Cultural Events

Botsford Fire Rescue To Host Botsford Bash Fundraiser; 2025-26 Officers Elected

Published: Jun 24, 2025 7:00 am

Botsford Fire Rescue is excited to announce its annual Botsford Bash, a community BBQ and fundraiser, will return on Saturday, August 23, 2 to 10 pm, at Botsford’s firehouse, 315 South Main Street.

The family-friendly event is open to the public and will feature a full afternoon and evening of fun, food, and entertainment, all to support the volunteers who serve the Botsford and greater Newtown community.

Event highlights will include activities for children, from 2-5 pm, including bounce house, dunk tank, games, and more; BBQ dinner and refreshments served throughout the event, and live music by local performers into the evening.

A special offering this year will be a raffle for one of the motorcycles owned by the late BFR Assistant Chief Pete Blomberg, honoring his lifelong service to and passion for the department. The motorcycle is a 2008 Harley-Davidson FLHX Street Glide.

Botsford is also raffling a $500 Amazon gift card, a $250 Amazon gift card, and a $100 Jewel of Himalaya Restaurant gift card.

Tickets are $25 each. They can be purchased on Monday evenings between 6 and 8 pm at Botsford firehouse; and weekdays at the Office of the Fire Marshal, Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street; and the office of The Newtown Bee, 5 Church Hill Road.

The winning tickets will be drawn the night of the Bash. Winners do not need to be present at the time of the drawing.

All proceeds from Botsford Bash will go directly toward equipment, training, and operations that support Botsford Fire Rescue’s volunteer mission.

“The Botsford Bash is a great way for the community to come together, have fun, and show support for their local fire department,” said Chief Kyle Placko. “We’re especially honored to raffle off Pete’s motorcycle this year as a tribute to his legacy.”

For more information or to inquire about raffle ticket sales, contact Botsford Fire Rescue at 203-270-4388 or find the company on Facebook.

2025-26 Officers

Botsford Fire Rescue recently conducted annual elections.

Following are the company’s current line officers: Chief Kyle Placko, Assistant Chief Andrew White, Second Assistant Chief Wayne Geitz, Captain Mike Dziubina, and Lieutenant John Fellin.

Tickets are on sale now for four prizes being offered by Botsford Fire Rescue ahead of its summer fundraising event. Grand prize this year is a 2008 Harley-Davidson Street Glide owned by the late BFR Assistant Chief Pete Blomberg. —Bee Photo, Hicks

Margaret 'Peggy' Tattar

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Police Reports | June 2-June 16, 2025

Celebrating ‘What’s Possible When Neighbors Care For Neighbors’

To be clear, there are different types of open space designations in the State of CT. The "Open Space or Recreation" designation simply means that the open space is open to the public for passive recreational activities (e.g., Hiking, Fishing, Horseback Riding, etc.), as opposed to the types of open space that are closed to the public. I'm confident that our terrific Conservation Commission will fulfill their responsibilities associates with Open Space land, as outlined by the town Charter, including the recommendation of specific rules on what's allowed and what's not for the Board of Selectmen to approve. Also, make no mistake, the final language of the law is completely aligned with the resolution passed by a vote of 2-1 at the 10/7/24 BOS meeting. That resolution reads "....the Board of Selectmen will request that state legislators designate 6 Commerce Road as Town Open Space and request the economic development restriction be removed from the 6 Commerce Rd. deed....." Interestingly, on November 1st, the First Selectman wrote a letter to Mitch Bolinsky and Tony Hwang saying "....Following a resolution adopted by the Board of Selectmen on October 7th, and subsequently endorsed by the Legislative Countil on October 23rd, we seek to enact legislation that would remove the economic development stipulation from the deed of 6 Commerce Drive." Not only did he change the name from 6 Commerce Road to 6 Commerce Drive, but he also changed the request to suit his desire for the property instead of what was voted on, by omitting the part about designating it as open space! Thankfully, he attached the 10/7/24 BOS meeting minutes to his letter, where our state reps were able to reference the actual accurate resolution language, which again, matches the final language of Special Act 25-15. The only clarification needed, is why the First Selectman changed the wording of his Nov. 1st letter, from what the BOS approved on October 7th.

It’s Done: 6 Commerce Can Be Open Space

I am feeling like Mr. Ackert's quest/request for greater transparency of our town's governance is disingenuous. First off, I cannot imagine how a "town-wide policy to provide greater transparency" could possibly be worded, and I think that Mr. Capeci was just being polite in agreeing that we should have one. Secondly, Mr. Ackert is accusatory, as if he believes something nefarious is behind the lack of transparency, where it exists, while I do not believe this at all. Third: The time, effort, and upkeep to have absolutely every town meeting interactively live, recorded, and fully documented, would obviously NOT save the town money, and I doubt that other towns of our type "implemented these policies long ago." And lastly, after having witnessed the town meeting behaviors of the anti-development faction, I am certain that we should not facilitate their ability to sit at home and harangue the poor people who work so hard IN PERSON, to make our town a better place.

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The devil is in the details, what constitutes recreation, a ice skating arena. A tennis club?

The language “any purpose other than open space or recreation, the parcel shall revert to the state of Connecticut” is a bit concerning and warrants clarification. Would the existing infrastructure be violative of this language?

It’s disappointing to see Newtown move forward with the so-called “Save-As-You-Throw” program—let’s be honest, it’s really Pay-As-You-Throw. Most families will end up paying more just to throw out their trash, despite the high taxes we already pay. While the swap shop and free bulky waste disposal are nice ideas, they don’t offset the added cost and inconvenience of having to buy special blue bags—up to $4.40 each. It’s especially frustrating to see threats of $500 fines and policeenforcement tied to something that used to be a basic service. This isn’t about sustainability—it’s about shifting more costs onto residents. I hope the town will reconsider and find a more reasonable and affordable approach. I have already heard discussions about purchasing backyard incinerators as a work around. What's next, is the town going to discontinue curb side recycling?

Save-As-You-Throw Program Coming To Transfer Station July 1

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Botsford Fire Rescue To Host Botsford Bash Fundraiser; 2025-26 Officers Elected

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