Bristol's existing snow removal policy

City of Bristol – Public Works policy

25 Snow Removal and Ice Control

1.   Policy Name

25 Snow Removal and Ice Control

2.   Responsible Division and effective date

Public Works Streets Division, effective date 10/19/07

3.   Rationale or Purpose

This policy establishes the formal Snow Removal and Ice Control plan for the City of Bristol. The policy also defines the routes and priorities for snow removal and ice control.

4.   Policy Statement

The Streets Division of Public Works has responsibility for control of snow and ice on City streets. The division strives to provide snow removal and ice control in a safe and cost effective manner. The City uses Public Works staff and equipment as well as private contractors as needed to provide adequate snow removal and ice control for the safety of travelers on City streets. 

5.   Scope

This policy applies to all streets within the City of Bristol, with the exception of State-maintained roads.

State-maintained roads within the City are Route 72, Route 69, Route 6 and Route 229. The State is responsible for snow removal and ice control on these roads. The Streets Division of Public Works will respond when an emergency situation arises and the State Department of Transportation is unavailable.

Snow and ice control operations will be conducted when weather conditions do not endanger the safety of city employees and equipment. Factors that may delay snow and ice control operations include severe cold, significant winds, and limited visibility.

6.   Procedures

The Snow and Ice Control Supervisor will decide when to begin snow or ice control operations. The criteria for that decision are:

Notice(s) from weather forecasts and services

Notice from Bristol Police Department – precipitation/ emergency specific calls.

Snow accumulation of two (2”) inches or more

Drifting of snow that causes problems for travel;

Icy conditions which seriously affect travel; and

Time of snowfall in relationship to heavy traffic patterns.

To conserve funds and personnel, snowplowing operations will not generally be conducted for snowfall of less than two (2”) inches, however, ice control products and/or abrasives may be applied to assist in melting ice and traction.

Personnel scheduling and mobilization:

Once snow and ice control operations are initiated, the Snow and Ice Control Supervisor will contact the appropriate number of Public Works staff and private contractors to inform them of the start time and location for operations to begin. Private contractors are only utilized for plowing.

There are various phases of operations, shown below, but each event will be unique based on weather forecast, type and duration of precipitation:

Pre-Storm: Anti-icing agents will be applied to streets when a storm is imminent.    Public Works staff will apply anti-icing agents based on when precipitation is expected to begin, and where safety concerns are greatest.

Phase I – notable to significant (minimal snow fall, rapidly melting snow, squalls or flurries) includes ice control products and sand mixture being applied to streets where and when needed. This can range from spot sanding specific areas to city-wide sanding as needed. Minimal plowing may occur resulting from precipitation

Phase II – major (4”-6” of snow accumulation expected) includes the use of Public Works staff and equipment, both plowing and sanding.

Phase III – crippling to extreme (major snow fall, six inches (6”) or greater accumulation expected) includes Public Works staff and equipment, plowing and sanding, as well as private contractors being called in to plow the Districts they are assigned to. 

Post-Storm: Within six (6) hours after snow fall ceases, plowing operations will be completed and city-wide sanding operations will begin. Factors that may prevent meeting this guideline include equipment failure, freezing rain or other icing conditions, traffic congestion, emergency situations, residents/contractors placing snow into the travel way, and personnel availability.   

Due to the unique nature of each storm event, the Snow and Ice Supervisor must use experience and judgment to balance safety and expenses for each storm.

Private Contractors:

Each fall, private contractors may apply to be considered for assisting the City with snow plowing operations. Eligible contractors must provide their own vehicle and equipment and comply with all requirements, rules, and regulations to participate. If enough private contractors apply and are eligible, a reserve list of contractors will be created to serve as fill-in or relief.

Private contractors are assigned to a snow district. Each district has a Group Leader assigned. Group Leaders are responsible for calling in their snow plow teams. The group leader will assign each driver/plow to a specific street or area and amend assignments as needed. Group Leaders are also responsible to oversee and monitor snow plowing progress in their district. At the conclusion of the weather event, the Group Leader will complete pay sheets for their team and submit them to the Streets Superintendent.

Snow Routes:

For snow removal and ice control operations, the City is divided into five (4) districts which coincide with City rubbish routes. They are:

District 1, Monday routes – Northeast section and Fern Hill Road area (portion of Wednesday route)

District 2, Tuesday routes – Southeast section and Bayberry Drive area

District 3, Wednesday routes – Northwest section

District 4, Thursday/Friday routes – Downtown, Federal Hill and the southwest section

Minor arterials provide options for alternate traffic movement and may also connect major arterials; some through service is provided but traffic volumes are lighter than among major arterials. Collectors provide for traffic movement between neighborhoods within the City and also give access to adjacent properties. They create the connecting links in the street system: traffic can be carried from local streets via collectors to major and minor arterials. Streets classified as minor arterials and collectors are included in the list below, along with schools. The streets which have high priorities for sanding and plowing are:

District 1 (Monday Routes)

Ivy Drive (Ivy Drive School – arrival/dismissal)

Felice Road / Ohio Drive (Northeast Middle School –  arrival/dismissal)

Jerome Avenue (B.A.R.C., Bristol Housing Authority)

