It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is behind us, and we are now heading into the hustle and bustle of the holidays, preparing to welcome in a new year. Here at Town Hall, we have been busy working on housing, communication and safety issues along with more light-hearted matters such as preparing to usher in the holidays in true Suffield fashion. Here is a glimpse of what we have been working on.
- Our annual tree lighting event, Suffield Alight is being held on December 6 beginning at 5:30 p.m. on the Town Green. Please bring family and friends to welcome Santa, enjoy food and much more.
- There are still available spots on my First Selectman Community Tour for the months of December and January. Sign-up can be found under “Town News” on our website. It’s been a pleasure visiting those who signed up and thank you for welcoming me to your homes.
- Our new resident communication system, Suffield Connect is live. Sign-up can be found under “Town News” on our website. The service provides a better, more streamlined process for residents to get live updates and communication from the Town and its departments to include: emergency alerts, road closures, general, non-emergency notifications, severe weather alerts and more.
- Town Clerk, Kathy Dunai’s last day is December 6. You will be missed and thanks for everything you’ve done, Kathy. Hope you enjoy retirement. I would also like to welcome Michele Urch as our new Town Clerk, formerly Assistant Town Clerk. We are fortunate to have somebody experienced to step in immediately.
- The Board of Selectmen and I continue to look at options to the affordable housing mandate required by the State of Connecticut. While there is currently no direct consequence to the Town for building the over 300 units “required” by the State, the indirect consequence comes from the threat of higher density developments in areas that may not be suited for them from developers. While plans may be denied at the Town Planning and Zoning level, the State allows for much easier, and almost guaranteed approval at their level removing the decision making from towns. Options to achieve this unreasonable mandate are expensive, will take years to develop, and are being thoughtfully considered by your local leaders. While I oppose this type of development for our rural community and the lifestyle and expectations I believe residents want, we will carefully develop a plan that is best suited for all.
- Expect a public information meeting and Town Meeting in December to vote on bonding resolutions to approve funding for the Emergency Radio Services Project and HVAC systems for the schools. Two years ago, at Town Meeting, residents approved to fund the costs for HVAC improvements at the schools. The State awarded the Town a grant to cover 52% of those costs which was the reason for moving the projects forward. For those who may still be unaware and as reminder to those who have been tracking, the Town has been working on reviewing its 32-year-old emergency radio system over the last two years. We’ve hired a consultant to review and study the system for optimal needs and based off of that study and recommendations, we went out to bid for a contractor. Both the Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance have chosen to move the projects forward based off safety needs for our residents, First Responder units, and all others who use the system to include the Suffield Public School System, WPCA and DPW Departments. As our debt service has decreased over the past couple of years, we feel it’s appropriate to pay these projects through bond issuance. Please refer to November 1, 2024 article “The Modernization of the Town of Suffield Emergency Radio System,” and recent Board of Selectmen and Finance minutes for further information as I am limited to space. You can find dates for the Public Information and Town Meeting on the Town website in early December.
May your holiday season be filled with memories of friends, family and laughter making way for a wonderful New Year.