First Selectman's Report - March 20, 2026
Budget Workshops — Monday and Wednesday
The first Board of Finance budget workshop focused on the proposed Town Budget will be held Monday, March 23 at 6:00 PM at Town Hall and via Zoom. This meeting will focus on Town public safety departments including Colchester Fire & EMS and Colchester Police plus Town Hall administrative departments and an overview of projected revenue for FY26/27.
This year’s Town budget proposal emphasizes our commitment to completing public safety plans, ensuring equalized staffing for all fire and EMS shifts and utilizes the DOJ Federal COPS grant to improve police staffing coverage with a goal of being able to dedicate a full-time traffic officer to deter speeding and reduce traffic violations throughout Town.
The first budget workshop focused on the Board of Education proposed budget will be held Wednesday, March 25 at 6:00 PM also at Town Hall and via Zoom.
Residents can review budget books and budget presentations at ColchesterCT.Gov/Budget2026.
Youth Center Renovations Progress
This week, Youth and Social Services Director Val Geato and I toured the ongoing renovations at the Youth Center where the third floor renovations are nearing completion, including the addition of a new staircase. The renovated interior is finally starting to take shape and we are working on our plans for how the updated spaces will be used when the building reopens in September 2026. Additional work including new sheetrock and more for the first and second floors plus repainting will take place in the coming months. The project has been funded entirely under the ARPA program.
I want to thank Building Maintainer Doug Bennett for his exceptional work helping to manage this project.
Norton Park Project Progress
Excavation and environmental remediation is continuing at the former Norton Paper Mill site. This week, town officials and I visited the site and met with representatives from Cisco Environmental, Langan, and DEEP about the clean-up efforts which are nearing completion. Excavation is expected to wrap up in the coming weeks.
Excavation and environmental remediation is continuing at the former Norton Paper Mill site. This week, town officials and I visited the site and met with representatives from Cisco Environmental, Langan, and DEEP about the clean-up efforts which are nearing completion. Excavation is expected to wrap up in the coming weeks.
Bacon Academy Roof Building Committee Project
Last night, the Board of Selectmen voted to appoint a five-member building committee with two alternates to manage the Bacon Academy roof replacement project. The committee will oversee the process of hiring an architect/engineer to develop plans for the roof replacement, taking these plans out to bid, and administering the project to completion. The committee will also assist with applying for state financing for the project. The goal is for the committee to begin meeting as soon as possible so they can start their work.
Grounds Crew Spring Preparations
It’s officially spring and our Public Works Grounds Crew is helping prepare our parks for the season. This week, the Grounds Crew replaced posts throughout the Giving Garden and began spring seeding as part of the grass management program for the athletic fields at the Recreation Complex.
We are also in the process of hiring for our seasonal grounds maintainers! If you are interested, visit here to view the job posting and fill out an application.
Colchester Choir and Orchestra Concert
Colchester Choir and Orchestra will be presenting their March Concert: Mozart to Modern tomorrow, Saturday, March 21st at 6:30pm in the Bacon Academy Auditorium. This concert is sure to be fun for the whole family, with music from Disney’s Moana, The Greatest Showman, and several classical pieces, it’s an evening of music not to be missed! Admission is free, but donations are much appreciated and help offset costs of purchasing new music each season. For more information visit colchesterct.gov/Colchester-choir-orchestra or contact [email protected].
• When: Saturday, March 21st 6:30pm
• Where: Bacon Academy Auditorium
• Cost: Free concert but donations are always welcome
Spring Clean Up - April 25
The snow is melted, unfortunately tons of litter has been left behind around town. Please help us keep our town beautiful by joining our annual spring clean up event!
Join your friends, family, team, group or come by yourself and help clean up Colchester! There are many different areas where you can choose to work. We will provide garbage bags and free garbage pickup. Jobs may include spreading mulch, raking, weeding, picking up garbage, and more. Clean up locations include the schools, town buildings, and parks. Once you register, you will receive an email with more details about 2 weeks prior to the event.
After spending the morning cleaning, we will meet up at Mel’s Downtown Creamery at 12pm for free ice cream as our way of saying “Thank you”! If you have any questions, please call the Recreation office at 860-537-7297. Please call the office to RSVP so we know how many to expect for ice cream!
Assessor’s Revaluation Process
With the snow melted, the assessor’s office is back out in the field photographing properties in town as part of the state-mandated 2026 town-wide revaluation project. Revaluation will not be completed until the end of year. Press releases and updates can be found here.
2026 Colchester Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan Survey
In 2023 the Recreation Commission created a Strategic Plan. The commission has worked diligently toward meeting the goals and objectives. The Strategic Plan states that a community assessment survey will be conducted every 3 years. This information will be used to update the goals and objectives as well as make improvements to our programs and events. Please share your honest thoughts and ideas with us- your input is critical to our community decision making. The survey is open to Colchester residents aged 18 and older, March 1, 2026-March 31, 2026. Please share this information with your Colchester neighbors and friends. If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out to our office at [email protected] or (860) 537.7297.
Please use one of these links to access the survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Colchester2026
Bacon Academy Scholarship Fundraiser - Tuesday
This Tuesday, March 24th please join me at Mel's Downtown Creamery Colchester for a special fundraiser for the Bacon Academy Scholarship Fund. 20% of proceeds that night will benefit scholarships for graduating seniors.
My first job was as an ice cream scooper as a Bacon senior. That job helped me save money I needed for college, so now I am picking up the ice cream scoop again to help support our upcoming BA graduates! So come down to Mel's on March 24th where I'll be putting my old ice cream scooping skills back to work for this great cause.
Hope to see you there!
Sincerely,
Bernie Dennler
First Selectman
Town of Colchester