Lewis Street

Maltby Street (Saint Paul School)

Maple Avenue

Mines Road

Mix Street (Edgewood School)

Oakland Street (north of Farmington Avenue)

Round Hill Road

Sonstrom Road

Stafford Avenue (north of Farmington Avenue)(Saint Paul School)

Shrub Road

Stevens Street (Northeast Middle School)

Vanderbilt Road

Willow Brook Road (Edgewood School- arrival/dismissal)

District 2 (Tuesday Routes)

Anderson Avenue (Street Matthew School – arrival/dismissal)

Andrews Street

Birch Street

Brook Street

Emmett Street

Central Street (Manross Public Library)

Church Avenue

Curtiss Avenue (Saint Matthew School – arrival/dismissal)

Frederick Street

Lincoln Avenue

Louisiana Avenue

Mountain View Avenue (Mountain View School)

Pine Street (Greene–Hills School)

Redstone Street

Redstone Hill Road

Stafford Ave (south of Farmington Avenue), (Senior Center)

Todd Street

Washington Street

West Washington Street (Hubbell School)

Welch Drive (Saint Matthew School – arrival/dismissal)

District 3 (Wednesday Routes)

Barlow Street

Battle Street

Chapel Street

Clark Avenue

Curtiss Street

Cypress Street (Jennings School - arrival/dismissal)

Hart Street

Hill Street

Jacob Street

James P. Casey Road

Jennings Road (Jennings School- arrival/dismissal)

Marsh Road

Matthews Street

Meadow Street (City Hall)

Minor Street

North Main Street (Farmington Avenue to Curtiss Street)

North Pond Street

Peacedale Street (Burlington Avenue to Hart Street)

Peacedale Street (Eastwood Road to Perkins Street)(Chippens Hill School- arrival/dismissal)

Perkins Street

Pound Street

District 4 (Thursday Routes)

Belridge Road (Woodland Street to Brewster Road)

Bellevue Avenue

Blakeslee Street

Brewster Road (Belridge Road to Queen Street)

Broadview Street

Center Street (Bristol Historical Society)

Church Street (Bristol Board of Education)

Federal Street

Goodwin Street

High Street (Bristol Public Library)

Maple Street

Main Street

Mellon Street (Riverside Avenue to Prospect Street)

Moody Street

North Main Street (Farmington Avenue to Church Street)

Oakland Street (Farmington Avenue to Goodwin Street)

Page Avenue

Prospect Street

Queen Street

Riverside Avenue (North Main Street to Main Street)

Stewart Street

Summer Street

Woodland Street

Allentown Road

Crown Street (Bristol Central School – arrival/dismissal)

Cross Street

Divinity Street

Downs Street

East Road

Fall Mountain Road

Gridley Street

Lake Avenue

Peck Lane

Rockwell Avenue

South Street Extension

Union Street

View Street (Bristol Central School - arrival/dismissal)

Willis Street

Witches Rock Road

Wolcott Street (Wolcott Street-(Route 69) to Fall Mountain Road)

 Waterbury Road

Priority:

High volume routes are addressed first. Streets classified as high volume routes (minor arterials and collectors) which connect major sections of the city and provide access for emergency fire, police, hospital and medical services are considered high volume.

City vehicles are deployed to high volume routes. Contractors may assist the street crews as required.

The second priority streets are those streets providing access to schools, Bristol Public Schools and Municipal Buildings, and business centers. These are also cleared by Public Works staff, but may be assisted by contractors.

The third priority streets are low volume residential streets. Contractors are primarily assigned to these streets. The fourth priority areas are municipal parking lots.

The Bristol Park Department is responsible for the bus shelters located on Blakeslee Street and Broad Street and the abutting sidewalk at the Forestville Veterans Memorial. All other bus shelters are maintained by the Streets or Building Maintenance Divisions. School sidewalks and designated sidewalks within the City of Bristol are addressed by the Board of Education maintenance staff.

City properties, Bristol Public School driveways and parking lots are addressed by the Streets Division. The lists of properties maintained by the Streets Division are:

District 1

Edgewood School – Mix Street / Willow Brook Road

Ivy Drive School – Ivy Drive

Northeast Middle School – Stevens Street / Felice Road

Bristol A.R.C. – Jerome Avenue

Commuter Parking Lot – Mix Street

Pump Station – Cherry Hill Drive

District 2

Bristol Eastern High School – King Street

Ellen P. Hubble School – West Washington Street

Greene Hills School – Pine Street

Mountain View School – Vera Road

Manross Library, Forestville – Central Street / Garden Street

Stafford School – Louisiana Avenue

Pump Stations – Broad Street, East Main Street, Wooster Court

District 3

Bristol City Hall parking lots – Laurel Street / Meadow Street

Chippens Hill Middle School – Peacedale Street

Clara T. O’Connell School – Park Street

Clarence A. Bingham School (formerly) – North Street

John J. Jennings School – Burlington Avenue

District 4

Board of Education – Church Street (plow only)

Bristol Public Library (Main & Children’s) – Main Street

Bristol Central High School – Wolcott Road / Crown Street / Peck Lane

Lake Ave. Commuter Lot – Lake Ave.

