Guilford in 2010: The Year in Review

January

Newly minted First Selectman Joe Mazza acts on a campaign promise, forming the first

Guilford Efficiency Task Force. The Board of Selectmen (BOS) appoints an all-citizen task force of five to look at improving efficiencies in town departments and equipment.

The town's Energy Task Force will team with five other area towns to begin seeking a shared $300,000 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Energy Efficiency and Conservation Grant.

Rising requests from parties interested in the town's Woodruff Farm property prompts the BOS to re-instate the former Woodruff Farm Advisory Committee. The town-owned land currently includes the Guilford Food Bank building.

The Wayne Paul Corporation pays more than $24,000 in additional fees for Guilford to hire a consultant to review a complicated application for a 115-unit, 55-and-older, residential complex with extensive wetlands on its Boston Post Road property.

Independent consultants hired by the Board of Education (BOE) are perusing site considerations for a new Guilford High School, including its present address.

As the end of its lease approaches, GCTV approaches the BOS to ask for use of a town-owned space that would provide more room to operate.

Exactly 10 months to the day his Jeep was found submerged in frigid Stony Creek waters, Guilford resident Dan Fleischauer, 23, pleads guilty to charges his actions led to the death of his passenger and half-brother Mark Albo, 34.

After public outcry in 2009 forestalls public meeting efforts to review and revise some of the town's Coastal Area Management (CAM) regulations, the Planning & Zoning Commission (PZC) announces it will form a CAM Committee to revisit the proposed regulations.

Sluggish development of the Guilford Commons at The Rockpile may be heating up again, according to Developers Diversified Realty Corporation of Ohio. Representatives met with First Selectman Mazza to discuss the project this month. The company had suspended construction on the project in April 2009 due to the economic downturn.

February

Tall, plume-topped, and choking out indigenous marsh plants, millions of shoots of towering, non-native phragmites grass are slowly changing Guilford's salt marshes. A group of 16 Whitfield Street neighbors have won a $13,000 Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection grant to help get rid of the growth in their area.

SARAH launches a bottle and can recycling program, placing large, yellow, self-contained collection units at key locations in town. The program helps employ clients who'll maintain collections and redeem the recyclables for cash that will be put back into the effort.

The town's public schools near completion of a two-year plan to increase security camera use at all seven school buildings.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Thomas Forcella heads up a State of the Schools meeting, reporting on district initiatives, accomplishments, challenges, student achievement, and the budget.

The town assessor's office reminds seniors (65 and older) and the disabled they may qualify for Guilford's tax freeze program, allowing qualified homeowners to freeze the current tax amount on their home.

The BOS approves a bid for three, 30,000-gallon concrete cistern tanks to be buried at the intersection of Goose Lane and Tanner Marsh Road. The tanks will provide an emergency water supply in the event of a fire in the area.

Snow falling early and often this season has caused Guilford's snow maintenance budget to go adrift, with 98 percent of the budget already expended by mid-February.

Guilford Fire Department announces it has received a $867,700 federal grant, under Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response. The grant will be used to hire eight firefighters.

Despite some calls to move the event elsewhere, the BOS approves the continued use of the Guilford Green as the site of the Guilford Art Center's annual summer Expo event, which will mark its 53rd year in July.

March

After a decrease in 2009 (the first in 30 years), Guilford's Grand List has started to grow again. The newly released 2009 Grand List shows an increase of 0.28 percent with an intended net (prior to Board of Assessment Appeals adjustments) of $3.47 million.

Pilgrim Fellowship, a non-denominational youth mission group based at First Congregational Church, launches an effort to find sponsors to underwrite entire construction jobs or fund a share of a job. More than 100 members will help rebuild homes and other needed structures in an impoverished region of Tennessee in April.

The state-ordered consolidation of local probate courts means Guilford and Madison's probate courts will become one as of January 2011. In the November 2010 elections, residents from both towns will elect one judge of probate to serve the new district. The merged service will be delivered from an office based in the Memorial Town Hall in Madison. Guilford's present Judge of Probate's office, in the Guilford Town Hall, will be closed.

A series of interactive public workshops invites input for the town's next Plan of Conservation and Development.

