Drummer F OR I M M E D I ATE DELI VERY
The Granby
*****************ECRWSS****
Local Postal Customer Your
AWARDWINNING
NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
AVON, CT PERMIT NO. 466
Follow us on:
VOLUNTEER newspaper
Published by Citizens for a Better Granby a non-profit 501(c)3 organization
Volume LIV, No. 9 • June 2024
www.granbydrummer.com
FREE
IWWC denies Vessel permit By Chris Levandowski
Seven months after Vessel RE Holdings and Vessel Technologies, Inc. first appeared before the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission seeking a permit for a septic system to serve a 42-unit apartment complex at 37 Hartford Avenue, the commission has announced its decision. As the first order of business at its May 8 meeting, IWWC member Fred Jones read the commission’s decision to deny the permit and its rationale-based on four issues, that are partially quoted here: • The commission found the application
incomplete because it lacked approvals for the septic system by Farmington Valley Health and the Connecticut Department of Public Health, required for approval and assuring the accuracy of the plans and calculations for determining the amount of nitrogen and other discharges from the system. • “The application anticipates discharges of nitrogen into the environment and eventually into the wetlands in excess of 7 mg/L … .” The commission’s expert testified that this eventually causes adverse changes to the wetland’s vegetative composition and species dominance, “constituting a reasonable probability of unreason-
IWWC denies Vessel cont’d.on p. 9
A solar farm as development and a solar power purchase agreement at Holcomb Farm
The Town of Granby has two solarbased projects coming down the road that are both interesting and very different when compared. The first project you may know about—a solar farm being proposed by About isDESRI Renewables Town LLC on the Monrovia site located on 90 Salmon Brook Street and 35 Floydville Road. About 60 percent of the farm is in Granby and the rest, 40 percent, is in East Granby. with The site, if built as Mike Walsh proposed, will proTown Manager duce 100 MW of power with a target operation date of December 2026. The energy produced on-site will be sold back to Eversource using an interconnection point in North Bloomfield that will feed back to Agawam. If built, tax revenue over the 25- to 40year life of the facility could approach $175,000 per year making this site our fourth largest taxpayer. The developer
may also propose a one-time impact payment to the town, which could be up to $750,000, or he may propose a portion of the property be preserved for future economic development. While the benefits of solar power are fairly well known and include less reliance on fossil fuel, it’s renewable, it will create approximately 150 construction jobs, and it will power approximately 24,000 homes annually while adding no new children to the school system. It also creates new concerns that the town needs to study and mitigate if necessary, including hazmat training in the event of a fire, and rules to promote safe storage if battery installations are done on-site. A community meeting was conducted on March 18. Members of various town boards and commissions had an opportunity to hear the presentation and ask questions. One of the common themes during that meeting was the Siting Council, a state board that oversees these types of facilities, sometimes making important decisions on local matters — and that is somewhat concerning to our town. On the surface, this project appears to be good for the community and the enAbout Town cont’d.on p. 2
Memorial Day Parade is May 27
The parade will line up at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot on Bank Street and step off at 10 a.m. sharp. There will be stops to lay wreaths at center monuments before continuing to the cemetery. The guest speaker will be American Legion District 1 Commander Joe Haney. The invocation and benediction will be offered by St. Therese’s Father William Agyemang, and a 21-gun salute and Taps will be played in remembrance of all who served. The parade will return to the town green and disband. After a brief recess, the Marquis of Granby Fife and Drum Corps will present a short concert.
Granby Lacrosse defender Cy Lynam at the May 16 match versus St. Paul Catholic. Photo by Jay Harder
GMHS varsity lacrosse looks toward tournaments State tournament games will start on May 28. Additional details can be found at: ciac.fpsports.org/DashboardTournamentCentral.aspx Above photo was taken during a match against St. Paul Catholic at home on May 16 (Granby won 15-6). See additional images on p. 27.
Racial Unity Festival seeks volunteers
Granby Racial Reconciliation Group is seeking volunteers to help run its first Granby Racial Unity Festival on Saturday, June 29 from 8 am – 9:30 p.m. at Granby Memorial High School. The festival will include various music genres including Native American drumming, Latin Dance, Indian Classical Dance, West African Music and Dance as well as a featured Interracial Jazz/R&B band. A Greater Hartford 3-on-3 basketball tournament is scheduled in the community gym at the beginning of the festival. Admission is free and multicultural food will be available for purchase. Community vendors will have informational booths to share their offerings. Volunteers are needed to help with stage, gate and parking management, setup and breakdown, and cleanup. Volunteer time can count toward community service requirements for high school students or can be a great way to show support for
this important cultural event. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and some volunteers will be needed prior to and after these hours. A minimum twohour commitment is requested, though longer shifts are certainly welcome. The Granby Racial Unity Festival is made possible by grants from Pomeroy-Brace Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and Granby Education Foundation. Additional sponsors include Selective Development; Murphy, Laudati, Kiel and Rattigan, LLC; Dave and Jenny Emery; Granby Family Eye Care; Windsor Federal Bank, Farmington Valley Plumbing and anonymous donors. To volunteer, please register on GRR’s website: granbyracialreconciliation.com/ racialunity. Your help will be greatly appreciated. —Submitted by Granby Racial Unity Festival Committee
June is dog licensing month
All dogs aged six months and older must be licensed by June 30 and must wear a collar and tags at all times. The cost for licensing a neutered male or spayed female is $8. For dogs that are not spayed or neutered the cost is $19. All dogs must have proof of current rabies vaccination on file. A late fee of $1 per dog, per month will be charged. Dogs not licensed prior to June 30 are late starting July 1.
Read the Drummer online at GranbyDrummer.com
Renewal can be done starting June 1 in person with Town Clerk Scott Nolan, or by mail. When licensing by mail, include rabies certificate if not currently on file, a self-addressed and stamped envelope, and check payable to Town of Granby. Town Clerk, 15 North Granby Road, Granby, CT 06035. For more information, please visit Granby-ct.gov or call 860-844-5308.
Photo by Deneika Janski