First Selectman's Report: 8/22 - 8/26/2022

1. The Town of Colchester has entered a budget freeze. Any purchases will need either the approval of myself or the Finance Director, and critical items will take priority.

 

There will be no overtime unless there is an emergency.

 

SLR, the consulting group hired to conduct a top-to-bottom review of the Public Works Department, has agreed that a Director of Operations position will not be needed moving forward. I will not be filling that position this budget cycle, and I intend to fill the position with a building maintenance employee in next year's budget. By not filling the Director of Operations position, this year's budget will have nearly $90,000 of financial flexibility – which will be critical in handling inflationary concerns.

 

All MOUs with individual employees will be drawn down where applicable, and this will be done on a case-by-case basis.

 

2. The Town of Colchester has just locked in gasoline prices lower than the budgeted amount in this year's budget. The contract will now go to the Board of Selectmen for approval.

 

3. Celebrate Colchester is Saturday, September 17th, and it will be held on the Town Green. The event will be held from 1 PM – 5 PM.

 

We invite all Colchester community organizations and businesses to register for a booth. There is no fee to register. We just ask that you donate an item or a basket for our silent drawing that will be held at the event. Winners will be drawn at the end of the day. The funds that we collect from the drawing will be used to cover the cost of the summer concerts in 2023.

 

We have partnered with C3, who, with their PEPP class, is sponsoring "Choose Love." You can read more about this organization here: https://chooselovemovement.org/

They will be bringing a guest speaker (it may be Scarlett Lewis, but this has not been confirmed), their "Love Bus," and many activities.

 

New this year, we are partnering with Empowering Tomorrow Foundation which will also bring a guest speaker and several fun activities -including a dunk tank that the First Selectman has promised to sit in.

 

Each group will be responsible for their own table, tent, chairs (or whatever you need to be comfortable). We cannot promise any electricity will be available, it's best to plan on no electricity. We encourage all local restaurants to either join us on the Town Green and share their food with the community- or establish a special menu item to "Celebrate Colchester" during this time. We would like to offer free classes on the Town Green in the morning from 9–11 AM- anyone who is local is welcome to sign up to offer a free class! Please email us these details.

 

We encourage all Colchester businesses and organizations to register and join us. If you have any ideas to share, we are happy to hear them all!

 

4. Summer Night Dance Party with DJ Montez: Thursday, September 1st from 6 PM – 8 PM on the Town Green.

 

5. Pokemoto's Grand Opening: A new business, Pokémoto, has opened at 119 South Main where Plotkin's Jeweler once was. Pokémoto offers an exceptional Hawaiian cuisine experience that is healthy, affordable, and most importantly, delicious. On Saturday, August 27th they will marking their Grand Opening starting at 11 AM and extending all day until 9 PM. There will be a prize wheel and other surprises!! Let's all go and wish them luck!!

 

6. MyHomeCT can help you if you've been impacted by COVID-19 and need assistance with your mortgage and other housing related expenses. To learn more visit www.chfa.org/MyHomeCT

 

7. Colchester Town Green Project: Surveying has commenced, and material has been arriving. I look forward to seeing this project finally realized.

 

8. Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has received notification from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack that New London and Windham counties have been designed by the federal agency as primary natural disaster areas due to the recent drought. Additionally, Hartford, Middlesex, and Tolland counties have been designated as contiguous counties under the declaration.

 

The designation makes farm operators in primary counties and those counties contiguous to such primary counties eligible to be considered for certain assistance from the Farm Service Agency (FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met. This assistance includes FSA emergency loans. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for emergency loans. FSA considers each emergency loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of production losses on the farm and the security and repayment of the operator.

 

Farmers interested in applying for assistance must contact their local Farm Service Agency office.

 

9. Per the state's declaration, the Colchester Water Dept is recommending that residents and businesses located in Colchester voluntarily take the following measures to aid in minimizing future drought impacts:

 

• Avoid power washing of homes, sidewalks, and driveways

• Reduce automatic outdoor irrigation

• Postpone the planting of any new lawns or vegetation

• Minimize overall water use by fixing leaky plumbing and fixtures

• Follow any additional conservation requests issued by water suppliers or municipalities

 

The Colchester Water Dept will keep you informed should drought conditions worsen and require further Emergency Water Conservation Measures.