The following is a press release from the Woodbridge Conservation Commission:

On October 17th, the Woodbridge Conservation Commission will host its “Fall Walk” at the Elderslie Preserve property in Woodbridge, CT. All members of the community are invited to attend this fun outdoor event. The Fall Walk will start at 1 PM at the Elderslie Preserve property, located on Peck Hill Road, between Old Quarry Road and Elderslie Lane, and 1/2 mile south of Seymour Road (Rte 67). There is limited off-road parking on site. There is also side-of-road parking available on Peck Hill Road.

The historically rich, 267-acre Elderslie Preserve was acquired by the Town of Woodbridge and dedicated in 2002. The property had been owned by the Wallace family since 1639 when it was granted to them by the King of England. Resident Tom Wallace’s grandmother asked that the land be called “Elderslie” in honor of the village in Scotland from which her family had come to the colonies in the 1600s. As an aside, Elderslie, Scotland is the reputed birthplace of William Wallace, the Scottish patriot and national hero of Braveheart fame.

The Elderslie Preserve is the largest open-space parcel in Woodbridge, providing pristine near-wilderness exploration and passive recreation to all who visit it. The property is an integral part of the Greenway Trail system, with miles of trails connecting it to most other open space lands in Woodbridge and beyond. The Elderslie Preserve also contains the historic “Lodge,” which was a 1661 hiding place for Judges Whalley and Goffe – two of the three “regicide judges” who came to this country to escape execution by Charles II. The well-blazed trails of the Elderslie Preserve take hikers past many colonial rock walls and “erratics” – the huge boulders left by the glaciers.

The Woodbridge Conservation Commission was formed to advise the Board of Selectmen on the preservation, development, and conservation of natural resources, including water resources, within the Town of Woodbridge. Maps of all Town trails may be found and downloaded for use on the WCC’s website. The WCC’s 2010 Fall Walk offers an opportunity to take a guided tour of this beautiful open space, meet with your neighbors, and enjoy a lovely New England autumn day in the woods. Children are welcome, and comfortable and sturdy shoes and clothing are recommended. Refreshments will be served at the end of the hike. Steady rain and/or lightning will cancel the walk. Drizzle will not. For further information contact: Craig Percy, 203-393-2384.

Section 1-225 of the Connecticut Freedom of Information Act requires that votes from public meetings be available within 48 hours and minutes be available within seven days. Minutes of public meetings are important for residents to be able to find out what is going on in their town. They are also important to journalists who do not have enough time to cover local events. In some cases, they become part of important legal discussions.

The Connecticut Siting Council is currently considering an application by AT&T to put a cell tower in Woodbridge. On July 28th, attorney Keith Ainsworth on behalf of the Woodbridge Conservation Commission submitted an application to intervene in the proceedings.

AT&T objected, relying heavily on the minutes of the Woodbridge Conservation Commission, including noting that the June 17th minutes of the Conservation Commission meeting is not yet available. The July 15th minutes are also not yet available.

On Wednesday evening, the Board of Selectmen met to consider a request from the Woodbridge Conservation Commission for the Town to participate in funding for intervener status re Siting Council Docket #388. If a vote were taken, the results of the vote would not be required to be available until this evening at the earliest and the minutes are not required until next Wednesday. Nonetheless, there have been subsequent filings in the docket concerning the meeting.

Part of AT&T’s objection asserts that the Conservation Commission’s Intervention Request is procedurally defective and lacks authority. They refer to the agenda item at the Board of Selectman meeting to consider the Conservation Commissions request saying

We are advised by a member of the public attending the meeting that the Board of Selectmen took no action on the Conservation Commission’s request.

Keith Ainsworth, on behalf of the Conservation Commission replied,

The Conservation Commission was authorized to take action to file the intervention before the Siting Council and expend town funds in doing so by the Board of Selectmen last evening. AT&T represented falsely that selectmen failed to act on the request

AT&T responded

Attorney Ainsworth’s allegations of a misstatement of fact which was conveyed to us by a member of the public is not accompanied by any independently verifiable facts of his own (i.e. based on discussions with the Town’s Board of Selectmen). As such, the Council may want to call the First Selectman directly to ascertain what if any formal action the Board of Selectmen did or did not take last night.

The response continues noting

The request previously submitted by Attorney Ainsworth lacks a resolution from the Conservation Commission adopted by a duly noticed public meeting of its own authorizing such action to seek intervenor status in Docket 388.

Agendas and meeting minutes matter. They are a way to make sure that everyone’s voice is heard and this can become very important when the lawyers get involved.

Update: Attorney Ainsworth provided a correction which states:

The Board of Selectmen did not take action on the resolution to fund the Conservation but instead declared that the Conservation had its own professional services line item from which it could draw for the funding of this intervention.

He states that he was misinformed. He goes son to withdraw from representation of the Woodbridge Conservation Commission in this matter.

The Connecticut Siting Council has now denied the application to intervene 'on the bases of untimeliness and lack of standing'.

As a final note, Service List indicates that the Connecticut Siting Council has used U.S. Mail to deliver the documents.