Public audience criticizes proposed purchase of Farms Village Road property and raises policing, traffic concerns

Several residents addressed the board during the public‑audience period about a town proposal to purchase commercial property at 2 Farms Village Road (near the high school). A speaker identifying herself as Joan urged the board to “just say no,” calling the purchase overpriced and saying posted assessment documents showed a 2022 market value of about $6.35 million. She said projected special‑education savings from an in‑town facility were speculative and that additional costs (security, kitchen/lunchroom, heating) and lost tax revenue had not been fully accounted for.

Joan singled out two selectmen (named in her remarks) who opposed the purchase in prior meetings and criticized four selectmen who supported moving the project forward; she urged voters to hold those who supported the plan accountable at reelection.

Other public comments: Resident Susan Messino, a member of the town’s Open Space Committee, asked that the draft minutes of a prior meeting be amended to better reflect her remarks — she said a sentence giving the impression she called open space “a mess” misrepresented her comments and requested a revision to make clear she was criticizing the handling of a recent open‑space land disposition process rather than the committee’s work.

Additional resident concerns raised during public audience included new permits for a nearby apartment project on Iron Horse Boulevard and increased traffic near the Simsbury Meadows concert area, and a general uptick in incidents involving people driving without current vehicle registration or insurance.

The first selectman announced the Board of Finance public hearing for the Farms Village Road proposal was scheduled for Feb. 18, 2025.