Town Manager's Report - September 17, 2018
Citizen’s Academy
The Town of Windsor’s Citizen’s Academy begins on September 20th at 7:00 PM in the town hall council chambers. There is still time to sign up. The seven-week interactive Citizen’s Academy will continue to meet on Thursday evenings, meeting at various town facilities including the Police Station, Library and community centers. Participants will go behind the scenes and see what happens in the day-to-day operations of the town.
The program is free and anyone 18 years or older living or working in Windsor is welcome to sign up. Register soon by calling 860-285-1835 or by email at: jubrey@townofwindsorct.com.
Annual River Clean up Event
The town will be sponsoring its annual river clean up event on Saturday, September 29, 2018 from 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Those that are interested in participating should meet behind the Town Hall at 10:00 AM. This year’s goal is to clean up heavily used sites along the Farmington and Connecticut Rivers. Gloves and bags will be provided. Lunch will be provided by the Farmington River Watershed Association in Simsbury at 2:00 PM for those that are interested. Please call Tom Hazel at 860-285-1987 for more information.
Hearing Clinic – 55 & Up
A free hearing clinic will be held on September 25, 2018 at 10:00 AM. Free hearing clinics are conducted by a certified audiologist which are held at the Senior Center on the last Tuesday of every month from 10:00 AM to noon. Rides can be arranged to your appointment by calling 860-285-1839 two days in advance for Dial-A-Ride patrons.
Amtrak update
For the next week or so, there will be changes at the Windsor Station rail platform. Track one at Windsor Station will be temporarily closed to accommodate track construction in the station area. Track one platform is closest to the historic station building.
Passengers will enter and exit all trains at the station’s new track two platform until Monday, September 24 at 5:00 AM, when track one is expected to reopen. Directional signage will be posted at the station to alert passengers to this temporary closure.
The temporary closure of the track one platform will allow workers to complete installation and testing of the final section of the double track between Hartford and Windsor.
For questions regarding the Hartford Line, please contact customer service, provided by CTrides, at 1-877-CTrides(1-877-287-4337) or email info@ctrides.com. You may also visit www.hartfordline.com or www.amtrak.com
Paving Projects Delayed
The paving of various roads has been delayed due to recent poor weather which is negatively impacting the contractor’s schedule. Weather-permitting, paving is expected to start on Wednesday this week. The first roads to be repaved include: Old Poquonock Road, Lamberton Road and then streets in the Prospect Hill and River Street area.
Police Chief Report
The independent fact finder has completed the review of allegations related to the Police Chief. After interviewing multiple individuals, reviewing department policy and state law, the investigator has concluded no department policies or state laws were violated.
Allegation one related to a reported party, or gathering of teenagers, in a neighboring town and that the Chief intervened in the investigation. It was found that the allegation of the Chief’s involvement was untrue and the Chief had no knowledge or involvement in the gathering.
The second allegation was that the Chief deleted a video from the department’s Motor Vehicle Recording system. The independent fact finder determined that a video related to a February 2018 motor vehicle accident was not deleted by the Chief nor any other member of the department. The video was retained for a full 90 day period, which is in accord with the department’s retention policy.
The tape in question was not saved beyond the stated retention policy due to the Chief’s determination that it did not have evidentiary value. While this did not violate any department policy or state statute, the fact finder found it would have been best practice to have done so.
I’ve instructed police management to review department policies relative to the motor vehicle recording system and citizen complaint process to see if the policies may need to be refined and clarified.
Through this process, it’s been identified that some conflicts in communication and interpersonal styles exist. I will also be working directly with our human resources department and the police department to evaluate and take steps to improve communication within the police department.
In closing, I have confidence in our police officers, emergency dispatchers and department management. In today’s fast-paced, ever-changing environment, the importance of continuing to evaluate our department’s policies and practices on a regular basis cannot be over emphasized.
In the past few years, the department has built upon its strengths by implementing new technologies ranging from a Records Management Systems to in-car cameras, requiring additional training in areas such as domestic violence and crisis intervention, designing new reporting systems, and updating officer safety equipment.
I thank all members of the department, our sworn officers, dispatchers, records clerks, supervisors, department administrators and Chief Melanson for their efforts and dedication in serving our community.