1/23/2021 A Message from First Selectman Bindelglass
Good afternoon,
On Wednesday we inaugurated a new President of the United States. Despite the rancor surrounding the insurrection at the Capitol two weeks earlier the process went smoothly and peacefully in Washington D.C. and around the country. To me this highlights the fact that our democracy stood its ground, and that even if we don’t all agree on who should lead our country, we can be respectful of the choice our citizens have made. The right to express our opinions is always paramount, but I hope as we have done in the past, those expressions can be made with civility. I believe there are good honest discussions happening around town, and as always, as your First Selectman, I take pride in what I believe is the respect and decency we show each other as Eastonites.
Unfortunately, as we begin to ramp up vaccinations for the Covid-19 virus this week we passed the grim milestone of 400,000 deaths due to the virus. I resist the attempts many have made to put that number in context by comparing it to other events that have led to the loss of life in our country, but suffice it to say this is a great national tragedy. In Easton the per 100,000 rate published for cases through January 16, fell to 42.8 and the total number of cases stands at 266. We have managed to keep our schools open which is great. The vaccination efforts are proceeding and the senior center continues to assist our seniors in signing up for appointments to get the vaccine
We have fostered a new level of collaboration between the library, the Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Easton Community Center. Several joint events are planned. See the Park and Rec page. When I took office the task of taking down hundreds of Ash trees seemed daunting to the point of almost impossible. Since that time the town has taken down more than 1100 trees many by the town and some by outside contractors. We hope to be getting reimbursed for some of the work of newly available state money.
We have done extensive tree work at the Paine open space and hope to move forward with the help of the Park and Rec to improve trail maintenance there. The grand list for 2020 should be finalized shortly and the revaluation of property in Easton should begin. It is my hope that the revaluation will substantially improve the grand list and our tax collections for 2022-3). I wrote earlier about noise complaints in town. Historically, there was a noise ordinance proposed a number of years ago which was not approved. I am interested to know what people think so feel free to contact me so I can gauge the level of interest. In the meantime, I would again urge you to be considerate of your neighbors, whether you are doing construction or just mowing your lawn.
Have a great weekend, and be safe.
Dave Bindelglass