Middletown council tables sale of Maromas-area parcel after neighbors raise environmental and notice concerns

Mayor Benjamin D. Florsheim opened discussion of item 10I, a proposed sale of city land in the Maromas area to the state for a veterans cemetery expansion, after the council amended the agenda to take the item earlier in the evening.

Ralph Wilson, who identified himself as a neighboring property owner at 591 Bull Lane, urged the council to deny the sale or at least table it and to hold a neighborhood hearing. Wilson said the parcel had a contested history — including prior citizen campaigns to block institutional uses — and that a deed restriction placed on parcels transferred to the city in 2005 should be reviewed before the council agrees to sell. "Approval of this sale would undo the work of previous joint efforts of citizens of the city and the local and state representatives," Wilson said during public comment.

Wilson also cited environmental concerns, telling the council the site has a continuous stream flowing toward the city's watershed and aquifer and warned that "caskets will eventually decompose and disintegrate into the soil, leaching contaminants" such as embalming chemicals and arsenic. He said adjacent property owners had not received direct notice and asked the council to provide written notice and a neighbor hearing if the sale proceeds.

Councilmember Alfredo introduced a motion to convene an executive session under Connecticut's Freedom of Information Act to discuss the proposed sale and associated easements. Before the executive session, Alfredo moved to table the matter. The motion to table was seconded and passed unanimously; the mayor said item 10I will be revisited at a future meeting.

No formal agreement was reached on the sale; the council's action was procedural (tabling) and will require staff follow-up and additional public engagement before any final decision.