8/4/2023 A Message from First Selectman Bindelglass
Good afternoon,
Hopefully by now you have all had a chance to enjoy our wonderful Volunteer Fireman’s Carnival. It is always such a great event and great to see all of our neighbors enjoying themselves. Our volunteers work incredibly hard every year to bring this event to life. Fun fact: In the first 3 days of the carnival we consumed an actual ton of hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken.
Monday night we had an event organized by Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz and the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs, Ronald Welch to honor our Vietnam and Korean war veterans and their families. We heard many great stories from our vets and had the chance to recognize and thank them. It was my honor to be able to participate and host.
On Thursday, we honored Police Chief Doyle for his 35 years of service to our town. Last week, we honored EMS Chief Jon Arnold, also a Police Captain. Whether serving our country or our town, we see the remarkable commitment of the people of Easton and of those who may not live here but still serve us.
Many of you may not know that we have a Volunteer Fire Department which is supplemented by two full time firefighters who work 24/7. The department is housed in the firehouse which the volunteers own and in which the town rents space to house our equipment. The volunteers also contribute to firefighting activities from the money they raise at the carnival. You can read more about the fire department at https://www.evfc1.com/.
Our Emergency Medical Service is more volunteer based with full time coverage weekdays from 7:00am to 3:00pm and per diem workers from 3:00pm to 6:00pm weekdays. The remainder of hours are covered by volunteers who are from Easton and surrounding towns. We also help cover calls in surrounding towns by mutual aid. There is a national and regional shortage of EMT’s including paid professionals who work for private companies. Even in towns who outsource their services, we often have to help cover their calls. EMS also contributes approximately $150,000 in fees they collect to the town. They work out of the EMS headquarters which is owned by the town, but is in dire need of replacement. You can read more about our volunteer EMS service at https://eastonems.com/.
As do all other towns and cities we recognize the heroic actions of all of our emergency service workers. While on the one hand it is easy to take it for granted that you call 911 when you need them and they come, they deserve our fullest support and gratitude.
The Sviatohirsk Sunflower Fest will be held on Sunday, August 6. The sunflowers are blooming and beautiful. The event runs from 10:30am-2:00pm and there will be lots of fun things to do. We are about to deliver a new water filtration system to provide much needed drinking water for the people of Sviatohirsk. We are working on ways that we can help provide heat in the coming winter for the remaining residents still in the town, many of whom are seniors who physically could not leave. Our next step is to provide them with a machine which can transform their downed trees and scraps into pellets which can be used as fuel for their furnaces. The machinery costs about $30,000 and we have raised the first $10,000. This is time sensitive, so please support our effort, particularly for our seniors. Imagine not having heat for the winter with winters that are much more severe than our own.
Please join Easton EMS for a charity ride and car show on Saturday, August 12 from 10:00am-2:00pm at Helen Keller Middle School (new location). Rain date is Sunday, August 13. There is a $20 entrance fee for cars and motorcycles and the event is FREE for spectators. All proceeds go towards a new EMS building.
The Senior Center tag sale has been extended until August 31. There is some great stuff to pick up.
A beloved summer highlight, the Easton Farm Tour, hosted by Citizens for Easton (CFE), kicks off on Saturday, August 12, from 10:00am to 2:00pm. This highly anticipated event promises a day of fun-filled activities, educational opportunities, and a chance to explore both the area's rich agricultural heritage and historic sites.
The first stop on the farm tour will be at Samuel Staples Elementary School Pavilion. A map of farms and the day’s events will be distributed. Map holders will receive discounts and samples at the participating farms.
At the pavilion, Citizens for Easton (CFE) volunteers will host community projects, offer membership information, and as always, there will be a free drawing for prizes generously donated by local farms, artists, and businesses. The Easton Garden Club will also be teaching gardeners-to-be some tricks of the trade. State certified Master Composters will be available to answer questions about backyard composting and vermicomposting (composting with worms) for interested attendees.
Children and families can also enjoy old time fun and games provided by the Easton Community Center staff from 10:00am to noon, promising delightful entertainment for the young ones before setting out to visit participating farms.
The Self-Guided Farm Tour, running from 10:00am to 2:00pm, will give visitors a chance to explore some of Easton's finest farms and orchards and to meet our farmers and several distinguished Easton historians.
For more information about CFE, visit citizensforeaston.org.
The Selectmen have accepted a court stipulation to discontinue Old Burr Highway which is a dirt road off of Freeborn Road. Discontinuance is a statutory process where the town ends its responsibility for road maintenance. This stretch of road connects into Trout Brook Valley. The Aspetuck Land Trust prefers that you park at the lot on Freeborn Road to access trails into the valley, but you may continue to access the valley using the discontinued road. Please see questions below about discontinuation Old Burr’s Highway:
Can the public continue walking the entire road from the beginning, where it starts at Freeborn, to where it ends in the valley? Yes, provided that once a walker reaches the property of the owners, they remain to the right to walk as it is limited to the right side of the road. Also, walking is limited to the hours between sunset and sundown, a limitation imposed by the Aspetuck Land Trust on all of its properties.
Did the town place limitations on the use of the discontinued road? The town did not place restrictions on use of the road. The road is controlled by the owners of the land on either side. Because Aspetuck Land Trust and its guests (essentially the public) have the perpetual right of access to and from Freeborn Road, discontinuance does not affect the right of all abutters to use the entire discontinued road for access to the nearest public highway (Freeborn Road).
Was there a conveyance of the title to the land? No, the town never actually had title to the land where the road is located. Many town roads exist where the town never received an actual deed to the roadway. It’s only recently (the last 50-75 years) that towns routinely required a deed from an owner of land who sought to have a road become a public road. When a road is discontinued, the owners on either side of the road automatically control the road to the center line. Even before the road was discontinued, the owners on either side had actual title to the road, subject to the public right to pass and repass.
Have a great weekend,
Dave