Group Pushes For Records
SHARE Wants Konover Documents
By
LORETTA WALDMAN
Courant Staff Writer
March 28 2007
SIMSBURY --
A homeowners' group says that town officials are stalling on a Freedom of
Information request for town communications with a developer planning a
mixed-use project off Route 10.
Simsbury Homeowners Advocating for
Responsible Development, known as SHARE, wants access to e-mails and
correspondence between town officials and Konover Development Corp., which is
planning a mixed-use development called River Oaks.
SHARE members say
they believe that the town and Konover have been conspiring to win approval for
the $200 million River Oaks project that Konover hopes to build on more than 60
acres off Route 10.
Charles Ward, the SHARE member who submitted the
request Dec. 18, confronted selectmen Monday night. Speaking during the public
portion of the board's regular meeting, Ward said that both his initial request
and several follow-ups have all gone unanswered.
"So I'm asking you
again this evening, where are the documents which I have requested under the
Freedom of Information Act over 31/2 months ago?" Ward said. "As a responsible
citizen and taxpayer in Simsbury, it is my legal right to this information and
it is your legal responsibility to fully comply with my request in a timely
manner."
Town officials said Tuesday that they are doing everything
possible to fulfill the request. First Selectman Tom Vincent said he expected
all members of the various boards and commissions overseeing development to have
been notified by the end of the day. They have been asked to submit the
requested material by April 6, he said.
Vincent blamed the delay on the
fact that town Planning Director Hiram Peck and Brandon Robertson, director of
administrative services, had referred the matter to town attorney Robert
DeCrescenzo. At Monday's meeting, Peck cited the sheer volume of material
requested, much of which required redactions, as a contributing factor.
"We certainly do want to respond," Vincent said Tuesday, "and we'll work
on opening communication and getting to this as quickly as possible."
The request is the second by Ward. The first, submitted in August 2006,
had a slightly different focus, and produced 401 documents, many of which were
largely useless, he said. They included draft copies of the town's plan of
conservation, already on the town website, and other documents so heavily
redacted that they did not make sense.
Ward was one of two SHARE members
to address the selectmen Monday. The group has been outspoken in its opposition
to the River Oaks proposal, for which Konover has yet to file a formal
application but is known to include a Target store and Whole Foods Market.
Ward filed a complaint in late January with the state Freedom of
Information Commission over his latest request. Neither that, nor Ward's
comments Monday, played a role in the scheduling of an April 10 seminar for town
staff and volunteer board and commission members on the state's Freedom of
Information law, Vincent said.
Contact Loretta Waldman at
lwaldman@courant.com.
Copyright 2007, Hartford Courant |
