Attention Aquarion Customers
The Aquarion wells serving Newtown and Bethel were flooded las August due to a collapse of a rail trestle bridge near the Pootatuck River. Unfortunately, the wells remain out of service. Aquarion is announcing a non-essential outdoor water ban and a moratorium on new connections for the rest of the year, or until the river flow is restored. Lawn irrigation, car washing, exterior building washing, and filling pools are non-essential. Expect a letter and a call from Aquarion in the next month or so with details and commercial exceptions.
Motor Vehicle Tax
A repeat question about motor vehicle taxes in CT: If you park your car in Bethel, and you pay taxes on your car to another state or town, is your car still taxed in Bethel? Yes, where your car is garaged, not primary residence, determines where the car is taxed. If you own a vehicle with an out of state plate or you moved in from another town in CT, please register your car in Bethel with the DMV or contact the tax assessor. Otherwise, you may still receive a tax bill from Bethel, including a fee for collecting the tax.
Bethel Patriotic Association
The Bethel Patriotic Association has a long history of supporting patriotic events in town, most notably the Memorial Day Parade. If you are interested in joining the group, please email haganwilliam87@gmail.com
Traffic Signs
You may notice some new traffic signs around Bethel, including arrows at “T” intersections. These were provided by the CT DOT as part of an effort to improve safety on our roads.
Irish Flag Raising
Don’t miss a Bethel tradition! Join friends and neighbors for the Raising of the Irish Flag on PT Barnum Square at 9 am on Monday, March 17th at 9 am in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. After the raising, the group will head over to Town Hall for another flag raising and refreshments. In case of inclement weather, the celebration will meet at Town Hall.
Walk Audit Presentation
Last year the members of the Sustainable Bethel Commission completed a “walk audit” in Stony Hill to learn more about pedestrian safety issues. Their audit was helpful in securing a Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant to help Bethel create a plan to address traffic safety in town. If you haven’t seen the presentation, Sustainable Bethel will present the summary to the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, March 18th at 7 pm at Town Hall in Meeting Room A.
Budget Hearing
Final notice! Don’t forget the public hearing on the budget next Wednesday, March 19th at the Bethel High School auditorium at 7 pm. The Board of Finance will make necessary modifications on March 20th and present the budget to the Town Meeting on April 2nd at the Bethel High School auditorium at 7 pm. Check out the proposed budget here: https://bethel-ct.gov/depts-comptroller.
Rockwell PTO Comedy Night
Rockwell School PTO is hosting a Comedy Night at Greenwood Features on Saturday, March 22nd. Not only do they have a fantastic lineup of talent, including Rockwell’s funniest teacher, Tony Liberati, the silent auction will benefit Rockwell School!
https://givebutter.com/c/Wgma0q
WorkspaceCT Summer Programs
WorkspaceCT’s summer program schedule for kids and teens has been released! They are offering several enriching programs: Woodworking, STEM, Theatre, Cooking, Arts & Crafting, and more. They have also added an option for extended hours to help busy/working parents. There is a 15% discount if you register by March 31st. Use code: EARLYBIRD15. Find info here: https://www.workspacect.org/summerprograms
- A huge shoutout to Greg Henry who is the 2025 Friends of Bethel Award winner, presented by the Bethel Public Schools! Greg’s leadership in All Sports Booster Club and his commitment to the schools made him an easy choice!
- A late shoutout to the Bethel Debate Team who had another amazing performance at the March debate tournament in Ridgefield. Josephina Howard and Andrew Santiago placed 6th overall in varsity. Toshan Bhattachyra and Joey Corigliano placed 11th and Max Salvestrini and Shravya Mankala came in Willa Zalaznick took 3rd speaker overall, Josephina was 5th place, Jack Woleck took 8th and Toshan was 11th.
- In the novice division, the team of Radha Sinha and Trisha Sharma came in 2nd, Bhuvan Sai Dasari and Akhil Sharma were 12th, Peter Gardella and Jacqui Eng were 13th, and Aarna Doshi and Zia Arakal were 16th. For novice speakers, Aarna placed 2nd overall, Trisha was 8th, Peter Gardella was 10th, Bhuvan was 11th, and Radha was 12th. Great Job!
- A shoutout to Pat Rist for her service as President of the Bethel Historical Society! The society is a non-profit group that seeks to educate, preserve and promote Bethel’s rich heritage. Pat led so many efforts to promote awareness of the town’s history, including sculptor David Gesauldi’s life-sized statue of P.T. Barnum in front of the Bethel Library, restoration of the WWI Doughboy statue in P.T. Barnum Square, walking tours, and celebrations of key historic commemorative events, including a parade for P.T. Barnum’s 200th birthday celebration. Thank you, Pat!
- Congrats to Mary Ferri as the new President of the Bethel Historical Society! If you’re interested in the town’s history, please sign up today to become a member of the Historical Society. Membership forms can be found at: https://bethelhistoricalsociety.com/index2-membership.htm
- Good luck to the Lady Wildcats tomorrow night who are taking on Northwest Catholic at Mohegan Sun in their first State Championship! You have all worked so hard to get here and we are all so excited for tomorrow! Tickets for the 6:15 pm game are available at Ticketmaster. The game can be viewed live stream at https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/ciac/gamfbb2fda6c7.
- Good luck to our swim team who are competing in the state competition tomorrow!
- Congrats to YeeJun Ng and Luke Richardson who earned all-state and academic all-state for indoor track!
*Image courtesy Christine Carver, Instagram https://www.instagram.com/christinelcarver