Sharon took the road less traveled in the year 2010

SHARON —  Roads and infrastructure were the theme this year for Sharon.

With the election of Bob Loucks to first selectman in November came an extensive project to take the town closer to having well-maintained roads.

The town’s roads and bridges have been slowly deteriorating through the years; Sharon residents voted unanimously in August to approve a plan to repair them — and appropriated $6,280,000 to get the work done.

Since then, road crews have been hard at work getting the roads in shape for what promises to be a long, hard winter.

This year, Sharon became the first town in Connecticut to adopt Incentive Housing Zones, which will give the town control over the planning, location and design of affordable housing developments. This major decision was a big step toward helping people who work in Sharon to be able to live there as well; it will also help quell some anxiety about the shape and location of the housing.

Two businesses at the shopping plaza closed down. The Laundry Lounge laundromat and the Twin Oaks Cafe struggled and could no longer continue. Potential buyers have been in to consider taking over the coffee shop. The center of town welcomed a handmade craft store called The Bodhi Tree, which features work by local artisans. Across the street, Prime Time House in Torrington opened a thrift store, Prime Finds.

And with much fanfare and excitement, the Sharon Farm Market opened. Since then the parking lot has been full to the brim nearly all day every day as shoppers come from down the street, and from as far away as Millbrook.

The Sharon Woman’s Club celebrated its 100th Anniversary in December. The club’s contributions to the town over the century have included everything from  scholarships to road signs to a plan to help eliminate invasive moths.

James Metz’s proposal in 2009 to buy a portion of Mitchelltown Road (and its collapsed bridge) was thrice voted down, first by the Board of Selectmen, then by the Planning and Zoning Commission and most recently by a unanimous vote at a well-attended town meeting.

The battle between Pilar Conde and the town over the construction of a gate on Conde’s West Woods Road No. 2 property is ongoing. A recreational easement on the road allows walking, bicycling and horseback riding. Conde sued the town for not allowing her to erect a gate to limit access to her property; she claimed that even with the gate, all of the activities permitted under the easement could continue.

At a town meeting,voters expressed a strong desire to maintain full access to the unpaved road. Conde took the case to federal district court, where she lost. She is  planning an appeal in federal appellate court for 2011.