From the Desk of the First Selectman

Don Lowe First Selectman Column 09/08/2025

Last week I had the honor of attending and speaking at the Sherman School convocation for the start of this school year. I was especially moved by Principal Mary Fenand’s words about Mattew Hatcher, how she described his indomitable spirit and his sparkling smile. She asked that this year, which will be a challenge with the renovation, that we let Matthew’s spirit be a symbol of strength and patience and let his memory guide us as we proceed this year. Matthew, age 16, passed away on July 5 and Sherman will never forget this amazing young man.

Sherman School got off to a successful start on Monday, September 8 and despite some changes to drop-off and pick-up, things went well on the first day. Student drop-off and pick-up will take place on the Sawmill Road section of the school. Vehicles will go down Sawmill Road and turn around in the Veterans Field parking lot or at the beach. The school will have staff there to monitor and to help move the line along. There may be congestion, especially the first day, but it will hopefully improve as everyone settles into a new routine. The Sherman School is encouraging bus usage to help alleviate the traffic.

Meanwhile, the renovation work at the school is going great. The temporary school looks fine and is closed off completely from the renovation work. It will provide a safe space for the students all this year while the renovation and repairs take place. That work, by the way, is currently on schedule. Also, I want to mention, that parking is limited for the school staff and they are using some spaces at Veterans Field. We do have parking spots set aside for the public and I don’t anticipate any problems. If there are, we will deal successfully with them. Like I have been saying, this will be an interesting year and we are going to have to be patient sometimes!

Information on the proposed new Senior Community Center is on the Town website. There’s a site plan, a rendering, a floor plan, and a series of FAQs to answer many questions. The first Town informational forum on this will be held on Sunday, September 21 at 2pm in Charter Hall.

This Saturday, September 13, starting at 8am in Veterans Field will be the Sherman Annual Softball Tournament. If you're interested in playing and want to get on a team, or if you'd like to umpire, please send an email to shermanctsoftball@gmail.com. This is a fun event, and it lasts all day – but you can drop in when you want -- with plenty of food, ball playing, and all-around good times.

In a piece of good fortune and timed perfectly for the current capital projects in town, Sherman is the recipient of a no-cost connectivity study that I was able to arrange through the Western CT Council of Governments (WESTCOG). This study will scrutinize traffic flow and analyze how Sherman might be better connected through a sidewalk or trail system. At the completion of this study, we will again try for a connectivity grant, and this study will increase our chances of success greatly. In the meantime: I have been asked to put together a committee for this project. I’m a little short on details here right now, but I can tell you that it wouldn’t be a large time commitment and you would need to have an interest in Town planning concerning pedestrian and traffic flow. Please contact me if you are interested. I need four more people.