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<h2>Our Annual One-Night Celebration of Hanukkah, Kwanza, Christmas and Three Kings Day kicks off the Holiday Season!</h2><ul><li><h3>Date: December 2, 2023</h3></li><li><h3>Time: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM</h3></li><li><h3>Location: Thrive55+ Senior Center</h3></li><li><h3>Cost: Free and Open to the Public</h3></li></ul><h4><strong>Santa Claus is coming to town!</strong> Capture the magic of the season with FREE photos with Santa.</h4><h4><strong>Discover the enchantment of Christmas Tree Alley!</strong> Be dazzled by the themed-decorations created by local charitable organizations.</h4><h4><strong>Experience the Snowflake Drop!</strong> At 6:30 PM, witness a cascade of hundreds of paper snowflakes falling from high. Keep your eyes peeled for specially-numbered snowflakes - you could be a lucky winner of an exciting prize!</h4><h4>Bring your loved ones and embrace the joy of the holiday season at the Season of Celebrations. This unforgettable event promises fun, entertainment, and delightful surprises for all ages.</h4><h2>Don&#39;t miss out on this magical celebration!</h2><h3>Save the date, December 2, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the Thrive55+ Senior Center. Rain or Shine!</h3><h3><em>Parking is available at Grace Baptist Church &amp; Groton Community Center - Free Shuttle Provided.</em></h3><h3>Admission is free, so gather your family and friends for an evening of festive wonderment. We look forward to seeing you at this year&#39;s Season of Celebrations!</h3>

Groton's Season of Celebrations Event

<p>The Town of Groton has a quintessential coastal Main Street in Noank Village, but it requires some improvements. The Town would like to address deficiencies in existing pavement conditions, improve pedestrian connectivity and ADA accessibility, enhance streetscaping features, implement complete streets strategies, and improve stormwater quality entering the Long Island Sound. Input and support of the community will be key to the project&rsquo;s success.</p>

Main Street Noank Road Reconstruction

<h1><strong>What is a Tree Inventory and Community Forest Mapping?</strong></h1><p>We&#39;ll work with our partners to take count of the 5,000-7,000 street trees along Town-owned public spaces - roads, parks, or adjacent to public schools. Inventorying will include species, size, location visible defects, general health of the tree and management implications (avoiding wires, utilities, buildings)</p><p>The Community Forest Management Plan will use community input to determine which trees are most desirable and valuable to add to Groton residents. We also need community involvement to establish a Tree Legacy program designed to raise funds to increase future tree planting.</p><h1><strong>Why Do a Tree Inventory?</strong></h1><p>Tree conservation builds sustainability and resiliency against the impacts of climate change, and conservation of natural resources is one of the four pillars of the Parks and Recreation Department. </p><p><br></p><p><span style="font-size: 24px;"><strong>Partners</strong></span></p><p>Town of Groton (TOG) Parks and Recreation, TOG Public Works, TOG Planning and Development, TOG Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and CN Utility Consulting (CNUC). CNUC is an industry leader providing innovative, economically sensible, and environmentally sustainable vegetation management for municipalities and utility services. </p>

Community Tree Inventory and Mapping Plan

<p>The Town of Groton Business Pivot Grant Program is a strategic initiative aimed at empowering local small businesses to adapt and flourish in the face of evolving market demands, particularly in response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This program, funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), offers eligible businesses in Groton the opportunity to secure financial support of up to $5,000. The grant is specifically designed to facilitate essential investments, enabling businesses to enhance their operations, revamp their strategies, and navigate the ever-changing business landscape effectively.</p><p>Businesses eligible for this grant must meet specific criteria, including active operation within Groton for a minimum of 24 months, having fewer than 500 employees, and demonstrating adverse impacts resulting from the pandemic. The grant funds, awarded on a reimbursement basis, can be utilized for a diverse range of purposes, from upgrading infrastructure and equipment to investing in technical assistance and innovative marketing strategies. By providing this financial boost, the Town of Groton aims to foster a resilient local business community, stimulating economic growth and fostering a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem. The application process is straightforward, encouraging businesses to seize this opportunity and propel their ventures toward sustainable success.</p><p>The application period is open now through November 30, 2023. To apply, complete and submit the application form and all relevant documents in accordance with the guidelines. Questions? Contact Sam Eisenbeiser at <a data-fr-linked="true" href="mailto:seisenbeiser@groton-ct.gov">seisenbeiser@groton-ct.gov</a>.</p>

