First Selectman's Reports
04-20-2026 Simsbury First Selectman Report
Apr 20, 2026
A public record published by the Town of Simsbury (simsbury-ct.gov). mySimsbury indexes it and makes it readable; it is not the official copy. View the original file.
First Selectman’s Report 4/20/2026 40 Nod Road Solar Update At a Special Meeting of the Board of Selectmen on April 9th at 8:30 am, the Board discussed with Town Manager Marc Nelson, Planning Director George McGregor, and Town Attorney Robert DeCrescenzo, Esq. the option of becoming an Intervenor at the Nod Road Solar project discussion of the Siting Council on 4/23. The minutes can be found under this meeting on the BOS page and are on SCM’s Youtube under that date. The Town Attorney suggested expanding this to apply for Party status, to provide the most flexibility. The Board voted to pursue this. Documentation was submitted and approved, so the Town is now part of the formal discussion and can cross-examine to ensure the Town's concerns are raised and addressed. As a result of granting Party status, the CT Siting Council asked the Town to approve an extension of the decision deadline from June, 2026 to November, 2026. This was submitted. All materials and correspondence have been updated at the project site on the Town website below. We have been updating this throughout the process and have continually shared this information as things progressed: https://www.simsbury-ct.gov/1638/140-Nod-Road-Solar-Project The CT Siting Council Information on this Petition can be found below: https://portal.ct.gov/csc/3_petitions/petition-nos-1601-1700/pe1698 For reference, below is the size comparison of the Deep Water Wind /Tobacco Valley Solar project on Hoskins/County to this project: Tobacco Valley Solar Nod Road Solar 26.4 megawatts/135 acres 4.65 megawatts/17 acres How to share your comments this week. Budget Updates There is a second public hearing on the Budget this Tuesday night, April 21st, in the Main Meeting Room at Town Hall. The Board of Finance continues its FY27 Budget discussions, and your input is welcome as part of the public hearing. There has been some new information regarding health insurance that will be brought to the table, as it impacts the current projected mill rate. Charter Updates Tonight, the Board of Selectmen voted to accept all Charter recommendations from the Charter Revision Commission, EXCEPT for voting to reject the section eliminating the Economic Development Commission, which means the EDC will remain in the charter. We also approved sending the revised Charter to referendum so it can be voted on by the public at the November 3, 2026 election. Wording for the Referendum will be finalized before the ballots are produced. Thank you again to the CRC, Franklyn, and Bob D for all of your work – and to our Board for seeing this process through over the last 2 years. Simsbury Library Strategic Plan The Simsbury Public Library is looking for your input about your thoughts on the future of community to help guide their strategic planning. Would you be willing to answer a few quick questions? Your answers are so important! This information will be reviewed by the Library’s Strategic Plan Committee and will shape the goals and direction the Library will take for the next 5 years. There are also 2 upcoming Strategic Plan Listening Sessions to learn more: Tuesday, April 28th, at St. Mary’s Church, 7pm-8:15pm – Join us for a multi-faith community conversation – all are welcome. Light refreshments will be available. Tuesday, May 5th, SPL Tariffville Room, 3:30pm – 5pm – Drop in for Cinco de Mayo snacks, surveys, and a chance to give feedback to the Simsbury Public Library Strategic Planning Committee – all ages are welcome. You can find the survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfhWoN1Q0TvO2tlyquFpl4enQQ33iaOJfmr_UGQA8NqtprenQ /viewform For Golfers with questions on the Simsbury Farms Golf Course post-winter conditions My husband, Max, asked our Parks and Rec Director, Tom Tyburski, about the condition of some of the greens at the Farms, which he felt many golfers would want to know the status of. Here’s the response: Where you see the darker (dead) grass on some of the greens and tees, those are “low” spots. Last December, when the ground was already fairly frozen, we had a large rainstorm (think back to mid- December). Right after the storm, we had a really hard freeze, and then we got snow not long after. We basically had puddles freeze into place in these spots. Healthy turf needs “room to breathe.” With the ice frozen on top for most of the winter, the turf in these spots, instead of going just dormant, died. Our superintendent worries about this every winter. In the last few years, we have had relatively warmer winters with little significant snow cover for very long. As soon as the soil temperatures warmed up, our staff aerated the areas, seeded them, and applied fertilizer. In some places, they placed tarps over the areas to “speed up” germination. Then, warm temps last weekend helped a lot. We are already seeing new growth in many of the areas, and within a couple of weeks the previous damage should not be noticeable. To prevent this type of issue in the future, the best approach would be to regrade some of these areas to encourage water to drain away from them. This work would be costly. In the short term, we will likely place tarps over the most “fragile” areas next winter. These areas are often near the edges of the course, near tree lines that don’t get much sun, especially during the winter months. For more information, feel free to track down our Golf Superintendent, Brian Johnson, if you’re at the Farms. Simsbury Land Trust The SLT is honored to dedicate a tree to the Town in appreciation of the community that has supported our conservation efforts over the last 50 years! It is scheduled for Arbor Day (April 24th) at 3:00 PM on the Public Library grounds. It will be followed by a hike and scavenger hunt in Belden Forest led by Dr. Susan Masino. Everything is already coordinated with Lisa Miceli, the Library Board of Trustees, and Director of Public Works Tom Roy, P.E. (Tree Warden). Bartlett Tree Care is also providing a free consultation and handling the planting. The SLT is also celebrating its 50th Anniversary with a dinner at Rosedale Farms on June 4th. Hometown Heroes Applications OPEN until April 30, 2026 at 4:30 PM If you know of a community member you consider a ‘Hometown Hero’, please apply by following the requirements at this link: https://www.simsbury-ct.gov/FormCenter/Hometown-Hero-Nomination-Form- 14/Nomination-Form-for-Hometown-Hero-Progra-70. The Hometown Hero Selection Committee meets in early May to evaluate all applications. The members of this Committee are representatives from the military (Sabrina Teixeira – American Legion), the business community (Amy Sheehan – The Coffee Spot, a past hometown hero (Jay Willerup), the Historical Society (Jane McAlpine), and 2 members of the Board of Selectmen from both parties (Kevin Beal and me). We look forward to reviewing this year’s candidates. Retirement of Reverend J. Taylor Albright I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Taylor Albright on his retirement from Trinity Episcopal Church after 28 years of service to our community as Reverend of this church in the heart of the Village of Tariffville. Taylor has been a big part of our community, serving as Chaplain to the Simsbury Police Department, and built strong ties across Simsbury by opening the church up to many Town events that welcomed all. The Easter Bunny visited Mabel! The Easter Bunny came to our house with a treat bag for Mabel! (She also likes Matzoh with butter.) She wore her UConn collar to show the Easter Bunny who she supported. The Huskies beat the Fighting Illini of Illinois in the semifinal game the night before! Too bad they lost in the finals, but there is always next year! Office hours I have a flexible work schedule, so feel free to reach out, and we can set up a time to meet - either in my Town Hall office or grab a coffee in Town. 860-543-3770; wmackstutis@simsbury-ct.gov Thanks, Wendy