Bethel First Selectman Update: Earth Day, Town and School Budgets Pass Referendum, Chamber Networking, STEAM Expo,

Both the town and school budgets passed by referendum on Tuesday. The final step in the process is for the Board of Finance to reset the mill rate to correspond with the needs of the budget. They have 15 days to act.

The Bethel Chamber of Commerce holds a weekly business networking meeting on Tuesdays at 8:30 am at Daily Fare in the Bethel train station. This week’s meeting, however, was hosted by Maplewood at Stony Hill. Thank you to the staff at Maplewood for all the information and resources for our seniors! I encourage families to check out the Dementia Workshop on April 26th and May 3rd 10 am week at their
Danbury location. RSVP By April 24th to Jennifer Burke-James at danburycrd@maplewoodsl.com or call 203.642.6002. Check out their website for more resources.

I had a great honor this week to swear in Bethel Police Department’s newest Sergeant, Greg Emerson. After a very competitive process, Greg was chosen for the position by the Police Commission. Congratulations to Greg and his family! Bethel High School hosted the K-5 STEAM Expo 2023 this week. Students participated with an optional project that gave them an opportunity to explore a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) concept or discipline in greater depth. I can say first had that many of the students had a lot of fun with their projects. Congrats to all who participated!

My next office hours will be on Thursday, April 27th from 7 am to 8 am at Town Hall in Meeting Room A. Aquarion Water Company contacted us and they are looking for nominations for their Environmental Champion Awards for environmental leadership and commitment to sustainability. Winners in the Adult, Non-Profit Organization, and Business categories will have an opportunity to choose an environmental non-profit to receive a $5000 grant. The winner in the Student (grades 9-12) category will receive $1000 award. Visit here for more information.

Tomorrow, April 22 is the Earth Day celebration in Bethel. The day kicks off with Trashapalooza, a town-wide clean up from 9 am to 11 am, followed by an Earth Day Fair from 11 am to 1 pm at the Municipal Center, with snacks, games & activities, live music, and educational tables. The celebration is sponsored by Bethel Parks & Rec, the Bethel Land Trust, Sustainable Bethel, and the Bethel Volunteer Fire
Department. Hope to see you there!

Speaking of Earth Day, a huge shoutout this week to Rob Wallace and his band of volunteers for taking the initiative to clean up an illegal tire dump in town. And also, to Berardinelli Tire for picking up and disposing of the tires. We are following leads to catch those responsible for the illegal dumping. Until then, we are so lucky to live in a community where people come together to make Bethel an incredible
place to live!