“Tax dollars from Connecticut residents go toward operation of our rail stations, so there’s a legitimate concern that their hard-earned money would end up subsidizing riders from across the border,” he said.

Scribner said that as ranking Transportation Committee member he will work to keep legislators in affected communities up to speed on the latest developments in this issue.

The water supply for residents in the Greenridge Tax District in Brookfield is contaminated by uranium, and state health and utility officials are considering a permit that would have United Water Co. construct a line that would carry water from their supply in neighboring Newtown. Problem is, residents in Newtown are worried about a drain on their water as well as the headaches that go with construction. What’s more, Greenridge residents have balked at absorbing the cost of the multi-million dollar project.

Brookfield resident Scribner and Hovey, who represents Newtown, have worked with local and state officials to reach a solution that everyone can live with.

“Our intent is to provide residents with potable water with the least expensive price tag, with the least amount of disruption,” said Scribner a member of the legislature’s Public Health Committee. “With this latest plan, we’ve moved much closer to that goal.”

Brookfield First Selectman Bill Davidson has floated a plan that would see the recently completed Silvermine Road waterline extended to Greenridge, providing water from three water companies—including United—rather than tapping into the Newtown supply. Davidson contends it would cost Greenridge residents a lot less, too.

At first blush, the proposal seems to make sense, Hovey said.

“To this point, we have people in two communities who are less than thrilled with the solution outlined in the permit under consideration today,” she said. “At no point should a the state or any other entity overlook a municipality’s concerns, and I’m glad that folks inside these state regulatory agencies have an alternative proposal to consider—a plan that seems more sensitive to the concerns of Newtown and Brookfield residents.”

The departments of Public Utility Control and Public Health will meet again Aug. 24.

BROOKFIELD — Brookfield officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday morning at the fire department to celebrate the completion of the Silvermine water line, which brings clean drinking water to a section of Brookfield contaminated with uranium. Officials began planning for the line six years ago, and construction began two years ago.

The project finished behind schedule — it was projected to be done in March — but on budget at around $3 million, Brookfield Water Advisory Committee Chairman Jerry Murphy said.

The line starts at Barnbeck Place, a plot of land that has been approved for a senior living complex and extends down to Silvermine Road. It brings water to the Ledgewood, Newbury Crossing, High Meadow and Silvermine Manor condominium complexes, as well as residences along the way.

A uranium-contaminated water supply lowered the market value of units in the complexes. The uranium is naturally occurring, seeping from the granite bedrock into the water supply.

The residents had difficulty selling their condos, and the prices were dramatically reduced, Murphy said.

The next step is to extend the line down Federal Road to the Danbury border, Murphy said, and he expects that project to be completed by December 2011.

Murphy wielded a pair of giant scissors for the cutting.

Other officials present included First Selectman Bill Davidson, state Rep. David Scribner, R-Brookfield, state Sen. Andrew Roraback, R-Goshen, and Norma Gyle, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Public Health.

In Brookfield , the senior center on Federal Road will serve as a cooling center between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. All are welcome, and it will be available through Friday, July 9. If you have questions, call 203-775-5308.

In Bethel during this heat wave, the senior center on School Street is open to the public until 4:30 p.m. Also, the local library on Greenwood Avenue is available to 8 p.m. Call 203-794-8501 with questions.

Remember, take time to check on homebound and/or ill friends and neighbors. If you know someone who needs assistance, call Brookfield Police at 203-775-2575 or Bethel Police at 203-743-5500.

ROCKY HILL — Legislation offering school districts tax credits when they buy buses outfitted with safety belts was cemented here today during a poignant ceremony attended by Rep. David Scribner.

The ceremony took place at Rocky Hill High School, where Gov. M. Jodi Rell signed the legislation giving districts 50 percent reimbursement on state sales tax paid for each new belt-outfitted bus bought. The parents of a Rocky Hill student killed this year in a school bush crash participated and challenged districts throughout the state to each purchase one safety belt-outfitted bus suitable for longer trips.

The legislature approved the tax credit measure during the final days of the 2010 session.

“It was heart-wrenching to bring a bill forward knowing the emotional attachment that came with it,” said Scribner, ranking member of the legislature’s Transportation Committee. “Through this plan we’ve generated public support for districts taking additional steps to ensure the safety of our students.”

Safety belts on school buses weren’t a new topic for legislators, but the Jan. 9 death of 16-year-old Vikas Parikh in a bus crash reignited the push to have lawmakers mandate their installation. The idea attracted support from many in the state, balanced by concerns from municipal officials worried about the cost.

Brookfield and Bethel legislator Scribner outlined the legislation’s financial details—and the importance of leaving decision-making up to local officials weary of unfunded state mandates.

Scribner told the news media that he kept in mind the state’s financial troubles as he suggested the sales tax credit—a loss in state revenue, he explained, would be offset by an increase in driver’s license restoration fees charged by the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Rell and Transportation Chairman Rep. Tony Guerrera credited Scribner for his diligence on the safety belt issue, and the Brookfield legislator responded by telling reporters that the legislature in passing the proposal breathed life into an issue that had been stuck in legislative limbo for several years.

In 2008, 6,000 people nationwide died as a result of distracted driving.

Scribner’s proposal, crafted through ideas culled from other committee members and Rell, also the removes “freebie” status for first-time offenders would end; a first-timer would have to pay a $100 fine.

What’s more, the proposal calls for a $150 fine for a second offense, and a $200 fine for a three-time offender.

Unique to Scribner’s plan, however, is a requirement that has the state comptroller remit 25 percent of the fine to municipalities to help fund their efforts to enforce the state’s cell phone law.

The state’s Office of Fiscal Analysis estimates the new law should create $345,000 in revenue to cities and towns as well as $220,000 for the state’s coffers. The law is effective October 1.

In early May, the state’s House of Representatives unanimously approved S.B. 427, an Act Concerning the Use of Hand-Held Mobile Telephones and Mobile Electronic Devices by Motor Vehicle Operators.

The plan drew support of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association. Law enforcement officials have described a growing number of accidents attributable to drivers focused on mobile devices.

“These officers have seen first-hand what distracted driving can do,” Rell said. “They see it in terms of avoidable accidents unnecessary injuries and sometimes, worst of all, they see it in terms of a fatality.”

Students at Brookfield High School have asked Scribner to speak about distracted driving and his legislative efforts during the Relay for Life opening ceremonies June 4 (7 p.m.) at the school.