8/28/2020 A Message from First Selectman Bindelglass
Good afternoon,
It looks like yesterday’s storm pretty much missed us! That is good as we continue to work on improvements we can make regarding our handling of the prior storm. Remarkably, we have continued to struggle with repairs by Optimum/Altice, thanks to my Administrative Assistant, Janet Haller who has harassed them every day for the last three weeks! The progress has been extremely slow with multiple starts and stops. I am sorry for those inconvenienced especially in this era of work from home virtually. We are evaluating our options for going forward including looking at new carriers. Oversight at the state level is hard to untangle but we will find a solution.
Our work with the Public Utilities Regulatory Agency looking at UI’s response continues. UI has agreed to aggressively start pruning and removing trees in the near future. We will do everything we can to make sure that happens as the best way to deal with these storms in the future is to minimize their affect.
Also, of concern is a newly announced plan by Aquarion to ship water from our reservoirs to the southern parts of Fairfield County. We are looking into the implications of this including financial ramifications.
On a happier note for our seniors, the state has issued guidelines for the opening of senior centers and we will begin to offer services for our seniors at the center in September. Our seniors have seen their lives most disrupted by the pandemic and we are thrilled to offer them some normalcy again. I want to offer the entire town’s thanks to Val Buckley and the Senior Center staff and to Alison Witherbee who, for months, have worked tirelessly to keep our seniors engaged, connected and safe. We will begin cautiously and increase services over time.
Many of you hopefully saw my earlier post this week about the spike in COVID-19 cases in Danbury. Again, if you travel in the next few weeks, the best of course is to avoid states on the affected list. If travel cannot be avoided, please adhere strictly to the self-quarantine directive upon your return. The success of future plans to return to more normalcies such as the opening of senior centers and schools, as well as opening or increasing the capacities of other businesses, will depend on how well we continue to adhere to mask and social distancing compliance. Many scientists have predicted a second wave this fall, and if our behaviors can help stave this off, we all benefit. No one wants to go backwards.
Have a great, and a safe weekend.
Dave Bindelglass