Home Care In Weatogue, CT

SIMSBURY—The Cambridge Crossing website shows a model houses with classic white porch pillars, manicured lawns and top end landscaping, tree-lined streets and cul de sacs, and brags of a low-cost home owners association that will cover snow and leaf removal, mowing and trash service.

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In a note to potential homeowners, Sunlight Construction owner/developer writes that his company's goal is "to provide every client with outstanding service and care as we build their dreams."

But a walk through the half-finished neighborhood off Hoskins Road and near the International Skating Center is far from a dream, local residents say. There are no street or stop signs and street lights remain dark. Storm drains and sewer mains sit above grade because paving has not been completed, even in areas where building has been completed.

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Some houses are partially sided and others have no siding as contractors have stopped work. Curbs and sidewalks are intermittent. Instead of pillars, some homes front porch covers are supported by two-by-fours. Drainage is non-existent in some areas, unfinished in others.

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Frustration has been mounting among homeowners in the unfinished neighborhood, although they were hesitant to speak on the record for fear promised work may never happen.

"Bill refuses to respond to any correspondence from individuals in the community, including local lawyers and mortgage lenders," one owner said, referring to Bill Ferrigno, owner of Sunlight Construction.

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Ferrigno did not respond to several requests for comment about the situation at Cambridge Crossing. A chance encounter at his office on West Main Street in Avon did not yield results either as he declined comment.

Residents have turned to town officials as they look for help getting their neighborhood completed. Simsbury Town Planner George McGregor, who went to work in town about a year ago - the development was approved in 2018 - said the town is using the tools available to it, including declining to issue any more permits for new construction until the current issues are resolved.

McGregor also sent a letter to Ferrigno in January reiterating the residents concerns about the lack of street lights or signs and requested that he take care of the issue by June 1. McGregor also informed Ferrigno that no homes built in the western edge of the development would be given certificates of occupancy until a nearby slope that is eroding is stabilized. Neither the street lights and signs or the erosion control has happened, even after McGregor sent a reminder letter in May.

"The developer has been slow to respond and this has been frustrating to both the town and the residents of Cambridge Crossing," McGregor said in response to questions about the development.

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Different town, similar problem

Simsbury is not alone in its frustration in dealing with Sunlight and Ferrigno. Neighboring Avon has also been working to get compliance with conditions agreed to for the Bailey Road and Stafford Crossing developments.

In a June 1 letter to Ferrigno, Avon Town Manager Brandon Robertson reiterated long standing concerns from residents and town staff about "significant aspects of the development" that remain unfinished.

They include: a lack of final street grading; incomplete landscaping and fence construction; incomplete sanitary sewer installation; an unpaved cul de sac with no curbing; catch basins with improper grading and slope; and unrestored rights of way.

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Robertson said in the letter that he hoped that Ferrigno was not planning to ignore the issues due to recent state legislation that allows developers more than a dozen years to address construction issues.

Avon Town Planner Hiram Peck said the legislation allows developers who had project approved between 2011 and 2021 up to 14 years to complete the work agreed to with towns. The law went into effect in June 2021.

Peck said he believes the law was passed with good intentions to help developers and builders during the pandemic and supply chain shortages, but there have been unintended consequences from a local perspective as major issues related to roads, sidewalks and fences are ignored.

"A lot of this could have been prevented if (legislators) had called land use staff to if there needed to be some conditions," Peck said.

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Owners of homes in Ferrigno's Avon and Simsbury aren't the only ones dissatisfied with their experience with him. There are hundreds of thousands of dollars of legal judgments against him by people who gave him down payments on homes only to have him not build anything, according to legal filings. In some of those cases, plaintiffs accuse Ferrigno of insisting that the buyer give him the down payment instead of having it held in escrow and then built nothing. Five similar lawsuits have been filed in 2023.

He has has had properties attached to make good on two of those judgments. He was also successfully sued for more than $300,000 in unpaid bills by Oxford Lumber and Building Supplies.

