First Selectman Weekly Update 4-3-2020
Hello North Stonington,
Another interesting week comes to a close here in town.
This week the highway crew was busy once again. We cleaned water ways on Dennison Hill, Putker, Fowler, and Grindstone roads. Sweeping took place on Grindstone, Fowler, Sleepy Hollow, and Tom Wheeler roads. New sign stands were put together for COVID-19 notices throughout town. Damaged tiles were fixed and replaced at our Center for Emergency Services building. Plexiglass was installed over the signs of the swap shed at the transfer station for durability. Air Conditioners that were illegally dumped were picked up by the state forest off of Wyassup Road. We should remind everyone that littering is against the law and violators will be subject to fines and prosecution.
As part of the COVID-19 pandemic there are a multitude of conference calls happening on a weekly basis and North Stonington is a part of them all. We meet regularly with law enforcement, public health, the State, FEMA, and our emergency response team to be sure we are following all protocols and keeping everyone safe and informed. Please do your part by following the "Stay Safe, Stay Home" directive from Governor Lamont. Taking a ride around with your family or yourself is fine, walking around in your neighborhood or on town trails is great. If you are working, please maintain that 6-10 foot distance between you and others and wash your hands regularly. All of these things matter as we try to flatten the curve and get our world back to normal.
There are an incredible amount of resources coming out for both individuals and businesses. We have gathered much of the information in one place for your convenience as a business owner on the town’s homepage www.northstoningtonct.gov . If you are a business effected by this please use the resources available to you.
Speaking of businesses, our Economic Development commission is putting together a list of businesses that are still operational during this time. They hope to help your business by getting the word out about your offerings. If you are a business who has been adversely effected by the pandemic and you are still open at this time, please email the Economic Development Committee Chairman Brett Mastroianni at BMastroianni@northstoningtonct.gov to get the word out about your offerings. You must email by noon on Saturday 4/4/2020 to be included in the upcoming weeks advertisement. One exciting development coming out of EDC this past week was the start of a Farmers Co-Op taking place at the Village General Store. Consider supporting your local farmers either here or by contacting the farms directly to arrange purchase of their goods.
Our Senior Center director Teresa Pensis is missing her seniors but has been incredibly busy serving them in some different ways during this time. If you are a senior and require help shopping or anything else do not hesitate to call, 860-535-8188, we have a long list of people who are willing to volunteer.
On the recreation front, keep an eye on Facebook for an announcement next week of some exciting activities coming up to help us keep our minds and bodies active while maintaining proper physical distancing.
Boards and Commissions both elected and appointed have been back to work this week utilizing ZOOM meetings to get business done. I am incredibly proud of our groups for not missing a beat and working hard to come up with creative ideas to serve our community locally during this trying time.
School modernization efforts continue at the Elementary school! Here are a few more pictures of the progress.
This week a conference call took place to let everyone know that CENSUS 2020 is officially underway as of April 1. If you received your notice in the mail, please go online and complete the CENSUS. It is important to do this as our State and our Towns receive funding based on accurate calculations of residents. There are some scams out there that tie completion of census to stimulus monies. The CENSUS has nothing to do with anything related to politics, payments, or anything else. It is simply a way of knowing how many people are living in each household. The information collected is not used by the government for any other purpose. Please fill out your 2020 CENUS info today. Doing so will save taxpayer dollars.
On the subject of taxpayer dollars, our budget process resumed after a two week hiatus. Our Board of Finance met Wednesday night and Board of Education on Thursday evening as we continue to work on putting a budget forth that meets the needs of the town while being sensitive to our residents and taxpayers, especially during this tumultuous time. We have been working on budgets since late 2019 as part of our normal process. With the Governor’s Executive order, we have the ability to approve the budget within the Boards. This is not what we are looking to do. We are hoping things start to improve and the distancing orders are lifted in a time frame that will allow the normal Referendum process to take place. This Governor’s Order gives towns the ability to move things forward if necessary and it may become necessary if things go on for too long. Please know that the intention of your leadership is to keep things as normal as process with regards to the budget and hopefully go to a referendum possibly in May/June. We will keep you posted as things develop.
Should you be interested in attending a board or commission meeting it has never been easier. Subscribe to the Town's YouTube Channel and you will receive emails automatically if it is your preference when town meetings are being broadcast. Here is the link to the Town's YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLkW3pPjg9_c_qfwrPF_0eA/featured . All meetings taking place are either being broadcast to YouTube in most cases and links are being shared to Facebook for those who use that platform. Additionally the call in number for meetings is being placed on the agendas for meetings so the public can attend via phone if that is more convenient.
Finally, I will be hosting a virtual "drop in" once again this Monday at 7pm where Director of Health for Ledge Light Health District Steve Mansfield will join me. There will be a brief overview of town and health updates followed by your opportunity to ask questions. Please join us via phone at 1.646.558.8656 meeting ID 548529768 or watch on the Town's Facebook page.
That's it for today, have a great week!
Mike Urgo
First Selectman
North Stonington