Volunteers and Town of Canton staff will be meeting on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 7pm in Room F of the Community Center to discuss the operations of the Community Center shelter used during the October snowstorm.
The public is invited to join in the discussion and share their feedback.
Burn Permit Update:
Monday, December 5, 2011
Please be advised that the Town of Canton is extending the waiving of the fee associated with Burn Permits to December 17, 2011. You still need to go through the process of completing an application available at the Office of the Fire Marshal. Please contact the Fire Marshal's office with any questions at 860-693-7857.
Tree Debris Removal Update:
Tuesday, November 29, 2011:
Please be advised that the Town of Canton is encouraging all residents who have the capability to do so, to bring their tree debris to the Transfer Station where it can be disposed of free of charge. The fee will be waived through December 17, 2011.
Burn Permit Update:
Monday, November 14, 2011
Please be advised that the Town of Canton is waiving the fee associated with Burn Permits through the month of November 2011. You still need to go through the process of completing an application available at the Office of the Fire Marshal. Please contact the Fire Marshal's office with any questions at 860-693-7857.
Tree Debris Removal Update:
Thursday, November 10, 2011:
Please be advised that the Town of Canton is encouraging all residents who have the capability to do so, to bring their tree debris to the Transfer Station where it can be disposed of free of charge. The fee will be waived through the end of November. Also, residents are requested to assist their neighbors and those who might not be able to take care of the debris on their own.
Contractors delivering storm debris to the transfer station on behalf of residents must tell the transfer station operator the name, address and phone number of the resident. The transfer station operator will then verify that the load came from a Canton resident.
Those who own wooded lots are also encouraged to dispose of tree debris appropriately in the woods.
The Town recognizes that not all residents have the ability to bring their storm tree debris to the transfer station. In order to address those individual’s needs, the town will be doing a curb side pickup. Tree debris must be placed on the edge of the roadway (not in the roadway). Branches up to 8 inches in diameter and 7 feet long will be collected. Branches must be placed with the thickest ends towards the street. Please be sure to place the debris so that it does not obstruct sidewalks or impair visibility for motor vehicle drivers.
The curbside tree debris pickup will begin Tuesday November 15th and continue as necessary. It is anticipated that the pickup may take several weeks.
All debris must be deposited to the curb by end of day on Monday November 14th.
Again, in order to limit costs, the town is requesting that residents make every effort to take their tree debris to the transfer station if they have the means to do so. Town officials appreciate everyone’s cooperation in this matter. Together we will “weather the storm.”
Also, the The Community Center at 40 Dyer Ave is closed as a shelter and Mills Pond Pool House is no longer available for showers. If you require other assistance, please contact Social Services at 860-693-5811.
Storm Update:
Wednesday, November 9, 2011:
There are currently 117 CL&P customers without power in the Town of Canton. CL&P officials state that all customers should be restored by Friday November 11, 2011.
The Community Center at 40 Dyer Ave remains available as a shelter for warming and sleeping. If you require other assistance, please contact Social Services at 860-693-5811.
Please contact CL&P at 800-286-2000 or 860-947-2000 if you still do not have power. Town officials have found incidences where CL&P records incorrectly indicate a customer has power.
The showers at the Mills Pond recreation center will remain open from 10am – 5:30pm through Friday. Water is also available at Mills Pond and residents must bring their own containers.
The transfer station is open from 7:00am – 3:30pm. Residents are encouraged to bring storm related brush debris to the transfer station. Residents will not be charged a fee through Saturday November 19, 2011 for debris dropped off at the transfer station. The Transfer Station will be closed Friday in observance of Veterans Day. The Transfer Station will be open on Saturday.
Make sure to treat all downed power and cable lines as live. Do not attempt to move or cut any downed line yourself. Utility crews are continuing to remove downed lines and restore service in our area.
If your telephone or cable service does not work at your residence, please contact your telephone or cable provider to ensure they are aware of your outage.
Storm Update:
Monday, November 7, 2011:
The Community Center at 40 Dyer Ave remains available as a shelter for warming and sleeping. If you require other assistance, please contact Social Services at 860-693-5811.
