The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Winsted has ‘a great wellspring of knowledge’
Town Manager Josh Kelly reflects on first 100 days
WINSTED — A typical day for Winchester Town Manager Josh Kelly starts with coffee, followed by a schedule of meetings, drop-in conversations with residents, employees and town officials, answering email and, if there’s time, focusing on a larger project, such as a new Economic Development Plan.
Along with those duties, he always takes time to get outside and continue to get acquainted with Winsted, his new home.
“I take a spin around the building to check in with people, and then I rest my mind and see a little bit of the town, and I try to frequent our businesses for lunch,” said Kelly, who was hired to replace former Town Manager Robert Geiger, who retired in May.
He’ll have been with Winsted four months Aug. 19, and said he’s made good headway in continuing Geiger’s work, while building relationships with Town Hall staff.
Kelly most recently was town administrator in Bolton for two years, as well as Bolton Lakes sewer administrator. He also is on the board of directors for the Connecticut Council of Small Towns. He served as a management analyst for the town of Windsor, and did his graduate work as assistant in the town manager’s office in Windsor.
Running a town from stem to stern is new, but he said he learned from the best when Geiger trained him.
“I’m still learning,” he said. “One of the three biggest challenges for me, I would say, is to catch up on town history. It’s always hard to do that. But there are so many knowledgeable people here, who are so willing to share it with me, and I’m still not done hearing about it.
“There’s a great wellspring of knowledge here, and what they may see as a challenge is not the same thing I see. The town’s concerns are from their perspective, so that’s a second challenge. The third one is the town employees: a tight-knit team that was with Geiger for five years. He’s irreplaceable, and trying to integrate into that is a challenge. But it’s going along pretty well; Bob had his
own way of doing things, and he never walked into a room without a big smile on his face, that put everyone at ease. He was dynamic and dedicated, and he did so many good things for the town.
“In the four months I’ve been here, I think we have accomplished a lot,” Kelly said. “What I’m trying to do is bring the staff, the selectmen and the residents together, for the next level, around the next corner.”
Those goals include more comprehensive road improvements, bringing more new businesses into town, and working with the 508 Main Committee, a group tasked with finding a use for an empty lot and adjacent building on Main Street that’s owned by the town. Geiger started the process of reclaiming the blighted property and proposed several uses for it. Kelly is taking the next step.
“Some people have suggested high-end condos or townhouses, others have wanted a bookstore, or restaurant, with apartments above,” he said. “It could also become a parking lot, or a community garden with public seating. There’s lots of ideas out there. The building’s in difficult shape, but it had three apartments.”
Winsted also needs to improve its social media presence and communication, he said.
“Trust is difficult to maintain, and communication is very important,” he said. “I want to make sure we’re as accessible as possible and that any and all information is available to everyone, using Facebook, Twitter, our website. Our Facebook page has almost doubled its following in the last two months.”
Since he began the job, he’s been able to help negotiate a new public works contract, and the town has hired a zoning enforcement officer, Michael Stankov, and a grants manager, Alison Pierce. Five Northwestern CT Community College interns are working in various departments in Town Hall, and town employees have received Freedom of Information Act training.
Vacancies on boards and commissions are filling up, as well. “We were able to revive the Conservation Commission, which was defunct for a while,” Kelly said. “It has five new members.”
A big project coming up is a full review of ordinances, which eventually will go to the public for approval. “The changes aren’t too staggering, but they’ll be more in line with other towns in the area,” he said.
He also is creating an Economic Development Plan, to further help existing businesses and attract new ones. Several new restaurants and a store opened this summer, and more are on the way, he said.
“That’s one of those larger projects that’s gaining priority,” Kelly said. “People need a sense of pride in their town, and economic development can help.”