Memorial Boulevard Middle School – Memorial Boulevard, South Street / Willis Street

South Side School – Tuttle Road

Bristol A.R.C. (2) – Lake Avenue

Bristol Transfer Station – Lake Avenue

Bristol Waste Water Treatment Plant – Battisto Road

Pump Station – Tyler Way

The City will clear snow and treat City sidewalks abutting City owned property as necessary. The list of sidewalks is below. All other sidewalks, except sidewalks under the jurisdiction of the Bristol Board of Education, Bristol Housing Authority, and the Bristol Park Department are the responsibility of the abutting owner(s). Sidewalks maintained by the Department of Public Works include the following:

Church Street - (vacant lot)

North Main Street – (both sidewalks from Center St. to North St.), North Main Street (Court Complex)

Laurel Street @ North Main Street – (City Hall)

Meadow Street @ Kelly Street – (City Hall Employees Lot)

Main Street - (underpass)

High Street – (#5, #51)

High St. @ Queen St (southwest corner)

Riverside Avenue – (#270)

East Street – Bridge (North Side of Blvd.)

Mellon Street – (underpass)

West End Commuter Lot

Union Street – (opposite #151)

Hill Street @ Battle Street

Brook Street @ Farmington Avenue - (southwest corner)

King Street – (#361)

In the event of a life threatening emergency (such as medical and/or fire response) the Police Department can request that a snow plow escort the emergency response vehicles. On days when school is in session, winter maintenance efforts will be timed to coincide with bus routing and delivery. On weekends, winter maintenance efforts will be timed to coincide with religious services, excluding State roads which fall under the jurisdiction of the CT Department of Transportation.

Snow and Ice Control Materials:

The city will use sand, ice control products, and other chemicals when there are hazardous ice or slippery conditions. Streets with snow and/or ice are treated with sand/ice control products mix and magnesium chloride is used as an alternative melting agent when applicable and available. Magnesium chloride is dispensed in conjunction with the ice control products and sand mixture to accelerate melting.

Different materials may be used to experiment their effectiveness for de-icing purposes. The material will be spread at an appropriate rate for effective control of ice and snow. The initial application of material is used to minimize the bonding of snow/ice to the pavement. The City will limit its use of chemicals if there is a negative impact on the environment as a result of their use.

Public Works is working to establish parameters for appropriate use and volumes of materials used in winter operations.

Equipment Inspection:

At the conclusion of the winter season, Public Works will asses each vehicle for needed repairs and perform preventive maintenance based on available funding. In September, the Fleet Maintenance group will be preparing snow removal and ice control equipment for the upcoming season. Preventive maintenance, seasonal preparation and improvements and repairs are done as needed.  

Equipment Calibration:

The winter operations fleet is diverse and each truck is unique in design and equipment. Calibration for distributing ice control products, sand, and magnesium chloride is done manually by vehicle operators at the direction of the Snow and Ice Supervisor based on current and expected weather conditions. The Department of Environmental Protection mandates what abrasive materials are allowed for snow and ice control in the state of CT, and Public Works complies with these mandates.

Loading Procedures:

Heavy Equipment Operators load dump trucks with ice control products/sand for winter operations using front bucket loaders. When a weather event is imminent, trucks are loaded in advance of the storm. Newly employed and qualified Heavy Equipment Operators are trained in all aspects of the dump trucks, bucket loaders and loading process.

Truck drivers fill magnesium chloride tanks on their vehicles. Before the start of each season, refresher training is provided to the drivers on proper procedures for filling magnesium chloride tanks, and required PPE’s (Personal Protective Equipment) when filling tanks.

All trucks are loaded appropriately based on the Gross Vehicle Weight.

Spreading and Plowing Procedures:

Snow will be plowed in a manner so as to minimize traffic obstructions. The center of the roadway will be plowed first to open the roads for travel. The snow will then be pushed from left to right. Contractors with smaller vehicles may need to initially plow the gutter portion of the street during heavy snowfalls in order to get the snow pushed off the roadway. The discharge will go onto the tree border area of the street. The entire width of the street may not be cleared immediately. Our focus is to have traffic flow during the storm.

On designated streets, the snow will be pushed toward the center line of the road, with openings cut in the berm of snow for businesses, intersections, driveways, and pedestrian traffic. The streets where snow will be plowed to the center of the street are: North Main Street – between North Street and School Street, and Riverside Avenue - between Main Street and North Main Street. Public Works may choose from time to time to expand or discontinue this method of plowing.

When plowing an intersection, the snow may be pushed diagonally across from the intersection; the truck will back up carefully and make a right turn, pushing the snow away from the center of the intersection and/or continue plowing to the intersection and make a right turn, keeping the intersection clear as possible. Generally, the street shall be opened for two (2) way traffic flow and final push back of snow shall be complete at the end of the storm.

When plowing cul-de-sacs, the snow will be reasonably distributed to all abutting properties. Most of the snow will be pushed out of the cul-de-sac, unless there is a staging area located in the cul-de-sac.

In times of extreme snowfall, streets will not always immediately be able to be completely cleared of snow. During heavy snowfall, heavy equipment may be used to keep streets open.

