First Selectman's Report - March 1, 2024

Norton Park Grant Received

Today, the Town of Colchester was awarded a $250,000 grant from CT DEEP toward the Norton Park project! The grant will be used by the Town of Colchester to expand the scope of the remediation work necessary to redevelop the 2.5-acre site located at 139 Westchester Road in Colchester.

These funds will assist with the remediation of the "phase 2" portion of the site and a represent a major step forward toward the Town's efforts to complete this project as envisioned.

Thank you to Planning Director Demian Sorrentino for his work to help bring this grant to fruition

Springtime in Colchester

Spring is in the air in Colchester! Crocuses are starting to bloom. Today, I stopped by Harry's Place to wish the crew there a happy opening day. Like many Colchester residents, this is a favorite local tradition of mine. I am looking forward to another great year for them and Colchester's other seasonal small businesses that will be opening in the coming weeks.

Harry's staff on 2024 opening day (3/1/24)

Nip Bottle Pollution

Spring may be in the air in Colchester but as the snow melts we are once again seeing the signs of nip bottle pollution on our streets and sidewalks. Today, Public Works Director Joe Leone and I collected more than 15 of these plastic bottles just on the stretch of road between the Town Hall and the Youth Center.

The State of Connecticut has provided the Town of Colchester around $60,000 since 2022 to deal with nip bottle pollution as part of the state nip bottle tax program. To date, none of these funds have been spent. Joe and I are working on a plan to use these funds to address nip bottle pollution and will be bringing forward a proposal to the Board of Selectmen in the coming weeks.

Youth Center Painting

There’s a new look inside the Youth Center. Building maintainer Doug Bennett and grounds maintainer Bobby Slocum have given the interior of the center a much-needed fresh coat of paint this week. By performing this work internally with Town staff, the Town is able to make progress on rehabilitating the building with minimal financial costs.

DOT Info on Route 2 Bridge Rehab

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) will conduct a virtual public information meeting concerning the rehabilitation of Bridge Nos. 03395 and 03396 carrying Route 2 over Route 85 on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, at 6:30 p.m.

The virtual public information meeting is being held to provide the public and local community the opportunity to offer comments or ask questions regarding the proposed project. The meeting will take place on Zoom, and registration is required. A question and answer (Q&A) session will immediately follow the presentation, which will be recorded. For instructions on accessing the meeting and ways to provide comments and ask questions, please visit https://portal.ct.gov/DOTColchester28-208. 

“The project will address structural deficiencies and bring two bridges carrying Route 2 over Route 85 to states of good repair,” said Connecticut Department of Transportation Project Engineer Lesgie Ruiz. “We encourage the public to attend this meeting to share their feedback with the CTDOT project team to incorporate into the design.”

Construction is anticipated to begin in spring 2026 based on the availability of funding. The estimated construction cost for this project is approximately $14.5 million. This project is anticipated to be undertaken with 80% federal funds and 20% state funds.

Message from Registrars: Early Voting

Dear Colchester Residents:

In case you didn’t hear, this year the state institutes Early Voting. This is new to all of us, so we wanted to share some helpful information with you, so you are informed.

HISTORY: Last June, Governor Ned Lamont signed legislation into law creating a system of early voting for general elections, special elections, and primaries in Connecticut. The legislation, Public Act 23-5 requires 14 days of early voting for general elections, 7 days of early voting for most primaries, and 4 days of early voting for special elections and presidential preference primaries.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

You can cast your vote in person prior to Election Day for the April Presidential Preference Primary; the August State Primary, and the November General Election.

To participate in early voting for the Democratic/Republican Presidential Preference Primary, go to Colchester Town Hall 127 Norwich Avenue, Colchester CT 06415, check in, present your valid ID as usual, and they will confirm your registration and check you off the voter listing. (If you are an Unaffiliated voter, and wish to change your registration to either party, you may do so by coming to town hall to fill out an application and then return 24 hours later to vote.)

You will then be presented with a ballot to complete, and place it in an envelope.  The sealed and signed envelope is then dropped into a locked ballot box.  Your ballot will be processed (run through the tabulator) on Election Day along with all the same day voting, and absentee ballots.

Presidential Primary hours for early voting are Tuesday – Thursday 10am-6pm on March 26; March 27; March 28 and  Saturday March 30.

