October 6: 4 Things You Should Know From Wednesday's Board Of Selectmen Meeting, Today's Weather

1. It will be sunny today with a high temperature of 62 °F. The wind will come from the northwest at speeds between 3 mph and 11 mph. It will stay clear tonight when the overnight low is 37 °F. The wind will come from the north at a speed of 6 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

2. The Suffield Board of Selectmen approved approved a $2,677 rebate for H.F. Brown Inc. towards the last year of a lease on 10 acres of town land located at the end of the Stratton Farms subdivision. H.F. Brown used the land to cultivate tobacco and had paid for each year of a four-year lease on the property.

The company also leased about 40 acres of land from Grace F. Clark adjacent to the town's property. Clark cancelled the lease about two weeks before the beginning of growing season. Because that property was no easily accessible, H.F. Brown was unable to use the land for it's intended purpose due to access and water issues.

Following a discussion at the Sept. 21 board meeting, the selectmen sought the advice of town counsel before acting on the issue. They approved the rebate Wednesday night.

3. Repairs to Kent Memorial Library are on schedule, with the library set to reopen in December. The reason for persistent leaks in the building was discovered by construction workers, who found out that parts of the roof's internal membrane were not properly secured during initial construction.

The additional cost of these repairs will likely come from funds set to be used for interior painting and the repair of cosmetic, non-structural cracks in the building. The selectmen are considering alternate methods of funding the painting and crack repair, including finding funding with the town's library commission and the use of inmate labor for painting.

First Selectman Tom Frenaye said none of those plans were concrete yet, but he is "pretty optimistic" that the interior repairs can be completed.

4. The selectmen approved a temporary access permit for Connecticut Light & Power to construct infrastructure improvements around the town landfill.

5. The selectmen also approved the town's new contract with AFSCME council no. 15, local 1577 – the police union's contract – at the end of the meeting. The full contract is not yet available but key details will be available soon on Suffield Patch.