Access To Ansonia High School Hits Road Block In Derby

DERBY — An easement that Ansonia needs from Derby to improve a badly eroded emergency access route to Ansonia High School hit another roadblock Thursday.

The Board of Aldermen, during its virtual meeting, fell short of voting to grant Ansonia the easement to Coe Lane from Ansonia High School.

Instead, the board directed its Community Relations subcommittee to add some language to an agreement between the cities geared to protect neighbors.

Neighbors of Coe Lane and Sunset Drive have expressed major opposition to paving the road, fearing it will eventually lead to it being used as a cut through from Ansonia into Derby.

While Mayor Richard Dziekan said granting Ansonia the easement is a no-brainer,” in that it will fix some serious drainage issues — on Ansonia’s dime — several Aldermen wanted to pump the brakes before casting a vote.

At issue is an unpaved, emergency access road behind AHS that has seriously eroded, making it impassable for large emergency vehicles to gain entry in the event of a major emergency, especially if nearby Pulaski Highway is blocked.

Ansonia officials have said the road needs improvement because it is a clear and obvious school safety issue.

The road sits at the intersection of Coe Lane in Ansonia and Sunset Drive in Derby, in the vicinity of Witek Park. Ansonia wants to pave the road, which involves Derby-owned land, and improve the drainage system. Engineers said 60 percent of storm water runoff causing erosion issues is coming from the Derby side. A new drainage system aims to fix that. 

We’re getting free drainage which will help out silt from going into Witek Park,” Dziekan said. One way or the other (Ansonia) is building this road. The water is still going to come down, whether they build the road or not. If we can get them to capture that, and save the residents any drainage problems, for us it’s a win-win. We have an opportunity to correct a water issue…why look a gift horse in the mouth?”

Alderman Charlie Sampson concurred, but wants Derby to have written assurances to protect the city and its residents.

This is Ansonia property, not City of Derby property, and Ansonia is going to do what they want to do,” Sampson said. They’re going to build this new road with or without us. I’d like to include (in the language) that Derby request that the gate be locked and only emergency vehicles be allowed to access this road.”
Alderman Ron Sill had a different view.

I don’t see a need for it, especially if they’re going to pull 25 trees down,” Sill said. There’s no water issue there. And saying they (Ansonia) can do it anyway…that’s what turned me off.”

Alderman Rob Hyder said he was getting mixed messages from the various Planning and Zoning meetings held earlier this year when the issue first came to light.

I thought it was an issue about emergency access, but now it became all about drainage,” said Hyder, who suggested there be gates installed off Crestwood and another off Sunset Drive.

Derby Mayor Rich Dziekan’s Chief of Staff Andrew Baklik said the core issue is about safety.

The critical element of this is the emergency access, in case that Pulaski Highway gets blocked,” Baklik said. They’re going to add blacktop, there will be more water collected but they will install drainage to catch the runoff. This thing is so much more innocuous … and that we’re giving up all these rights. The public had a misunderstanding of this.” 

Regarding neighbors’ concerns of cars accessing the road, and potential traffic issues, Seymour Engineer Donald Smith, Jr., who’s working on the project for Ansonia, had said a gate would prevent vehicles from using the road — as it does now.

Sunset Drive resident Tom Lionetti remains unwilling to lay the welcome mat out for the new road. He told the Aldermen/Alderwomen Thursday he has a petition with more than 40 residents’ signatures on it opposed to the easement.

We’re dead against still and we just don’t have any faith in what can happen up there,” Lionetti said. We’re worried about kids congregating if the road is blocked off, drinking or doing whatever they do. I don’t think that gate will be locked. We can’t afford any more traffic on this road. Derby is getting nothing out of this.”

Lionetti suggested if the aldermen must grant the easement, they should negotiate with Ansonia to get an easement from Derby into Ansonia’s Fountain Lake Road as a trade-off.

The city’s Economic Development Liaison Carmen DiCenso said granting an easement would protect homeowners and Witek Park from drainage problems.

It’s Ansonia’s road and Ansonia will be putting the road in no matter what,” DiCenso said. It should be put into an agreement that the gate should stay locked. I would press the aldermen to vote yes’ so Ansonia has to fix drainage and there won’t be runoff. If you vote no, you’re not doing homeowners any favors. I have no dog in the fight here. I’m just trying to protect these homeowners and Witek Park.”

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