Letter from First Selectman Wawruck

On the evening of June 26, 2013, I had the privilege of opening the Public Forum at the High School Auditorium to discuss the completion of the Transit Oriented Development Planning Study.  This forum which was facilitated by Chris Ferrero of Fuss & O’Neil Engineering highlighted plans for enhancement of the Main Street area.  The study was made possible by funding from the State of Connecticut Department of Transportation and assisted by the Capitol Region Council of Governments.  Approximately fifty residents attended and asked questions and provided comments on the plans.

When I first ran for office it was on the belief, that together, we could make a difference and make our Town a better place to live.  I felt that with some forward progress we could develop a grander vision and truly make our Main Street a business-friendly corridor that we all could take pride in.  We are well on our way to creating that vision and now it is time to begin implementing some of the recommendations of the plan. 

As a Town we have made significant investments in the town center area including renovating Town Hall and making it more energy efficient and handicapped accessible (we cut our heating bills to one-quarter what they formerly were, received an energy efficiency award as the best energy savings in the Town Hall category for this calendar year).   We have built a state of the art Animal Control Facility and a new Bath House to accommodate the patrons at the Pesci Park pool complex, both projects over twenty years in the making.  We have also made ADA accessibility improvements to our Senior Center and reconstructed several downtown streets.    These investments are strengthening the Main Street area and now we have additional enhancements to pursue.

In addition to investments in the Main Street area, as a Town we came together to preserve the last significant parcel of open space for all to enjoy for generations to come by over a 9 – 1 ratio in both voting districts with approximately two thousand voters participating.  We have also received numerous grant opportunities along with our own capital investment to aggressively upgrade sanitary lines, storm drains, roadbeds, sidewalks and parking facilities throughout Town. We have some of the finest ball fields in North Central Connecticut all due to the dedicated employees who seem to do more each and every year.  All of these investments increase the quality of life for Windsor Locks residents and strengthen the community.

With all this momentum it is logical to take advantage of this positive activity and to get the Town behind an effort to conduct a study of the Main Street corridor to understand the dynamics and possibilities to bring the corridor back to life.  We as a Town are on the cusp of achieving something great by reversing the long decay of our Main Street and turning it into an attractive area to live, work and play.   As luck would have it, the Federal Government is about to invest money into rehabbing the New Haven Hartford Springfield rail line to double tracking with station rehabs tied into Transit Oriented Development opportunities for the towns on the line.  Windsor Locks has aggressively worked to take advantage of this federal investment by convincing the State DOT and AMTRAK that the relocation of the platform to the center of our Town made economic sense.

The relocation of the platform enjoys broad support and will be a catalyst for smart mixed use growth along the corridor. We assembled a team of planners, stake holders, business people, town officials and residents to come up with a plan of development that would take place from the most immediate timeframe to approximately thirty years out. Over many months, many meetings and much behind the scenes effort and with consultation with the stakeholders most immediately impacted, a town forum to discuss the plan and receive townspeople input and participation of experts from many various arenas, such as transportation, planners, housing experts and architects, the conceptual plan was developed.

At the Public Forum, we had a lively discussion about the plan and the merits of various recommendations.  We discussed how the plan could be financed.  In the short term we will be making an application for STP Urban federal grant funds in the amount of $2.5 million with a 10% local match.  We will look for other possible grant sources to pursue streetscaping improvements.  We discussed the phasing of the project.  We discussed form-based zoning regulations to encourage appropriate development and how that new form-based code could be administered.  We discussed the historic train station project and announced that we will soon go to Town Meeting to approve the acquisition.  Dr. Mohan Sachdev , who along with his daughter Nisha, acquired the Montgomery complex through our tax foreclosure action , spoke eloquently and passionately about his plans for this historic and crucial building in our downtown.   

The important take away from the meeting is we have a plan that is visionary and flexible.  With this plan we have a greater opportunity to seek federal and state funds that will help move various action items forward.  In order to make this plan a reality we will need the continued support and involvement of the public.  As we move to implement the plan, please get involved, please support your local businesses and please give us feedback on our efforts.  Our Main Street area has many assets including Memorial Hall, Ahlstrom, the beautiful new Walgreens, historic and active churches, significant small business activity, a renovated Town Hall, tremendous open space, the Windsor Locks Canal State Park Trail, the Connecticut River and so much more.  Most important are the people of Windsor Locks and the community we are together.  Let’s take the bold steps necessary to make the Main Street area thrive. 

In your service,

Steve Wawruck, First Selectman