Greetings from Colebrook Town Hall.
Last Saturday turned out to be a perfect day for the 80th annual Colebrook Fair. Approximately 40 vendors lined the Green and a closed-off portion of Smith Hill Road. Great music and food were plentiful.
At the pet show, our judges awarded first place ribbons to six dogs and two chickens. Our iconic frog jumping contest featured 48 entries, with prizes for the longest and shortest jumps in both the small and large frog categories.
After an absence of many years, the Colebrook “Cow Plop” made its return to this year’s Fair, thanks to Pinney Stables, and proved to be a successful fundraiser for our Rec. Board, with all 80 squares selling out (one for each year of the Fair).
At the car show, more than 100 classic cars and motorcycles vied for the Best-in-Show, People’s Choice, and Selectmen’s awards. The Selectmen’s prize this year went to a beautiful, vintage 1941 Chevy AK Series pickup truck from Norfolk.
The Colebrook Community & Senior Center raffled off more than 60 baskets on Saturday. Combined with proceeds from food sales on Fair day, the Center raised more than $3,500, which helps to support programming there. Thank you to all those who donated and bid, and patronized our kitchen.
Fair day concluded at the Town Pond with more than 150 people sharing in the excitement of our annual Cardboard Regatta. This year’s race featured 12 boats competing for prizes, including “Funky-est” boat and best costume.
With our 80th Colebrook Fair in the books, thank you to our many tireless volunteers who keep this important tradition alive, and help to ensure its success! The Fair Committee will be meeting later this month to debrief on this year’s event and discuss how it can continue to evolve and thrive.
At last night’s Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Bob Gilbert announced that Colebrook Consolidated School finished its 2024/25 fiscal year (ended this past June 30th) with a surplus of more than $23,000, or slightly more than 1% of its annual budget. CCS will be returning the surplus to the town’s general fund. The Board of Ed will also be returning an end-of-year $10,300 special appropriation that was not spent.
State approval of our Small Town Economic Assistance grant funding is day to day. Paving of Deer Hill, Gaylord, Millbrook and Phelps Roads, and the Center Firehouse parking lot, will take place once final approval is received. We’ll confirm the paving schedule as soon as we know more.
We are finalizing a new service agreement with USA Recycling (our current waste hauler) which includes one year of free food scrap recycling. We are providing food scrap recycling kits to the first 50 households to sign up for this pilot initiative. Kits include: a countertop bin; an initial supply of BPI-certified biodegradable 3-gallon bags; and a storage/transportation 6-gallon bin.
Bear-resistant, food scrap recycling collection stations will be delivered to Town Hall and the Forge Firehouse on Tuesday, September 16th. Weekly pickups will begin on Tuesday, September 23rd, and on Tuesdays thereafter. The collection stations will be open 24/7 to accept waste in the biodegradable bags included in the starter kits. If you’d like to participate, and have not yet signed up, please contact me at bbremer@colebrooktownhall.org<mailto:bbremer@colebrooktownhall.org>.
As part of our new curbside agreement with USA Recycling, bear-resistant rollout carts will be available to Colebrook residents for $8.50/month, down from the current $9/month, and less than USA’s quoted rate of $12/month (which was our price as recently as last year). Contact USA Recycling at 800.998.2984 to learn more, or to reserve a cart.
The Colebrook Conservation Commission is training volunteers to assist in a town-wide effort to eliminate Japanese knotweed, one of the most aggressive invasive plants. Our volunteers are learning how to identify Japanese knotweed and assist control efforts by using a free phone app to map it on town roads. This effort is part of a multi-town project. Our final training session will convene this Saturday (September 6th) at 9 a.m. in the Town Hall parking lot. Thank you to the seven volunteers who participated in today’s training, and the two signed up for Saturday.
The Colebrook Associates Food Pantry, located in the vestibule of the Community & Senior Center, needs breakfast foods, snacks, juice, and canned meat (e.g., tuna and chicken). Donations may be left at the pantry or in the collection bin in the post office.
The town will begin accepting applications for energy assistance beginning September 9th. Please contact Karen Odell to set up an appointment, or for any questions, at kodell@colebrooktownhall.org<mailto:kodell@colebrooktownhall.org>.
Upcoming events
Tomorrow (Friday, September 5th), the Colebrook Historical Society will host, “The Life and Times of Scot Haney – What a Ride.” Noted meteorologist Scot Haney will share his many experiences both on air and off. The evening kicks off with refreshments at the Seymour Inn at 7 p.m., with the program taking place at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall second floor meeting room. There is no cost to attend, and everyone is welcome.
Upcoming municipal board meetings
Planning & Zoning – Monday, September 8th, at 6:30 p.m. at Colebrook Town Hall (Second floor meeting room). Board of Selectman – Monday, September 8th, at 7 p.m. at Colebrook Town Hall (Land Use office) Historic District Commission – Tuesday, September 9th, at 5 p.m. at Colebrook Town Hall (Second floor meeting room) Board of Assessment Appeals – Wednesday, September 10th, from 5 until 6 p.m. at Colebrook Town Hall (Assessor’s office)
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at bbremer@colebrooktownhall.org<mailto: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
Last Saturday turned out to be a perfect day for the 80th annual Colebrook Fair. Approximately 40 vendors lined the Green and a closed-off portion of Smith Hill Road. Great music and food were plentiful.
