Greetings from Colebrook Town Hall.
The Colebrook Pond will open for the season this Saturday (June 14th). Lifeguards will be on duty on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday, the gate will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with no lifeguard on duty.
Town Hall will be closed on Thursday, June 19th, in observance of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Federal holiday. Trash pickup will be on the normal schedule next week. News from Colebrook Town Hall will not be published next week.
At this week’s Board of Selectmen meeting, we voted to disband our Colebrook-Norfolk educational collaboration committee. This was in response to the outcome of a joint public meeting in Norfolk earlier this year, and subsequent conversations. We remain open to collaboration with Norfolk, but felt disbanding the committee would free up the
Colebrook Consolidated School (CCS) Board of Ed to pursue other options to ensure the long-term viability of K-6 education in Colebrook.
The town-approved Colebrook School HVAC project is currently on schedule, and initial reimbursements from the state have been received by the town. To date, attic ductwork has been completed, and ventilation units have been placed on new pads in the rear of the building. Variable refrigerant flow cooling units have been installed in the office, nurse room and library, and will soon be operational.
As students and staff leave the building for the summer, work will accelerate. Ductwork will be connected to classrooms. The boiler room will undergo a dramatic transformation including the removal of old boilers, raising of the boiler room floor and installation of new propane fired boilers. Sump pumps will be installed, electric hookups completed, and site work done, including removal of the oil tank and trenching, and grading of the property. Additionally, Eversource is in the process of upgrading the electrical line on Smith Hill Road to a 3-phase service.
This summer, the town is excited to be working with Colebrook native Dr. Adam Whelchel, Director of Science for the Nature Conservancy, to develop an action plan to enable us to locate, assess, and prioritize impacts and solutions to extreme weather and natural hazards for Colebrook’s infrastructure, community, and the environment.
The plan will be an outcome of a Community Resilience Building (CRB) Workshop tentatively slated for later this summer. Developed by the Nature Conservancy, the CRB process has been used by communities across the Northeast to create resilience action plans tailored to local needs. Our core team for this effort includes: Conservation Commission Chair, Joyce Hemingson; Department of Public Works Foreman, Bill Jasmin; and Public-at-Large Representative, Barney Adams.
Dog license renewal is available online on the town website at (www.townofcolebrook.org/town-clerk/). In-person licensing is available at the Town Clerk’s office during regular business hours. To renew by mail, please include a check
and a self-addressed, stamped, return envelope. The deadline for renewal is Monday, June 30th.
Earlier this week, Town Clerk Debi McKeon hosted more than 20 members of the Litchfield County Town Clerks for dinner and a business meeting at the Community & Senior Center.
This past Tuesday, the Community & Senior Center served a record-setting 50 breakfasts. Thank you to our Co-Directors, Kate and Serena, and to our tireless team of kitchen volunteers!
Last week, the Colebrook Lions Club honored four Colebrook graduating high school seniors at the Lions’ annual scholarship dinner. Congratulations to Aurelie Buchanan, Aurora Correll, Lidia Maiolo, Abigail Nardine, and to all of our Colebrook graduating seniors. Tonight, Aurora Correll will be recognized as Valedictorian of the Northwestern
Regional 7 Class of 2025.
Congratulations also to our Town Hall friend and colleague Tyler Rae, who graduated earlier this week from the Highlander Transition Academy. For more than a year, Tyler has helped keep Town Hall spotless.
This past weekend, the wrought iron fence enclosing the Town Hall courtyard suffered damage, likely hit by a vehicle. We are looking into options for repair/replacement.
In the same area outside Town Hall, we have been studying the Climbing Hydrangea that adorns the rock retaining wall around the courtyard. It is very well established and may risk the integrity of the wall. We are considering removing the vines this fall (along with the overgrown pear trees between Town Hall and the Community & Senior Center). We will look into other landscaping options.
Upcoming events
Everyone is invited to enjoy pancakes, sausage and eggs at the Colebrook Lions Club annual Father’s Day Pancake Breakfast fundraiser on Sunday, June 15th, from 8-11 a.m. The breakfast will be held at the Colebrook Community & Senior Center. Prices are $8 for adults and $4 for children and is payable at the door. Proceeds fund scholarships and
other initiatives.
The Lions Club will be hosting its annual baseball awards picnic on Sunday, June 29th, at 11 a.m. at Colebrook Pond.
Upcoming municipal board meetings
Planning & Zoning Commission – Monday, June 16th, at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall (Land Use office)
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at bbremer@colebrooktownhall.org, or call me at 860.379.3359, extension 202.
Cordially,
Brad
Brad Bremer
Colebrook First Selectman
860.379.3359 ext. 202
bbremer@colebrooktownhall.org
