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01/02/2024 04:09 PMJanuary
Madison extends its moratorium on cannabis retail sales and cultivation to July 1 to allow the Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) to gather additional feedback from residents.
Fundraising continues for preserving Deer Lake. Pathfinders, Inc. receives a $25,000 surprise grant from the Community Foundation of Middlesex County to support the recently purchased property.
February
Local wildlife rehabbers and elected officials bring their concerns to Hartford in an effort to completely ban a specific form of rodenticide or SGARS (Second Generation Anti-coagulant Rodenticides). This poison kills rodents but is so toxic it kills a number of other species, including birds of prey, foxes, coyotes, and bobcats, who feed on the poisoned rodents.
Mysterious chunks of rubber continue to wash up on a small section of beach adjacent to Hammonasset State Park, known as Slip Shell Beach. Resident Fran Brady continues to investigate the source.
Rising rents imposed by a new corporate owner of the Beachwood Mobile Home Park on Route 81 in Killingworth highlight a national trend that has many tenants anxious about their future housing situation. Attorney General William Tong steps in and is able to begin the process of stabilizing rents and maintenance costs.
Madison announces the awarding of a $1 million grant from the state’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The funds are dedicated to a new high-capacity generator for the town’s emergency shelter. Town officials say that the town’s current shelter is outdated and sited in a floodplain, necessitating a change to a permanent and better-situated area.
March
The town finalizes the application process that will deliver a $2.5 million grant to assist in funding a new Emergency Operations Center in the downtown area. The project focuses on delivering a much-needed renovation of the downtown Madison Hose Company 1 firehouse and establishing a permanent Emergency Operations Center.
Madison Police officers respond to a bank robbery at Essex Savings Bank, 99 Durham Road. No suspect has yet been identified in this crime.
The Board of Selectman (BOS) vote to draft an ordinance that would ban the commercial cultivation and sale of cannabis. The move comes in an effort to gauge public opinion on whether to permit cannabis businesses to operate in town.
The New School Building Committee moves ahead with updated site plans and budget projections for the pending elementary school project. The committee is balancing a number of cost and design issues, but members say the project is on budget and on track for its 2025 opening.
April
Concerns over the levels of PFAS, a chemical used in industrial cleaning products and firefighting foams, near the Killingworth Route 81 firehouse bring into question the reliability of testing and whether any limit or threshold parameters can be feasibly implemented.
Madison’s BOS begins discussions on a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. These entities are being created throughout the state to address the growing concern that certain demographics of communities do not factor into the town government decision-making process.
Madison Hose Company 1, which covers the southern portion of town, creates a new line officer position, Assistant Chief of the Department, for its all-volunteer staff. Fire officials say the staffing changes are necessary for the department to keep pace with response demand, which has increased dramatically in the last two decades.
The Academy Advisory Committee delivers its report to the Building Committee, marking an important step in the development process of the new community center. The results of a survey conducted by the committee indicate strong trends regarding what usages residents wanted to have available, including performing arts spaces, studio art spaces, and culinary arts offerings.
May
Police announce the arrest of Dennis Abbate, 46, of Branford, charging him with several felonies as the result of an armed robbery of a Boston Post Road watch and jewelry business. The frightening crime took place in the middle of the day along a well-traveled section of Route 1, in which several employees were assaulted.
Town officials welcomed 2nd District U.S. Representative Joe Courtney to town to tout Congress’s ARPA funding projects. The new dog park at Salt Meadow Park was partly funded by ARPA funds and is among several town projects that both Courtney and town officials tour.
Residents finally had a chance to weigh in on the question of cannabis retail sales and cultivation of cannabis in town. Residents are split on the issue, and the BOS still has a moratorium on any sales or cultivation.
A public hearing on the new Flood Plain Ordinance draws a number of residents concerned with aspects of the measure, designed to conform Madison’s flood regulations in line with most other shoreline towns. The ordinance causes concerns for the numerous residents in flood zone areas as it requires astronomically high and mandatory structure alterations if certain damage or renovation criteria are met.
June
The Killingworth Krier publishes its last issue. The closing highlights the significance of the ever-increasing nationwide loss of community media sources.
The Scranton Library announces a new, permanent art collection donated by Madison residents Penny and Allan Katz. The couple have been avid collectors of modern folk art for several decades, and their generous donation attracts art lovers from across the country.
A Witness Stone is placed at the Deacon John Grave House thanks to the efforts of the Witness Stone Project (WSP), the Grave Museum, and St. Andrew’s Church. The stone honors Cate who, according to research conducted by the WSP, was enslaved at the home sometime in the early 1700s.
Madison Public Schools and the Town of Madison announce that the state reimbursement rate for construction costs related to the new elementary school building project will substantially increase via a state program. According to school officials, the measure raised the project reimbursement rate by 10%, which translates into approximately $6 million in additional construction funding.
July
The Madison Police Department purchases its first all-electric police vehicle. The Ford Mach E model is a state-of-the-art cruiser that town officials contend will provide valuable data regarding the integration of e-vehicles for all town departments.
State and local officials honor Madison veterans of the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War at the Hand High gymnasium. Hundreds of Madison residents have heeded the call to service, several making the ultimate sacrifice.
The Rockland Preserve Committee begins work to remove invasive species at Coan Pond.
