Salisbury slowly returns to normal

SALISBURY — Beginning Monday, June 1, the Salisbury Town Hall staff will be at full strength and working full-time. First Selectman Curtis Rand made this and other announcements at a special meeting of the Board of Selectmen held online on Thursday, May 21.

Some staffers will still work from home to some degree; Rand said that will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Employees will follow all state safety guidelines while in the building.

Town Hall will remain closed to the public until further notice, however. The current arrangement will continue, where the foyer is open and forms are available, plus there is a telephone so residents may speak to the various departments.

And residents may meet with employees by appointment.

Rand said at some point in the summer, when taxes and transfer station sticker payments are due, for at least part of the business day — 9 a.m. to noon, for example — residents will be able to go to a window under the portico and speak to someone.

Rand said depending on state guidelines, it might be possible to resume open meetings “later in June, but not now.”

Rand said there have been problems at the town Grove, mostly with groups of people drinking and not maintaining social distancing. Therefore, the decision was made to close the town Grove  to all activities except boating on Memorial Day weekend.

“We don’t want the town to become a hot spot” for COVID-19, he said.

The town was already seeing an increase in the number of people looking for a break from the lockdown routine.

“The amount of pressure on recreational areas is pretty staggering,” he said, especially at the trailhead along Route 41.

The reason the selectmen waited until May 21 to hold the meeting and announce the decision about the Grove was that the guidelines from Gov. Ned Lamont about public beaches were only issued on May 20. Rand said the guidelines are “confusing and sometimes contradictory.”

Recreation Director Lisa McAuliffe said she and her counterparts from other towns are meeting with Torrington Area Health District officials on May 28. After that meeting she hopes to be able to announce a limited recreation schedule for the summer.

Rand said as the summer progresses after Memorial Day, the Grove will be open but the total number of people allowed at any time will be restricted. He said he will work with Grove manager Stacey Dodge on a plan for that.

Rand also said he was sorry to announce that the summer youth jobs program will almost certainly be canceled this year.