At the March 6 Board of Selectmen meeting, I made a statement regarding the current reintroduction of Shoreline Greenway Trail publicity in Guilford’s public places, reminding the selectmen of the previous public turmoil that culminated with the failure in 2017 to get official approval to build a stand-alone segment of a bike road along Route 1 by the Madison town line because there was “no map” and “no plan.”

I am quoting excerpts transcribed from the thoughtful verbal response of our First Selectman, Matt Hoey, who concurred, “I have had a series of discussions with the folks of the Greenway Trail. Some of the same sentiments were expressed to them...as well as some assumptions they made about the way they were to utilize private property...There was acknowledgment on their part that their methodologies and their representations were accurately described as being less than honest and above board, and they acknowledged that...the portion through Guilford is likely going to be on Route 146 which would obviously require State of Connecticut approval for utilization for any kind of road markings. ...We need to see a fully fleshed-out plan. We’re not going to support building these islands with the assumption that there will be other action taken up to and including eminent domain to make sure that it works. And as long as I’m sitting in this chair, I will not support the use of eminent domain to do something like that. That’s private property rights.”

Let’s never forget: “no map; no plan; no approval.”

Nona Bloomer

Guilford