Town Manager's Report - June 5, 2023
Juneteenth Celebration
There are a number of upcoming events this month in celebration of Juneteenth. Human Relations Commission is sponsoring Black History Jeopardy event on Friday, June 16th from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM at town hall. Hosts of the event will include Cassie Copeland-Smith and Kevin Booker, Jr. This will be a fun spirited game amongst teams. To register as a team, please go to: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/NUeEtvm.
On Saturday, June 17th there will be two events taking place to honor Juneteenth.
- The first event will take place at the Connecticut Valley Tobacco Museum at 135 Lang Road from 12 noon – 4:00 PM.
The event will include a special edition of Wine, cheese and memories. To register, call 860-285-1888.
- The second event will be the Juneteenth Performing Arts and Spoken Word at the Windsor Art Center at 40 Mechanic Street, which will be from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM. There will be storytelling, poetry and music. The Keynote Speaker will be Reverend Monique Sanders.
On Sunday, June 18th a Juneteenth Sunday Celebration will be taking place from 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM at Hopewell Baptist Church at 280 Windsor Avenue.
On Monday, June 19th from 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM Juneteenth on the Green will be happening. The Human Relations Commission invites all to come celebrate and enjoy poetry by Antoinette Brim-Bell, Connecticut’s State Poet Laureate. There will be food trucks, entertainment, the Windsor Freedom Trail presentation and a Windsor Stroll to recognize LGBTQ+ pride.
‘AAA’ Credit Rating Affirmed
I’m pleased to inform you that Standard and Poor’s (S & P) has reaffirmed the Town’s AAA credit rating for the 2023 bond issue. Our rating was affirmed after S&P reviewed and analyzed various aspects of the local and regional economy, recent economic development activity, management practices, fiscal and debt management practices, budgetary performance, retirement plan stewardship and our other post-employment benefits program.
The bond sale will be conducted on Thursday, June 8th. Thank you to the Town Council for your financial stewardship. Also, thank you to Jim Bourke, Finance Director
Sharshon Park Fields Improvements
The Town of Windsor has an upcoming project for improvements to the Sharshon Park Fields. The scope of the project encompasses drainage improvements, regrading and establishment of natural turf fields and the addition of accessible paths and handicap parking.
A Public Information Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 15 at 6:30 PM in the Ludlow Room at Windsor Town Hall, 275 Broad Street.
Anyone interested in obtaining further information may do so by contacting Ryan Gazlay at (860) 285-1862, or by email at gazlay@townofwindsorct.com.
Solar Arrays at Town Facilities
Installation of a solar system at Poquonock Fire Station has begun. This is one of three town locations that will have solar panels installed by the end of year. The other two locations are the Police Department on Addison Road and the Fire and EMS facility on Bloomfield Avenue.
There are no upfront capital expenditures on the Town’s part for these projects as the systems are owned by a private vendor and in return the Town entered into a long-term power purchase agreement with the vendor in which we pay a below market rate on power we consume.