01/14/2022 A Message from First Selectman Bindelglass
Good afternoon.
The Covid news is somewhat mixed. We recorded our 1,000th case in Easton. This is certainly an underestimate because many are testing at home and not being captured in the state data. For the first time in several weeks, we had less cases week over week. For the week ending January 1, we had 129 cases and for the week ending January 8, 101. The state recorded a decline in patients in the hospital with Covid for the first time in weeks as well. People testing positive have had an impact on several town operations, including our ability to conduct in person meetings and maintenance at park and rec. As I have said from time to time, we may have to adjust how we are holding meetings to fit the current Covid situation. The information technology people we have consulted with tell us that all towns they work with are having similar issues. We are working on better ways to hold hybrid meetings to allow more people to participate safely as the pandemic drags on. Our schools have managed to function almost normally these first weeks of January which we should not take for granted as many of our neighboring towns have not. This is a tribute to our administration, staff and families.
I want to recognize two gentlemen who have made great contributions to town. Wallace Williams has served on Planning and Zoning for many years and is stepping down. Steve Corti has maintained our Paine open space almost singlehandedly for many years. You may have read about the celebration of his work that was held earlier this year. We thank them both for their service. Also, Luis Rodriguez is the newest member of the Easton Police force and we welcome him. We also recognize the excellent work of Detective Kent Lyman and Sergeant Tom Ceccarelli who were out in the middle of last week’s snowstorm tracking down a lost child returning him to home safely.
Recently, there have been less complaints about the quality of internet service. I do not know if this is because service has improved or if people have grown tired of reporting problems. Please continue to bring problems to the attention of Town Hall, both so we can escalate the complaints and help you, and so we can keep track of the magnitude of the problems. Optimum is considering upgrades to provide faster more reliable service, and we continue to look at other options. Better Wi-Fi is now available in the library and outside in the library parking lot.
Town Hall will be closed on Monday, January 17th, in honor of Martin Luther King.
Stay safe,
Dave