SALISBURY — Access to a donated, 5-acre parcel of undeveloped land earmarked for 18 to 20 affordable housing units near Salisbury village will be the topic of discussion at two upcoming information sessions and a town meeting vote this summer.
The East Railroad Street land is being donated by adjoining property owner Jim Dresser to the Salisbury Housing Committee (SHC). Before the project can move forward with design work and Planning and Zoning permitting, SHC must first obtain access to the land over the old railroad corridor for a driveway adjacent to the Railroad Ramble trail, also known as the Rail Trail.
According to Peter Halle, co-president of the nonprofit SHC, in order to obtain necessary access, SHC must have a town meeting vote granting a right-of-way along the town-owned railroad corridor. The required distance is under 150 feet from the end of the pavement on East Railroad Street.
Halle explained that the housing committee cannot undertake developing an architectural site plan without pre-development funding from the state. And pre-development funding from the state, he said, cannot be obtained until access along the railroad corridor is granted.
“We have to get the access. What we’ve been working on and discussing is really awareness and how to best present this to voters in town.”
Information sessions, town meeting
The Salisbury Congregational Church has offered its facilities for the two information sessions and the town meeting while Town Hall is under renovation.
The information sessions are scheduled for Thursday, June 30, at 6 p.m., and Saturday, July 16, at 11 a.m.
The town meeting is set for Thursday, July 28, at 7:30 p.m.
Proponents of the project said they are confident that the public recognizes both the need for additional rental units in town as well as the merits of the site, which is tucked away in a forested area only 200 yards away from the bustling Salisbury village.
‘The Rail Trail
will remain’
Dresser, a longtime Salisbury resident and former selectman, recently met up with Halle at the East Railroad Street property, which is within a short distance and visible from his residence on nearby Academy Street.
A lone jogger on the Rail Trail sprinted by as the two affordable housing advocates led a reporter on a tour of the site.
“A lot of people have thanked me for the gift and have said this is such a good location and that we need the units,” noted Dresser, who unfurled a site map showing the area.
“The good news is, we will not use this road to access these units,” said Dresser as he stood at the point on Academy Street where his property ends and the donated land begins. Instead, access from Main Street would be via Library and Railroad Streets.
The traffic on Academy Street and the parking lot at LaBonne’s would not be affected, according to the SHC.
18 to 20 affordable rentals, similar to Sarum
Halle and Dresser said they are optimistic that the upcoming public hearing will not be a repeat of one that took place about seven years ago, when residents voted down a proposal by the Women’s Institute for Housing and Economic Development for a 30-unit housing complex on the site, due to fears about a significant encroachment on the Rail Trail.
This time around, the plan is scaled down. The SHC is proposing to build between 18 and 20 affordable rental units of one, two and three bedrooms on the site.
Pending professional input from an architectural firm, said Halle, it is likely that the units will be similar in appearance to those owned by SHC at Sarum Village on Cobble Road.
The Rail Trail will not be blocked by the proposed driveway, Halle said. The railroad corridor is 66 feet wide. The short stretch of land required for this project would occupy less than half that width, leaving more than 30 feet for the customary pedestrian bicycle use of the Rail Trail, he explained, as he measured the width using wide steps to demonstrate the ample space.
“The Rail Trail will definitely remain. We are hoping to enhance it, to beautify it with hedges and other plantings,” said Dresser. The 5-acre site has access to town water and sewer, and is secluded, despite being 200 yards from Salisbury Village.
According to SHC plans, a sturdy, landscaped barrier will ensure safe separation between motor vehicles on one side and walkers and bicyclists on the others.
A pro bono study by an architectural firm is producing renderings of what the access to the land will look like with the proposed driveway. These will be displayed at the information sessions.
Halle said the feedback he has received from the community so far has been mostly positive and barring a 51% “no” vote on July 28, he is cautiously optimistic that the project will earn the community’s support.
“We are realistic, we know there will be some sort of opposition, there always is.”
LAKEVILLE — Rhys V. Bowen, 65, of Foxboro, Massachusetts, died unexpectedly in his sleep on Sept. 15, 2025. Rhys was born in Sharon, Connecticut, on April 9, 1960 to Anne H. Bowen and the late John G. Bowen. His brother, David, died in 1979.
Rhys grew up at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, where his father taught English. Attending Hotchkiss, Rhys excelled in academics and played soccer, basketball, and baseball. During these years, he also learned the challenges and joys of running, and continued to run at least 50 miles a week, until the day he died.
In 1982 after graduating summa cum laude from Harvard College, Rhys returned to Hotchkiss to teach biology, where he met his wife of 35 years, Rebecca (Becky) Snow. After two years of teaching, he worked at a research field site in Borneo, then went on to the University of California, Davis where he earned a PhD in Animal Behavior in 1995.
Rather than follow an academic tenure track, Rhys preferred the solitary focus of field ornithology, and he spent several decades researching the ecology of bird species in California and on Cape Cod and the Islands. Rhys believed passionately in supporting biodiversity through habitat preservation. His proudest achievements, therefore, came through his work for the Lakes Region Conservation Trust, in New Hampshire, where he served on committees and the Board of Trustees for twenty years, including three years as Chair.
