First Selectman's Report: 11/14 – 11/18/2022

1. The Town Budget has passed, and the new mill rate has been set to 26.82 mills. Tax bills will be sent out on November 28th. For more information on the tax bills, follow this link: https://www.colchesterct.gov/tax-collector/urgent-alerts/motor-vehicle-or-personal-property-tax-bills-will-be-going-out-due 

2. The 2nd Annual Colchester Turkey Pardon will take place next week. I will be pardoning and hugging a live turkey in front of Town Hall at noon on Wednesday, November 23rd, which is the day before Thanksgiving. Lil Rascals Farm, run by Tim Francis, his wife, Amanda, and their two children, will provide the turkey. They will also be donating 5 turkeys to social services for families in need. They operate a 6+ acre farm at 596 Deep River Road in Colchester and raise goats, cows, turkeys, and other farm animals.

3. The Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance will having a joint meeting to discuss options on how to mitigate inflationary costs for the Senior Center on Monday, November 21st at 6 PM. The meeting will be hybrid.

4. A huge thank you to Brian Marvin and our friends at Carefree Small Buildings for donating a fantastic bus shelter to the Town Green. In addition, the Town Green Project is moving along well with newly elected light poles. Our Town continues to move forward!!

5. The Finance Department has been recharged!! Please welcome Mary Williamson (new Accountant) and Nancy Selavka (new A/P Payroll Clerk) to the team. They will be joining Debbie Kratochvil, our wonderful Finance Director.

6. The Open Space Advisory Committee is looking for members. The committee is tasked with looking at matters related to open space. If you are interested in applying, please fill out an application and submit it to the First Selectman’s Office. Applications can be found here: https://www.colchesterct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif4286/f/uploads/boardscommissionapp2015.pdf

7. Colchester Scouting Adventure Day

All children aged 5 and older are invited to be a part of “Colchester Scouting Adventure Day.” Colchester Boy Scout Troops and Cub Scout Packs are hosting outdoor adventure skills day on November 19th, 2022, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Zagray Farm, on Route 85 in Colchester. All Scouting aged boys, girls, and siblings are invited to this event at no cost. 

You will be able throw tomahawks, do archery with a certified instructor, learn skills, see camp cooking demonstrations, enjoy field games, and see other demonstrations. You will learn what it takes to be a competent in outdoor skills while having a lot of fun. There will be a Monkey Bridge for visitors to cross. There will also be a station where the kids can build their own air rockets and launch them from homemade rocket launchers. A Gaga Ball ring will be set up for visitors and scouts. 

Of great interest will be the ability to see antique construction equipment up close. Most importantly this is a free program for all guests and parents. Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts will be demonstrating several skills and games throughout the day. This will be a hands-on event for all participants. Come ready to learn several new outdoor skills. 

For more details, contact Alphonse Letendre, Unit Commission, at letendrej@sbcglobal.net  

8. The Colchester Seed Library is collecting seed donations at the Cragin Memorial Library during normal hours.

They are collecting full or partially used seed packages (vegetables, herbs, flowers, natives) and locally harvested seeds from vegetables, herbs, flowers, and native plants. Donated seeds should be put in a zip lock bag, labeled with the plant name (variety if known), the approximate date of harvest, and any other useful information. These seeds will be handled by the Colchester Garden Club and repackaged into paper envelopes, and stored for use in stocking the Colchester Seed Library in 2023

The collection box will be available through December 2022. If you have questions, please email at colchestergardenclub@yahoo.com 

Andreas Bisbikos

First Selectman