This week, Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo convened a public forum at Town Hall for representatives from several major utility companies – Aquarion Water Authority, Eversource Energy, and Connecticut Natural Gas – to address potential supply constraints.

To the knowledge of the speakers attending from the utilities, this was the first such municipal public forum conducted in Connecticut.  The audience included current Republican candidates Tina Courpas, Joe Kelly and Mike Mason. 

Without making any commitments, the speakers representing the utilities averred uniformly that property owners and developers should contact the respective utilities as early as possible in the planning process about potential increase in the demand. 

The forum followed a late July press conference conducted by First Selectman Camillo soon after he learned of potential constraints in Greenwich on the supply of water, electricity and natural gas. 

At the earlier press conference, First Selectman Camillo stated: “The burdensome housing mandates that have been placed throughout the State of Connecticut have now taxed our infrastructure to the point that we can no longer keep up…We understand the need for housing in Connecticut but when it is done through mandates and demands from Hartford and not with the careful consideration of local zoning authorities, utility companies and local municipal public works and sewer departments, you create problems like this. A moratorium on zoning mandates throughout the State of Connecticut is immediately needed so work can be done to improve infrastructure and better meet the demand in the State.”