Town Budget Review
While much of our attention has been on the upcoming 2024-2025 annual budget referendum vote on April 23rd, most Town department heads have met with the comptroller and First Selectman over the last few weeks for the final quarterly budget review of the 2023-2024 budget. We are on track to finish the year on budget!
Spring Clean-up Efforts
We had a complaint this week about an overflowing garbage can on Greenwood Ave. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find who put it there, so our highway department took care of it. Springtime appears to be the time of year that more litter is tossed out on our roads and parking lots. Thank you to the residents who called the mess to our attention and thank you to all who help keep Bethel clean!
Scam Awareness Event
State Rep Marty Foncello and The Cascades in Stony Hill hosted Connecticut Attorney General William Tong this week to discuss many of the scams that victimize seniors in Bethel. He covered many of the more notable ways criminals separate our seniors from their life savings. The big take-home message is there are resources available from the Elder Justice Hotline at 1-860-808-5555. His presentation was fantastic, and we have asked for him to return for another at our Senior Center in the fall.
Upcoming Events and Announcements
- Office Hours: Wednesday, April 17th from 7 am to 8:30 am at Town Hall in the First Selectman office.
- Public Hearing: Zoning Board of Appeals, Tuesday, April 16, 2024, at 6:00 pm. Check out upcoming public hearings at Bethel-ct.gov.
Community Updates
- Bethel Senior Center: With additional grant funding provided by the state, their kitchen and an ADA compliant bathroom were remodeled. The town also replaced their commercial refrigerator in the commercial kitchen. Stop in and take a look.
- Bethel High School "Post Prom": An annual alcohol and drug-free event held to keep our kids and community safe on prom night. Donations of any size are greatly appreciated to help with activities, decorations, food, and prizes. Visit Notch 8 on April 29th and mention Post Prom during lunch or dinner, and a donation will be made to the cause. If you would like to contribute, send a check to “BHS PTSO” with “post prom” in the memo to Bethel High School at 300 Whittlesey Drive. Venmo is also an option: Venmo BHS-PTSO. Contact BHSpostprom06801@gmail.com with questions.
Upcoming Events
- Annual Bethel Community Earth Day Event: Trashapaloza town-wide cleanup kicks off at 10 am and runs to 12 pm. Berardinelli Services is providing a dumpster behind Town Hall. After dropping off trash, celebrate at the Earth Day Fair on the Town Hall lawn from 11 am to 2 pm.
- Annual CT Beer Fest 2024: Our own Broken Symmetry will be participating in this event sponsored by the CT Brewers’ Guild on Saturday, April 20th, at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford. Visit Connecticut Beer Fest 2024 for tickets.
Registration and Opportunities
- Bethel Parks & Recreation Day Camp: Registration begins on Monday, April 22nd, at 9:00 am. Camp runs from June 24th to August 2nd. Visit Bethel Parks & Rec for more info on camp and other opportunities.
- Putt FORE Paws: Returns on June 10th to the beautiful Redding Country Club. Join for a day of golf and goodwill at the Joyce Allen Memorial Tournament. Sponsorship opportunities are available, and golfer registration is open. Register or sponsor at Putt FORE Paws.
Community Recognition
- A big shoutout to Hannah Stowell and her Voting Registration Assembly at Bethel High School. Her well-organized Capstone Project registered well over 70 students to vote! Thank you for your civic engagement, Hannah!
- Congrats to Joey O’Hara and Mackenzie Variale, our athletes of the week!
- Girls lacrosse, girls tennis, and Bethel Softball all had wins this week! Outstanding Wildcats!
- A shoutout to the girls track team who registered 13 SWC qualifying times and 12 state qualifying times this week!