5/12/2023 A Message from First Selectman Bindelglass

Good afternoon,

Don’t forget to visit the Garden Club’s plant sale this Saturday, May 13th at the Firehouse Green from 9:00am-12:30pm.  Cash and checks will be accepted. This is a great annual event.

Senior Tax Relief Applications are due Monday, May 15, 2023. Interested elderly homeowners not already on the program and meet the qualifications may contact the Assessor’s Office for an application. This is a much needed service for our seniors. Please do not miss this opportunity. Easton is Easton because of those who have lived here for many years and we are committed to helping our seniors and longtime residents.  Additional information about the Elderly Tax Relief Programs is available here at Senior Tax Relief Programs.

On May 16th at 7:00pm at Samuel Staples elementary school, the planning & zoning commission has invited CT169 Strong to participate in a planning meeting to help explain potential impacts of proposed/approved land use legislation in the State of CT. Residents are encouraged to attend and public comment will be welcomed.  This is an important issue to us all, and the speakers will share important information.  I hope many of you can attend.  A zoom link will be posted on the town website shortly.

Easton-Sviatohirsk will host a live storytelling and zoom conversation with residents of Sviatohirsk on Sunday, May 21st, 1:00pm to 3:00pm at the Easton Public Library. Please join us! Donations to support Sviatohirsk can be made by visiting Ukraine Aid International.

Join the 12th annual Memorial Mile on Monday, May 29th before the parade. Sign in begins at 7:30am and the race starts at 8:30am sharp at the Easton Firehouse. To register, please go to Annual Memorial Day Easton Exchange Club Mile Race.

Easton will celebrate its annual Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony to honor all who have given their lives in the service of their country. As always, we thank the American Legion post 160 who put this wonderful celebration of remembrance together. The parade will begin at the Easton Firehouse on Monday, May 29th at 9:30am and end with a ceremony at Town Hall.

Some questions have been asked about the progress of the sale of the 18.7 acres at South Park Avenue to the Aspetuck Land Trust for $470,000.  As you recall, the town approved this sale by referendum on May 3, 2022. Since that time, we have been inching towards the closing with all the red tape that you might imagine given that the deal is contingent on state funding to the land trust to complete the sale. The state has already approved that funding. In trying to move things along a quick deed referencing the payment was signed by me and recorded on the town’s land records. According to the town attorney, “The answer is simply that the deed was recorded by mistake.  The deed was never actually “accepted” by ALT and without acceptance there is no actual transfer of title.  ALT is aware of the situation and as soon as they receive [the actual funds] grant from the State the funds will be transferred to the Town and the conveyance will be complete.” To remind those of you with questions, public land may only be sold with a town vote as per town ordinances. The people have voted to sell this land to the land trust and so it will be. The land and the adjacent Mill River will be preserved forever.

There has recently been a lot of discussion about the fate of the Easton Village Store. The current owner will remain the owner of the store which will now become a take-out restaurant featuring “high end” food. It will be managed by a local restauranteur. The incoming management group plans to do some interior renovations on the kitchen. In zoning speak, this is known as a less intense usage because it is going from having seating to being exclusively take-out. Planning and Zoning unanimously approved these changes on April 18th. An appeal of the planning and zoning decision has been filed, but the town attorney does not anticipate that this will affect the work going forward.

Sacred Heart University recently recognized their graduate and our distinguished police officer and school resource officer, Anthony Telesco for his fine work with their Pioneer 30 young alumni award. If you see Officer Telesco around school, please congratulate him. We thank him for his great work.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Dave