Weekly Update 10/1/2021- North Stonington Alert System Sign Up, Village Speed Hump Installation, Town-Wide Tag Sale, Halloween Light Parade and more!
Happy Friday North Stonington,
On Saturday, October 2nd, the Wheeler Library will once again host it’s Town-Wide Tag Sale event! If you would like a map of the tag sales around town, stop by the library Saturday morning to pick one up beginning at 8 am. Please be especially careful driving around town on Saturday with the many pedestrians being on foot finding treasures!
The second annual North Stonington Halloween Light Parade is happening Friday, October 22 –with a rain date of Sunday, October 24! The best viewing location is along Main Street, North Stonington. If you are interested in participating with a float or decorated vehicle, please email Jen Strunk the event organizer at nslightparade@gmail.com
Our Open House at the North Stonington Elementary School was a great success! We thank all community members who came out to see the new facility!
The town is engaging in two exciting endeavors to research our weaknesses related to climate change. We have been selected by SustainableCT to participate in a pilot program with a select group of other towns to look at North Stonington’s vulnerability. In addition, the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association is working with communities along that waterway to work on an assessment of all the tributaries feeding the Wood-Pawcatuck. These two efforts will be pivotal as we prepare the effects of climate change locally.
North Stonington is implementing a “non-emergency” alert system. For those who have signed up for emergency alerts through CTAlerts this system will be very similar. You will need to sign up here: https://member.everbridge.net/index/1691190617440260/#/signup to receive messages. We will be using this system to inform people about happenings around town, as well as other news that may pop up that is not considered emergency information. It will be another great way to stay informed, in addition to our weekly updates, social medial, newspaper communication, North Stonington quarterly, and meeting minutes, among other ways. Please consider signing up as we plan to send our first “alert” out on Monday.
Our alert on Monday will be to remind people that a Town Meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday evening. The call of the Town Meeting is listed here: https://www.northstoningtonct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif4806/f/uploads/sp_town_meeting_10_5_2021.pdf . There will be four (4) questions voted on, including approval of our new, improved Code of Ethics Policy and some funding requests. If you wish to attend remotely, you must register here: *Registration for the Town Meeting has ended. If you have not registered to attend online, you may attend in person at 298 Norwich Westerly Road.** . As a reminder, Town Meetings are only viewable live to those who pre-register, as we need residents to participate in this legislative process for our town, i.e., we need people to vote. We then post the recording of these meetings afterwards for those interested in viewing. Additionally, supporting materials for the meeting can be found here: https://www.northstoningtonct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif4806/f/agendas/call_of_special_town_meeting_attachments_10-5-2021.pdf
The Town Election to elect Town officials and Board and Commission members will be held on Tuesday, November 2, 2021. Pursuant to House Bill 1202 of the June Special Session 2021, all voters can obtain an absentee ballot due to COVID-19. Absentee ballots are available beginning today. If you have any questions about the election or need an absentee ballot, please contact the Town Clerk at (860) 535-2877 Ext. 121. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. A link for the sample ballot can be found by clicking here and the application for an absentee ballot can be found by clicking here.
In highway news, this week the highway crew cut trees on Main Street, Hewitt, and at the Senior Center. The Senior Center was power washed and scraped in preparation for painting. Material was hauled in for future projects. The walking floor trailer air brakes and tank were repaired. Town properties were mowed. After much research and discussion, the Town will be installing speed “humps” in the village area. These are not speed bumps, so they have more of a gradual incline and slope. They will be designed to slow traffic through this historic area. They will be placed in areas best suited to help slow traffic, while also avoiding areas that would be susceptible to water pooling around them as that could be an issue. There will be additional signage that will accompany these humps when installed. For those who have been following the issue, the Town had engaged in a “walk audit” of the village back in 2019, and a community conversation to discuss these issues https://www.northstoningtonct.gov/home/news/join-us-assess-walking-safety-and-ideas-village-area-august-8th-6-7pm-meet-wheeler-library (past event for reference) . We also conducted surveys of the local community. Thank you to everyone who participated in these discussions and those in the village area who remained involved in the process. The installation should take place around the second week in October. Next week, the Senior Center will be painted and more mowing will continue throughout town.
That’s it for today, have a great week!
Mike Urgo
First Selectman