Tabor Walk Postponed
A walk of the town-owned Tabor property with Second Selectman Andrew Campbell has been postponed from its original date of Sat. Feb. 16, due to snowfall from Storm Nemo. The earliest opportunity for a walk would be in two weeks' time, after the snow melts, said Campbell. A new date will be announced as soon as possible; but has not been set as of yet.
Ten acres of the property is being considered as the site for a new Public Works Facility, based on a recommendation from the town's Public Works Building Committtee. On Nov. 8, 2012, both Cambell(D) and First Selectman Anthony "Unk" DaRos (D) voted to support the choice by recommending funding a $325,000 design plan for the site; while Third Selectman Jaime Cosgrove (R) voted against. However, the selectmen's recommendation has not yet moved forward to the Board of Finance, due to concerns raised by area residents opposed to the idea.
DaRos has said all concerns are being taken into consideration and that is why he has not yet moved the item on to the Board of Finance.
On Jan. 5, a group of 40 residents rallied with signs opposing Public Works at Tabor while a walk of the property was being conducted by Shoreline Greenway Trail, which had invited Campbell to join the public trek. Campbell ended up missing the walk after coming over to those at the rally and speaking with the group for about an hour that Saturday.
In a letter published in this week's issue of The Sound, Campbell explained, "...seeing the property in its current state is hugely instructive. Because I missed the Jan. 5 walk of the Tabor property ...due to discussions with residents about the proposed placement...I was hoping to walk the parcel again soon. Also I wanted to respond to many requests for an educational walk of Tabor, regarding the town's current plans and future uses of Tabor...I invite all Branford residents who are interested in the Public Works discussion or other Tabor issues to join us. I plan to point out many issues with the property and touch on many topics, including Public Works, the Greenway Trail, landfill closures plans, contamination and remediation, golf courses and whatever else comes up in discussion. Finally I will gladly provide information upon anyone's request on these many issues, to address questions and concerns of citizens."