The Board of Finance (BOF) approves a proposed $77.7 million budget for fiscal year 2010-2011, sending it on to a referendum for voter approval (or disapproval) in April. The $50 million schools portion of the budget represents a 2.8 percent increase over last year. The town's portion of the budget, $27.7 million, includes a 3.23 increase caused by contractual agreements and a zero percent increase for operating expenses, said First Selectman Mazza.

No place like home-the BOE decides the property that's presently home to Guilford High School (GHS) is best-suited as the site to accommodate future needs for a high school expansion or new building.

Guilford Police Department throws a surprise party to celebrate 35 years on the force for Chief of Police Thomas A. Terribile and Sergeant Henry (Hank) Lindgren.

Guilford Public Schools receives an $89,000 green energy grant. Among innovations planned are a thermal hot-water heater at Adams Middle School and a range of lighting, refrigeration, and boiler controls spread between buildings including Adams, GHS, and Baldwin Middle School.

April

Contrary to what appears to be frivolous spending, no municipal dollars are being used to improve existing crosswalks around the Town Green. The project is being funded by a federal grant, according to the town's Scenic Advisory Committee.

To accommodate anticipated increases in property tax appeals during the next revaluation year, the BOS is putting into place an arrangement now that will allow the three-person Board of Assessment Appeals to expand to add up to three more appointments in a revaluation year, when as many as 900 cases can pile up. In non-revaluation years, the board hears about 100 cases annually.

Eight new firefighters begin work with Guilford Fire Department, thanks to an $867,000 grant earned in March.

After much debate and talk during April's public budget discussion meetings, voters head to the polls and approve the town's $77.7 million budget by 478 votes on April 20. Twenty-five percent of the town's registered voters turn out to decide on the budget and also pass two referendum questions on school improvements. Voters approved a $1.56 million appropriation for a roof replacement at Guilford Lakes School and $760,000 for safety and code upgrades needed at five schools.

May

Guilford marks the loss of Salvatore "Sal" Catardi, after the former selectman succumbs to cancer at age 71. As a Democrat, Catardi served for four years during two-year terms in 2005 and 2007 in addition to many other elected roles, earning a reputation as a hard-working public official.

On the heels of the newly approved 2010-2011 town budget, the BOF sets Guilford's new mill rate at 20.83, an increase of almost four percent (3.94) over last year's rate.

The BOS votes to authorize no more than $550,000 for schematic plans, designs ,and specifications for a new Guilford High School, paving the way for the BOE to select one of two finalist firms for the job.

The Guilford Land Trust swoops in to save the state from missing the chance to buy and preserve a 45-acre parcel of open space along Long Island Sound known as the Guilford Sluice. The trust paid out $360,000 for the property, which it will then sell to the state after the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) completes its work to gain a federal grant and secure other funding.

Republican Lisa Davenport of Durham announces she'll challenge incumbent Senator Ed Meyer (D) in the November election for the 12th District State Senate seat. Republican Cindy Cartier, a Guilford selectman, announces she will run for the 98th State Representative seat in November, challenging incumbent Pat Widlitz (D). The district represents Guilford and Branford.

Retail giant Costco makes it known that it is interested in moving to the top of The Rockpile, after representatives from Developers Diversified Realty Corporation, which owns the property, and Costco approach the PZC to explore a possible zoning amendment. The change would allow the big-box store to operate in Guilford.

The Guilford Preservation Alliance celebrates its 30th anniversary this month.

A lack of consistent performance reviews of town employees-including some who haven't been evaluated in 20 years or more-is reported to the BOS by the town's newly established Efficiency Task Force.

The Yale-New Haven Shoreline Medical Center celebrates five years of service at its Goose Lane facility. The center's emergency room service now fields nearly 25,000 emergency room visits a year.

June

Guilford Parks & Recreation Commission members, the first selectman, and other local leaders joined with the family of Kellie Duggan to dedicate a new recreation dock at Lake Quonnipaug. Duggan, who passed away in January at the age of 21, was a seasonal member of the Guilford Parks & Recreation staff as a lifeguard and assistant waterfront director.

Guilford's revaluation process will be delayed by one year, thanks to legislation co-sponsored by State Representative Pat Widlitz and signed into law by Governor M. Jodi Rell June 8. Guilford, Madison, and Middletown all received the delayed status due to the legislation. Instead of 2012, Guilford will undergo a full revaluation of homes in 2013.

