I want to share some highlights including state and local updates.
CBIA Voting Record
I am proud to be recognized by CBIA for supporting small businesses, addressing the workforce shortage, promoting economic growth, and making Connecticut a great place for families and businesses alike.
In this email you'll find updates on district resources and news. Please click the links below to read the section that corresponds with the highlighted headline.
A NOTE: If you're having trouble clicking through the following links, open this email in a browser, use a computer or scroll through this email to the relevant section.
The Town of Manchester was awarded $800,000 through the Department of Transportation's Community Connectivity Grant Program for improvements to Keeney Street. Now in its fifth round of awards, the program is an infrastructure improvement initiative that provides funding for local projects that improve safety and accessibility for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users in urban, suburban, and rural communities.
CT Population Growth
In 2022, Connecticut experienced a net influx of approximately 57,000 residents due to migration from other states. It marks at least the second straight year when more people moved to Connecticut from other states than vice versa – known in Census-speak as “net domestic migration.” The influx in 2022 followed an addition of about 10,000 residents from other states in 2021.
Today in 1797, inventor and famous clock manufacturer Eli Terry of Plymouth received the first clock-making patent ever issued in the United States, launching an incredible career in manufacturing that helped make Connecticut the epicenter of quality clock manufacturing for the duration of the 19th century.
Born in the eastern division of Windsor in 1772, Terry displayed an aptitude for all things mechanical at an early age, and apprenticed himself to a local clock-maker as a young teenager before opening his own clock-making business at the age of 21. Four years later, he successfully applied for a patent for his clock-making design, and went on to secure a total of 10 patents during his lifetime. Not long after receiving his first patent, Terry began perfecting a system of interchangeable parts for his clocks, becoming a pioneer in the mass-manufacturing movement during the earliest years of the American industrial revolution. In 1806, Eli Terry stunned his investors by completing a massive order of 4,000 clocks in only three years’ time using his new system of mass-manufacturing — a feat that could have taken decades using traditional clock-making methods.
An Eli Terry shelf clock. (Connecticut Historical Society)
In addition to sparking a revolution in American precision manufacturing, Terry trained several protegees that went on to become prolific clock-makers themselves — the most famous being Seth Thomas. Terry also changed the way everyday Americans kept track of time and decorated their homes with his invention of the shelf clock, designed with small enough parts to fit neatly on a fireplace mantle. While tall-case clocks were typically luxuries that only the wealthy could afford, Terry’s shelf clocks were small, fashionable, and modestly priced, allowing thousands of American families access to quality timepieces. Many of these early shelf clocks became heirlooms, and Eli Terry clocks remain highly sought-after pieces of early Americana to this day. One of Connecticut’s finest innovators became one step closer to forever changing the way Americans measured their moments — today in Connecticut history.
Please arrive early to be in line for 9 am as the truck leaves promptly at 9:30 am. Open to the public--bring a sturdy grocery bag! This program is made possible by Foodshare and Winn Residential - Resident Service Program. For more information call 860-646-1280.
Squire Village, 48 Spencer Street, 06040 (1st parking lot off Imperial Drive #78)
Tuesday, November 21, 2023 | 09:00 AM - 09:30 AM
Tuesday, December 05, 2023 | 09:00 AM - 09:30 AM
Get mobile pantry updates in your area by texting the word Foodshare to 85511.
Each fall, the Town receives many inquiries from residents regarding the leaf collection program. The following information may be useful in understanding the Leaf Collection Program
As part of the Town's continuing effort to improve efficiency and maintain the safest operation possible, it is possible that leaves on one side of a street will be collected up to two or three days in advance of the other side of the street.
Residents are reminded that once vacuum collection has been completed on your street, leaf disposal must be either in paper yard waste bags set out at the curb on your normal trash collection day, or dropped off at the Manchester Transfer Station at 311 Olcott St.
For more information on the collection schedule and to see which area your road is located in, follow link below:
Manchester has launched planning efforts for its 2023 Bicentennial Celebration. This year long celebration will consist of a variety of opportunities to remember the past, celebrate the present, and dream about the future. Festivities will include historical and educational programs, special events, and commemorative projects.
(From left to right) Travis Simpson, Minority Leader John Morrison, Tom Rup, Chairman Richard Kehoe, Harry Amadasun Jr., Awet Tsegai, Angie Parkinson, Majority Leader Sebrina Wilson, & Vice Chairman Don Bell
Board of Education
(From left to right) Patrick Biggins, Jaclyn Clarke, Matt Lauf, Chris Tierinni, & Marilyn Pet
Selectman Salemi
Constables
(From left to right) Tia L. Woods, Charles Clarke, Carl Smith, Daron Ross.
Congratulations to all the candidates who ran for office this cycle. I look forward to working with Mayor Connor Martin, members of the Town Council, Board of Education, Selectman, and Constables. To see the full results, clickhere
East Hartford Parks and Recreation Basketball
Registration OPEN for 2023-24 Season
The East Hartford Parks and Recreation Youth Basketball program will open its 2023-24 registration for East Hartford Boys and Girls in Grades Kindergarten through 8th grade on Monday, November 6th. Preseason Basketball Clinics begin the week of November 13th for Boys and Girls in Grades 3 through 8th grade. Our regular season will be the week of November 27th with mandatory evaluation. Players will be placed on teams after evaluation and the program will start December 4th. Instruction Basketball Program for our younger players will start Sunday, January 7th.