Snow Storage:

The Snow and Ice Control Supervisor will determine when there is a need for snow to be removed from an area using heavy equipment and trucks. Such snow removal will occur in areas where there is no adequate room on the tree border for snow storage, snow accumulation of (18”) eighteen inches in the gutter portion of the street(s) in the downtown area, designated streets where the snow is pushed toward the centerline of the roadway and in areas where accumulated piles of snow create a hazardous condition (i.e. cul-de-sacs and intersections). Snow removal operations will commence at the conclusion of other snowplowing operations. Snow removal operations may also be delayed depending on weather conditions and personnel. The snow will be removed and hauled to a snow storage area. The snow storage area will be located so as to minimize environmental problems. Excess snow in the downtown area can be stored at vacant City owned property in the area, snow from the northwest section of the City can be stored at the Old Peacedale Street excavation site, and Pine Street across from Mitchell Street can be used to store snow from the southeast area.

Snow Operations Damages:

Winter operations may cause property damage. Crews use due care when they are addressing the streets during winter operations. Damage typically occurs within the City right-of-way. This is the area where curbs, driveway aprons, lawns, mailboxes, sidewalks, trees, and utilities are located. This area is known as the tree border. Damage to private property, the area located outside of the City right-of-way occurs infrequently. The City will accept responsibility to private property if it is apparent that the damage was caused by Public Works or private contractors (hired by the City for snow removal and ice control) equipment and personnel. Residents who sustain damage should call the Public Works Department at 584-6125 to report the damage.

Prior to the start of winter operations, each contractor Group Leader must review their district and proactively identify problematic issues (manhole cover or catch basins protruding above street level, basketball hoops in the street, mailboxes not properly installed) and report their findings for the Streets Superintendent to address.

If damage occurs from winter operations, and it is verified by the Public Works Department, the Streets Division will assist the homeowner with such repairs when applicable (mailboxes, lawn damage, curbing, driveway aprons or tree damage). The Streets Division will make the damaged area safe to any immediate hazards.

The reported damage will be logged into the service request data base. Permanent repairs are typically done in the construction season following the winter season. If a damage report is disputed or a claim is made of damage to personal property outside of the right-of-way from winter operations, the resident may make such claim with the Claims Department of the City of Bristol at 860-584-6153.

Curbing is frequently damaged by winter operations. Broken curbing that is dislodged from the curb is picked up after winter operations conclude. Broken curbing still in place will be left and removed in the construction season as needed. New curbing, loam and seed will be installed as necessary.

The driveway apron is located at the end of the driveway where vehicles enter and exit the property from the street. Damage occasionally occurs to this area during winter operations. The driveway apron will be repaired during the construction season. The driveway apron is installed in the right of way portion with a one and one half inch lip to prevent water from entering the property.

Lawns which are scraped by the plow or damaged from equipment will be repaired with loam and seed the following season as the weather dictates. Residents are encouraged to water these areas once the repair has been made.

Mailboxes are frequently susceptible to winter operations damage due to their placement in the right-of-way. When mailboxes are damaged from winter operations, the Streets Division will attempt to permanently repair the mailbox when feasible. If the mailbox cannot be repaired, a temporary mailbox is provided and a new mailbox and post, if required, is installed in the spring time. Public Works uses a standard mailbox configuration for replacements (4” X 4” pressure-treated post with a basic mailbox) and if the residents want a different type of replacement, they will be referred to the City’s Claims Department.  During pre-season inspection by contractor Group Leaders, if a mailboxes is identified that is not properly installed per Post Office specifications, a notice is left with the resident to advise them to correct the situation to avoid damage from snow plowing activity. If the mailbox and post were located incorrectly, and the resident was notified of the issue, the city will not be held liable. If a mailbox and/or post were in poor condition prior to damage, the City may not be held liable.

Claims for damage to utility poles are also referred to the Claims Department.

Parking Limitations:

City ordinance prohibits on-street parking between the hours of 2:00 AM and 6:00 AM between December 15th and March 15th each year. When warranted, a more restrictive storm parking ban will be enacted which prohibits all on-street parking. The parking ban will be announced to the public through media resources and stay in effect till the conclusion of the operation.

7.   Roles/Responsibilities

The Snow and Ice Control Supervisor role is filled by the following positions, in the order presented, based on availability: Streets Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent of Streets, Superintendent of Solid Waste, Solid Waste and Recycling Operations Analyst, Assistant Director of Public Works.

It is the responsibility of Public Works to manage ice control and snow removal to ensure safe travel on City streets.

The Streets Maintenance Supervisor will assign winter operation Group Leaders  to inspect their respective district prior and during  the winter operations season and proactively address any hazards that may cause damage to personal property or equipment. Supervisors; and Group Leaders (when invoked) will make necessary adjustments to their assigned areas due to circumstances which affect winter operations. Group Leaders will oversee trucks and equipment which have been assigned to them by the Supervisor for storm fighting. The Supervisor(s) may handle a smaller operation when group leaders are not warranted.

It is the responsibility of residents to properly locate and maintain mailboxes and other personal property in the City’s right-of-way to avoid damage from snow plowing.

