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About Our Town
WELCOME TO MADISON
Madison is a unique town graced by the sound to the south
and by farms and woodlands to the north. Its ambiance
includes a little something for every taste.
The Main Street area sports an award-winning, user-friendly
book store, a cinema, quaint sandwich and sweet shops,
linen appointed restaurants, and a growing number of
clothing and gift boutiques. In addition, the town green
hosts a variety of summer art and craft fairs, antique
shows, musical and dramatic performances.
Guests can choose a charming beach hotel or a warm
country inn, each with proximity to historical homes,
antique shops, hiking, biking, fishing and, of course,
beautiful beaches.
Year-round residents boast of a superior school system,
an expansive recreational program and many opportunities
to volunteer their service. Madison is, indeed the perfect
combination of small-town closeness and urban sophistication.
It is a wonderful place to live, no less a must to visit.
Al Goldberg
First Selectman
THE TOWN
General Description
The Town was first settled in 1641 as part of Guilford.
It was organized as a separate community in 1707 and
incorporated in 1826. The Town was the one hundred twenty-eighth
town established in Connecticut. The Town encompasses
approximately 36.3 square miles within New Haven County,
approximately 15 miles east of New Haven and 35 miles
south of Hartford. Interstate 95 and state highways
80 and 1 (Boston Post Road) intersect the Town for east
and west transportation access, while state highway
79 provides north-south access. Today Madison is bounded
on the east by Clinton; on the north by Durham; on the
south by Long Island Sound; and on the west by Guilford.
The Town is primarily a suburban, residential community
with single-family homes.
Since the 1860's the Town has maintained a large summer
resident community attracted to the Town's beaches and
Long Island Sound. Most year-round residents are in
the executive, professional, technical, and managerial
categories, with employment in Hartford, New Haven,
Fairfield County and New York. The 1990 U. S. Census
figure was published at 15,485 persons. Bus, air and
rail service are available from the New Haven, Hartford,
Providence, Rhode Island and New York area facilities.
The Town has a railroad stop near the central business
district provided by Shore Line East, a State of Connecticut
Department of Transportation Commuter Railroad that
provides commuter service between New London and New
Haven during rush hours. Other Metro-North and Amtrak
connections are available from the New Haven Union Station.
Located within Town are two state parks, the Cockaponset
State Forest in the northern portion of Town, and the
Hammonasset State Park and Beach located on the southeastern
edge of Madison. The Hammonasset Park consists of 930
acres and 558 campsites provide concessions, bathhouses,
a pavilion and picnic areas. Parking for 7,000 vehicles
is available for bathers and campers alike, with overall
park capacity rated to serve 16,000 people. The Park
also provides a fishing jetty for surf and boat fishing.
The Town utilizes an adopted Plan of Development to
maintain its rural and seashore character of Town. Under
the Town Charter, the Planning and Zoning Commission
is responsible for approval of all projects. Current
zoning regulations were adopted on April 10, 1953, with
various revisions being adopted since that time. The
Town is completely zoned with approximately 80% of the
land zoned residential, with one to two acre lots. The
balance of the Town is zoned commercial or light industrial.
The areas zoned for one acre can include apartment or
condominium units. As part of the Town Plan of Development,
open space and preservation of the seashore and rural
character of the Town are major goals. To that end,
the Town has provided for 3 parks, including the Surf
Club Beach area, a 45-acre beach/recreation facility
owned by the Town that provides beaches, ball fields,
football and soccer fields.
The values of new homes range from $188,000 to $881,000.
The average selling price of all single family homes
sold in 2000 was approximately $374,000, with prices
ranging between $126,000 and $3,250,250.
The Madison downtown business district has an active
Chamber of Commerce organization, Business Council Group
and an active shopping and commercial area located in
the south central part of the community, extending both
east and west along the Boston Post Road. In addition
to the many businesses in Town, there are numerous banking
institutions, including First Union National Bank, Fleet
National Bank, People's Bank, Citizens Bank, Webster
Bank and Guilford Savings Bank.
The Town provides educational opportunity with public
schools grades K-12. In addition, within Town there
are two private schools grades K-8 and one private school
K-12, along with eight different pre-school programs.
Colleges and Universities a short distance from Town
include Middlesex Community College and Wesleyan University,
both in Middletown, approximately 20 miles north of
Madison. To the west is Albertus Magnus College, South
Central Community College, Southern Connecticut State
University, The University of New Haven, Gateway Community
College, and Yale University, all located in the Greater
New Haven area. For more information on the Madison
Public Schools, visit www.madison.k12.ct.us.
Summary of Services
Police: The Town is provided with
24-hour police coverage by a force consisting of 27
police officers and 1 executive officer. Hammonasset
State Park, located in Madison, is served by the Connecticut
State Police Barracks at Westbrook, with occasional
assistance by the local department. There is one full-time
animal control officer and one part-time animal control
officer.
Fire: All areas of the Town are covered
by 2 volunteer fire companies, Madison Hose Co. #1,
which covers the southern sector of Town south of the
Pines, and the North Madison Volunteer Fire Company
which serves the northern sector of Town. Each company
is a private corporation which is substantially supported
by the Town and owns land, buildings, and some equipment.