The showers at the Mills Pond recreation center will remain open from 10am – 5:30pm through Wednesday. Water is also available at Mills Pond and residents must bring their own containers.
The transfer station is open from 7:00am – 3:30pm. Residents are encouraged to bring storm related brush debris to the transfer station. Residents will not be charged a fee through Saturday November 12, 2011 for debris dropped off at the transfer station.
For safety’s sake, treat all downed power and cable lines as live. Do not attempt to move or cut any downed line yourself. Utility crews are continuing to remove downed lines and restore service in our area.
If your telephone service does not work at your residence, please contact your utility provider to ensure they are aware of your outage.
Pursuant to CL&P officials, all Canton residents should have their power restored by end of day on Wednesday November 9, 2011.
Storm Update:
Sunday, November 6, 2011:
At 7:20am Sunday, Town Officials were notified by CL&P that 5% of the residents in each of the Farmington Valley towns will remain without power after midnight Sunday. It is anticipated that approximately 233 homes in Canton will remain without power. CL&P officials have stated that 99% of Canton will be restored by noon on Monday and 100% restoration may not occur until Wednesday November 9, 2011.
Those residents who remain without power after midnight Sunday are encouraged to contact Police Dispatch at 860-693-0221 so that Town Officials can verify with CL&P all known outages.
Due to CL&P’s requirement to reenergize or modify certain electrical circuits within town, those who have had power restored may temporarily lose power. Time periods will vary as to when power will be restored.
All roads in Canton are open and passable.
Please be aware that there are still downed wires on some town streets. Special care should be taken when walking and riding bicycles. This will be particularly important when children are going to their respective bus stops. School will open on Monday November 7, 2011.
The Town of Canton is offering showers at the Mills Pond Recreation Center from 10am-5:30pm. Residents must bring their own toiletries. The showers will remain open while their remains signification outages. At a minimum, showers will remain open through Monday November 7, 2011.
The transfer station will be open Monday from 7:00am to 3:30pm. Canton residents will not need a transfer station permit or pay a fee to deliver tree debris.
The Canton Community Center is remaining open as the Town’s Emergency Shelter. Residents must bring all necessities with them including sleeping bags, blankets, pillows and medications.
Storm Update
Saturday November 5, 2011: The following is a summary of information and steps taken by Town Officials to respond to the recent snow storm.
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER
The Emergency Operations Center located in the Canton Police Department was opened at 7:00pm on Saturday October 29, 2011. The Center has been manned by the Fire Department, Emergency Management Director, CLP Liaison, Police Personnel and other various town officials. Meetings are held multiple times daily to assess the status of the town’s response to the storm. All pertinent information is forwarded through the Emergency Operations Center.
POWER RESTORATION
As of 1:00pm on Friday, power had been restored to 50% of Canton households. According to CL&P, 99% of Canton households should be restored by Sunday at midnight. As of 4:00pm on Friday, there were no blocked streets in Canton. Approximately 95% of Canton streets were clear of debris sufficient for two cars to pass. The Town will continue to removed debris from the streets over the weekend. CL&P officials stated that there were 20 line crews and 15 tree crews in Canton on Friday, November 4th. They stated there will be 35 line crews and 18 tree crews on Saturday in town and 40 line crews and 18 tree crews on Sunday in town.
CLEAN UP
Since the start of the storm additional contractors have been brought in to help with the cleanup. The Town brought in a private construction company, electrical company and tree company to assist the Town’s Department of Public Works in cleaning up debris left from the storm. These additional assets were coordinated with CL&P crews to maximize the efficiency at which streets were cleaned of debris and ready for power restoration.
