The First Selectman's View from Town Hall
BUDGET REFERENDUM RESULTS
On May 20, the voters returned a split decision on the budget referendum– the Town budget passed, and the School budget failed. By State Statute, when one budget fails, the entire budget fails. The results are summarized in the table below:
This is the first time since 2005 that a budget has failed, and the highest voter turnout for a budget vote since 2010. The Board of Finance met on May 31 to reconsider the budget in preparation for another referendum. The BOS will now set a date for a special meeting to determine the date of a second referendum to be held in late June. This process will continue until the voters approve a budget.
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Congratulations to the Graduates!!!
Congratulations and best wishes to all of the New Fairfield graduates upon Step-Up, 8th Grade Promotion and High School and College graduations. The Town is so very proud of you and all that you have accomplished. We wish you success in your next adventure!
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New Fairfield High School Graduation
Friday, June 16th
Rebel Stadium, 5:00 P.M.
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8th Grade Promotion Ceremony
Thursday, June 15th at 5:00 P.M. in the High School Gymnasium
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5th Grade Stepping-Up Ceremonies
Friday, June 9th at 9:30 and 10:30 A.M. in the MHHS Gymnasium
June 19th
Juneteenth commemorates and celebrates the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 during the Civil War declaring slaves in Confederate states to be free. More than two years passed before the Union Soldiers marched into Galveston with the news on June 19, 1865, and the former slaves began to celebrate immediately.
Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. On June 17, 2021, it officially became a federal holiday.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed into law Public Act 22-128 on May 27, 2022 establishing June 19th as a new legal state holiday.
The effective date of the legislation, as approved by the General Assembly, is October 1, 2022. June 19, 2023 will be the first time that Juneteenth is legally recognized as a state holiday in Connecticut.
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Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority 2023 Recycling Billboard Contest Winners
2023 Theme-"Recycle Outside the Bin"
2023 Regional Grand Prize Winner Caiden Davidson – 3rd Grade – Meeting House Hill School. His artwork will be displayed for 6 weeks on 20 HART buses from May to June 2023.
There were 5 additional Regional HRRA Poster Contest Winners from New Fairfield:
We also congratulate all of the ribbon winners in New Fairfield:
-Kindergarten-1st Place-Maeve Orcutt
-First Grade-1st Place-Benjamin Davidson, 2nd Place-Alice Howard, 3rd Place-Sydney Muir
-Second Grade-1st Place-Mila Caba, 2nd Place-Sophia Ruscigno, 3rd Place-Zachary Ravich
-3rd Grade-1st Place-Caiden Davidson, 2nd Place-Stella Gatti, 3rd Place-Devyn Currier
-4th Grade-1st Place-Chase Hanley, 2nd Place-Eliza Lopez
-5th Grade-1st Place- Amara Coster, 2nd Place-Madison Schlosser, 3rd Place-Rebecca Miller
-6th Grade-1st Place-Corina Knapp, 2nd Place-Summer Noszko
-10th Grade-1st Place-Sara Braun
Congratulations to all of the participants and all of the winners!
JUNE IS DOG LICENSING MONTH
June marks the beginning of the Dog Licensing Year. In Connecticut, it is the law to license your dog in the town in which you reside. Dogs must be licensed beginning at age 6 months, and all dogs are licensed annually during the month of June. You can license in person during Town Hall regular business hours, by mail, or the drop box located behind Town Hall. And for the first time, and only during the month of June, residents have the option of licensing online via the Town’s website or by scanning a QR Code! Dogs must have a current rabies certificate and proof of spay/neuter, if applicable. During June, the fee for a spayed/neutered dog is $8.00 and for a non-spayed/neutered dog is $19.00. After the month of June, a late fee of $1.00 per month or portion thereof is added per §22-349. If you would like to register by mail or drop box, the form can be found here:
Parks & Recreation Events-Save the Date
Be sure to put these wonderful upcoming events on your calendar so you don't miss them!
