Weekly Update 10/9/2021- North Stonington Volunteer Fire Company Open House Sunday, Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center Childcare Funds available, Absentee ballots available at Town Hall and more!

Happy Friday North Stonington!

We are seeing the leaves begin to turn around our beautiful town. We hope you are enjoying some of the last warm days of Fall, as well as the crisp cool mornings!

The North Stonington Volunteer Fire Company is holding an open house this Sunday October 10th, 2021 from 10am-2pm. It will be at the Emergency Service Center, 25 Rocky Hollow Road. Come with your friends and family to check out the Center. There will be pumping demo’s, jaws of life extrications, trucks will be open, and Smokey the Bear will even be there! Free lunch provided! Come and learn about our great emergency responders and see if you might want to help serve your community! Open to all!

The hours for the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center here at the North Stonington Town Hall are 9am-noon on Tuesdays. They are currently assisting North Stonington residents with direct financial assistance for housing, heat and utilities costs. I am pleased to announce that the funding will also be available to our residents who need help with childcare costs.  We hope that this will especially help parents who are returning to work and need assistance in financing their childcare costs or have additional struggles due to COVID-19 quarantine requirements for their children. If you need help, call the PNC at (860) 599 - 3285, ext. 101 to speak with Susan Sedensky, Executive Director.

We have an opening for a spot on our Stewardship Wild and Scenic Rivers Council. If you are interested in serving as the community liaison for this group, please submit an application and return to the Town Clerk.   

Thanks to those who attended the town meeting on Tuesday evening. A recording of the meeting can be found here for those interested. The four items on the call were approved 

North Stonington is implementing a “non-emergency” notification system. For those who have signed up for emergency alerts through CT Alerts, 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 media, newspaper communication, North Stonington Quarterly, and meeting minutes, among other ways. Please consider signing up!

Absentee ballots are now available at Town Hall. You may vote any time by coming into see the Town Clerk. If you are considering requesting one by mail, please do so asap so you are able to get the necessary paperwork to complete to receive your ballot on time. Do not delay. You may come into Town Hall during normal business hours (8 am-4 pm) and vote with the Town Clerk by absentee for any reason this year.

The Second Annual North Stonington Halloween Light Parade is happening Friday, October 22 beginning at 6pm–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.

The Cultural Coalition is hosting roundtable discussions for Arts and Culture funding. As a reminder, the Town has authorized $15,000.00 in COVID Relief Funds to be used in the arts and performance sector to help with recovery. The Cultural Coalition is taking the lead on helping distribute these funds. Next Wednesday, October 13, 2021 at 4pm, there will be another roundtable. If you are an artist, gig worker, historical group, venue, or any other entity that would possibly qualify, please join the discussion!

This week the highway crew removed speed bumps on Billings Road per our normal process following the summer. Numerous street signs around town were replaced. The Senior Center exterior was painted, and ceiling tiles replaced. Concrete pads were formed and poured for the replacement generator going in at Town Hall. Properties were mowed throughout town. Next week the highway crew will continue tree work throughout town. Work will continue at the Senior Center. Potholes around town will be filled and sections of Miller Road will be paved over.

That’s it for today. We hope you have a great weekend!

Mike Urgo

First Selectman