Updated 3/4/2022
Good afternoon,
First, our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Ukraine, who are being brutally attacked by Russian aggressors. A vigil will be held in front of the library on Sunday, March 6 at 5:30. All are welcome.
In one week, we have gone from red to yellow as our Covid numbers continue to improve. It is good to see faces again now that there is no mask mandate in public buildings. In regards to the Senior Center, which is our most vulnerable population, we strongly recommend wearing a mask for everyone’s safety.
As you know, internet connectivity has been a focus of the town. It was heartening to read a story in the Courier this week about a resident’s very positive experience with Frontier. We are addressing the issue on multiple fronts so that we can make sure the town gets the best possible service.
Almost all pre-pandemic programs are returning to the library as we relax mask policies so please look at their website and avail yourself of the free programs for residents of all ages, particularly children.
It was a very busy week for the Board of Finance, as they spent three long evenings hearing presentations on most of the town’s budgets. All of their deliberations are available on Zoom and on Channel 79. We are working to improve the technology, so please feel free to email me to discuss how you find the quality. This is grueling and very detailed work for the committee, which is of course made up of elected volunteers and appointed alternates who give a great deal of their time particularly in budget season. I also want to thank all the town’s department heads who work extremely hard to prepare and present their budgets. However, the greatest burden falls on Finance Director, Christine Calvert, who has to record and collate all the budgets and oversee the entire process. All those involved know that we could not do this without her dedication and effort. The budget-related Grand List was officially completed this week. While I spoke about this last week, more details will follow in the coming weeks.
Finally, last night at the Board of Selectmen meeting we discussed the need to reconstitute a human resource committee to mostly adjudicate issues pertaining to our town employees. We may change the composition of the committee, but we feel the committee is needed.
Have a great weekend,
Dave
