I watch in horror. Why not just hold the people accountable for this mess in the first place? Why do we always have to increase the size of government with stupid laws that are unenforceable?
Lawmakers and Parents Testify In Support Of Bill That Will Protect Those with Autism from Phony Therapists
Hartford:Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney (D-New Haven), Senator Bob Duff (D-Norwalk), and House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero (R-Norwalk) joined parents from Norwalk at a public hearing today to support Senate Bill 799, AN ACT CONCERNING MISREPRESENTATION AS A BOARD CERTIFIED BEHAVIOR ANALYST.
It was prompted by the case of a woman who was found guilty in 2010 of forging credentials in order to treat autistic children throughout Fairfield County. Stacy Lore, who was hired by both Norwalk’s and Weston’s public schools, reportedly charged taxpayers and parents more than $400,000 for what proved to be fraudulent services.
The proposedbill would crack down on people who fraudulently represent themselves as board certified behavior analysts—primarily for the treatment of children with autism. The penalty for this new criminal offense would be up to 5 years in prison and up to a $500 fine for each offense—with each instance of patient contact or consultation constituting a separate offense. That is the penalty under Connecticut law for fraudulently posing as a speech, occupational or physical therapist.
Ugh. Fire Ruotolo.
There, I feel better.
Sort of. It’s a live action joke isn’t.
Dude 1: Hey why are you guys doing near that street light?
Guys: Looking for our keys. We lost them in the parking lot.
Dude 1: So you lost them in the parking lot? But that’s over there.
Guys: Yeah but its dark over there, and we can see better over here.
Hartford – State Senator Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) and Representative Lawrence Cafero (R-Norwalk) today issued the following statement on the future of the Norwalk Department of Children and Families (DCF) office after meeting with Commissioner Joette Katz:
“Earlier this week, we met with Commissioner Katz to discuss the fate of the Norwalk DCF office. This past December, the department announced that the Norwalk office would be merged with operations in Bridgeport in the second-half of 2011—a cause for serious concern not only over how the local caseload would be managed but also about how agency functions in regards to family and youth issues in Norwalk and neighboring communities would be impacted.
“”We had a meaningful exchange of ideas at our meeting with Commissioner Katz, and we are encouraged by the commitment she displayed toward making sure our concerns are realized. We are also extremely pleased to report that the Commissioner offered her assurance that DCF will continue to have a presence in Norwalk.
We fully recognize and support efforts to reduce cost and find efficiencies in DCF operations. However, closing this office completely would not be good the children and families, and would not be good for DCF. While operations may be moved to a different location, we’re thankful for the commissioner’s honest assessment of the situation and her commitment to maintain that Norwalk presence.
“We appreciate Commissioner Katz taking the time to meet with us, and we will continue to work with her and her department to find solutions that save money while maintaining critical services for children in Norwalk.”
While the mayors of our big cities tell me they are facing elimination of basic services, such as schoolteachers, our legislature spends hours on end discussing whether liquor stores should be open on Sunday. At least they are not wasting time on whether to regulate hookah lounges. Oh wait, they are.
Are we really rethinking how much government can do? If so I’m not sure how establishing Ronald Reagan Day, French Canadian American Day, a Connecticut Beer Trail or a State Song of Remembrance has become someone’s legislative priority.
I try not to use plastic bags, but is now the moment to tax them? I feel the same about Rep. Diana Urban’s bills regulating chicken cages and Sen. Paul Doyle’s campaign to establish a “State Waltz.”
And yes, I have a deep appreciation for the practical logic behind Sen. John Kissel’s bill that would “ensure the normal distribution of alcoholic liquor during emergencies.”
But isn’t it my responsibility to stock the fridge with beer before the next snow emergency?
Among the 38 pieces of legislation that Sen. Michael A. McLachlan has introduced are curriculum directives to local schools telling them what they should teach, a call for a federal constitutional convention and an endorsement of the Electoral College system “as the best way to elect the president of the United States.” (Even with 9 percent unemployment, somebody is still thinking about Bush vs. Gore!)
