Kent to invest in tree trimming project

KENT — The Kent Board of Selectmen held a special meeting, led by First Selectman Marty Lindenmeyer and Selectmen Glen Sanchez and Lynn Worthington, on Tuesday, May 7, in preparation for Kent’s annual budget meeting on Friday, May 17.

The board is seeking to create a project called “Hazardous Tree Removal or Trimming” to address clearing hazardous branches, limbs, or fallen trees on municipal property or within the right-of-way.

Funding for this tree removal project is proposed at $20,792.13 for the fiscal year of 2024 and will be reimbursed by The Local Capital Improvement Program (LoCIP), which aids towns in improvement projects involving roads. Removing tree limbs for road accessibility would fall under LoCIP’s guidelines. The selectmen carried the motion.

Another motion carried at the meeting was to increase funds for improvements to Kent Town Hall, including the air conditioning, the generator, the parking lot, and the boiler. LoCIP’s grant would also reimburse this project, which is set for $41,425.

Funds for both the tree removal project and improvements for the town hall project, if passed, would be disbursed by Sunday, June 30, and an annual expense report from the town will be due by Sunday, Sept. 1.

The agenda for the town meeting was set and it was decided that the meeting would start at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 17, but doors would be open for voters early at 6 p.m. to allow time to verify voting eligibility.

Much of the discussion at the special meeting was reserved for addressing the grant-funded Housatonic Resource Recovery Authority program at the transfer station called “Save As You Throw.”

The project began in 2023 and the board is now looking at spending costs to residents in the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years regarding the system of special bags used at the transfer station.

A motion was passed for residents to use colored bags, which they will receive in a bundle with the option to purchase more, with locations pending.

Discussion turned to getting an official Kent logo printed on the bags, which was not expected to add any additional cost to residents, but exact numbers were not available at the time of the meeting regarding the logo bags. Further details will be clarified by the selectmen’s office.

Latest News

From research to recognition: Student project honors pioneering Black landowner

Cornwall Consolidated School seventh graders Skylar Brown, Izabella Coppola, Halley Villa, Willow Berry, Claire Barbosa, Willa Lesch, Vivianne DiRocco and Franco Aburto presented a group research project on the life of Naomi Freeman Wednesday, April 23. In attendance were U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Conn., John Mills, president of Alex Breanne Corporation, Cornwall First Selectman Gordon Ridgway, Cornwall Selectman Jennifer Markow and CCS social studies teacher Will Vincent.

Photo by Riley Klein

CORNWALL — “In Cornwall you have made the decision that everyone here matters and everyone’s story is important,” said U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Conn., to the seventh grade class at Cornwall Consolidated School April 23.

Hayes was in attendance to celebrate history on Wednesday as the CCS students presented their group research project on the life of Naomi Cain Freeman, the first Black female landowner in Cornwall.

Keep ReadingShow less
Legal Notices - April 24, 2025

Town of Salisbury

Board of Finance

Keep ReadingShow less
Classifieds - April 24, 2025

Help Wanted

Experienced horse equestrian: to train three-year-old white Persian Mare for trail riding. 860-67-0499.

Help wanted: Small Angus Farm seeks reliable help for cattle and horses. Duties include feeding, fence repair, machine repair. Will train the right person. 860-671-0499.

Keep ReadingShow less