August 2010 Issue
News Update!
A Proposed Transfer Station Location

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thumbnail of map closeup
A parcel of property on Rte. 154 (Saybrook Road) has been proposed as a location for a new transfer station. It is near the northern terminus of Walkley Hill Rd, and has frontage on both Saybrook Rd and Walkley Hill Rd. The parcel is approximately eight acres, and the transfer station would use approximately five of those acres. It would be constructed in the interior of the parcel, with buffering towards Walkley Hill Rd., and access would be via a driveway from Saybrook Rd.
Click on the two thumbnails to the left and right for enlarged images of the approximate location of the site and the encompassing property, and the relationship to the present transfer station. The locations and boundaries are approximate since the proposed purchase area has not yet been made fully public, and any site plan for the actual facility has not been made. Also, two photographs of the probable access point on Saybrook Rd are available here; looking North and looking South.
The map used is the Haddam Quadrangle, 7.5 minute series topographic from the USGS (United States Geologic Survey) dated 1961 as photorevised in 1971.

UPDATE! Here is a pdf of the "Conceptual Layout" from Anchor Engineering that was forwarded to the Haddam Bulletin by a resident.
Two recent Haddam Bulletin articles dealing with the transfer station issue are linked here:
Talking Trash and Private Pickup

This news item will be continuously updated as more details become available. Check back often.


Revaluation by Alan Aronow

Summer is traditionally a time of sun and fun—but for members of the Haddam Assessor’s office it’s been an all out race to gather the field data needed to complete the town’s state mandated revaluation due on October 1, 2010.
Most property owners are familiar with the term ‘revaluation’ (aka: reassessment or reval). In Connecticut, municipalities raise the bulk of their budget revenues by levying property taxes. The state requires that every five years, towns and cities reassess all local real estate to establish its current fair market value. According to Town Assessor Marilyn Baumann the process of reassessing the value of all properties by the same standard at the same point in time is done to assure property owners that they are paying only their fair share of local taxes.
Revaluations are necessary because, over time, not all homes or neighborhoods experience similar changes in desirability. These changes are reflected in the price people are willing to pay for a specific property. As such, inequities develop where homes become worth more or less than other homes as a result of prevailing market trends. The revaluation process attempts to correct these inequities so that the appraised value of each property in town accurately reflects its actual market value as of a fixed date. (Note: In Connecticut a property’s assessed value equals 70% of its appraised or market value) (Full Article)
Haddam's Tax Base 1998-2009