To:   Chairperson, Conservation Commission / Inland Wetlands
Cc:   All members of Conservation Commission / Inland Wetlands 
         All members of the Board of Selectman
         All members of the Planning Board
         Susanna A. Jones, Head of School 

										June 7, 2005

To Elected Officials and Committee Members of the Town of Simsbury,
     Given the critical aspects of the Ethel Walker property, including the impact on our water supply quality and quantity, the large expanses of wetlands, and the connectedness of this parcel of open space to other parcels of open space, the only prudent way to proceed would be to initiate an independent environmental review of this parcel.  We understand that the Town of Simsbury may not have ready resources and manpower to study all the attributes and sensitivities of a property or to verify submitted data in detail, particularly with a project as large as that proposed for the Ethel Walker School property.  However there is a non-regulatory state agency with significant and broad expertise ready and willing to assist in this matter.  The Connecticut Environmental Review Team (ERT) provides objective, free technical assistance and aims to be efficient; the review is not used as a delay tactic.  A report by the ERT will help to satisfy the need for an independent review and strengthen support for subsequent decisions.
  Briefly,
1.	The ERT supplies information on a wide range of subjects that are not readily available to local decision makers. 
2.	Reports are non-regulatory and leave all final decisions to the town and landowner. 
3.	Costly problems can be identified before implementation saving the town, the landowner and the citizens money and headaches from future problems. 

     You may request a review if you are a chief elected official or the chair of an administrative agency such as the planning commission or the conservation commission / inland wetlands.  As a Head of School, Susanna Jones could potentially also qualify as a party eligible to request the review.  Developers or other private parties are not eligible as requesters.  As noted above, the environmental review team does not make any decisions as to land use.   

     Given the various sensitivities of the Ethel Walker property, the awareness on the part of the Ethel Walker School to these issues, and the school’s receptiveness and desire to address these environmental concerns as well as to the general concerns of our community, utilizing the expertise of the environmental review team is the only prudent way to proceed.  The contact person at the Connecticut Environmental Review Team is Elaine Sych.  I have spoken with Ms. Sych and determined that the Ethel Walker property is an appropriate project for ERT review.  Her full contact information and website address are listed below.  

     Sincerely,

     Susan A. Masino
•	Elaine A. Sych
ERT Coordinator
Connecticut Environmental Review Teams
1066 Saybrook Road
P.O. Box 70
Haddam, CT  06438
(860) 345-3977 (phone)
(860) 345-3357 (fax) 
ertcoordinator@sbcglobal.net 
http://www.ct.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/rc&d/ert.html