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Local advocates regard the state-run boat launch at Mudge Pond as a hydrilla risk.
Alec Linden
SHARON — The Board of Selectmen met Thursday, Jan. 8, with representatives of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to discuss the threat posed by the invasive aquatic plant hydrilla to Mudge Pond, where the species has not yet been detected.
Joining the selectmen for the hourlong Zoom meeting were DEEP fisheries director Peter Aarrestad; boating division director Peter Francis; environmental analyst Wendy Flynn; boat launch supervisor Yolanda Cooley; and fisheries biologist Matthew Goclowski. The discussion focused on what steps the town can take — and what assistance the state can provide — to keep the pond hydrilla-free.
The central message from DEEP, according to First Selectman Casey Flanagan, was that the town would need to take the lead on any prevention or remediation efforts.
“It’s going to be on us to deal with it if and when it gets in there,” Flanagan said following the meeting.
DEEP officials indicated that while the agency can provide technical expertise and guidance, it cannot fully fund or lead remediation efforts once the plant becomes established in a new water body.
Native to Asia, hydrilla is a large, fast-growing and highly aggressive aquatic plant that was first discovered in the Connecticut River in 2016. Left unmanaged, it can form monocultures that crowd out native plants and disrupt aquatic ecosystems, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The tenacious weed was discovered in East Twin Lake in 2023, triggering an expensive, years-long multi-organization containment effort that began showing promising results in 2025.
According to 2024 data collected by environmental consultant Northeast Aquatic Research, Mudge Pond remains hydrilla free, though the group found sizeable populations of five other invasive plants: fanwort, Eurasian milfoil, curly-leaf pondweed, brittle naiad and water chestnut.
Selectman Lynn Kearcher, who has been involved in lake advocacy for decades, told DEEP officials that Northeast Aquatic Research is currently compiling an updated report using more recent data.
Much of the meeting focused on education as a primary defense against the spread of invasive aquatic plants. DEEP maintains seasonal education staff who visit boat launches statewide to instruct recreational users in the “clean, drain and dry” protocol designed to prevent the transport of plant fragments between water bodies.
Francis, director of the boating division, said education staff visited the Mudge Pond launch 10 times during the 2025 summer season.
Still, Kearcher voiced concern about what she saw as a largely unmonitored pathway for the plant to exploit. “We have a state launch to deal with and we cannot control who comes and goes,” she said.
Wendy Flynn highlighted an initiative called the Invasive Investigator Program where volunteers are trained by DEEP experts in invasive species identification and boat cleaning practice before monitoring launch sites and educating boaters.
Kearcher expressed interest in this program as a means to increase vigilance at the launch, which she sees as crucial in keeping hydrilla out of the lake.
Aarrestad, the fisheries department director, said that lake communities with the most “cutting edge” invasive species management programs are using herbicides prophylactically – initiating herbicide applications before hydrilla is even located so that if the plant is found, the lengthy permitting process that accompanies any aquatic herbicide use has already been completed. This enables a community to mount a “rapid response,” Aarrestad said.
Herbicides continue to play a large role in Twin Lakes’ management of the waterweed, though Kearcher noted that residents around the nearby and similarly sized Lake Wononscopomuc in Lakeville had resisted herbicide use, which could indicate how herbicides may be received by the Sharon public.
The Selectmen and DEEP agreed to remain in touch about the issue, and to potentially work together on developing signage at the launch to inform boaters about the hydrilla threat.
“The onus is going to be on us,” reflected Flanagan after the meeting.
“I just think there has to be much more aggressive action,” opined Kearcher.
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SALISBURY — The Board of Selectmen welcomed the town’s new resident trooper, Ryan Cooper, at the regular selectmen’s meeting Monday, Jan. 6.
Cooper briefly outlined his career, saying he has worked out of Troop B in North Canaan for the past five years, primarily covering North Canaan and Salisbury, often on the night shift.
Selectman Kitty Kiefer raised concerns about speeding, an issue she said is particularly important to her.
“I like to get speeders,” Cooper responded.
First Selectman Curtis Rand then reviewed a range of upcoming town issues and projects.
He said the revaluation is complete and the results will be ready by the end of the month.
Rand said many property owners will see a sharp rise in their assessments, as much as 30%.
“Remember, the last reval was before COVID.”
He said that an increased assessment does not automatically mean an increase in property taxes. “We don’t increase budgets because there is more value” to the town’s Grand List.
