Salisbury OKs property transfer for housing

SALISBURY — Voters approved the transfer of town-owned property on Undermountain Road to the Salisbury Housing Trust (SHT) at a town meeting Tuesday, Nov. 12.

The vote was 152 in favor and 48 against.

The SHT plans to build two houses on the lot. An area at the rear of the property will remain open.

The meeting was a hybrid, with a full house at Town Hall and some 120 people watching and voting online.

The final results were not ready until about 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov 13. When a reporter went to Town Hall Wednesday morning, staffers were busy confirming that the online voters were eligible, hence the delay.

First Selectman Curtis Rand acted as moderator. When the Undermountain Road item (second on the agenda) came up, he said the matter has been the subject of extensive hearings.

“We’re not going to redebate this,” he cautioned.

Speakers were split on the proposal, with five in favor and four against before the question was called.

Three other items passed easily: Changing an ordinance to read that the cost of a town sewer hookup is $5,000; a transfer from the town’s undesignated surplus of up to $200,000 to fund additional remediation costs at the former transfer station, funding for the Twin Lakes Association for control of invasive species, and the purchase of two sidewalk tractors; to authorize the town to enter into an agreement with the State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) for a grant to the town in the amount of up to $50,000 for the purpose of funding the town’s Railroad Street Multi Modal Pathway and Design project.

The fourth item on the agenda, an easement from the town to James H. and Jane S. Cohan of 331 Housatonic River Rd. for the purposes of maintaining, repairing and replacing a stone retaining wall, fill and plantings and other improvements was not voted on because the Planning and Zoning Commission did not approve it, Rand said in a phone interview Friday, Nov. 15.