Congenial first meeting for new 20-town NHCOG

The first “in-person” meeting of the Northwest Hills Council of Governments (NHCOG) was held Jan. 9. It is a coming together of the Northwestern Connecticut COG and the Litchfield Hills Council of Elected Officials (LHCEO), per a directive by the state to consolidate.The groups are made up of the first selectmen from their member towns. The six Region One towns are part of the original COG, along with three others. At least based on that first meeting, the fear that it would be cumbersome for 20 towns to get anything done was unfounded. Gathered around a large rectangle of tables, the 19 first selectmen and one mayor, quickly developed a camaraderie based on shared concerns and in plans for budgets for the coming fiscal year (which begins July 1).For now, meetings will be held in the extension center at the University of Connecticut’s Torrington campus. Renovations are underway at a former grocery store in Goshen to accommodate the new COG. The location is central to the member towns.The new COG officially came into being on Jan. 1, and members teleconferenced with each other the following day and took care of some housekeeping chores.Rick Lynn, formerly executive director of LHCEO, was appointed the NHCOG executive director. Northwestern Connecticut COG Director Jocelyn Ayer was appointed the community and economic development director. Darlene Krukar and Lois Pinney, administrative assistants for each former COG, are now office manager and financial administrator, respectively. Donald Stein of Barkhamsted was elected chairman, Pat Mechare of Falls Village is vice chairman, Susan Dyer of Norfolk is secretary and Bruce Adams of Kent is treasurer.At the meeting, all but one of the towns was represented (Hartland), and another potential member (Burlington) was allowed to sit in. Burlington First Selectman Ted Shafer said his town is hoping to hear by the end of the month on a decision from the state Office of Policy Management. Stein said the potential addition would not be an extension of the NHCOG borders.Ayer unveiled the new website, www.northwesthillscog.org. The goal is for it to be an access point for information for town officials, residents and tourists. Lynn said that one of the benefits of the consolidation is having the staff to do such things. Calling the site a work in progress, Ayer urged the first selectmen to send photos of their towns and links for the website. The homepage already includes links to each town’s official website. NHCOG meeting schedules, agendas, minutes and reports will be available, such as the regional plan of conservation and development and Hazard Mitigation Plans now being developed by each town. NHCOG meetings will begin with a roundtable update from each town. New Hartford’s Dan Jerram spoke about how his town hall flooded Jan. 4 when a fire sprinkler head broke. Thousands of gallons of water destroyed parts of the interior. Rebuilding was expected to begin as soon as this week. He said he was grateful that no records were lost and credited local fire and police responders for a quick response.Brent Colley of Sharon asked for NHCOG to send a letter to the governor in support of restoring state and federal funding levels for Sharon Hospital, which is at risk financially, with some reimbursements gone as of the end of this month. State Representative Roberta Willis (D-64) said Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington is also in harm’s way from cuts, but will not be as badly impacted as Sharon.Adams appealed to the group to pay attention to a new effort by Schaghticoke tribe members at gaining federal tribal recognition — and the funds that go along with it.“If it is allowed to go through at the federal level, it will have a major impact on all our towns, and the whole state,” Adams said. Mechare reported the recent town meeting approval for a new emergency services center in Falls Village, and an application for a $450,000 grant to restore the South Canaan Meeting House. Doug Humes of North Canaan passed along helpful information that doubled as a promotion of one town industry. North Canaan is in its second winter of adding crushed limestone to road salt, in this case Magic Salt. It supplies the same traction as sand, but does not have to be swept up in the spring, “and your lawns will be green,” he said. He also said lime has a purifying effect when it gets into drainage systems. He suggested interested towns contact North Canaan companies for quotes on prices.NHCOG will hold regular meetings the second Thursday of each month at 10 a.m. in Torrington, unless there is a holiday. The public is welcome to attend. The new headquarters are expected to be ready for the May meeting.