Town Hall— Page 2

Showing stories 26–49 of 287.

Farmington's Survey Will Ask About Paying for a New School

The survey will guide the Town Council's strategic plan and the zoning commission's next ten-year Plan of Conservation and Development.

Jack Beckett·Oct 2, 2026

Farmington Mercury graphic. New lines added in large white type on a dark navy background, above a line reading: A new elementary school, preschool and public safety now sit on the list residents will rate as priorities for tax dollars.

Farmington Aquifer Checkup: Five Renewed, Three Continued

A concrete plant, a gravel yard, a Midas and several small manufacturers are among 15 Farmington properties registered to work with hazardous materials over ground that feeds public water wells.

Jack Beckett·Oct 2, 2026

A navy typographic card reading Over the water, about Farmington aquifer registrations: five renewed, three get until Oct. 14.

Farmington's New Flood Maps Take Effect Nov. 13

Where the federal maps now say floods run lower, Farmington kept its own building heights. Some homeowners who won an exemption from the flood zone years ago will lose it without a word from FEMA…

Jack Beckett·Oct 1, 2026

Floodwater covering Meadow Road in Farmington in October 2005, with a bicycle parked by a fence, beside text reading New lines, old heights.

Diamantis Gets 7 Years; U.S. Takes His Farmington House

Kosta Diamantis, the former state school-construction chief who fled to Greece, was sentenced to seven years. The Meadow Road house he put up for bail passes to the federal government Friday, along…

Jack Beckett·Sep 30, 2026

The federal courthouse in Hartford, beside text reading 7 years, the house goes Friday.

Farmington's Draft Town Survey: Here Is What It Asks

Farmington's draft town survey asks residents how high a priority it should be to increase tax dollars in 19 areas. A town committee reviews that half of the survey Wednesday, and the launch date is…

Jack Beckett·Sep 26, 2026

Farmington Mercury graphic. The number 19 and the word areas in large white type on a dark navy background, above a line reading: The draft asks residents how high a priority it should be to increase tax dollars in each. The questions are not final.

Farmington Pool Can Stay After Town Map Error

Before the pool went up at 12 Lake Garda Drive, its owner checked with Farmington's planning office. The town's map had the property line in the wrong place, and a permit review step was never…

Jack Beckett·Sep 25, 2026

Farmington Mercury graphic. On a dark navy field with fine grain and a thin blue rule at the left edge, a gold kicker reads Farmington Zoning Board of Appeals, 12 Lake Garda Drive, Sept. 21, 2026. A large serif headline reads 14 feet. Below a short blue rule, a line reads: The town's map had the rear property line in the wrong place. The appeals board let the pool stay, 6-0. A faint abstract grid fades in on the right.

Farmington Appeals Board Asks Zoning to Wait on Solar Rules

Farmington's zoning rules say nothing about solar panels in the yard, and the planning commission takes up a draft Monday. The elected Zoning Board of Appeals has asked it to wait.

Jack Beckett·Sep 24, 2026

Farmington Mercury graphic. On a dark navy field with fine grain and a thin blue rule at the left edge, a gold kicker reads Farmington Zoning, Before Monday's Solar Hearing. A large serif headline asks Who decides? Below a short blue rule, a line reads: The appeals board asks the planning commission to hold its ground-mounted solar rule until both boards talk. A faint abstract grid fades in on the right.

Farmington's Food-Scrap Compost Pilot Waits on Town Hall

Residents told a Green Efforts Committee member they would compost "when the town's paying for it." The committee priced a one-year food-scrap pilot at $12,484 and has roughly $30,000 of its own, but…

Jack Beckett·Sep 22, 2026

Farmington Mercury graphic. A navy Farmington Government flag sits above a heavy condensed headline quoting residents: When the town's paying for it, the last three words in blue. Below it: Farmington's Green Efforts Committee priced a one-year food-scrap pilot and has roughly $30,000 of its own to pay for it; it held off because the pickups would outlast the pilot and the town has not said it will pay for them. A stat strip reads $12,484 one-year pilot, two bins; about $30,000 in the committee's account, estimated; $3,744 a year of weekly pickups, one quote; 54 cents per household, one member's math. On a navy panel headed Why it waits, three cards: what the committee wants, proof residents will use it; the bill that does not end, pickups recur; the calendar, a couple of months of data. A closing italic line quotes a member: I don't want to start a pilot program and find out that we can't go beyond that.

Farmington Adopts Its Version of the State Housing Law

Farmington's zoning commission let the owner of a long-vacant office at 1422 Farmington Avenue turn it into a two-family home under Connecticut's new housing law, then adopted the town's own version…

Jack Beckett·Sep 21, 2026

Farmington Mercury graphic. A navy Farmington Government flag sits above a heavy condensed headline reading The state wrote most of it, the last three words in blue. Below it: Farmington's zoning commission adopted the rules Connecticut's new housing law requires, near the end of a four-hour meeting, after staff said they did not expect a vote; earlier that night, a vacant office at 1422 Farmington Avenue was approved to become a two-family home under the state law itself. A stat strip reads 2 to 9 units, site plan only, no hearing; 1 or 2 applications a year, staff expects; about 11 percent of town land, open space included; 0 residential zones opened. On a navy panel to the right, headed What Farmington still decided, three cards: residential zones left out, optional under the law; industrial zones counted in, on the town attorney's advice; its own standards, written by the town. A closing italic line quotes Commissioner Robert Canto: Realistically, we really can't change anything anyway.

