Gales Ferry Fire Department for hosting the event including the paid and volunteer
firefighters, noting that it was well organized. He stated town has used the Fire Station on
Route 12 in Gales Ferry in the past noting that it was a great location for the event; (7)
Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) Annual Convention - November 28, 2023
- Mayor Allyn stated he along with Chairman Rodriguez attended the CCM Annual
Convention at the Mohegan Sun Casino. He stated that almost every town in Connecticut was
represented at the Convention, noting that it was a good opportunity to meet with colleagues
(Selectman, Mayors and Councilors) and to obtain some good information; (8) Solid Waste
Sub Committee - Mayor Allyn stated he Chaired the Southeastern Connecticut Council of
Governments (SCCCOG) Solid Waste Sub Committee meeting on November 12, 2023. He
explained that this Committee has been discussing the crisis they have regarding the disposal
of waste. He stated the Materials Innovation & Recycling Authority (MIRA) in East Hartford
which was a “Waste to Energy Plant” closed in June, 2022 reducing the number of Waste
Plants in the State from six to four. He stated with the closure of this facility that 30
Municipalities had to find a new place to truck their waste. He stated Connecticut was now
trucking between 800 -900 tons of waste out of the state to Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West
Virgina every year. He stated this was a horrible way to address the issue, noting that the
Solid Waste Sub Committee was working to develop proposals to alleviate this issue. He
stated the Wheelabrator Waste to Energy Plant in Lisbon and the Plant in Bristol had the
capacity to have an additional burner. Therefore, he stated the Solid Waste Sub Committee
would be advocating for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental
Protection (DEEP) to fast track the approval process for the additional burners at these Plants.
He stated the Plants were already approved facilities and had the space for the additional
burners. He stated that this was just one of the number of things the Solid Waste Sub
Committee was addressing; (9) Dow Chemical Pier Ribbon Cutting - December 12, 2023 -
Mayor Allyn stated he attended the Ribbon Cutting for the new Pier at the former Dow
Chemical -Styrenics Site that was hosted by the Eastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce.
He stated the upgraded pier was a $4 million investment for large ships and barges to access
the port, noting that the old wooden pier was upgraded to steel and concrete. He stated they
plan to also rebuild the southern pier which would be a great asset to the rail and deep water;
(10) Town Hall Renovations - Office Space Reconfiguration - Mayor Allyn stated that the
Tax Collector’s Office and the Tax Assessor’s Office would be merged into one office space.
He stated most often residents have to go from one office to the next, and he stated having
them both in one office would provide residents with one-stop. He stated the renovation work
included making an area of the counter American Disability Act (ADA) accessible. He stated
the Tax Collector’s Office and Tax Assessor’s Office have been temporarily relocated to the
lower level of the Town Hall; (11) Deer Strikes - Mayor Allyn noted between September 1st
and the end of December, 2022 there were 129 Deer Strikes in Ledyard. He stated there was
deer strike this evening by the High School. He cautioned residents to drive carefully noting
that the deer were moving around; (12) Road Surface Rating (RSR) - Mayor Allyn stated
BETA Engineering has been working with the Town since 2011. He stated each year BETA
Engineering evaluated the road surfaces throughout the town using equipment that has
infrared technology to map the surface quality. He stated this year Ledyard’s road rating came
in at 86.5 which was slightly higher than their goal of 82 - 84. He stated part of this was
attributed to having a mild winter last year and to the use of some of the American Rescue
Plan Act (ARPA) funding for road maintenance/resurfacing. He stated BETA Engineering
reported that Ledyard had one of the highest Road Surface Rating (RSR) in Eastern
Connecticut.