The Danbury Republican has also introduced the so-called “birther” bill, requiring presidential and vice presidential candidates to present an “original birth certificate” to Connecticut’s secretary of the state, as well as a bill banning the “rationing” of health care. McLachlan’s bill would also prohibit requiring insured persons to participate in end-of-life counseling, a.k.a. “death panels.”
Then in my inbox is a press release from them stating:
LAWMAKERS TO DETAIL PROPOSED CRACKDOWN ON FAKE BEHAVIORAL THERAPISTS
This bipartisan coalition will detail new legislation to help protect vulnerable children and parents from individuals who misrepresent their qualifications as autism behavioral analysts…
Really? You mean that the employment practices of local school systems are incapable of checking credentials of employees? This is all about Fay Ruotolo’s inability to run the Norwalk Public Schools HR department Bob and Larry. To create “Stacey Lore” legislation when basic job accountability is the root cause is just a waste of your focus. Try whittling down that $3.7 billion dollar deficit. Yes, special ed issue parents are vocal voters, but pandering is pandering.
There’s still time to get your questions about education issues to the organizers of a legislative forum that will be held Thursday October 28, at City Hall, in the Community Room starting at 6:30. The organizers are hoping that the conversation about US Educational Reform gets some play with the following invitees:
SEN. DUFF & REP. CAFERO DETAIL COMPROMISE AGREEMENT TO EXPAND
NORWALK INN, PRESERVE HISTORIC LANDMARK
Plan would provide economic opportunity while restoring piece of local history
Norwalk - After several years of lengthy hearings and court actions, an agreement has been reached that will provide for the expansion of the Norwalk Inn and Conference Center and the restoration of the historic Grumman-St. John House on East Avenue in Norwalk.
At a news conference at the inn this morning, state Senator Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) and Representative Lawrence Cafero (R-Norwalk)—the two legislators directly involved in the crafting of the compromise plan—were joined by Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, Norwalk Mayor Richard Moccia and representatives from both the Norwalk Inn and the Norwalk Preservation Trust to detail the noteworthy agreement.
“This was truly a situation where, by getting everyone to sit down together, we were able to work out a plan that is mutually beneficial to everyone involved,” Senator Duff said. “I’m so proud of how everyone stepped up to the plate to end the years of disagreement and come up with a viable, realistic and, ultimately, ideal solution for Norwalk, for the neighborhood, for a local business and community partner and for a city landmark. The links that we have to our past are priceless, and I think this agreement marks a great way to keep that past alive while building toward our future at the same time.”
“All parties involved—the state, city of Norwalk and the Norwalk Inn—worked together for this tremendously positive outcome, said Representative Cafero. “The agreement reached here today represents a road mark linking Norwalk’s rich history to its continuing economic vitality and future. All parties share an equal stake in this common-sense approach to solving a dispute over this historic property that had remained unsettled for far too long.’
Under the compromise plan, the Grumman-St. John House will be renovated and restored and very likely used as additional hotel rooms for long-term stays at the inn. The Norwalk Inn would expand upward, adding a third story above the existing building that would approximately hold 40 additional hotel rooms.
“I am pleased that my office assisted in preserving the Grumman St. John House and also enabling the Norwalk Inn to expand,” Attorney General Blumenthal said. “This historic home is regarded by preservation experts as a storehouse of state history — a vital reminder of our heritage that the law required to be protected. Norwalk Inn and others are to be praised and thanked for reaching an agreement that saves the structure and serves our common goals.”
“This agreement represents the best of our neighborhood spirit of collaboration, and I am particularly happy that all parties have worked things out,” said Mayor Moccia. “I especially wish to commend the work done by Representative Cafero and Senator Duff to bring the fellow citizens together to find a solution that serves all interests so well. The result will be a healthier and more beautiful vicinity.”
“Our plan for the Norwalk Inn expansion and rehabilitation of 93 East Avenue has been the product of a successful, year-long negotiation process—one initiated and coordinated by state Representative Larry Cafero and state Senator Bob Duff,” said Chris Handrinos and George Katsaros, managers of the Norwalk Inn. “Representative Cafero and Senator Duff helped find a solution to this problem. In dozens of meetings, they worked to clarify the issues, identify areas of common ground, point out possible compromises and set out step-by-step plans. In time, we formulated a plan that can deliver sorely needed economic growth and a landmark renovation project, not to mention a significant neighborhood improvement plan.”
