First Selectman Weekly Update 8-2-2019

Hello North Stonington,

We hope everyone had a great week!

Tax bills should be in your mailbox today and they are already available online. Tax collection office will be open this month Monday-Friday 9-3. You can also see your tax bill online at the town website and pay it by visiting this link. https://www.mytaxbill.org/inet/bill/home.do?town=northstonington

As a reminder, dogs are not allowed at the recreation field. We do welcome you to bring your furry friends to Hewitt Farm. Please obey all posted rules related to your pets.

In preparation for our September 7th Community Conversation about our greater village area, we are hosting a walking audit of the village area next Thursday from 6-7pm. We will be asking volunteers to meet at Wheeler Library to walk different areas which include parts of Main Street, Route 2, & Wyassup Road. Safety vests will be provided, and our Resident Trooper will be present. Please consider joining us for this important fact-finding brainstorming event. For those unable to attend the walking audit you can take this online survey to provide your feedback https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YMVPFN7 .

This week the cameras were installed at Town Hall to ensure safety and security of residents and employees. This is the second phase of camera installation with the first at the Center for Emergency Services building and the final phases at the Highway Garage and Transfer Station.

Speaking of the Center for Emergency Services, over the last year I have mentioned in several updates that we would be looking to construct a 3-bay storage building/garage behind the new center. For those who were familiar with the project, we had originally intended to build a 27,000 square foot building which we cut down to 13,000 square feet to stay within our approved budget. Through good project management and attentiveness to the budget we had enough money remaining in approved funds to build this 3-bay garage so we regain some of the much-needed square footage that was lost. This building will house our boat and trailer (for water rescues), our UTV (for wooded rescues) and our service truck which tow these apparatuses. Additionally, hoses, equipment, and many other items will be stored in the building. We will begin construction of this cold storage building sometime in the next several weeks. Special thanks to the Center for Emergency Services committee for their continued work as we finish this project up within budget.

Save the date for NoStoFest 2019! This is a great event celebrating all things North Stonington in our village! It will be held September 21st from 12- 4 and feature live music, food, and lots of entertainment for all ages! If you are interested in participating as a vendor (North Stonington affiliated businesses only) email nostofest@gmail.com to get involved.

In highway news, mowing and tree trimming continue throughout town. Stop bars were painted across streets in town. Please continue to drive carefully around work crews when you see them out and about.

Assistant Animal Control Officer Chelsea Wheeler has been appointed by the town. She will serve as ACO anytime Karcher is unavailable or on vacation. Welcome Chelsea!

The Capital improvement workgroup had its first meeting to discuss budget and capital project planning for next fiscal year as well as the 5- and 10-year capital plans. We plan to meet again in October to finalize the 2020-2021 plan.

That’s it for today, have a great weekend! – Mike Urgo First Selectman