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(February 2, 2023) — “The U.S. was there [in Afghanistan] and it was good; people were happy,” said Himanuddin. “The U.S. left, and then, overnight, it was very scary.”

Himanuddin is the nephew of Azam Khan, whose family came to Haddam sponsored by HARRP, the Haddam Area Refugee Resettlement Project. When I went to interview Azam, two of his nephews were visiting. Himanuddin, age 30, lives in Texas and is currently employed as an Uber driver; he has been in the United States for 19 months. Himanuddin’s wife and children are still in Afghanistan, and he is hoping that they will be reunited in the U.S. very soon. He said they are safe, for the time being. Himanuddin said he worked as an interpreter at a construction company in Afghanistan and helped the U.S. “If people worked for the U.S. and helped them, then the U.S. is helping them,” explained Himanuddin. Umar, age 28, has been in the U.S. for only one month, and is living in New Haven, looking for employment.

The Khans have other family still in Afghanistan, and communicate with them through WhatsApp or on the phone. The rest of the family would also like to come to the United States.

The house the Khans are living in is owned by the United Congregational Church of Haddam and Higganum (UCCHH), and it was readied for a family by a team of volunteers. When their renter left in 2022, the Church thought about selling the house. “The new pastor asked how we could use the house to forward our mission,” said Kristin Battistoni, one of the HARRP volunteers. “We have all said we want to be a church that is known for mission work and helping our community.”

When word got out about HARRP, about 50 people said they were interested in helping. Thirty of those people got fully trained, and about 20 volunteers are “fully engaged,” said Lori Chadwick, one of the co-leaders of HARRP. The other co-leader is Jack Murphy.

Azam arrived in Haddam on November 18, 2022, after living in a New Haven hotel for a couple of months with his wife, Bibi Jana, and their four children, Muska, age 14, Jahanzib, 11, Afsana, 8, and Raihan, 6. They fled Afghanistan to Pakistan in late March 2022 with very few possessions, and then arrived in New York City in late August.

The family had lived in Khost, which is in the northeast of Afghanistan, near Pakistan, where Azam was a jeweler. Bibi Jana is a seamstress, and I saw some beautiful cushions that she made.

Azam is currently working at Bull Metal Products in Middletown. The owner lives in Haddam and is a member of the church.

The goal of the resettlement program is to have the family independent within 6-12 months of arrival. A lot goes on in that time: signing up the children for school, learning English, obtaining Green Cards, dental and medical visits, employment, a driver’s license. And for HaRRP, that’s a lot of coordination that needs to happen: from finding rides, to making appointments, to lining up volunteers. When the family first arrived, for example, HaRRP paid the rent for the house for the first month. Now that Azam has employment, each month HaRRP pays less and Azam pays more, until the six-month mark, at which time Azam will be paying the full amount.

Azam and Bibi Jana are getting English lessons from ESOL tutors once a week, and the children are learning English (as well as other subjects) at Haddam Killingworth High School, Intermediate School, and Burr District Elementary School. Volunteers from HaRRP got trained to become the ESOL tutors.

Another thing that the committee is looking for is four bicycle helmets for the children, as well as some baseball gloves and a baseball, so that the children can engage in outdoor activities as the weather gets warmer.

On Thursday nights, the whole family walks over to Brainerd Library. The parents get tutored in English, and the children are there, too. Lori is looking for some mentors for the children. She thinks it would be great if there was an adult with a child the same age as one of the Khan children, who could meet them at the library each week to chat, and enlarge the circle of people the children interact with.

When I asked what Azam thought of Haddam, he said [through his nephew, who was translating for us] “Feeling good so far.” But then he went on to share that downtown was far. When Lori asked if he would be happier when he could get his driver’s license and a car,” Azam’s face broke out in a huge grin, and his nephew smiled too. “He’ll be much happier when he gets a car.”

HARRP will be looking for a reliable car for the family for when Azam gets his license.