“Senator Duff and Representative Cafero demonstrated that diligence and sincere commitment can yield a solution that works for everyone—the neighbors, the inn, NPT, the preservation community and Norwalk as a whole,” said Tod Bryant of the Norwalk Preservation Trust. “The Norwalk Preservation Trust is also grateful to the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation for their unwavering support. And, of course, we wouldn’t be here without the support of the people who believed that it was worth it to save this piece of Norwalk’s past. The Grumman-St. John House will not only be saved, it will be returned to useful economic life and contribute to economic growth in the city.”
“The National Trust for Historic Preservation is grateful to the many people who have worked diligently for so long to bring about a successful agreement to restore the Grumman-St. John House. The leadership of Senator Duff and Representative Cafero in facilitating this win-win agreement between the Norwalk Preservation Trust and the Norwalk Inn is remarkable,” said Alicia Leuba, director of programs for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “This is a powerful example of an alliance between economic development and historic preservation, giving new life to an important historic building while providing economic development opportunities and increased buffering for the residential neighborhood.”
“The Commission on Culture & Tourism is pleased at the resolution of this matter and commends everyone involved for working together to come up with a solution which has resulted in the preservation of 93 East Avenue and also meets the need of the owners of the Norwalk Inn and the neighbors,” said Karen Senich, executive director and state historic preservation officer of the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism. “The preservation of this important National Register property serves as a model for the future when our invaluable historic resources in Connecticut are threatened.”
The Grumman-St. John House dates back to the Revolutionary War and was built by Samuel Grumman. It was severely damaged in the burning of Norwalk by the British in 1779 and was rebuilt in the 1780s. The house was expanded and its current roof was added in the 1870s. It has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1986 as part of the Norwalk Green Historic District. The Norwalk Inn purchased the historic property in 2001.
This morning’s inbox was full of poll press releases. “We gained,” said Malloy’s team. “We’re ahead,” said Lamont’s team. We irrelevant said the missing GOP press releases from Foley’s team. So until the Democratic deathmatch primary occurs in August, or until Mike Fedele figures out he has to er, campaign more visibly, this race is all Lamont promising to be about as effective as Rell has been in creating jobs in Connecticut (really think about it what was that tech company he ran) and Malloy promising to be a different type of candidate.
SEN. DUFF: SENATE APPROVES CHILDSAFE HARBOR LEGISLATION
Thanks Brien McMahon students for their advocacy on behalf of bill
Hartford – In legislative session today, the state Senate approved legislation unanimously that extends safe harbor to minors who are victims of sexual exploitation, reported state Senator Bob Duff (D-Norwalk).
Under current law, prostitution is considered a crime regardless of the offender’s age. The bill—approved unanimously by consent in the Senate today—creates the presumption that a 16 or 17-year-old charged with prostitution was coerced into committing the offense by another person in violation of laws against trafficking in persons and that younger children would be free from prosecution in all cases.
On the floor of the Senate, Senator Duff recognized the student members of the Center for Youth Leadership at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk for their support and advocacy on behalf of this legislation.
“Even on their spring vacation, the students from the Center for Youth Leadership sent numerous e-mails in support of this legislation, working diligently to see this bill brought through the legislature,” said Senator Duff. “I’m proud of the effort these Norwalk teenagers put into this legislation—which will help to protect children who are coerced and forced into a bad situation through no fault of their own—and was proud to support the bill in the Senate today.”
The bill increases the penalty for promoting the prostitution of a person under 18 years old by making it a class B felony, which carries a prison sentence of one to 20 years, a fine of up to $15,000 or both. The bill imposes a nine-month mandatory minimum prison sentence for promoting prostitution of someone under age 18.
The legislation—Senate Bill 153, An Act Providing a Safe Harbor for Exploited Children—now moves to the state House of Representatives for consideration.
The 2010 regular legislative session adjourns on May 5.
