen Wednesday endorsed a $27,500 expenditure for municipal property improvements at a meeting where First Selectman Norman Needleman also announced the pending retirement of 18-year Dog Warden Joseph Heller.

Needleman announced that Heller, a former town constable who was appointed as dog warden/animal control officer in December 1994, is preparing to retire, but would continue in the part-time position until a replacement is appointed by the selectmen. Needleman said the town would advertise for a paid position at around 12 hours per week. Unless the new dog warden is already working in that job in another town, he or she would also be required to complete eight hours of state training for the position. “We want somebody who is going to be conscientious about it and it does require someone who loves dogs,” he said.

The proposed $27,500 expenditure from an existing municipal properties budget sinking fund would pay for three small projects at town hall, and a change for the public restrooms at the Main Street Park in the downtown village. Needleman said the town is currently paying someone to unlock and lock the park restrooms each morning and evening. He said $6,000 would buy a new timed electronic lock that would open and close the restrooms at designated times to eliminate the need for an ongoing expense.

The town hall improvements include $14,600 for removal of asbestos at five locations in the building. Most of the asbestos is located under floor tiles in the building, which was the town’s Pratt High School until it was converted in to the town hall in the early 1950s. The low bidder for the work was American Vets Abatement of Vernon.

The other parts of the proposed expenditure include $4,400 to remove carpeting and improve the floor in the building official’s office, and $2,500 for a sprinkler in the lower level boiler room. With approval from the board of finance at a meeting later this month, the proposed $27,500 expenditure would be presented to voters at a May 1 town meeting for final approval.

Mary Beth Stebbins

ESSEX— More than 60 residents turned out Saturday at the Essex court elderly housing complex to watch a dedication of the access road and a new granite bench to the former Essex Housing Authority board chairwoman Mary Beth Stebbins. A nurse with the Centerbrook-based Visiting Nurses of the Lower Valley, Stebbins died on April 2, 2012.

It was the residents of the 36-unit elderly housing complex off Main Street that requested the road naming, setting the stage for Saturday’s official dedication ceremony. Tammy Mesite, the local resident who serves as site manager, unveiled the new street sign proclaiming the access road to the complex “Mary Beth Way,”.

The crowd then proceeded the complex’s community room, which was upgraded under Stebbins’ leadership, where current Essex Housing Authority Board of  Commissioners Chairwoman Janice Atkeson unveiled the new granite bench near the entrance that is inscribed “in gratitude for the leadership and contributions of Mary Beth Stebbins.”  Atkeson said the inscription on the bench would keep the memories of Mary Beth Stebbins alive for future residents. “We know her and now those who didn’t know her will ask and be informed,” she said.

Stebbins was appointed to the housing authority board in 2004, soon after an East Hartford firm, now called Faith Assets Management, was hired to run the complex. She served as chairwoman of the board from 2006 until she was sidelined by illness late in 2011. Rick Stebbins, a lifelong resident who had served as member and chairman of the local and Region 4 school boards, was appointed to the board of commissioners to fill the vacancy created by her death.

Stebbins told the crowd his late wife would be “humbled and a little embarrassed” by the honors, including the road naming that was approved by the board of selectmen. First Selectman Norman Needleman said Stebbins was an outstanding community volunteer. “She was a steady rock and constant source of stability and inspiration for the residents,” he said, adding “nobody deserves it more.”

Kimalee Williams, the Director of Faith Asset Management LLC, said the name of the road was appropriate. “Mary Beth’s way was compassion and finding a way for everyone to get along with each other,” she said.

Representatives of the 38 organizations that received grants from the Essex Community Fund at their “Day of Giving” event held on March 27th at the Centerbrook Meetinghouse

ESSEX-– The Essex Community Fund this week announced donations totaling $47,920 to 38 non-profit groups and organizations serving the residents of Essex and surrounding towns. The funds were raised from donations made during 2012.

The awards were distributed Wednesday by community fund board members Jacqueline Doane and Mark Bombaci in a breakfast program held at the Centerbrook Meeting House. The Essex Community Fund had been raising and distributing charitable donations since the 1950s, a local version of the annual statewide United Way charitable fund drive.

