Kissel's Tour Stops at Dunkin' Donuts in East Granby

Just one person approached state Sen. John Kissel in front of in East Granby during his “Senator on Your Sidewalk” appearance Thursday evening.

But the light traffic didn’t mean that it was an hour and a half of wasted time, according to the Republican senator who represents the 7th District, which includes all or parts of Granby, East Granby, Suffield, Somers, Windsor, Enfield and Windsor Locks.

Kissel said that many of his constituents are satisfied knowing that he is out in the community, making himself available to answer questions or address any concerns that they may have.

“People are just happy that we’re out here doing this kind of thing, whether or not they have the time to stop by,” Kissel said while standing outside during the chilly evening.

The lone constituent query came from Joe Rouleau, owner of Envirocycle of West Hartford and Bloomfield, who wanted to know why the state’s Department of Transportation was utilizing out-of-state contractors to grind the debris left in the wake of the late October Nor’easter that felled hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of trees and branches.

“It’s driving me out of my mind,” said Rouleau, who said that he is losing about $12,000 a day by not being one of the preferred contractors used by the state during the cleanup. “Why are they going out of state for that work? I pay $4,000, $5,000, $7,000 per truck [a year in taxes], and they are moving machines in to grind from out of state with a police escort. I’ve got to know why.”

Kissel did not have an immediate answer for Rouleau, but he promised to get back to the contractor.

“The whole thing is to be as accessible as possible to the public,” Kissel said. “We can’t promise to solve all of the issues, but we promise to make the inquiry.”

Kissel said that he plans on continuing the “Senator on the Sidewalk” series as early as next month, though he did not have a location selected as of yet.

So far, he’s held similar events in , Enfield, Suffield, Somers and Windsor Locks.