When we left, the family was getting ready for a big meal, and asked if we would like to join them. A bounty was spread out in front of the handmade cushions, and it looked as though Bibi Jana had cooked all day in preparation. It looks like the family is settling in to Haddam. (Pictured above, Azam Khan, second from right, with his children and nephews. Not pictured are his wife and eldest daughter)

If you would like more information about volunteering for HARRP, please email [email protected]. If you would like to make a donation, please send a check made out to HaRRP to Higganum Congregational Church, 23 Parsonage Road, Higganum, CT 06441.

Photo by Kathy Brown

(October 27, 2022)—This project entails the development of 3 existing, wooded lots just to the north of the cleared open area adjacent to the plaza containing Dino’s Restaurant.

The parcel is zoned C-1 Commercial and retail is a permitted use in the zone requiring site plan approval by the Commission. All comments need to be related to specific compliance with the Zoning Regulations.

The Inland Wetlands Commission approved the proposed activities at their October meeting.

The proposed complies with the lot coverage and setback requirements in the C-1 zone.

As the plan reveals the current septic system servicing Dino’s Restaurant is on one of the lots proposed for new development. The lot lines are being rearranged so that the septic system is located completely on the Dino’s parcel. See existing and proposed lots in plan set.

Development in relation to its surroundings

As you are aware the Commission is prohibited from requiring off-site improvements. In this case the project “site” does include the parcel to the south. This opens the door to a more comprehensive review. The Commission should inquire as to the future development of the undeveloped land to the south and how development relates to the most significant feature on the property, the pond.

Section 14 indicates

Where topographic and other conditions permit, provisions shall be made for circulation driveway connections to adjoining Lots of similar existing or potential use 1) when such driveway connection will facilitate fire protection services, as approved by the Traffic Authority and Town Fire Marshal, or their agents, and/or 2) when such driveway will enable the public to travel between two existing or potential sites, open to the public generally, without need to travel upon a Street.

Site Impacts

The proposed project will clear cut and regrade the entire site. Make a major cut in the back and fill the southern side of the lot.

Section 14 of the regulation’s states:

to conserve, to the maximum extent practical, the existing terrain, vegetation, and other natural resources of the site;

I have walked the site and feel there needs to more effort to preserve some of the larger trees and rebuild and use the stone wall along the street frontage.

The plan as currently designed does not comply with Section 14 D.

Nor does it comply with:

Any parking area accommodating 20 or more cars shall 1) be provided with interior landscaping within the paved portion of the Parking area and

The developer needs to stake out the front property line and locate all trees within the required 20-foot landscape area that are over 6 in dbh and show same on the plans.

The new split rail fence to the south is attractive and could be extended to enhance the streetscape. I strongly recommend the developer have a landscape architect prepare a streetscape plan and revised building placement and grading to address these concerns and comply with the regulations.

Possible modifications to provide for the 20-foot front landscape area could be –

Sidewalks / Pedestrian Connections

While there are no sidewalks in the area, consideration should be given to how the proposed building, the existing plaza and future development will be connected for pedestrian access among the uses and some type of amenities at the pond.

Section 14 states:

The Commission may require that any site plan shall provide for pedestrian walkways and circulation in commercial and industrial parking areas and around Buildings.

Buffers between Residential Uses and Zones

This development will have a very significant impact on the residential home to the north and on the homes to the east on Beaver Meadow Road. The homes should be located on the plan to better understand the impact.

Section 7.4 of the Commercial Zone regulations state

7.4 Buffering Requirements

Where any lot or part thereof abuts a lot devoted to residential use without separation by a street, or where the lot is used for a contracting or construction yard, the Commission may require a buffer strip as deemed necessary. Where such a strip is required, the Commission may determine the size or width of the buffer and it shall be properly seeded with grass and/or planted with trees and shrubs to insure an adequate screening between commercial and residential uses. Plans showing the landscape work to be done, with a planting and maintenance schedule, shall be filed with and approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission before such lot or portions thereof may be used for commercial purposes. Where such a buffer strip is required by the Commission, the buffer strip shall be located on the lot devoted to the commercial use. Failure to maintain such a buffer in good condition shall constitute a violation of these regulations.

