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| Dear Friend,
This is my State Capitol update for the week of October 6.
If you prefer to watch rather than read, click on the play button to hear about the issues contained in this newsletter. |
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I've had to make the drive back and forth from Hartford a couple of times this week, and the splendor of the NW Corner this time of year never gets old. In addition to glorious leaves on display, and mushrooms popping up from all the heavy rains (with more this weekend expected), there's also a new crop of lawn signs out as we get closer to municipal elections on November 7. I know they're not everyone's favorite, but seeing both the familiar and brand-new names posted by local residents is heartening. Each of our local boards and commissions is necessary to the functioning of our municipal governments, and the fact that so many people are willing to do this hard work with expertise, integrity, and dedication (and usually little or no compensation) is a reminder of how government can work when citizens are engaged. If you're one of the people who signed up to run this year, thank you and I look forward to working with you!
One of the reasons I was in Hartford this week was today's meeting of the Bond Commission, at which we approved funding for an array of initiatives. Many of them focused on transportation (including funding for infrastructure in the Northwest Corner and regional public transportation) or housing (including both "Time to Own" which supports home ownership, and rental housing). Other initiatives included support for replacing our antiquated vote tabulating machines (having witnessed the failure of these machines during my 2018 election, I can personally attest to the need to replace them) and critical support for the construction of a new firehouse in Norfolk, a town which has been in the bullseye of a range of costly environmental disasters in the last year.
I also want to highlight an important local meeting that took place this week at O'Hara's Landing on Twin Lakes in Salisbury. The meeting took place because a particularly nasty aquatic invasive species (hydrilla) has recently been found in the lake. Previously, this particular variety of hydrilla was isolated in CT to the Connecticut River Valley, and Twin Lakes was the first lake outside of that system to find and identify it. Since then, three other lakes in CT have confirmed the presence of this aggressive, fast-growing species. The meeting, organized by the Twin Lakes Association, included local officials, representatives from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station's new Office of Aquatic Invasive Species, the Natural Diversity Database, pesticides, and fisheries sections at the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP), the Army Corps of Engineers, and private industry which produces treatment options. It was a crowded room, filled with bodies and expertise, all trying very hard to work together with respect and good will. What appeared lacking to all of us was some central authority that could take in all the good information being generated, balance it, and identify an acceptable plan in a timely manner, for both treatment and prevention, both of which will be necessary. Even without that central authority, we have been able to move treatment forward, and I'm hoping that we can leverage the local experience into something that will help all of the freshwater lakes in CT to combat this invasive. Stay tuned. |
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Here’s a list of today’s topics:
- CT's Transpiration Bonds Upgraded to AAA. Click here.
- STEAP Grant for Goshen. Click here.
- Construction Begins at Sarum Village. Click here.
- Bear Awareness in Autumn. Click here.
- New Health Portal for CT Residents. Click here.
- ArrayRX Program is Now Live. Click here.
- New CT Paid Leave Website. Click here.
- Roadmap for Offshore Wind. Click here.
- Farmland Restoration Flood Response Grants Awarded. Click here.
- Northwest Corner Events. Click here.
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Kroll Bond Rating Agency has upgraded the credit rating of Connecticut’s transportation bonds from AA+ to AAA, the highest credit rating possible.
The upgrade is for Connecticut’s Special Tax Obligation (STO), Transportation Infrastructure Purposes bonds. These bonds are issued for the state’s portion of transportation infrastructure improvements, including construction and maintenance of highways, roads, bridge, mass transit projects, waterway access, and more.
In its notice to investors, Kroll credited the upgrade in part to the state’s strong legal framework that protects bondholders by committing revenues to cover debt service on STO bonds. Public support for transportation funding, Connecticut’s long-standing commitment to transportation investment, and prudent management have strengthened the STO bond program and bolstered its appeal to investors.
Kroll also upgraded the state’s General Obligation credit rating to AA+ earlier this year. Since 2021, Moody’s, Fitch, Kroll (twice), and S&P (twice) have upgraded Connecticut’s GO credit rating.
