9/29/2023 A Message from First Selectman Bindelglass
Good afternoon,
I want to acknowledge the passing of Harold (Scotty) Candee. The Candee family have been farmers, business people and citizens of Easton for several generations and have made a great contribution to our town. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to Easton EMS.
There will be an important meeting of the Board of Finance on Tuesday, October 3rd, at 7:00pm at the senior center and on zoom. There will be a presentation by the EMS Building Committee about their recommendations for a new EMS headquarters. This is the culmination of months of hard work and we are excited to proceed.
In November of 2022, the Planning and Zoning Commission passed an amendment to the zoning regulations of the Town of Easton. From the minutes the following members voted in favor: Martin, Ogden, Foley and DiPietro. Affected residents were notified in May of the change which takes effect on October 1, 2023. Now that the deadline is approaching this has caused some stir. The regulation says that if you own a property with a house on it and you own an adjoining property with no house which would not qualify today as a building lot and existed before zoning regulations were established in 1948, the following applies: The two properties will be considered as one, although not actually joined, so that if you tried to get a zoning variance to build on the second and non-conforming lot (after 75 years of not doing so) you no longer will be able to do so. Any property created since 1948 is not affected. Ownership, assessments, maps and almost certainly taxes are not affected. What should be obvious is that combining lots means less total lots and therefore less chance for development. In watershed areas, this is protective of the watershed. While about 120 people own second adjoining lots, most are access ways or other small lots where you would never consider building another house.
Last night we convened the first meeting of the Land Acquisition and Preservation Authority. I want to thank those who have volunteered to serve. This may well be a critical time for Easton as large tracts of land potentially become available.
On Monday October 2nd, at 9:30am we will be raising the breast cancer awareness flag which will fly over town hall for breast cancer awareness month through October. So many in town have been affected directly or through our friends and loved ones by this terrible disease. This is a reminder about the importance of getting appropriate screening. Prevention and early detection are critical. All are welcome as my wife, Gloria, a breast cancer survivor will be joining me. Thank you to Wendy Bowditch who donated the flag.
Plastic take-out containers are no longer being collected at the Easton Library. Due to operational changes, the Bridgeport Food Pantry will not be needing the containers going forward. A huge thank you to all who donated containers to this program! Over the past 11 months, just over 2,300 containers were given another use. We are grateful for the resulting positive impact for both the environment and the Bridgeport Food Pantry. If you can't reuse your containers, you can put white & clear plastic and aluminum containers in your single-stream recycling cart. Black plastic containers should go in your trash.
The Friends of the Library are having their used book sale this weekend which is one of the highlights of the year for us. Please join us on Saturday and Sunday from 9:00am-4:00pm. Kids shopping will be held on Friday, September 29th from 4:00pm-6:00pm and sip n’ shop for members and newcomers into Easton who can sip water or wine and pursue the selection with "first dibs" rights to purchase from 6:30pm-8:00pm. If you have any questions please email friends@eastonlibrary.org
Flu shots will be offered for adults at the Easton Senior Center on Wednesday, October 4th and Thursday, October 12th from 7:00am-2:00pm. You must call for an appointment (203) 268-1145 and bring your insurance ID to the appointment.
Hazardous Waste Collection Day is scheduled for Saturday, October 7th from 9:00am-2:00pm at 307 Indian Ledge Park Drive, Trumbull (next to BMX facility). For more information, please click here: https://www.trumbull-ct.gov/446/Household-Hazardous-Waste-Collection
United Illuminating (UI) our local electric utility will be conducting LiDAR flights along our transmission lines in their entire Connecticut service area next week. They will use a Bell Long Ranger helicopter 206L - N29WW - blue & white with gold stripes, to capture the images. Their Project Outreach team will be available to answer any questions you may have at 888-848-3697 or outreach@uinet.com. This survey is critical to the upkeep of their systems.
This is the twentieth anniversary of the Easton Community Center. They have asked us to pass along the following: Get your Lederhosen ready. Twenty-year Anniversary Oktoberfest Bash in our charming farm town. Come one come all to the Easton Community Center on October 14th, as we roll out the barrels to celebrate two decades of serving the community! Get ready to tap your toes to live music, indulge in mouthwatering delicacies, sip on adult beverages that will make your taste buds dance, and dive into a beer pong tournament. Games, laughter and good times are on the menu as we party from 4:00pm until 9:00pm. Whether you are a long-time friend or a newcomer to our community, we hope you will join us as we raise a toast to 20 fantastic years.
The upcoming event at the Union Cemetery is a great opportunity for community members to learn more about our town’s past while helping clean and restore one of our oldest cemeteries. The Historical Society is holding two sessions with renowned expert Michael Carroll of Rediscovering History on Saturday, October 21st at 10:00am and 1:00pm. Attendees will be given an overview of cemetery preservation, safety guidelines for cleaning as well as a resetting demonstration. Cleaning kits and supplies will be provided to participants so they can learn first-hand with guidance on a selection of tombstones in need of care. Rediscovering History is a non-profit group of trained volunteers committed to cleaning up our cemeteries, honoring our fallen military members and preserving history. Through cemetery cleanups, they are bringing history to the forefront of our communities. The Historical Society of Easton is proud to sponsor this event and to help the Union Cemetery’s ongoing maintenance and repair costs. Light refreshments will be provided for event participants. Space is limited so we ask those interested to please sign-up early and for one session per person. Please visit the link for tickets and more details. If you are unable to attend, there is donation link if you would like to support our preservation efforts! https://historical-society-of-easton.yapsody.com/event/index/783505/union-cemetery-workshop
Please see the recent article about Ukraine aid for our sister city Sviatohirsk in Ukraine at: https://eastoncourier.news/2023/09/24/a-tale-of-two-sister-cities-easton-ct-and-sviatohirsk-ukraine/ You can see in a series of videos all that Easton has helped accomplish for our sister city.
Have a good weekend,
Dave