The Town of Newtown has announced that most municipal offices will be lightly staffed, and two will be fully closed, for a few hours the morning of Friday, July 15.

Staff members will be attending the funeral of longtime Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue Chief William Halstead, who died on July 8. A longtime public servant, Halstead was also a retired Town of Newtown Fire Marshal.

He was married to Town of Newtown Town Clerk Deb Halstead.

Chief Halstead’s funeral is scheduled for Friday, July 10, at 10:30 am, at St Rose of Lima Church.

The Office of the Fire Marshal and the Office of the Town Clerk, both within Newtown Municipal Center, will be closed between 10 am and noon on Friday. All other municipal offices will have small staff in place during the same hours.

A notice from the Town of Newtown on July 13 simply asks the public to “please bear with us” as friends and fellow staff members pay their respects on Friday. Flags across the state were lowered on Monday to honor the late fire chief and town native, who joined Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company the day he turned 16. Edmond Town Hall has shifted its movie screenings schedule to help accommodate overflow parking during the calling hours for Halstead, planned for Thursday afternoon, July 14, between 5 and 8 pm, at Honan Funeral Home.