East Granby Selectmen Discuss Emergency Exercise, Road Repair, Concert

The East Granby Board of Selectmen covered a lot of ground at its most recent meeting, discussing emergency preparedness, a summer concert, recent road paving and more Wednesday night.

First Selectman Jim Hayden said the recent emergency preparedness exercise conducted in East Granby and throughout the state at the end of July was beneficial, helping town officials find the strengths and weaknesses in its emergency response procedures.

Replacing or significantly repairing the generator at the senior center is a priority, as is officially recruiting volunteers for a community action team that can perform important tasks from cutting fallen trees to filling sandbags to cooking meals.

Moving East Granby’s emergency operations center from the  to another location was another consideration that is being made based on the results of the exercise.

“We learned a lot and I think everyone got a lot out of it,” Hayden said.

To better prepare the town for possible emergencies, the town has designated September as Emergency Preparedness Month. Town officials will spread information and work through the various measures and lessons learned during the exercise.

The town’s summer paving projects are moving along steadily. Roads in the Horseshoe neighborhood, including Horseshoe Drive, Carriage Lane, Saddle Drive and Surrey Drive, have been paved at a cost of $158,000, about $10,000 less than the initial estimate.

Sage Road is the next road on the paving and repair list with an estimated cost of $44,000. Serious work is necessary on Kripes Road, which is also on the repair schedule. That repair will likely be spread across two years to lighten the financial burden.

Editor's note: The above paragraph previously and incorrectly stated Sage Road, not Kripes Road, would be repaired during a two-year span. It has been corrected.

The selectmen also announced that the East Granby Parks and Recreation Department will host an outdoor concert, the “Last Blast of Summer,” on Saturday, Aug. 25 at the town’s community center.

The free, family-oriented event features a rhythm and blues and soul band, Skyway, performing a two-hour set as the feature performance. Besides the band, a bounce house will be available as will face painting from the town’s land trust, drinks and ice cream from East Granby’s women’s club and food from the East Granby Lions.