Connecticut's Solar Program No Longer Ends in 2027

A resident asked the Green Efforts Committee whether to wait on a home battery until after 2027. The deadline behind the question had been repealed three months earlier.

Jack Beckett·Sep 20, 2026

Farmington Mercury graphic. The year 2027 set in heavy navy type on a cream field, struck through with a single blue rule. Below it, a line reading that 2027 was the year Connecticut's solar program was written to end, and that the legislature took it out in June.

Unionville Historic Panel Argued About Window Heat Loss

"People are not going to live in homes that they can't heat." A commissioner said that out loud on September 3, during an argument set off by a state training video almost nobody has watched.

Jack Beckett·Sep 15, 2026

Farmington Mercury graphic. A navy Farmington Government flag sits above a heavy condensed headline reading The research was already published, the last two lines in blue. Below it: Connecticut's preservation office told local commissioners it would go gather studies on historic windows; four were already sitting on its own website, and had been for six months. A stat strip along the bottom reads 4 studies already posted, June 2023 earliest archive capture, December 2023 training recorded, 49 views of that training. On a navy panel to the right, the state's own windows page is reproduced: the Research section's question, Are replacement windows more energy efficient than historic windows, followed by the four study titles, a note that the page was archived with all four studies on June 10, 2023, and a dashed amber box quoting the December 20, 2023 training, We'll gather it and post it and get it to you.

Farmington Weighs Optional Tax Break for Four Veterans

Four disabled veterans in Farmington would stop paying property tax on their homes under an ordinance change the Town Council sent to a public hearing without discussion.

Jack Beckett·Sep 14, 2026

Farmington Mercury graphic. A navy Farmington Government flag sits above a heavy condensed headline reading The state made it optional, the last word in blue. Below it: Connecticut requires every town to exempt the home of a veteran rated 100 percent disabled; for a veteran paid at that level but rated below it, the exemption is a municipal choice; Farmington holds a public hearing on October 13. A stat strip reads 4 Farmington households, $9,900 a year roughly not collected, $0 reimbursed by the state, and October 13 public hearing at 7:05 p.m. On a navy panel to the right, headed Two veterans, two outcomes, two cards. Rated 100 percent by the VA: every town must, the home is exempt from property tax, no vote required and no local discretion. Rated below 100 percent and unable to work: only if the town votes, compensated by the VA at the same level as a 100 percent rating, with Connecticut leaving the exemption to each town and reimbursing none of it. A closing italic line notes Farmington's four households already hold a smaller exemption that this one would replace rather than stack on.

Unionville E-Bike Stops: Rules Stricter Than Parents Think

Farmington police are stopping juveniles on e-bikes in Unionville, and the town told the council new state rules arrive October 1.

Jack Beckett·Sep 11, 2026

$Farmington Mercury graphic. A navy Farmington Government flag sits above a heavy condensed headline reading The rules are a year old, the last words in blue. Below it: police have been stopping kids on e-bikes in Unionville; the law they are enforcing took effect on October 1, 2025 and is stricter than most parents think; a second October 1 arrives this year and changes almost none of it. A stat strip reads helmet required at every age on an e-bike, 16 the minimum age to ride a class 3, 0 trails open to class 3 statewide, and October 1 2025 when it all took effect. On a navy panel to the right, headed Two October firsts, two cards. Public Act 25-159, in force for a year: helmet required at every age for rider or passenger and an infraction unlike on a regular bike; no one under 16 may ride a class 3; class 3 barred from every bike and multi-use trail in the state; a bike modified to go faster stops being an e-bike. Public Act 26-24, what actually arrives: a motor of exactly 750 watts becomes a legal e-bike, the e-scooter weight limit rises from 100 to 110 pounds, and a horsepower cap is struck from another definition. A closing italic line reads: no helmet rule, no age, nothing about where you can ride.$

State Plans Two-Week Route 10 Closure in Farmington

The state expects to close Route 10 through Farmington for about two weeks next summer to replace a culvert built in 1924.

Jack Beckett·Sep 10, 2026

Farmington Mercury graphic. A navy Farmington Government flag sits above a heavy condensed headline reading Route 10 closes for two weeks, with No date yet in blue. Below it: the state expects a full closure next summer to replace the culvert under Main Street near Tunxis Street; Public Works told the council the department thinks they're going to be out there, and that the town is still waiting on a final schedule. A stat strip reads about 2 weeks of full closure, July or early August after school lets out, 1924 the year Bridge 02110 was built, and 0 detour routes published. On a navy panel to the right, headed What the town has not said, four dashed amber boxes: the date, marked no final schedule; whether people on foot can get through, marked not promised; any detour route, marked none given; anything on the town's construction page, marked not posted. A closing italic line notes what the town has said: message boards at each end, an Everbridge alert, and a free sidewalk and crosswalk out of it.