The largest donation, $5,000, was made to the Old Saybrook-based Shoreline Soup Kitchens, which operates food pantries and meal sites in Essex and surrounding towns. The Friends In Service Here (FISH) organization, which provides rides to medical appointments, received $3,320. Essex Fuel Assistance received $3,000, with $3,000 going to the Essex Housing Authority for services at the Essex Court elderly housing complex. The Estuary Council of Seniors Inc., which coordinates meals on wheels programs for elderly residents, received $,2,500.

Other larger donations include Tri-Town Youth Services-$2,000, Gilead Community Services, which provides mental health services in the area, Visiting Nurses of the Lower Valley-$1,500, and New Horizons Domestic Violence Community Health Service-$1,500. Essex Elementary School received $2,000 to provide free camperships for needy students in the town’s summer parks and recreation programs.

Also receiving donations were Bikes For Kids, Bushy Hill Nature Center, CDE Cooperative Nursery School , Community Music School, YMCA Camp Hazen on Cedar Lake in Chester, Essex Ambulance Association, Essex Fire Department Company 1, Essex Boy Scouts Troop 12, Essex Cub Scouts Troop 4, Essex Elementary School Foundation, Region 4 Education Foundation, Essex Tree Committee, Essex Veterans Memorial Hall Inc. Essex Historical Society, Essex Land Trust, Essex Police Union (DARE Program), Essex Historical Society, Essex Library Association, Ivoryton Library Association, Ivoryton Playhouse, Literacy Volunteers, Valley Shore YMCA, Valley Regional High School Safe Graduation Committee, Valley Shore Soccer Club, Early Childhood Council of Chester, Deep River, and Essex, and Teen Zone.

The Copper Beech Inn, Ivoryton – Under New Management (Photo by Jerome Wilson)

ESSEX— The Copper Beech Inn in the Ivoryton section is expected to reopen in May under new owners, including former East Hampton builder and developer Wayne Rand.  The inn at 46 Main Street, which included two restaurants, closed in February.

The closing followed a foreclosure action in November where Ivoryton-Main LLC of East Hampton foreclosed on CBI Acquisitions of Old Saybrook.  The foreclosure on the partnership that was run by Ian and Barbara Phillips of Old Saybrook lists several other creditors, including Farmington Bank and the state Department of Revenue Services.  CBI Acquisitions had owned the 6.9-acre property since 2006.

Along with the historic inn, the property included two others buildings with rooms for rent, the newest constructed about five years ago.  A fine dining restaurant, called the Copper Beech Inn, had operated in conjunction with the inn under various owners for nearly 40 years, with a separate French bistro-style restaurant called Pips Brasserie added in 2007.

One of the partners in Ivoryton-Main LLC is Wayne Rand, a former East Hampton resident who runs the Rand Construction Company.  Rand currently lives in the former Castle Inn on Long Island Sound in Old Saybrook, which he converted to a private residence.  Workers, including some who identified Rand as the new owner, have been on the site since the beginning of the month, when a sign was posted announcing, “Closed for renovations- reopening in four weeks.”

In a brief interview at the site Saturday, Rand confirmed that he and other partners in Ivoryton-Main LLC held some of the debt on the property.  He said the inn and at least one restaurant are expected to reopen in early May.  Another sign announcing a pending application to the Connecticut Liquor Control Commission lists Michael Fitzgerald as the prospective permittee for the restaurant’s bar.

Rand referred any further comment on the planned reopening to Claudio Marasco of Westbrook, who is the vice presdient, chief financial officer, and general counsel for Waters Edge Resort and Spa on the waterfront in Westbrook.

But when contacted Monday, Marasco declined to elaborate on his connection to Rand and Ivoryton-Main LLC.  He said Water’s Edge Resort and Spa is not involved with the planned use of the Ivoryton property, which is assessed at $1,540,900 on the current grand list of taxable property.

ESSEX— Dunkin Donuts will not pursue a zoning permit appeal to relocate in to vacant former restaurant space at  31-33 Main St. in the Centerbrook section. Zoning Enforcement Officer Joseph Budrow said Thursday JMB Properties LLC of Cheshire earlier this week withdrew an appeal to the zoning board of appeals of his denial of a zoning permit to locate in the former Debbie’s Restaurant space at the 31-33 Main St. building.

