To the Editor:
Easton Volunteer EMS is a private association. As in many towns, this volunteer organization’s relationship with town government evolved over the decades. But they take great pride in their volunteer culture, and their efforts to provide care with low impact on Easton taxpayers.
In keeping with this mission, EMS has been consulting with lawyers and First Selectman David Bindelglass to find a plan that enables them to make use of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding towards construction of a new building. Government funding often comes with strings attached, and a big string for ARP is the requirement of a tight timeline. Given the private-public partnership, there is no guarantee this effort will succeed, and if it does not, then EMS will go to plan B.
But for now, EMS leadership and Dr. Bindelglass are working hard to make this plan succeed. We will see a bit later if the plan gets ARP approval, and then see what local approvals are additionally required. Until then, however, demands that EMS’s efforts get bogged down with bureaucratic obstacles can only serve as a distraction and delay for those who are trying to get this done. I hope to see no such further distractions from Mr. Kachele or others. A building committee may be required, but that is not yet certain.
If local approvals later involve the BOS or BOF, I hope the members of those boards will be open-minded in hearing out EMS and will not have a kneejerk reaction against any project that is not carried out strictly according to their own preferred style.
Ira Kaplan
Easton
