First Selectman's Report - December 22, 2023
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! From the entire Colchester Town staff, we wish you and your family a joyful and happy holiday weekend. If you are traveling, we wish you safe travels. And to the many former Colchester residents returning to see family for the holidays, welcome home!
Please note Town Hall will be closed Monday for Christmas Day and re-open Tuesday, December 26. On Friday, December 29, Town Hall will close at noon.
FY21-22 Audit Complete
The Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Financial Audit is now complete and has been filed with the state. The audit includes a single material finding related to the failure to close the Town’s financial reporting system within a reasonable timeframe and perform year-end bank reconciliation. The audit recommends that the Town develop, document, communicate, and monitor a financial closing process in order to facilitate and effective monthly close as well as a year-end close. As the audit notes, this is important because the Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance rely upon the accuracy of monthly reports to manage operations. The audit attributes this finding to lack of staffing resources and turnover.
With this audit complete, the Town is beginning work on the Fiscal Year 22-23 audit which covers the period from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023. It is important to note that this audit will cover the most significant period of disruption to the finance office following the departure of its longtime Chief Financial Officer, the bifurcation of the Town and Board of Education into separate finance departments, the complete turnover of staff on the Town-side finance department, and the transition across multiple finance directors. Work on this audit is underway now. It is critical that the Town ensure timely submission of the FY22-23 audit so we can return to compliance with the State Office of Policy and Management.
Storm Response
This week, approximately 1,600 Colchester homes were left without power by the rain and wind storm which moved through the area Sunday night into Monday. We had about 20 ‘trouble spots’ around town where trees were down with wires involved in addition to a number of other locations where roads were temporarily blocked or closed without an electrical hazard involved. By Tuesday night, nearly all major outages were resolved and only a handful of customers remained offline. I want to thank the Colchester Public Works crew, Colchester Fire & EMS, and Colchester Police for their hard work responding to the storm.
In preparation for the event, I implemented an information tracking procedure at Public Works to help us track trouble spots throughout town so we could respond more effectively and share information with the public. This was something I did in my previous job, and I believe it was effective in helping us to respond efficiently and to identify areas where Eversource’s own system was not accurately tracking outages.
Bacon Academy HVAC Grant
The Board of Selectmen has endorsed an application by the Board of Education to seek state funding to replace the HVAC system at Bacon Academy. The grant application was submitted this week. The current aging system has a number of issues and classroom air temperatures have been recorded as high as 84 degrees with 75 percent humidity. This has led to early closures and other disruptions to the educational environment and schedule. The Board of Education is seeking a grant under the CT HVAC Indoor Air Quality grant program to fund the replacement of the HVAC system while also utilizing ARPA and ESSER II funds. The Board of Selectmen is not contributing financially to the schools’ project, but I am proud to be collaborating with the Board of Education to help move forward this application and appreciate their efforts to put together a funding strategy that did not require additional Town financial aid.
Town Hall Roof Project Update
Ahova Home Improvement LLC has begun the Colchester Town Hall Roof Project. This work will fully replace the existing asphalt shingle and EPDM roofing. The existing roof is documented to have leaks in multiple locations on the 3rd floor - as you can see in some of the pictures taken on Monday during the rain storm - and in the main lobby. Completing this project is important to prevent further damage and ensure we can maintain a building that is both structurally sound and safe for many years to come. This project is being funded under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Work is expected to be completed around mid-January.
Water Pressure Issue on 12/16
A portion of Colchester experienced a loss in water pressure last Saturday night. The Water Department has identified the issue to be a computer card associated with its SCADA system. This card was repaired earlier this week by our integrator. We are investigating ways to update residents regarding supply interruptions and estimated times of restoration when issues like this arise in the future.
Colchester Fire & EMS AFG FEMA Grant
Colchester Fire & EMS was awarded an AFG grant through FEMA for Direct Source Vehicle Exhaust Capture Systems for both fire stations. These enhance the health and safety of our personnel and those that visit our stations. They have been installed and are operational! This is a small peek at the systems and how they work! Check out this clip from Colchester Fire & EMS on Facebook.
RecPlex Safety Improvement
A wooden guardrail has been installed by local contractor Fence Man and Sons at the RecPlex playscape to increase protection from moving vehicles.
Business Spotlight: Gung Ho Restaurant – New Owners
Meet Grace Chen and Jian Pian Jiang, the new owners of Gung Ho Restaurant. Gung Ho has been a staple of Colchester's downtown for decades, and Grace and Jian are excited to be taking the reigns. Grace and Jian are new residents to Colchester and bring years of experience in the Asian restaurant industry. In early 2024, they plan to debut a new menu that will still feature old favorites while adding a greater emphasis on sushi which is Jian's specialty. When I met with them today, they gave me a sneak peek at some of the menu items they are experimenting with. Check it out!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Bernie Dennler
First Selectman