Kathleen Blonski
Non-voting — Town Manager — Farmington Ad Hoc 1928 Building Committee
Roles
- Government Official — Farmington Town Council
Coverage (20 articles)
Farmington Seats a Building Committee for a $30 Million Fire Station Overhaul
Farmington's newly seated Fire Station Building Committee held its first meeting Friday, taking control of a Town Council-scoped plan to build two new fire stations and renovate the historic Village firehouse for a total of $30 million to $35 million. The catch: none of it happens without a town referendum the committee is aiming to put on a 2027 ballot.
Farmington Approves the Meadow Road Sidewalk After Two Years of Debate
The Farmington Town Council voted unanimously to build a sidewalk along Meadow Road, approving the revised Option 2 alignment after two years of hearings, a deferral, and a redesign. The fight was never whether to build it, but which side of the road it belongs on.
Farmington Council Extends Town Manager's Contract to 2030, Adds $15,000 Bonus
Farmington's Town Council reviewed Town Manager Kathleen Blonski behind closed doors on June 23, then returned to open session and unanimously extended her contract through June 30, 2030, raised her salary 3 percent, and awarded her a $15,000 bonus. The deliberation was private; the decision, as state law requires, was public.
Three Farmington Boards Have a Say in the Truck Stop. Only Two Actually Decide It.
Three Farmington bodies weigh in on the fate of the Noble Energy truck stop, but the elected Town Council, the one residents keep asking to stop it, doesn't actually decide. A guide to who votes on what, and the June 17, July 13, and July 27 hearings that do.
Farmington Town Council Comes Out Against the Truck Stop
Farmington's Town Council issued two unanimous negative referrals June 9, opposing the Noble Energy truck stop at 8261 Fienemann Road and a separate National Land Holdings residential project, even though the binding decisions still belong to the planning and wetlands boards.
Farmington's 1928 Building Committee Spends $17,700 to Cool a Server Room That Runs at 84 Degrees
Two weeks after the May 14 ribbon cutting, the Ad Hoc 1928 Building Committee approved $17,700 for a standalone air-conditioning unit serving the new Town Hall's server room — and pushed exterior signage to the top of the FY2026-27 capital budget. Construction is essentially complete; the meeting was facilities management.
Tim Kelly's Next Fire-Station Question: How Old Is the Volunteer Force?
At the May 26 Farmington Town Council meeting, Westview resident Tim Kelly asked the council for an inventory of the town's current volunteer-firefighter ranks by decade — twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, sixties — before the new Fire Station Building Committee carries the $30-to-$35 million overhaul further. Kelly tied the demographic question to his unstudied May 12 consolidation alternative. The council didn't respond on the floor.
Tinty Park Stays a Park: Legal Opinion Closes Farmington's Cemetery Question
A legal opinion delivered to the Farmington Town Council on May 26 concludes that using the Don Tinty parcel for cemetery purposes would violate the 2004 deed covenant, and that the town has no legal obligation to provide burial grounds. Chair Brian F. X. Connolly delivered the news in a statement that came after Patti Boye-Williams moved to amend the agenda to add it. Two of the Nadia's Way neighbors who packed the May 12 meeting returned to thank the council. The opinion will appear in the June 9 manager's report.
Farmington Council Sets May 26 Discussion, June 9 Vote on Meadow Road Sidewalk
Town Manager Kathleen Blonski told the Farmington Town Council on May 12 that the Meadow Road sidewalk project will return as an agenda item at the council's May 26 meeting, with a potential vote at the June 9 meeting. The council is committed to building the project this year regardless of which of two design options it picks — the original south-side-throughout design or the split design that crosses to the north side west of Wakefield Lane.
Farmington Sets Mill Rate at 27.36
The Town Council voted unanimously to set the property tax rate at 27.36 mills for fiscal year 2026–27 and to divide an unexpected $1.7 million state aid grant — half for current taxpayers, half in reserve for a revaluation year the council is watching with caution.
A Cemetery Proposal for Don Tinty Park Resurfaces in Farmington
A 2004 deed gave Donald Tinty Family Park to Farmington as a public park. On May 12, the Town Council took up — and a dozen residents came to oppose — whether part of it should become the town's next cemetery. The council's direction: a legal opinion on the deed before any work on the ground.
Farmington Advances a $30–35 Million Fire-Station Overhaul
The Farmington Town Council voted unanimously on May 12 to advance a $30-to-$35-million plan to replace two of the town's three volunteer fire stations and renovate the third, seating a new building committee to carry it toward a referendum. The only sustained dissent came from the public comment podium, where resident Tim Kelly argued the town never seriously studied consolidating to two stations.
Farmington Council Defers Meadow Road Sidewalk Vote, Asks for Redesign
After a 90-minute public hearing, the Town Council declined to vote on the south-side alignment and asked Town Engineer Russ Arnold to redesign the project as a south-side / north-side split crossing at Wakefield Lane. The vote is now expected at the June Town Council meeting.
Farmington's $14.3M School HVAC Bond: Fresh Air, AC, and a $100,000 Electric Bill
Before April 30, voters decide whether to condition the air in four elementary schools. The bond is the simple number. The math around it is not.
Farmington Sets April 30 Referendum on $143M Budget and $18.3M in Bonds
Town Meeting voters referred a 4.74% spending plan and two bond questions to the ballot. The average homeowner would pay $281.20 more in taxes. A state mandate and a historic debt load both sat in the room.
Farmington Passes $143M Budget for 2026-27
Farmington's Town Council approved a $143.2M budget for FY 2026-27, setting a 27.55 mill rate and locking in $564K in regional dispatch savings.
Farmington's New Town Hall Gets a Ribbon Cutting Date: May 14. There Will Be Tours, Food Trucks, and Souvenir Bricks.
Farmington's Ad Hoc 1928 Building Committee set May 14 for the ribbon cutting of the town's new Town Hall — the renovated 1928 high school. Guided tours, food trucks, and souvenir brick distribution planned. The $16 million project is 97 percent expended.
Farmington’s Bicycle And Trails Advisory Committee Weighs Trail Repairs, Safe Routes, And A 15 MPH E-Bike Limit
Farmington’s bike committee reviewed trail fixes, school walking audits, business outreach, and a possible 15 mph e-bike speed limit, then set a date for a March 2026 public forum. 🚲
Tim Kelly And The Five-Minute Mic: Debt, Data, And Why Public Comment Still Matters In Farmington
Tim Kelly And The Five-Minute Mic: Debt, Data, And Why Public Comment Still Matters In Farmington If you sit through Farmington Town Council meetings, you know the pattern: the chair opens public comment, the five-minute timer lights up, and Tim Kelly of 62 Westview steps to the mic. Charts follow. Debt service, peer comps, energy…
Budget, Bureaucracy, and Backup Generators: Farmington Passes $136.7M Budget in Marathon Town Council Meeting
📋 Farmington’s April 7 meeting covered budgets, HVAC overhauls, sidewalk stats, police generators, and a town-wide spring trash blitz. Nothing says civic duty like manhole talk.