Darien's town government might get five new members this fallif the Board of Selectmen can find them. The board unanimously approved a proposal to create a Flood and Erosion Control Board at its meeting Monday. But when asked by Selectman David Bayne whether any volunteers had stepped forward, First Selectman David Campbell admitted that he had had no luck.
"To get five people to do this will take some time," Campbell said.
The Flood and Erosion Control Board would have the power to "plan, lay out, acquire, construct, reconstruct, repair, maintain, supervise and manage" a system to prevent flooding or erosion in Darien. But it would not have the power to prevent the Department of Public Works from building similar systems. It would have five members, appointed by the Board of Selectmen to three-year terms.
Previously, the Environmental Protection Commission was responsible for the town's flood mitigation. But in June, Craig Flaherty, chairman of the Flood Mitigation Strategy Committee, recommended that the town create a separate board for flood control. Flaherty said that since some flood control plans could harm the environment, the commission should not be handling both tasks.
"The problem is, there's an inherent conflict between the two boards," Bayne said. "I think it's a good idea to separate the two of them."
Selectman Gerald Nielsen asked Town Administration Karl Kilduff to clarify what the new board would mean to builders. Kilduff said that approval from the flood board would be added to the permit process but only for people doing work in an established flood plain. "It depends on the nature of the project," he said.
The Representative Town Meeting will vote on the proposal in the fall. Until then, Campbell said he would continue to reach out to residents who might be interested in joining.
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