The August State Primary will have 7 days of early voting beginning August 5 – August 11 with voting hours from 10am-6pm except August 6 and 8 the hours will be 8am-8pm with Election Day August 13th

The General Election in November will have early voting hours beginning October 21 – November 3 with voting hours form 10am-6pm except for October 29 and 31 the hours will be 8am – 8pm with Election Day November 5th. 

Voting and registrations will take place at Town Hall in meeting room 2 for Early Voting ONLY.   The Primary or Elections will be held in the districts you are assigned by street residence.   Town Hall District 1;    Abundant Life Church District 2; Bacon Academy District 3.

Feel free to contact us at 860-537-7204.  We will do our best to assist you with any questions you have or direct you to the appropriate resource.  We ARE here to help.

We thank you for your support and your commitment to our democracy by getting out during this years election season.

EVERY VOTE COUNTS!

100 Days Update

One hundred days ago, I was sworn in as the new First Selectman of Colchester. I want to update you on some of what we have accomplished together since November.

Restoring stability to Colchester’s Finance department which had struggled since the retirement of longtime CFO Maggie Cosgrove has been my biggest priority. I want to thank Ms. Cosgrove for the additional assistance she has provided the Town since November. With her help, we have completed the long-delayed 2022 audit and the 2023 audit is underway.

In January, we launched a reorganization of the Finance Department which is currently under the leadership of Michelle Marceau, another longtime employee of the Colchester Finance Department who is now acting as Finance Director. With assistance from Ms. Cosgrove, they have made substantial progress toward resolving the accounting issues that led me to implement a budget freeze in January. That budget freeze will remain in effect based on the projections we have seen due to expenses that were either unexpected or budget items that were underfunded.

As we develop the Town’s budget request to be presented in April, I am focusing on restoring funding to these areas to ensure the future stability and sustainability of services. This includes funding restoration to Cragin Library, Youth and Social Services, and Public Works. I recognize that we must balance our needs and wants with affordability for residents and businesses. The request I put forward to the Board of Finance will take all of these factors into account.

Despite the challenges in Finance, we have made progress on many other fronts since November.

In my first weeks in office, we passed a referendum to resolve the financial challenges that had plagued the Colchester Senior Center project for almost a year. With an affordable solution in place, you can see the dramatic progress being made as the building finally takes shape on Lebanon Ave.

I have also been working with our town engineer and partners at the Southeastern CT Council of Governments to support a fully-funded expansion of the Lebanon Ave streetscapes to build new sidewalks that will connect our downtown to developments at Highland Farms, Four Seasons, and the 55+ community of Northwoods.

Over the last several weeks, four of the five new fire apparatus that were approved at referendum in 2021 have entered service. When I served on the Board of Finance as vice chair, bringing that referendum forward was my number one priority. As First Selectman, it is exciting to see these much-needed vehicles finally entering service.

In December, I learned that the vendor expected to provide the fifth vehicle - a tanker - was canceling the Town's contract. Fire Chief Steve Hoffmann and Deputy Chief Brad Bernier worked quickly to help us identify a suitable replacement. The Board of Selectmen approved that purchase in January, ensuring that Colchester will receive a new tanker in late spring without going over budget.

We are also prioritizing investments in public facilities and recreation opportunities.

This winter, Public Works began clearing brush at the site of the future Norton Park. A contract for engineering work was signed in February as well, and the Town is seeking additional grant funds to complete this project beyond the $250,000 awarded today. When finished, Norton Park will be a great addition to the Westchester area.

I am also working with Town staff on new grant opportunities for outdoor recreational trails throughout Colchester. Additionally, this month, the Board of Selectmen expects to appoint two new ad-hoc committees to help plan for the future of spaces like the current Senior Center and Youth Center and to evaluate recreation needs.

Last month, Youth and Social Services launched a new online application to help connect residents in-need with funds the Board of Selectmen has designated under ARPA to provide financial assistance to residents. For more information or to apply for assistance, visit ColchesterCT.Gov/ARPAHelp.

Although Colchester faces some challenges, I am confident that we can meet them and continue to make progress. The accomplishments we've made in the first 100 days are the result of collaboration and bipartisanship.

I trust that by working together, we can continue to meet the moment in our community.

 Sincerely,
Bernie Dennler
First Selectman
Town of Colchester