News from the First Selectman's Desk
Hello from the First Selectman’s Desk
Dec. 1, 2023
As my inaugural week as First Selectman draws to a close, I am energized by what has been going on in Town Hall. In addition to getting acclimated to my new surroundings, I have met with all departments and held our first Board of Selectman meeting. It was wonderful to have so many residents on hand at the meeting to welcome us. I have also enjoyed meeting with so many of you in person as you stopped by my office to engage in thoughtful discussions regarding the future of our beautiful town.
AROUND TOWN:
Our Town Hall and Main Street are now decorated for the holidays. The wreaths that now hang along Main Street were purchased by the town and local merchants from Acer Garden. Thank you to our great group of elves who met last Saturday to attach bows to the wreaths at a space provided by Acer in their greenhouse.
Thank you to Howard Tree Service, our awesome Public Works department and to the Deep River Police Department for installing our holiday evergreen in front of Town Hall and the wreaths on each of the light poles along Main Street.
Thank you to the Ingram family for the generous donation of this year’s town tree. The tree was cut down and transported downtown on Wednesday.
Holiday Stroll & Light Parade: This Saturday, December 2nd, join the town’s Park and Recreation department at the annual Holiday Stroll and Light Parade. The downtown shops will be decorated and offering great in-store specials and in some shops, enjoy a specialty adult beverage while shopping. Remember to Shop Local! New this year, cast your vote for your favorite ‘decorated door’ as several of the downtown businesses went all out to show their holiday spirit. Remember, it is not too late to be part of the light parade. Register online or call the Park and Recreation office at (860)-526-6036.
The Deep River Congregational Church will be busy this weekend; The 57th annual Ye Olde English Christmas Faire, is set for Saturday, December 2nd from 8:30 – 2:00. There is still time to head over to the church for their dessert by candlelight event which runs from 6:00-7:30 pm.
The Deep River Community Toy Drive is underway! Please donate new, unwrapped toys or gift cards to benefit local children this holiday season. Donations can be dropped off at one of these six locations: Landing and Main, The Nest, Tri-Town Youth Services, Town Hall, Shore Discount or Edward Jones. The last day to donate is December 15th. The toy drive is again sponsored by the Deep River Community Health Committee, the Chester-Deep River Rotary Club and the Tri-Town Youth Services bureau.
CONGRATULATIONS to the newest Eagle Scout from Chester, Deep River and Essex Boy Scout Troop 13, James Guyer. For his Eagle project, James built picnic tables for the Deep River Historical Society. What a great addition to the historical society grounds!
Don’t forget…get SMART! “Save Money and Reduce Trash”! Do you know that roughly 1/3 of the costs incurred by the town at the transfer station go towards disposal costs? The town pays fees based on the weight of what we haul. We are excited about the possibility that town residents will adopt a unit-based pricing model at the transfer station. This program incentivizes residents to reduce their household trash by paying a per unit or per bag charge. If you pull food scraps, and all recyclables out of your household trash, you will be amazed at how much less your trash will weigh and how much less you are throwing away. We all purchase garbage bags, so with the new program, the only difference will be that you will buy your bags from the town. Pay for the bags, that’s it. All other features of the transfer station will remain the same; there is no charge for recyclables or food scraps. There is no additional charge to throw away trash in the new town bags. Please get informed about this worthwhile program. It will save on the tipping fees incurred by the town. This program does not affect private haulers at this time. To learn more, check out the information on the town web site and the frequently asked questions here: SMART FAQ's
Have a safe weekend. See you at the Holiday Stroll & Light Parade,
Carol