Suffield 350th Anniversary Committee

Christmas? In June?

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Why in the world would we be writing about Christmas in June? Because we want to get you thinking about participating in a couple of the holiday projects that the Suffield 350th committee is working on…

Suffield 350th Anniversary Committee

Be a 350th Sponsor

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The 350th Committee has lots of exciting events, programs and projects in the works for Suffield’s anniversary celebration, and we need your financial support now to make them a reality. Please consider becoming a 350th Sponsor. There are multiple levels of sponsorship available with recognition at events and in promotional materials. To learn more about sponsorship levels please check www.tinyurl.com/Sponsor350, send an email to Suffield350@gmail.com or leave us a message at 860-758-0115. Thank You!

Suffield 350th Anniversary Committee

Starring Suffield!

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Suffield is a wonderful town, and we want to share it with everyone! As a part of our anniversary celebration, the 350th committee is hiring Our Town Films (OTF) to create broadcast quality film about our own town.

Government/Town

SPD Review Causes Stir

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The Suffield Police Department has been undergoing an internal investigation which was ordered as of January 3, 2019, by Ex-Officio Commissioner, First Selectman Melissa Mack.

Suffield Observations

Healing Broken Hearts

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Earlier in May, former NBA player and recovering addict Chris Herren spoke at an assembly at Suffield High School. It wasn’t the first time he spoke there, but this time, in the parlance of our youth, it just got real.

Op-Ed

Happy 95th Birthday Bridge Street School

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I always love coming back to Suffield. It is such an incredibly beautiful town – both in its landscape and its people. I was recently in town for the annual Suffield PMC Kids Ride, which had a record number of riders (208 children) and raised over $55,000 for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. An event like that does not come together without a dedicated group of volunteers and families willing to actively participate. The sense of community spirit was very strong on that beautiful Saturday in May.

Food for Thought

Food For Thought

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“There is no teacher equal to mother and there’s nothing more contagious than the dignity of a father.” – Amit Ray

Letter to the Editor

Pay To Play

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Our recent Town budget includes a potential Pay to Play option going into effect for future school years despite overwhelming comments at the last meeting to not have this happen. I believe the Pay to Play fees will pertain to athletics and potentially, clubs/activities at SHS and/or SMS.

My concern is that we are pricing some students out of participating in said activities. If you are familiar with Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers, you know kids/teens that are able to pay for the elite teams (travel, premiere, private training) already have a distinct advantage over those that cannot afford it. In turn, their skill set will allow them more success and advantages. Think college scholarships.

Organizations

Volunteer Listing Is Growing

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In the May, Observer issue, we published a partial list of local organizations that welcome volunteers. As we were reminded by readers, there are others that we did not include that are equally deserving of being recognized as fine places to volunteer – actually many, many, others. The list we chose from had more than 60 entries. Aside from the fact that there was not enough time to update all that information, the Observer could not accommodate a list that long. Our plan was, and is, to publish a permanent list on the Observer’s website at https://thesuffieldobserver.com/local-organizations-that-welcome-volunteers/, which ultimately will include all of the others.

First Selectman’s Update

First Selectman’s Update

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In my March column, I detailed my vision for a vibrant Town Center and Suffield’s fiscal independence through commercial development, necessitating moving the Town Highway Garage. Now we’re knee deep in spring, and what better time to get into the weeds of the relocation?

Letter to the Editor

Connector Road

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An important issue that has troubled and eluded our town for many years is the lack of a connector road from Bradley International Airport to the Enfield-Suffield Bridge to divert traffic from Main Street. It is a proposal that I vigorously advocated as First Selectman, but I could not get traction at the time. I urge the town, its leaders and citizens, and local, state, and congressional representatives, to wage a bipartisan effort to resurrect this project. Area industry is expanding and Bradley is growing, with a current passenger count of over 6.5 million yearly. There are plans this summer to build a new car rental facility, plus a new terminal in the near future, as DOT projects the passenger count to go to 10 million plus.

Editorial

Measles – A Battle Report

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Connecticut has one of the nation’s highest rates of vaccination for the measles virus. Many of our State’s legislators, including Governor Lamont, have expressed serious concern with our State’s compliance rate. Both of these contradictory statements are true. The discrepancy arises from the latest State vaccination report. Past data disclosed only state averages for school vaccination rates, perhaps creating a false sense of security.

Editorial

Get Involved Before It Is Too Late

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There are issues today in America that are happening and it scares me. It scares me because they are happening without our knowledge or consent. We will wake up one day and realize that we don’t have any civil rights left. History is full of events driven by greed for power and money, complacency and/or fear. Salem Witch Hunt, Nazi Germany, Bosnia genocide.