September 2022

Wow - it’s September and that means it's back to school already! Summer passed so quickly. I hope you were all able to enjoy the warm weather and long days. Much has been happening across town, most notably the passing of our new school security plan that was approved at a special town meeting on August 22. For more information, please visit the town meeting YouTube video.

This layered approach to school security was funded through ARPA, but will require funding from within our budget once ARPA funds expire. Additionally, we're experiencing some unforeseen additional expenses across town due to the volatile economy and inflation. Fuel costs and prices of capital building projects continue to rise (Whisconier Middle School walls and the high school locker room, to name a few). These price tags - coupled with other financial stressors, such as our debt bubble (now paying principal on the old debt and the new school debt) and this year’s revaluation (taxes going up) - now have us in the “era of fiscal fragility” that I spoke about last winter and through our past referendum.

Our last budget referendum approved a new town-wide communications system, which will provide an overhaul of our 1986 system upgrading from analog to digital. While other towns were able to obtain support, unfortunately, Brookfield was denied Congressionally Directed Spending funds for Fiscal Year 2023.

A new initiative that many of our neighbors are using is a system to identify vehicles that are not registered to Brookfield. If you or anyone you know has a vehicle that's not registered to Brookfield, please get the vehicle registered ASAP! 

Finally, we’re awaiting word on two grants - our STEAP grant to resolve sewage leaking into the Still River (a decade’s old health and safety issue) and a DECD grant to alleviate blight and remediate contamination in our town center district. Many new businesses have been opening across town - we wish every business much success as part of our community. Thank you to every teacher, administrator, bus driver, and all school staff for your commitment to making our town wonderful – have a great school year!  

Yours in Service,

Tara Carr

First Selectman

Board of Selectmen Meeting

Tuesday, September 6, at 7:00 p.m., Room 133 The meeting agenda will be posted on the town website the Friday afternoon prior to the meeting, and will be live-streamed and recorded for viewing.

Conservation Commission

Volunteers are needed on Saturday, September 17, from 9:00 a.m. to Noon, to help in our continued efforts to remove invasive species from our open space. Meet at Williams Park entrance. Please bring garden gloves and gardening tools. Our Master Gardener will be available to help identify and provide information about the dangers of these invasive species. Please visit the town website for additional information.

Farmers Market

The Brookfield Farmers Market is open through October 21 behind Brookfield Town Hall. Join us every Friday from 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. for local produce, meat, dairy, ice cream, eggs, specialty oil & vinegars, jams, baked goods, chocolate, and local crafts!

Coffee with the Community

Saturday, September 24, from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. at Jesters Coffee located at 331 Federal Road. We encourage you to stop by with any questions or concerns.

Water Pollution Control Authority

Sanitary Sewer Candlewood and Dean/Pocono Road Areas

Please join the WPCA and our consulting engineers as they present preliminary alternatives for sanitary sewer service to the study areas (Dean & Pocono Roads, the Candlewood Lake Peninsula, the Candlewood Lake Club, and some areas surrounding Candlewood Lake Road).

This information session will be Wednesday, September 14, 2022, at 7:00 p.m., in the Auditorium of Brookfield High School, 45 Long Meadow Hill Road. At this meeting we will engage in discussion to obtain feedback.

Please make every effort to submit your question(s) prior to the meeting, so we can have complete answers that evening. Send them to office@brookfieldwpca.org and write “Question” in the subject line.

We look forward to seeing you!

Assessor

If you’re a veteran and have a DD-214 that you’ve never submitted, please submit it to the Town Clerk by September 30 for exemptions on your taxes for next year. If you’ve already submitted it, you do not need to do so again.

If you’re totally disabled or blind and never submitted an application to the Assessor’s Office, please submit one by October 1. If you have submitted one, you do not need to do so again.

If you have a retrofitted vehicle (maximum of 2), every year on or before October 1, you must complete a new application. If this is the first year you own the vehicle, you will need to attach a copy of the bill of sale for the vehicle and the retrofitting. All applications are on the town website.

If you ‘d like to appeal your car taxes, the Board of Assessment Appeals will meet on September 17, from 8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. and Tuesday, September 20, from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at Town Hall. Please click here to view and print an application. You want to make sure you bring all the necessary documents to the hearing. No appointment is required.

Economic Development

Customers, town and chamber representatives, joined owner Brook Noel at the ribbon cutting of their new restaurant at 802 Federal Road. Noel, owners also of Saltwater Grille located in Litchfield, and Salt 2.0 in Litchfield and Torrington, decided to expand their business because of its success in Connecticut’s Northwest corner.

“Brookfield seemed like a great next step,” Noel said. ‘We opened our first Salt in Litchfield in 2020, then Torrington in 2021. I love the Brookfield area, so it was my goal for 2022.”

First Selectwoman Tara Carr added, “the town is delighted to congratulate and welcome them into our community and wish them nothing but the best of luck. We’re so happy you’ve found a home here in Brookfield and look forward to seeing your continued success!”

Located in the heart of the Town Center District in one of Brookfield Village’s newest buildings. You can contact them at 203-546-7278.

Left to right: Pete Gerardi, Marie Miszewski, Jacqueline Salame, Tara Carr, Maria Sok, Brook Noel and Jim Fisher.

Health Department

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Also known as Suicide Awareness Month, the month shines a spotlight on a topic not often talked about. Everyone is affected by suicide, not just the victim. Suicide impacts family and friends long after the loss of a loved one. On average, one person commits suicide every 16.2 minutes in the U.S. Two-thirds of the people who commit suicide suffer from depression. For more information on suicide prevention, click on National Day Calendar and visit the Brookfield Cares website, that includes information on the new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Senior Center and Social Services

NAMI

If you live with a person who has a mental health condition, you may be interested in the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Family Support Group that will meet in the Senior Center building on the last Wednesday of the month (beginning September 28) at 7:00 p.m. For more information, click here.

Public Works

The Department of Public Works recently relined the inverts on the double 48-inch culverts that allow the Hidden Brook culverts to flow under Hidden Brook Road. The work should prolong the life of the culverts which also support the road above. 

Town Clerk

Be sure to submit your Application for Absentee Ballot for the November 8, 2022 election for State and Federal offices early to avoid any delays in the ballot arriving to you. Applications can be dropped off 24/7 in the Ballot Drop Box located directly outside of Town Hall Doors. Ballots become available on October 7. To learn more about the recent expansion of Absentee Balloting, read former Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill’s

June 3, 2022 press release.

The Brookfield Library has some great activities for all ages in September. Visit the town website for the library’s events for the month of September. Please see the library website for details regarding dates, times and registration for all of our programs and more. We look forward to seeing you soon!

The Town Beach remains open weekends only September 3, 4 and 5; from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. each day. The last day of our operating season is Labor Day, Monday, September 5. Brookfield residents who do not have season passes have the option of paying the daily guest fee at the gate. Fee is $10 per person with no charge for residents under age 2 or over age 65. Please bring proof of residency (driver's license) with you to the gate.    

Movies in the Park continue in September and October. 

Join us on Saturday, September 24 at 7:00 p.m. for an outdoor showing of Sing 2. For more information and complete schedule, click here.

Fall Tennis lessons with Fairfield County Tennis begins Wednesday, September 14. More information is available here. We are finalizing details on our other fall programs and special events. Be sure to check our website and Facebook throughout the month of September for updates.

Click here for the Brookfield Public Schools Welcome Back Newsletter.