Lawrence Cotton, a public historian and filmmaker, presented a lecture at the Simsbury Public Library about Frederick Law Olmsted’s career, the reach of Olmsted-designed parks across North America, and the designer’s ties to Connecticut sites including Keeney Park and Trinity College. The program included a question-and-answer session and locallyre

The Simsbury Planning Commission hosted an open house to collect community priorities for implementing a village plan called out in the towns 2024 Plan of Conservation and Development. Staff and consultant SLR presented draft recommendations on streetscape, connectivity, recreation and economic vitality and asked attendees to rank priorities using

At the Oct. 20 meeting Chief Walsh outlined personnel counts, Sept. operational statistics, an upcoming CALEA on-site assessment and enforcement actions tied to new vape-shop ordinance; commissioners also discussed the city’s outside extra-duty vendor, "Roll Call."

On Oct. 15, 2025, the Simsbury Board of Selectmen voted to endorse the Sustainability Committee’s “Part 1: Energy” plan, supporting goals for increased efficiency, solar and electric-vehicle planning while specifying that no projects proceed without financial viability and prioritization reviews.

The commission approved Connecticut DOT’s emergency repairs at the Route 123 (New Canaan Avenue) railroad crossing, authorizing an accelerated closure beginning Oct. 15 and contingency weekend outages in November; drainage work, detours and future sidewalk conduit were discussed.

Lodestar Energy outlined a proposed 4.65-megawatt, 19-acre solar array on Nodd Road in Simsbury, saying it will apply to the Connecticut Siting Council this month, maintain wetland buffers and plant pollinator mixes; the company and residents discussed visibility, floodplain limits, wildlife fencing and how generated power will be allocated.

After a months-long RFP process, the council received a presentation and authorized the mayor to negotiate and execute agreements with preferred developer Penrose in partnership with the Cloud Company for the redevelopment of 100 Franklin Drive as a multi-building mixed-use project tied to Brownfield remediation funding.

After an RFP process the council received a presentation Oct. 20 and authorized negotiations with Penrose and Cloud Company as the preferred developer for the contaminated Hundred Franklin Drive site. The proposal envisions two apartment buildings (about 120 units), first‑floor commercial, substantial parking and an extension of the Naugatuck River

A 120‑room Holiday Inn Express on a seven‑acre portion of a 54‑acre site at Hot Meadow Street was approved by the zoning commission with conditions; the approval is subject to completion of outstanding engineering/stormwater comments and additional test pits prior to permits.

Department of Social Services officials told the Appropriations Committee that provisions of HR 1 that took effect on passage on July 4 change SNAP rules for heat-and-eat, noncitizen eligibility and work requirements and will put roughly 36,000 people at risk of losing benefits unless they qualify for other exemptions or meet new work standards.

TMP staff reported extensive sidewalk projects citywide — including a two‑mile West Rocks Road project — and detailed a West Avenue mill‑and‑pave that will add thermoplastic crosswalks, ramps and bidirectional bike lanes between Maple and Wall streets.

The subcommittee voted to recommend a statutory change to ensure victims' addresses can be kept confidential on criminal protective orders; draft language will be sent to legislative liaisons for review.

The Judiciary subcommittee voted to hold a workshop in November with consultant Darren Mitchell to address firearm seizure compliance, victim notification and enforcement challenges; members discussed potential pilot sites and agency invitees.

A public commenter asked Hartford officials to investigate the pending merger of the former Hartford Municipal Credit Union (now SENCAP) with a national organization and to consider pausing the transaction until state and federal regulators can assess alternatives.

Council President Shirley Surgeon said the city is testing a translation service that can translate dozens of languages and that the council plans to phase out Zoom for public meetings; officials said home viewers cannot yet see translations on HBA TV and mobile users must install an app to access them.

The Hartford Court of Common Council voted to authorize redevelopment of 110 Washington Street — a city-owned building currently used as a warming center — after debate about where to relocate warming-center services during construction.

Board members debated using the districts retained surplus to pay the remaining cost of a proposed replacement track. After lengthy discussion about process, precedent, and timing, a motion to fund the full amount from the boards surplus failed.

Board members questioned a proposed five-year extension with 8.95% annual increases for B&B Transportation, citing cost, bus‑replacement language and long-term fiscal risk; motion to approve was made and seconded but no vote was taken and the item was deferred for further negotiation.

The commission organized three subcommittees and a task force to collect contacts and coordinate arts, culture, heritage and tourism work; members volunteered for trade, education and a database task force and commissioners discussed encouraging Irish firms to locate in Connecticut and sponsoring delegations.

At an October meeting of the Connecticut Ireland Trade Commission, Dr. Christine Keneally described existing academic ties between Connecticut colleges and Irish universities, student-fee differences, enrollment trends and on-campus programs; commissioners asked about visa and commercial implications and next steps for outreach.

During public comment at a Hartford City Council meeting, Hartford Firefighters Local 760 leaders and supporters urged the council to help restore contract terms and fair wages they say were harmed in earlier administration actions.

After a presentation about Army JROTC, the curriculum committee recommended a district facilities analysis and formation of a collaborative team to prepare a stringent application; the program would require two teachers and a multi-year onboarding process.

Staff reported authorization to proceed on a multi-county PROTECT grant to inventory and assess vulnerability of local bridges and culverts; the project will compile an inventory of roughly 9,000 local assets, prioritize the most vulnerable and identify funding needs. Total project cost discussed was approximately $1.2 million.

Regional staff updated the committee on a draft Vision Zero safety action plan developed under a Safe Streets and Roads for All award, presented crash trends from 2022–2024, and recommended regional safety performance targets and methodology; TTAC voted to recommend acceptance of the targets and methodology.

Regional staff reported that a previously awarded RAISE grant to design most remaining sections of the Naugatuck Valley Greenway was cancelled by USDOT; the project team had been close to obligating funds and had selected a preferred consultant. The cancellation will delay design of several complex sections, especially in Waterbury.