Dear Residents,
Business News
Aldi broke ground on Route 44 between CVS and LandRover on January 24. The 20,000 square foot grocery store is a part of a family-owned discount supermarket chain headquartered in Germany. The Canton Aldi is scheduled to open before Thanksgiving – just in time for holiday food shopping.
110 Grill will open this spring at the Shops at Farmington Valley. The restaurant is taking the space vacated by Dish n’ Dat, which reopened at 144 Albany Turnpike in November. Known for “modern American cuisine in a trendy casual atmosphere,” 110 Grill originated in Chelmsford, Mass. and now has locations in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York.
Hydro News
Construction has resumed at the hydro project in Collinsville. Workers from the Austrian company WasserWorks are on site, preparing to install the first stage of the advanced turbine that will generate electrical power. The turbine equipment is expected in about two months. Final installation should occur this summer, and the facility should be operational by the fall.
Town Goals
A lively crowd participated in the town goals discussion at the Annual Town meeting on January 22. Goals for communication, economic development, environment, fiscal responsibility, emergency services and recreation were presented during the 90 minute meeting.
As expected, many residents had suggestions for improvement. Following the meeting, the Board of Selectmen reconvened its goals sub-committee which has added a new section on infrastructure and revised language on several other goals. Once the full Board has reviewed and approved the changes, the goals will be published to the town.
Many thanks to everyone who participated in person and by email. Your feedback strengthens Canton.
02/05/2020 UPDATE: The Board of Selectmen Goals Subcommittee has since met and edited its draft based on comments from the Annual Town Meeting. Click here to see the changes (highlighted in RED) and what will be presented to the full Board of Selectmen on February 12, 2020.
Accredited: Canton Police Department
The Canton Police Department has joined the ranks of Connecticut’s elite law enforcement agencies: Tier I accreditation in the Connecticut Law Enforcement Accreditation Program. Only 20 percent of Connecticut’s 163 police agencies have earned this certification.
Accreditation assures the community that its police department’s policies and procedures are effective, fair and transparent. It also ensures that the staff is trained and functions according to established policy, procedure and applicable law.
The Canton Police Department has met 111 of the 127 performance standards (15 were not applicable) - all certified by an accreditation team of law enforcement leaders throughout the state. The task took more than one year to complete.
As always, please feel free to reach out to me directly with your comments and questions at rbessel@townofcantonct.org.
Best Regards,
Bob Bessel
First Selectman