The company was seeking to relocate the town’s only Dunkin Donuts from shared space at the Shell station at 23 Main St. to the vacant former restaurant space at 31-33 Main St.  The current location is counter service only, while the proposed new location at 31-33 Main St. would have seating.

JMB partner John Weinstein had claimed the relocation should be allowed under a simple zoning permit because the Dunkin Donuts use was the same as the former restaurant use. Budrow denied the permit application, maintaining the relocation could only be allowed under a full special permit from the zoning commission, a process that requires a public hearing.

The zoning board of appeals was scheduled to hear the case at it’s Feb. 19 session, but that same day JMB Properties requested a postponement of the hearing to the board’s March meeting. Budrow said there are now no applications pending for the former restaurant space, which has been vacant for more than two years.

ESSEX— The board of selectmen Wednesday approved a proposed $6,978,105 town government budget for 2013-2014, a total that represents a $124,465, or 1.82 percent, increase over the current town government appropriation.

Selectmen prepared the spending plan over three budget workshop meetings in February, endorsing only minor changes after discussion Wednesday, including a $3,000 reduction from the requests of several regional service agencies. The budget plan was approved on a unanimous vote, with Republican Selectman Joel Marzi joining Democratic First Selectman Norman Needleman and Democratic Selectwoman Stacia Libby in supporting the budget proposal.

The budget includes a 2.5 percent wage or salary increase for all non-union town employees, including the elected positions of tax collector and town clerk. The selectman are taking no pay increase in the budget, with the salary for first selectman remaining at $76,271, and the stipends for the two selectmen set at $4,314 each.

The budget includes some changes, with $12,823 in new spending, for the town treasurer/finance office. Town Treasurer Robert Dixon, a Republican who has held the job since 2002, is not seeking a new term in the November town election. In anticipation that a newly elected treasurer would lack the experience of Dixon, the salary for the elected position is being reduced from $25,000 to $10,000. Finance Director Kelly Sterner would receive the general pay increase plus three additional hours per week, with funding also included for an assistant finance director position. The total appropriation for the treasurer/finance office would increase from the current $139,532 to $152,355.

The appropriation for the volunteer fire department is set at $307,700, with an appropriation of $321,250 for the town police department that now includes three full-time officers and one part-time officer. There is also a $113,304 appropriation for the resident state trooper.

The budget includes $372,000 for the town’s two libraries, including $270,000 for the Essex Library and $102,000 for the Ivoryton Library. Essex Library is receiving an additional $5,000, with an additional $2,000 for Ivoryton Library.

The budget includes $423,800 for capital expenditures and sinking funds, including $130,000 for a fire department sinking fund, $30,000 for the parks and recreation sinking fund, $75,000 for road reconstruction, $25,000 for sidewalk improvements, and $51,800 for capital equipment leases. With a refinancing of municipal debt that is now in progress, interest expenses in 2013-2014 are expected to decrease by $125,000.

The board of finance is expected to review the town government budget endorsed by the selectmen at a March 28 meeting. The town government budget is combined with the Essex Elementary School budget and the town’s share of the Region 4 education budget to establish a total spending package for 2023-2014. The annual budget hearing, for discussion of the town government and elementary school budgets, is set for Monday April 22. The proposed total spending package goes to the voters in May, either at the annual budget meeting ion May 13, or possibly to a referendum vote later in May.

The presently abandoned Sunoco gas station on Main Street in the Centerbrook section of Essex. (Photo by Jerome Wilson)

ESSEX— The zoning commission Monday approved a special permit allowing Bestway 2 LLC of Norwich to open a convenience store as part of a reopened Sunoco gasoline station at 1 Saybrook Road. The property, near the Route 9 exit 3 interchange and the Valley Railroad visitor attraction, has been vacant for nearly eight years.

Zoning Enforcement Officer Joseph Budrow said the panel imposed only two conditions on the permit approval, a prohibition on gasoline delivery trucks backing out on to Saybrook Road, and a ban on signs for the station/store on Route 9. While there would be no expansion of the existing 1,800-square-foot building, the partnership plans renovations that would use more of the space for a convenience store. Existing pumps and underground storage tanks would be removed to construct a station with eight service pumps. Work on the new station/store is expected to begin later this year.

