Melissa Mack
The Town has been busy through these lazy days of summer!
We are delighted to announce Rick Brown’s promotion to Deputy Chief while Tony Riello assumes his new title, Superintendent of Police Services. The Suffield Police Department is fortunate to have both of these admirable men at the helm as it continues to move in a positive direction.
Welcome to Karin Ziemba, the Town’s new Human Resources Director. Karin joins us with over 30 years of HR experience in hospitality. Since customer service is the Town’s purpose, Karin has already proven to be a tremendous asset.
At this writing, we anxiously await the grand re-opening of Babb’s Beach. The beach received a facelift with the addition of flowers, picnic benches, new fences, an access road, disabled parking, a lifeguard chair and a platform for bands to perform. Many contributed to this successful endeavor including town employees Mark Cervione, Wendy LaMontagne and John Cloonan while Citizens Restoring Congamond volunteered hours as well. Sadly, vandals have set back the reopening date. The Town is grateful this beautiful lakefront property is soon to be open to residents again.
A number of windfalls as of late include the Town receiving $175,000 (and another $90,000 expected) from Environmental Partners LLC from its MDC/Fastrack Busway project for dirt disposal at Suffield’s landfill. The dirt, which is certified as appropriate for disposal at the landfill by CTDEEP, will also be used for the landfill’s operations. The Connecticut Interlocal Risk Management Agency (CIRMA), the Town’s property and liability insurer, distributed $25,353 in member’s equity to Suffield. The Historic Documents Preservation Target Grant awarded $4,000 to the Town Clerk’s on-line indexing project. In conjunction with Windsor Locks, Suffield received a $20,000 grant through the State Historic Preservation Office to conduct both a capital needs study of the Windsor Locks Canal as well as the feasibility of hydroelectric power generation. The Canal is an important historical and recreational asset to both towns.
We continue to look for opportunities for not only the Town to realize savings but for residents as well. Qualifying residents can benefit from the Ellington Regional Housing Rehabilitation Program of which Suffield is a member. Low and moderate income households may be eligible for a deferred payment loan with no interest or payments for as long as they own their home. The loan can be used for roofing, septic, well, plumbing, heating, electrical, handicap accessibility, asbestos/lead abatement, carpentry and other repair work. For details, please call the Emergency Aid Association at 860-668-1986.
The Social Services Commission will conduct a mail survey this Fall to assess the needs of Suffield residents. Robust feedback is crucial to the undertaking so please participate. In response to the rising opioid epidemic in many communities, Suffield joined a multi-town effort in applying for a grant to fund an opioid addiction task force. We continue to seek out similar proactive measures to best serve our community.
Mark your calendar for the upcoming tri-board meeting of the Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance and Permanent Building Commission on September 26th at 7:00 at the Suffield Volunteer Ambulance Association to discuss the status and financing of the Town’s current capital projects, including Town Hall, Kent Memorial Library, the Bridge Street Community Center and town roads.
I look forward to seeing many of you during Suffield on the Green (Sept. 10-11). Please stop by the Town’s tent and say hello. For up-to-date happenings, like our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/townofsuffield.