Update 5/9/2024
Good afternoon,
In a tragic accident early Thursday morning, three Easton residents lost their lives. Steve Rowland and Thomas and Olga Vitale were driving on the Merritt when they were struck head on. All of our thoughts and prayers go out to their families. They will all be missed by our entire community.
On May 7, the town held a referendum. The budgets for the town and Region 9 (Joel Barlow High School) passed by wide margins. Expenditures increased by 2.87%. The next step in the procedure was for the Board of Finance to finalize the Mill rate. To do this, they look at our undesignated (or rainy-day fund/reserves) and decide how much of that they want to use to offset spending increases. The town does not want to tax you for funds it does not need, but we conservatively want to keep a healthy reserve. The amount added from the reserve or undesignated fund which is used allows the town to determine the mill rate, and for our citizens the increase in taxes. Following the vote, the BOF set the mill rate at 29.54 for a 2.0% increase. The town also approved by a wide margin the lease with the New England Prayer center. Thanks to both my fellow selectmen for their patience and assistance. We look forward to the center’s continued services.
The annual Easton Garden Mart is coming to the Firehouse Carnival Green this Saturday May 11, rain or shine, 9 a.m. to 12:30 pm.. Perennials, annuals, pollinators, herbs – and wonderful baked goods, too. Plus, there will be Master Gardeners to answer your questions. All just in time for Mother’s Day. We sell out fast, and folks often “line up” before 9 a.m. to get their best choices. All funds go back to supporting the town: we use our funding to give back to Easton’s community through outreach, beautification and conservations. Â
Demolition is scheduled to start on the tennis courts this upcoming Monday, May 13 at 7 a.m. The playground will remain open but there will be a few days when it will need to be closed. Also, half the parking lot will need to be closed to accommodate construction vehicles. The expected timeline is three months until completion.
The deadline to file applications for the Easton Senior Tax Relief Program and State of Connecticut Elderly Homeowner’s Program is Wednesday, May 15. Please call the Assessor’s Office for any questions or assistance.  Information about these programs are also available on https://www.eastonct.gov/assessor/files/tax-relief-programs.
Join the Easton SEPTA (Special Education Parent Teacher Association) and Director of Special Education, Katherine Matz, on Friday, May 31 at 9 a.m. for Coffee with Katherine at Sport Hill Farm (596 Sport Hill Rd). Come with any questions or thoughts you have about our special education services and what to expect for our kids in 2024-2025.
Join Easton Pride for the 5th Annual Flag Raising at 1:00PM on Saturday, June 1st at Easton Town Hall. There will be a variety of games, arts and crafts, story time, ice cream, and a movie screening from 3:15 to 4:15 pm. at the Easton Library.
Easton’s Here to Help is looking for parents and guardians of Easton students to participate in an ongoing survey. This survey touches on substance use, knowledge of products, social media, and other challenges parents and guardians may be facing. Participants can remain anonymous, and by completing this survey it will help EHTH understand what areas need to be addressed to better help our community. The survey can be completed by clicking here Â
SAVE THE DATE: We will be accepting donations of home grown produce or purchased items from Easton farms to assist Easton’s homebound seniors. Drop-off site is Shaggy Coos Farm, 53 Center Road on Tuesdays ONLY beginning July 8 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information contact, Daniel Simonelli at 203-268-1137.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Dave