During the week of October 16, 2023, the Office of the Treasurer plans to offer $1.215 billion of Special Tax Obligation Bonds, Transportation Infrastructure Purposes in two series: $875 million 2023 Series A tax-exempt bonds to fund transportation projects across the state, and approximately $340 million of 2023 Series B refunding bonds to refinance previously issued bonds to lower interest rates and capture debt service savings. For more information on the State of Connecticut’s bonding programs, visit BuyCTBonds.com. |
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Great news - Goshen was one of the 60 towns that received a grant. through the Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP), These grants will be used to complete a wide variety of infrastructure improvements, such as:
🚧 Road safety reconstruction projects
🔧 Sewer and drainage upgrades
🚶🏽 Sidewalk and pedestrian safety enhancements
🔨 Recreational facility upgrades
✅ And more capital improvement projects!
Goshen is set to receive $500,000 in state funding is approved for a new public works facility. This will be matched by $500,000 in town funds.
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| On September 22, I joined the Salisbury Housing Committee and local supporters to celebrate the beginning of construction of 10 new rental housing units at Sarum Village. |
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The new bear management law takes effect on October 1. This is a reminder to residents to follow best practices to reduce the likelihood of an encounter with a bear this fall, as bears’ quest for more food before the winter makes them very active for the next few months. During the fall season, black bears increase their food intake to add fat reserves needed to help them survive winter.
Everyone can be a good neighbor and take steps to reduce encounters and potential conflicts with bears. The most important step is to remove food attractants, such as bird seed and unsecured garbage:
- NEVER feed bears.
- If you choose to put out bird feeders, do so in the winter months from December through late-March when bears are in their dens. Although most bears enter dens at some point, some can remain active for portions of or the entire winter season if food is available. It is important to clean up spilled seeds from the ground when feeding over winter and remove bird feeders at the first sign of bear activity. If you live in an area with bears, it is best to avoid bird feeders altogether.
- Store garbage in secure, airtight containers inside a garage or storage area. Adding ammonia to cans and inside bags will reduce odors that attract bears. Periodically clean garbage cans with ammonia to reduce residual odor. Garbage for pickup should be put outside the morning of collection and not the night before.
- Do not store leftover bird seed, suet cakes, or recyclables in a porch or screened sunroom as bears can smell these items and will rip screens to get at them.
- Keep barbecue grills clean. Store grills inside a garage or shed (and remove any fuel source before storing).
- Supervise dogs at all times when outside. Keep dogs on a short leash when walking and hiking. A roaming dog might be perceived as a threat to a bear or its cubs. (Dogs are required to be on a leash when visiting State Parks, State Forests, and Wildlife Management Areas. Check dog and leash regulations for town properties, land trusts, and other public properties before heading to those areas.)
- Do not leave pet food outdoors or feed pets outside.
- Use electric fencing to protect beehives, agricultural crops, berry bushes, chickens, and other livestock.
- Avoid placing meat scraps or sweet foods, such as fruit and fruit peels, in compost piles.
- Never toss leftover food outside “for the animals to clean up,” as that can be a source of food for bears.
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This month, the State of Connecticut launched its new health and human services portal, health.ct.gov. The portal is the latest development in the state’s journey toward an all-digital state government and is aimed at providing health and wellness services to Connecticut residents at every stage of life.
Health.ct.gov joins business.ct.gov as the next service category to be developed in the new digital, one-stop government ecosystem. Some of the resources available through health.ct.gov include:
- Health benefits eligibility screener
- Healthy living tools
- Emergency health service information
- Insurance and financial resources
- Heating and utilities assistance
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Connecticut residents can now enroll in a newly launched program enabling them to receive a discount card that can be presented at pharmacies to receive savings on certain medication.
The discount card is provided through ArrayRx, a multistate consortium Connecticut recently joined that has a goal of providing accessible pharmacy solutions for state partners. Other participating states include Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. The multistate consortium uses the leverage of bulk purchasing to offer up to 80% savings on generic prescription drugs and 20% savings on name-brand prescription drugs.
