Emergency Roles, Services to be Discussed at Annual Town Meeting

Officials will discuss emergency roles and procedures during the annual town meeting on Jan. 18, 2012. 

Wednesday night, selectmen decided on that topic as the main focus of the meeting, with an update on the hydroelectric project as a secondary topic.

The meeting is an annual town tradition and is informational only but offers the chance to gather ideas or update the public on projects.

Currently the town is conducting an after action review committee to assess its actions and response during and after the October snowstorm. While the group has only met once, selectmen said it has already been noted that some people were not aware of services the town offered during the storm and provides year round.

“I think a lot of people didn’t even know we had an emergency shelter in town,” selectman Steve Roberto said.

First Selectman Richard Barlow said he agreed and added that many people don’t know how much Senior and Social services offers year round and some even still don’t realize that firefighters and EMTs are volunteers.

While Barlow has expressed concern about the failure of some communication systems during the storm, such as the town’s e-mail and the reliability of Connecticut Light and Power information, he also said he wants to educate the public on actions they can take. One is signing up their cell phones to receive emergency messages through ctalert.gov.

Selectmen also decided to set the hydro project as a secondary topic of discussion. Currently the town is hoping to get congressional action that will allow the Federal Regulatory Energy Commission to transfer more permanent licensing to the town to potentially generate power from the upper and/or lower Collinsville dams.

Selectmen also discussed the idea of putting the Collinsville factory on the agenda due to the high level of interest expressed at Plan of Conservation and Development update meetings this year.

However, due to ongoing negotiations for a development project at the privately-owned site, selectmen decided it might not be the right time to “interfere” with the project.

“I wouldn’t want to do anything to complicate it,” Barlow said.

Selectmen did agree, however, that the renovated Town Hall auditorium is an ideal place for the meeting. Trevor Pierce renovated the space as an Eagle Scout project a couple of years ago.

Selectmen said it was nice to return the meeting there last year, a place where it had historically been held.

“I’d love to re-establish the precedent of holding it at town hall “ Barlow said.