June 21 Update From Southbury First Selectman Manville

Press release from the Town of Southbury:

6/21/2024

Hello Southbury Citizens,

Connecticut has been experiencing its first heat wave of the summer bringing dangerously hot conditions to Southbury all week. Our Emergency Management Director activated Southbury’s Extreme Hot Weather Protocol and I have been advising residents, particularly those who are most vulnerable, to take precautions during this time. The Southbury Public Library is open over the weekend (Friday until 5:30pm, Saturday 9:30am to 4:00pm, and Sunday 12:00pm to 5pm) to anyone seeking an air-conditioned environment during the day. You can find more information and tips to stay safe during high heat events on our website’s home page. Please call 911 in the event of a heat-related emergency.

At our June 6th Board of Selectman meeting, our region’s council of government presented information about the Active Transportation Plan they are currently working on and are asking for your participation in a short survey. The results of the survey will serve as a guide for future improvements to infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists in Town.

Jeff
Jeff Manville
First Selectman, Town of Southbury

The Town Pool at Ballantine Park is open and ready for you to cool off during the heatwave. Our Parks & Recreation Department implemented a new scanning system for pool members this year. It will allow faster entry and accurate reporting for future evaluation of programs and pool usage. Please go to your MyRec account to sign up for a season pool pass or swimming lessons.

Last Thursday, Planning Director Jordan Marcinko and I attended an online seminar hosted by NVCOG and certified planner Dr. Don Poland. The presentation explored the connection between housing development, demographic changes, and school enrollment using case studies and real data from cities and towns in Connecticut.

The seminar showed how demographic changes over the past decades, (lower fertility rates, aging populations, and more single-person households than ever before), are impacting housing stock and school enrollments. It also drove home the message that municipalities must consider these demographic changes in planning, and work with developers for innovative ways to plan for and meet our future housing needs.

Summer camp is off to a great start! I joined campers on Monday for their first day of camp and everyone was having fun, including me. The first week of camp is themed around the famous Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I participated with the campers during their magic wand class.

Thank you to our Parks & Recreation Department for developing such creative and fun activities for our summer camps. I can see why our summer camps have sold out. It is only day five of camp and we are already receiving praises from parents

I met with members of the NVCOG Active Transportation Plan yesterday to discuss my vision to create a multi-purpose walking and biking path in Town, as well as connect these trails to surrounding communities as part of a Regional Plan. The concept has been developing over time to include over twenty-five sections which will provide safe and scenic connections with existing sidewalks and trails. The multi-purpose path would provide safe, alternative modes of transportation between residential areas and local businesses, entertainment, town parks, and schools. It would also promote a healthy lifestyle for our citizens.

NVCOG is working with Towns in our Region to create integrated pathways in and between towns. It is my goal that by working with organizations such as NVCOG and government grants, we will make this vision a reality and implement this project in stages.

Our Public Works team is doing an excellent job with our River Road project. It is going very well and are looking forward to providing the public with more updates later this month.

Last Friday, members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Senator Eric Berthel, State Representative Cindy Harrison, Selectman Jason Buchsbaum, and the Southbury Boy Scouts as well as members of the public and the veteran’s community joined me for Southbury’s Flag Day Celebration. Veteran Ken Korsu was our event MC and gave a touching personal account of the American Flag’s meaning to him and other Veterans who served. Flag day allows us to celebrate not only freedom but also the symbol of it as well.

This press release was produced by the Town of Southbury. The views expressed here are the author’s own.