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01/18/2024 02:37 PMCHESTER
Nearly three months into her first term as the First Selectwoman of Chester, Cindy Lignar has acclimated well into her new position and is pleased to see that “everything is moving forward” with town business.
Lignar is currently collaborating with department personnel of Chester on various projects to be completed during her first term, many of whom she knows from her previous experience at Town Hall as part of the Sustainability Committee and the Governance Study Committee that met to reexamine the municipal structural of the town government. Now, as Chester’s First Selectwoman, Lignar said that those relationships are about continuously establishing a “rapport relationship even further” to see through the various town projects.
“I am still with some. I’ve met with most. I still have some boards and commissions, so I will continue to do that,” said Lignar.
Top town projects that Lignar is determined to complete during her tenure were crucially discussed at Jan. 2 meeting with “all key departments that drive the infrastructure needs,” in order to detail a path for related projects going forward.
“I held that [meeting] to prioritize projects—what projects are high priority, medium priority, low priority,” Lignar said. “We gathered all that information, we all met together, we all went around the table, everybody explained what their needs are—and so that helped me to gather that into a summarized report that I have since sent out back to them and will use in researching for funding for these projects.”
One of the infrastructure projects Lignar is currently looking at is a reconstruction of Kings Highway that is “already planned,” as well as some mending on Deep Hollow Road. Lignar and involved department heads are interested in investigating an extension of the water main located at North Main Street. Crosswalks, sidewalks, and streets in the Main Street are also being considered for touch-ups to improve safety in the area.
Lignar said that she’s met with State Senator Joe Courtney and State Representative Christine Palm in an effort to secure qualified funding for these and other infrastructure projects.
As a former member of the Governance Study Committee, Lignar is supportive of the work currently being done by the Chester Charter Commission, which has been tasked with drafting a new town structure that would change Chester from a state statute municipality into a charter one. The commission will hold its second public hearing on its draft report that it intends to submit to the Board of Selectmen (BOS) on Wednesday, Jan. 31.
“[The BOS] will be required, also, to hold a public hearing to listen to resident input, and then whether or not it goes back to the Charter Commission with recommendations from us or not will be determined,” said Lignar. “Then we will decide as to whether we want to put it forward for a vote at a referendum on Election Day.”
Crosstown collaboration between Chester, Deep River, and Essex is also taking shape in the form of finalizing an agreement for a shared Animal Control Officer to serve all three towns. Lignar, Deep River First Selectman Carol Jones, and Essex First Selectman Norm Needleman will meet with their towns’ resident state troopers to finalize that agreement on Tuesday, Jan. 23.
Lignar is also keeping an eye on the current mold situation at John Winthrop Middle School and will take part in a public meeting with Jones, Needleman, and the Region 4 Board of Education on Jan. 23 to discuss the long-term planning of the middle school.
With her goal of establishing close and consistent communication with the community, Lignar and the BOS want to work closely with local businesses of all sizes to identify their needs. Her colleague on the BOS, Pat Bandzes, has been appointed by Lignar as the liaison between the town and local commerce, both of which are already seeing issues that need be resolved.
“We have visited several [businesses] on Inspiration Lane, and one issue that was identified is the electricity tends to bump out,” said Lignar. “A lot of them have large equipment that draws a lot of energy.”
Lignar added that Bandzes is in talks with Eversource to improve the electricity output of local business in an effort to prevent shutdowns of systems with inabilities to pay high energy costs.
The continuing work in the area of commerce includes filling vacant commercial properties and selling town-owned property at 59 Winthrop Road with help from a commercial real estate broker. The latter sale is currently pending, said Lignar, and will go to a town meeting.
In terms of Chester residents, communication will remain an important aspect with Lignar’s weekly First Selectwoman report and the upcoming formation of a Citizens Liaison Council. According to the BOS’ Jan. 9 meeting minutes, the latter will be tasked with “acting as a conduit for communications between our residents and town leaders, providing community outreach and more.”