Last Saturday’s Town Meeting to approve a $50,000 expenditure from our Land Acquisition Fund (LAF) account towards the purchase of the 117-acre Glen Brook property in conjunction with the Northwest CT Land Conservancy (NCLC) who initiated the purchase was attended by more fifty Sherman residents. The vote in favor of using the LAF dollars was nearly unanimous. (Two people voted against it.) This acreage is contiguous with the Strauss Preserve and creates a 260 acre preserve into perpetuity. The NCLC is in the process of finalizing its purchase. They will manage the property. Info on this property is on the Town website.
From my view, it was gratifying to see so many people turn out on a snowy morning to support conservation in Sherman. The main reason Sherman is a beautiful Town is because past Sherman citizens have had the foresight to preserve land to help us remain a bucolic rurally-minded town. So to witness this many people step up on Saturday and help keep that practice going was wonderful to behold.
For those who have been asking about the Scout House restoration, my office is likely to put the bid requests out for that work at the end of the week. Nothing about that venerable building, built in 1827, will change. The goal is simply to keep it solid for the next 100 years. The roof and walls will be strengthened and straitened, it will receive new shingles, a paint job inside and out, and its floor buzzed and surfaced. I will be working closely with the Historic District to make sure we are all on the same page for the restoration of this building which is a rich part of Sherman’s history. It once was Sherman’s school. Today, the Sherman Scouts use it for their gatherings and it’s also used by the Sherman Playhouse for certain events.
My office received news that the state grant to pay for more State Trooper hours for speed control was approved. I wish drivers would simply slow down on our roads, and especially through Town. But many don’t. We’ll have up to 16 hours a week of extra enforcement. Now folks who speed through and around Sherman stand a great chance of receiving a costly ticket. I don’t wish tickets on anyone. I simply wish you’d slow down.
As we enter “the bleak mid-winter with frosty wind made moan”, one great activity is ice fishing. Yes, really. I think newcomers to the sport will be surprised at how easy it is, at least as far as equipment is concerned. You do need an ice auger to grind a hole though the ice. But after that, just a simple line, a small bobber, a little lead weight, a hook, and some bait (worms are great) is needed – along with some patience and maybe some hot chocolate. Check the water’s depth and adjust your bobber to put the bait about 6 inches off the bottom. If the panfish are biting your kids won’t want to leave. Of course, SAFETY is critical. Please Google and review all of the safety precautions that are recommended. They are easy to follow and being safe on the ice is the absolute most important part of it.
With sadness, I learned that long time Sherman resident, Ron Harrison, passed away over the weekend. I had the pleasure of speaking with Mr. Harrison frequently as he would stop by my office and share thoughts and ideas on Sherman with me. We mostly agreed, and when we didn’t it was with a friendly “fair enough” type of ending. I always knew I was in the presence of someone who loved his Town dearly, and I totally respected that. I will greatly miss Ron and my thoughts go out to his family at this time.
