Government/Town

Free Service Creates Personal Calendar Feeds

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The Town of Suffield announces the launch of a community events platform in partnership with Burbio.com. Burbio offers a free website iOS and Android app that organizes town happenings in one place. Residents select calendars to follow, create and sync a personalized feed to their Google or Apple calendar, and receive notifications of schedule changes. Streaming through Burbio is free for residents and nonprofits. The Burbio link can be found on the Town of Suffield website (www.suffieldct.gov/community/calendar).

Government/Town

Town Approves Temporary Safety Fix

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On Tuesday, October 30, Galasso Materials began overlay paving/shimming and pothole repair of deteriorated areas on portions of Forest and Griffin Roads, two private roads in West Suffield. The undertaking followed safety concerns expressed relative to the condition of the roads and agreement by Town officials. The $47,273 project will be deducted from the Town’s Pavement Management and Drainage Funds, leaving under $100,000 for the remainder of the fiscal year. First Selectman Melissa M. Mack noted, “This measure assures safe passage for emergency vehicles and residents while determining a long-term plan to address private roads in a way that is equitable for all.”

Residents of Forest and Griffin Roads voiced complaints regarding poor roads overall, but highlighted rough areas marred by pot holes and extreme cracking, making portions of them difficult and unsafe for travel. The Town pointed to the key role neighborhood associations play in maintaining private roads, but acknowledged their difficulty to comply with and fund necessary upkeep.

Government/Town

Suffield 350th Tees

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Celebrate Suffield with a green or red long-sleeved tee shirt! The Suffield 350th Committee will be selling tees for $15 at the Winter Farmers Market at the SHS Large Animal Facility on Saturday, December 1 between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Government/Town

Do You Have a Suffield Story To Tell?

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One of the projects for Suffield’s 350th anniversary celebration will include a compilation of stories of our town. Suffield native Robert Alcorn wrote The Biography of a Town – Suffield, Connecticut 1670-1970, published in 1970. According to Alcorn, “The volume is an attempt to bring the three hundred years of Suffield into focus if not to life.”

Our plan for the 350th is to republish Alcorn’s book along with a Volume 2, which would be a compilation of Suffield stories from the last 50 years that brings us from the late 1960s, when Alcorn’s book left off, through the past 50 years to 2020. Our tentative idea is to call it 50 Stories for 50 Years. We are looking for residents (or former residents) who have a story to tell.

Government/Town

Take the Suffield Trivia Quiz

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The 350th Anniversary of Suffield will soon be here. How well do you know our town? The Suffield Observer will contain short trivia quizzes until the 350th Anniversary Celebration. Take them and see what you know. 1.

Government/Town

Incumbent Debaters Won

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Pictured at the November 2 Suffield Candidate Debate at Suffield Middle School, sponsored by The Suffield Observer and the Democratic and Republican Town Committees are the two candidates who won the election on November 6, each by a comfortable margin. Each is the incumbent: Tami Zawistowski as State Representative for District 61 (Suffield, East Granby, and a bit of Windsor) and John Kissell as State Senator for District 7 (Suffield, Enfield, Somers, Windsor Locks, East Granby, a bit of Windsor, and most of Granby.) Debate moderator George Colli of WTNH TV-8 (a Suffield resident) appears in the photo with Sen. Kissell. 

Government/Town

Federal Grant Awarded

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Being primarily rural, several factors exist in North Central Connecticut that create significant barriers for our residents to gain access to behavioral and mental health services, including services for co-occurring and substance use disorders, often leaving residents untreated and isolated in the community. This area has seen a significant increase in the number of opioid and opioid/fentanyl overdoses and deaths according to the state’s Chief Medical Examiner’s Office. In 2016, the state total was 917 deaths: Suffield-4; East Windsor-4; and Windsor Locks-7. For the year 2016, the Center for Disease Control identified 14 deaths per 100,000 population for the U.S. and 10 deaths due to suicide per 100,000 population in Conn. By comparison, suicide deaths in our area were approximately 41 per 100,000, according to police data.

Government/Town

Veterans Day Observed

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A small crowd gathered at the Suffield Veterans Memorial on a bright, cool, sunny, Sunday morning at 11 o’clock on the 11th day of the 11th month. They were there to celebrate the armistice ending World War I and honor those who served in all wars. Exactly on the hour the First Church bell across the Green tolled the time, and the ceremony began. Jim Hunter, U. S. Army, Ret., now Commander of the local VFW Post 9544, welcomed everyone and introduced First Selectman Melissa Mack, who spoke briefly about our veterans in general and specifically about Capt. Justin Donnelly, USMC, Ret., who died in January after notable service in the Marines and valuable service to Suffield as a Town official and in a number of other key roles. Joann Rhoades followed with a prayer, and Gene Skowron marched solemnly to place the traditional commemorative wreath at the base of the Memorial.