The legislative session in Hartford begins tomorrow. Naturally, a press releas went out extolling the focus of the Senate this session. It’s about creating small business jobs. State Senator Bob Duff explained that the state of Connecticut needs to be serious about job growth, and particularly among small businesses in order to generate a healthy economy.
Okay, so how do these State Senators plan on doing it? Well here’s their very own news release outlining the issue:
Senate Democrats Start 2010 Session with Plan to Grow Jobs, Cut Taxes for Small Businesses, And Shrink State Government
Surcharge on TARP bank bonuses will help pay for tax cuts & loan fund for small businesses; consolidation of economic development agencies will streamline efforts to grow jobs
Hartford Senate Democrats held a news conference at a drycleaners in
West Hartford on Monday two days before the 2010 legislative session begins to announce a new plan to help small businesses protect and grow jobs.
Connecticut’s unemployment rate is at 8.9% and nearly 95,000 people have lost their job since the recession began in 2008. Many economists predict the total number of jobs lost in Connecticut will reach 100,000.
Citing job growth as one of the top priorities for Senate Democrats this year, Senators detailed their four-point $20 million plan to assist small businesses which account for 97% of all Connecticut employers and nearly half of private-sector employment.
The Senate Democrats’ jobs plan includes:
Provide tax relief to struggling mom and pop shops by suspending the $250 business entity tax on mom and pops’ for two years.
1. Big banks were bailed out by the federal government, but they have failed to make these bailout funds available to small businesses. Big banks have significantly restricted loans and lines of credit to small businesses, and in so doing, have severely restricted small businesses’ ability to survive and succeed during the economic downturn and beyond.
A small business revolving loan fund will be administered by a business financing entity with the consolidated business knowledge and the diversity of involvement necessary to serve all types of small businesses in Connecticut. It is critical that this new entity have the flexibility to offer loans to businesses that have been caught in the credit crunch, not because their business has changed, but because the rules of banking have changed.
2. Create small business revolving loan fund
3. Consolidate state economic development entities Consolidate CDA, CI and the direct business financing function of DECD into one single entity, as recommended by the recent bipartisan report from the General Assembly’s Program Review & Investigations (PRI) Committee. This will provide a benefit to small businesses and the state in the following ways:
a. Cuts costs by streamlining functions. i. Operating expenses at CI are high: they have even exceeded loans awarded in some years. b. Avoids duplication of efforts eliminates administrative duplication and helps avoid situations where two agencies are working on the same issue.
c. Establishes a one-stop shopping option for small businesses who might not know where to go for help. d. Combines knowledge accumulated from different agencies into one location where this knowledge can be benefit all businesses in Connecticut.
e. Creates new entity that will administer new small business revolving loan fund.
4. Hold formal hearing to review state regulations and their impact on small businesses.
How to Pay for It: Temporary surcharge on TARP supported bonuses
After receiving billions of taxpayer dollars from TARP, the nation’s biggest banks are back to handing out enormous bonuses and raises. Goldman Sachs, for example, received a bailout of $10 billion in TARP funds while increasing the bonuses it paid its employees in 2009 to $23.7 billion a jump of nearly 500% compared to 2008. Under the Senate Democrats’ job plan, bonuses of $1M or more paid to employees of TARP recipient entities will be subject to a temporary surcharge.
a. The surcharge will apply for two years only Income years 2010 and 2011.
b. The surcharge rate will be 2.47% on the entire amount of a bonus that totals $1M or more. This 2.47% is on top of Connecticut’s existing top income tax rate, meaning that the total state income tax rate on these bonuses is 8.97%.
1. Recipients of these bonuses will pay an income tax rate on the bonuses that is equivalent to the top NY state income tax rate of 8.97%.
2. This rate is still lower than the top NY City / State combined rate of by 12.6% and lower than the top NJ rate of 10.75%
Morgan Stanley TARP: $10 billion 2008 bonus pool $4.47 billion 2009: has earmarked $14.4 billion for employee compensation in 2009, a 31 % increase from last year.
Goldman Sachs TARP: $10 billion 2008: $4.8 billion 2009: $23.7 billion a jump of nearly 500% compared to 2008.
