State budget cuts rough on roads

SHARON — Like other towns throughout the state, Sharon will also be feeling the pinch in its road maintenance budget if Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s proposed budget passes for fiscal 2009-10.

The town was alloted $172,597 in road fund grants from the state for fiscal 2008-09. If Rell’s proposed budget passes, for fiscal 2009-10 Sharon would receive $126,571, a loss of $46,026 in funds.

“This will mean that either taxpayers will have to pay more to maintain the roads or we’re going to have to let them deteriorate,� First Selectman Malcolm Brown said about the proposed budget in an interview after the selectmen’s meeting Feb. 10. “There would be road projects that we have had in the works that would be affected. This has hit every town.�

Brown said the town has 87 miles of roads, 60 made out of asphalt and 27 miles made out of dirt.

“It’s going to be an interesting budget process,� Selectman John Mathews said. “It’s gotten much worse than it used to be. In the past, we’ve gotten some good road aid from the state. But in the past few years it’s been cut and cut and cut and cut. We have ditch and culvert problems in town that we have to deal with.�

 

Latest News

A scenic 32-mile loop through Litchfield County

Whenever I need to get a quick but scenic bicycle ride but don’t have time to organize a group ride that involves driving to a meeting point, I just turn right out of my driveway. That begins a 32-mile loop through some of the prettiest scenery in northern Litchfield County.

I ride south on Undermountain Road (Route 41 South) into Salisbury and turn right on Main Street (Route 44 West). If I’m meeting friends, we gather at the parking area on the west side of Salisbury Town Hall where parking is never a problem.

Keep ReadingShow less
Biking Ancramdale to Copake

This is a lovely ride that loops from Ancramdale north to Copake and back. At just over 23 miles and about 1,300 feet of elevation gain, it’s a perfect route for intermediate recreational riders and takes about two hours to complete. It’s entirely on quiet roads with little traffic, winding through rolling hills, open countryside, picturesque farms and several lakes.

Along the way, you’ll pass a couple of farmstands that are worth a quick visit. There is only one hill that might be described as steep, but it is quite short — probably less than a quarter-mile.

Keep ReadingShow less
Taking on Tanglewood

Aerial view of The Shed at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass.

Provided

Now is the perfect time to plan ahead for symphonic music this summer at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts. Here are a few highlights from the classical programming.

Saturday, July 5: Shed Opening Night at 8 p.m. Andris Nelsons conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra as Daniil Trifonov plays piano in an All-Rachmaninoff program. The Piano Concerto No. 3 was completed in 1909 and was written specifically to be debuted in the composer’s American tour, at another time of unrest and upheaval in Russia. Trifonev is well-equipped to take on what is considered among the most technically difficult piano pieces. This program also includes Symphonic Dances, a work encapsulating many ideas and much nostalgia.

Keep ReadingShow less
James H. Fox

SHARON — James H. Fox, resident of Sharon, passed away on May 30, 2025, at Vassar Brothers Hospital.

Born in New York, New York, to Herbert Fox and Margaret Moser, James grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. He spent his summers in Gaylordsville, Connecticut, where he developed a deep connection to the community.

Keep ReadingShow less