Patch’s Weekly Editorial; Week Preview/Review

1. My Two Cents (an explanation of this new feature is at the bottom of the page).

Heads: The Waterford and State Police have to get some credit this week for how they handled the . They kept everyone away from harm, stayed calm and ended it as peacefully as possible. Also they didn’t hammer away on the guy with charges, and hopefully, he can get some help.

Tails: At Tuesday’s board of education building committee, somebody brought up a traffic light at Miner Lane, where the new secondary entrance will be for the high school. Town Planner Tom Wagner answered pretty quickly, saying it would be way too expensive.

Now, I’m not advocating for a traffic light on Miner Lane. I completely agree with Wagner.

What is troubling, though, is it brings attention to how expensive it is to install a stoplight, along with any major infrastructure that would actually make us safer. For example, everybody agrees the spot in East Lyme where I-95 branches to I-395 is extremely dangerous and is constantly clogged with traffic. First Selectman Dan Steward recently told Patch that the Department of Transportation has estimated the cost of fixing that intersection to be at $500 million. Because the price is so high, it doesn’t happen.

Before I covered Waterford, I interviewed Voluntown First Selectman John Millovitsch, who used to be the road foreman for his town. Millovitsch told me that he one time wanted to replace a street sign that was faded. The DOT, after reports and several visits, finally replaced the sign, at a cost of $5,000.

This is troubling. The cost of improving infrastructure, thanks to the DOT, the DEP, and probably 10 other state agencies, is incredibly expensive. That leaves roads and intersections more dangerous than people would like.

2. The week that was: The biggest story of the week, as mentioned, was the . Patch hopes Simmons gets the help he needs.

Also, in other news, one of Waterford’s richest neighborhoods remains in an . The board of finance approved . A police officer . A company working on the Waterford High School renovation and the town , a new satisfaction survey by Town Hall and the (which will be pivotal in avoiding layoffs) was dissected. Also, came to the area.

3. This week in weather: This could be another week of rain, and then again, it could not.

Today is expected to be partly sunny, with a high of 60. Then, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are all predicted to have a chance of showers and thunderstorms with highs in the 70s. Thursday, it is expected to be dry but cloudy, and then Friday and Saturday, the rain returns, with chances of thunderstorms both nights. All information garnered from this report is from the National Weather Service.

4.   This week in schools: Really, a pivotal board of education meeting Thursday that will affect all the students of Waterford. The board will hire a new principal for Clark Lane Middle School. Also, the board will decide upon pay-to-participate, which Belair believes can bring in $40,000 in revenue.

In some smaller news on that same day, Belair will ask the board to cut $5,000 on conferences for the board of education. This line item at its last budget hearing. Also, Business Manager Michael DeRay submitted his formal resignation effective July 15, a few months earlier than originally expected.

5.   This week in government: On Monday, the planning and zoning commission will officially receive an application from Mark Steiner asking for changes in the zoning regulations on . Steiner is asking to demolish the buildings and rebuild them, arguing it is not feasible to save the existing buildings. Also, he is asking that the housing no longer be restricted to 55-year-olds and older. Steiner will still market to an older community, but he can’t limit his market that specifically and still make a profit, Steward said.

Also Monday, the ad-hoc animal facility study committee meets. New London Police Captain Michael Lacey will not be coming to the meeting, according to the agenda. Lacey is in charge of New London’s animal control division, and committee members want to meet with him before making any decision to . They were hoping to meet with him in May, so it could be next Monday’s meeting.

Quote of the Week

“In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”

-Dwight Eisenhower

Trivia of the Day

Of the three members of the Waterford Board of Selectmen, how many have mustaches?

Friday’s Answer: The lowest point on earth not covered by water is the shoreline of the Dead Sea, on the border of Israel and Jordan. The altitude of the shoreline is approximately 1,300 feet below sea level.

Explanation of “My Two Cents:” It is my once a week editorial on top of the weekly five. Heads is the positive observation of the week, and tails is the thing that troubled me.