Finding solutions where there seem to be none

There are many problems in need of solutions in this world, but it’s not necessarily true that all of them will find each other. Some problems just seem or actually are too tangled to be completely solved. That’s what makes it all the more remarkable and uplifting when humans can implement ways to address challenges that may have previously looked insurmountable.

So kudos to Falls Village Board of Finance member Louis Timolat and Selectman Dave Barger, who acted on the wording found by Daly Reville in the Community Development Block Grant application to fund affordable housing in their town that called into question the town’s responsibility for paying back money to the state if the housing takes longer than seven years to build. Timolat and Barger (a Republican and Democrat respectively), as reported by Senior Reporter Patrick Sullivan last week, announced to the Board of Finance on Sept. 13 that they had found that to be accurate, and the town could be on the hook, after they had questioned Housing and Community Development Manager Miguel Rivera at the Connecticut state Department of Housing for verification. 

Timolat and Barger asked Rivera if they could implement an agreement between the Falls Village Housing Trust and the town to address this problem. As Sullivan wrote, Rivera gave this approach the nod. So with the help of the town attorney, a solution to this challenge should now be found, as a committee was formed to do that. 

When multiple minds come together, problems can be solved.

And finding ways to remove obstacles to building affordable housing are right at the top of the list of priorities to help maintain and improve vital communities in the Northwest Corner. Another problem in need of a solution, and one that can definitely feel overwhelming, is climate change. Operating at the local level, it can seem that individual actions are just very small drops in a giant bucket of possible solutions to this worldwide problem. But reading the thoughts of guest columnist Dan Carr on ways to act locally to address climate change, it can suddenly feel as if there are ways to advocate for change here, and if we can do that, we can have an effect on the wider changes in our climate. Read Carr’s column on this week’s Viewpoint page and act on his suggestions for being responsible citizens when it comes to affecting changes in our climate. 

What we start acting on locally can make a difference, even if it begins as primarily being significant to change in our lives here in the northwest Connecticut hills. We can only hope our actions, if they work, will then spread across the region and serve as examples for other rural areas across the country.