North Stonington Weekly Update 11-13-2020- Revaluation mailer going out this week, sheets family forest donations requested, drop-ins with the First Selectman and more!
A busy week comes to a close as the leaves seem to be falling off the last trees here in North Stonington.
COVID-19 cases are on the rise as we can see all around and North Stonington is not immune. With Thanksgiving coming we know many people will be electing to stay with only the family they share a home with. Undoubtedly some people will still consider getting together. If you do get together, which is not recommended, please consider wearing a mask even with your family. This is the best way to protect you and your loved ones. Consider putting more distance at the dinner table and taking precautions to assure your best chances for not spreading the virus. Those without symptoms can easily spread it and we want you and your loved ones to remain safe and healthy as we hope to move past this pandemic in the coming months. For a list of free testing locations in the area click this link http://seccog.org/covid-testing?nocache
Drop-ins with the First Selectman have resumed. While you can always pop by or call to speak with us, these times have been reserved for those who prefer to put it on your calendar. We encourage calling for an appointment especially during these times. The drop in times are 2:30-3:30pm Mondays and 9:30-10:30am Thursdays.
We are reaching the end of the 2020 revaluation for the town. Each property will be receiving updated property cards in the mail starting next week.
Time is running out with only 21 days left on our effort to save the Sheets Family Forest and get $7500.00 in match funds from SustainableCT. To date we’ve raised $750.00 and have 5 donors. We need 15 more donors. We hope if you are able you could consider helping the Town and Avalonia realize this goal. To make a contribution, please visit www.patronicity.com/sheetsfamilyforest or you can also mail a donation to Avalonia Land Conservancy, P.O. Box 49, Old Mystic, CT 06372 Memo- Sheets Family Forest.
We are still working on the negotiation details of 298 Norwich Westerly Road’s middle school wing. We will be looking to market the remainder of the wing that the proposed tenant will not be renting to another educational facility. We are also starting the process of potentially leasing out the two story portion of the building. You may have seen the new sign erected at the building identifying as the North Stonington Education Center now. We are excited about the future of the building and breathing new life into the space to join our central office team.
In solar news, we just finished the installation of the solar arrays at the Education Center which are located over the central office space. We will now be working on the solar at the Elementary School in the coming weeks followed by the system that will sit atop the gym at the new Middle High School. The Board of Selectmen this week also decided to send the Wintechog Hill solar project that was approved by the town last year back out to bid as the original terms we received from the bidder were unable to be met. We will be working on that RFP soon and will take it up at a future meeting.
All meetings for the town are online and have been since the beginning of the pandemic. You may attend any town meeting by simply going to the town website and clicking on the meeting you wish to attend. You can call in by phone or attend by Zoom. This is a great way to be informed and involved in your community!
Speaking of the schools, our Board of Education this week met and opted to continue the “Hybrid” model of education into January 2021 due to rising COVID cases. This means student will be split as they have been attending school in person two days per week and remotely three days per week. This allows us to keep the class sizes small. We once again thank every single educator in town for your flexibility and wiliness to go the extra miles to teach our students in this new way.
This week the highway crew cut trees on Boombridge and Wyassup road. Crack sealing continued throughout town. Material was hauled in for a pipe repair job on Johnson road. Damaged and missing signs were replaced around town. More road repair and tree work will continue next week.
Finally on Tuesday evening we approved the feasibility study which will be conducted using a grant the town received. This will take a look at possible best uses of the John Dean Gallup house at Hewitt Farm. We look forward to the results of the study coming sometime in the next month or so and then getting the property put to good use!
That’s it for today, have a great week!
Mike Urgo First Selectman