Aubin, Vlaun, Jaskiewicz Discuss the State of Montville

Superintendent Pam Aubin, Town Planner Marcia Vlaun and Mayor Joe Jaskiewicz have a message about Montville.

At a minimum, the town is holding its own. There is growth here and there, if you look closely.

And in an economy like the one we’re in now, that’s a triumph.

The future is far from clear, however.

The three spoke to interested citizens and members of the Chamber of Commerce of Southeastern Connecticut, which held its annual State of Montville forum at town hall Friday morning. The event was sponsored by Charter Oak Federal Credit Union.

In the short term, Jaskiewicz said, the issue of the state budget casts a shadow. As of this morning, two of the state workers’ unions had voted not to make the concessions that Gov. Dannell Malloy wants.

“If that gets turned down,” Jaskiewicz said, “I don’t know what the heck we’re going to do. It would be a $5 million impact to the town of Montville alone, based on his Plan B. If we don’t get the concessions, we’ve got to go back and … readjust what we’ve done.”

But the speakers focused on the town’s strengths.

Aubin talked about the value of the strong school system to people looking to move to town. She talked about the scholastic achievement of native English speakers and students moving here from other countries. She talked about the English language learners program, and how all of the graduates but one have gone on to college; that one? The military.

Aubin talked about the district’s plans for improvement, and how those plans are progressing, districtwide and in the schools. She talked about the success of Montville’s athletic teams, and how that acts as a magnet for kids and families.

And she talked about the budget, and how concessions to which Montville teachers agreed have made it possible to hire back all the teachers she had thought the district might have to let go.

Vlaun talked about the population, and how the largest age group now is between 35 and 55. By 2015, the bulk will be between 55 and 65.

She talked about the high level of home ownership in Montville – 75 percent of the housing is owner-occupied, she said, compared to 66 percent in the bordering towns, 62 percent in New London County and 64 percent in the state overall.

She talked about Montville’s strengths in helping new businesses come up with business and marketing plans, and she talked about some of the successes – The Dinosaur Place building a big addition, a new shopping center going in near CVS, a 39-lot subdivision on Gay Hill Road.

Vlaun also talked about the new Public Safety Building , and gave the audience a tour of the plans. The construction bids on the building were received on Thursday. To read that story, click here.

“Things are not burning along,” she said, “but they’re steady. We do see some indication of housing prices starting to stabilize a little bit.”

Jaskiewicz said Montville is “hanging in there,” he said.

He talked about the memoranda of understanding the town signed just this week with Rand-Whitney Containerboard (to read that story, click here), and the memorandum of understanding it hopes to sign with the state about the sex-offender treatment center, to be built on the grounds of the Corrigan-Radgowski Prison.

“We are working on it,” Jaskiewicz said, “and we always have been, with an MOU with a concentration on security. It’s a first of its kind,” he said, talking about the treatment program, “and we don’t want it. But they plan on building it here, and our MOU concentrates on security.”