SALISBURY — The Salisbury Association Land Trust (SALT) greeted 2023 with two conservation gifts that will keep on giving: 43 undeveloped acres atop Sugar Hill Road in the Amesville section of town, and a Forever-Wild Conservation Easement encompassing 82 acres on Dugway Road.
Both transactions were finalized in December and announced by SALT on Jan. 9.
The Sugar Hill Road property, donated by Owen and Jennifer Thomas, connects with the land trust’s 205- acre Prospect Mountain Preserve, as well as the National Park Service Appalachian Trail land.
At the request of the Thomases, the Sugar Hill Road site will be called Inka’s Woods, named after the family’s much-loved dog.
According to John Landon, chairman of SALT’s acquisition committee, there is an existing connector trailgoing through the property, the Limestone Springs Trail, which leads to the Limestone Springs Shelter and the Appalachian Trail.
In a separate transaction last month, the land trust also accepted a Forever-Wild Conservation Easement from John and Betsy Sprague. The easement protects 82 acres of highly visible forested landscape of ecological and geological significance on the northwest side of Brinton Hill, also known as Gallows Hill.
The tract abuts 66 acres of previously protected forever-wild lands, and the Sprague Easement expands protection on Brinton Hill to almost 150 acres. The new easement also protects 1,716 feet of road frontage, much of it directly along the Housatonic River.
“The Forever-Wild designation ensures that native processes, not the hand of man, guides the succession of this forest into the old-growth stage,” said Landon. Old growth forest, he noted, is extremely rare in Connecticut and is notable for its long-term stability, complexity and species diversity.
To help with Sprague closing costs, SALT received its first Transaction Assistance Grant from the Connecticut Land Conservation Council (CLCC).
Jeanette Weber, president of the Salisbury Association, noted that both the Thomases and Spragues hope their donations will inspire other landowners to consider conservation efforts for their land.
HVRHS’s Victoria Brooks navigates traffic on her way to the hoop. She scored a game-high 17 points against Nonnewaug Tuesday, Dec. 16.
FALLS VILLAGE — Berkshire League basketball returned to Housatonic Valley Regional High School Tuesday, Dec. 16.
Nonnewaug High School’s girls varsity team beat Housatonic 52-42 in the first game of the regular season.
The atmosphere was intense in Ed Tyburski Gym with frequent fouls, traps and steals on the court. Fans of both sides heightened the energy for the return of varsity basketball.
HVRHS started with a lead in the first quarter. The score balanced out by halftime and then Nonnewaug caught fire with 20 points in the third quarter. Despite a strong effort by HVRHS in the last quarter, the Chiefs held on to win.
Housatonic’s Victoria Brooks scored a game-high 17 points and Olivia Brooks scored 14. Carmela Egan scored 8 points with 14 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 assists. Maddy Johnson had 10 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists and 2 points, and Aubrey Funk scored 1 point.
Nonnewaug was led by Gemma Hedrei with 13 points. Chloe Whipple and Jayda Gladding each scored 11 points. Sarah Nichols scored 9, Bryce Gilbert scored 5, Gia Savarese scored 2 and Jazlyn Delprincipe scored 1.
CORNWALL — At the Dec. 9 meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission, the commission had a pre-application discussion with Karl Saliter, owner of Karl on Wheels, who plans to operate his moving business at 26 Kent Road South, which is an existing retail space.
Saliter said he will use the existing retail section of the building as a mixed retail space and office, and the rear of the building for temporary storage during moving operations.
There will be no external “personal” storage proposed for the property.
The commission decided that Saliter should go ahead with a site plan application under the regulations for “retail stores and trades.”
P&Z also set a public hearing on a proposed text amendment on dimensional requirements for properties in the West Cornwall General Business (GB) zone. It will be held Jan. 13, 2026, at 7 p.m. at the Cornwall Library.
FALLS VILLAGE — The Board of Selectmen at its Dec. 17 meeting heard concerns about the condition of Sand Road.
First Selectman David Barger reported a resident came before the board to talk about the road that is often used as feeder between Salisbury and Canaan.
“The person said there is not proper maintenance of that road and it is often the scene of accidents,” Barger said in a phone interview. “There is a problem with the canopy of trees that hang over it, making it hard to keep clear, but there is also the problem of speeding, which is terrible.”
As a former state trooper, he said he is familiar with the problem of drivers going too fast on that road, describing one case in which he had to charge someone for traveling way above the speed limit.
Barger said the town cannot reconfigure the roadway at this time, but officials and road crew members will keep an extra eye on it as a short-term solution.
In other business, Barger said the selectmen plan to call a town meeting sometime next month. Residents will be asked to take the remaining funds, which total $48,200, from the non-recurring capital fund to allow for Allied Engineering to perform engineering studies on the proposed salt shed. Money for construction has already been secured through a STEAP grant, which the town received in the amount of $625,000.
“We’re looking at critical infrastructure projects and this is one component,” he said.
At that town meeting, there will also be a vote to take $2,000 from the town’s discretionary fund to pay Cardinal Engineering for work on repair of the Cobble Road bridge.