At the pet show, our judges awarded first place ribbons to six dogs and two chickens. Our iconic frog jumping contest featured 48 entries, with prizes for the longest and shortest jumps in both the small and large frog categories.
After an absence of many years, the Colebrook “Cow Plop” made its return to this year’s Fair, thanks to Pinney Stables, and proved to be a successful fundraiser for our Rec. Board, with all 80 squares selling out (one for each year of the Fair).
At the car show, more than 100 classic cars and motorcycles vied for the Best-in-Show, People’s Choice, and Selectmen’s awards. The Selectmen’s prize this year went to a beautiful, vintage 1941 Chevy AK Series pickup truck from Norfolk.
The Colebrook Community & Senior Center raffled off more than 60 baskets on Saturday. Combined with proceeds from food sales on Fair day, the Center raised more than $3,500, which helps to support programming there. Thank you to all those who donated and bid, and patronized our kitchen.
Fair day concluded at the Town Pond with more than 150 people sharing in the excitement of our annual Cardboard Regatta. This year’s race featured 12 boats competing for prizes, including “Funky-est” boat and best costume.
With our 80th Colebrook Fair in the books, thank you to our many tireless volunteers who keep this important tradition alive, and help to ensure its success! The Fair Committee will be meeting later this month to debrief on this year’s event and discuss how it can continue to evolve and thrive.
At last night’s Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Bob Gilbert announced that Colebrook Consolidated School finished its 2024/25 fiscal year (ended this past June 30th) with a surplus of more than $23,000, or slightly more than 1% of its annual budget. CCS will be returning the surplus to the town’s general fund. The Board of Ed will also be returning an end-of-year $10,300 special appropriation that was not spent.
State approval of our Small Town Economic Assistance grant funding is day to day. Paving of Deer Hill, Gaylord, Millbrook and Phelps Roads, and the Center Firehouse parking lot, will take place once final approval is received. We’ll confirm the paving schedule as soon as we know more.
We are finalizing a new service agreement with USA Recycling (our current waste hauler) which includes one year of free food scrap recycling. We are providing food scrap recycling kits to the first 50 households to sign up for this pilot initiative. Kits include: a countertop bin; an initial supply of BPI-certified biodegradable 3-gallon bags; and a storage/transportation 6-gallon bin.
Bear-resistant, food scrap recycling collection stations will be delivered to Town Hall and the Forge Firehouse on Tuesday, September 16th. Weekly pickups will begin on Tuesday, September 23rd, and on Tuesdays thereafter. The collection stations will be open 24/7 to accept waste in the biodegradable bags included in the starter kits. If you’d like to participate, and have not yet signed up, please contact me at bbremer@colebrooktownhall.org<mailto:bbremer@colebrooktownhall.org>.
As part of our new curbside agreement with USA Recycling, bear-resistant rollout carts will be available to Colebrook residents for $8.50/month, down from the current $9/month, and less than USA’s quoted rate of $12/month (which was our price as recently as last year). Contact USA Recycling at 800.998.2984 to learn more, or to reserve a cart.
The Colebrook Conservation Commission is training volunteers to assist in a town-wide effort to eliminate Japanese knotweed, one of the most aggressive invasive plants. Our volunteers are learning how to identify Japanese knotweed and assist control efforts by using a free phone app to map it on town roads. This effort is part of a multi-town project. Our final training session will convene this Saturday (September 6th) at 9 a.m. in the Town Hall parking lot. Thank you to the seven volunteers who participated in today’s training, and the two signed up for Saturday.
The Colebrook Associates Food Pantry, located in the vestibule of the Community & Senior Center, needs breakfast foods, snacks, juice, and canned meat (e.g., tuna and chicken). Donations may be left at the pantry or in the collection bin in the post office.
The town will begin accepting applications for energy assistance beginning September 9th. Please contact Karen Odell to set up an appointment, or for any questions, at kodell@colebrooktownhall.org<mailto:kodell@colebrooktownhall.org>.
Upcoming events
Tomorrow (Friday, September 5th), the Colebrook Historical Society will host, “The Life and Times of Scot Haney – What a Ride.” Noted meteorologist Scot Haney will share his many experiences both on air and off. The evening kicks off with refreshments at the Seymour Inn at 7 p.m., with the program taking place at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall second floor meeting room. There is no cost to attend, and everyone is welcome.
Upcoming municipal board meetings
Planning & Zoning – Monday, September 8th, at 6:30 p.m. at Colebrook Town Hall (Second floor meeting room). Board of Selectman – Monday, September 8th, at 7 p.m. at Colebrook Town Hall (Land Use office) Historic District Commission – Tuesday, September 9th, at 5 p.m. at Colebrook Town Hall (Second floor meeting room) Board of Assessment Appeals – Wednesday, September 10th, from 5 until 6 p.m. at Colebrook Town Hall (Assessor’s office)
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at bbremer@colebrooktownhall.org<mailto: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
