Litchfield Board of Selectmen Meeting
4/7/26, 5:30 PM
Present: First Selectman Denise Raap, Selectmen Jeff Zullo, Dan Morosani, Jodiann Tenney, and John Bongiorno
The minutes from the Board’s March 24 meeting were approved after a motion by Zullo, seconded by Bongiorno.
Raap introduced Connie Trolle and Emily Lupinacci from the Bantam Lake Protective Association to speak on the “Take the Pledge” initiative. Trolle explained that Coalition Funds have been used to look at invasive weeds and do treatments. Lupinacci and Dean Birdsall formed the Bantam Watershed Coalition — which includes the Litchfield Land Trust, Rivers Alliance of Connecticut, Housatonic Valley Association, White Memorial Foundation, and Northwest Conservation District.
According to Lupinacci, the Coalition is addressing approximately 20-plus “best management practices” that were identified by Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection to improve the watershed and limit phosphorus loading added sources, like fertilizer: “In order to treat the lake properly, we have to treat the watershed first,” Trolle said, noting they are focused on educating people.
Lupinacci encouraged residents to take a pledge, which provides information on things they can do. It is available on Bantam Lake’s website at bantamlakect.com/pledge. Zullo suggested the Board consider endorsing the pledge and ensure its policies and departments align with it. He said he would bring it to the Sustainable Litchfield Commission to develop an analysis for the BOS. The pledge program, Lupinacci explained, is directed toward homeowners, but a separate section for farms could be considered.
Bongiorno reported during an Advanced Tech Update that the town’s public Wi-Fi project is done. He said he plans to approach the fire departments to designate fire and emergency medical services as a secondary Wi-Fi network through the system for their use. There is also a private network for “people that are involved and need it,” Bongiorno said, including “anyone that’s on a Board.” The Board discussed gathering data of those who join the network, to understand if users are in Litchfield for business or travel, as well as how often they visit, which is data that would help inform “development priorities.”
Bongiorno also reported that the Water Pollution Control Authority plans to pursue a grant with a goal of doing “an evaluation of the entire town for sewer.”
In an Interlocal EMS Committee Meeting update, Morosani spoke on a shortage of emergency medical technicians: “This is a pretty urgent issue for us to address as a town, one way or another.” Potential solutions, he explained, would be to consider offering healthcare and increased salaries. “A set of much more concrete recommendations” was anticipated in the coming months.
The Board reported that a presentation by Connecticut Department of Transportation regarding a proposed project for traffic operational improvements along Routes 63, 202, and 118 has been uploaded to the Town website at townoflitchfieldct.gov. The project is currently in the concept development phase, according to CTDOT.
The Board made and approved a motion to change the location of the May 13 Special Town Meeting regarding the Litchfield budget to Lakeview High School.
The meeting adjourned at 8:04 p.m.