It appears that the lot line rearrangement is taking the least amount of land as possible to squeeze in a 10,000 sq.ft. building with associated parking. This results in the parking lot being extremely close to the adjacent homes front yard and a water quality basin along the side of their house. The actual parking lot is only 6 feet from the property line. I question why they could not acquire more of existing lot 7 and shift the entire development to the south and provide more meaningful protection to the home.

The plan only provides for a line of arborvitaes along the property line. The plan indicates 6-7 inch height. I assume they intended feet. A row of six- foot high arborvitaes planted six feet on center will not provide any screening for several years. There needs to be more width in the planting area to provide for a row of staggered trees, fencing and possibly an earthen berm.

Section 7.4 leaves the size of the buffer up to the Commission. The 6- foot buffer is insufficient and I think any reasonable person would conclude the same. I believe a 20-foot wide buffer properly planted with a fence would be reasonable.

Additionally, the back yards of the Beaver Meadow houses should be buffered with extensive plantings. They are only proposing a lawn area at the back of the building. Ideally, staggered evergreens such as green spruce will be required to screen the view of the building from the homes all year round. Again, I believe fencing makes for a better neighbor and this project is abutting a residential zone in the back.

Signage

The plans do not display any proposed signage as required in the regulations.

Fire Protection

The applicant has met with the Fire Marshall and indicated the building will not be sprinklered.

Section 14 indicates in part :

identification of source of water for fire protection, and where appropriate and based on evidence of consultation with the appropriate fire department, explanation of provision for a fire well, fire pond, water tank or other source of water adequate for firefighting purposes;

The Commission after consultation with the Fire Marshall and Chief should require a standpipe coming from the pond to provide water to fight a fire in the building.

Architectural

The plans provide architectural renderings but again no proposed signage. The photometric plan indicates wall packs for lighting. I believe the one wall pack facing the house on the northern side of the building should be removed.

I know the Commission was happy about the design the required for the Dollar General on Bridge Road. Perhaps some of those elements should be incorporated into this retail building.

Statutory Time Lines

The application was submitted on September 28^th, 2022. The day of receipt was October 6^th,2022. A decision on a site plan must be rendered within 65 days of the day of receipt. A decision must be made by December 10^th, 2022. If the Commission fails to render a decision the plan is automatically approved.

Because the applicant failed to post the sign which displayed the process I sought and received a 30-day extension which gets us to January 9^th, 2022.

There is no second meeting in November and I believe the required revisions will take quite a while. The applicant needs to submit final revised plans by December 1^st or I recommend you deny on December 2^nd, 2022.

HADDAM – A $1.8 million state grant to clean up a late-19th-century manufacturing site in Higganum Center for redevelopment is just the start of plans for the area, according to Haddam First Selectman Robert McGarry, if the town can secure another grant for a diverse list of projects along Saybrook Road.

Haddam secured the Brownfield remediation grant from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development last Friday to clean up the Scovil Hoe Company complex at 11 Candlewood Rd., to allow a developer to repurpose the two long, brick buildings on site.

McGarry said the town has lined up a developer willing to take over and develop the site after it’s remediated – a requirement to receive one of the grants. Farmington-based Parker Benjamin was the only bidder on the town’s request for proposals for a developer that has experience with Brownfield sites, McGarry said.

The firm developed the mixed-use Upson Market Place in Unionville, the Winsted Edge Works retail and office space, and the Greenway Apartments in New London – and are developing a retail and office space called Phoenix on Main in Killingly.

McGarry said he isn’t aware of specific plans to fill the site yet, but it could be similar to the firm’s other developments that include offices, retail, a makerspace, art gallery and restaurant space.

There aren’t vacant shops in the center, and some businesses are looking to expand without space to do so, which means more retail space could be welcome, McGarry said. But the main idea is to develop something that will bring people into Higganum Center to help support the other retail in the area.