Travelers are urged to stay off the streets during a winter storm to help minimize delays in service. It is advisable to handle all errands prior to the predicted winter weather.  The Streets Division and travelers must afford reasonableness to each other during inclement weather. The Department appreciates the cooperative effort by the residents and travelers of Bristol.  

8.   Definitions

N/A

9.   References

See also City of Bristol, Code of Ordinances:

Section 14-32, Section 14-39, Section 21-23, Section 21-24, Section 21-25, and Section 21-25.2

10.               Consequences of Non-Compliance

N/A

Approval authority: Board of Public Works

Approved date: 10/19/07

Draft revision:   09/12 (change back to 4 districts)

Review cycle: Annually 

Copyright 2013. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Public works admits to setbacks, looks to improve

Here's a memo that city Public Works Director Walter Veselka sent to city councilors and other officials on Monday afternoon:

I apologize but started trying to get this out to you at 6:30 this morning.  Today is a transition day as we move from the initial opening of all roadways to widening the streets out.  The depth of snow and now rain saturating what is on the ground we will be moving snow either with blowers or loaders.  Although some will be dumped on lawns we will be trucking a large volume of snow to snow dump areas we are setting up around the City.

 

Residents clearing own road on Chippens Hill.

Our goal was to have all streets opened to at least one pass by 6 p.m. last night but we suffered some setbacks during the day that did not allow us to meet that goal.  We believed that by 7 a.m. this morning we had addressed all the streets with a few known problem areas requiring more effort.  We put the word out to get resident responses on areas we may have missed.  That has resulted in a number of calls; most of the areas we had opened but are checking each and addressing as required.  This checking and preparing for our next phase of work is taking the majority of today's efforts; the potions of the streets that we did not finish last night all require extensive work using heavy equipment.

 

We are in the process of lining up contact equipment, articulated loaders and large capacity trucks, to begin hauling snow.  We will be using City and contract resources for this and will be addressing the arterial and high volume streets listed if the first part of the policy.  Most of these resources will be available beginning tomorrow once the contractors complete hauling snow for their contract areas.

 

At the same time we are doing this widening we will be using City and contract back-hoe/loaders to improve the sightline at intersections, again beginning with the arterial roadways.  Other resources not used will be addressing the sidewalks the City is responsible to clear.

 

In addition to addressing missed streets and other emergent issues we are preparing snow dump areas to receive snow.  We need to clear access into these areas and create place for the snow.  Today and tomorrow you will see equipment in Depot Square, the Peacedale excavation site, one or more of the closed schools and Northeast Middle School making these preparations.

 

For this phase of our operations I will be coordinating and managing the operations.

Bill Wolfe will be assigning the work to our contractors and City crews working through the streets on the list.  He will be checking the streets to confirm they are cleared.

Joe Mone will be on the ground directing the efforts of the City crews.

Ray Rogozinski and Roger Rousseau are lining up Contract resources for our use.

Sheree Gorneault is providing updates on operations via our web site, information line (6224), and e-mail.  She is also doing updates on WebEOC.

Ed Swicklas will be coordinating the efforts to clean non BOE City sidewalks.

George Wallace is coordinating truck and equipment repair efforts.

Dave Oakes (and Dave Clark when he returns) will be reviewing our ability to conduct solid waste collections.

 

We are getting assistance from my Water Pollution Control Division in addition to Park, Water, Police and Board of Education on these efforts.

 

We will be putting out updates on what solid waste routes we will be collecting and the streets the crews will be working on each day.

 

Copyright 2013. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

State of emergency declared in Bristol

Press release from Mayor Art Ward's assistant, Mary Suchopar:

Mayor Ward has declared a State of Emergency in the city of Bristol as a result of the impending Storm Nemo, a strong Nor’Easter which has been categorized as a major blizzard. Mayor Ward stated, “This storm has the potential for major damage, drifting snow and hazardous road conditions, I ask that residents keep a clear head and use common sense during the storm hours.”

The Emergency Shelter at Chippens Hill Middle School has been opened as of 12:00 pm today. If residents require the need of the shelter, they should bring warm clothes, snacks, any necessary medications and books, games, etc. for entertainment. This shelter is a pet-friendly shelter. If you bring a pet to the shelter, be sure to have appropriate food, carrier, leash, etc.

As of 6:00 pm this evening, the Mayor has requested all non-essential vehicle traffic off the roads in the City for safety reasons and to give the plows an opportunity to keep the roads clear. A parking ban has gone into effect as of 12:00 noon, today and will remain in effect, until further notice.

The Public Transfer Station will not be open this Saturday, February 9th, as well as the Public Libraries.  If you have an emergency, contact the Police Dispatch at 860-584-3011.  

Copyright 2013. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Bristol's Grand List shrinks sharply

City Assessor Tom DeNoto

In the wake of revaluation and shrinking home prices, the city’s newly compiled Grand List plummeted 12 percent to $3.78 billion.

Driving down the tally of Bristol’s taxable property was the collapse of residential real estate. The median single family home lost 21 percent of the value it had during the last revaluation in 2007.

But there’s a silver lining for most homeowners in that decline: they will likely pay less in property taxes.

