From the Desk of Mary Bylone
First Selectman
Town of Colchester, CT
"My First Year in Review"
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The First 365 Days
A true sense of community comes from good communication.
Upon election, I committed to transparency and open communication, and I have worked to keep that promise even as COVID presented numerous challenges to traditional methods. Through weekly email blasts, Community Conversations (both in person, and via Zoom), the First Selectman’s Facebook page and regular Facebook Live videos, I have shared the progress, challenges and current events of our community. My goal now is to summarize the work of my first year in office.
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When I first came into office, the Police Commission was not functioning because membership had dwindled. I recruited two new members and the Commission has been meeting monthly to address issues raised by both our citizens and our officers. We appointed a Sergeant to assist the Resident Trooper with administrative duties and we created a Corporal position that acknowledges the extra duties several of our officers perform. We believe this is a great recruitment and retention initiative and serves our town by focusing on needed services.
Police equipment was in need of replacement beyond what had been planned. I have worked with the Police Commission and the department leadership to design a logical fiscal responsibility plan for cruiser replacement that meets the needs of today and the future. All of the computers in the Police Department and cruisers were replaced to be able to run critical software.
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Public Safety- Fire Department |
Many of you shared your concerns about safety in our town. In examining the most critical needs, I determined the immediate focus should be with the Fire Department, both in staffing and in equipment. Shortly after taking office, a fire truck was taken out of service due to a significant crack in the frame. We were fortunate to obtain a loaner from the Town of Clinton, which we used for several months while we made necessary repairs to our truck. I worked with the Fire Department leadership and members of the Board of Finance and Board of Selectmen to review the needs for the department and discuss a plan for the purchase of new apparatus. More information will follow as we prepare to bring this to a Town Meeting for approval. I also added two additional firefighter/EMT positions to the paid Fire Department staff, enabling coverage from Sunday 11pm through Friday at 11 pm. Our volunteer staff are key to providing complete coverage and we continue to recruit to ensure the safety of our community. Additionally, an OSHA inspection in the Fire Department identified a number of deficiencies that were resolved within a few days, resulting in a safer environment for our crews.
Thanks to the outstanding service from Walter Cox for his many years of service as Fire Chief, we were able to support a smooth transition of Fire Department leadership with Sean Shoemaker taking over as interim Fire Chief. We will begin the process of identifying a permanent Chief over the next few months.
Our Volunteer Fire Fighter Abatement Program was updated to include a provision for retired volunteers and recognition of valuable contributions of our volunteers. It was revised and approved through a drive through Town Meeting.
We replaced the carpet in Company One and are still working to remove outdated equipment and make necessary repairs to the building.
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Economic Development
I am really excited about the progress we have made to keep businesses open and also attract new development. Unlike many surrounding towns, we were able to keep over 100 businesses open during the COVID shutdown. The Emergency Management Director, the Director of Chatham Health and myself, work each day with our local businesses to help them successfully navigate pandemic restrictions.. I have worked closely with our Town Planner to identify key focus areas and pave the way for new businesses. Despite COVID, we continue to see an increase in permits coming into our Planning and Zoning Departments as well as an increased interest in businesses looking to locate in Colchester.
One new business coming to Colchester is NCT Friction Welding, who will be building on Upton Road. They received the Colchester Tax Incentive Program and will start construction in the spring of 2021. We have another company exploring building a 250,000 square foot manufacturing facility on Old Amston Road, and the new construction near the Starbucks looks to have an interested tenant.
In response to the devastating effects of COVID, we created a Long-Term Recovery Committee to look at how to best support the residents and businesses of Colchester. We are one of only a few towns in Connecticut to have a committee dedicated to this work. Since May, the committee has met weekly and conducted surveys for both residents and businesses. They are looking to implement some of the recommendations.
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Infrastructure
Despite having approximately 80 town employees and over 400 Board of Education staff, we did not have a dedicated Human Resources Director. Working collaboratively with the Superintendent, we were able to recruit and hire a full time HR Director whose position is split between the town and the BOE. This position has proven to be extremely beneficial with all of the additional work created by the global pandemic. I also reallocated the position of part-time Clerk in my office to a new position, Department Assistant. Among other duties, this position assists the HR Director, clerks the Board of Finance and manages the Town website.
