Resident urges better notice for Laurel Hill Road closure and calls for regional response to encampments

Tom Cander, a Torrington resident, told the council that Connecticut DOT posted an advisory on April 13 that a section of Laurel Hill Road would close beginning the following Wednesday and said the short public notice risked disrupting residents and traffic. “They only put out that their notice on the 13th,” Cander said, adding, “two months is a long time.”

Cander said the closure affects the north–south bridges where Laurel Hill Road crosses and described alternate routings that will shift traffic onto Hill Street and other local arteries. He framed the closure as a state project and asked the council to help residents by seeking improved communication from DOT and by using the city’s alert systems.

On a separate but related public-comment topic, Cander raised recurring homeless encampments on city property, citing photographs he provided to the council that show multiple layers of previous camps and debris. He urged the city to pursue a regional effort through the Northwest Hills Council of Governments — noting Torrington represents roughly 30% of the council-of-governments’ population — to coordinate responses and share responsibility among neighboring towns.

The comments were delivered during the public-comment period; no formal action or directive was taken by the council at the meeting. The council did not debate or vote on DOT communications or an intermunicipal strategy during the session, but Cander’s requests underscore a potential area for staff follow-up and interagency outreach.