There are also mechanics and town tax liens in Avon and town tax and sewer liens in Simsbury that add up to more than $100,000.

Some of those lawsuits were referred to the state attorney general's office. Residents at Cambridge Crossing also complained and were told that because it was an HOA development the agency couldn't do anything. Elizabeth Benton, a spokeswoman for the attorney general's office said that while her office is limited in the help it can provide on condominium developments, a separate homeowner complaint has been filed and she confirmed the state Department of Consumer Protection is investigating.

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Back in Simsbury

Homeowners in Cambridge Crossing have been waiting the last few years for constructiont and punch lists of unfinished work to be completed. Some have given up and spent their own money completing work that was included in the purchase price. Others who are still waiting to have their home finished have given up and put the property up for sale.

The community was also formed as a home owner's association, which means monthly HOA fees of $300 for scarce services on top of an initial $1,800 payment. Enough homes have been closed on to facilitate the election of a board, but that has yet to happen. Homeowners suspect that is because the developer would have to show the total amount collected for fees from more than 30 homeowners would have to be disclosed and what the money has been spent on.

"We don't know if that money exists," said one owner.

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June 21, 2023|Updated June 23, 2023 7:33 a.m.

By Steven Goode

Steven has been a reporter for more than 30 years, spending most of that time at the Hartford Courant. He has covered schools, crime, courts, politics, public safety and business and the mortgage industry. In his free time Steven enjoys camping, going to the beach, reading mysteries, discovering new IPAs and rollercoasters and spending time with his family.

Simsbury voters passed the town and Board of Education budgets on May 16, but that doesn’t mean everyone is happy with the $121.7 million spending plan, an increase of 6.44%, and a new mill rate of 31.82.

The town operations budget of $31.7 million passed by a 785-484 vote. The BOE budget of $81.6 million passed, 746-524.

Revaluation assessments, which were done last fall, were already an unpleasant surprise, and the mill rates will compound that pain, affecting many.

“These increases will lower property values, increase rents, and financially impact the business community,” said resident Joan Coe, at the Board of Selectmen’s meeting on May 23. “There definitely will be sticker shock, when the town tax [bills] are received by the taxpayers. These increases are unsustainable.”

Sarah Nielsen, executive director of the Simsbury Main Street Partnership, said her office has received an “unprecedented number of complaints” from businesses over the revaluation.

“They’ve already felt the cost of goods that have increased, the cost of utilities that have increased, they’ve suffered COVID losses, they’ve lost tenants, and now the reval has made things harder,” Nielsen said. “They’re feeling the pressure, because people are going to move out of Simsbury. We’re talking about millions of dollars.”

Nielsen said some property assessments have doubled, causing some businesses to begin lawsuits against the town.

“Something has to be done before the town spends all your money… to fight these battles,” Nielsen said. “We’re pricing Simsbury so high that people are going to move their businesses to another town.”

David Richmond, a resident who also owns several business properties in town, said costs are being passed along to renters.

“The increasing assessments force us to raise rents,” he said. “In this marketplace, we have increased maintenance costs, increased utility costs, paint, everything has gone up. So now when you increase assessments, you force us to increase our rents.”

Richmond said that for one of his properties, if put on the market for the assessed rate, would not sell.

“People aren’t buying office buildings in Simsbury today,” he said. “It’s very difficult.”

Steve Antonio said he was shocked when he received his assessment.

“The town assessor is saying that commercial properties increased 35.1% in value over the previous 60 months,” Antonio said, adding that there are many ways to value commercial property, but that comparable sales value, or what a business could be sold for, is the benchmark, and that his research concluded that increase to be 4.4%.

“As a result, we are shouldering more of the burden of operating the town we love,” Antonio said. “We are also being forced to sue ourselves, in as much as we are the Town of Simsbury.”

First Selectman Wendy Mackstutis said the town could talk to the finance director to see what can be done.

Selectman Chris Peterson said he was impressed with the business community speaking out.

