Darien meeting summaries, agendas, and minutes

Darien Sewer Commission approves Locust Hill easement; $125,000 fire station transfer requests head to boards

The Darien Sewer Commission approved a sanitary sewer easement and maintenance agreement for 18/20 Locust Hill Road at its Oct. 6 meeting, subject to town counsel and staff approval, according to the meeting minutes. The commission also approved its 2027 meeting calendar and the Sept. 8, 2026 minutes with edits, and tabled a Phase 2 engineer presentation from ARCADIS.

Sewer Commission: easement approved, Phase 2 presentation tabled

The minutes record the easement approval as conditioned on review by town counsel and staff. A separate agenda listing for the same Oct. 6 date includes a Phase 2 engineer presentation by ARCADIS, two sewer user appeals — 71 Five Mile River Road (Jefferson & Valerie VanDerzee) and 2546 Boston Post Road (Marta LaRock) — a sump pump removal policy discussion, a Phase 3 rehab update, and a refund of $11,124.82 issued for a vacant lot at 88 Pear Tree Point Road for 2023-2025. Minutes for that agenda have not been published.

Pension boards and RTM Rules Committee act unanimously

On Oct. 13, the Joint Town and Police Pension Boards approved all Town refund and retirement applications, the 2027 meeting calendar, and the July 14, 2026 minutes. Each vote was unanimous, according to the minutes.

The RTM Rules Committee, also on Oct. 13, approved the draft Guidelines for RTM document as amended, appointed Per Sekse, Amy Zabetakis and Jack Davis to a Rules subcommittee, and assigned the Board of Education Administrators Union Contract to the RTM Education Committee as primary and the Finance & Budget Committee as secondary. All votes were unanimous. The committee also approved agendas for the Oct. 26 and Nov. 9 RTM meetings and tabled a vote on agenda and minutes formats requested by the Town Administrator.

Board of Selectmen

At its Oct. 5 meeting, the Board of Selectmen approved the 2027 meeting calendar and the minutes from Sept. 14, 2026, and appointed a new member to the Commission on Aging. The summary did not name the appointee.

Land use: conservation plan hearings and residential applications

The Planning & Zoning Commission opened a public hearing on the 2026-2036 Plan of Conservation and Development on Oct. 6, with written comments directed to [email protected]. The same agenda listed deliberations on four applications: Subdivision Application #632-A (PL-26-80) from the Missionary Society of Connecticut, Inc. to divide 471 Mansfield Avenue into four single-family lots under Conservation Subdivision provisions; a pool, patio and regrading at 7 Stony Brook Road (Calvin Arnold & Sarah Bolan); razing an existing residence and building a new single-family dwelling at 13 Hollow Tree Ridge Road (Marek Skowronski & Radoslaw Srednicki); and a pool, spa and patio at 390 Middlesex Road (Kevin & Jyotsna Bean). Minutes are not yet published.

On Oct. 14, P&Z was scheduled to deliberate on the POCD and decide a court-remanded matter on noise regulations for lighting and public address facilities at Stadium Field (2 & 80 High School Lane), and to hear a playground relocation request from Saint Luke's Episcopal Church, 1864 Boston Post Road.

The Zoning Board of Appeals met Oct. 7 on three residential variance requests — 81 Raymond Street (Jennifer Geddes), 5 Meadowbrook Road (James Schettino for John Del Bello) and 36 Walmsley Road (Alice Look-McGill). Four affirmative votes of the five seated members are required to approve a variance. The Environmental Protection Commission met the same evening on a pedestrian boardwalk within a 100-foot coastal setback at 40 Great Island Road, among other applications, and a show-cause hearing at 3 Nature's Way.

Coming up

• **Oct. 19 — Board of Selectmen:** Great Island Usage Policy discussion; requested transfers of $125,000 to the NHFD Retaining Wall Project, $15,800 to Public Works Facility Repair & Maintenance, $6,000 for Planning & Zoning Consulting Services and $598 for Great Island Parking Design Professional Services; appointment of Gregory Stackpole as Assessor for a three-year term.
• **Oct. 19 — RTM Finance & Budget Committee:** action on the DPS DAA union contract and a proposed $125,000 additional appropriation for the Noroton Heights Fire Department project.
• **Oct. 20 — Board of Finance:** the same four transfer requests, a recommendation on the DPS DAA contract to the RTM, and a financial report through Sept. 30, 2026.
• **Oct. 21 — Parks & Recreation Commission:** FY28 operating budget and capital projects, a vote on the 2027 fee schedule, draft POCD comments, and a proposed donation for sports safety netting at McGuane Park.

Darien Sewer Commission approves Locust Hill Road sewer easement; Selectmen set 2027 meeting calendar

The Darien Sewer Commission approved a sanitary sewer easement and maintenance agreement for 18/20 Locust Hill Road, pending town counsel and staff approval, according to minutes from its Oct. 6, 2026 meeting. The commission also approved its 2027 meeting calendar and the Sept. 8, 2026 public hearing and regular meeting minutes with edits, and tabled a Phase 2 engineer presentation from ARCADIS.