“Helping businesses and reshaping state government shouldn’t be a partisan position,” saidSenate President Williams (D-Brooklyn). “As the 2010 legislative session begins I urge lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, and Gov. Rell, to join us in our efforts to grow jobs.”
“Growing jobs and balancing the budget are the top priorities this legislative session,” saidSenate Majority Leader Martin Looney (D-New Haven). “We know the success we have in growing jobs will help our efforts to solve the deficit.”
“Sedgwick Cleaners – which is my dry cleaner – is an example of a small business that keeps a community alive,” saidSenator Jonathan Harris (D-West Hartford). “And this bill helps keep small businesses alive. Dana is a Rotarian like me, he sponsors youth sports, and he advertises local events in his storefront window. Besides creating jobs, he is a vital part of the West Hartford community. And we need to protect and grow these types of businesses.”
“Small businesses provide the foundation for every community and provide the backbone for our state’s economy for the duration of this downturn we must help them retain their vitality in any way we can,”Senator Edith G. Prague(D-Columbia) said. “The plan we’ve introduced today will help them retain and perhaps create new jobs, to the benefit of employees in the short term, and to the benefit of our overall economic health for the longer term.”
“This is precisely what Connecticut businesses need; a loosening of credit,” saidSenator Gary LeBeau (D-East Hartford). “If we can do that through this bill and get more money out on the street to help small businesses, this will be a home run.”
“As small businesses go, so goes Connecticut’s economy,” saidSenator John Fonfara (D-Hartford). “These initiatives target the businesses that will turn our economy around the quickest.”
“The billions in bonuses and raises are back on Wall Street but not on Main Street,” saidSenator Eileen Daily (D-Westbrook). “It is time the bank bailout really starts working for the small businesses that fuel our economy.”
“I’ve heard from the owners of many small businesses in my area, and as a business owner myself I know this initiative would be an important first step to provide much-needed relief for small-scale operations,” saidSenator Andrea Stillman (D-Waterford).“A new consolidated economic development agency would focus on providing true, one-stop access to information for small business owners and provide a streamlined licensing process.”
“I hear from small business owners all the time about how difficult it is to get credit these days,” saidSenator Thomas Gaffey (D-Meriden). “This plan helps to address that concern. “I hope we can work the governor and other legislators to get this passed quickly.”
“One of the most effective ways to reinvigorate the economies of our communities is to provide job opportunities for residents of those communities,” saidSenator Eric Coleman (D-Hartford).“Investmentin small businesses in the form of financial assistance, focused technical assistance and tax incentiveswill facilitatesuch reinvigoration and result in a much more stable economic foundation not only for these communities but for the state as a whole”
“In New Haven we can no longer simply rely upon the colleges and hospitals to grow jobs and sustain the local economy,” saidSenator Harp (D-New Haven). “Small businesses, particularly those that cater to the diversity of our population, are the heart and soul of our community and for that reason this plan to shore up state support for small business job creation is just exactly what we need.”
“Helping small businesses succeed and grow jobs needs to be a priority this session,” saidSenator Bob Duff (D-Norwalk). “Focusing on aid to our small businesses, especially by working to open the credit market for them, will help them get back on their feet and improve our economy at the same time.”
“We recognize the challenges that many of our business owners are facing, and our focus needs to be on job creations and economic recovery,” saidSenator Andrew Maynard (D-Stonington). “This package will help encourage and assist our small businesses. Any effort we can make to help business—particularly small business—is welcome.”
“In this economy, simply creating wealth for wealth’s sake — like those TARP bonuses do — is not good enough,” saidSenator Mary Ann Handley (D-Manchester). “We need to help small businesses, who are the real job creators, survive and thrive in this recession. And this bill helps them do that.”
“These initiatives are a great beginning to resolve an outstanding need in our state; there must be a coordinated and relentless pursuit of new jobs in small businesses, even as we work to restore the loss of old jobs in the insurance and aerospace sectors,”Senator Crisco (D-Woodbridge) said. “I would hope some funding from this revolving loan program would be invested in job training so Connecticut can continue to boast a workforce second-to-none.”
WILTON — An eight-person coalition of opponents to constructing a new Route 7 expressway from Norwalk to Danbury spoke in Wilton Tuesday morning about why this “dead road,” as one described it, should never be built.