“I realize how much I am part of your eco-system,” Peterson said, adding that he makes a point to support local businesses.

“I don’t think anyone up here wants to not respond to your requests, to the depth that we can,” he said. “I think that we want nothing other than to avoid something that is inequitable, embarrassing, and unnecessary.”

For more information, visit www.simsbury-ct.gov.

Soon you will be able to get your vanilla bean coolatta, Boston kreme donut, chocolate frosted donut, muffins, munchkins and of course coffee at a new Dunkin’ Donuts in town.

The new shop, located at 142 Hopmeadow St., is slated to open in June or early July.

The site was formerly home to Wasabi restaurant. There has been a succession of businesses in the spot, some more successful than others. To house the Dunkin’ Donuts, the building was torn down and a new one built.

This will be the town’s fourth Dunkin’ Donuts. There is one located in the same plaza as Andy’s Supermarket, one near Antonio’s Restaurant and another close to Staples on Route 44.

The pre-manufactured building was delivered March 24, said site owner Tom Evans.

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The Dunkin’ Donuts will be run by Great American Donut Inc. out of Plainville, the franchisee for this and the three other Dunkin' Donuts in town. This Dunkin' will mark the group’s 50th site in the state, said Scott Fanning, president of Great American Donut.

The donut shop will be 1,800 square feet and have seating for 24 patrons. There will also be a drive-through window.

“We’re excited to have it open by summer,” Fanning said.

He said the group worked with the town’s design review board and as a result the building will look like a clapboard-sided cape.

Evans is also taking down and rebuilding — in the same footprint — the building next door at 138 Hopmeadow St. He said he does not know yet what kind of tenant will be housed in the saltbox style building, but it will be retail of some sort. Both plots are B-1, or business, zones.

Evans said he hopes the two building will open up at the same time.

“The new building is going to be asset to Weatogue,” said Evans.

Dale Cutler, of Kenyon & Cutler Architects in Avon, who designed the Simsbury Public Library renovation and the new main fire station, designed the building.

“He put a lot of effort into that,” said Evans.

The design also blends with the building next door, an attorney’s office with the same Colonial look. On the other side is a small building that houses a barber shop, among other businesses.

Evans, who grew up in Simsbury but now lives in Westbrook, said the restaurants that have been housed on the site have all done well for several years, but after that, some experienced problems.

“Lilies was a great restaurant,” he said, adding it closed because of personal issues rather than business.

He said Wasabi was doing well but expanded to Northampton, MA, and ended up being stretched too thin.

This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Neighbor News

Keynote Speaker was former Simsbury resident

Kingswood Oxford School, Neighbor

In a warm and dignified ceremony in Conklin Library on Feb. 18, 20 members of the Class of ‘16 were inducted into KO’s chapter of the Cum Laude honor society.

The Cum Laude Society is a national honor society for independent schools. Founded in 1906 and modeled after Phi Beta Kappa, it comprises 382 chapters in the U.S., Canada, England, France, Spain, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. To qualify, students must be in the top 20% of the class by the end of the first semester of senior year and must have demonstrated good citizenship.

Cum Laude chapter president Dr. Ann Serow presided over the induction, reflecting on the history of the organization and praising the seniors for the academic diligence that had qualified them for acceptance.

Head of School Dennis Bisgaard congratulated the students, as well, remarking that the inductees were not just scholars, but also actors, artists, athletes, and campus leaders.

Following the ceremony, the inductees and their parents, along with several faculty and staff, enjoyed dinner in Mead Dining Hall, featuring keynote speaker Caroline Chiappetti ‘07, who grew up in Simsbury.

Find out what's happening in Simsburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A second-year student at Harvard Law School, Chiappetti graduated from Williams College and has worked for a number of organizations focused on civil liberties and reproductive rights.

In her thoughtful and touching remarks, Chiappetti reflected on how well KO had prepared her for college and beyond. She concluded by encouraging the inductees to always “be critical, be creative, and be kind.”