The presently abandoned Sunoco gas station on Main Street in the Centerbrook section of Essex. (Photo by Jerome Wilson)

ESSEX— The zoning commission will vote at a March 4 meeting on the special permit application for a convenience store and reopened gasoline station at the former Sunoco station site at 1 Saybrook Road. Zoning Enforcement Officer Joseph Budrow said the panel agreed to schedule a special meeting after receiving a revised site plan from the applicant, Bestway 2 LLC of Norwich, at a public hearing Monday.

The partnership is planning to purchase the property, located near the Route 3 Exit 3 interchange, for use as a Sunoco gasoline station and convenience store. There would be no additions to the existing 1,800-square-foot building, which has been vacant for several years. The gasoline station would have eight pumps.

Budrow said the applicants submitted a revised site plan for the one-third-acre parcel that included the 14 parking spaces that are required for a retail grocery use under town zoning regulations. The revised site plan also closes an access on to Plaza Drive, an existing road that leads to a commercial development behind the property. Entry and exit from the site would only be on to Saybrook Road.

The commission continued to its regular March 18 meeting the public hearing on its own proposed zoning amendment that would prohibit new fast food restaurants and drive-through service windows in Essex. Budrow said the commission would review several recommendations on the issue from the planning commission, and also consider a report from the economic development commission opposing a total ban on new fast food restaurants in town.

ESSEX— Blizzard Charlotte has put the town’s annual snow removal appropriation in the red, though the exact amount of the expected overrun remains undetermined. With an appropriation that stays roughly the same from year to year, Essex budgeted $20,000 for sand and salt purchases, and $20,000 for plowing and sanding, including labor, in the 2013-2014 town budget.

Kelly Sterner, the town’s assistant treasurer/finance director, said about half of the total $40,000 amount had already been spent this winter before the big storm hit on Feb. 8, including about $12,000 from the sand and salt appropriation, and $8,000 from plowing and sanding. Sterner said approval of a federal emergency declaration for the storm may allow the town to obtain some funding reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

First Selectman Norman Needleman said Thursday he is “very proud and happy,” with the town’s response to the storm, which brought nearly two feet of snow to most locations in Essex. Needleman said the town’s four full-time public works employees, along with several part-time workers and private contractors, worked long hours to clear the roads.

Needleman said the town rented three front-end loaders and two larger tri-axle trucks to supplement its own trucks and plowing equipment. “Let’s hope a storm like this one only happens every 35 years,” he said, referring the blizzard of February 1978.

ESSEX— The zoning board of appeals will be asked next week to overrule the town’s zoning enforcement officer and allow Dunkin Donuts to relocate to a vacant restaurant space in the commercial building at 31-33 Main Street in the Centerbrook section. The board’s meeting begins Tuesday Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. at town hall.

Zoning Enforcement Officer Joseph Budrow said the owner of the 31-33 Main Street building, JMB Properties LLC of Cheshire, is appealing his denial last month of a zoning permit to relocate the Dunkin Donuts from its current location as part of the Shell gasoline station at 23 Main St. to the space formerly occupied by Debbie’s Restaurant in the 31-33 Main St. building. The restaurant space has been vacant for more than two years. Dunkin Donuts has been in operation at the nearby 23 Main St. site for about five years.

Budrow said he had advised representatives of JMB Properties and Dunkin Donuts that a special permit from the zoning commission would be required to relocate the Dunkin Donuts and offer sit down restaurant service. He said the owner of JMB Properties, John Weinstein, has decided to first pursue an appeal to the ZBA. The existing Dunkin Donuts at 23 Main St. provides counter take out service only, while the Dunkin Donuts at the proposed 31-33 Main St. site would have about 30 seats for eat in customers.

Budrow said Weinstein and Dunkin Donuts could apply to the zoning commission for a special permit for the 31-33 Main St. site at any time.   He maintained a special permit from the zoning commission would be required to relocate the Dunkin Donuts even if the ZBA overrules his denial of the requested zoning permit. The special permit application process would include a required public hearing before the zoning commission.