CONNECTING FAIRFIELD

News You Need from First Selectman

Christine Vitale

The Town of Fairfield’s Conservation Department held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 5 on behalf of the Conservation Commission, dedicating an Open Space trail in honor of lifelong conservationist Joy Shaw. In this photo from left to right, Fairfield Conservation Director Tim Bishop, Conservation Commission Chairman Lukas Thomas, Joy Shaw, First Selectman Christine Vitale, Mill River Wetland Committee President Jonathan Dilley; Standing behind the group is William Bennet.

November 6, 2025

Dear Fairfielders,

With Election Day behind us, we want to thank those residents who stepped up to run for elected office. Regardless of the outcome, their willingness to serve our community is to be commended. We congratulate the top vote getters and look forward to seeing them at the Town Swearing-In Ceremony on November 17. We hope you can join us, too, at this event; it is a great opportunity to welcome and meet our newly elected officials (more info below.)

We are also happy to report that six of the seven Charter Revision Ballot Questions were approved by the electorate. The one proposed revision that was rejected was Ballot Question Six which would have enabled the RTM to change the town seal by ordinance if desired.

The town now has thirty days to implement the newly adopted Charter Revisions. Thank you to the Charter Revision Commission for all of their hard work; the newly revised Charter is more reflective of current practices and will help to further modernize Town operations.

As we shared, with the federal government shut down, many of our neighbors have lost their SNAP benefits and are facing food insecurity. We put out the call for help, and you responded! The lobbies at Town Hall have been flooded with food donations and thousands of dollars in gift cards have been donated to the Social Services Department. Thank you for your generosity!

Earlier this week, the Human Services Commission took swift action to adopt a temporary policy exception to allow the emergency distribution of gift cards to eligible residents who provide proof of SNAP enrollment and valid identification. Residents can contact the Director of Health and Human Services Director, Julie DeMarco, at 203-256-3170 for more information.

A few weeks ago, we celebrated that the Connecticut Siting Council rejected UI’s plan to install new monopoles on the south side of the Metro-North railroad tracks. We have since learned that UI is asking the Siting Council to reconsider their vote. We will continue to provide updates as we receive them.

I have been sharing the progress of the Board of Education’s funding request to construct a new building for Dwight Elementary School. The RTM unanimously approved a $76M bonding request at its last meeting. The strong support for this project by all Town boards solidified what we already knew; we are a community that cares about education and invests in our future. Our main focus will now be working with our state delegation to maximize the amount of school construction grants for this project.

In closing, on behalf of our community, I want to thank our Veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice to our nation. Veterans continue to serve our community as volunteers, teachers, Town employees, police officers and firefighters. They are role models to us all and we are grateful.

Town Hall will be closed on Veterans Day, but we hope you can join us for the annual Veterans Day ceremony at 11 am by the Wall of Honor on the Town Green.

Have a wonderful weekend! Good luck to those running in Sunday’s Colony Hot Oil 5K! 

As always don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns. You can email me here or call the office at 203-256-3030.

Christine Vitale

First Selectman

QUICK HITS: What's In This Newsletter



THINGS YOU NEED-TO-KNOW



Town of Fairfield's 2025 Inauguration Ceremony

SNAP Benefits and Federal Government Shutdown Update

• As you may be aware, federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits have been discontinued as of November 1. You may not be aware that hundreds of Fairfielders rely on SNAP and are currently facing uncertainty about how to put food on the table.  

• The lobby of Old Town Hall, and both entrances of Sullivan Independence Hall have tables set up for your food donations Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Operation Hope will be coming to both locations to pick up your donations. You can also donate grocery store gift cards to the Town of Fairfield Social Services Department, where they will be distributed to families in need. Gift cards can be dropped off at Fairfield Social Services, 100 Mona Terrace. See more information about Social Services below.

• Visit www.211ct.org or call 2-1-1 for 24/7 assistance with food, housing, and social services statewide.

Food Pantries:

Operation Hope

636 Old Post Road

Fairfield, CT 06824

203-292-5588

Pantry Hours: Mon, Weds, Fri from 10 am to 12 noon

Thurs from 4-6 pm

Fairfield residents can go twice a month

Community Kitchen at 50 Nichols St. Mon-Fri serves lunch & dinner

Nourish

2200 North Avenue

Bridgeport, CT 06604

Wednesdays 2-6 pm

*Baby Items require a Birth Certificate

203-335-3107

Black Rock Food Pantry

2676 Fairfield Avenue

Bridgeport, CT 06605

Saturdays 9 am -11 am

Once a month for 3-day supply of food

203-610-1222

Thomas Merton Center Eat Smart Market Place Food Pantry

1406 State Street

Bridgeport, CT 06605

Tues Weds Thurs 10 am -1 pm

Soup Kitchen Breakfast Mon-Fri 9-10 am Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30 am to 1 pm

203-367-9036

Brooklawn SDA Church Food Pantry

250 Brooklawn Avenue

Bridgeport, CT 06604

Every Tues 4:30-5:30 PM

Bring your own bag

203-333-2876

Calvary SDA

827 Trumbull Avenue

Bridgeport, CT 06605

Weekly on Thurs 3:30-6:00pm Sun 12 noon-1pm

203-374-4533

United Illuminating Monopoles Update

• After the Siting Council rejected United Illuminating's Docket 516R, the plan to build massive monopoles through Bridgeport and Fairfield, the company has asked for the Siting Council to reconsider its decision.

