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| OUT N' ABOUT IN THE 41ST DISTRICT |
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| I spent time with the Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve and The Connecticut Audubon Society, Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) visiting Barn Island Wildlife Management Area in Stonington and Bluff Point State Park today to take part in the monitoring and research of threatened species! At Barn Island, we observed salt marsh sparrows and their habitat, salt marshes that are rapidly sinking due to rising sea levels. At Bluff Point, we checked in some of the piping plover nesting sites at Bushy Point. A highlight of the day: spending it with my sister Lourdes! |
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| I had so much fun volunteering with the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce at the annual Mystic Outdoor Art Festival. This event brings folks in Mystic and surrounding areas together through beautiful art, unique jewelry pieces, delicious snacks, and more! |
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| AN INCREASE IN ELECTRIC BILLS? MY OP-ED |
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| "I want to be clear: I will always be a voice that represents the interests of ratepayers and will continue to propose legislation aimed at achieving energy reliability and affordability" — State Representative Aundré Bumgardner, New London Day, August 12, 2024.
Please click on the image below to read my Op-Ed in its entirety. |
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| REMINDER: SALES TAX-FREE WEEK BEGINS SUNDAY |
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| Connecticut's annual Sales Tax-Free Week begins Sunday and runs through Saturday, August 24. This is a wonderful opportunity to save money, whether you're taking the kids back to school shopping or treating yourself or your loved ones. Retailers throughout the state offer additional discounts on clothing and footwear during this time, providing consumers with even more ways to stretch their spending power. |
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| During the tax holiday, most clothing and footwear items priced less than $100 are exempt from Connecticut's 6.35% sales tax. The exemption applies to each eligible item costing less than $100, regardless of how many of those items are sold to a customer in the same transaction. It applies to in-store purchases, online, mail-order, and over the phone. For a list of exempt and taxable items during Sales Tax-Free Week, please click HERE. Remember to shop smart - and locally - whenever possible to support small businesses. |
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| WBDC ACCEPTING GRANT APPLICATIONS |
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| The Women's Business Development Council's Ignite Grant, for established woman-owned companies, is accepting applications through September 24th. The Child Care Business Opportunity Grant application period closes on September 9th. Other childcare business opportunity fund grants are accepted on a rolling basis. You can apply for the Ignite Grant HERE. You can apply for the Child Care Business Opportunity Fund Grant HERE. |
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| FREE SWIM LESSONS AT GROTON YMCA |
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| I am proud to have secured $15,000 in our last state budget so Groton kids can get free swim lessons! |
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| REMINDER: AMTRAK WORK SCHEDULED IN MYSTIC |
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| Amtrak will be conducting two 55-hour weekend outages to install new culverts under the tracks south of Stonington Road, between Masons Island Road and Latimer Point Road. Much of the construction activities associated with this project will take place on Amtrak's right of way and tracks.
This project involves installing a new interlocking to increase operational flexibility, capacity, and safety. These improvements are essential to Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor to ensure safe and efficient intercity travel for the traveling public.
Here's a look at the construction schedule, weather permitting:
• August 16 - 19
• August 23 - 26
• Continuous work from Friday at 8:00 p.m. to Monday at 5:00 a.m.
According to Amtrak, during this period, you can expect:
• An increased presence of Amtrak personnel and vehicles in the area
• Continuous construction activities to fully utilize the 55-hour single-track outages
• Overnight work to minimize disruptions to daytime train operations
• Elevated noise levels in and around the construction site
• Federally regulated audible warnings by trains and watchmen/lookouts when equipment approaches construction zones for safety reasons
• Construction lighting during off-peak hours for employee safety and safe operations of railroad equipment |
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| REMINDER: THRIVE 55+ DROP-IN PROGRAMS AND MORE |
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| A lot is going on at Thrive 55+. Check it out! |
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| TAKE BILL MEMORIAL LIBRARY SURVEY |
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| Please consider taking the survey to help plan the future at Bill Memorial Library by using the QR code below or clicking on the image below to access the survey. |
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| TAKE BLUFF POINT STATE PARK SURVEY |
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Have you ever visited Bluff Point State Park? If so, please consider taking a survey. The Connecticut Reserve, SLR Consulting, and Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) State Parks have received funds from the Long Island Sound Futures Fund to conduct a restoration and improvement plan for Bluff Point State Park.
As part of the plan, a Visitor Use survey is being conducted to collect information about how visitors use Bluff Point State Park, what challenges they encounter, and how they feel the Park could be improved. If you visit Bluff Point State Park and would like to take a 16-question survey, please click on the image below. |
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| SMART WEEK BEGINS AUGUST 26TH |
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| The first annual SMART Week, a campaign to spread the word about the importance of secure gun storage to prevent gun violence, is August 26-30. To read more about the campaign goals, please click the image below. |
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| COMMUNITY EVENTS AND NOTICES |
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| Do not hesitate to contact me with any thoughts or concerns you may have at Aundre.Bumgardner@cga.ct.gov or 1-800-842-8267.
Sincerely,
Aundré Bumgardner
State Representative |
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