WETHERSFIELD - A portion of the Town-acquired Wilkus Farm property became a dedicated roadway after a lengthy public hearing, during which Town Councilors and neighborhood residents alike sought assurances that developers would not seek to connect the adjacent Old Reservoir Road--currently separated by wetlands--to its Southern end.

       Public safety personnel led by Wethersfield Fire Marshal Anthony Dignoti strongly recommended that the piece of the parcel, functioning now is a temporary cul de sac, or â€�"hammerhead,” be opened to allow members of the Volunteer Fire Department to respond more quickly to emergencies in the Hawthorne Way area by going up Old Reservoir Road, as opposed to traveling backroads such as Apple Hill and nearby Whippoorwill Way.

       â€�"Those are long response times for us to get there,” Dignoti said. â€�"We have to travel a lot of roads. That is a tough area for us to access right now.”

       The Fire Department typically averages around 5 minutes for response times. Going to that area, however, can take between 6 and 7 minutes, according to Dignoti. But it depends on the traffic, as well as the road conditions-ice and snow makes Apple Hill in particular a challenge to drive up, he said.

       â€�"[Opening up the cul de sac] is going to save us at least a minute,” Dignoti said.

       Meanwhile, the owner of a landlocked lot has been paying property taxes on a parcel that he has been unable to develop due to zoning regulations that mandate two entrance/exit points. One parcel, currently before the Town Planning and Zoning Commission (TPZ), can be accessed via Back Lane, but a lot between that and Whippoorwill Estates is cut off, according to maps presented by Town Engineer Mike Turner.

       Wethersfield resident Frank DiBacco bought the land at least 15 years ago and envisions a 20-lot subdivision at the landlocked piece within the next 3 to 4 years.

       â€�"Unless the TPZ jumps up and stops me, I’d like to continue that process and connect these parcels,” DiBacco said at the hearing. â€�"This is a development I’d like to see move forward. I’m chomping at the bit to get in here. I’ve been paying taxes on the middle piece and I’ve been landlocked. I think I’m due my due.”

       But residents who live in the surrounding Whippoorwill Way, Apple Hill, Black Birch and Wildwood neighborhoods expressed concern regarding the potential for more traffic to be diverted onto their streets.

       DiBacco says that he has no intentions of opening up to the southern portion of Old Reservoir and that the Army Corp. of Engineers has deemed it infeasible due to environmental and wetland ramifications, but residents asked that steps be taken to split the traffic flow to the north evenly as to not overwhelm any one particular neighborhood.

       Al Marino, who has lived on Baneberry for 12 years, described a street where motorists routinely speed and run stop signs. The road itself, he said, has also taken a beating from all the traffic.

       They’ll continue to cut through,” Marino said. â€�"There’ll be more and more traffic.”

       The Council considered tabling the discussion to see the outcome of the TPZ’s process regarding the DiBacco’s proposed Reservoir Estates development plan, but Town Manager Jeff Bridges said that a decision from them would likely be a factor in the other deliberation.

       â€�"I think the planning and zoning is looking for direction as to whether or not there will be a road there,” Bridges said.

       So the Council moved it forward, pledging to take measures to address resident concerns as things develop.

       â€�"I think the safety issue Anthony mentioned is a real consideration,” said Mayor Paul Montinieri. â€�"The owners of that land have every right to develop that land. We need to be cognizant of that without ignoring the concerns of the residents.”