Southbury First Selectman's Update For Nov. 8, 2024

Press release from the Town of Southbury:

11/8/2024

Dear Southbury Citizens,

While life after the flood has returned to normal for most residents, there are some who have had devastating damage and are still picking up the pieces. My administration continues to do all we can to seek out additional funding resources, make repairs to our infrastructure, and support those in need. “Build Back Better” is not a slogan to me. It is a meaningful, unwavering commitment from me to the Town of Southbury and its residents.

Jeff
Jeff Manville
First Selectman, Town of Southbury

On Friday, October 25, 2024, President Biden modified the Major Disaster Declaration for the August flooding event to include Public Assistance (PA) for New Haven, Fairfield, and Litchfield Counties. This makes Southbury eligible for 75% federal reimbursement of the costs associated with repairing and rebuilding uninsured damage to public infrastructure caused by the storm. Town staff have been diligently keeping records of costs pertaining to repairs, protective measures, and emergency response-related expenses, and I am optimistic FEMA will reimburse our expenses. Members of our staff attended a virtual FEMA PA Applicant Briefing this morning for next steps.

The Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) reopened at Town Hall yesterday. FEMA will not accept new applications after the November 19, 2024 deadline. I strongly encourage those with damage to apply for federal assistance and for those who disagree with their decisions to appeal it. So far, FEMA has approved over $8 million to Connecticut residents affected by the flood.

Public Works provided a list of the top projects for storm recovery. The starred items are the highest priority with an estimate of $6 million. Although Old Field Road is a priority, that road was accounted for prior to the flooding event and was included in our Bridge Program.

The Town submitted a request to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service for consideration in their Emergency Watershed Protection Program. The program can provide resources to protect town infrastructure (culverts, bridges, roads, utilities, structures) from future disasters. Our Emergency Management Director, Steve Schnell, is working together with the NRCS who have already began its inspection phase of their evaluation process.

Our Finance Director, Dan Colton, and I met with representatives from the United States Tennis Association (USTA) to explore funding resources and exchange ideas for rebuilding the damaged tennis courts at Community Park. Mr. Colton submitted an initial funding inquiry to the USTA with future meetings planned. Southbury has a vibrant tennis community, and we look forward to offering the new courts for everyone to enjoy soon.

Now that the library basement cleanup is completed, the Town is focusing on plans for replacing the library infrastructure and securing an engineer to create a plan to move forward. The upper floors of the building continue to be monitored for humidity; temporary industrial cooling and heating are regulating temperatures. Plans are coming together for a larger temporary space to house library staff and provide more access to library services. More information to come once the plan is finalized.

Our Finance Department has begun offering their annual budget workshops to our department heads for the upcoming budget season.

I attended the Southbury Chamber of Commerce’s 2nd Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner at the Wyndham Hotel on October 2nd. Congratulations to this year’s winners!

L-to-R: Danielle Hawthorne (Southbury Neighbors), Andy Adames (Senor Panchos), Lynn Ward (CEO Southbury Chamber), Commander Ken Korsu, Ed Gilchrest (Gyre 9)

The Town of Southbury was awarded with the 2024 Gold Certified Community Award in Best Practices in Economic Development and Land Use Planning by Connecticut Economic Development Association (CEDAS). Southbury was one of three communities in the state achieving the distinction of gold for 2024, joining ten others from the previous two years. Together with our Economic Development Director Kevin Bielmeier, I accepted the award at CEDAS’ Annual Meeting and Ceremony held on October 23, 2024.

Presidential election voting concluded on Tuesday after many days and long hours of early voting, absentee voting, and Election Day voting. I would like to thank our Registrars of Voters Joseph Abruzzi and Marie Greene, Mary McDonald, Town Clerk Alice Maisano and her staff, and all the staff and election workers who assisted with this very busy election season.

All Connecticut residents are eligible to sign up for a free digital prescription discount card. The State of Connecticut joined Nevada, Oregon, and Washington to leverage their purchasing power and give access to lower prescription costs for its residents. For more information and to enroll, go to arrayrxcard.com.

This press release was produced by the Town of Southbury. The views expressed here are the author’s own.