Led by state Sen. Toni Boucher, R-26th Dist., each took a turn in Wilton Town Hall presenting reasons why they thought the state should not go forward with its construction, which ranged from damaging wetlands and increasing air pollution to awaiting the results of widening the existing Route 7 and exploiting opportunities to increase service on the Danbury branch of the Metro-North Railroad.
Identifying it as a “dead road,” Boucher said that after a 50-year discussion, every proposal for the expressway has been scrapped after encountering “oftentimes bitter opposition.” And besides repeated rejection by residents in the towns through which it would run, Boucher said current environmental regulations and road design requirements would prohibit its construction along its proposed path.
“The difficult and dangerous topography of the area and new federal guidelines for highway grades have rendered any proposal for a superhighway in this location so costly as to render it untenable,” Boucher said.
Portions of the southern end of the project were completed in Norwalk between 1969 and 1992, resulting in 3.9 miles of four-land highway connecting Interstate-95 to the Merritt Parkway and continuing to Grist Mill Rd. On the northern end, 9.9 miles of multi-lane highway were constructed from Danbury to Brookfield between 1961 and 1992.
The proposed extension of the Route 7 expressway, alsoknown as “Super 7,”would run for about 15.5 miles through Wilton, Weston, Ridgefield and Redding. Of those four towns, only Weston’s First Selectman Woody Bliss has supported building the road.
The opponents at Tuesday’s presentation expressed exasperation that despite numerous town meetings, state studies and a decades-long court fight, efforts to build the road have arisen again.
Currently, the road’s leading proponent has been state Sen. Bob Duff, D-25th Dist., who earlier this month released the results of a survey conducted by the University of Connecticut — Stamford Campus that indicated a majority of support for the proposedexpressway by residentsof the towns through which it would traverse, as well as surrounding municipalities.
But Gail Lavielle, commissioner of the Connecticut Public Transportation Commission and, according to Boucher, an authority in polling methodology, described the survey touted by Duff as being inadequate to its purpose and, “far more disturbing, misleading to the public and worried and frightened people who had been reassured that the threat of having their lives disrupted by an expressway had disappeared.”
Gail Lavielle, Commissioner of the Connecticut Public Transportation Commission
After pointing to weaknesses she saw in the survey’s sampling methodology, Lavielle said, “claiming that a survey like this shows overwhelming support for Super 7 is not only misleading, it’s just wrong.”
Identifying an impediment to building the Route 7 expressway that has not drawn much attention before, John Chew, executive director of the Brookfield-based Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials, said the current widening of existing Route 7 in Danbury is using the right-of-way for the proposed expressway.
John Chew, Executive Director of the Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials
With the current project costing $80 million, Chew said no government agency would agree to rip up Route 7 in Danbury after it’s been widened, so, “You can’t reach Danbury with Super 7 because where you’re getting into Danbury is taken. It’s a valley; there’s no place else to go.”
Robert Nerney, Wilton’s director of planning and land use management, said that, if constructed, the Route 7 expressway “would have an enormous adverse impact on not only Wilton, but I think fair to say, on lower Fairfield County in general.”
Nerney said the ecological impact arising from a project of its magnitude would “significantly compromise” the waterside aquifers and air quality along the Norwalk River.
Robert Nerney, Wilton's Director of Planning and Land Use
Patricia Sesto, Wilton’s director of environmental affairs, said the proposed Route 7 expressway’s right-of-way is largely placed within the Norwalk River valley, which is already “consumed” by the railroad’s Danbury Branch and existing Route 7. The Super 7 expressway, she said, would have little choice but to traverse the outlying hillside of the river valley, which is characterized, in part, by very steep slopes.
Sesto presented a list of hazards to the Norwalk River she saw occurring if the expressway were constructed, and said that in the era when the road was originally proposed, “our knowledge regarding wetlands, habitat and river protection was far narrower than it is today.”
“Given these environmental considerations,” Sesto said, “it is unclear if the highway is still worth the environmental price, or if the path that was proposed four decades ago is even still the best path.”
