October 2022

One of the reasons I wanted to move back to Connecticut after my time away in service was for the seasons. Soon, the leaves will turn and our first snowfall will arrive. Where did the Summer go? I have some news to share and a few announcements to make. First, the Town of Brookfield was awarded a grant of $500,000 for the 2022 Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) for an extension of the sewer line to the old Brookfield Market/Craft Center area. Next, the Town of Brookfield partnered with Brookfield Village LLC and together our application was submitted for a CT Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) Brownfield Remediation grant to address 20 Station Road. I'll keep you posted on both of these potential projects as more information becomes available. Another update is on the Streetscape Phase 3 “Pocket Park,” which is coming along nicely. Thank you to the Youth Commission for spearheading a time capsule project to be buried under the pocket park.

There are vacancies across boards and commissions in town (Board of Assessment Appeals, Commission on Aging, Conservation Commission, Inland-Wetlands Commission, Municipal Building Committee, Parks & Recreation, and Water Pollution Control Authority). If you're interested in volunteering, there are so many opportunities to contribute your time and talent to our community. There’s plenty of work to be done and our community is grateful to have wonderful volunteers that make Brookfield such a special place to live.

At the Board of Selectman meeting on October 3, I'll share a message proclaiming October 15 as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day in Brookfield, to recognize the unique grief of bereaved parents and demonstrate support to the many families who have suffered such a tragic event. Promoting awareness of pregnancy and infant loss will increase the likelihood that our families will receive understanding and support as they face the challenges of piecing their lives back together after the death of their baby. Furthermore, increased awareness will result in improved education and prevention which may ultimately reduce the incidence of these tragedies.

I’d like to highlight that October 2 – 8 is Mental Illness Awareness Week. It's a good time to pause and think about our own mental health. For more important and useful information, please visit the NAMI website.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. For more important and useful information, please visit the Center for Empowerment and Education website.

Please take care of yourselves and one another. Have a safe and Happy Halloween! 

Yours in Service,

Tara Carr

First Selectman

Board of Selectmen Meeting

Monday, October 3, 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.

Brookfield Arts Commission – Artist Reception

The Arts Commission will sponsor an Artist Reception for our current artist, Christine Lombardi, on Thursday, October 6, from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. You are invited to join Christine as she shares her inspirations for her beautiful paintings. Most paintings are for sale. Her artwork will be hanging on the first floor of Town Hall until October 20. If you or someone you know would like to be considered as a featured artist in Town Hall, please send 8 - 10 samples of your work, or a link to your website, to brookfieldartscommissionct@gmail.com.

The Best of Brookfield – Brookfield Chamber of Commerce Event

Wednesday, October 12, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at the Candlewood Inn - $5.00 Entrance Fee

A Trade Show open to the public with approximately 50 booths of businesses and non-profits from the Brookfield area. There will be food and a cash bar, raffles and entertainment throughout the event.

American Red Cross Blood Drive

Sponsored by the Brookfield Lions Club on October 15, from 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Brookfield Congregational Church. See the town website for further details.

Farmers Market

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

Household Hazardous Waste Regional Events

Click here for hazardous waste disposal events held by the Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority for 2022 and 2023.

Town Hall will be closed on Monday, October 10 for

Columbus Day.

Brookfield Trunk or Treat

Hosted by the Brookfield Volunteer Fire Company

Saturday, October 22, from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Parks & Recreation will be having “Movies in the Park.”

Parking at Brookfield Town Hall – no one but registered “trunks” will be allowed in the Firehouse parking lot. To register your trunk, please email brookfieldtt@gmail.com.

Coffee with the Community

Saturday, October 29, from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. at JJ Stacks located at 537 Federal Road. We encourage you to stop by with any questions or concerns for the Board of Selectmen.

Brookfield Education Foundation

– Click here for BEF website

The Brookfield Education Foundation's mission is to marshal and provide resources for lifelong learning by Brookfield residents of all ages. We proudly provide grants to new and innovative education programs for both the Brookfield schools and greater community. Recent grants funded include:

• Wellness Room at Brookfield High School
• Oculus in Science at Whisconier Middle School
• Community Conversations at Brookfield Library
• Learning with BeeBots at Center Elementary School
• Community Garden at Brookfield Congregational Church
• EMT Training at Brookfield High School

We are continuously seeking new grant applications. Do you have an idea for a program you would love to bring to Brookfield? Every great program starts with a spark from someone championing it. That could be you! Please reach out to BEF on our website with your idea(s) so we can help bring your idea to fruition! 

Brookfield Education Foundation

Our annual Thanks for Giving Gala is scheduled for Friday, November 18 at the Candlewood Inn. The event features silent and live auctions, dinner, dancing and more. This event is our largest fundraiser of the year and tickets are available now. Sponsorships are also available, and donations to the auction are welcomed. Please visit our website for more information.

Assessor

Attention Business Owners: Personal Property Declarations will be mailed out the end of September and are due no later than November 1, 2022, by 4:00 p.m. Please note that if declarations are received in the office later than November 1, you will be penalized unless the postmark is November 1 or earlier. It must be postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service in order to be considered on time. If you do not receive a form or need to replace it, they’re available on our website. If you have any questions, please call the Assessor’s Office at 203-775-7302.

