First Selectman's Reports
January 12, 2026
Jan 12, 2026
A public record published by the Town of Simsbury (simsbury-ct.gov). mySimsbury indexes it and makes it readable; it is not the official copy. View the original file.
Town of Simsbury First Selectman’s Report 1-12-2026 Maxim Naumov makes Team USA I wanted to take this opportunity to congratulate Max on making the Olympic Figure Skating team this past week. Simsbury felt the loss when his parents, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who made a home at the ISCC and in Simsbury, where Max went to high school, were killed in the plane crash last January. We can all now cheer him on at the 2026 Winter Olympics as we watch him make his parents, and all of us, proud. Referendum on the Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center Next Act Here is a social media post I put out last week: I also received some quesfions from a consfituent and thought I would include the responses I gave: I don’t see any issues with what you’ve communicated to Becky – the only thing I would add now, is that the PAC met their responsibility to privately raise significant funding for the project, delivering their payment to the Town this past Friday in the amount of $932,881.00. If the referendum is voted down: Everything that is not necessary to maintain the DECD grant is cut, including exterior bathrooms and several of the interior bathrooms. Finishes are removed from the project – no paint, carpet, tile etc. just concrete slab. And we would need to have the new water line being brought to the facility for fire to be considered as a separate project. None of this is set in stone at this point as we would need DECD buy-in that the reduced scope would not forfeit the grant. There will not be funding to return to the Town – we have already begun construction and have significant investment (contractor has ordered materials that are not on site, but we would still be responsible for the cost – for example, the structural steel is currently being fabricated) Fire Suppression Requirement: This is/was a difference in code interpretation between the Architect designing the project and our Fire Marshal. I know it's cumbersome, but the BOF meeting on December 10th went into all of this detail on the project, if you wanted to spend a couple hours listening. 😂 This may also be included in the meeting minutes. This also was presented at a recent Public Building Committee Meeting which also may have answers to these questions. These are good questions and they should be formally documented somewhere. I have a feeling we will be asked these questions by others. 1) What parts (deliverables) of the overall project will be completed if this referendum is voted down? If the project is voted down, I honestly don't have an inventory of what won't be done. I guess it potentially could all be done if things come in under budget (a miracle, I expect), and there is no need for any contingency. I believe that is highly unlikely. 2) Why wasn't a fire suppression system included in the initial proposal? The fire suppression system was a result of a change from the Fire Marshal requiring this to be done. The original building plans were done by the PAC Board before the Town was formally involved and they presented the plans to us. Apparently, the fire suppression was not initially a requirement but there is no documentation from what I have heard. 3) Has ground already been broken on this project? Ground has been broken - and here are a couple of pictures I took on December 31st. 4) If the referendum does not pass, approximately how many $ in funds would be returned to the taxpayers? If it doesn't pass, I don't think any funds will be returned to capital reserves. I believe as much as can be done, will be done. What will happen is alternative plans will need to be made if, for instance, the green room isn't done and the trailers used today are required to fill in for the missing pieces. If it passes, any funds remaining from the addition will go back to capital reserves for use on future capital needs. 5) Are taxpayers going to be paying for this in the 2027 mill rate? As far as this being taxpayer funds - it does not technically impact the operating budget directly. These are reserve funds - so given we have had a surplus - these funds were paid by taxpayers in prior years. That said, it's more of an opportunity cost, as these funds could be used for current and future capital projects (and potentially debt service reduction to impact the mill rate). But these are funds already in hand. Here are some pictures I took while Max and I walked Mabel and her friend, Deli, on the last day of 2025! Nod Road Solar This is a follow-up to my December 15th First Selectman’s report on this project. I menfioned that we were crafting a lefter to the CT Sifing Council. This lefter was shared with all members of the BOS. I want to thank Planning Director George McGregor, AICP for helping pull the criteria and quesfions from the Town together, in addifion to the main areas of focus from the board. The link to my lefter is here: hftps://www.simsbury- ct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif9751/f/pages/a_lefter_to_the_ct_sifing_council_re_pefifion_n o._1698-lse_lynx_llc_lodestar_energy_40_nod_road_simsbury_ct_final.pdf And the response from the CT Sifing Council with changes we asked for: hftps://www.simsbury- ct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif9751/f/pages/sifing_council_response_to_town_of_simsbury_l efter.pdf Here is the extended period from public comments that they agreed to after our ask: MLK Day Event The Annual Martin Luther King Day in Simsbury Community Celebration will be held on January 19th at 2:00 PM at First Church of Christ, Simsbury. This year’s Keynote Speaker will be John Mills, a genealogist, historian, and founder of the nonprofit Alex Breanne Corporation, dedicated to researching and honoring the histories of Black families and individuals whose stories have often been overlooked. He brought to light the history of a Simsbury family this past summer, and we welcome him back to Town. Please join us! Charter Public Hearing At the January 6th meefing of the Charter Revision Commission, they approved the draft of the Charter and set their second public hearing for January 21st, at 6:00 PM in the Tariffville Room at the Simsbury Public Library. The meefing will be open for residents to provide feedback on the draft charter. All agendas and minutes can be found on this page: hftps://www.simsbury-ct.gov/charter-revision-commission The meefings were recorded and are on SCM’s YouTube. Below is the fimeline for Charter Revision acfivifies that will become ‘live’ once the CRC submits their completed draft with the Town Clerk and turns it over to the Board of Selectmen. Appointments to Boards and Commissions forthcoming We were unable to secure appointments to all Boards and Commissions in time for tonight’s meeting because our Board did not receive all the information we requested and needed to fill the openings that are approved by the Board of Selectmen. As we try to find a way to allow new people to become active in their local government, we also do not want to discourage those who want to continue serving. Each board that renews at the start of a term has a set number of seats as defined in the code and/or charter. On a positive note, we have received numerous applications from Simsbury voters who are unaffiliated with a party, want to serve, and are seeking positions on the boards they applied for. 2025 Simsbury Holiday Doors Contest This year’s First Place winner went to the Tax Collector’s Office and the Tax Lodge. Second Place went to the WPCA for their interacfive depicfion of Home Alone. Third Place went to Student Services in the BOE for their gift bag display featuring students. There were a few Honorable Menfions awarded, and the poster of all the doors can be seen on the front bullefin board in Town Hall. State of Affairs As our Board of Selectmen issues a proclamation for our country’s 250th anniversary, I want to pause to share something that’s been bothering me since last week. Like many of you, I watched what happened in Minnesota and listened to the federal response, which left me unsettled and remains a source of frustration, because it didn’t align with what we saw. It’s ironic to see this kind of government activity at a time when we’re supposed to be celebrating a major milestone for our country. What really hits home is that these issues aren’t happening only somewhere else. We’ve seen federal enforcement activity at our neighboring city’s doorstep, meaning none of us are immune. As your Chief Elected Official, I’m expected to represent everyone in the community fairly. I think we should expect the same standard at every level of government, especially at the highest levels. As we mark this 250-year milestone, it feels like the right moment to ensure we represent the ideals we’re celebrating. Ending with a Mabel update She had a fun Christmas break! She was a constant companion as I spent 5 days in bed with the flu. And then enjoyed finding her presents under the tree. Office hours I have a flexible work schedule, so feel free to reach out, and we can set up a fime to meet - either in my Town Hall office or grab a coffee in town. 860-543-3770 / wmackstufis@simsbury-ct.gov Thanks, Wendy