To receive a discount card, Connecticut residents must apply online at arrayrxcard.com. A valid physical Connecticut address and e-mail address are required to enroll. The card is provided to consumers digitally via e-mail and can be downloaded to smartphone wallets. There is no cost to receive a discount card, and there are no age or income restrictions.
Authorization for Connecticut to join the partnership was established by a provision of Governor Lamont’s health care affordability bill, which was approved by the General Assembly and signed into law earlier this year (Public Act 23-171). The program is administered by the Office of the State Comptroller. |
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CT Paid Leave Authority launched its new website with significant improvements to provide additional resources and guidance to workers, families and employers.
Key highlights from the new website include:
- Comparison page explaining differences between CT Paid Leave and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
- Application document checklist page showing an applicant exactly what paperwork they'll need based on their leave reason with sample forms that they can view before they apply
- More detailed instructions on the claims process broken down into (1) what an individual needs to do before they apply, (2) how to apply and (3) what they need to do after they apply
- Resources and guides page that is organized by role (worker, employer, sole-prop/self-employed, etc.) with pdf's, videos, related internal site pages, and useful external sites all aggregated in one place
CT Paid Leave's website address, ctpaidleave.org, remains the same.
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Connecticut’s first strategic roadmap for economic development in the offshore wind industry, which will be supported by a newly-formed public-private group known as the Connecticut Wind Collaborative. The roadmap can be downloaded online at portal.ct.gov/offshorewind.
A coalition led by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) in collaboration with the Office of the Governor, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), and several partner agencies, nonprofits, and industry groups developed Connecticut’s Offshore Wind Strategic Roadmap to accelerate the equitable and sustainable growth of the state’s offshore wind economy.
The roadmap summarizes Connecticut’s strengths, commitments, and investments in clean energy and offshore wind, and identifies four strategic pillars, each with priority actions to focus efforts going forward:
- Infrastructure and real estate: Leverage Connecticut’s deepwater ports to expand the state’s offshore wind marshaling, operations and maintenance, and other support capabilities.
- Supply chain: Increase regional capabilities and coordination across the offshore wind supply chain with a focus on resiliency, equity, and affordability.
- Workforce: Expand Connecticut’s existing workforce development programs to ensure that local workers – including those in historically disadvantaged communities – can prepare for and connect with high-quality jobs in the offshore wind industry.
- Research and development: Partnering with the state’s extensive network of innovative academic and investment institutions to promote research activities related to offshore wind.
The newly launched Connecticut Wind Collaborative (CWC) will be made up of leading industry experts and stakeholders from across the public and private sectors and will be tasked with supporting the full range of offshore wind activities within the state. The CWC will execute many of the priority actions outlined in the strategic roadmap, as well as foster critical collaboration across the broader region |
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| The Connecticut Department of Agriculture has awarded funds to 21 projects from the Farmland Restoration Flood Response Grant Program (FRFRG), totaling $312,050. Awards provide matching funds to Connecticut farmers, nonprofits, and municipalities impacted by excessive rainfall and flooding in July 2023 to restore lands into active agricultural production, with a focus on restoring and improving land with prime and important farmland soils.
Tantara, LLC in Norfolk was among the recipients in this round of funding, with a grant in the Soil Amendments category. |
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Native Storytelling with Darlene Kascak at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center on October 8
Join the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center around a fire to hear from storyteller Darlene Kascak of the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation on Sunday, October 8 from 4:00-5:15pm. The event is free of charge and all ages are welcome. Park in the main parking lot and walk down the path until you find the fire pit by the lake. Sunday October 8th is Simchat Torah, the final day of an eight-day Jewish holiday called Sukkot. Retreat guests at Isabella Freedman will be celebrating themes of agriculture and harvest, abundance from the land, hospitality, the joyful season, and the end and beginning again of the annual Torah reading cycle. Temporary structures called sukkahs will dot the retreat center as part of the holiday.
Click here to register.
