Windsor Town Council Public Hearing and Regular Meeting - October 6, 2025
Windsor Town Council Public Hearing and Regular Meeting - October 6, 2025
On Monday, October 6, 2025, at 7:20 PM, the Windsor Town Council held a virtual and in-person public hearing followed by a regular meeting in the Council Chamber at Windsor Town Hall. The meeting included several proclamations, reports from appointed boards and commissions, a town manager's report, and votes on a bond ordinance and an early voting grant. The meeting concluded with a motion to enter executive session to discuss pending litigation and personnel matters.
Proclamations
- Fire Prevention Month: Fire Marshal Dan Voloski presented the proclamation, emphasizing the 2025 theme "Charged into Fire Safety" focusing on lithium-ion battery risks. He recognized Lance Hall of Loomis Chafee School for collaboration on approximately 75 fire inspections in 2025 and the school's proactive policies on e-bikes and scooters.
- Manufacturing Month: Deputy Mayor Darlene Claes presented the proclamation. Frank Neffinger of Specialty Printing accepted, noting the company's expansion into a 330,000-square-foot facility on Day Hill Road and its participation in the Invest Connecticut program. He highlighted the company's plans to hire and train local high school students.
- Community Planning Month: The proclamation recognized the contributions of town and regional planners. Anita Mips and Todd Seely from the Town Planning & Zoning Commission accepted.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public spoke during either public comment period (virtual or in-person).
Reports of Appointed Boards and Commissions
- Board of Education: Secretary Lockhart reported that Windsor High School's Class of 2026 graduation is set for Tuesday, June 9, 2026. Board President David Fury earned the CABE Master Board Member designation. The district successfully navigated a community security event on September 17, 2025. The next board meeting is October 21, 2025, with a reception for outgoing members David Fury and Jill Cantor.
- Town Planning & Zoning Commission: Anita Mips and Todd Seely reported that the commission held 14 regular and 4 special meetings in the past year. New residential units totaled 216, and non-residential square footage reached 615,121. Notable projects included a 228,000 sq ft building at 775 Marshall Phelps Road, a pickleball facility at 20 Day Hill Road, a Starbucks and restaurant at 1 & 10 Target Center, and a 250,000 sq ft flex warehouse at 176 Addison Road. Text amendments included allowing drive-through windows by special use, limited retail in industrial zones, and adaptive reuse of vacant offices to residential with density bonuses for affordable units. The commission emphasized that traffic impact studies are a major factor in deliberations.
- Insurance Commission: Chair Al Relier reported that the town's insurance package with Travelers increased by approximately 3%, with the total program increasing by 4% (compared to 7-8% for comparable municipalities). The commission cited the town's excellent loss history as a key factor. The market has only 3-4 viable carriers for municipal coverage. The premium increase was attributed to rising claim costs from natural catastrophes, supply chain issues, and large jury awards.
- Library Advisory Board: Cheryl Curtis reported that library circulation exceeded 222,000 checkouts in the past fiscal year. Over 2,600 people attended tech help sessions, 31,000 used public computers, and there were 100,000 website visits and 40,000 digital downloads. The library held 806 programs with 11,310 attendees, and volunteers contributed over 2,000 hours. The Wilson Branch tutoring program had its most successful year with 42 children matched with volunteer tutors. Partnerships included the Windsor Garden Club, health department flu shot clinics, and income tax assistance.
Town Manager's Report
- Town Manager Sousa announced the launch of a redesigned town website at WindsorCT.gov with improved accessibility features (AutoEye tool).
- Windsor earned a Bronze level certification under the Sustainable CT program, valid for three years.
- Leaf collection begins October 27 and runs through December 19.
- The Food & Fuel Bank passed a state audit with positive comments.
- The town was preliminarily awarded a state grant to study the feasibility of developing senior and disabled housing on the town-owned property next to Fitch Court (where Little League fields are). The planning study will include public input and assess relocation options for the fields.
- The Senior Center launched a fitness class for individuals with Parkinson's disease.
Committee Reports
- Health & Safety Committee (Councilor Armstrong): After reviewing data and concerns, the committee recommended continuing the Flock license plate reader program with current parameters. The committee also directed the town manager to draft a comprehensive policy/ordinance for council review that would establish strict guardrails on data collection, access, and sharing. Councilor Walker clarified that the policy will cover any data collection system used by the town and will address sharing with in-state and out-of-state agencies. Currently, out-of-state law enforcement cannot access data except for specific requests approved by the chief.
Key Outcomes
- Bond Ordinance – Clover Street School Roof Replacement: The council approved (9-0) an ordinance appropriating $2,425,000 for partial roof replacement (approximately 45,000 sq ft) and authorizing bonds. The project is eligible for up to 47% state reimbursement.
- Early Voting Grant: The council approved (9-0) acceptance of a $17,407.15 grant from the Connecticut Secretary of State's office to offset costs of early voting for the November 4, 2025 municipal election. Anticipated total early voting costs are approximately $22,000.
- Minutes: The minutes of the September 15, 2025 regular meeting were approved (9-0).
- Executive Session: The council voted (9-0) to enter executive session to discuss strategy and negotiations regarding pending litigation (Cosker v. Town of Windsor) and the performance/evaluation of a public officer or employee (town manager).