Both companies are activated by radio contact with the
Town Communications Center located in the Police Station,
which operates on a twenty-four hour basis. The companies
belong to a mutual aid system with nearby towns. There
are currently approximately 30-35 volunteers in each
department. Each department has a corps of Junior Fire
Fighters.
Emergency Medical Assistance: The
Town is served by a local private non-profit association
which is supported by Town subsidy. Emergency medical
services are also provided by the North Madison Fire
Department. The area hospitals are the Middlesex Memorial
Hospital, 20 miles north in Middletown; Yale New Haven
Hospital and St. Raphael's Hospital which are located
in New Haven, 23 miles to the west. These facilities
are aided by a shoreline clinic in the town of Westbrook.
This clinic provides basic and paramedic emergency services.
Health: The Town engages a full-time
Director of Health and a full-time Sanitarian. The Town
also employs an Environmental Inspector. They are responsible
for enforcing State and local public health laws.
Sewers: There is no sewage system
as all businesses and homes have separate septic systems.
As part of the Town's Comprehensive Plan of Development,
the Town has had an active Water Pollution Control Authority
that is approved and monitored by the State Department
of Environmental Protection.
Solid Waste: There is no municipal
trash pick-up. Residents may use private haulers or
bring their trash to the solid waste transfer station
in Guilford, which the town operates jointly with Guiflord.
Water: The Connecticut Water Company
provides water service to the downtown area and other
areas south of the I-95. Other areas are served by private
individual wells. Approximately 50% of all housing units
are served by the Water Company.
Electric: The Connecticut Light and
Power Division (CL&P) of Northeast Utilities provides
electrical service. CL&P maintains a regional maintenance
facility in Madison.
Park & Recreation: The Beach & Recreation Director
works under the direction of the Beach & Recreation
Commission and the Board of Selectmen. His staff consists
of a year-round complement of five individuals to which
approximately 50 are added in the summer season when
the Town's 3 beaches, fourteen hiking trails, and numerous
playgrounds and playing fields are operational. The
Town operates more than 130 programs throughout the
year, including action oriented opportunities such as
aerobics, backpacking, badminton, dancing, skiing, sailing
and swimming.
Public Works: The Department of Public
Works consists of 10 road maintenance workers, one landfill
operator, one landfill attendant, an Assistant Town
Engineer, an Engineering Inspector and a secretary,
in addition to the Director of Public Works. These divisions
are responsible for the various town buildings, grounds
and land. The Department operates a brush/stump landfill
area and is in partnership with the Town of Guilford
in the Guilford/Madison Transfer Station. There are
approximately 107 miles of Town roads which are maintained,
plowed, patched and swept by the Town crew.
Grounds Maintenance: The Department
of Grounds Maintenance consists of 6 building and grounds
maintainers, one part-time building and grounds maintainer,
and one Manager of Facilities, who serves both the Town
and the Board of Education. This Department is responsible
for the various town buildings, grounds and land.
Social Services Director: The Town
employs a full-time Social Services Director to oversee
the needs of the needy and/or elderly. There are programs
for surplus food and fuel assistance, in addition to
financial aid.
Youth Services: There is one full-time
Youth Services Director with a staff of two full-time
counselors, two part-time counselors and one full-time
clerical worker. Their function is to work and plan
for the youth of the community and his/her problems.
Senior Citizens Coordinator: There
is one full-time Senior Citizens Coordinator, one full-time
Program Coordinator and one part-time clerical worker.
The coordinator and her staff plan and implement programs
for the Town's senior citizens, as well as assisting
in various problems with the elderly. Two regular part-time
bus drivers are also employed to provide transportation.
Library: The E. C. Scranton Library,
established in 1900, is a private corporation which
is mainly supported by Town funds. Additional funds
are raised by the library board through donations. The
facility has a collection of 62,000 books, records,
language tapes along with over 200 newspapers and magazines.
Services also include video cassettes for overnight
use, community calendar listings for coming events,
and home delivery services for the home bound. For more
information, go to www.scrantonlibrary.com.
Town Organization
The Town of Madison operates under the provisions of
its Charter, most recently revised in 2001, and the
General Statutes of the State of Connecticut. The Town
Meeting form of government prevails. The legislative
body is the Town Meeting. The Executive body consists
of a Board of Selectmen, a five member board, with the
First Selectman acting as the chief executive officer.
Election to the Board of Selectmen is for a two-year
term. A six-member Board of Finance is responsible for
presenting fiscal operating budgets to the Annual Town
Meeting. Board of Finance members are elected for four-year
terms. A nine-member elected Board of Education is responsible
for the operation of the school system.
The Planning and Zoning Commission is responsible for
adopting and enforcing regulations governing the growth
of the Town. The Commission is authorized by the Town
to retain a Planning Consultant to evaluate the present
and future growth of the Town and to study the demographics
and recommend changes in the current development regulations.
The Economic Development Commission is a nine-member
board appointed by the Board of Selectmen. The Town's
most recent Comprehensive Plan of Development was adopted
in November 1, 2000. There is also a seven member appointed
Economic Development Commission.
For more information, please visit the Town Government's
web site: www.madisonct.org
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