The town's Energy Task Force announces it has successfully collaborated with groups in Branford, Durham, Killingworth, Madison, and Westbrook to win a $280,220 grant. The funds will help develop green energy solutions for the municipalities

The GHS Class of 2010 graduates, with 235 students receiving diplomas on the Town Green on June 17.

Voters give a thumbs down to spending $400,000 on plans for a new Guilford High School building. The referendum is decided by a tally of 1,977 to 1,646; a difference of 331 votes.

The Guilford Center for Children day care moves from its longtime home in a town building beside the library to snazzy, spacious new digs in a renovated facility at the Woodruff Farm property.

July

A 20-year contract with Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority (CRRA) ends in 2012 and that has the town considering alternative solid waste management options now. During its history with CRRA, Guilford was part of a 70-town lawsuit seeking repayment of money quasi-government body CRRA lost during an unsecured loan to the former Enron. In 2008, after a five-year battle, CRRA was ordered to put aside $35 million for repayment to the towns.

Guilford law enforcement makes headlines after Guilford police officers act quickly to apprehend and arrest an armed, registered sex offender on the loose in a wooded neighborhood near Lake Quonnipaug. The man was reported to police by his girlfriend after he allegedly threatened and restrained her before fleeing.

Republican Scott Scherban announces he will challenge incumbent Deb Henriech (D) for the 101st District state representative seat in the November 2010 elections.

A collaborative effort of Guilford Social Services, Guilford Youth & Family Services, and Women & Family Life Center forms Neighbor-to-Neighbor (N2N), a new assistance organization. In July, N2N announces it has won a $15,000 emergency housing assistance grant that will be channeled to residents in need.

A $300,000 state grant will repair the bulkhead and dock at the town marina, where commercial fishing boats tie up.

Costco prepares to move forward with its push to bring a 150,000-square-foot, member-only warehouse store to The Rockpile. Joseph Montesano, a principal with the company that develops Costcos (Northwest Atlantic Real Estate Services), said the company is planning to file a zoning amendment application with Guilford PZC by the first week of August.

The Guilford Preservation Alliance sponsors a panel discussion "Opening the Door for Big Boxes?" on July 29. The meeting packs the Community Center with those for and against the idea, there to listen to experts discuss pros and cons.

August

Tragedy strikes a Guilford family when 21 year-old Julie Greim, a 2007 GHS graduate, is struck and killed after exiting her vehicle due to a flat tire on I-91 in Hartford.

Costco Wholesale Corporation and Developers Diversified Realty are listed on an application received by the PZC for a zoning text amendment. The application asks the PZC to amend existing Service Center West zoning, which applies only to The Rockpile. The amendment would allow a 150,000-square-foot Costco store and separate gas station. Rockpile regulations presently allow for individual retail tenants of up to 25,000 square feet (or 40,000 square feet with a special permit). A tentative public hearing is set for Sept. 15.

Part-time Guilford resident Paul Marcarelli, an actor, screenwriter, and co-founder of Table Ten Productions, puts the spotlight on Guilford when filming parts of his original screenplay The Green in and around locations in town for a week. Among the actors are several local residents who answered an open casting call that drew hundreds of hopefuls to the Guilford Free Library.

Guilford Chamber of Commerce members meet with Costco representatives during a special "meet and greet" requested by Costco, the first of several such planned meetings with town organizations, according to Costco. Chamber members' questions focus on the impact Costco could have on the town's other retailers, both positive and negative.

September

Guilford Public Schools gets an allotment of $178,000 from the more than $10 billion being spread across the nation for education through the new U.S. Department of Education's Education Jobs Fund program.

Construction work underway at the CVS plaza results in the removal of several mature trees along Route 1 and Church Street, irking some residents. Several ask the Guilford Courier to investigate. The tree removals, all done on private property, were approved by the town and tree warden as part of a plan that will eventually include new trees and landscaping. The new plantings will be situated further from the road as part of a new parking lot configuration.

