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A variety of artwork by children and adults will be on display at Hunt Library beginning April 5.
FALLS VILLAGE — There will be a reception for the new art show at the David M. Hunt Library Saturday, April 5, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The show, “Playing with Art,” is a group show with work from adults and children, including quilts and new work from local artists including Danielle Mailer, Ken Musselman, Erika Crofutand Robert Cronin — among others.
Children’s artwork from a tissue paper collage workshop conducted by Breetel Graves will also be part of the show.
Also part of the show is restored vintage 1970s film animation based on a book of Grimm’s Fairy Tales by Eric Carle.One of the films, The Fisherman and His Wife, was an Academy Award finalist for best animated short in 1979.These animated cartoons will be shown on Friday, April 18 at 3 p.m.
SALISBURY — The Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission voted unanimously in favor of adopting a long-awaited update to its regulations at its March 24 regular meeting.
Following approval from the IWWC, the document will now undergo review by Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. “If all goes well,” a public hearing with the town regarding the regulations will follow on May 12, IWWC Chair Vivian Garfein said.
In the draft sent to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the lakes are given a 75-foot upland review area, but each of the four major lakes — Wononscopomuc, Wononkapook, Washining, and Washinee — is given its own line, allowing for future discussion of the lakes as separate entities. The upland review area has seen disagreement between the IWWC and lakeshore property owners, with several commission members wishing to broaden upland review areas around the lakes but receiving pushback from residents.
Garfein said that any lake association that would push for changes to the upland review area of a lake will present their testimony at the public hearing, where the Commission may discuss, and potentially vote, on any alterations to the regulations.
The new draft updates the previous regulations, which were established in 2006.
First Selectman Curtis Rand, speaking in the public comment section of the meeting, commended the IWWC’s work in finalizing the regulations. “I really appreciate all the work you’ve put into these regulations,” he said. “It’s been a long time coming and thank you.”
The commission also discussed in detail the “‘Allowed’ Activities Not Requiring a Permit” document, which is intended to be an advisory guide for residents on what types of activities they may conduct in or near waterways that don’t necessitate an application to the IWWC.
After a lengthy discourse on the specific language of the document, the Commission decided to table the issue until the next meeting.
When completed, the document will be publicly available on the IWWC’s webpage.
Kent reviews capital spending
KENT — Residents and town officials convened at Town Hall Friday, March 28, to hear a presentation on the five-year capital plan.
The Board of Selectmen presented its proposed capital plan, which is scheduled to go to public hearing on May 2 and a town vote on May 16 in conjunction with a vote on the yearly operational budget.
The capital proposal calls for a total of $10,384,475 to be allocated toward town projects through 2030.
Areas of expenditure detailed in the plan span improvements to Kent Central School’s infrastructure, public works projects such as roads and bridges upkeep, the Volunteer Fire Department, parks and recreation costs, and town building repairs.
The plan also introduces a section for emergency management, new to this year’s update.
The bulk of the budget is allocated toward public works for a total of $5,141,234, which First Selectman Marty Lindenmayer said reflects the town’s dedication to improving its infrastructure in the near future.
Lindenmayer explained the five-year plan, which is updated annually, is a financial protective measure to ensure the town has the capacity to be self-reliant in accomplishing its goals.
“We have to, as a town, be prepared,” Lindenmayer said, reasoning that the town can’t always rely on federal and state funding.
He continued, “We have to be fiscally observant on what’s going on around us, and project out” by incorporating those observations into the plan.
“Let’s start with what we know we can afford, and go from there.”
The draft is available to view on the town’s website.
Park and Rec ordinance
Residents in attendance March 28 voted on an amended draft of Chapter 10 of the town’s ordinances, which pertains to parks and recreation.
Lindenmayer noted that the amended ordinance, approved by the Board of Selectmen on March 13, addresses a former stipulation that obligated a selectman to sit on the board of the Park and Recreation Commission, the only town commission with such a requirement.
The new ordinance language eliminates that component of the chapter, and also codifies that the town-employed parks and recreation director has the ability to make recommendations for the hiring and termination of department staff. Final hiring and firings are conducted by the town.
The new ordinance passed the town vote, with 17 in favor and one against. The ordinance will take effect on April 14.
Holistic approach to landscaping
Beth Romaker works for Matt’s Lanscaping in Falls Village. She led a talk at Hunt Library March 29.
FALLS VILLAGE — Beth Romaker described how to use sound ecological practices and a certain amount of common sense when landscaping your property at the David M. Hunt Library Saturday, March 29.
Romaker works for Matt’s Landscaping in Falls Village and studied forest ecology at the University of Vermont.
Using a project she is currently working on in Hudson, New York, as a template, she outlined how to go about landscaping with a “holistic perspective.”
She discouraged tearing discrete elements, such as a garden, separately from the property and ecosystem as a whole.
The Hudson property has been in use since the mid-18th century, It includes a manmade pond, dug in the 1970s or 1980s, which is completely choked with algae.
The property as a whole is very wet. It has secondary growth first, some serious inclines, and a lot of lawn.
“It’s a lawn and it’s a mess.”
Romaker said the approach starts with extensive site analysis, including the “disturbance history.”
This will tell the landscape team about soil quality, which in turn leads to choices for plants.
Native plants are generally preferred, although Romaker is willing to use plants that are native to adjacent areas such as warmer parts of New York or Pennsylvania, in recognition of climate change.
Site analysis also includes water and how it moves within the system. Questions such as where does the run-off go, or how much erosion is present need to be answered before remedies can be designed and deployed.
Romaker discussed invasive plants and their treatment. She said some invasives can be removed by hand effectively. Others require herbicides, which she said can be used responsibly.
What property owners should avoid is leaving areas cleared without a plan to replace the vegetation.
“Nature abhors a vacuum,” she said. “Something will replace it.”