“I’ve called this property the diamond in the rough for Higganum Center because it’s got so much potential to bring traffic in, which is ultimately what we’re trying to accomplish,” McGarry said.

McGarry said he doesn’t expect that the development of the Scovil facility would connect to the community septic project planned at the town-owned Haddam Elementary School property across Saybrook Road from the Scovil complex if Parker Benjamin develops something like an office space with low water usage that the existing septic on the property could accommodate.

But if they brought in something like a restaurant or brewery, they might need to hook in to the community septic, and that leach field would be expanded into the town green, McGarry said.

The complex was the fourth and final mill Scovil built in Higganum, erecting the first building on the site in 1880. The two buildings that remain were built in 1887 and 1905, according to Preservation Connecticut.

By the 1940s, Scovil – best known for its “self-sharpening” hoe – was consolidating its manufacturing and sold the site to the Connecticut Department of Transportation in 1942. The DOT modified the buildings into garages and still owns the property today.

McGarry said most of what needs to be cleaned up is from the site’s time as a DOT garage – mainly salt and hydrocarbons. The $1.8 million Brownfield grant will fund the remediation.

The town will have to purchase the property from DOT, and the assessed price is $436,540, according to town property records. The town will then sell the property to Parker Benjamin, though it hasn’t decided yet whether it will sell to the developer at a discount, he said.

“If we make that investment to turn what are basically two abandoned and deteriorating buildings into income-generating, tax-paying properties for the town – that’s a plus,” McGarry said.

Seeking another grant

The Scovil redevelopment isn’t the only change McGarry is envisioning for Higganum Center. On Thursday, the town submitted a request to the Department of Economic and Community Development for another $1.2 million Community Challenge Grant for several projects on the other side of Saybrook Road from the Scovil property.

The plan is to remodel the Haddam Elementary School building into a senior center and replace the unsafe existing playground with a “multi-generational space,” including a modern playground, a dog park, pickleball court, and attractions for older people, McGarry said.

“Probably typical of most towns in Connecticut, our older population is growing and our younger population is shrinking,” McGarry said. “So we’re envisioning a multi-generational park where seniors can come with their grandkids and not just sit on a bench.”

That project would also include installing a sidewalk from the school into the center of town, and then down Depot Road to the recently remediated town property on Higganum Cove – where the town is working to make the area more accessible, he said.

“The nice thing about the Community Challenge Grant is it’s multifaceted,” McGarry said. “The grant for Scovil is strictly a brownfield grant, so we can only use it for cleanup. If we wanted to build sidewalks associated with it or remodel a building, then we’d need another grant. I think it’s good that [the Department of Economic and Community Development] realizes that, particularly to revitalize a small community, you need a grant where you can address multiple areas – as opposed to getting multiple grants.”

The town is also interested in buying the property at the corner of Saybrook and Depot roads – formerly the Rossi Corporation lumberyard, and now home to various tenants, including the town, which uses a building as storage for its public works equipment.

“No offense to Rossi, but they haven’t been paying that much attention to it. The site’s deteriorating, it looks blighted,” McGarry said. “I’ve always felt it’s been a detriment to really getting development in Higganum Center, because it’s right there at the center, and it’s an eyesore.”

There is a developer interested in the site, and McGarry said they envision keeping retail on the front third of the property along Saybrook Road, then potentially a mixed-use development or town storage in the back – depending on what comes up in environmental surveys of the property.

“It all depends on the cleanup and what’s economically feasible, but if we just made it look attractive with retail on Saybrook Road, it’d be a great improvement,” McGarry said.

Brendan Crowley covers energy and the environment for CT Examiner. T: 860 598-0050

[email protected]

EAST HADDAM – Town Planner James Ventres said that under East Haddam’s current regulations, he had to tell several families that they couldn’t keep a farm animal for a 4-H project because they didn’t have enough space to meet the town’s setback requirements for animal shelters.