• Their filing was submitted at the end of the timeframe the company had to take action. We will provide updates as they become available.

Help Stop Recycling Contamination!

• Fairfield's recycling stream has become highly contaminated, and as a result, the Transfer Station is being charged for excessive amounts of contamination in our municipal recycling. This may result in your recycling being left behind on trash collection day.

• Recycling contamination occurs when materials are sorted into the wrong recycling bin (placing Styrofoam into the paper recycling bin, for example).

• This is sometimes referred to as "aspirational recycling," as you're simply throwing something into a bin in the hope that it will find its way to where it needs to be, eventually. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case.

• Thank you for taking the extra step to keep Fairfield green, Please keep the recycling stream clean! See information on steps you can take below.

• Learn more about what goes in and what stays out of your recycling bin here.

Remove Basketball Hoops in the Right-of-Way by Dec 1

• Basketball hoops in the Town's right-of-way-impede the ability of our snowplow equipment to clear the snow along the curb lines and can damage both the snowplow equipment and your property.

• Please remove the basketball hoops no later than December 1 so that our Public Works team can perform their work in an efficient and effective manner.

• After December 1, DPW will either remove them or push them over.

• Be aware that the hoops are a danger to the drivers as well as the trucks. The drivers are out for as many as ten hours in the snow and dark, following the curb. When struck, the hoops can rip side mirrors off at the level of the driver's face, a real hazard to the equipment and the individual.

• Thank you for helping to keep our drivers and equipment safe!

Update: Tide Mill Dam on Harbor Road

• The Tide Mill Dam located at 95 Harbor Road has experienced a failed gate, resulting in occasionally lower water levels in the upstream Mill Pond over recent months.

• The Dam owner has been collaborating with the Town, CT DEEP Land & Water Resources Division, and DEEP Fisheries Division (among others) to develop a comprehensive restoration plan. The owner is in the permitting process with CT DEEP to complete repairs to restore upstream water levels.

• The goal is to restore the main spillway headwall and replace the deteriorated flap gates in a way that is both economically feasible and environmentally conscientious, while maintaining upstream water levels and minimizing downstream disruption.

• As necessary to maintain fish passage upstream during critical spawning months, one of the flap gates will be installed so that it could be held open from March 15 to June 15 each year. This operation will likely result in lower water levels, similar to what has been observed in recent months while the open gates allow spawning fish to migrate upstream

• Outside of this three-month window, the gates will be closed, resulting in historically typical upstream water levels.

• Please direct any questions regarding the repairs for the Tide Mill Dam to the Town of Fairfield Conservation Department.

Congratulations to FPS Schools of Distinction!

• Seven Fairfield schools have earned Schools of Distinction recognition from the CT State Department of Education!

• Congratulations to Burr, Dwight, Jennings, North Stratfield, Osborn Hill, Riverfield, and Sherman for outstanding academic performance and growth!



• Read more here!

Special Election for First Selectman: February 3, 2026

• At the September 19 Special Meeting, the Board of Selectmen selected Tuesday, February 3 as the date for the Town's Special Election for First Selectman, in accordance with guidance from the CT Secretary of the State (SOTS) office.

• You can read a detailed explanation of the state statutes guiding the election date here.

Donate Non-Perishable Food at Both Town Halls

Photo on left: First Selectman Christine Vitale in Old Town Hall with staff members Sarah Mason, constituent relations coordinator, and Christine Brown, chief of staff. Photo on right: Sarah Mason and Christine in Vitale in Sullivan Independence Hall.

• As the food insecurity continues with the delay in restoring SNAP benefits, residents can continue to donate non-perishable food items at either Old Town Hall or Sullivan Independence Hall. Operation Hope will come to pick up the items to restock their pantry.

• You can also make cash donations or provide gift cards directly to Operation Hope.

• Thank you to everyone who has donated. Your generosity is uplifting our community at a difficult time.

Trail Dedicated in Honor of Conservationist Joy Shaw

• The Town of Fairfield’s Conservation Department held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 5 on behalf of the Conservation Commission, dedicating an Open Space trail in honor of lifelong conservationist Joy Shaw, whose vision and advocacy shaped environmental education and stewardship in Fairfield for more than half a century. 

• The dedication took place at the Perry’s Mill Ponds Open Space, where community members, local officials, Mill River Wetland Committee (MRWC) members and environmental advocates gathered to celebrate Shaw’s lasting legacy.

• Joy Shaw is well-known for her leadership in protecting the Mill River watershed since the 1960s, when she stood in front of a bulldozer and refused to move to protect the floodplain.

• Her courageous act was followed by forming the MRWC and an educational outreach program that helped ensure the long-term protection of the river’s floodplain. She has inspired generations of school children to respect and cherish the natural environment. 

