Brookfield First Selectman Tara Carr February Spotlight

Hello Brookfield,

 

I hope you and your loved ones are all well. I want to remind everyone that 99.333% of our town’s population is healthy (as of January 20^th). This is something to be glad about and as experts predict, we should continue to see a decline in omicron infections across the country. We must remain hopeful that the worst is behind us.

 

February is now upon us, which means Town Hall is fully ensconced in “budget season.” All departments and the Board of Education have submitted their budgets and I will be spending the next two months, along with the Board of Finance, determining a final recommendation to bring forward for referendum this May.

 

Along with examining each line item of the budget, there are currently numerous other major initiatives underway, such as: phase 3 of the Town Center District Streetscape project; progress on the new elementary school construction; repairing walls at Whisconier; bidding for the high school boys’ locker room; appointing a new Police Chief (John Puglisi); hiring a new Land Use Director (Richelle Hodza of Warren); onboarding a town nurse (Tracey Cahill); coordination with mayors of bordering towns regarding the sewer moratorium; Covid test kit/N95 mask distributions (a huge thank you to Wayne Gravius, Chief Purcell, Jason DeSousa, Dr. Sullivan and Andy Ellis); establishing new plans, policies and procedures in different areas (such as time keeping and affordable housing); working on blighted properties; understanding Commissioner Boughton’s IIJA (infrastructure bill); three town business grand openings in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce; appointing members to our 24+ boards and commissions; participating in a ceremony for a promotion to Eagle Scout; and witnessing the unveiling of the beautiful mosaic at the Senior Center. 

 

I’ve spent a great deal of time in initial meetings with the departments across town hall, and in meetings with board and committee members and constituents. I've additionally been working closely with Blight, Conservation, WPCA, HRRA, WESCOG, Emergency Management, DOT, DEHMS, Eversource, HART, Brookfield CARES, etc. Thank you to all for continuing to take the time to teach me the ropes and providing “tours” around town and through facilities – especially Parks & Rec, Land Use and Police Department.

 

There is much effort that is put into this newsletter and I thank the volunteers who contribute, but sadly in a town of 17,000+, there are only 1,400 people subscribed to receive the Spotlight. I’m working on ways to better communicate with townspeople – this is a challenge because not everyone accesses a computer, not everyone who does is on social media, and mailings have become very expensive. I ask that you please share the Spotlight and CodeRed signups with other Brookfield residents. Both can be on the town webpage.

 

The lobby of Town Hall will soon be home to a service members’ display – an “Honor Wall” - where we'll hang photos of Brookfield residents who are currently serving or are Veterans to highlight and recognize their service and dedication to our nation. If you have a family member who is a current or former service member or you would like to contribute time, energy, and/or talent to this project, please email: adonnelly@donnellysecurity.com.

 

Every town is required by Public Act 13-34, to have a Veterans Service Liaison, and Robin Montgomery, Retired Brookfield Police Chief, is serving as our Veteran’s Service Contact Person. You can find many resources available to Veterans on the town website.

 

Every month I will highlight some of the incredible people who serve our town. This month I’d like to recognize the wonderful volunteers who selflessly dedicate their time to distributing goods for the Food Pantry. Under the guidance of Volunteer Pantry Manager, Susan Ludwig, volunteers distributed food throughout the Pandemic regardless of weather. Thank you to all our residents and businesses who have and continue to generously donate to residents in need.

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Mark your calendars:

Board of Selectmen Meeting Monday, February 7, at 7 p.m., Meeting Room 133 In-Person and by Zoom The meeting agenda will be posted on the town website the Friday afternoon prior to the meeting. The Zoom log-in information will be on the agenda   Board of Selectmen Coffee with the Community We encourage residents to stop by with any questions or concerns. Saturday, February 26, from 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. At The New Brookfield Market & Deli 277 Whisconier Road   Town Offices will be closed on: Friday, February 11 for Lincoln’s Birthday Monday, February 21 for Washington’s Birthday   Brookfield Library Click here to view the Brookfield Library February events!

American Legion, The George A. Powell, Sr., Post 202, serving Brookfield and Newtown American Legion members are veterans “getting involved” in people helping people, veterans working together for their country, community, youth programs, and veteran affairs. We also welcome veteran family members into the American Legion Auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion. The post meets the first Wednesday of every month at the Newtown Community Center at Fairfield Hills at 7 p.m. Mailing address: P.O. Box 659, Newtown, CT 06470. Follow on Facebook. For further information, contact the American Legion by email here. Please visit the town website for resources available to Veterans.

 Don’t forget to sign up for Brookfield’s Monthly Newsletter delivered to your email. Go onto our town’s website here scroll to the bottom, click on “Subscribe” and type in your email address. Each month updates, events and happenings are highlighted in the Brookfield Spotlight to keep everyone up to date on what’s going on in Brookfield!