The PZC allows more time for consultants to complete studies needed before the Costco zoning amendment application can go to a public hearing, causing the much-anticipated first hearing on the matter to be re-scheduled to Oct. 20. The PZC anticipates receiving several studies, including a gravity and economic impact study and a peer review study of Costco's traffic study.

The Guilford Agricultural Society delivers yet another amazing, three-day Guilford Fair, enjoying fair weather from start to finish. For more than 150 years, the event has drawn crowds to celebrate Guilford's agricultural history with an old-fashioned country fair that includes live entertainment, a center-ring circus, concerts, contests, food, fun, and a midway.

Three downtown businesses close up shop: Paws by the Green, Café Grounded, and Cook's Kitchen.

Town employees are not receiving any raises this year and now town pensioners are given much the same fate. The town notifies retirees there will be no cost of living increase to town pensions this year.

Three contenders are in the running for November's election for the newly combined Guilford-Madison judge of probate office. They are Guilford Republican judge of probate incumbent Joel Helander, Madison Democratic judge of probate incumbent Phillip Zuckerman, and Madison attorney Leslie Marcarelli-Naizby, a candidate by petition.

A new mooring plan will bring significant upgrades to an outdated system in Guilford Harbor. The new mapping system will give registrants satellite map access to view their boat's berth and upload photos of their vessels, keeping tabs on its condition.

October

Instead of going to its first public hearing, Costco announces it has decided to drop its plans to pursue building a new store at The Rockpile in Guilford. The announcement is met with relief by those who feared the store would set a dangerous precedent for future development in town. Others feel Guilford has missed an opportunity, including the chance for an estimated $500,000 in annual property tax revenue from the business.

SourceOne is the firm selected to serve as regional energy manager for six towns, including Guilford, sharing a two-year, $281,220 federal grant. The first task will be working on a plan designed to reduce the towns' energy consumption by at least five percent, for a combined savings of $400,000 per year among the six towns.

The town's fifth annual Halloween Parade marches around the Guilford Green on Oct. 31, with hundreds of costumed participants enjoying the celebration.

GCTV announces it will be moving to a more centralized location at 725 Boston Post Road in mid-November, a major achievement for the non-profit organization. The group has operated out of a second-floor studio on Soundview Road for more than a decade.

November

Guilford voters turn out in record numbers at the polls, helping to keep several local incumbents on the job, including State Senator Ed Meyer (D) and state representatives Pat Widlitz (D) and Deb Heinrich (D). Guilford incumbent Joel Helander is elected to become the first Guilford-Madison judge of probate. In January 2011, Helander will move from his Guilford Town Hall office, where he has been for 15 years, to serve both towns from the new district office in Madison's Memorial Town Hall.

The BOE puts plans for a new GHS building on hold again, this time to look for a more cost-effective way to provide the needed improvements.

The latest effort to craft a new Plan of Conservation & Development takes the form of an online survey created for residents to give feedback on how they'd like the town to evolve.

Fees will increase at Alderbrook Cemetery to offset losses to the cemetery's endowment fund, resulting from the weakened economy. The cemetery, managed by an all-volunteer board of directors, contains graves and markers of many prominent Guilford families dating back to the 18th century.

Guilford Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Commander Larry Santamaria's discovery of military flags stolen from the VFW's outdoor flag display makes news and generates outcries and an outpouring of response. Many offer to help replace the stolen American flag and six flags representing the branches of the military. Police receive reports over the next two days concerning American flags stolen from several other Guilford locations, including Bishop's Orchards Farm Market. Two days after the flags go missing, Santamaria retrieves a bag containing all of Guilford's stolen flags, folded military style, left at the town's post office.

December

Hoping to have a new proposal before voters by the end of the 2010-2011 fiscal year, the BOE votes to hire architectural firm Tai Soo Kim Partners (Hartford) to evaluate options for renovating or rebuilding sections of Guilford High School. The firm will be paid $38,000 for the evaluation. Plans and drawings are expected to be completed in late December or January.

GHS is ranked eighth in the state by the education advocacy and research group ConnCAN, citing the school's 79.4 percent average of students' meeting state goals across all subjects.

A Dec. 4 fire destroys inventory and equipment inside YOLO Aesthetic Boutique & Med Spa at Village Walk, prompting offers of help from businesses and the community in its aftermath. The business hopes to reopen at a new location.