Council Votes on Wetlands, Proposed Site of Public Safety Complex, Bioscience Zone

Good morning. You probably don’t need to be told it snowed. It did. So schools are closed, parking is banned and ideally residents are not on the roads.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the Town Council voted to purchase 39 Round Hill Road from Miss Porter’s School for $125,000 for municipal use. Rep. Bill Wadsworth told the council the town plans to relocate the police firing range a few hundred yards west to extend the range and make it more appropriate for rifle use. The proposed burn building would be built in place of the current firing range.

Town Financial Director Joseph Swetcky told the council he had found $1.3 million in the Capital Projects Fund — money that was bonded for construction of the West Woods Upper Elementary School. The project was completed under budget and the money has been in the fund, with monies for around 30 other projects, for years. Swetcky explained that it took several years for the state to complete its audit of the project and when he discovered the money, he conducted a second audit to be completely sure of the money’s availability. It is legally usable for capital expenses or debt service, but not for operating expenses.

The council also asked Town Manager Kathy Eagen to compose a motion to separate the Inland Wetlands Watercourse Agency from the Town Plan and Zoning Commission. Wetlands would be combined with the Conservation Commission to form one seven-member body, with two alternate members. Members would be appointed by the Town Council for staggered, four-year terms and would be required to receive training from the state Department of Environmental Protection. A public hearing would be set in May, held in June and the change, if passed, would take effect Jan. 1, 2012.

In addition, the council voted to go ahead with participation in the Bioscience Enterprise Zone, which offers tax incentives for companies with fewer than 300 employees, focused on biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or photonics research to settle in Farmington. New Britain, Bristol and Hartford are also participating in the program, which was established as part of the UConn Health Network legislation.