WILLINGTON CONSERVATION COMMISSION MEETING
06/02/2015 Special Meeting
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order @ 7:05 pm.
Roll Call: P. Andersen, M. Drobney, R. Shabot, C. Jordan
(1) Motion by RS, 2nd by MD to send a letter to Jeff Bolton, Supervising Environmental Analyst for Construction Services, opposing the location of the proposed state police firearms training facility in Willington. Unanimous. (letter attached)
(2) Motion by CJ, 2nd by MD to recommend that the Town not sell a piece of Town-owned open space. The property was set aside as required open space for a subdivision. For: CJ, MD, RS Opposed: PA
(3) Motion by CJ, 2nd RS to make final payment of $1485 to NRC for boundary marking at Fenton-Ruby Park and Drobney Sanctuary. Funding previously approved to come from the Parks and Recreation Fund.
Minutes submitted by P. Andersen, secretary pro tempore
Willington Conservation Commission
40 Old Farms Road
Willington, CT 06279
June 3, 2015
Jeff Bolton, Supervising Environmental Analyst
Department of Administrative Services
Division of Construction Services
165 Capitol Avenue, Room 483
Hartford, CT 06106
RE: Connecticut State Police Firearms Training Facility Relocation
Dear Mr. Bolton
The Willington Conservation Commission is strongly opposed to the location of a firearms training facility in Willington on either the proposed Eldredge site or the Ruby site. Both sites are located in an area of high resource value as designated on Map 16, "Conservation Priority Areas" which is contained in A Natural Resource Inventory and Open Space Conservation Plan - 2007 (NRIOSCP). The NRIOSCP is available on the Town of Willington website under Conservation Commission. The Conservation Priority Areas were determined by using GIS mapping techniques to layer resource inventory maps and to assign weights for 11 natural and cultural resources. The resources that contribute most significantly to the priority rating of these sites include (1) streams that flow through a series of
ponds including Hall's Pond, a Town swimming area, and then into the Willimantic River (2) productive forest soils (3) located contiguously to a number of other large undeveloped parcels providing a significant wildlife corridor and habitat through the central portion of Willington. The proposed range (and likely future expansion of such) would be highly detrimental to these resources.
The NRIOSCP is a part of Willington's Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD). The first sentence in the POCD's Vision Statement for Willington states,
"The Town of Willington is a community that seeks to preserve its rural character and open space and protect its natural, historic and agricultural resources."
The proposed sites are proximal to numerous municipal, residential, religious and cultural facilities that many others have brought to your attention. Please see the attached 2006 letter from the Town Historian to the Conservation Commission, recommending the preservation and protection of a historic site (foundation and well dating to the 1700's) located on the Ruby property. The sound of gunfire echoing through the Willimantic River Valley as well as the other obvious and well-known environmental impacts of the proposed facility would be totally and incontrovertibly contrary to the goals and expectations of the citizens of Willington as expressed in the POCD Vision Statement.
You have been provided with suggestions for multiple alternative sites which would suffer lesser environmental impact than this rural, unspoiled community. Please examine and seriously evaluate other sites that do not have the high resource value of these parcels.
Sincerely
Peter S. Andersen
Peter S. Andersen, Chairman
Willington Conservation Commission
cc: Governor Dannel Malloy
Secy. OPM Benjamin Barnes
Commissioner Dora Schriro
Sgt. Shane Hassett
Senator Tony Guglielmo
Representative Sam Belsito
Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman
First Selectman Christina Mailhos
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