The Memorial Boulevard Intradistrict Arts Magnet School Committee will hold its regular monthly meeting this evening in the Bristol Board of Education Auditorium at 6:30 p.m. Due to COVID restrictions, members of the public are directed to join via Zoom. A link to join may be found below. 

Among the items on the agenda are updates on the construction project from the project manager, architect and construction manager. 

For public comments, participants are asked to follow the following guidelines:  

• Send your comments to: taralandon@bristolk12.org  
• Be sure to put PUBLIC COMMENT in the subject line.  
• Include your name and address.  
• Direct your comments to the Committee Chair.  
• Your comments will be read at the meeting by the Committee Chair.  
• All comments should be written in an appropriate manner, particularly if concerning a personnel matter.  
• Any comments not adhering to the guidelines will not be read at the meeting. 

To login to the meeting, click here: meeting number is 930 7514 8975; password: 770034. 

To join by phone: dial 1-646-558-8656, use the meeting ID: 930 7514 8975 and passcode: 770034. 

Bear spotted off Farmington Ave.

At approximately 9:30 Wednesday morning, a bear was spotted on Boardman St., just off Rte. 6.  Initially, the bear was 100 ft. from the corner of Boardman and Farmington Ave/Rte 6.  He moseyed to within feet of a workman, who just arrived to clean a bird’s nest at No. 15 Boardman. 

The startled workman fled while the unassuming bear continued his journey, making his way to the Bristol Hospital Rehab building on Farmington Ave. The bear then reversed his path back to Boardman, then changed course again, crossing the street, and was last spotted leisurely heading to the apartment buildings.

Seniors and Juniors Little League update

Last night at Barnes Field on Mix St., the Bristol Seniors Little League baseball team, ages 15-16, was victorious 14-4 over Thomaston. The victory earns them another game tonight in the sectional versus the combined team squad of Waterville and Oakville. The first pitch is slated for 5:45 p.m. at Barnes Field this evening.

In Southington at Massarelli Field, the season for the Juniors, ages 13-14, came to an end with a 15-4 loss at Torrington’s hands.

Mayor and health director issue statement on $300 million pharmaceutical settlement

Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu and Health District Director Marco Palmeri issued a statement today concerning the $300 million proposed settlement for the State of Connecticut, of which 15 percent or $45 million, will be distributed to the cities and towns. 

“This is a landmark moment for the opioid crisis and the public health epidemic that we have been fighting for the last few years,” said Zoppo-Sassu. “We know that Bristol families have been struggling and we have worked to eliminate the stigma and create pathways for recovery. These include the City Council establishing the City of Bristol as a ‘Recovery Friendly Community’. This designation, as defined by the Connecticut Alcohol and Drug Policy Council, identifies communities that have programs to support residents who are in recovery from substance abuse disorders.

“The good news for Bristol is that we have several substantive accomplishments already under our belt, and will be in a very good position to receive additional funds from the state’s Opioid Recovery & Remediation Fund Advisory Council,” the mayor continued.

“The City of Bristol, like many other communities throughout the country, is plagued by the Opioid crisis. Despite the tremendous progress the Mayor’s Opioid Taskforce has made to bring awareness to this disease, encourage recovery and to eliminate barriers to recovery services, the frequency of overdoses has not decreased. So it is especially encouraging to hear that CT will be receiving substantial funds from the opioid distributor’s settlement. These funds are needed to get to the root causes of this disease, teach prevention strategies and provide supportive services to get folks back to being productive members of our communities,” said Palmeri.

Over the past three years, under Zoppo-Sassu’s administration, the city has been active in addressing the opioid crisis, having launched a task force, being designated as a “Recovery Friendly Community” and establishing a collaboration among health care providers and the Bristol Police Department in conjunction with Bristol Health, operating under the City of Bristol Recovery Alliance Program or COBRA.

For her efforts, the mayor has received a Government Sector All-Star Award from the Connecticut Association of Prevention Professionals.

Last year, the Mayor’s Task Force won a Silver Telly Award for its ad campaign featuring vignettes that tell the story of some of the Bristol families affected by substance misuse.”

The Youth & Community Services Department also sponsors the Best-4-Bristol group which is a peer group of young people encouraging other young people to avoid using drugs, vaping, and other substance abuse issues.

Those interested in learning more about the City’s efforts should visit the Opioid Task Force page on the https://www.bristolct.gov/929/Opioid-Task-Force website or call the Mayor’s Office at (860) 584-6250.