Deeply intellectual and curious, Rhys learned Homeric Greek so he could read The Odyssey and The Iliad in their original language. An amateur Melville scholar, he would wax poetic about reading Moby-Dick for the umpteenth time.Rhys’s spirit was filled by the performing arts. Concerts by the Handel and Haydn Society and Boston Early Music Festival often brought tears to his eyes, while Boston Bluegrass Union shows delivered toe-tapping fidgetiness.
Rhys will be missed by his wife, Becky Snow, his mother, Anne Bowen, extended family, friends, and anyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.
A service will be held at The Hotchkiss School chapel on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 at 1 p.m..
In honor of Rhys’s memory, donations can be made to the Lakes Region Conservation Trust.
LAKEVILLE — Kelsey K. Horton, 43, a lifelong area resident, died peacefully on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut, following a courageous battle with cancer. Kelsey worked as a certified nursing assistant and administrative assistant at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, from 1999 until 2024, where she was a very respected and loved member of their nursing and administrative staff.
Born Oct. 4, 1981, in Sharon, she was the daughter of W. Craig Kellogg of Southern Pines, North Carolina, and JoAnne (Lukens) Tuncy and her husband Donald of Millerton, New York. Kelsey graduated with the class of 1999 from Webutuck High School in Amenia and from BOCES in 1999 with a certificate from the CNA program as well. She was a longtime member of the Lakeville United Methodist Church in Lakeville. On Oct. 11, 2003, in Poughkeepsie, New York, she married James Horton. Jimmy survives at home in Lakeville. Kelsey loved camping every summer at Waubeeka Family Campground in Copake, and she volunteered as a cheer coach for A.R.C. Cheerleading for many years. Kelsey also enjoyed hiking and gardening in her spare time and spending time with her loving family and many dear friends.
In addition to her husband and parents, Kelsey is survived by her two beloved children, Hunter Horton and Aryanna Horton, both of Lakeville; a step-brother, Jason Tuncy of East Hartford, Connecticut; her mother-in-law, Frances “Fran” Horton and her brother-in-law, Benjamin D. Horton III and his wife Penny of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, and their son, Alec, and several aunts, uncles, cousins and many dear friends. She was predeceased by her father-in-law, Benjamin D. Horton, Jr. in 2017.
There are no calling hours. A Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Millerton American Legion Post # 178, Route 44, Millerton, NY 12546. A time to celebrate Kelsey and share stories and memories. Memorial contributions may be made to The Jane Lloyd Fund. Please make checks payable to Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation (please note in memo line, The Jane Lloyd Fund) and mail to: Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, 800 N. Main Street, Sheffield, MA 01257.
To send an online condolence to the family, flowers to the service or to plant a tree in Kelsey’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546.
SHARON — On Sept. 27, Eliot Warren Brown was shot and killed at age 47 at his home in New Orleans, Louisiana, in a random act of violence by a young man in need of mental health services. Eliot was born and raised in Sharon, Connecticut, and attended Indian Mountain School and Concord Academy in Massachusetts. He graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He and his wife Brooke moved to New Orleans to answer the call for help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and fell in love with the city.
In addition to his wife Brooke, Eliot leaves behind his parents Malcolm and Louise Brown, his sisters Lucia (Thaddeus) and Carla (Ruairi), three nephews, and extended family and friends spread far and wide.
Normally at this point one might list some interests, but in Eliot’s case, it’s easier to list what he wasn’t interested in: watching sports.
Eliot made a living as a fine craftsman and carpenter, but at heart he was an artist. He was well versed in music, painting, literature, biking, travel, Mardi Gras costumes, poker, pranks, street performance and on and on and on.Having previously hiked the entire Camino de Santiago in Spain and Portugal, he recently achieved another dream of summiting the highest stratovolcano in North America.
Eliot’s creative ability was astounding. His creations were designed to bring joy to others. He didn’t seek recognition or praise, and a large part of his work was anonymous. Pieces of art would appear in the community, encouraging people to think, connect and enjoy.
From the precociously funny and determinedly defiant boy that grew up in the Northwest corner of Connecticut, Eliot grew into a brilliant, gentle souled, boundlessly creative, ever mischievous, perpetually scraggly, and astoundingly wise and caring man who made an indelible impact on those who were lucky to have him in their lives.
In honor of Eliot, please consider making donations to organizations that work to end gun violence, support the arts, or provide mental health services. A service will be held at the Congregational Church in Salisbury on Sunday Oct. 26 at 2 p.m.
SHARON — Randall “Randy” Osolin passed away on Sept. 25, 2025, at the age of 74. He was born on Feb. 6, 1951, in Sharon, Connecticut to the late Ramon (Sonny) and Barbara (Sandmeyer) Osolin.
He was a dedicated social worker, a natural athlete, a gentle friend of animals, an abiding parish verger, an inveterate reader, and an estimable friend and neighbor. He was a kind-hearted person whose greatest joy was in helping someone in need and sharing his time with his family and good friends.
He was the beloved husband of Karen LaChance Osolin; the loving brother of Bruce Osolin and the late Gail Osolin Leo; the devoted uncle of Kyle and Andrew Osolin and Taylor LaChance; the brother-in-law of Debra LaChance; and the cousin of Brenda Curran, Jay Pickering and Audra Salazar.
To honor Randy’s memory, do a good deed for another or send a donation to the Little Guild, 258 Sharon-Goshen Road, West Cornwall, CT 06796. The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