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The Boat Parade is July 14th, Rain Date July 15th
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Senior Center Tag, Bake and Plant Sale
June 10, 2023 - Rain or Shine 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Location: Senior Center Parking Lot
Sponsored by the Friends of the New Fairfield Senior Center
The Friends of the New Fairfield Senior Center will once again be holding their annual Tag Sale. Just $35 for a space. Come in for an application or find it on our website at:
https:// www.newfairfieldseniorcenter.org/ friends-of-senior-center.
Take a spot or just come to shop. Tell your neighbors!
Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority
Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off Event
Saturday, June 3, 2023 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Bethel High School
300 Whittlesey Drive, Bethel
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Candlewood Valley Regional Land Trust Events
CVRLT is offering two fabulous events in June:
CONNECTICUT TRAILS DAY HIKE, LED BY CVRLT’S SHANE COSENTINO
June 3rd from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Come celebrate Trails Day with Candlewood Valley Regional Land Trust and join us for a hike at our Komlo Preserve. Enjoy bird watching, a leisurely hike down our Greenway trail, or bring your kayak or canoe! We start at 9a.m. and will be hanging out until noon, but all of our properties are always open from dawn until dusk. This event will be rain or shine – make sure to bring water, sunscreen, and snacks, if you’d like. Register at https://bit.ly/3Ll7onr.
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LEARN ABOUT BEEKEEPING!
June 11th from 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Join us at Komlo Preserve in New Fairfield on June 11th from 11a.m.-12p.m. to learn all there is about beekeeping! Let’s come together as we discuss bee anatomy and social behaviors, their importance as pollinators, the dangers that honeybees and native bees face with regard to pesticides and climate change, and how to help.
The meeting will be led by Tammi Worsham of Backyard Beekeepers. Tammi is a recent transplant to Connecticut. Before moving to the Nutmeg State, she lived in West Philadelphia for 20 years. Her interest in keeping bees was piqued by a viewing hive at the Wagner Institute of Science in Philadelphia more than a decade ago. She volunteered with inspections at a community garden just west of the University of Pennsylvania. In 2013, Tammi answered an ad from a beekeeper looking for more space for his hives and volunteered a place on her sunny, flat rooftop. This beekeeper was a member of the Philadelphia Beekeepers Guild, which gave Tammi access to an enthusiastic community. She found working under someone’s mentorship to be an invaluable experience, after several years of helping with the beekeepers’ hives on her roof, she was ready for a more independent beekeeping experience.
After moving to CT, Tammi was able to start her own hives with two packages four years ago. Now she keeps bees in three different towns and is looking to make splits soon! Connecticut’s colder winters, along with other challenges to beekeeping has given her new issues to learn about and overcome. Tammi is committed to continuing her education and broadening her knowledge of how to best keep bees healthy and nourished in this region and looks forward to working in our community to share the benefits of these very special social insects.
Preserve New Fairfield Strawberry Festival
June 11, 2023
1:00-4:00 p.m. at the Senior Center
Preserve New Fairfield is bringing back this event after a few year hiatus. Stop by for live music, raffles, crafts, face painting and, most importantly, Strawberry Shortcakes!!!
Featuring the music of Split Decision
Preserve New Fairfield's mission is to preserve, protect, and maintain local historic structures and artifacts, and to promote community education and involvement in historic preservation efforts.
You can find more information on www.PreserveNewFairfield.org or by clicking the button below:
ATTENTION VENDORS: Vendors wanted for the Strawberry Festival on June 11th. If interested in setting up a table and selling your merchandise, then please call (203) 746-4502.
Please consider donating some necessary items to the Town Food Pantry in order to keep the shelves stocked to help someone who may be in need.
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Pet Food & Supply Pantry
There are New Fairfield Pets and Pet Families that may also be in need of items and food. New Fairfield/Sherman Animal Welfare has a food and supply pantry at the shelter and they would welcome your donations. If you are in need of food and items, you can contact them or visit the pantry.
New Fairfield Residents Housing Needs Survey
If you have not had a chance to complete the Survey, please take a moment to fill it out and add your input.
