News

Town Highlights

I am always pleased when the hard work of our Town employees is recognized. Public Works has one of the most visible roles in Southbury, and I am glad when residents notice the work our crews do every day to maintain our roads, parks, grounds and public facilities.

Our Social Services Department, Mary Silverman and Marilia Jose, worked with the Southbury Women’s Club and Southbury Helping Hands to collect materials and distribute backpacks and sneakers to children heading into the new school year.

Town Hall was surprised with a donated lunch from Blue Fig Garden for Town Hall employees. It was a thoughtful gesture, and our staff appreciated it very much.

Welcome to Southbury Police

I had the privilege of swearing in our newest Southbury Police officer, Brendan Evans. I am pleased to welcome Officer Evans to the department and wish him well as he participates in the Police Academy training for the next seven months.

Protecting Town Assets

We continue to address a number of long-overdue maintenance needs around Town.

The landscape beds at Ballantine and Settlers Park have been completed. A fence around the new plantings at Settlers Park will be installed within the next few weeks.

The Police Department building has been painted. The shutters, detailed molding, siding, gable ends and cupola all look great with the fresh coat of paint. It improves the appearance of the building, honors the professionalism of our Police Department, and importantly, it protects the building’s longevity and prevents further deterioration and more costly repairs in the future. Additional plans for repairing the concrete entrance are in the works along with plans for repairs to the interior of the building including installation of a new interior wall and upgrading the women’s room shower.

Old Town Hall and South Britain Library are currently receiving long-awaited repairs and paint. It was a pleasure to visit and inspect our historic buildings with Town Historian and member of the Southbury Historic Buildings Commission John Dwyer. John, Melinda Elliot, Laura Hine and John Purcell - members of the Historic Buildings Commission have long been stewards of these buildings. John has accumulated impressive logs of repairs and maintenance through the years which are important to ensure these buildings are preserved for the use of our residents in future generations.

This week we met with a number of contractors at Community Park for requests for prices on the rehabilitation of the barn restrooms and kitchen. Our hopes are to have these amenities available to the public in the future. Many sports groups use this park including youth football, youth baseball, recreation basketball and our softball leagues.

Incident Response

We’ve had two major structure fires recently. Both involved a significant response not only from our own emergency services but also from neighboring towns. Thank you to our own responders - Southbury Volunteer Fire Department, Southbury Ambulance Association, and Southbury Police Department. And thank you to the communities who responded to assist Southbury: the Volunteer Fire Departments of Bethlehem, Oxford, Roxbury, Middlebury, Woodbury, Sandy Hook, Seymour, and Newtown Hook & Ladder. County Coordinator Bernie Meehan was also a key participant.

I also want to thank Southbury Emergency Management Director Steve Schnell and Fire Marshal Derrek Guertin for their work on the scene into the early morning hours.

National Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness Month, and this week Southbury agencies participated in a Statewide Emergency Exercise run for Southbury by Emergency Management Director Steve Schnell. Participants included Southbury Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief Bob Barnes and Lieutenant J.C. O’Leary, with Administrative Assistant Nicolle Howley, Southbury Ambulance Association President Geralyn Hoyt, Housatonic Valley Health District Director Amy Bethge, Region 15 Director of Finance and Operations Joe Martino, Selectwoman Kelly Keenan as an observer, and Southbury departments including Police, Finance, Public Works, IT, the Fire Marshal, and myself.

The exercise provided practice coordinating information, resources, and decision-making during an emergency event. Our participants demonstrated the coordination and preparedness we have already seen in prior events.

Everbridge Emergency Alerts

National Preparedness Month is also a good time to make sure you are signed up for Southbury’s emergency notifications. Everbridge is the Town’s free emergency communication system and can send alerts by phone, text and email. Visit the Emergency Management page on the Town website to sign up or manage your account. Also on the Emergency Management page, find informative links including Ready.gov and Ready Kids for information about emergency preparedness.

Region 15

I was grateful to be invited to attend the Region 15 Convocation and to be part of this annual tradition as our educators and staff prepared for another school year. Congratulations to Susan Sunholm for receiving the distinction of Teacher of the Year. I wish our students, teachers, administrators and families a successful school year.

Welcome, Wise Wealth

(Southbury Chamber photo)

I attended the ribbon cutting celebrating Wise Wealth’s new offices in Southbury. It is always a pleasure to welcome a business that chooses to grow its presence here. Congratulations to Wise Wealth, and welcome to your new Southbury offices.

Coyote Presentation

CT DEEP’s presentation “Coexisting with Coyotes in Connecticut,” arranged by Southbury Animal Control Officer Kristin Cedor, was very well attended and provided residents with useful information about coyote behavior and practical ways to safely coexist with wildlife in our community.

Contact Boards and Commissions

As part of a goal to make it easier for residents to contact Southbury government boards and commissions, the Town website has been updated so you can now contact our boards, commissions, committees, task forces and other Town bodies through the website. When you visit the web page for the organization you will see an option to contact it either with an email, when available, or through a contact form.

Roads

I also want to thank residents for their patience and cooperation during this year’s chip sealing work. I know chip sealing can be annoying. Loose stone and going slower can be inconvenient. Southbury has used chip sealing for more than a decade because it is a cost-effective way to extend the life of pavement. It helps seal the road surface against water, addresses cracks and aging pavement, and provides a skid-resistant surface. You can find information about chip sealing on the Town website.

Please continue to observe the temporary reduced speeds. Driving slowly helps the new surface set properly and reduces the chance of loose stone damaging vehicles.

Kettletown Road and the portion of Georges Hill south of Kettletown State Park are currently being milled and paved by CT DOT. Please allow a little extra time.

As always, be cautious, follow signs and instructions, and be careful of the crews.

Events

The Volunteer Appreciation BBQ will be held September 24 at 5:30 pm at Ballantine Pavilion. I’m looking forward to being there and helping out with the grill.

Larkin Bridle Trail: Connecticut DEEP will hold a public information session on repairs to four flood-damaged stream crossings along the Larkin Bridle Trail on Tuesday, September 8, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. here at Southbury Town Hall in Room 205. The session will also be available virtually.

CT Baby Bonds

The State Treasurer’s Office is reaching out to families of children who qualify for the Connecticut Baby Bonds program. Children born on or after July 1, 2023 whose births were covered by HUSKY Health are automatically eligible and families do not need to apply.

Southbury at the US Open

I also want to recognize Southbury native Mary Stoiana on qualifying for the women’s singles main draw at the US Open Tennis Championship. Reaching the US Open is quite an achievement, and it was great to see. Congratulations, Mary.

Job Opportunities

Finally, Southbury has several employment opportunities. We are hiring for positions including a part-time Human Resources Generalist, part-time Assistant Animal Control Officer, and a part-time Finance Assistant. If you or someone you know may be interested in working for the Town of Southbury, please visit the Employment Opportunities page on the Town website for current openings and application information.