August 22 Update From Easton First Selectman Bindelglass

**News Release Submitted by Easton First Selectman Bindelglass**

Aug. 22, 2025

Good afternoon -

Last week I had the pleasure of hosting two of our young people as First Selectmen for the day, Ariana and Theofilos. It was a great experience as they watched what a day in my life as your first selectman is like and how town government works, but I learned a lot from them as well. We discussed what they would do if they were in charge and the discussion went towards issues like social media and device use in schools, and interactions between their peers. I am again reminded about the wealth of incredible young people we have in town, but also of our need to support them as they grow. I see this as a responsibility of the town as well as our schools specifically. On a similar note, school begins this week and we welcome back our students and educators. That means buses are back on the road so please be careful. We continue to work on our efforts to curb speeding and irresponsible driving in Easton.

Work on South Park Ave is now complete. New drainage is installed. The work was complicated by utility lines under the road which had to be preserved and protected, but things are back to normal. Publics Works did a great job and the road is ready for those school buses.

This week, Planning and Zoning met to discuss several matters. As many of you know the Strong on Center yoga facility has withdrawn its application and is exploring other options for locations for the center. There was a hearing for a special permit for the riding rink on Sport Hill Rd, next to Gourmet United, to provide riding lessons. There was also discussion about changing zoning regulations to protect historic homes and businesses. Lastly the commission is forwarding to the Board of Selectmen, an ordinance to give the town a greater ability to enforce its zoning laws, specifically to more aggressively levy fines. I have discussed in the past how the town has struggled to get some folks to comply with regulations. Once available, the selectmen will make a recommendation to a town meeting as is necessary for all new ordinances and changes. More to come on this. Several people have remarked to me about the tone of the meeting. There continue to be personal attacks on commission members and a general lack of civility. Planning and Zoning is required to hold public hearings on applications for permits. This is prescribed in the statutes and the hearing is to allow public comment on the merits of a particular application. It is not meant to be a stage where citizens lecture the commission on what the citizen imagines their duties should be. This commission is a bi-partisan group of qualified people, and works together to make decisions for the town. When it has been divided, it has often not even been along party lines. They are dedicated to service and deserve our respect. The selectmen have committed to providing an open forum at our meetings regardless of topic. This does not apply to all meetings. The Planning and Zoning meeting can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/showcase/easton-planning-and-zoning so that you can form your own opinion. As a reminder, if you have cable television they are transitioning public access TV which shows our meetings from channel 79 to 1310.

Thank you to those who continue to contribute to help out our sister city in Ukraine. Medical supplies and tools are on the way. As you can see from the sign at SSES we have raised over $100,000. their lives continue to get more difficult. The sunflower field remains beautiful.

The Easton Public Library will be having a blood drive on Tuesday September 9, 2025 from Noon to 5:00 pm sponsored by the Siren Aide of Easton in memory of Ellen Longbine Waugh.

Have a great weekend.

Dave