Last year the Board of Selectmen created the Housing Opportunities Committee to look at the need for a wider variety of housing in New Fairfield. We are working on a plan to address the housing needs of current and future residents and workers in New Fairfield as required by State statute. This Housing Plan will lay out strategies that the town can take over the next five years to address these housing needs while still protecting the qualities we love about our town.
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Summer Solstice
June 21, 2023
10:58 A.M.
This solstice marks the official beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, occurring when Earth arrives at the point in its orbit where the North Pole is at its maximum tilt (about 23.5 degrees) toward the Sun, resulting in the longest day and shortest night of the calendar year. (By longest “day,” we mean the longest period of sunlight hours.) On the day of the June solstice, the Northern Hemisphere receives sunlight at the most direct angle of the year. (from Almanac.com)
Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteering and helping your community provides assistance where needed and also provides benefits to you. When you volunteer, you meet new people, gain confidence and a sense of accomplishment and keeping active mentally and physically has an influence on your health and well being.
The Make-A-Difference page on the New Fairfield website (www.NewFairfield.org) has many available volunteer opportunities that may just fit in with your life to make a difference for you and for those you are helping!
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May was Mental Health Month
Selectman Del Monaco, along with members of the New Fairfield Prevention Council, helped to raise awareness and kick off Mental Health Month
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Library Newsletter
The Library has its own newsletter and you can subscribe to it here:
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Senior Center
Take a look at the Senior Center's beautiful new website where you can find out about programs, events and all that the New Fairfield Senior Center offers, as well as their newsletter:
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Events Calendar
Town events can be found on our Events Calendar. If you have a Not-for-Profit fundraising event to be held in town-please send us the information and flyer to be included on the Events Calendar.
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Meetings Calendar
The calendar for the Town of New Fairfield board and commission meetings can be found at www.NewFairfield.org or by clicking the button below:
Please join us at our meetings to find out what is going on in New Fairfield in further depth. The calendar will let you know if the meeting is in person or will provide the Zoom link, if it is remote. We look forward to you attending the meetings and welcome your participation.
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We wish a Happy Father's Day to all dads, stepdads, grandfathers, uncles, husbands and men who have been an influence in our lives. We thank you for all that you do and all that you have done for us.
“A father is neither an anchor to hold us back nor a sail to take us there, but a guiding light whose love shows us the way.” - Unknown
Thank you for reading the New Fairfield Newsletter.
If you are a New Fairfield not-for-profit organization and would like to include an event in the newsletter, please contact us at: jgreen@newfairfield.org.
Town of New Fairfield, 4 Brush Hill Road, New Fairfield, CT 06812
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Created with images by New Africa - "Hello June. Beautiful sea shell on sandy beach" • pixelrobot - "Mortar and Degree" • mnirat - "Graduates throw black hats in the sky." • shintartanya - "Black history month.African culture,holiday from the united states,African American culture month.Black history month background banner.Black history month poster" • miniartkur - "Miniature tiny people toys photography. Silhouette upper body group of teens raised hand or hands up celebration on sunset orange sky." • Danny Hooks - "Blue Ribbon Award (with clipping path)" • Iurii Kachkovskyi - "strawberry isolated on the white background" • Tim UR - "Strawberry. Full frame strawberry background. Fresh organic berries" • Яна Василевская - "Fraud word concept on cubes" • siajames - "spaghetti sauce in a jar on a white background " • Eric Hood - "Yellow plastic Laundry detergent bottle with blue cap isolated on white background" • Martin Green - "Box of Tissues" • MIGUEL GARCIA SAAVED - "wholemeal salt crackers" • uwimages - "Stack of toilet papers isolated on white background. " • Leo Lintang - "Summer solstice with dramatic sunset" • Alex Ishchenko - "Word summer on the beach." • mangostock - "volunteer group raising hands" • highwaystarz - "Cake Celebrating 100th Birthday" • babimu - "Brennende Happy Birthday Kerzen mit Geschenken" • takoburito - "Red wine splashing in a glass" • ccestep8 - "Blackboard and plaid tie for father's day background or graphic. " • czarny_bez - "Happy fathers day card made by a child"