On Wednesday night, the town Planning and Zoning Commission agreed to loosen those setbacks for small “hobby farms,” including 4-H students. The commission also agreed to tighten setback regulations for new, larger animal operations – an effort to prevent a repeat of an incident several years ago when someone tried to move thousands of chickens into a residential property.

The current rules governing agriculture are one size fits all – any structure for animals has to be set back 100 feet from any road and 75 feet from a rear or side property line, said Ventres. The new regulations are meant to accommodate smaller, less intensive “hobby farms,” which the regulations define as housing no more than 25 poultry and rabbits, or up to two large-bodied animals.

Ventres told the commission that the 75 foot buffer may have been set in the “old days” as an attempt to keep any kind of farming outside of the one-acre residential zones, or to provide a 75 foot buffer for manure piles because wells could be close to the property lines.

The setbacks effectively make it impossible for anyone with a 1-acre property with 150 feet of frontage to build any kind of structure for farm animals, he said. Ventres told CT Examiner in a recent conversation that the issue has mainly come up with parents whose children are working on a 4-H project, and he’s had to tell them the regulations simply don’t allow it.

“I don’t know how many times someone has come in and wants to have a goat or a few chickens for a 4-H project, and they can’t have it,” he said.

Instead of having one-size setbacks, under the new regulations, hobby farms could have smaller setbacks – 75 feet from a street, 40 feet from the property lines, and at least 100 feet from existing, neighboring residences. The new rules should allow for some more flexibility for those small hobby farms, he said.

Emily Alger, the 4-H program coordinator for Middlesex County, said East Haddam has always done a great job looking out for 4-H students. Alger said there are young people in East Haddam raising everything from rabbits and poultry to horses and cattle as a part of their 4-H livestock project.

“I get the spirit of the law, so that people don’t build a three-sided lean-to right on the property line and then there’s an issue,” Alger said. “But we have extremely diverse sizes of property, anywhere from hundreds of acres down to way less than an acre. I think it’s great that if you have an educational project, you don’t have to put your chicken coop on your front doorstep because that’s the only place far enough away from your property line.”

The livestock projects aren’t just a way for the students to learn about the animals they raise, they learn skills that transfer into other parts of life – it’s an opportunity to learn how to keep records, and to learn how to speak in public, she said.

Because the 4-H students learn from UConn researchers, it’s also an opportunity to share the latest research with the students, who in turn share that with the community.

“You want to know where your vegetables come from, you want to know how the person took care of them, how they kept the bugs away,” Alger said. “All of those things are really important, and when kids have projects like that, they have the opportunity to educate the public on all of their practices and their best management.”

The new regulations also add restrictions for manure storage on “intensive” farm operations – meaning larger farms with more than 200 poultry or 20 large livestock, or that require a building larger than 5,000 square feet.

Under the new regulations, those farms must keep their animal waste storage or treatment more than 225 feet from the street line and 300 feet from any other property line. The commission can also require those operations to plant a 100 foot buffer with trees and shrubs around any property line, but can also reduce the setback to 100 feet from the property line if the adjoining property is open space or unsuitable for development.

Ventres said about 8 years ago someone came to the town and asked to bring in 500 chickens to create a specialty hatchery on a property in a residential zone.

“The next thing you know, he had 10,000 chickens,” Ventres said.

The operation was abiding by the 75 foot buffers, but didn’t have proper manure management or sufficiently address runoff issues. The farm became a major nuisance in the residential area before the state shut it down, Ventres said.

The new regulations wouldn’t affect existing farms, but if someone else came in looking to develop an intensive animal operation, the regulations would give the commission a chance to look at the proposal and make sure it’s properly managing issues of stormwater and manure management, he said.

“We don’t want to discourage you, but we want to have an idea of how this is going to work,” he said.