City Assessor Tom DeNoto that while home prices have been “falling off the cliff” during the past five years, commercial property dipped only slightly.

That means, he said, there will be a “burden shift” that pushes more of the overall property taxes onto commercial property owners.

That breaks a decade-long trend that has seen homeowners picking up an ever greater share of the tab.

Click here for the full story. To see a more detailed overview of the Grand List, click here. Saturday's Bristol Press will have more.
Copyright 2013. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Labor history on the legislative agenda

The state currently requires Connecticut schools to teach math, science, economics, physical education and even "the dangers of gang membership." But if Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney has his way, the list may grow. Looney, a New Haven Democrat, has proposed legislation to require the teaching of "labor history and law, including the history of organized labor, the collective bargaining process and existing legal protections in the workplace, as part of the public school curriculum." The purpose of Looney's measure is to support "a well-rounded education."

Now labor history has its place, for sure. And it's probably too often ignored.

But the existing law doesn't require schools teach anything about the Civil War, the Civil Rights Movement or anything else specific. It just calls for students to learn "government and history." Requiring only labor history to be studied when so much else is left to teachers to decide is... up to the General Assembly. The proposal is now before the Labor and the Education committees, where it will probably die. Here's what the law currently calls for:
In the public schools the program of instruction offered shall include at least the following subject matter, as taught by legally qualified teachers, the arts; career education; consumer education; health and safety, including, but not limited to, human growth and development, nutrition, first aid, disease prevention, community and consumer health, physical, mental and emotional health, including youth suicide prevention, substance abuse prevention, safety, which may include the dangers of gang membership, and accident prevention; language arts, including reading, writing, grammar, speaking and spelling; mathematics; physical education; science; social studies, including, but not limited to, citizenship, economics, geography, government and history; and in addition, on at least the secondary level, one or more world languages and vocational education. For purposes of this subsection, world languages shall include American Sign Language, provided such subject matter is taught by a qualified instructor under the supervision of a teacher who holds a certificate issued by the State Board of Education. For purposes of this subsection, the "arts" means any form of visual or performing arts, which may include, but not be limited to, dance, music, art and theatre.
I'm a little concerned about that English spelling of theater, but perhaps that can be fixed someday.
Copyright 2013. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Ward: Will not seek reelection this year

After three terms at the helm, Mayor Art Ward announced Tuesday that he plans to call it quits come November.

“Serving three terms as the Mayor of the City of Bristol, my birthplace and hometown, has been an honor, a privilege and a most humbling experience,” the mayor said.

Ward came to office just as the recession began hammering the economy, leading him to preside during a time of shrinking resources.

Mayor Art Ward and his assistant, Mary Suchopar

But, with the cooperation of municipal unions that accepted a number of pay freezes, he managed to pull it off without resorting to layoffs or major tax property taxes.

Even so, Ward nearly lost his last reelection bid in 2011 to Republican challenger Mary Alford and split so badly with his own Democratic Party’s leadership that he almost certainly could not have won its nomination for the city’s top job this year.

It hasn’t been clear, though, whether Ward would force a primary, run as an independent or take some other step to retain the office he’s held since 2007.

There is only one announced candidate for mayor so far, Republican city Councilor Ken Cockayne. But Ward’s decision is likely to unleash others soon.

Mayor Art Ward heads into meeting.

Ward, a former state veterans counselor, said that after eight years on the Zoning Board of Appeals, 14 years as a city councilor and a long stint as mayor “the time has arrived for me to take a respite from city government.”

“My longevity as an appointed and elected official has proved most gratifying and will always remain an integral part of my life,” the mayor said.
“My hope is that I have contributed as much to the people of the City of Bristol as I have been blessed to have received as a result of this wonderful experience.”

Ward said there have been considerable achievements during “the economic turmoil of the past five years,” including the opening of two new schools, consolidation of city departments and more regional cooperation.

Gary Lawton, an independent who twice challenged Ward for the position, said that given the mayor’s lack of support on the town committee “he is wise not to see another term.”

For more information, please see Wednesday’s Bristol Press.

 Here's the press release:
 

Mayor Arthur J. Ward Will Not Seek a Fourth Term

Bristol, CT, January 22, 2013 –  In a prepared statement, Mayor Ward announced that he will not be seeking a fourth term as Mayor. “Serving three terms as the Mayor of the City of Bristol, my birthplace and hometown, has been an honor, a privilege and a most humbling experience, said Ward.”

“Serving in local government for almost 30 years has given me the opportunity to learn, to experience and to contribute to the future of our great community.”

Ward served eight years on the Zoning Board of Appeals, fourteen years as an elected member of the Bristol City Council representing the first district, and three terms as Mayor.

The Mayor stated, “Community service can often times prove challenging and formidable, but the mission always remains constant - striving for the betterment of the community by insuring that the public safety, security, education and health needs of the people meet the utmost expectations of performance.

One person is hardly capable of achieving these goals alone, as evidenced by the financial impact of the economic turmoil of the past five years.

