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10/23/2014 12:00 AMOver 100 bulk propane protestors filled a North Branford Inlands Wetlands meeting last night, but the item they turned out to hear, an application from JJ Sullivan Company of Guilford for a 60,000 gallon bulk propane facility on Ciro Road, was quickly tabled to 6 p.m. Wed. Oct. 29 (tentative site NBIS).
Also last night, the Town Council announced it would reconvene a meeting which had to be ended prematurely on Oct. 21 due to overcrowding by propane opponents. The meeting has been rescheduled for tonight, Oct. 23, 7 p.m. at North Branford Auditorium at the NBIS/NBHS complex. A discussion-only item on the agenda will review an Oct. 10 recommendation from Town Attorney John Gesmonde that the the council can't legally act on a petition, signed by over 1,000 residents, requesting a binding referendum vote to roll back a recent zoning amendment allowing the propane storage facility on Ciro Road. (See agenda, posted with this story). While that item is listed under new business for "discussion only", the last public agenda item of the night "Citizens Statements and Petitions" opens the door for public input to be heard by the council.
Four police cruisers, with lights flashing, were parked outside NBIS last night to greet the crowd as they arrived for last night's 6:15 p.m. Inlands Wetlands meeting. Many who came out last night are supporting a citizen-organized group which has been rallying crowds at town meetings since September, following an August Planning and Zoning vote approving an amendment change to allow bulk propane in to the site. The residents are concerned about their diminished safety, property values and quality of life. The group has hired Attorney Keith Ainsworth, who successfully assisted a Clinton citizens' group fighting proposed bulk propane storage in Clinton. The citizen group seeks to raise $12,000 for legal expenses viawww.gofundme.com (N.B. Citizens Against Propane) and is keeping citizens updated of their actions at www.protectnorthbranford.com . See related stories at http://bit.ly/1z19MVF
The decision to table the agenda item last night was due to just four seats filled on the five person Inland Wetlands board and two of those members, Gerry Fischbach and Ashley Joiner, recusing themselves from acting on the agenda item. The board decided to table the presentation from JJ Sullivan Co. until next week, while in the meantime seeking advice from the town attorney's opinion as to whether two votes on the matter will be legally binding. According to Town Engineer Kurt Weiss, the meeting is allowed to open with a quorum (three members present) but it was not clear to the board if having less than three members available to vote on agenda items is binding. Representatives for JJ Sullivan said they are prepared to grant the board an extension if for some reason the application can't be heard within the 65-day required window, which ends Oct. 31. At least three JJ Sullivan Co. representatives attended last night's meeting.
While last night's meeting wasn't a public hearing on the matter, several calls from the audience did catch the attention of the board. Letters against the proposed facility, which were to have been entered into the record without being read aloud were instead read into the record.