The Killingworth Historical Society and the Parmelee Farm celebrate the efforts of the volunteers instrumental in funding and raising the new barn and display facility on the property. The structure is designed to house and present the numerous artifacts owned by the museum that have been tucked away in storage for decades due to lack of space.
August
Voters pack the house at a special town meeting regarding cost overruns for the new school construction project. The public forum and vote are held in response to the BOS and Board of Finance (BOF) approvals of the funding allocation. Residents vote down the measure to appropriate another $2.4 million that officials insist is needed to build four additional classrooms at the new elementary school.
A state board mandates that two of three town police officers terminated in 2022 for violating department conduct standards be given their jobs back, with pay, and allowed to return to work. Both town and police officials vow to appeal the decision.
Daniel Hand High School (DHHS) class of 2021 graduate Nick Donofrio is shot and killed near the campus where he was attending school in Columbia, South Carolina, on Aug. 26. According to Columbia, South Carolina police, the shooting happened just before 2 a.m. on the same street where Donofrio was living off campus with friends and Columbia police believe that Donofrio mistakenly tried to enter the wrong residence, when the homeowner shot and killed him. No charges were filed by law enforcement as a result of the shooting.
An 81-year-old woman dies after her canoe overturned during a state park-led guided tour on the Hammonasset River on Aug. 13. The victim, identified by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) as Gua Qiuhua of Madison, was reported to have been wearing a lifejacket when the canoe overturned, was rescued from the water and transported to Middlesex Hospital Shoreline Clinic in Westbrook where she was pronounced dead.
September
The Town’s Charter Review Commission proposal is approved by the BOS for a referendum vote. There are numerous changes, many of which are of a perfunctory nature, but voters enacted more significant changes, including extending term lengths for selectmen from the current two-year to a four-year term.
Madison announces that construction work on removing the overhead wires and utility poles for selected properties on the south side of Boston Post Road is complete. According to town officials, removing the utility poles is a critical phase of the Madison Center Project, which officials describe as “a decades-long community improvement project designed to enhance the streetscape of Madison’s downtown central business district.”
Scranton Memorial Library Director Sunnie Scarpa announces her resignation from the library to pursue an opportunity in Wallingford.
Temple Beth Tikvah announces the consecration of their new temple in Madison. The temple has been undergoing a massive transformation that began in 2019, and as construction gets finalized, Rabbi Danny Moss sys the congregation is excited to have their beloved house of worship open for all.
October
A cross-section of state and local officials honor the town’s election poll workers for their decades of service and dedication to this critical component of our democracy. In light of the past harassment and threats of poll workers, including some from Connecticut, leaders say this is an opportune time to remind the community of the important sacrifice that these volunteers undertake.
Town officials express disgust with an incident involving the littering of flyers by a white supremacist group in several Madison neighborhoods over the Oct. 7 weekend. The materials were dropped in what police describe as small plastic bags with rocks in them that purport to be from a neo-Nazi organization originally based in Massachusetts and which currently claims satellite branches in other states as well.
According to Madison Police, a bomb threat is called into the Madison Beach Hotel on Oct. 21. The report proves to be false, and no explosive devices are found. However, emergency units from the police department and Madison Hose Company 1 respond to the alarm.
Town officials announce the awarding of a $401,600 2023 Small Town Economic Recovery Assistance Program (STEAP) grant to assist in making much-needed improvements to the Town Campus gym facility at the town campus. According to town officials, the project will include hazardous material remediation, demolition, gym floor replacement, as well as shower enhancements.
November
Madison Hose Company 1, who has led an all-volunteer squad serving the downtown area and beyond for more than 115 years, announces several retirements and shifts in duties among its staff. The appointments are critical for the department as they are entering a new phase of its history that will include an entire rehab of its stationhouse that is slated to break ground in 2024.
First Selectwoman Peggy Lyons is reelected to a third term in a historic win for Democrats as they now hold majorities on all the major boards in town.
A new affordable housing project breaks ground during the first week of November on Cottage Drive. Though no firm completion date has been set, the end of 2024 is the current estimate. Two nonprofit affordable housing organizations, HOPE Partnership and The Caleb Foundation, have partnered on the Wellington at Madison project, which is an ambitious endeavor that will bring 27 new housing units to town.
After more than a year of meetings and negotiations to turn the long-shuttered former Madison Winter Club into a new upscale eatery, the (PZC) approves the project on Nov. 16. According to town records, the new business will be called the Madison Oyster House and will be located on the same site as the Winter Club at 351 Boston Post Road.
December
Residents notice new signs around town welcoming travelers to Madison. The large signs are slated to be erected at most of the primary entry roadways leading into Madison, including Route 1, Route 79, and Route 80, as well as the I-95 exit ramps leading into town, according to town officials.
The police department is collaborating on a new safety program with North Branford's mom, Ashley McClain, who has developed a project with that town’s police department called LINKED. According to Lt. Jeremy Yorke, the Autism Safety Project is an exciting new initiative focused on “providing the best possible services to those in our autism community.”
Friends of Scranton Library are embarking on a membership drive. Since 1971, the organization has helped make up funding shortfalls on several of the library’s expansion projects over and continues to contribute to the institution’s annual budget, which, despite generous funding by the town, still needs to raise a significant portion of its operating budget every year.