From the Desk of the First Selectman

Don Lowe First Selectman Column 08/25/2025

The Board of Selectmen’s regularly scheduled monthly meeting is this Thursday, August 28 at 7pm in Mallory Town Hall. The agenda is posted on the Town website, which by the way is now www.shermanct.gov. (It was previously a .org entity.) One of our most important items on the agenda is a discussion by the board over whether to reinstate an owner’s rep or “clerk-of-the-works” for the Sherman School renovation project.

The owner’s rep discussion spawned from the many comments made at the August 9 Town Meeting about this. The comments largely supported this, and my board members and extended team listened carefully to them. One thing I am not interested in doing is hiring someone for this position because it creates the “optics” of having someone on site in order to please people. I care only about having someone in this position if it helps the project run smoothly and am not interested in appeasing critics. And there’s no shortage of them. If the BOS determines that it helps the project, then we will put out a proposal request for the position.

Our Sherman high school students started this week at the schools of their choice. This can often be an insecure and emotional time, especially for parents with freshmen. Having been through it three times, I can assure them that all will be ok. But, yes, starting high school comes with anxiety sometimes. Meanwhile, our Sherman students start at the Sherman School on September 8. The later date, naturally, is a result of the renovation project. The project will affect many aspects of Sherman life over the next two years, and I hope that people will be patient with the changes that may occur and the accommodations that will need to be made.

The referendum for the additional 2.5 million dollars necessary to complete the Sherman school renovation project passed by a margin of 503 YES to 347 NO. I’m glad that necessary exercise is over. I appreciate all the positive energy put into this vote by people who really understand why this had to be. No one wanted that vote, but it had to be done. It’s important to do hard things.

I want to wish everyone a safe and fulfilling Labor Day weekend. This is always a time to reflect on all that the summer brought and to then get ready to move into a new season. The tans will fade, but the memories will last forever.