Additional Notes
- Council members shared announcements including the 75th anniversary of Hayden Station Fire Company, the bicentennial of Windsor Masonic Lodge, the 29th Windsor Freedom Trail Walk, and the 55th anniversary of the Senior Center.
- The Finance Committee will meet October 15 at 6:30 PM.
- The Plan of Conservation and Development workshop is scheduled for October 16 (open house at 5:30 PM, workshop at 6:30 PM).
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. The time is now seven twenty P.M. Welcome to the public hearing of October sixth, twenty twenty-five. And before I open it, I would like to read the public notice. Notice is hereby given that the town council of the town of Windsor will hold a virtual and in-person public hearing in the council chamber at the Windsor Town Hall, two seventy-five Broad Street on Monday, October sixth, twenty twenty-five at seven twenty p.m. prevailing time to hear public comment on the following items. All right, good evening, everyone, and welcome to the town council meeting of October 6th, 2025. All of our counselors are here. And this evening, items number two and three on our agenda, the prayer and/or reflection and the pledge of allegiance will be led by Councillor Glock Hoffman. Thank you, Madam Mayor. As we gather today, excuse me, as we gather together today, we ask for your spirit of unity to be present among us. Help us to put aside any personal agendas or differences and work together in harmony towards our common goal. Remind us of the words in Psalm 133, verse 1 Behold how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity. Let this be our desire as we engage in discussions and make decisions that impact others. May our words be filled with compassion and respect for one another, and may our actions reflect the unity we strive for. And whereas lithium ion batteries store large amount of energy in a small space and improper use, such as overcharging, using off-man charges without safety certification, or exposing batteries to damage can result in fire or explosion. And whereas the proper disposal and recycling of lithium-ion batteries help prevent environmental hazards and reduce fire risk in the home and community. And whereas Windsor's first responders are dedicated to reducing the occurrence of fires through prevention, safety education, and community outreach. And whereas the 2025 Fire Prevention Week theme charged into fire safety. Lithium ion batteries in your home serves to remind us of the importance of using charging and recycling lithium ion batteries safely to reduce the risk of fires in homes and communities. Now, therefore, be proclaimed at the by the mayor and the Windsor Town Council that October 2025 be proclaimed as fire prevention month throughout this town, and that all residents of Windsor follow the recommended calls to action to safely use lithium and ion batteries in their lives and support the many public safety activities and efforts of Windsor's fire and emergency services. This is proclaimed this day by Nushed Blackberg, the mayor of Windsor on October 6, 2025. And I will ask the fire marshal Dan Voloski if you would join us with Lance Hall representing Loomis. Thank you. Absolutely. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Thank you, Town Council. Um, as mentioned this year, the uh theme of fire prevention month is regarding lithium-ion batteries uh to charge into fire safety. Um it really focuses on some emerging technology that a lot of us now take for granted. Um, a lot of us keep lithium-ion battery devices on us at all times and have many more within our homes. Um because of this, we need to be proactive about the risks involved with them and knowledgeable and use them properly and select good products that we can use to make sure our families and our homes are safe. Um keeping with tradition with our office, um, I also wanted to recognize a good fire prevention partner uh that we worked with this year. Um here we have Lance Hall from Loomis Chafee School, the director of physical plant. Um in year 2025, um, our office uh did approximately 75 inspections with the Loomis Chafee School. Uh a lot of those began in June until present. Uh so a lot in a short amount of time, uh making sure that uh their buildings are safe, um, the dormitories or their students live are safe, and uh going back and doing re-inspections to make sure that if there were any issues, things were addressed. Uh we want to publicly recognize uh Lance and his team in the physical plant uh who have been great partners to work with. Um obviously when you do so many inspections together, uh there's there's a lot that we have to work on, and it only works because we can be collaborative and work well as partners. Um also want to recognize Loomis Chafee School has been proactive about lithium-ion battery devices on their campus uh enacting policies to make sure that uh particularly micro-mobility, such as e-bikes, scooters, hoverboards, and items like that are properly used uh and in many cases are not allowed within any living areas whatsoever. So just want to thank uh Lance and the team over at Loomis Chafee School. Okay, that's why I think you so much thank you. Our next proclamation is the clearing October 2025 is manufacturing month, and this will be presented by our deputy mayor Darlene Claes. Good evening. This is a proclamation designating October 2025 as manufacturing month in the town of Windsor. Whereas Connecticut has more than 154,000 employees working in the manufacturing sector, and Connecticut manufacturers boost the state's economic growth, provide jobs for skilled workers, and link to innovation in other sectors. And whereas Windsor has an innovation economy with manufacturing playing a critical role in the diverse economic base of Windsor and employing more than 2400 individuals. And whereas Windsor Manufacturers and Windsor High School are cooperating on engine initiatives to help prepare students for careers and manufacturing. And whereas Windsor manufacturers produce everything from medical devices to roasted coffee to building curtain walls, panels to airplane components to energy systems for space, underwater, and anywhere in between. And whereas Windsor is a place where innovation thrives, making the community one of the nation's top regions for business and careers and a great place for long-term investment. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by the mayor and the Windsor Town Council that the month of October 2025 be designated as Manure Manufacturing Month in Windsor.
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