http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/branford/ It's Your Town. Read All About It. en marcia.chambers@yale.edu Copyright 2012 2012-02-10T12:42:26+00:00 http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/branford/entry/thimble_island_ferry_gets_bos_blessing/ http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/branford/entry/thimble_island_ferry_gets_bos_blessing/#When:13:24:26Z A new Thimble Island Ferry that will shuttle residents and a few “tag-on” passengers between the Stony Creek dock and the islands received the stamp of approval from the Board of Selectmen (BOS) last night.  The board acted after the town counsel determined that the new ferry service does not fall under the town’s commercial boating ordinance and did not require a permit to operate. “The ferry is the thread that stitches together the life of our community,” Charlie Goetsch, a New Haven attorney, told the BOS two weeks ago. Goetsch is the lead attorney on the project and the district’s first president. Transportation 2012-02-02T13:24:26+00:00 http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/branford/entry/thimble_island_ferry_district_a_go/ http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/branford/entry/thimble_island_ferry_district_a_go/#When:02:04:48Z A special Thimble Island Ferry District has been formally approved in order to provide reliable service for those families with homes on the islands.Ferry problems developed several years ago, a combination of economics and a change in ferry ownership. The islanders sought to find a permanent way to solve their common problem. On Saturday, by a 51-4 vote, they did. The major island owner, Christine Svenningsen, did not attend the meeting in part because her houses are listed as corporate entities; under state statute, corporations cannot vote, and she cannot stand for election.  She now owns 10 of the two-dozen inhabitable Thimble Islands. Eight of her islands have houses on them but the majority of her houses stand empty.  Her attorneys have been apprised of the new ferry district.    Thimble Islanders—minus the #1 owner, who’s a “corporation”—vote overwhelmingly in favor. Transportation 2011-08-01T02:04:48+00:00 http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/branford/entry/new_parking_spots_for_branford_rail_riders/ http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/branford/entry/new_parking_spots_for_branford_rail_riders/#When:09:44:08Z The state’s single largest new parking lot expansion, set against a beautiful backdrop of wetlands, trees and waterways, was unveiled at the Shoreline East railroad station in Branford Tuesday by state and town officials. Acting DOT Commissioner Jim Redeker said it is the largest parking lot expansion that the state has undertaken on the shoreline over the past two decades. He praised Branford’s town, state and federal officials for working together to get it done so well. But the past history of this particular 5.3 acres of land, involving decisions by the state and former First Selectwoman Cheryl Morris, is another story. Big lot opens at Branford’s Shoreline East station. Transportation 2011-06-29T09:44:08+00:00 http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/branford/entry/amtrak_reduces_prolonged_nighttime_train_whistles/ http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/branford/entry/amtrak_reduces_prolonged_nighttime_train_whistles/#When:17:54:24Z The Route1/Amtrak project is well underway, and concerns regarding nighttime noise have proved to be minimal after Amtrak reduced prolonged train whistles as trains approached and left the work zone. Transportation 2010-08-23T17:54:24+00:00 http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/branford/entry/ready_for_midnight_jackhammers/ http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/branford/entry/ready_for_midnight_jackhammers/#When:19:16:00Z A five-year construction project to replace the Amtrak Bridge and widen Route 1 begins Thursday with two major issues unresolved: a potentially serious noise problem in what has now been disclosed as a night-time project and a decision by the state Department of Transportation (DOT) to avoid creating local detours. Instead DOT plans to detour traffic via I-95. Transportation 2009-08-07T19:16:00+00:00 http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/branford/entry/truck_seized_in_hit-and-run/ http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/branford/entry/truck_seized_in_hit-and-run/#When:06:50:00Z (Updated Thurs. 11:12 a.m.) Police have seized a truck they say is responsible for a hit-and-run collision with a cyclist in Branford. The investigation is continuing. Transportation 2008-08-05T06:50:00+00:00