Bristol has withstood the economic challenges of this recession through the elimination of nearly fifty positions utilizing  the process of attrition, maintaining the practice of fiscal austerity through cooperative budgetary measures between the educational and city components of city government, the consolidation of multiple departments and positions, the presence of commitment of elected and appointed officials, City department heads, staff, employees and most importantly, the backbone of the community – the volunteers and  the citizens of Bristol, all of whom have dedicated themselves for the betterment of the city by collaboratively providing the foundation for the future of our community. .

Bristol has continued on the path of progress for tomorrow – with the stabilization of our excellent bond rating, solid city pension funds, construction and presentation of two new K-8 schools, multiple  regionalization practices, including regional and local resolutions which address longstanding

environmental and flooding concerns along the Pequabuck and Coppermine waterways, combining with neighboring communities in heavy equipment purchases and addressing lower costs associated in the providing of mutual community services, new energy and environmental efficiency provisions, long term commitments such as the new trash-to-energy contract, the proposed new recycling facility and new revenue enhancements such as the “pay as you throw” solid waste program.”

Ward continued: “Economically, Bristol remains strong as a result of the solid commitment of our business community, the ongoing revitalization efforts of our downtown areas - past, present and future and the dedicated residents of all ages possessing the enthusiastic, positive dedicated energy and involvement for the future of Bristol.

Resolution of these many concerns required negotiation, compromise and hard work by all, ultimately reaching the height of accomplishment for everyone – a better Bristol for us, our families and our future generations.

After much deliberation, I have come to the conclusion that the time has arrived for me to take a respite from city government; accordingly, I am respectfully announcing that I will not be a candidate for reelection to the office of Mayor of the City of Bristol for a fourth term in the upcoming November election.”

Ward concluded: “To my wife Patricia, our families, our friends, our supporters and campaign staffs – this dream would never have become a reality without you. Thank you for all of your love, guidance and support throughout these years

I would be remiss if I didn’t express my extreme gratitude for the abundance of support and the dedication of my administrative assistant, Mary Suchopar for her confidence, allegiance and “go the extra mile” spirit over these past five years.

 I have relished the opportunity to serve with you and to serve for you, I will forever cherish all of the fond memories and assure you that I will continue to exercise the due diligence deserved of both the Office of the Mayor and the people of Bristol throughout the rest of this term of office.

My longevity as an appointed and elected official has proved most gratifying and will always remain an integral part of my life. My hope is that I have contributed as much to the people of the City of Bristol as I have been blessed to have received as a result of this wonderful experience.

As we move forward as a community, I am confident that the people of Bristol will continue the process of responsibly exercising their right to vote and electing a most worthy candidate in the November election.

God Bless the City of Bristol, the State of Connecticut and the United States of America.”

    Copyright 2013. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Picking tobacco in Connecticut, like King did

A story I wrote in 2010:

SIMSBURY – With their weathered red planks and gabled roofs, the long, narrowtobacco sheds of this Connecticut Valley town seem a long way from the civil rights struggle in post-World War II America.

But, oddly enough, they actually played a critical role.

In 1944, a 15-year-old Martin Luther King, Jr headed north from Atlanta to the tobacco fields of Simsbury, a voyage he undertook mostly to get away from home.

He joined a horde of other young people – including many from nearby towns who rose as early as 4 a.m. to catch buses that took them to the jobs – who cared for the famous shade-grown broad leaf tobacco growing under a sea of gauzy cloth beneath the hot summer sun.

Working in the tobacco fields – miserable summer jobs by all accounts – helped shape the giant who stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial less than two decades later to proclaim that he had a dream.

For King, the two summers he worked in the tobacco fields of the Connecticut Valley – in 1944 and in 1947 – were among the most crucial times of his life, his first prolonged look at a society without legally mandated segregation and the spot where he decided to devote his life to the ministry.

King looked back on the first trip to Connecticut in a passage published in his Autobiography a few years ago: “After that summer in Connecticut, it was a bitter feeling going back to segregation.

“It was hard to understand why I could ride wherever I pleased on the train from New York to Washington and then had to change to a Jim Crow car at the nation's capital in order to continue the trip to Atlanta.

“The first time that I was seated behind a curtain in a dining car, I felt as if the curtain had been dropped on my selfhood. I could never adjust to the separate waiting rooms, separate eating places, separate rest rooms, partly because the separate was always unequal, and partly because the very idea of separation did something to my sense of dignity and self-respect,” King wrote.

That’s the voice of the civil rights leader looking back on his life years later.

But there are also a few remnants of King’s time in Connecticut, the slim memories of an old friend and a handful of letters that King sent home.

King, who lived in a Spartan work camp at a farm owned by Cullman Brothers, snagged one of the best slots available – working in the kitchen instead of the fields.

“I get better food than any of the boys,” he wrote to his father, “and more I get as much as I want.”

That’s probably why one of his friends that summer later told a biographer of the civil rights hero that King was voted one of the two laziest workers that summer from among their group.

When you consider what the work out in the fields was like, it’s not hard to see why someone in the kitchen seemed to have a sweet gig.

Frank Nicastro, a Bristol politician, recently recalled what it was like working for Cullman Brothers about a decade after King’s first trip to Connecticut.

Catching a bus to the fields from Bristol at sunrise, Nicastro said, workers spent most of the day suckering the tobacco plants, or stripping off the little sprouting leaves in between the larger lower leaves.

