Recently, getting Stafford’s annual budget passed has been — to put it mildly — difficult. In 2023, the budget went to three referendums, finally passing on the third attempt. So, when the Stafford Democrats started putting out videos to help spread their candidates’ message, it’s no surprise that budget concerns were on their minds.
In the video, First Selectman candidate Bill Morrison and current Selectman Rick Hartenstein tackle the infrastructural issues that will need to be addressed by future town budgets. Morrison said, “I think we need to lean on our legislators to get us the money that maybe is going to other towns in this state.” It’s worth pointing out that one of the legislators Morrison would have to lean on is State Rep. Kurt Vail, who is also his opponent in the First Selectman’s Race. Currently, Stafford is set to receive about $11+ million through fiscal year 2025. This pales in comparison to bigger cities and towns but is more than our neighboring towns are slated for.
Watching the video, a few different properties are highlighted, including the Borough Elementary School, the old Cumberland Farms building near Town Hall, and the Staffordville Elementary School. The Borough Elementary School will likely be off of the town books soon, as a developer is already interested in turning it into apartments. Plans have been presented to Planning & Zoning, who have not yet decided.
The Cumberland Farms building came up at the July 27, 2023 Board of Selectman’s meeting. The town is pursuing a grant to help acquire that building for more parking and possibly other town uses. Be that as it may, Morrison says, “We have a public works plan that identifies roads and bridges that need work and need work now.”
In the duo’s next video, some of those infrastructural issues were on the agenda.
Walking along Levinthal Run, Hartenstein, who is also the Chair of the town’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Committee, says, “At our ARPA committee, I presented that we put sidewalks in with the ARPA money that we got.” He says they also turned to the Transportation Rural Improvement Program to get funding that could help connect downtown all the way up to the schools. “What I would like to continue to do is bring [walking paths] downtown through Hyde Park,” says Hartenstein.
This project could help bring more people on foot into downtown, helping local businesses and alleviating some parking concerns.
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