Brendan Crowley covers energy and the environment for CT Examiner. T: 860 598-0050

[email protected]

HIGGANUM – What started as a family tradition of planting daffodils in their yard has bloomed into a pick-your-own experience that draws people from all around Connecticut to Halfinger Farms. And with a newly awarded state grant, the owners hope to attract more visitors in coming years.

Now in their fourth year running Dancing Daffodils, the Halfingers have grown their crop of the vibrant daffodil each year – with just under 100,000 of the flowers dancing in rows on the hilltop farm this spring, Jen Halfinger said.

Jen and John Halfinger have been growing in their greenhouses in Higganum’s Candlewood Hill Valley for 28 years, known especially for their fall crop of Belgian mums, pumpkins and decorative corn. In 2017, they bought an overgrown piece of land up the road from their greenhouse, which they’ve since turned into rows of daffodils.

“As a family, we always planted daffodils in our yard every year,” Jen Halfiner said, sitting at a picnic table in the shade of a tall tree surrounded by the first few rows of daffodils the family planted on the property. “Every fall, we would get a bag, even if it was a bag of five bulbs, and we had this tradition of planting them yearly.”

Halfinger said the characteristics she loves about daffodils – blooming early in the spring and making for excellent-cut flowers – are what inspired her to take the family tradition and expand it into a pick-your-own experience.

“There were so many benefits, and one of them is just bringing new people to the farm, and them discovering the greenhouses and making a little day trip out of it,” she said.

The daffodil farm opened for the season on April 1, and the plan is to stay open until the end of April, Halfinger said. Though they may decide to close sooner if the flowers aren’t up to their standards. Located up the street from their greenhouses, the pick-your own farm is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The farm is active on weekends, but there is ample parking available. Halfinger said there’s enough space that groups can take their time among the rows of daffodils without worrying about being in anyone’s way.

“We’re not insurmountable, but we’ve got some places to spread out,” she said. “I’ve seen lovely scenes of people sitting amongst these rows and at the tables.”

Halfinger said the name of the farm, “Dancing Daffodils,” comes from the William Wordsworth poem, “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” in which Wordsworth describes, “A host, of golden daffodils; beside the lake, beneath the trees, fluttering and dancing in the breeze.”

The “dancing,” or bouncing, of the daffodil bulbs is an effect of the “joints” they have on their stem, beneath the sheath just below the bulb, Halfinger said. It allows the flowers to move and sway in the breeze without being damaged, and turn away from strong winds to protect their petals, she explained

“These are getting ready to open, so these will be really nice and fresh,” Halfinger said, showing a daffodil bud with its stem bent horizontally at the joint. “If you pick this right now, this will open for you in water really nicely.”

Halfinger said she encourages people to pick a few buds along with open flowers. Both will be fresh, but the buds can last for almost two weeks if kept in a cool area without direct sun, she said.

“You can even put them in the fridge if you’re going away or if you really want to stretch them,” Halfinger said. “If you’re having company in a few days but have to pick them today, no big deal. Just don’t put them in the sun, and maybe put them in the fridge at night, and it’ll help them stay stronger and fresher. They like the cold treatment.”

Halfinger said she wants to keep growing the daffodil farm so the entire hill is filled with the flower. A new planter the couple bought for the farm this year should also help make planting in the fall less labor intensive and speed up that process, she added.

Halfinger said they are preparing to expand from a strictly pick-your-own farm to harvesting and selling dried daffodil flowers. Halfinger Farm was one of 30 small farms awarded a Farm Transition Grant from the state Department of Agriculture in February, which will help them outfit a barn to process daffodil bulbs.

She said she wants the daffodils to be something that people identify with Higganum, and growth is part of that dream. The first few years have been promising, she said, with people traveling from around the state to pick her flowers.

“They’re really coming from all over the state, it’s amazing, really,” Halfinger said. “You wouldn’t think one flower would have so much capacity to draw and provide so much happiness. They do represent joy and new beginnings, and they’re called the ambassadors of spring.”

Brendan Crowley covers energy and the environment for CT Examiner. T: 860 598-0050

[email protected]