No date for town ethics code vote

SALISBURY — The Board of Selectmen held off on calling a town meeting on a code of ethics at the regular board meeting Thursday, March 7.Selectman Mark Lauretano proposed calling a town meeting for April 26, with two questions for the call: an ordinance establishing a code of ethics, and an ordinance establishing an ethics commission.Selectman Jim Dresser did not feel ready to vote on the proposal. “It’s the first I’ve seen of it,” he said. Dresser noted that the call did not include the ethics code proposed by Bill Morrill and Charlie Vail, and that neither the code Lauretano has been working on for more than a year nor the Morrill/Vail code had been reviewed by the town’s attorney.First Selectman Curtis Rand said he wanted to send both codes to the attorney at the same time.Lauretano said the final version of his code would be online at the town’s website by Tuesday, March 12, at the latest.He continued to press the case for an April 26 town meeting, saying that it could be canceled if the code or codes weren’t ready.But Rand said he had never signed a call for a town meeting without the attorney reviewing it first.There was some back and forth between Dresser and Lauretano, with the latter pointing out that the Morrill/Vail code has not received the same scrutiny as his version, and Dresser opining that further discussion of the two codes is necessary.The selectmen ultimately agreed to send the codes to the attorney, and Rand said they could meet later in March to set a date for a town meeting and write the call.During the “selectmen’s comments” section of the meeting, Lauretano expressed concern about staffing at the State Police Troop B barracks in North Canaan — in particular, concern about response times being longer because troopers have to go to Litchfield’s Troop L to process arrests and for other duties.He said he was putting his concerns in a letter for local political leaders and school administrators.Rand said he had met with the new Troop B commander, Lt. Michael Davis, who had reassured him that troopers were in the area. “Nobody’s ever said anything about closing [Troop B] or 30-minute response times.”“For all intents and purposes the barracks is closed,” countered Lauretano, a retired state trooper. He said the North Canaan barracks is not being used to the extent it was before dispatchers were relocated to Troop L, and said he believed that the Troop B building, if not used, will eventually be closed.And in response to a question from town resident Claude Rolo, Lauretano said he thought the barracks was being “closed in increments.”Earlier in the meeting, Rand said that weeds in Factory Pond, by the town Grove and Lake Wononscopomuc, had become enough of a problem that he was concerned about a child falling in and being unable to get out. He said that last year workers were unable to retrieve a bicycle because of the weeds.And apart from the danger, Rand said the pond is “increasingly a disgrace to look at.”Rand said dredging the pond would be prohibitively expensive, mentioning a ballpark figure of $300,000; he proposed using an herbicide instead.Janet Kaufman gave an update on the reclamation of Washinee Park, including eradicating invasives. “The park was in great disarray,” she said.Work continues, with a mix of private and public resources, she said, describing the process as slow and careful. And she asked the public to get involved. “Your input would be greatly appreciated. But it needs to be addressed now.”The selectmen approved a bicycle race June 1 and 2 that will use White Hollow Road; the use of parts of Indian Mountain Road and Valley Road for the Sharon Park and Recreation Sharon Sprint Triathlon on June 22; a half marathon in Lime Rock June 9; and a motorcycle ride on routes 7 and 112 in Lime Rock April 13.And the selectmen approved an Election Emergency Plan, which calls for using the Senior Center at the Grove for voting if Town Hall is unavailable due to power outages.