Dec. 27 Update From Easton First Selectman Bindelglass

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

Dec. 27, 2024

Good afternoon,

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday break. Town Hall will be closed in observance of New Year’s Day on Wednesday, January 1st, and will reopen on Thursday, January 2nd.

There was a significant water leak in the Easton Public Library. The library will be closed tomorrow and plans to reopen Monday, January 30th, at 10:00 am.

The Aspetuck Health District has free radon test kits for residents, while supplies last. Residents can pick up one radon test kit per address at the Aspetuck Health District, 180 Bayberry Lane, Westport, Monday through Friday, between 9:00 am – 3:00 pm. Call 203-227-9571 ext 231 to confirm availability on the day that you would like to pick it up.

Celebrate Easton with exclusive keepsakes supporting Easton PTO and ELF! Discover our lovely collection of mugs, posters, and wooden holiday ornaments. These items will be available at the Easton Town Hall, Easton Public Library, and Greiser’s Coffee Market. Mugs $20, Posters $10 (9” x 12”), Ornaments $10. Profits distributed to Easton PTO & ELF.

The Town Clerk would like to remind all recently appointed nominees for the Office of Justice of the Peace, that they will need to come to take their Oath of Office by Monday, January 6. 2025. The Town Clerk’s Office is open Monday-Friday from 8:30 to 4:30, we do not close for lunch.

To date, Easton’s generosity has enabled our sister city, Sviatohirsk, Ukraine, to acquire a dump truck, build a water filtration system, and design and start a wood pellet-generating machine to heat homes last winter. Yet the need for electric power remains critical. Rebuilding and surviving in Sviatohirsk remains precarious. Access to power in all of Ukraine, including Sviatohirsk, is limited by these stark realities:
Ninety percent of all power-generating sources have been damaged or destroyed
Sviatohirsk receives only six-eight hours of electric current in two-hour intervals per day
Rolling blackouts average six hours each day Ukraine Aid International reports that most damaged or destroyed power stations remain offline. As a result, homes unable to burn wood pellets are now in their second winter with no heat. Some businesses and community facilities are barely sustainable. Sviatohirsk, Easton’s sister city in Ukraine, once again needs Easton’s help to rebuild vital infrastructure and power sources to re-establish their economy and way of life. Easton’s Ukraine Aid International committee is relying on your generosity to deliver to Sviatohirsk an initial ten 5-10 kW petrol-powered generators. Prices for each generator range from $1,000 to $1,500. This sets our campaign goal at $15,000. Our fundraising for generators will be ongoing since power has now become the most pressing need in many parts of Ukraine. Consider this: if 600 Easton households donated $25, we will reach our initial goal of ten generators! We can then set our sights on a second wave of ten! Consider asking friends and family to give a $25 household donation. https://donorbox.org/sviatohirsk-easton-sister-cities

Activities Around Town:
The Annual Menorah Lighting will be held on Sunday, December 29th at 6:00 PM in front of Easton EMS, on the Town Green.

The Library's Giving Tree is up! Help us continue to enrich your lives with the latest materials and services. Stop by the Library and choose an item from our Giving Tree, located by the Circulation Desk. A Librarian will select the material needed for our collection, and your name will appear on a nameplate attached to the item. The Giving Tree will be up until Tuesday, December 31st.

Families Considering Joel Barlow High School for Their Students - Save the Date! The annual Orientation Evening for our Program of Studies will be held in our Auditorium on Monday, January 6, 2025, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The inclement weather/snow date is Thursday, January 9, 2025. The orientation will focus on course offerings, graduation requirements, and the course selection process for the 2025-2026 school year. This evening is most useful for parents and guardians of incoming ninth graders or new students, but may also benefit those seeking clarification of options.

Happy New Year!

Dave