Simply Ledyard CT

The scoop about Ledyard Leaves

They are beautiful to look at but certainly create a lot of work when they fall. There seems to be much confusion about what to do with Ledyard leaves. If you don’t have a yard big enough to rake them out of sight, the Town of Ledyard does have two ways to help.

There is no charge to bring them to the town Transfer Station at 889 Colonel Ledyard Highway.  If that is not an option for you, then the town will pick them up. The leaves Must be in biodegradable bags. The bags are available commercially or at Town Hall, Libraries, and Transfer Station. Leaves will be collected on Wednesday of each week.  You must call for a pick-up.”

You’ll find more details on the bulky waste page of the Town of Ledyard website.

Ledyard Photo Friday - Library at Ledyard High School

As newly appointed liaison to the Board of Education from the Ledyard Town Council, I will be attending meetings on a regular basis. I spent some time at this week’s meeting looking around for photo opportunities. I found this comfy corner.

Ledyard Election Campaign 2011

You have seen the signs but do you know the candidates? Even in a small town like Ledyard, there are good resources for information about the candidates running for election next Tuesday, November 8th.. If you haven’t decided who to vote for just yet, here is what the local press has to say about the big event.

 

The Ledyard Patch is running a series of articles about all of the Ledyard Candidates:
Elections 2011

The Norwich Bulletin has run a series of articles about the elections and has made mayor and council endorsements:
The Mayoral Candidates
Norwich Bulletin Endorsements

The New London Day provides information about the candidates and makes a mayoral endorsement:
Elections 2011 Candidate Profiles (Scroll to bottom)
New London Day Mayoral Endorsement

The Mayor of Ledyard Town Hall

I'm not sure how many Foursquare players we have in Ledyard but I expect the numbers will increase as the "game" catches on. To explain, Foursquare is a location based social networking mobile app.  Huh?  Let me simplify that.  Using  Foursquare and your smart phone, you let your friends know where you are throughout  the day by checking into places. While you are doing that you are collecting points, badges, and coupons for local businesses. 

A mayor in Foursquare is the user with the most number of check-ins at a specific place within the past 60 days. Lots of businesses are now offering specials for the mayor of venues. I don't know of any Ledyard businesses offering specials for check-ins or mayorships but I’ll be ready when they do. I’m currently the "mayor" of Holdridge Home and Garden, Holmberg Orchards, Lake of Isles Golf and yes, Ledyard Town Hall.

From my seat on the Ledyard Town Council

Last week, the Town Council approved a mill rate of 27.93.  While it may appear to be a full 2.28 mill increase from the current 25.65 mill rate, that is not quite the case. Revaluation complicates things and trying to explain it gets down right confusing.  It has a lot to do with declining real estate values. 

My best advice is to simply take your new (most likely lower) assessment and multiply it by your now higher 27.93 mill rate to figure out what you will soon be paying in property taxes.  Or just wait to receive your tax bill which should be arriving in your mailbox soon. I think you’ll find we did a good job of keeping your Ledyard taxes in check.

Ledyard Townspeople Reject Zoning 2-1

As reported in the Day, Nov. 24, 1962:

“In almost a 2-1 margin, Ledyard townspeople last night again rejected zoning. The final vote announced at the end of the four hour meeting was 139 against establishment of a planning and zoning commission and 73 in favor”

 

The approximately 700 word article talks in detail about the meeting held 46 years ago and reports that at that time 90% of the people in the state lived in zoned areas. Despite that statistic, Ledyard decided to continue to buck the trend. Some of the argument centered around the state of zoning in Groton. One Ledyard resident who recently moved from Eastern Point Road in Groton spoke of Pfizer and how “They promised up and down that there would be no smell, no noise, no smoke and all the rest,….and now the place stinks.” He added that “one side of Eastern Point Road is zoned for industry while right across the street is an A-1 residential section.”

That argument won the day but zoning would be adopted in Ledyard a year later. .

The Ledyard Fair 2010

I was a judge again this year for the Miss Ledyard Fair contest.  Last year, the weather was a factor and I left my good camera at home. This year, the weather was delightful though cool, and I spent Friday nite viewing the fair through my camera lens. I seemed to have focused on goats and food. I tried the fried dough, apple fritters, and even a fried peanut butter cup which was surprisingly yummy.  I’ll go back to not eating fried foods for another year.

 

From my seat on the Ledyard Town Council

Town finance committees around Eastern Connecticut have begun the task of preparing budgets for the 2010-2011 fiscal year which commences on July 1, 2010.  I’ve been involved in local politics since the mid-80’s and budget season is never easy. Sometimes it can be downright ugly. I remember a particularly contentious year when we found it necessary to have a police presence at Ledyard High School for the Annual Town Meeting.

Budget seasons can be divisive for a town. When it comes to evaluating a town budget, a senior citizen on a fixed income won’t share the same perspective as a mother of 2 elementary school children.  Voting on a budget can even become a sport as Stonington demonstrated two years ago  when it took 5 tries before the voters agreed on a budget. While I support a person’s right to vote against a budget, I don’t support voting no for the hell of it and I’ve seen that happen too.

As an elected official, the lack of interest during budget deliberations can be pretty frustrating.  Too often, taxpayers wait until too late to become involved and then wonder exactly what happened.  In Ledyard, as in nearly every town in the region, there is plenty of opportunity to follow the budget process. The local newspaper coverage is woefully inadequate but if you are willing to attend a few meetings, you’ll be better prepared to make an informed voting decision, and I can promise most town officials are interested in citizen input.

A Colorful Ledyard Volunteer

Gales Ferry Volunteer Fire Company

I shot this photo last January at an open house of the Gales Ferry Volunteer Fire Company.  He is one of my favorite subjects ever!

Ledyard Town Hall - Colonel Ledyard Highway

The Town of Ledyard operates under a Council/Mayor form of government with a nine member Town Council and the Mayor acting as Chief Executive Officer.