Carfora Addresses Myriad Issues In 2-Hour Sit Down With Patch

East Haven CT

30 September, 2021

9:27 PM

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EAST HAVEN, CT — The last time Patch sat down with Mayor Joseph A. Carfora it was to review his first 100 days in office. It was also just less than two weeks before the coronavirus pandemic tightened its grip. And while it was hoped that once a vaccine was available we'd be out of the woods, we're not there yet. Governing during a pandemic hadn't been tested for 100 years; there was no playbook. And beyond keeping the town going, there was the business-as-usual that had to be attended to, and myriad "inherited"problems to tackle. "I've been making lemonade out of a bag of lemons from the beginning," he said. Patch recently met with Carfora again to check in on the status of those issues, some controversial, some not, but all nonetheless concerns that needed managing. Over the course of the two-hour interview, Carfora was asked to address those concerns and issues including questions about taxes he may have owed, the Tweed-New Haven Airport expansion and its effect on East Haven, the contentious Sperry Lane housing plan, the latest developments on getting funding for a new community pool and plans for the new ice rink. And more. Here's what we leaned. About those taxes First, about the roughly $17,000 in back taxes Hamden recorded were owed on vehicles from Carfora Trucking. Up until recently, when one pulled up online tax collection records in the town of Hamden, Carfora Transport Inc. was listed as being in arrears on motor vehicle taxes from 2005 to around 2008. Patch contacted the Mayor's office to find out why those taxes had not been paid. It turned out that the vehicle taxes were paid, but to East Haven and not Hamden. In a large batch of documents reviewed by Patch, mostly receipts, taxes previously listed as being owned to Hamden, match the vehicles and associated tax bills listed. When asked to explain why already-paid-to-East Haven taxes would show up in Hamden's tax records, he said it was a mystery. But, after receiving all the data showing taxes were paid to East Haven, the online tax bills in Hamden were all noted as having zero balances with no taxes owed. See the screenshot below. About Tweed New Haven Airport A long-term lease was ok'd by New Haven's Board of Alders last week clearing the way for the proposed expansion plan that, officials said, would eliminate the need for current city and state subsidies totaling around $1.8 million annually. The approval came with conditions that included ones important to East Haven residents, Carfora said and at the top of that list are: A $5 million Community Betterment Plan that includes "local traffic mitigation, noise abatement, and new community projects in East Haven and New Haven and East Haven. Removing references to the use of eminent domain, and expressly stating that the Airport Authority "does not have the power of condemnation." Prohibiting the airport from expanding cargo or freight service without first obtaining approvals from the City of New Haven. Requiring the airport to work in coordination with the City and FEMA on a new flood map, with a goal of reducing flood insurance premiums for nearby homes and businesses. Carfora's take: "I've said this over and over again, and I hope that the message is being heard. It's not yet a done deal despite the vote in New Haven. There's a lot of work yet to be done to ensure, positively, that East Haven. It has to go through boards and commission including planning, zoning, inland wetlands, possibly the Zoning Board of Appeals if something is denied, public hearings, traffic studies, there's a lot of avenues the airport has to travel before a shovel hits the ground," he said emphatically. "I know there's a lot of rhetoric going on, but there are no deals. I said right out of the gate, there'd be no eminent domain. I made that demand. It's not happening. There's no commercial cargo or freight and the necessary environmental studies, which is hugely important, will be done. This is far from done, East Haven will see its demands met." About Sperry Lane After a contentious but ultimately agreed upon settlement that ends up addressing and meeting concerns raised by residents, here's what's to expect in the new Sperry Land project. The original plan called for 504 units in six building of four stories. The settlement now calls for 260 age-restricted units in three buildings and 120 associated living units in one building. Fifteen percent of the 260 units are designed as affordable. There will be a Conservation Easement for area previously proposed to be developed as buildings 5 and 6 and a "significant reduction in need for blasting and provision for pre-blast and post-blast surveys for properties within 500 feet." Read the full settlement proposal here, which includes details and photographs of the new plan. "This is a home-run," Carfora said. "We would have had to build schools but with this settlement plan, it's age restricted so no kids means no schools. The plan also calls for the development to take care of its trash and its roads. It won't fall on the town to do any of that. This is a home-run." About the ice rink At the Oct. 5 Town Council meeting, the ice rink design proposal is on the agenda. To consider and act upon a resolution that the Town of East Haven, pursuant to its Request for Proposals, award and enter into an agreement with SLAM Construction Services for "design build" services in connection with the renovation of the Ice Rink located at 67 Hudson Street, and authorize the Mayor to execute any and all documents necessary to effectuate the award and contract "Problems created over decades cannot, and really shouldn't be fixed overnight. I'm being methodical and doing things the right way," he said. The ice rink renovation is happening, he said. Assuming the council votes to approve the agreement to move forward with the design build plan. About the community pool Carfora closed the pool in the winter of 2020. For good reason, he said. It was in deplorable condition. Built in the 1970s and improperly maintained for decades, he said. A mechanical room with circuit boards that were rusted and wet, condensation from the ceiling was dripping down. He and members of the health department inspected the facility, and he shut it down afterward. Not only was the pool not regulation size for high school swimmers, it was "compromised" and a "danger to the community." Some suggested it just be renovated. He said that was out of the question. But a new pool is a massive expense. And despite a $2 million bond secured in June, Carfora said that money is "just a start." He's been fighting for funds ever since. And he said, he told Gov. Ned Lamont in a meeting the two had this summer, that he won't stand for East Haven to not get its fair share of state funding, monies that could be used for a new pool. "I am willing to step up. I'm not a shrinking violet, and I'll speak truth to power, respectfully, but this is a demand." Carfora was referring to state PILOT funding that he believes East Haven was shortchanged on. "I'll keep fighting for that funding, and for funds for a new pool," he said. "I don't back down. At the end of the interview, Carfora, flanked by numerous images of JFK hung on his office walls, stood and said that, "All I want is the best for the town, and I'll fight for it. Believe me."