SCOOTERS IN SEYMOUR? Maybe.

Ansonia resident Jason Edwards snapped this photo of scooters in Ansonia back in May.

SEYMOUR — Here are some highlights from the Seymour Board of Selectmen’s July 5 meeting.

Federal funds for local improvements


The Selectmen unanimously voted to use money from the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, to buy a 2022 Volvo payloader for the Public Works Department. It cost $182,500. Selectman Pat Lombardi, who also serves as chairman of the Board of Public Works, said the town heavily relies on a payloader year-round.

“Our current piece is a work horse of the department and gets used on daily basis,” Lombardi said. ​“In the winter it’s used for loading sand and materials into the (plow) trucks and is also used when we get big accumulations of snow around town, like downtown, that needs to be removed fast. If it breaks down we’re in serious trouble. Our back-up is a much smaller payloader that can’t do the job as quickly and efficiently.”


The Selectmen also unanimously voted to use ARPA funds to pay for part of the Seymour Board of Education’s office relocation project. The school district’s central office is moving out of 98 Bank St., where it shares space with the Naugatuck Valley Health Department, to Seymour High School. The funds will be used to cover $23,100 for plumbing expenses and $69,300 for electrical costs.

An under-utilized classroom wing in the north end of high school, built in 1969, is being modified to house the central office. Officials hope to open before the start of the fall school year.
First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis had said the 98 Bank St. building, which once housed the former Center School, costs the town $600,000-$800,000 a year in operational expenses. The hope is that the private sector may takeover the space.

SCOOTERS?


While no decisions have been made, the Selectmen had a brief discussion on the possibility of bringing electric scooters to town. Economic Development Consultant Sheila O’Malley gave a quick update of how the Bird brand e‑scooters that neighboring Ansonia recently introduced

​“We just did this in Ansonia, there’s no insurance, or liability issues or cost on the town side,” O’Malley said. ​“They only ask the town for places to put their scooters. The town decides the parameters of where you want the scooters, whether just downtown or beyond. Riding them is all done through cell phones via a mobile app.”

While some of the Selectmen said they’d like the idea of scooters, they don’t necessarily think Seymour is the right place for them.

​“I love this idea but I’m having trouble visualizing how we would utilize them in Seymour, especially because the downtown is kind of compact and we have a lot of hills,” said Selectman Trish Danka.

Selectman Bob Findley agreed.

“I don’t see it making sense for Seymour,” he said.

Selectman Al Bruno said while he likes the idea of seeing fewer cars on the road, and having kids use the scooters to get to their friends’ houses or go for ice cream, he wants to see a risk management assessment done to ensure the scooters are a safe idea.
The scooters dominated social media in Ansonia when they were introduced, with residents posting photos of random locations the scooters had been left after being used (a freelancer hired by the company picks the discarded scooters up each day). There were so many posts in ​“Ansonia, CT Community Updates and Forum,” a few users started using the hashtag ​“scootergate” as a joke.
O’Malley said she’ll have the Bird CEO attend the selectmen’s next meeting on July 19 to go over details and answer concerns and questions.

​“Scooters have a lot of success in bigger cities, and it’s something new for people, a new experience to draw people in and draw attention to downtown,” O’Malley said. ​“It’s a nice amenity we have in Ansonia, but it might not be for you.”

O’Malley said in June more than 600 miles were logged by scooter users in Ansonia.

New committee to field improvements


The Selectmen appointed a new committee, dubbed the Wildcats Sports Complex Committee, whose mission will be to seek out grants and do fundraising to make improvements to Seymour High School’s sports fields and facilities. Former longtime Wildcats Football Coach Paul ​“Spooney” Sponheimer was named to sit on the committee, along with Tim Sadick, Brian Moir, Joe Vicdomino, John Perry, Dan Dunaj and Curtis Williams.

Drugonis said the end goal is to get new LED lighting on the football and softball fields to enable the facilities to be used at night, and to also house future sports tournaments; purchase a new p.a. system, press box and scoreboard, among other improvements.

​“The priority for now will be at SHS and then we could expand efforts to other schools,” Drugonis said.

Sponheimer said with the high school able to accommodate more than 600 cars, ​“there’s a lot of potential to make (the sports complex) a revenue-generating facility.”

Drugonis said the committee will also look into soliciting advertising for the fences around the fields to help defer maintenance costs and upgrades.

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