Board Watch: Looking back at the week of February 16

As town government moves into a full calendar of activity in 2026, multiple boards and commissions are meeting — often in the same week, sometimes on the same night. Board Watch is a new recurring feature designed to provide a concise walk-through of activity that takes place at meetings and in the periods between them. Longer-form articles will appear when issues warrant deeper coverage; in the meantime, Board Watch is where we will endeavor to keep track of the week’s civic work.

Charter Revision Commission Holds Organizational Meeting

The newly appointed Charter Revision Commission held its first meeting on February 17 at the Woodbridge Town Library, convening for organizational business and procedural orientation.

According to the draft minutes of the meeting, the Commission members unanimously elected officers:
• Susan Jacobs, Chair
• David Vogel, Vice Chair
• Pat Madden, Secretary

The meeting then focused on process and orientation, with the Town Attorney reviewing statutory requirements for charter revision, including timelines, public hearing obligations, and compliance with Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Act.

The Commission voted to establish the date for its initial Public Hearing as Monday, March 30, 2026 at 7:00 pm with a preliminary meeting of the Commission immediately preceding this at 5:30 pm. Both will be held at the Town Hall, in the Main Meeting Room.

The Commission also acted to establish a schedule of an additional ten regular meeting dates, all to be held on the first Wednesday of the month beginning at 6 p.m. at the Town Hall:
• April 1, 2026
• May 6, 2026
• June 3, 2026
• July 1, 2026
• August 5, 2026
• September 2, 2026
• October 7, 2026
• November 4, 2026
• December 2, 2026
• January 6, 2026

Specific charter amendments were not considered in depth at this initial session. Materials transmitted by the Board of Selectmen to the Commission were referenced in discussion. Those documents were not included in the publicly posted agenda packet, but the meeting minutes indicate they will be placed on the agenda for discussion at the April 1 meeting of the Commission.

All meetings of the Charter Revision Commission are open to the public. Some meetings may also be recorded and available to watch on the Town’s YouTube channel, WGATV79. Click below to watch the full recording of the February 17 Charter Revision Commission meeting.

Inland Wetlands Hearing Continued on 27 Beecher Application

The Inland Wetlands Agency held a regular meeting on February 18 that included continuation of the public hearing on an application for 27 Beecher Road.

The application seeks to construct an apartment building on the site with activity in an upland review area.

The hearing extended for more than three hours and included updated materials from the applicant as well as testimony from consultants and members of the public. Expert opinions were offered addressing wetlands impact, hydrology, soil conditions, and related environmental considerations.

At the applicant’s request, the statutory decision window was extended, and the Agency voted to continue the hearing to its next regularly scheduled meeting in March. No vote on the merits of the application was taken.

All meetings of the Inland Wetlands Agency are open to the public. Some meetings may also be recorded and available to watch on the Town’s YouTube channel, WGATV79. Click below to watch the full recording of the February 18 Inland Wetlands Agency meeting.

Beecher Building Committee Requests Expansion of Options

The Beecher Road School Infrastructure Upgrade Building Committee held a special meeting on February 12 to review its charge and discuss next steps ahead of a June 30, 2026 state grant application deadline discussed at its previous meeting.

Discussion focused on “Option D3,” one of the concepts previously presented at the September Tri-Board meeting and described as the lowest-cost and least disruptive option.

According to draft minutes posted on February 18, committee members raised concerns about future capacity in light of recently approved housing projects, affordable housing goals reflected in the Town’s Affordable Housing Plan and Plan of Conservation and Development, and the district’s interest in expanding preschool programming.

The committee unanimously voted to engage Antinozzi & Associates to:
• Scale the square footage of Option D3 to align with projections from the 2023 Prowda Enrollment Study
• Expand the number of preschool classrooms to a total of six
• Provide updated cost estimates reflecting the additional square footage

The draft minutes also reflect discussion of obtaining recommendations and proposals from consultants for pre-referendum communications planning. Supporting documents referenced during discussion were not included with the publicly posted materials.

The minutes also indicate that the committee’s next meeting will be held jointly with the Woodbridge Board of Education on February 26 at Beecher Road School.

All meetings of the Beecher Road School Infrastructure Upgrade Building Committee are open to the public. Some meetings may also be recorded and available to watch on the Town’s YouTube channel, WGATV79. No recording of the February 12 Building Committee meeting is available at this time.

Police Renovation RFQ Issued

According to the Town website, a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was recently issued for a professional Architectural /Engineering firm to provide design services for a “Renovations/Upgrades – Police Department” project. The RFQ was dated February 10, 2026 and posted on Saturday, February 14. It requires responses by 3:00 PM, March 13, 2026.

The RFQ states that all interested bidders are “strongly recommended” to attend a Pre-Bid Meeting on Thursday, February 26th in the PD Training Room at 10:00 AM, which will include a walk-through of the police department.

At the February 17 Board of Selectmen meeting, Selectman Andrea Urbano raised questions about the timing of costs associated with the project and about the issuance of the RFQ. First Selectman Mica Cardozo responded that funding for the project had been included in the current year's budget. He referenced two individuals serving in a volunteer capacity to assist with preparatory work. Because the RFQ was not listed as an agenda item, the discussion did not continue.

As of this writing, no publicly posted material reflecting formal establishment of a Police Renovation Building Committee has appeared, and membership and meeting agendas do not appear to have been publicly noticed on the Town website. A previously established Center Building Committee, which included renovation of the Police Department space in the Center Building as part of its charge, has not met since November 20, 2024, according to the Town website's Agenda Center records.