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The deadline to apply for Kent’s tree planting grant program is Sept. 15. Visit www.townofkentct.gov.
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KENT — The Kent Conservation Commission is looking to revitalize the downtown canopy and is offering motivated residents and businesses the opportunity to take tree planting into their own hands.
The 2025 Street Tree Incentive Program offers up to $1,500 in the form of three reimbursement grants (up to $500 each) dedicated to filling Kent’s roadsides with trees, preferably the large and shady kind.
In an announcement to the town via email, the Commission bemoaned the loss of large trees in the town’s commercial sectors, and said that this program has the potential to bring about an even greener Kent.
Besides providing shade from the summer heat, a fuller canopy can offer a slew of environmental benefits, the Commission shared in its informational materials for the program. Healthy trees help sequester carbon from the air and improve air quality, provide food and habitat for wildlife, lower air conditioning costs by shading homes, and slow and filter stormwater runoff, among other boons to the landscape.
The grants are limited to planting plans for this fall in the Village Center or Flanders Historic District. Applications are due by 4 p.m. on Sept 15.
A full informational packet can be found online under the “News & Announcements” tab on the town’s website, www.townofkentct.gov.
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KENT — The Board of Selectmen kept busy during its Sept. 3 regular meeting planning a slew of ordinances meant to address a number of municipal issues that have arisen in recent months.
“Our board is going to have a new record of the most ordinances in a two-year period!” exclaimed Selectman Lynn Mellis Worthington to laughs from the other two selectmen.
Restriction of commercial bus travel
The first proposed ordinance to be discussed concerns the restriction of tour buses on small town roadways that feed into South Kent Road.
The action is the town’s effort to uphold an agreement with New Milford and the state Department of Transportation to limit bus traffic on South Kent Road in response to outcry from concerned residents about large vehicles using the roadway, endangering pedestrians and dog walkers.
Much of the traffic was due to tour buses bringing guests to the popular camp and recreation center Club Getaway that is positioned just below the intersection of South Kent Road with Route 341.
Earlier this summer, First Selectman Marty Lindenmayer and New Milford mayor Pete Bass agreed to find a solution to the problem, which had been difficult due to regulatory confusion given that some roads are owned by Kent, some by New Milford, and some by the state.
This ordinance, which is operating under the title “Section 17-11: Restriction of Commercial Bus Travel,” would ban tour buses from using the town-owned Bulls Bridge Road and Spooner Hill Road, two ways to access South Kent Road from the south and west.
School buses, and vehicles operating in regard to school operations such as sports and events, are exempt from the ban.
The penalty for disobeying the ban is a state trooper citation and $250 fine per infraction.
The BOS motioned to send the ordinance to public hearing.
Economic development
Next to be discussed was a proposed economic development ordinance to instate a new Economic Development Committee after the disbanding of the Economic Development Subcommittee at the Aug. 6 BOS meeting. At that meeting, selectman Glenn Sanchez presented a mission statement for the proposed committee.
Lindenmayer stated a full draft wasn’t ready for review at the time of the Sept. 3 meeting, and so the issue was tabled.
Regulation of cannabis
The collaborative effort between the BOS and Planning and Zoning Commission has produced an ordinance draft that will finally be sent to public hearing as the six-month extension of the initial six-month moratorium on the sale of cannabis passes its halfway point.
Named “Section 11-16: Regulation of Cannabis Ordinance,” the brief regulation would ban any recreational cannabis dispensaries in town but allow legally defined medical product sale on the basis of approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
The agricultural aspect of the cannabis and hemp industry will be handled separately by P&Z.
Mellis Worthington initially balked at the simplicity and concision of the ordinance, but P&Z member Sarah Chase, who helms the Cannabis Regulation Subcommittee, assured that the language is adequate. It follows the regulatory precedent and terminology set by other towns and the state, she said: “The state’s already done the work to define all this already; you’re just inserting the language.”
“There is no sense of us reinventing the wheel on this one,” she added.
After the discussion, the selectmen moved the ordinance to public hearing.
Stuff in the road
Next, the discussion turned to “Section 17-10: Placement of Material in Public Right of Way,” otherwise known as the “Stuff in the Road Ordinance,” as Lindenmayer put it. The ordinance was proposed to the BOS at its Aug. 6 meeting by town highway foreman Rick Osborne using an existing rule in Warren as a template.
“I can’t believe we haven’t had this,” said Mellis Worthington with a chuckle.
Violators would be charged $100 per offence, which could be leaving snow, grass or any other sort of debris in the roadway. Lindenmayer noted that the penalty could be higher, but that would miss the point: “We’re not really looking to fine people as much as to change their attitude.”
The Board voted to move the draft ordinance to public hearing.
Fire Lanes
Town Fire Marshall Tim Limbos chimed in towards the meeting’s end to let the Board know that he will be drafting an ordinance that regulates the enforcement of the town’s fire lanes.
He said that there is no broader state statute for their enforcement, but that it is up to municipalities to install their own ordinances to that end.
As of Sept. 8, no hearing dates have been set for all the ordinances that were moved to that stage.
Each ordinance must undergo a public hearing before it can be brought to town meeting for a vote.
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GNH football kicks off preseason
Sep 10, 2025
Riley Klein
Gilbert/Northwestern/Housatonic co-op football began the 2025 season with a series of scrimmages on the road. The varsity team started with a game at Avon High School Friday, Aug. 29, and then traveled to Granby to take on the Granby/Canton co-op team Sept. 5. GNH will begin the regular season with an away stretch. The team will play at Plainville High School Sept. 12, followed by Woodland Regional High School Sept. 19. GNH’s opener is scheduled for Gilbert School Friday, Sept. 26, against Derby High School. The junior varsity GNH squad, pictured above and below, hosted Granby/Canton JV Saturday, Sept. 6, and won 30-14.
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HVRHS volleyball wins opening game
Sep 10, 2025
The squad celebrates a point.
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Housatonic Valley Regional High School varsity volleyball started the season with a victory Wednesday, Sept. 3. The opening scrimmage was played at home against Oliver Wolcott Technical High School. HVRHS won 3-2.
Captain Katie Crane serves for HVRHS in the Sept. 3 game.Simon Markow
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