Madison News Roundup

The Madison School District has completed some paving, curbing, and catch basin repairs on the Polson Middle School driveway, and this week speed bumps will be installed on the Daniel Hand High School (DHHS) driveway.

In a broadcast email, School Superintendent David J. Klein said that the speed bumps installed at Polson last summer were very effective in reducing speed and enhancing pedestrian and vehicular safety.

While the work is in progress, the campus schools can be accessed via the Polson driveway, and parking at Polson and DHHS will be accessible. The speed bump project is expected to be completed this week. 

Griswold Airport. Madison Landing. SGOD (Stop Griswold Overdevelopment). The debate over the planned housing development on the former airport abutting one of the state’s largest remaining tidal wetlands has been swirling for years. Battles have been fought from Madison’s Planning and Zoning Board to the State Department of Environmental Protection.

Rumors have begun percolating recently that the Trust for Public Land (TPL) has been negotiating to buy the 42-acre parcel, which the Leyland Alliance purchased for $4 million. Representatives of the TPL met in a closed-door session with the Madison Board of Selectmen on Aug. 5 to discuss the status of those negotiations. Read Marianne Sullivan’s account in The Source.

On the other hand, we have heard rumors of a town buy back for years, and Leyland just placed a glossy new sign at the airport entrance. So, who knows?

“The Town of Madison, Connecticut, is seeking a chief of police to provide executive-level leadership, strategic planning, and administrative direction for the Madison Police Department.” That’s the way the job listing begins on the Discover Policing website (the listing also appears on the International Association of Chiefs of Police website). “The chief of police must be a proactive, visible leader with a collaborative and engaging management style and an understanding of contemporary and innovative methods of policing. The successful candidate must be able to work closely with a variety of organizations and agencies within and outside the town.” Among the requirements:

* Candidates should have a proven record of accomplishment in policing with at least 15 years of service, 5 of those years serving as a lieutenant or higher.
* Candidates must possess a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
* Preferred qualifications include a master’s degree from an accredited college or university and evidence of continuing training and self-development, such as graduation from the FBI National Academy or other police leadership development program.
* Candidates must have excellent management skills, a proven ability to inspire confidence, and bring a strong record of achievement in public safety, security, community policing, and drug enforcement.

The salary is listed as $95,000 or higher, commensurate with qualifications, with a competitive benefits package.

Paul J. Sinicrope has stepped down as principal of the Kathleen H. Ryerson Elementary School after 23 years of service. The well-liked principal leaves behind a legacy of strong parental involvement in the school. Sinicrope says he plans to spend more time with his family, including visiting his daughter in Washington, D.C., and cooking, sailing, fishing, and being outdoors. Read Jen Matteis’s story in The Source.

The new Connecticut Conservation Corps, which is employing about 30 young people this summer, is removing invasive plant species and replanting native plants on an island off Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison and building lifeguard towers. The Corps, which is much smaller than originally envisioned because of the uncertain Connecticut state budget, is also clearing portions of trails at Goodwin State Forest in Hampton, Shenipsit State Forest in Stafford, and Bigelow Hollow State Park in Union, and also building picnic tables for those parks. Read about it in the Hartford Courant.

Scranton Memorial Library Director Sandra Long is warning that library funding cuts being proposed in the Connecticut state budget could result in the elimination of a number of library services, including free internet access and interlibrary loans. Read Marianne Sullivan’s account in The Source.