Rand said budget season is now underway, with department heads beginning to submit spending requests.
He also outlined the town’s plans to address the condition of approximately 12 small bridges — defined as under 20 feet in length — and to explore ways to fund maintenance without costs reaching as much as $500,000 per bridge.
Rand noted that the Amesville Bridge, spanning the Housatonic River between Salisbury’s Amesville section and Falls Village, has finally received state Department of Transportation approval, 12 years after the new bridge was installed.
On waste disposal, Rand said that a grant will allow the Salisbury-Sharon Transfer Station to start a “pay as you throw” program. He said such a program could start as early as July, or in January 2027.
Rand also mentioned the ongoing effort among Northwest Hills Council of Government towns to take over the Torrington Transfer Station. Salisbury would need voter approval at town meeting to join the proposed regional authority.
On affordable housing, Rand said that new homes have gone up at sites on Grove and Perry streets, and the “Holley Block” development on Route 44 and Holley Street in Lakeville —currently Bicentennial Park — will start construction this spring.
Rand said the town has landlords who provide affordable rental units and do not get any credit for it, a situation he would like to address. “They should at least be getting a baseball hat,” he said with a laugh.
On traffic safety and sidewalks, Rand said the Salisbury School is working on a plan to build a pedestrian tunnel under Route 44 between the main campus and the athletic fields. (There is a flashing beacon and crossing guard there now.) If approved, the town would be responsible for owning and maintaining the tunnel.
Kiefer asked about speed cameras. Rand said that only Washington, Conn., uses them at the moment among NHCOG towns and that he has heard there are glitches in the system. Installing speed cameras, which issue automatic tickets, would require a town ordinance.
“I don’t think anyone is against the concept of a mechanical way of lowering speed.”
Rand said the new sidewalk project along Sharon Road (Route 41) from The Hotchkiss School to Lakeville is proceeding.
At Community Field in Lakeville, the tennis courts will be relocated to the current softball field. The courts are on Aquarion water company land and inhibit access to water company infrastructure. The softball field will move to roughly where the tennis courts are now.
The town will also be looking at improving bicycle routes from Community Field to the Grove and on East Railroad Street in Salisbury village, near the site of the Dresser Woods affordable housing development.
The town has a bid package ready to move the old railroad station on Ethan Allen Street in Lakeville back about 18 feet. The existing configuration has created safety issues for motorists and restaurant patrons, and trucks have repeatedly struck the building.
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Police Blotter: Troop B
Jan 13, 2026
Police Blotter: Troop B
Police Blotter: Troop B
There were no new reports logged for the Region One towns prior to the deadline for this issue of The Lakeville Journal.
At the groundbreaking ceremony Jan. 12, representatives of Northeast Building & Home were joined by Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, middle left, and Cornwall First Selectman Gordon Ridgway, far right.
Riley Klein
CORNWALL — Northeast Building & Home broke ground on its new retail store on Route 4 Monday, Jan. 12.
The ceremony took place on the 11th anniversary of a fire that destroyed the old lumberyard facility at the same location in Cornwall Bridge. Representatives of the construction supply company were joined by community members, customers and government officials.
First Selectman Gordon Ridgway, who volunteers at Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department, recalled the devastating blaze in 2015 and said the glow of the flames was visible from his home about five miles away.
“Twenty fire departments responded,” Ridgway said, on what was described as an icy January night. “It’s a wonderful day to see a phoenix rise from the ashes.”
Rick Kearns, branch director at Northeast, described the last 11 years as “a long, hard road” of overcoming obstacles, primarily related to the insurance company. He said the fire was so intense that the cause could not be determined, but it was likely electrical.
“I’m very fortunate that we had a group of loyal customers that were willing to come back and support us because without them, none of this would have ever happened.”
Connecticut Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz praised the determination of the company to rebuild. “Your business just epitomizes tenacity and resilience in the face of challenge.”
She spoke of regional real estate activity, both new construction and renovation work, that has spiked in the Northwest Corner following the pandemic. “Your business is critical to that continued rebuilding,” she said. “This whole part of the state relies on you.”
Kearns said construction of the 17,000-square-foot facility located at 44 Kent Road South (Route 4) is likely to take about a year with the grand opening expected in late 2026 or early 2027.
The business, which has been operating out of the hardware store up the road at 26 Kent Road S., will remain open during construction. Northeast also has a location in Bridgeport.
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