Arguing that both the federal government and Connecticut are deeply in debt, the first selectman of Wilton, William F. Brennan, said any available funds should be used to improve Interstate-95, “the most overloaded interstate road in Connecticut.” Brennan said the Route 7 expressway would worsen conditions on I-95 by feeding thousands of additional cars onto it.
“For almost40 years (the Route 7 expressway) has been discussed, but never constructed,” said Brennan, “(because) the people most impacted have strongly opposed it, they do not want it, and any efforts to resuscitate interest have been repeatedly defeated.”
At the conclusion of Tuesday’s presentations, Boucher handed out a notice requesting residents and elected officials speak against the expressway at the next meeting of the Municipal Planning Organization of the South Western Regional Planning Agency.
During its September meeting, the MPO reiterated its request that the state conduct a study of possible uses for the right-of-way of the proposed Route 7 expressway. The MPO next meets on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 8 a.m. in the Norwalk Transit District’s headquarters at 275 Wilton Ave. in Norwalk.
A transportation policy and planning groupof leaders from eightsouthwestern Connecticut municipalities reaffirmed on Thursday its recommendation the state conduct a study of uses for the right-of-way for the uncompleted portionof the Route 7 expressway.
After a discussion that resulted in a change in wording from “Support for the Route 7 Expressway” to “Support for the Route 7 Corridor,” the group unanimously approved a resolution calling for a “comprehensive, multi-modal investment study” of the proposed path for the expressway, which extends from Interstate-95 in Norwalk to Interstate-84 in Danbury.
The group requestedthe samestudybe conducted in 2007.
Under consideration since the 1960s, portions of the Route 7 expressway were completed in Norwalk and Danbury, leaving a gap of more than 15 miles that would run through Wilton, Weston, Ridgefield and Redding. Fierce opposition by residents in those towns has stymied efforts by the state to complete the project.
In the interim, the state has been widening the existing Route 7 in Wilton. At the same time, the General Assembly passed legislation in 2008 allowing the state to sell properties acquired for the expressway to raise revenue.
Thesensitiveness of the issue wasdisplayed in the debate duringThursday’s meeting of the South Western Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (SWRMPO), which consists of the chief executives of Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Stamford, Weston, Westport and Wilton. The meeting was held in the Norwalk Transit District’s headquarters on Wilson Avenue in Norwalk.
“Why are we wasting our time on this extremely costly and unaffordable proposal?,” asked William F. Brennan, first selectman of Wilton, who noted the state’s Department of Transportation does not include the Route 7 expressway in its long-range plans projected out to 2025.
Brennan said he met with senior officials of the Department of Transportation on Wednesday, and they told him they have no interest in the project and that it would cost millions of dollars to acquire the remaining land necessary for it. He said better use of the state’s transportation funds would be made by fixing Interstate-95, “the most overloaded interstate road in Connecticut.”
In reply to Brennan’s remarks, Woody Bliss, first selectman of Weston and chairman of SWRMPO, said the function of the group was to look toward the future of the infrastructure network of transportation in the region. Bliss said the organization voted unanimously in 2007 for the state to conduct a study of the Route 7 corridor, which could result in deciding to continue widening existing Route 7, building the “Super 7″ expressway, or constructing a light rail line.
The first selectman of Westport, Gordon F. Joseloff, said he had no problem with SWRMPO repeatedly reviewing plans for the Route 7 corridor because, “there’s a large turnover among our residents and the needs change, and unless we are willing to at least listen and sample we’re not doing our jobs.”
Norwalk’s Mayor Richard A. Moccia said no city has been more affected by the Route 7 expressway than Norwalk.
Between 1969 and 1992, the southern portion of the expressway was constructed in Norwalk between I-95 and Grist Mill Road. Known as the Route 7 connector, it currently unloads traffic at its northern terminus onto the existing Route 7 a short distance from the Wilton town line.
Moccia said Norwalk was “split in half” by the expressway, which “really set back our economic growth as far as logistically moving around the city and creating another barrier between neighborhoods.”
“Hopefully we can reach a reasonable course,” said Moccia. “Let’s look at this, let’s not dispose of the land yet, until we have a better idea” of what’s needed from the study.
