Don Lowe First Selectman Column 03/03/2025
For many years, our residents have asked for a “community calendar” to show what’s happening around Town. This is not only good for discovering fun things to do, but it also helps in planning future events to avoid conflicting scheduling. Our calendar has been active for more than a year and is now in full bloom and can be viewed by going on the Town of Sherman website at: https://www.townofshermanct.org/
Last week I wrote quite a bit about the proposal to add 10 to 14 dock slips at the Town Beach Park. That spawned some errant information currently circulating through the Holiday Point community that I’d like to clear up. Apparently someone wrote a letter to the Holiday Point Association that the Town’s proposal to add dock slips in the Town Park would increase the current 53 dock slips to 107 slips.
Understandably, this would be very provocative to people who live on Holiday Point as many live right along the cove where the docks are proposed. The letter appropriately outlined concerns for safety and watercraft congestion, but it was wrong concerning the number of slips proposed. As I said previously, the new proposal is applying for 10 to 14 additional dock slips. The total number of slips, if approved, will likely be about 65, possibly 67, but maybe even a couple less than 65 slips. They are all north of the beach swimming area where the dock slips currently are.
The letter’s error in the number of dock slips is also somewhat understandable too as the plans show dock slips south of the beach. At the suggestion of First Light, and because we will probably never have an opportunity to apply again for an increase in slips, they suggested we take a stab at getting those approved in case we should, way into the future, want to build more. For one, it is unlikely those will be approved, and, two, even if they are approved, we are not building them in the current plan.
I should add that building any slips requires approval at a Town Meeting. On that note, if we indeed receive approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for the currently proposed project, the Town still needs to go to a Town Meeting (possibly a referendum) for a vote of approval. And prior to that, there will be Town informational forums on the subject. In other words, for those who have expressed concerns and for those who have expressed support, there will be ample opportunity for the public to weigh in on this important issue.
