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Friday, December 23, 2011
Major Progress On WL Historic Train Station Restoration Announced
Friday, December 9, 2011
WLocks selectmen recommend switching trash contractor
By Harlan Levy
Journal Inquirer
WINDSOR LOCKS — The selectmen voted 2-1 on Tuesday to recommend that the town change trash companies and sign a five-year contract with the private international waste-to-energy company Covanta Energy.
Covanta won the nod over the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority, which wanted a new long-term deal.
First Selectman Steven Wawruck, who sits on the CRRA board along with other towns’ chief executives, advocated for CRRA’s 15-year contract, featuring a $59.50 per ton first-year garbage tipping fee that the town would pay at the Hartford incinerator. CRRA’s current fee is $69 per ton. The tipping fee in ensuing years is to be determined, but, Wawruck argued, “It has the most cost savings that we can derive long term … and you’d probably see the tipping fee go down after Year Five.”
Covanta’s first-year price is $58.75. It will also donate $10,000 to the town for “outreach funding,” which will go directly into the General Fund. Convanta has no minimum tonnage requirement and will pay the town a guaranteed $10 rebate per ton of recyclables. After the first year the town will net $21,000 in savings over the CRRA plan. In addition, Covanta has a ceiling on prices going up in each of the ensuing years of a maximum 4 percent.
“After Year One everything is supposition. There’s no guarantee by either of them,” Republican Selectman Dennis Gragnolati said. “But there’s more stability in the Covanta deal because it has the ceiling.”
Also, Gragnolati said, “We’re looking at another tight budget year, and that $21,000 would be nice.”
Republican Denise Balboni objected to CRRA’s 15-year term. She also questioned whether it is a conflict of interest to have town officials serve on CRRA’s board.
“I find it troubling that the municipalities are represented, Yet they’re the very people who are going to sign contracts for cash,” Balboni said. “It seems like such a prohibitive conflict of interest … to have the hens deciding what the henhouse will be.”
Wawruck responded that his roles are not in conflict. He acts “in the best interests of the state, and that will come down to the town,” Wawruck said.
Wawruck also warned his colleagues that Covanta could add a significant fee if Massachusetts, where it dumps the garbage, enacts a surtax.
“Every state is looking at every angle now” to raise money, Wawruck said.
If CRRA were to shut down before five years, when the Covanta contract expires, Covanta could see that as an opportunity to raise its rates, he said.
Nevertheless, the board voted 2-1 in favor of the Covanta contract as long as it specifies that the town will not pay for any out-of-state surcharge on Covanta.
Covanta has other places to take the trash, Balboni assured the board.
Town Attorney Scott Storms will review the contract before a town meeting is scheduled to get voters’ approval.
Covanta won the nod over the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority, which wanted a new long-term deal.
First Selectman Steven Wawruck, who sits on the CRRA board along with other towns’ chief executives, advocated for CRRA’s 15-year contract, featuring a $59.50 per ton first-year garbage tipping fee that the town would pay at the Hartford incinerator. CRRA’s current fee is $69 per ton. The tipping fee in ensuing years is to be determined, but, Wawruck argued, “It has the most cost savings that we can derive long term … and you’d probably see the tipping fee go down after Year Five.”
Covanta’s first-year price is $58.75. It will also donate $10,000 to the town for “outreach funding,” which will go directly into the General Fund. Convanta has no minimum tonnage requirement and will pay the town a guaranteed $10 rebate per ton of recyclables. After the first year the town will net $21,000 in savings over the CRRA plan. In addition, Covanta has a ceiling on prices going up in each of the ensuing years of a maximum 4 percent.
Also, Gragnolati said, “We’re looking at another tight budget year, and that $21,000 would be nice.”
Republican Denise Balboni objected to CRRA’s 15-year term. She also questioned whether it is a conflict of interest to have town officials serve on CRRA’s board.
“I find it troubling that the municipalities are represented, Yet they’re the very people who are going to sign contracts for cash,” Balboni said. “It seems like such a prohibitive conflict of interest … to have the hens deciding what the henhouse will be.”
Wawruck responded that his roles are not in conflict. He acts “in the best interests of the state, and that will come down to the town,” Wawruck said.
Wawruck also warned his colleagues that Covanta could add a significant fee if Massachusetts, where it dumps the garbage, enacts a surtax.
“Every state is looking at every angle now” to raise money, Wawruck said.
If CRRA were to shut down before five years, when the Covanta contract expires, Covanta could see that as an opportunity to raise its rates, he said.
Nevertheless, the board voted 2-1 in favor of the Covanta contract as long as it specifies that the town will not pay for any out-of-state surcharge on Covanta.
Covanta has other places to take the trash, Balboni assured the board.
Town Attorney Scott Storms will review the contract before a town meeting is scheduled to get voters’ approval.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
A must read for parents in the Windsor Locks School System...
It has been 12 years since The Concerned Taxpayers of Windsor Locks were active and after seeing the recent Hartford Courant article giving the school report cards you just can’t help but think what a shame that is.How disappointing, discouraging and sad it is that the Windsor Locks Schools cannot even maintain State Average level of work--in some cases being as many as 12% points below the State Average.
For years The Concerned Taxpayers courageously tried to demand accountability of our schools Administration and staff--with little or no success.
Of course, Board of Education meetings recently were swamped with parents in support of incompetent Administrators, but where are the parents when it comes to demanding better results for our schools?
All the kids of Windsor Locks deserve a quality education - and based on current and past results – its hard to see that happening.
To be sure there will always be some kids who stand out and we should be very proud of National Merit Scholars and the like but it seems nothing has changed over the years--many students are being left behind.
Then, leaders of The Concerned Taxpayers were told that they were “hurting the schools “ because they were fighting money being spent in the wrong places.
"We need to spend more" they were told, 'Our kids deserve that". The kids do deserve that but all one has to do is examine each years BOE budget to see that the majority of money in that budget is not being spent on the kids.
Ok at the growth of the Board of Education over the last decade:
BUDGET STUDENT ENROLLMENT
1999-2000 16 Million 2,050
2010-2011 27 Million 1,952
The budget figures are rounded and the enrollment figures were taken from the State Of Connecticut Schools Profiles.
Please look at those figures people and ask yourself--are the taxpayers, citizens, and parents of school children getting value for their tax dollars--I submit to you now as The Concerned Taxpayers did 12 years ago that we are not---11 million dollars more in a budget with approximately 100 less students and we can't even attain State average
Someone should be ashamed.
Parents should be incensed.
Parents should fill the next BOE meeting to overflow capacity demanding answers but history tells me that it wont happen--it seems we would rather spend our energy on fun but meaningless activities and electing Town Officials who are proven non-leaders,
Meanwhile our kids get the short end of the stick.
-Mark Hancock
Thursday, December 1, 2011
WL Board of Education Meeting Tonight
The Windsor Locks Board of Education Meeting is being held tonight, December 1 at 6:00 PM in the WL High School Library Media Center.Please try to attend and see what is going on in our children's schools. Hope to see you there!
Below is the link to tonight's agenda:
http://www.wlps.org/site/files/12-1-11ragenda.pdf
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