Run & Wag 5k in Cornwall
Registration deadline is October 10. For more information you can visit their website. |
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| Cornwall Fire Department is Hosting an Open House October 15th
The Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department cordially invites you to attend their OPEN HOUSE on Sunday afternoon, October 15th from 12 noon to 2 p.m. at the Firehouse on Sharon-Goshen Turnpike in West Cornwall. Fire Department and Emergency Services members will welcome you. There will be opportunity to tour the fire station, meet the firefighters and ambulance crew, view displays of important safety information and see youngsters enjoy the “Kids Zone’ of hands-on games, relays and activities. Hotdogs, drinks and snacks will be provided. We hope you will stop by and celebrate with us. |
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| Invitation to Steep Rock's HVX Grand Opening Celebration
The Trustees of Steep Rock Association (SRA) will celebrate the grand opening of SRA’s Hidden Valley Expansion Project—206 acres of mixed forests, wildlife habitat, and recreational lands that are essential to the Litchfield Hills community – on Friday, October 20 from 1-2pm in Washington Depot, CT.
The grand opening celebration will take place at the main entrance of Steep Rock’s Hidden Valley Preserve, 198 Bee Brook Road, Washington Depot, CT. Following the ceremony, guests are welcome to partake in an optional hike to the 76-acre Cook parcel, a cornerstone in this transformative venture.
Three parcels—Cook, Mt. Tom, and Bantam— totaling 184 acres were acquired with $736,000 in grant funding from the Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition (OSWA) program administered by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) and a $1.2 million grant from Highlands Conservation Act funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
These acquisitions expand the size of Hidden Valley Preserve by more than 25 percent and have been among SRA’s highest land priorities for the past 17 years. Within these parcels, core forests, biological diversity, wildlife corridors, and high-quality streams and rivers are now protected forever. In addition, recreational access on the Shepaug Railroad bed expands by 0.75 miles and is a major step toward creating an unfragmented greenway trail from Litchfield to Roxbury, with connectors to Mt. Tom State Park and other regional trails. |
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| 5K & Fun Run Saturday, October 28 in Falls Village
Click here or the graphic below to register. |
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| Salisbury Affordable Housing Exhibit
The Salisbury Association is currently running an exhibit on affordable housing co-designed by the Salisbury Affordable Housing Commission, the Salisbury Housing Committee, and the Salisbury Housing Trust. Visit the exhibit at the Academy Building to learn more about what affordable housing is, why we need more of it, and the organizations creating housing solutions for Salisbury residents. Visitors will also get a preview of future affordable housing projects and will learn more about how to get involved in this movement. The exhibit will run through November 30. |
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| IYCMI - Upcoming Events
Project SAGE Annual Community Vigil |
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Norfolk Land Trust – Haystack Mountain Challenge
Registration is now open for the 10th Annual Haystack Mountain Challenge
Sunday, October 1
Race lengths: half-marathon, 10k, and 5k
More information can be found on their website: https://www.norfolklandtrust.org/events
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Salisbury Fall Festival on October 6-8
Salisbury’s annual fall festival begins today Friday, October 6 through Sunday, October 8. As always, there will be lots of activities and events for people of all ages, and more will be added in the days ahead. For the full schedule, see https://www.salisburyfallfestival.org/
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| Electric Cars: Easier and Cheaper Than you Think on October 11
The field of clean cars has increased greatly since the Kent Memorial Library’s last lecture on this topic, with even more hybrid and electric cars coming for 2024. And many of these models qualify for the new $7,500 in tax credit, with some dealers also paying for home charger installation. Bottom line: Things having gotten easier, and cheaper.
Host Michael Jay has spent much of the past four years driving on electricity, and he has real-world insights and advice to share. This informal, interactive session will address some common myths and misunderstandings, and will try to answer your questions. You can register for the event here: https://www.kentmemoriallibrary.org/event-registration/?ee=4625 |
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| Take Back the Hike with Project Sage and Kent Land Trust on October 14 |
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| Save the Date: Region 1 Flu Shot Clinic |
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| It is my honor to represent our district. I look forward to hearing from you about the issues raised in this newsletter, or any other topics you think I should know about. You can email me at maria.horn@cga.ct.gov or call me at (860)-240-8585. Thanks for reading, and I wish you a safe weekend.
Click here to forward to forward this email to a friend. |
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| Sincerely,
Maria Horn
State Representative |
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