This year’s Cum Laude inductees are:

Photo 1: Caroline Chiappetti ’07, a second-year law student at Harvard, was the keynote speaker at the Cum Laude dinner, and enjoyed reuniting with her KO history teacher, Dr. Ann Serow, who is President of KO’s Cum Laude chapter.

Photo 2: KO’s Cum Laude honor society welcomed 20 new members at an induction ceremony and dinner on Feb. 18, 2016.

Simsbury Real Estate May 13 to May 16, 2013

$1,000,000. 690 Hopmeadow St., Webster Bank, NA of 132 Grand St., Waterbury, CT to Chesnut Hill Associates of Simsbury, LLC of P.O. Box 67, 8 Plank Hill Road, Simsbury on May 14, 2013.

$153,876. Lot 5, Croft Lane. Sand Hill Simsbury, LLC of PO Box 581, Simsbury to Gregory Scott Rogers and Yu-Hui Rogers of 15 Croft Lane on May 16, 2013.

$153,876. Lot 2 Croft Lane . Sand Hill Simsbury, LLC of PO Box 581, Simsbury to Bilas Das, of 47 Avonwood Road, Avon, on May 16, 2013.

$467,500. 318 West Mountain Road. Keith F. and Linda M. Burton of 1465 Childress Ferry Road of Blountville, TN to Mark L. and Rebecca Ginella on May 16, 2013.

$162,000. 32 Seminary Road. Wells Fargo Bank., N.A. of 9990 Richmond Ave., Suite 4005 Houston, Tex. To Peter Sirois of 343 Porter St., Manchester on May 16, 2013.

$1. 55 Holcomb St., Margaret M. Salvatore and Paul John Salvatore of 55 Holcomb St. to the Margaret M. Salvatore Living Trust of 55 Holcomb St. on May 16, 2013.

$7,000. 40 Firetown Road, Unit 5. Belden Forest Court Inc. of 40 Firetown Road Simsbury to William E. Mahoney III of 40 Firetown Road, Unit 5 on May 15, 2013.

$460,000. 17 Case Circle. Scott A. Meegan and Dawn J. Meegan of 275 Firetown Road, Simsbury to Matthew A. And Kristen A. Fitch on May 15, 2013.

$523,605. 15 Bantry Road. Powder Forest Homes, LLC of 125 Powder Forest Drive, Simsbury to Robert F. and Sandra Clark of 2 Reed Hill Road, Granby on May 13, 2013.

$572,250. 25 Orchard Lane. Robert L. McKay Jr. of 17863 Harney St., omaha Ne and Lynae McKay of same to Oliver and Melissa Gressier on May 15, 2013.

$224,900. 83 Elm St., Janice B. Bell of 88 Bay Ridge Drive, Middletown to Haley A. Riggs and David R. Boles of 83 Elm St., on April 20, 2013. Recorded May 13, 2013.

$286,000. 376 West Mountain Road. Willam A. Ferrigno of 55 Chidsey Road, Avon to John Dylan Gengras and Nadine M. Gengras on May 13, 2013.

$247,500. 8 Basswood Lane. Pamela B. Stone of 5000 Culbreath Key Way Unit 210, Tampa, Fla. To Deirdre W. Porter on May 10 (Recorded May 13, 2013.)

$180,000. 24 Sand Hill Road. Susan E. Lindau of 117 Clearview Drive, McMurray, PA to Reginald George of 24 Sand Hill Road, Simsbury on May 3 (Recorded May 13, 2013)

$169,000. 139 Ichabod Road. Edith C. Gaumond Estate of 18 High Hill Road, Canton to Maric Builders, Inc. of 5 Pennington Drive, Simsbury on May 13, 2013.

$260,000. 275 Firetown Road, Simsbury. William S. Barefoot and Gloria Lynn Barefoot of P.O. Box 484, Fitzwilliam, NH to Scott A. and Dawn J. Meegan, of 275 Firetown Road, Simsbury on May 14, 2013.