Good afternoon,
Our week began with a historic rain storm, later judged to be a more than 1,000-year storm (less than .1% chance of occurring). The amount of rain was unprecedented. The response, as I wrote earlier, was both incredible and what we have come to expect. Our emergency services and public works teams did an outstanding job. There were no serious injuries and multiple people were rescued. Roads were cleared quickly and repairs have begun. There are always things to be learned about how to get better, but we owe a great thanks to all of our people for the job they did. Thanks to Greiser’s for treating them to breakfast and acknowledging their fine work. Personally, I want to thank our legislators, as well, for their assistance.
Moving forward, the governor has declared a state of emergency following the storms. Please notify town hall at [email protected] if you have damage to your residence. If damages in the three affected counties reach a particular threshold that has yet to be determined, then FEMA will reimburse residents and municipalities for their damages. It is imperative to document your losses with pictures. The more documentation you have, the easier the claim process will be. Residents will have to get estimates of damage and make repairs themselves. FEMA works by reimbursement, not by actual payments for repairs. In addition, property damage should be reported here. Please reach out to my office at 203-268-6291 or the police department on the non-emergency line at 203-268-4111 for assistance. The state is still unsure about the likelihood of getting FEMA assistance. Along with flooding comes the increased chance of mold. If you have any concerns with mold, please visit these websites by clicking here and here.
For our farmers: A message from Commissioner Bryan Hurlburt at the Connecticut Department of Agriculture. Our Disaster Relief Resources webpages have been updated to reflect current information and tools available to help you navigate this challenging time. To better understand the situation’s scope, the Connecticut Department of Agriculture is asking producers to share estimated losses with us through our online reporting tool. Your farm name and contact information is not required, but if you would like to be contacted, please share that.
In 2023, we received the final report on a consultant review of our emergency services. The most important finding was our need to upgrade communications for our fire department. Our current equipment is severely outdated to the point of being unrepairable and our coverage in town is inadequate. (Knowing our cell phone issues, no one should be surprised about the coverage issue.) As one potential vendor pointed out recently, we have been trying to solve this problem as a town since 2006! After more than a year of study and planning, we have selected a vendor and are proceeding to contract negotiations. We have discovered the need to include the police department as well. The total cost to get new equipment for our first responders and to upgrade transmission for better coverage is $3 million. That project is essentially “shovel ready.”
At the same time, we should have a finished design for the EMS renovations and a cost estimate shortly before going out to bid for the construction. As I have discussed in the past, funding for the EMS project will come from multiple sources which decreases the town’s direct contribution, particularly the $2 million of ARPA money. Those funds need to be committed by Dec. 31. We have always discussed a plan B if we became worried that we would not be ready to sign a construction agreement on the renovation by the ARPA deadline. Now we know we have a back-up, in that, if the timing gets too close, the ARPA money could be used for the radios and the EMS renovation will be funded, in part, through town funds. I envision a combined public safety improvement package, through which we will all be safer, and better served, as will our first responders. I hope you can see the complexity of all that we are doing, but I will do my best to simplify this as our plans evolve. Our goal is the best program with the least direct cost to the town.
As I said last week, folks in town who have ongoing businesses are looking to restart a Chamber of Commerce. I will be hosting a meeting next month to help them jump start the organization.
As you know, we have been partnering with our sister city, Sviatohirsk, Ukraine through the fine work of Ukraine Aid International (UAI). I know first-hand of the excellent work done by UAI which I witnessed when I traveled with them to Sviatohirsk last year. I am extremely pleased to note that they were recently recognized as one of the top three (of over 1,600) humanitarian organizations working in Ukraine. To learn more or donate click here.
I will be hosting an informal “brown bag” discussion on Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. in the town hall conference room.
School begins next week. Welcome back to our students, faculty and support staff. School buses will be back on the roads. Please be careful and help keep everyone safe.
Remember, I invite everyone to join me at the 9/11 memorial in front of the library on the morning of Sept. 11. Details to follow.
Have a great weekend,
Dave
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