As we all know, our society is reliant on technology. I quickly realized our infrastructure was not sufficient to best serve the residents of Colchester and we had fallen behind. I decided to bring in a firm to update our capacity and operating systems to support the future growth of the community. Shortly after, we were faced with the global shutdown. They were instrumental in getting us set up to work remotely, providing seamless service to our community, even when the building was closed and programs cancelled. Thankfully, we were able to keep everyone working. Zoom, the live video streaming platform has proven to be a very useful tool, not only for the town business, but also for the programming of Youth Services, Parks and Recreation and our Senior Center. Isolation threatens the wellness of our resident seniors and Zoom aided our Senior Center staff as they identified many creative ways to keep them engaged.
We have begun work on the Youth Services building which has practical as well as historic importance within Colchester. This work is long overdue and can no longer be delayed. We are looking forward to a new roof, new windows, new front door, and landscaping improvements.
Cragin Library, a vibrant gathering place, had to rethink how to meet the needs of the community safely. The staff have been really creative. From delivery of books to changing the layout in certain areas of the library, we are making sure the needed resources are available and safe.
One thing we needed to make sure remained uninterrupted was our Food Bank, especially as we saw individuals losing their jobs, only increasing the needs. To limit the amount of in person contact and streamline the pickup of food and supplies, we moved our Food Bank to the first floor of Town Hall. The packages are delivered through a curbside pickup. Meals delivered for seniors and senior transportation were uninterrupted.
Thanks to the hard work of the Senior Center Building Committee, the design of the new Senior Center has been completed. The town is currently looking into federal grants to supplement the construction costs. The town will be asked to vote on a referendum for construction in the upcoming months (late winter/early spring) with an optimistic plan to break ground this summer.
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Other Projects
The Norton Park project has made significant headway and has begun fundraising to help finance the many improvements and amenities they have thoughtfully planned for this new open space. Part of the progress was made possible by the Paper Mill Road reconstruction project, completed in early fall and funded in part through a grant. The removal of the dam on Jeremy River, completed with the help of DEEP and the Nature Conservancy, has significant environmental impact because it opened up 17 miles of river to migrating species like the blue-backed herring and alewife.
Halls Hill Road Rehabilitation was completed with new paving, sidewalks and flashing lights and crosswalks. We hoped for a dedicated bike lane, however, due to the width of the road, it is a "Share the Road" style instead. The Eversource gas line was completed early this fall and we look forward to having newly paved roads along that access line in Spring of 2021. The work going out to the Bloom Energy Fuel Cell project is complete and awaits the delayed arrival of the fuel cells.
The Town received a grant from the state for almost $400,000 a couple of years ago to make improvements to the Town Green. Work was never begun on this project. I have worked with Planning, the Historic District Commission, Bacon Academy Trustees and Public Works and we are moving close to a plan that meets the expectations of each group. Our Town Green is a treasure in our community and this grant will allow us to improve areas of concern as well as add in some really nice features.
Because our nation has been divided by racial tension, I recommended the exploration of a Diversity and Inclusion Committee. This committee was received by many within town with much gratitude and an overwhelming surge of people who were interested in serving to help.
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In Conclusion
There you have it...365 days into my position as First Selectman and I never imagined I would use so many of my nursing leadership skills to navigate the job of running a town. Let me personally thank each of you who have taken a moment to send me an email, make a phone call,, attend a Community Conversation or signed on for a Facebook Live. Whether or not we always agree, I am a better leader for our town because you engage and bring unique perspectives. My ask is that you continue to send ideas, challenge the status quo and embrace change as we move Colchester forward. These actions are and will continue to be The Best of Colchester!
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Stay Tuned for a report on What's Next for our Community in the coming weeks. |
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Photo credit: Colchester Historical Society |
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Photo credit: Colchester Historical Society |
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