As the calendar turns to March and I mark one year on the job, let me thank the Granby community for allowing me the opportunity to be your Town Manager.
I’d like to bring to your attention three items of interest in today’s column. The first item is a bond question you will see on the ballot when you vote on the budget in April. The question is straightforward. Can the Town expand the scope of a 2019 bond resolution that approved the repair of several bridges to now include the Doherty Road Bridge? If approved, money that the town has already bonded will be coupled with a State grant of an equal amount to repair an additional bridge not contemplated in the original authorization. We’re able to do this because construction costs on the 2019 bridges came in under budget. No new bonding is being requested, but existing bonding, with your permission, is being reallocated to get more done.
The second item I’d like to apprise you of is the Town has hired GZA Architects to complete a master plan on the Salmon Brook and Ahrens Parks so that any new infrastructure investment is based on a thoughtful review of the facilities in place. GZA is working closely with the Town and Parks and Recreation Board to include the community in the planning to get the best input on the future direction of both parks. Please stay tuned for a survey and public input session that we’ll advertise both via social media and the town website. Your thoughts are important to us.
The last item I want to bring to your attention is a slightly different way of doing municipal business now underway here in Granby. Most municipalities focus on the operating side of the business, meaning how we plow the snow, collect the taxes, assess your home, and cut the grass among the many things we do. While that’s still important work, we have capable employees who know their jobs, so we give them the autonomy to do their jobs and ask the supervisors and directors to focus on delivering a higher level of customer service while dedicating more time to capital projects. With a renewed focus on capital projects, things like the Salmon Brook Park Walking Path can be completed for the benefit of the community, while we still do the good work of operations.
As I’ve said before but worth saying again, Granby is a special place to live and work, and with your help, the Town’s focus is to continue to maintain that atmosphere.
Please contact me at 860-844-5302 or at MWalsh@Granby-ct.gov with any questions, or better yet, to just say “hello!”.