Farmington Names Days for Two Troop 170 Eagle Scouts

Today is Oliver Mangham Day in Farmington. Tomorrow is Liam Morrell Day. The Town Council named both on Tuesday night, for the newest Eagle Scouts out of Troop 170: one rebuilt the bullpens and…

Jack Beckett·Sep 10, 2026

Farmington Mercury graphic. A navy Farmington Government flag sits above a heavy condensed headline reading The town gave them a day each, the last words in blue. Below it: They had already built something. One removed a 60-foot bog bridge on the Mountain Spring Nature Trail and put up a 125-foot one. The other rebuilt the bullpens and fields at his high school. A stat strip along the bottom reads 2 Eagle Scouts of Troop 170, 60 feet of bog bridge removed, 125 feet built in its place, 2 General Assembly citations. On a navy panel to the right, the two Town Council proclamations of September 8 are set out in amber-barred cards: Wednesday September 9 as Oliver Mangham Day, for durable bullpen and practice areas with new pitching mounds and rubbers for home and visiting teams at St. Paul Catholic High School in Bristol; and Thursday September 10 as Liam Morrell Day, credited with planning, designing, securing permits for and constructing a new bog bridge on the Mountain Spring Nature Trail.

Farmington's $18 Million Sidewalk Bill Is Mostly Owners'

The Ad Hoc Sidewalk Committee told the Town Council there are 48 miles of sidewalk in Farmington, 11 percent of it rated D or F, and about $18 million to repair all of it.

Jack Beckett·Sep 9, 2026

Farmington Mercury graphic headlined It answered everything but the question. Beside it, a scorecard of the Ad Hoc Sidewalk Committee's findings: 48 miles of sidewalk, serving about a third of the community, 11 percent rated D or F, about $18 million to repair, the owner pays, not unusual in Connecticut. The final row, should the town take it on, is a blank line marked paused until the survey.

Farmington Wetlands Panel Uses a Term Its Rules Never Define

The Farmington Inland Wetlands Commission voted twice on Sept. 2 that a project was "not a significant activity." The phrase is not among the 33 terms its own regulations define.

Jack Beckett·Sep 7, 2026

Farmington Mercury graphic headlined Not a Significant Activity. Beside it, the definitions list from the town wetlands regulations showing entries 23 through 27, with number 25 Significant impact highlighted and a dashed empty slot in its place marked Significant activity, not defined.

Farmington Survey in October, Revaluation Tax Bills in July

Farmington's resident survey opens in early October and asks what people are willing to pay for. The first tax bills built on the town's new property assessments arrive nine months later.

Jack Beckett·Sep 3, 2026

Farmington Mercury graphic headlined Asked in October. Billed in July. Beside it, calendars for October 2026 and July 2027, identical grids with the first of each month circled.

Farmington's New Town Hall Signs Are Still Made of Paper

Paper signs are still taped to the walls of Farmington's new town hall. The town manager said in May that signage would be first in line for the capital money that opened July 1.

Jack Beckett·Sep 1, 2026

Farmington Mercury graphic. On a dark navy field, a large serif headline reads Still made of paper. Below it: Permanent signs had no price as of Aug. 25. The committee chair put the finish in the new year. To the right, a simple line drawing of two taped-up sheets of paper beside a door buzzer.

Farmington Green Efforts Committee Weighs Food-Scrap Costs

Farmington’s Green Efforts Committee is studying food-scrap collection after a potential hauler warned that the service would add a municipal cost, not produce savings.

Jack Beckett·Aug 12, 2026

Farmington Green Efforts feature graphic showing a food-scrap bin, cost worksheet, calculator and collection considerations

Three Unionville Projects Clear Historic Review in Minutes

The approvals cover a commemorative sign at 23 School Street, a new Unionville Museum sign and a utility building at 230 Main Street.

Jack Beckett·Aug 11, 2026

Editorial graphic: three Unionville preservation projects approved in 14 minutes, featuring church and museum signs.

Farmington Approves West Avon Road Wetland Restoration

The wetland being restored at 114 West Avon Road does not stop at the property line. Farmington's Conservation and Inland Wetlands Commission tabled the plan on July 8 until both abutting owners sent…

Jack Beckett·Aug 5, 2026

Farmington Mercury, Conservation and Inland Wetlands Commission

Farmington Early Voting Opens Monday on a One-Race Ballot

Early voting for the August 11 primary runs Monday through Sunday in the third-floor training room at Farmington's new Town Hall. Democrats vote in one race, governor.

Jack Beckett·Aug 2, 2026

Farmington Mercury graphic. On a dark navy panel: Farmington Elections. Aug. 3 to 9. Primary early voting. Town Hall, third floor. One race on each party's ballot. To the right, a photograph of the brick 1928 Building with its white cupola.

Farmington's New Website: Under Budget, but Costly to Keep

The Farmington Town Council unanimously hired CivicPlus to rebuild the town's website for $61,690.98, about $13,300 under budget.

Jack Beckett·Jul 31, 2026

A Farmington Town Council graphic announces a town website reboot with a laptop showing FarmingtonCT.gov, a phone service request screen, and an approved website redesign contract.

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