To view the Preseason Clinics, Evaluations, Regular Season, and Instruction Basketball Program schedule, please visit www.easthartfordct.gov/parks-recreation.
Any questions, please call the East Hartford Parks and Recreation Office at 860-291-7160, Monday – Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
Winter Programs at East Hartford Public Library
Please visit their online calendar for event listings:
WHO: Anyone who is 55 or older and resides in the Town of East Hartford and their guests
WHAT: Intergenerational Event – Breakfast and Interactive Drumming
WHEN: November 18th at 9:00 am
WHERE: 15 Milbrook Drive, East Hartford
The East Hartford Senior Center invite you to a Breakfast & Interactive Drumming. Breakfast will be served at 9:00 am. Come alone or bring your adult child, grandchildren and or great grandchildren. We will be serving your choice of pumpkin pancakes or buttermilk pancakes, bacon, OJ, coffee and tea. We will have an interactive drumming show for you and your family after breakfast. Please arrive for breakfast for 9:00 am. If you show up past 9:15, you may lose your spot. One adult guest per member. Space is limited.
You must register in person at the Senior Center. Cost is $3.00 for members, $5.00 for non-members and children under 12 are FREE.Seating is limited. No tickets will be sold at the door.
East Hartford to Celebrate Small Businesses
with a Passport Contest
The Town of East Hartford has partnered with East Hartford Development Department and local Main Street businesses to offer a fun contest in celebration of Small Business Saturday coming up in November.
Individuals who wish to participate will be asked to collect stickers from at least 5 participating businesses for a chance to win a $100 gift card to one of them.
How to participate?
Pick up a contest passport at any of the participating businesses starting October 24, 2023.
Passports will be available at the following locations:
Community Cultural Center – 50 Chapman Place, East Hartford
Raymond Library – 840 Main Street, East Hartford
Wickham Library – 656 Burnside Avenue, East Hartford
Fill out the required information in the passport book, including your name, email, and phone number.
Visit at least five of the participating businesses and ask for a passport sticker. Purchases are encouraged, but not required!
Drop off your filled out passport in the designated boxes at the Community Cultural Center or either branch of the East Hartford Public Library by Wednesday, November 22. Only one entry is allowed per person.
On Small Business Saturday, November 25, 2023 three winners will be selected at random from passports that have at least five stamps.
Winners will receive a $100 gift card from one of the participating businesses. The contest is open to both East Hartford residents and visitors. Remember to support East Hartford small businesses this Small Business Saturday and every day!
Leaf Collection Program 2023
East Hartford, CT— The Town of East Hartford will begin the annual curbside leaf collection program began on Monday, October 30, 2023. The program will feature a continuous vacuuming of leaves placed in piles on a tree belt. Leaves will be vacuumed Monday through Saturday continuously through December 9, 2023.
The leaf collection program will commence on roads in the northwest corner of town in the area of Pitkin Street and then proceed north and east through the Burnham and Goodwin Street areas. Leaves will be vacuumed along each street, weather permitting. Collection will proceed in a clockwise direction around town. There will be no leaf collection on two (2) Town-observed holidays—Veterans Day, November 10, 2023 and Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 2023.
The schedule for leaf pickup can be found on the Department of Public Works Weekly Advisory Map, and on the Facebook page. The map will show completed areas as well as the areas where leaf collection is anticipated the following week. Residents should note that the map is tentative and dependent on the weather and the speed of collection and should not be considered a set collection schedule. Progress of the collection is weather-dependent and will be affected by rain or snow. Snowfall before mid-December may cause a suspension or cancelation of leaf collection. The map will be updated with address-specific collection information, such as whether collection has been completed or is anticipated by close of business on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Residents, please look for leaf program lawn signs! Leaf collection lawn signs will be posted in neighborhoods to notify residents that curbside leaf pickup is coming, and to encourage raking to the curb and paper leaf bag collection.
This information will also be communicated via our EH Alert platform as a text, call or email to those subscribed to “town services.” To receive those notifications, please select "Town Services" during registration in the drop down menu.
Residents also have two (2) additional options for leaf disposal:
OPTION 1: Curbside Brown Bag Collection for six (6) weeks
Town crews will pick up leaves placed in biodegradable brown paper bags beginning October 30, 2023 through December 9, 2023 on your regular waste collection day, weather permitting. Leaves, in biodegradable brown paper bags only. No grass clippings, branches or other waste items can be placed in the paper bags nor will the Town collect leaves in plastic bags.
OPTION 2: Resident Transport to The Transfer Station for FREE Disposal
Residents may also bring their leaves to the Transfer Station on Ecology Drive between 8 AM to 1:45 PM on the following days:
Every Saturday in November
First three Saturdays in December
Transfer Station will be open on November 11 & 25 for leaves only.
The Map will show your property- click on it to pull up the anticipated collection week.
To find out if the leaf collection has already been completed in your area, please click on the road centerline, which will indicate if the street has been completed.
For any additional information, please call Public Works Administration, 860-291-7374.
My office is always open if you or your family are in need of assistance. Please do not hesitate to contact me by email atJason.Rojas@cga.ct.govor by phone at 860-240-8541.
