Melissa Osborne

The fire danger remains extreme in Simsbury, and an emergency burn ban remains in effect. I'll break down what that means for you below.

The time has come and the seven-year school renovation at Latimer Lane Elementary School is complete!  You're invited to check out the state-of-the-art project this weekend. Please keep scrolling for details on when and how to tour the new and improved building!

Leaf-peeping season is coming to a close and now all those beautiful colors are on our lawns. Some folks will decide to leave their leaves in place to give our pollinators a comfy winter habitat. For those of you who prefer to remove your leaves, I have new information to share on Simsbury's leaf collection. Read below to find out when crews will be on your street for pick-up and the guidelines for leaf removal.

Here are the sections in this week's email:

• Emergency Burn Ban Remains in Effect
• Check Out a Massive School Renovation on Saturday
• Access Health CT Open Enrollment
• Simsbury Leaf Collection
• November Bear Warning
• Simsbury Police Request Feedback
• Community Events

Public safety officials in Simsbury and across the state remind everyone to stop burning any items outside. Open burning is banned due to the dangerously dry weather and large amount of leaves on the ground.

As a reminder, this ban means you cannot use:

• outdoor grills
• firepits
• campfires

You are invited to tour the new and improved Latimer Lane School in Weatogue. The school district is hosting a public Open House on Saturday, November 16 from 10:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. Guides will lead visitors on tours every 15 minutes during the event.

This is an opportunity for parents, students, and the rest of the community to get a look at the transformed educational setting with a new media center, gym, cafeterias, and updated classrooms.

The Open House is the culmination of five years of planning and two years of construction. As your state representative, I was thrilled to secure $530,000 in additional state funds in May for the renovation.

Simsbury has long been a community of educational excellence, and we know that investing in education is investing in our future. I hope you can stop by the Open House on Saturday!

You can enroll right now for health insurance through Access Health CT (AHCT). Anyone who lives in Connecticut can shop and compare health insurance plans or renew their coverage. Customers may also enroll in dental insurance through AHCT. Open enrollment ends on January 15, 2025.

When you enroll affects when your coverage starts. If customers enroll on or before December 15, coverage will start January 1, 2025. If they enroll between December 16 and January 15, 2025, coverage will start February 1, 2025.

AHCT is the only place Connecticut residents can get financial help to pay for their health insurance. Nearly 90% of AHCT customers enrolled in a Qualified Health Plan (QHP) receive assistance. Some customers might also qualify for the Covered CT Program. This program provides no cost insurance for eligible residents.

Free help to sign up is available online, in person, and over the phone. For a list of enrollment fairs and to register, visit the Enrollment Events webpage on the AHCT website. Information about enrollment locations and Navigator locations are also listed. Customers can also get help from a certified broker or enrollment specialist in their community.

Go to AccessHealthCT.com and click "Get Help" or call 1-855-805-4325. Help is available in more than 100 languages. Customers who are deaf or hearing impaired may use TTY at 1-855-789-2428 or call a relay operator. People can also chat live with a customer service representative by clicking the “Live Chat” icon on the website.

Trees are looking a little bare, and that means it’s time for our residents to decide whether to clean up their leaves now or to let their leaves over-winter. If you want to learn more about the benefits – especially to our pollinators – of leaving your leaves in place, here’s a good resource.

For those of you who decide to remove them now, the Town of Simsbury has a schedule to collect our leaves. The Department of Public Works (DPW) released information, including its street schedule, for leaf pickup RIGHT HERE.

DPW will collect bags of leaves from November 25 – December 5, weather permitting. Here are some of the guidelines:

Place bagged leaves curbside the night before or by 6:00 A.M. on the morning of your street's collection.

Do not rake or blow leaves into the road and do not place bags on the street.

Place leaves in biodegradable paper bags. Plastic is not accepted.

November is the most dangerous month for vehicle collisions with wildlife due to daylight saving time. More drivers are on the road at dawn and dusk, when bears and other animals are typically active and harder to see.

Bears are in hyperphagia in late fall and actively searching for food up to 20 hours a day. This constant quest for calories means bears may be traveling longer distances and crossing roads more often.

Hitting a bear is scary, dangerous, and potentially deadly. Please use caution and always look out for wildlife on the road.

The Simsbury Police Department invites all of us to take a short survey to provide feedback on our officers. The goal is to measure:

• overall agency performance
• overall competency of agency employees
• citizens’ perception of officers’ attitudes and behaviors
• levels of community concerns for safety and security