Tax Collector

Waterline Assessment Bills

Reminder: All Waterline Assessment bills are due 10/01/2022. Payments must be received or U.S. postmarked no later than 11/01/2022 to avoid an interest penalty. Bills have been mailed. Failure to receive a bill does not invalidate the assessment or interest. Waterline Assessment bills will be available on the website starting on 10/1. Please note there are additional fees if you pay through the online portal. We accept personal checks, money orders, bank checks and cash up to $500.00.

Town Clerk

Absentee Ballots for the November 8, 2022 Election become available on October 7, 2022. You can download your application for Absentee Ballot and return it to the Town Clerk via mail, secure drop box, or in person at the Town Clerk's office. The last day to issue absentee ballots will be November 7, 2022. Sample Ballots are available on the Town Clerk’s webpage.  

Health Department

During October, Brookfield’s Health Department once again stresses the need to be aware that 1 in 8 women will develop invasive Breast Cancer in their lifetime. And 1 in 1000 men will too! So it’s extremely important to be aware of the triad of monthly self-examination (preferably 10 days after the onset of the last period), regular breast exams by an experienced physician and annual mammograms over the age of forty. This is particularly true for women who have a family history of Breast or Ovarian Cancer. For more information about Breast Cancer awareness, click here.

In October, we see the Pink Ribbon explosion everywhere. But don’t be fooled by corporations using “Pink” to their advantage for increasing corporate profits. Learn just how much of your “Pink” purchases are contributed to Breast Cancer Research and prevention. Learn more about Organizations who truly are “non-profit” and whose cost of doing business is extremely low. And in the meantime, remember the triad: SELF-EXAM, PROFESSIONAL EXAM and MAMMOGRAPHY.  

We'd like to thank Raymond Sullivan, M.D., who, after 16 years of dedicated service in the role of Director of Public Health for the Town of Brookfield, has retired. His service during the Macroburst and the Covid-19 Pandemic was invaluable, going above and beyond to extend his expertise and compassion to the entire town and school system, while establishing and overseeing an immensely successful community clinic.

We welcome Mr. Eren Ceylan, MPH, as the Town’s new Director of Health and whose appointment has been approved by the State Department of Health.

Public Works

The Department of Public Works is in the process of rating each town road to update its pavement management plan. We do this annually, and ratings range from 0 to 100 with 100 the best. New ratings will be posted in January 2023. If you're interested in your 2022 rating, see the town website.

Social Services

My HomeCT Mortgage Assistance

Help for Homeowners!

A new CT homeowners’ assistance program has been created using monies from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). It is called MyHomeCT, and is available to eligible CT residents who have mortgage delinquencies or defaults that occurred because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The CT Department of Housing is the responsible entity for the program and has designated the CT Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) to administer it on its behalf. Mortgage and non-mortgage grants are awarded to eligible homeowners as either one-time assistance, which brings the homeowner’s bills current, or as ongoing assistance to pay bills going forward (up to 12 months). Non-mortgage assistance includes, but is not limited to non-mortgaged real estate taxes and insurance, condominium or HOA fees, water and sewer liens, HOA or condominium assessments.

For more information, click here or call the MyHomeCT call center, 877-894-4111 Mon-Fri from 10 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. EST, or The WorkPlace in Bridgeport at 203-610-8580.

Difficulty paying Electric bills?

Eversource offers programs that can help: Visit www.Eversource.com/BillHelp or call

1-800-286-2828. Also, if you heat with electricity, don’t forget to apply for CEAP, which will allow you to participate in the Matching Payment Program and Winter Protection.

Come visit us at the Library in October. Besides our awesome story times, book clubs, movies, coloring, and crafts, there will be a concert, a new Art Gallery exhibit, a program on fall prevention, as well as a discussion on the History of Halloween! You can register for any of these events on our website. We’ve also gone fine free. Check out these FAQs for all the details on how our fine free program works. Lastly, stop by and see us at The Candlewood Inn on October 12 for The Best of Brookfield event! We look forward to seeing you soon.

Our Fall 2022 Program Guide is available online and registration is underway. There is so much to look forward to in October, including our 30th Annual 5K Halloween Run, Movies in the Park and other special events in October. Come create some memories with us in October! See our flyer on the town website.

Click here for Brookfield Public Schools October update.

Streetscape Phase 3

Streetscape Phase 3 is progressing nicely. Sidewalks are now open along Old Route 7 Road and Pocket Park construction has started (photo below). The Still River Greenway Trail Extension study team has identified various options and will soon schedule  information sessions to give residents an opportunity to comment on them

Water Pollution Control Authority

The Office of Governor Lamont and the Office of Policy and Management congratulate the Town of Brookfield on a $500,000.00 grant award through the 2022 Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) for the Brookfield Craft Center/Market Area Sewer System. The Brookfield Craft Center/Market Area Sewer System Extension project will impact and benefit the community by preserving the historical integrity and beauty of Brookfield with a project that benefits our economic development, community conservation and quality-of-life in the Town Center District, which is undergoing major improvements. The project will allow the properties to continue to operate and reside in this area without risk of polluting the Still River, groundwater, and drinking water wells by replacing the failing septic systems on nine properties with access to the municipal sewer system.