Windsor Town Council Regular Meeting — November 3, 2026

The Windsor Town Council met on November 3, 2026 for a regular meeting that included board and commission reports, a proposed carriage-house lease, a Riverfront Recapture presentation, appointments, minutes approval, and an executive session for the town manager evaluation. The transcript opening refers to November 2nd; this summary uses the provided meeting date of November 3, 2026. No members of the public spoke during either public comment period. All recorded votes on the lease hearing, minutes, resignations, and appointments passed 8-0-0.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the minutes of the October 19, 2026 public hearing on the parking ordinance and the October 19, 2026 regular Town Council meeting; passed 8-0-0.
• Accepted the resignation of Charlie Copeland from the Human Relations Commission and John Supportis from the Housing Code Board of Appeals; passed 8-0-0.
• Approved appointments and reappointments: Gary Morey as unaffiliated member of the Inland Wetlands and Water Courses Commission for an unexpired term to March 31, 2028; Sarah Summers as Democratic member of the Inland Wetlands and Water Courses Commission to March 31, 2028; Daniel Dow as Democratic member of the Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic Committee to August 3, 2028; Victoria Virgo Christie as Republican member of the Wilson Deerfield Advisory Committee to April 30, 2029; Rachel Chandler as Democratic member of the Inland Wetlands and Water Courses Commission to March 31, 2029; reappointed Donald Trinks as Democratic member of the Windsor Housing Authority to July 31, 2031; Patricia Braun as Democratic member of the Hartford Area Cable Television Advisory Council to June 30, 2028; and Christina Crossett, Christine Bay, James Clay, Spencer Moore, Neil Sachdev, and Michael Daly to the Arts Commission to August 29, 2029; passed 8-0-0.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No virtual attendees raised hands and no in-person speakers came forward during either public comment period; no public testimony was recorded.