• Thank you, Joy, for your lifelong work on behalf of healthy rivers and watersheds.

Joy Shaw arrives at the Trail Dedication Ceremony by boat, led by William Bennett.

Fairfield Safe Streets Alliance's Bike Raffle for Two Bikes

• The Fairfield Safe Streets Alliance (FSSA) held its long-awaited raffle this week for two brand new bicycles, donated by Trek Bicycle Store Fairfield and Cycle Dynamics.

• The raffle was part of the Alliance’s continuing efforts to promote safe, healthy, and courteous transportation in Fairfield. The winners of the drawing are Alysia Welcome, who won a child’s bike donated by Trek Bicycles, and Steven Patrick, who won an adult bike donated by Cycle Dynamics.

• The Fairfield Safe Streets Alliance thanks Jason Ingargiola, store manager of Trek Bicycle Store Fairfield, and Charlie Gander, owner of Cycle Dynamics in Westport, for their generous support and commitment to community safety, as well as all the residents who entered the drawing and took the Safe Streets Pledge. The Safe Streets Pledge is a promise to drive the speed limit paying careful attention to bicyclists and pedestrians and watch out for each other on the roads as neighbors and friends.

From left to right, Town Librarian Scott Jarzombek, Fairfield Fire Department Lieutenant Justin Greenshaw, Fairfield Fire Department Firefighter Frank Zwierlein, Fairfield Police Department Sergeant Jenna Wellington, Cycle Dynamics Store Owner Charlie Gander, Fairfield First Selectman Christine Vitale, Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee Chair Sarah Mason, Trek Store Manager Jason Ingargiola, Fairfield Acting Fire Chief Kyran Dunn, Deputy Fire Chief Pat Barry, Firefighter Tyler Prescott

DON'T MISS THESE EVENTS



Fundraiser for Ireland's Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield

• The November 7 night of poetry and music at the SHU Community Theatre seeks to raise money for the future Irish Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield.

• The museum plans to move into the building adjacent to first Church and the Gaelic American Club, making significant renovations required to attain museum standards for more than 173 works of art, artifacts and historical documents.

• The museum plans to preserve a cultural legacy and educate visitors how famine and food deprivation are as relevant today as it was in the 1840s.

• Find more information here.

McKinley Elementary School World's Fair, Nov 8, 11-3

Stay Healthy--Get Your Flu Shot! November 10, 4 -7 p.m.

Fairfield's Veterans Day Ceremony, Nov. 11, 11 a.m.

• You're invited to attend Fairfield's Veterans Day Ceremony to honor those who served.

• The annual Fairfield Veterans Day Ceremony will be held on Tuesday, November 11 at 11:00 a.m. near the Veterans Wall of Honor on the Town Green, 611 Old Post Road.



• Let's show our gratitude to the men and women who have sacrificed for our country.

Greenfield Hill Commons Holiday Sip & Stroll, Nov 11

Last Coffee with Christine This Year. See you on Nov 15!

A Celebration of Thanks for Business Community, Nov 19

Workshop on Accessory Dwelling Units, Weds Nov 19

• The Town of Fairfield's Affordable Housing Committee will hold a workshop on accessory dwelling units (ADUs), more commonly known as accessory or “in-law” apartments, beginning at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, in the Event Space located above the Fairfield University Store, located at 1499 Post Road. 

• The workshop is free and open to the public.

• During this informative ninety-minute workshop, participants can learn more about accessory dwelling units and changes to the Town’s zoning regulations that make it easier to establish one. 

• The program will include a moderated panel discussion of key design considerations and permitting requirements in the Town of Fairfield to establish an accessory dwelling unit (ADU), as well as information on benefits, potential costs and common pitfalls that homeowners should avoid. 

• Panelists are expected to include Planning Director Emmeline Harrigan, realtor Denise Walsh and local builder Oscar Leal of Beach Front Homes, LLC, as well as Fairfield resident and homeowner Brian Fitzgerald, who recently created a detached accessory dwelling unit on his property.  Light refreshments will be provided.  

Greenfield Hill Commons Pop-Up Farmers Market, Nov 22

FPS Green Teams' Holiday ReSale, December 6

EYES ON FAIRFIELD





Beaver Dam



Photo contributed by the Conservation Department

Busy beavers have dammed up a portion of the Mill River. Conservation Department staff members have discovered a network of dams and two active lodges on private property. This newly created beaver habitat is slowing the flow of the river which has created an opportunity for an abundance of wildlife to enjoy pooled water and rich food sources.

You can learn more about beavers here!

Eyes on Fairfield is a place where community members can share memorable moments and highlight the beauty of our Town. Please send us your photos at firstselectman@fairfieldct.org, capturing Fairfield landscapes, events, and places with special memories.

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Board of Selectman Meetings



The next regular Board of Selectmen meeting will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 4:00 p.m.

Meetings are held in Independence Hall and open to the public. You can attend in person or by tuning into FairTV's YouTube channel here. You can view recorded meetings here or read minutes of previous meetings here.



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