Sewer Commission (Oct. 6)

The easement approval is the most concrete land-related action in the past two weeks of published minutes. The commission tabled the ARCADIS Phase 2 presentation rather than hearing it. A separate agenda entry for the same date listed a refund of $11,124.82 for a vacant lot at 88 Pear Tree Point Road covering 2023-2025, along with two sewer user appeals (71 Five Mile River Road, Jefferson & Valerie VanDerzee; 2546 Boston Post Road, Marta LaRock) and a sump pump removal policy discussion. Those items appear on the agenda only; the published minutes do not record outcomes for them.

Board of Selectmen (Oct. 5)

The Board of Selectmen approved the meeting calendar for 2027, appointed a new member to the Commission on Aging, and approved the minutes from Sept. 14, 2026. The summary does not name the appointee.

Board of Selectmen (Sept. 29)

Minutes for the Sept. 29, 2026 regular meeting list only agenda headings and contain no recorded votes, motions, or outcomes. Jon Zagrodzky, Monica McNally, and Marcy Minnick were present; Sarah Neumann and Michael Burke were absent. The document shows the board adjourned to executive session and back to open session, but records no decisions, dollar amounts, or discussion details.

Planning & Zoning (Oct. 6)

The commission opened a public hearing on the town's 2026-2036 Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD), with written comments directed to [email protected]. It was then scheduled to deliberate and possibly decide four applications: a four-lot subdivision at 471 Mansfield Avenue (Missionary Society of Connecticut, Inc., Application #632-A, PL-26-80) under Conservation Subdivision provisions; a pool, patio, regrading and stormwater plan at 7 Stony Brook Road (Calvin Arnold & Sarah Bolan); razing an existing residence and building a new single-family dwelling at 13 Hollow Tree Ridge Road (Marek Skowronski & Radoslaw Srednicki); and a new pool, spa, patio and regrading at 390 Middlesex Road (Kevin & Jyotsna Bean). The agenda also included electing a replacement Secretary and approving Sept. 22, 2026 minutes. Minutes are not yet published.

Zoning Board of Appeals (Oct. 7)

The board was scheduled to continue one hearing and open two others on residential variances, then deliberate and possibly decide. Four affirmative votes of the five seated members are required to approve a variance, and decisions may be postponed. The requests: 81 Raymond Street (Jennifer Geddes, front and side yard setbacks to alter a nonconforming roof pitch); 5 Meadowbrook Road (James Schettino of Schettino Architects, on behalf of John Del Bello, side yard setback for an addition to a nonconforming detached garage); and 36 Walmsley Road (Alice Look-McGill, side yard setback to repair and renovate a nonconforming garage).

Environmental Protection Commission (Oct. 7)

The commission was set to act on applications near wetlands, watercourses and flood areas, and to consider, as the Town Conservation Commission, whether work at 40 Great Island Road is consistent with a 1981 conservation restriction. That request (PL-26-153) covers a pedestrian boardwalk, drive and access widening, and tree removal and replanting within a 100-foot coastal setback. Also listed: a playscape near wetlands at 5 Oak Park Avenue; drainage improvements near Holly Pond for the Salt Box Lane-Coachlamp Lane area; a new single-family dwelling at 1707 Boston Post Road near the Stony Brook floodplain; a pier, ramp and floating dock at 135 Nearwater Lane; and a show-cause enforcement hearing at 3 Nature's Way over alleged tree and vegetation removal and fill placement without an EPC permit.

Sidewalk Committee and other items

The Advisory Sidewalk Committee was listed for two Sept. 29, 2026 special meetings, at 9:00 am and 8:00 pm via Zoom, both with the same agenda: approving Sept. 15 minutes and discussing a scoring matrix for unscored sidewalk locations. No votes on specific projects, contracts or spending were listed. Public comment is accepted by email to Chairman Mark Cohen before the meeting; emails are not read aloud.

An Oct. 2 RTM Committee agenda carried a letter from resident Marie McColl to the Selectman requesting consideration of a dog park, a luxury apartment complex, and lower taxes. The agenda records it as a citizen communication; no decision or discussion is indicated. A separate RTM Education Committee entry dated Oct. 5 describes a June 8, 2026 meeting on sidewalk planning and school-related comment protocols; the supplied summary does not explain the date difference.

Coming up

• **Oct. 13:** Town and Police Pension Boards review investment manager reports, quarterly expenditures, and retirement and refund applications. The RTM Rules Committee discusses town code and charter revisions and assigns committees to review a Board of Education Administrators Union Contract. The Mental Health Task Force reviews July 2026 minutes.
• **Oct. 14:** The Blight Review Board meets in executive session on litigation and reviews property statuses. The RTM Planning and Research Committee discusses the draft 2026 POCD. The Planning & Zoning Commission takes up a court-remanded matter on noise regulations for stadium lighting at Darien High School, plus a pool at 244 Long Neck Point Road and a playground relocation at Saint Luke's Episcopal Church.
• **Oct. 15:** The Advisory Sidewalk Committee reviews implementation scores and drafts interim report slides for the Board of Selectmen.
• **Oct. 20:** The Board of Finance considers a transfer to Josh's salary and the financial report.
• **Oct. 21:** The Parks & Recreation Commission votes on the 2027 fee schedule and on comments on the draft POCD, and considers a donation for sports safety netting at McGuane Park.