“The only way  you could do that was dragging your backside” along the often wet or sandy ground down the long rows of plants, Nicastro said, with dirt seeping its way all over everyone.

As the tobacco grew, the next picking entailed kneeling before plant after plant, he remembered.

“It was tough,” Nicastro said.

Steve Emirzian, a writer who lives in Canton, said that when he headed out to the fields as a 13-year-old from his Farmington home in the 1970s, the bosses “barked orders at us kids. We had to grab the three leaves closest to the ground, which sounds easy except you had to determine if a tobacco leaf was ready to be picked,” a subjective term at best.

“The guys in charge would take delight in yelling at us all day” Not THAT one!’ or ‘"Don't pick 'em like a girl!’” Emirzian remembered.

Glenn Klocko of Southington said that at the age of 13 in 1968 he begged his mother to let him work in the fields. She finally relented so he climbed on a bus in Meriden and headed for a tobacco farm in Windsor Locks.

The youngsters were taught to get on their hands and knees and wrap their fingers around the base of each plant and strip away the suckers, the little leaves.

Within an hour, Klocko said, he felt cramped and filthy. When a thunderstorm rolled in, he got covered with mud, too.

Even his underwear was caked brown with the dirt, he said.

By the time he got home, stinky, sore and sunburned, his mother had to turn a hose on him before he could go inside.

“It was hard, hard work,” Klocko said. He never went back.

Brigid Fitzgerald Arace, a former Connecticut resident who lives in Ohio, said she worked with her sister Anne at an East Windsor farm, where they formed a sewing team after the picking was done.

After tying the young tobacco plant to a string early in the summer, she said, the pair shared a machine in the tobacco shed “and took threading two leaves of tobacco at a time onto a wooden lat.”

“I think it took about 20 pairs of leaves before it was full and then we took this lat and hung it on some kind of holder,” she recalled recently, where the tobacco would be left to cure before its sale for use in wrapping cigars.

Diane Davis, who lasted only two weeks because the job was so awful, said she used to come home stained green and smelling like tobacco.

Miserable as the job could be, King found it eye-opening.

“The white people here are very nice,” the 15-year-old King wrote to his father in 1944. “We go to any place we want to and sit anywhere we want to.”

To his mother, King wrote, “I am doing fine and still having a nice time. We went to church Sunday in Simsbury and we were the only Negroes there. Negroes and whites go to the same church.”

King later wrote that he went to Simsbury just before going to Morehouse College “and worked for a whole summer on a tobacco farm to earn a little school money to supplement what my parents were doing.”

To his mother that summer, King wrote that he’d had a day off so he went into Hartford with friends and “had a nice time there.”

“I never thought that a person of my race could eat anywhere but we ate in one of the finest restaurants in Hartford. And we went to the largest shows there,” he wrote.

King returned to pick tobacco again in the summer of 1947, when he “led religious service for his fellow student workers at a tobacco farm” in Simsbury, according to Clayborne Carson, director of the Martin Luther King, Jr Papers Project at Stanford University.

But it may have been beer that propelled King to declare his intention to become a preacher that summer.

According to Taylor Branch’s magisterial history of King, police accosted King during some sort of beer in the barracks shenanigans, though they didn’t make an arrest. But concern that the episode might reach his father’s ears in Atlanta may have convinced the future civil rights leader to tell his dad about his career choice quickly in order to fend off the possibility of trouble at home.

Carson said that “about all we know” of King’s early forays to Connecticut comes from his letters.

It happened so long ago that few if any people have any memory of King from those summers, he said, and he would look skeptically at claims by others to recall much of anything about King in those days.

After all, he said, King was just a teenage boy at the time with “no real strong connections” to the area.

Other than the summers picking tobacco, Carson said, probably the only other times that King went to Connecticut were to give a speech or two.

Connecticut Public Television’s Connecticut Journal determined that King spoke at least a dozen times at Yale, Wesleyan and in Bridgeport in the years after the Montgomery bus boycott. He also gave at least one address at Hartford’s Bushnell Auditorium.

It isn’t clear whether he ever mentioned his earlier trips to Connecticut during one of his addresses at the height of his fame.

But what is obvious is that Connecticut left its mark on King, who would be 81 years old this month if an assassin hadn’t gunned him down.

Copyright 2012. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Ward may decide soon on mayoral run

I'm hearing from quite a few people that Mayor Art Ward will announce as soon as this week whether  he will seek reelection to a fourth term as the city's leader. The consensus bet? He won't run again. On the GOP side, only city Councilor Ken Cockayne has declared an intention to seek the office. He may face a challenge from fellow Councilor Henri Martin. Other Republicans may be eyeing the contest, too. On the Democratic side, if Ward chooses not to run, expect a free-for-all unless former Mayor Frank Nicastro, who's currently a state representative, chooses to reclaim the office. He would make a formidable candidate, by all accounts, having never lost a race in a quarter century. If Nicastro doesn't run, the possibilities include city Councilor Kevin Fuller, former city Councilors Ellen Zoppo and Kevin McCauley and, well, a host of others.
Copyright 2013. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com