From the First Selectman's Desk

Here it is, Friday again! Another busy week has come to a close.

Monday we all headed to work in a rain and wind storm for the second week in a row! Our schools were closed for the day as power was out, tree branches were down and a transformer near JW was blown. Thank you to our Public Works Department, the Deep River Fire Department and Ambulance, as well as our Eversource liaison for keeping the roads clear, responding quickly to storm related safety issues and for restoring power to our area in a timely manner. Heading into this weekend, we are very thankful that no inclement weather is forecast in the region.

Early this week, we held a gathering at Landing and Main as a way to say ‘thank you’ to all of our awesome volunteers who serve the town on boards and commissions. Volunteers are the back bone of our town and are so appreciated. Do you want to help out? There is always an opportunity to step up and give of your time and talents. Please reach out if you want to get involved.

I attended the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce meeting on Tuesday morning, where Governor Lamont was the guest speaker. The Governor spoke of Connecticut’s new marketing campaign that is showing how much our lovely state has to offer. People are moving in, not out! It was great to get together with other community leaders and make connections that will be useful to assist us here in Deep River.

I had the pleasure to sit down with officers from the Deep River Fire Department, the chairperson of the Board of Fire Commissioners as well a local architect, to discuss the condition and needs of our fire house. The present fire house was built in 1961 and is now not at all adequate to house our well-trained volunteer force, the equipment, fire trucks and fire apparatus that the fire department owns. Plans were drawn up to replace the existing structure several times over the years, but was always narrowly voted down by Deep River residents. It is now a matter of public safety as today’s equipment does not fit in the space and the current building is in need of major repairs. Recently, (spring 2022), the fire department had a professional needs assessment completed by JLN Associates. One conclusion given in the report was, “As anticipated, the replacement or significant remodel of the Headquarters’ Station is needed. While the station met the space needs of the Fire Department in 1961, changes in service and the increased size of modern apparatus is stressing the department’s ability to meet today’s challenges..”    You can access the report and learn about the space needs of the fire department by following this link needs_assessment_-_final_-_2023.pdf (deepriverct.us). Or you can find it on the town’s web site.

This week, toys that were collected through the Community Toy Drive were distributed in time for holiday giving. Thank you to all who contributed, hundreds of toys were donated! The auditorium was quite full!

This morning, local students from DRES chorus and band walked over to the Town Hall and sang and played holiday songs for all to enjoy! They gathered around the town’s evergreen and didn’t seem to mind the cold at all! Thank you to the students, teachers, and staff! What a wonderful way to get into the holiday spirit. And thank you so much for the awesome holiday card that you made for me! I love it! The card is filled with photos of each class holding a holiday message. I will leave it on display here at TH, so stop over and take a peek!

If you haven’t yet had a chance, check out Deep River Land Trust’s newly acquired 2.5 acre piece of property located on Rattling Valley, that now allows one to hike or walk from Essex Street all the way to Canfield Woods. The two pieces of property now connected are Canfield Woods and the Bidwell Preserve. Canfield Woods is public space owned by both the Deep River Land Trust and the Essex Land Trust.  The Bidwell Preserve, located off of Essex Street is solely owned by DRLT. This was a regional collaboration; the DRLT led the initiative to acquire the connecting piece by working closely with the DR Planning & Zoning and Conservation & Inland Wetlands Commissions and in consultation with the Essex Land Trust. The property was acquired with multiple funding sources, the majority of funds contributed by the Town of Deep River’s Open Space Fund. Additional funding was provided by the Deep River Land Trust, The CT River Gateway Commission and the Mary Janvrin & Natalie Janvrin Wiggins Fund for Birds, Other Animals and Nature at the Community Foundation of Middlesex County.  A proposed trail, designed to sustainability guidelines, will allow walkers to travel safely through the new property enjoying ridgeline, forest and marsh views while protecting this important habitat.

After several years working here at Town Hall, (4 years in the Town Clerk’s office and 3 in the Selectman’s office), Joyce Berardis has decided to leave us. We will miss her smiling face, attention to detail and dedication to her job. Thank you for all of your hard work. You will be missed. We all posed with Joyce proudly wearing our ‘Flannel Shirt Friday’ outfits!

A friendly reminder- The Transfer Station will be closing at 12:00pm on Sunday, December 24th.

I wish you all, a Safe and Happy Holiday. Take Care. Be well. 

Peace to you and yours.

Peace from around the world…Paqe, bakea, سلام, shalom, শান্তি, mir, мир, pau, pace, fred, paz, shanti, kapayapaan, vrede, paix...