Don Lowe First Selectman Column 02/10/2025
I want to start by writing that the Sherman Summer Camp is definitely ON for this summer. A few people have asked me about this as the school renovation will be in full swing by mid-summer. But any adjustments required for the Summer Camp due to the renovation are being planned and accounted for and we look to have an equally if not more robust Sherman Summer Camp than ever before.
Another important board vacancy has come up: the Sherman Commission on Aging (COA) is seeking one more commissioner to fill its ranks. Anyone of any age who has an interest in issues facing our senior population is encouraged to reach out to me and I will connect you to the board chair. No training necessary, just an interest in Sherman and the items that the COA meets over. It’s a one meeting per month commitment.
As a reminder, we are still reaching out to the public for volunteers for the Inland/wetlands Commission. There are three openings on this important commission. Reach out to me if you are interested in learning more. This is a terrific board staffed with engaging individuals who care about Sherman’s natural environs and it’s an excellent opportunity to serve your community.
The Sherman Volunteer Fire Department (SVFD) just posted its call numbers for 2024. They responded to a total of 425 calls last year. Breaking that down by category, there were 261 EMS calls, 129 fire calls and 35 calls which required both EMS and fire services. Let’s all give our SVFD ladies and men a collective THANK YOU. They are an amazing group and are profoundly committed to their good work. Along with the calls, there are ongoing trainings and educational meetings every week.
Big thanks to our public works crew for getting our roads cleared this winter. The crew has certainly been busy and we are faced, for the first time in a few years, with a real winter. I also want to give a welcome to our newest crew member, Kyle Thomson. Kyle is a longtime Sherman resident with ample mechanical skills and who has jumped right in with the plowing. Glad you’re with us, Kyle.
Some words on winter from author Ruth Stout, an American writer and a champion of the “no work” gardening style. (I have to read her more closely!) Ms. Stout writes, "There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you... In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself." Guess I’ll stop complaining about winter and appreciate what we have. Have an amazing week!
