Bravo bravo bravissimo
At a recent town council meeting I was super impressed by the council’s display of fabulous leadership and caring for the people of our town. I’ve sat through hundreds of hours of school board and town council meetings in my years and I thought I had seen/heard it all but at 10:30 p.m., with 10 things still left on the agenda, our council displayed such unity and caring for the citizens of Windsor that I felt I had to give them a shout out. “Hurrah!”
The topic? Insurance liability. The problem? Legal and insurance advice started recommending changes in requirements that would basically kill our community programs, requiring vendors to have huge amounts of their own insurance, a million dollar car insurance policy and business licenses for teaching an art class for the town or to coach a team.
This was cause for great alarm. Many teachers were going to just drop out. They were sharing their knitting talent, not running a business, so to speak. It just wasn’t worth the paperwork, expense and the feeling of disrespect and ingratitude.
I loved Sam Salmon’s exhortations that “There’s a price of having a close community” and instructed the bureaucracy to stop creating obstacles. He asked the town to get creative in making it possible to have our classes and programs without making it hard for community members to share their talents and offer classes.
Mayor Bruce Okrepkie was very knowledgeable about insurance and was able to ask some very important and direct questions that showed that this overkill was not necessary. Deb Fudge said that this advice was “indicative of a bigger problem creeping into the town bureaucracy’s attitude, which was changing our home town feeling and nature into something cold and unkind.”
She directed the town to “stop it” and to change a form letter they send out stating “your claim has been denied,” that were so “cold and unfriendly” to say exactly why the claim had been denied and drop the talk of going to court.
I highly suggest that everyone stream the meeting from 10:15 p.m. to 10:37 p.m., especially those who are running for town council and school board. It’s not often that I feel my government cares about me, but in Windsor on Sept. 5 I felt cared about and protected by my local leadership. My gratitude and applause to the whole council.
Now can you get them to lower our water rates?
Heather Cullen
Windsor
Conde Lane concerns
Is Conde Lane in danger with increased development in Windsor? With two large mobile home parks of mostly seniors and many disabled, the lack of pedestrian pathways and sidewalks will present possible dangers. Conde Lane lacks sidewalks, bike lanes and handicapped accessibility.
Conde Lane also has access to an elementary school. The Town of Windsor has only one sign going north about the school zone. The new developments, several serving alcohol, may present future dangers to seniors, persons with disabilities and especially bike riders.
Vehicles leaving the mobile home parks on a road (lane) are presented with the danger of a 40 mph zone. The Town of Windsor needs to make improvements immediately for creating and allowing such dangers to be created.
Neil Smart
Windsor
