Feb. 14 Update From Easton First Selectman Bindelglass

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

Feb. 14, 2025

Good afternoon,

In this week’s referendum, the town voted to approve funding for the EMS renovation by a vote of 1176-527. Even on a shortened and extremely cold day, 1703 people came out to vote. Easton EMS is truly gratified to receive this overwhelming support. The level of engagement reflects well on all of us. Thanks to everyone who worked the polls. The town and EMS will begin the project shortly.

Effective March 7, town hall will begin closing at 1 PM on Fridays (but open a bit earlier). Demand for services is typically low on Friday afternoons, and many surrounding towns have reduced or eliminated Friday hours without adverse effect. Hours will remain 8:30am – 4:30pm Monday through Thursday, and Fridays will change to 8:00am – 1:00pm.

Town hall has begun working to review and formulate budgets for all town departments. Each department head meets with the finance director, Christine Calvert, and myself to review the budgets of their departments. It is an arduous task for the department heads, but they all do a wonderful job of providing quality service in a cost-efficient manner. We will present the budgets for the town departments and the boards of education to the board of finance in March.

Thank you to our DPW crew in clearing the roads. DPW would like to remind everyone about some important safety measures and policies to keep our community safe and accessible during snowy weather. First off, it’s crucial to avoid parking your vehicles on the street during snow and ice events. When cars are left in the roadway, it makes it really tough for the snowplows to do their job. Please remember that shoveling, plowing, or blowing snow into the street can create dangerous conditions. If you have a contractor helping you, keep an eye on how they’re handling the snow. Also, please make sure your children are safe when the plows are out. If you have items like garbage cans or basketball hoops near the road, they may be damaged so keep them away from the roadside during storms. As for mailboxes, if they get knocked over by a town vehicle, we’ll replace them quickly, but damage from snow or ice isn’t covered. For more details, check out our policy on the Town’s website https://www.eastonct.gov/highway/pages/snow-removal. If you’re out driving during a winter storm, please slow down and give those hardworking snowplows the space they need to operate safely.

Easton Police Officer Tamra French and her K-9 TJ are once again in the running for a grant and are looking for more votes. The duo is among 29 K-9 units across the country vying for a Hometown Heroes Foundation grant. The Cheshire-based charity will award three grants totaling $12,000 to police K-9 units that are not fully funded by their local and state municipalities and that rely heavily on private donations. The top three law enforcement agencies with the most votes will be declared winners, with the first-place winner receiving $5,000; second-place winner, $4,000; and the third-place winner, $3,000. French and TJ won the $5,000 prize last year and look to reclaim that prize again this year. As of now they are in first place with 3,753 votes and are looking for more. If TJ wins a grant, French will use it to pay for his food and vet care. The grant will also be used for training, which would enable TJ to do his job even better. You can vote online here and you can find TJ on Instagram @eastonpd_k9tj.

Activities around town:
The Easton Public Library is hosting “Building a Lasting Legacy: Essential Estate and Tax Planning Strategies for Retirement” on Tuesday, February 25, at 6:00 p.m. Learn how you can potentially protect your hard earned resources for the next generation. You will also learn about advanced strategies to help enhance the legacy you leave behind, while also benefiting you today. Presented by Michael Alimo, President of USA Financial & Tax Services LLC. Register Here
Easton Public Library Art Exhibits:

• Nicole Traver: Pouring Wonders, now through February 15th in the Conference Room.
• Steven Holm-Hansen, Woodturner, now through February 15th in the Glass Display Case.

Easton P&R is partnering with Redding P&R to offer our residents these two amazing New York City Bus Trips that leave from the Redding Community Center (RCC).

• Hadestown: Enjoy this award-winning Broadway show at a great price with the convenience of a coach bus. The trip is a Wednesday matinee on February 19th leaving the RCC at 9:00 am for a 2:00 pm performance. The trip features orchestra and 1st mezzanine tickets for an unbelievable price of just $119.
• NY Rangers vs. Edmonton Oilers Hockey Game at MSG - Sunday, March 16th leaving the RCC at 3:00 pm for a 7:00 pm game. Seats are in section 216. The price for the trip is just $182.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Dave