Discussion Items

• Council communications: The Mayor thanked attendees of the Windsor in Progress event and noted a November 19 Grace Episcopal Church and St. John's Parish mapping program in East Windsor seeking community input on its campus facility. Councilors encouraged voting, thanked DPW, fire, EMS, and law enforcement, recognized Nightmare on Broad and Civics Day, promoted Project Santa sponsorships, and highlighted Veterans Day events, including a November 7 flags ceremony at the state veterans cemetery at 9 a.m. and Windsor's November 11 observance at 7 p.m. in Town Hall Chambers.
• Board of Education report: Secretary Zoder reported that the October 6 Citizens Academy at Windsor High School included a tour of the hydroponics lab. The district received the CABE Bonnie B. Carmen Award of Excellence for Educational Communications for the See the Good video series and the District Strategy Operating Plan for 25-30, with an honorable mention for the district culture wheel, and received CABE Board Distinction Award level two for 25-26. The CABE convention is November 20-21. The annual EKGs for Eli event provides free heart screenings for student athletes aged 8-18 in partnership with In a Heartbeat, honoring a Windsor student who died three years ago from sudden cardiac arrest during practice. Residency update: 23 students were disenrolled since the start of the school year, including 13 no longer eligible due to new living situations and 10 no longer qualifying under McKinney-Vento; 345 students are currently on certificates of residency. The district reported 3,091 students, 27 outplaced students, and 638 Windsor children in magnet schools. Over 60 employees will be honored at the November 4 service award celebration. Dr. Hade's next coffee talk is November 11 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the LP Wilson boardroom on the budget; the next Board of Education meeting is November 17 at 7 p.m.
• Windsor Housing Authority report: Representatives reported about 150 units, a waiting list over 600 long, and more than $2 million spent in the last year on facility upgrades. Shad Run is undergoing exterior renovation and needs funding for interior work. Ten units are set aside for veterans and all are occupied. The authority plans to evaluate further housing development and will vote at its next meeting on continuing its contract with DeMarco Management. Members described improved operations and fiscal oversight compared with past meetings.
• Town Manager report: The Windsor Palette and Brush Club fall art exhibition opens November 8 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Town Hall and runs through December 3; admission is free. Windsor was recognized as No. 9 in the Connecticut top 50 commercial markets by the Hartford Business Journal and Yankee Institute. The November 11 Veterans Day observance starts at 7 p.m. at Town Hall and is organized with a veterans committee. The winter parking ban runs November 15 through April 15. On the MDC proposed 2027 budget, water rates are proposed to rise just under 4%, with other fee increases including a $10 per hydrant maintenance fee increase that would raise town costs by about $50,000 to $55,000 for FY28 if approved. The sewer budget is proposed to rise just under 6% year over year, nearly half tied to first-year operation of the South Hartford storage tunnel and pump station. Windsor's sewer assessment increase is projected at $538,000 against a current appropriation of about $4.9 million; if the budget stands, that would be roughly an 11% increase for Windsor, compared with about 5% for Bloomfield, due to the MDC assessment formula. The town urged MDC to use reserves prudently and phase any reserve use over two or three years. MDC will hold a public hearing November 9 at 5:30 p.m. and its board is slated to adopt the budget December 7.
• Proposed Luddy Carriage House lease: Staff reported four responses to the solicitation for the town-owned Luddy Carriage House at 261 Broad Street: Zarya Lockhart's fashion boutique and alterations business, a cooperative retail marketplace for local artisans, a nonprofit educational family resource center, and a specialty architectural history and preservation use. Staff recommended Lockhart, who currently operates at the Windsor Art Center and needs a larger space. Proposed terms are a three-year term with two additional one-year extensions, monthly rent starting at $872 with 3% annual increases, first-year rent of $10,464 from December 2026 through November 2027, lessee responsibility for housekeeping, rubbish, liability insurance, phone, cable, and utilities, town responsibility for property maintenance, electricity, natural gas, water, grounds, snow removal, and major maintenance, and either party able to terminate with 60 days written notice. Rent goes into a special revenue fund for utilities and maintenance. The council set a public hearing for November 16, 2026 at 7:20 p.m. and authorized the town manager to publish and post notice; passed 8-0-0.
• Riverfront Recapture presentation: Mike Zelinski and Martha Knaily presented plans for the proposed Vue Park and multi-use trail on the Hartford-Windsor line. Riverfront Recapture is a 501c3 founded in 1981 that manages four parks, attracts more than one million visitors annually, runs the second-largest community rowing program in New England with almost 800 participants ages 14-84, and began managing Batterson Park in Farmington in 2026. The project uses 60 acres purchased in 2019 plus 17 acres managed from DEEP, for 76 acres total. The master plan, released January 2025 after reaching more than 2,000 people, includes a 19-acre Garminy Cove, the Joe Marfugi Riverwalk connecting Riverside Park in Hartford 2.5 miles north and then into Windsor Meadows State Park, and about 14 acres of mixed-use commercial development, with commercial space in Hartford and a small portion in Windsor. Brownfield remediation began in January 2026; phases 1A, 1B, and 2A are complete, phase 2B starts December 2026, and phase 2C starts March 2027. A $5 million Urban Act grant will help complete remediation, the riverwalk, and the cove. Riverwalk construction across the riverfront property starts December 2026 and should finish in 2027; the Windsor Meadows State Park riverwalk is expected to start in 2027 and finish by spring 2028. Commercial-site work in 2027 will include zoning changes, lot line revisions, geotechnical borings, and Meadow Road extension planning; the town recently purchased 33 Meadow Road. No council vote was taken on the presentation.
• Executive session: The council moved to enter executive session for discussion concerning the appointment, employment, performance, health, or dismissal of a public official, officer, or employee for the town manager evaluation; the motion passed on a voice vote. No subsequent action or adjournment was recorded in the transcript.

Key Outcomes

• Set a public hearing for November 16, 2026 at 7:20 p.m. on the proposed Luddy Carriage House lease at 261 Broad Street and authorized the town manager to publish and post notice; passed 8-0-0.
• Approved the October 19, 2026 public hearing and regular meeting minutes; passed 8-0-0.
• Accepted two resignations and approved the listed appointments and reappointments; passed 8-0-0.
• Entered executive session for the town manager evaluation; no post-session action was recorded.
• Received the Riverfront Recapture update with no vote; next milestones include phase 2B remediation in December 2026, phase 2C in March 2027, riverwalk construction in December 2026 through 2027, and the Windsor Meadows riverwalk in 2027 through spring 2028.
• MDC public hearing is November 9 at 5:30 p.m.; the MDC board is slated to adopt its budget December 7.
• Winter parking ban is in effect November 15 through April 15.