Below is a spreadsheet indicating the roads and/or sections of roads, located in Canton. The spreadsheet indicates the current condition of each section of road. The spreadsheet is just a guide and is updated throughout the day as new information is brought to the Emergency Operations Center. If you have road information, which is in addition to or inconsistent with what is listed, you can notify the town by calling the CAO’s Office at 860-693-7841 or email the CAO, Robert Skinner at rskinner@townofcantonct.org. Please be sure to include the following:
A. What is the road name?
B. What is the location? This can be identified as the intersections defining the road segment or a house number.
C. Is the road blocked to traffic?
D. Is it a power issue?
E. Is it a tree or branch issue?
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE EXCEL SPREADSHEET UPDATED 11/5/11
EMERGENCY SHELTER
The Town’s emergency shelter was opened on Sunday morning, October 30, 2011. The shelter continues to remain open. Since the shelter has been opened over 900 individuals have utilized the shelter for lodging or warm meals. On Wednesday night over 160 people slept at the shelter. The Library has stayed open additional hours and the staff at Park & Recreation provided movies, games and activities for the occupants of the shelter.
The shelter also provided three warm meals a day. The meals were prepared and served by volunteers. Some of the food and supplies were donated by local establishments. Food and supplies were also provided by the Schools. The Schools further provided custodial staff to help clean the shelter.
The shelter will remain open as necessary. As electricity is restored and more food establishments re-open the need for the shelter is anticipated to decrease.
SCHOOLS
The Town has taken several steps to ensure that the schools have a safe reopening. The bus drivers have driven their normal routes and have reported back to town officials any concerns. Any debris and/or hanging branches in the area of sidewalks surrounding the schools have been removed. A few bus stops have also been changed to avoid downed wires and/or trees. Announcements will be made by the Board of Education specifying modifications to bus stop locations.
HALLOWEEN
Due to safety concerns Town Officials recommended that children not participate in Halloween trick or treating. In lieu of Halloween, there will be an event held at Mills Pond Park from 4:00pm to 8:00pm. More information can be found on this web site's home page by CLICKING HERE.
SAFETY
Finally, stay away from any downed wires. Although the wires may seem dead, they can be powered from a number of locations. For example, improperly installed generators can actually send unused back through electrical wires. Be safe and stay away from downed wires and partially fallen trees and branches.
SUMMARY OF AVAILABLE SERVICES AND INFORMATION
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Due to the prolonged electrical outages, the Town of Canton is offering showers for use at the Mills Pond Recreation Center from 10am-5:30pm. Residents must bring their own toiletries. The Town will monitor electrical outages this week and extend the shower availability if needed.
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The Canton Community Center is open as a shelter for warming, food and water, charging of cell phones, internet use and sleeping accommodations if needed. Residents must bring all necessities with them including sleeping bags, blankets, pillows and medications. If you can donate food, please bring non-perishable items to the shelter.
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The Transfer Station is open this week with normal hours (7am-3:30pm). Canton residents will not be required to have a Transfer Station permit or pay a fee to dispose of tree debris or spoiled food/perishables through Saturday, November 12, 2011.
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For those residents who have Paines curbside pickup, Paines is on a one day delay for their pick-up schedule and will do the best they can given the road conditions/passibility. If they can not get to your road or house due to downed trees or power lines, they will allow for extra bagged garbage to be picked up the next week. Please leave that extra bagged/tied up garbage near your Paines container.
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The Canton Police Department has requested that residents do not use the Rails to Trails Bike Trail. There are numerous trees and limbs down and hanging. Work crews will address these passibility issues as soon as possible.
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Please be aware that there are still downed wires on some town streets. Special care should be taken when walking and riding bicycles.
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Sign up for emergency contact via the state's reverse 911 system at www.ctalert.gov.
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Dial 2-1-1 for additional emergency information.
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Water is available inside Mills Pond pool house daily from 1pm-5:30pm. Bring your own containers. After hours, a hose connected to the left-hand side of the pool house is available to fill your containers. In addition, the CT Water Company has set up a water distribution site at the Masonic Lodge parking lot near Ocean State Job Lot. They have extended their hours and will keep the water truck there overnight. Please bring your own containers to fill.
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Due to the storm situation, walk-in voter registration is extended to November 7th at noon. You can register to vote at the Canton Town Hall Town Clerk's office.
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The Canton Public Library will be open Saturday (Nov 5) with normal hours 10am-5pm. On Sunday (Nov 6) their normal hours from 1pm-4pm may be extended. Check with the Library (860-693-5800) for any update.
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