Small Business Pivot Grant

<h3>Downtown Mystic is a major New England tourism destination.</h3><p>Visitation to the area is at an all-time high as exciting shops and restaurants open and draw visitors from well beyond Connecticut&rsquo;s borders.<br>While we welcome both residents and visitors enjoying all that Mystic has to offer, and appreciate the support for our local businesses and nonprofits, it has placed growing pressure on the parking supply. The Towns of Groton and Stonington jointly commissioned a study to identify effective parking strategies to better manage and improve parking conditions for customers, visitors, employees and residents of Downtown Mystic. </p><p>The complete study, as well as a video presentation of the findings, can be found on this page.</p><h3>We also want to hear from you! What have been your experiences in Mystic? Do you have any ideas on what might help? Let&#39;s know using the tools below!</h3>

Parking in Mystic 

<p><strong><u>APPLICATION FOR ARPA FUNDING</u></strong></p><p>The Town of Groton closed its Funding Round on June 30th and is conducting an application review to ensure submission completeness and project eligibility. The Town of Groton intends to allocate between $1,500,000 and $2,900,000 in American Rescue Plan funds to support initiatives that address the impacts of COVID-19 and contribute to a community-wide pandemic recovery.</p><p>The Review Committee will evaluate proposals for projects that respond to the impacts of COVID-19 and to support a comprehensive recovery with strategic community investments and quality of life improvements.</p><p>To guide its allocations of American Rescue Plan funds. the Groton Town Council has approved the creation of six Community Recovery Categories:</p><p><strong>1. Economic Development &amp; Resiliency</strong></p><p>The Economic Development &amp; Resiliency Recovery Category shall focus funds to facilitate the Groton community&rsquo;s economic recovery from the COVID-1 pandemic and to respond to future public health and climate challenges;</p><p><strong>2. Infrastructure &amp; Transportation</strong></p><p>The Infrastructure &amp; Transportation Recovery Category shall focus funds on critical Capital Improvement Projects that enable safe multimodal access and sewer infrastructure across the Groton community;</p><p><strong>3. Parks &amp; Recreation</strong></p><p>The Parks &amp; Recreation Recovery Category shall focus funds on planning and capital improvements that enhance opportunities for the Groton community to access upgraded facilities and recreation programming;</p><p><strong>4. Human Services</strong></p><p>The Human Services Recovery Category shall focus funds on enhancing the Town of Groton&rsquo;s social services and public health infrastructure to retool Groton&rsquo;s efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 and to support communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic;</p><p><strong>5. Arts &amp; Culture</strong></p><p>The Arts &amp; Culture Recovery Category shall focus funds on supporting local artists and cultural destinations that enhance community development efforts across the Groton community;</p><p><strong>6. ARPA Administration &amp; Other</strong></p><p>The ARPA Administration Recovery Category will address any administrative needs, requests and contingency amounts allocated by the Town Council.</p><p>The U.S. Treasury&#39;s Guidelines for the American Rescue Plan mandate that ARPA funds must be allocated before <strong>December 31st, 2024.</strong> The funds issued through the American Rescue Plan must be spent by recipients before <strong>December 31st, 2026.</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong><u>OUTREACH CAMPAIGN</u></strong></p><p>The Town of Groton received $8,587,894 of State &amp; Local Fiscal Recovery Funds under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. These funds were issued with the stated objectives to stop the spread of COVID-19, address the economic impacts of the pandemic, and to build a strong, resilient, and equitable recovery by making investments that support long-term growth and opportunity.</p><p>To gather public input on the Groton community&rsquo;s spending priorities on the use of American Rescue Plan funds, Town Staff hosted a series of public workshops in the Fall of 2021 to collect ideas for community projects.</p><p>The Town of Groton released its Budget Simulator platform in January 2022 with a call to action for the Groton community to balance the ARPA budget. The Budget Simulator platform asked respondents to distribute funds to community projects and spending categories to designate their priorities for spending the Town of Groton&rsquo;s American Rescue Plan allocation. Town Staff promoted the Budget Simulator through a range of community engagement methods including social media, articles in the <em>New London Day, </em>door knocking, tabling at public events, a town wide mailer, and a set of kiosks at the Groton Public Library and the Thrive 55+ Active Living Center.</p><p>The portal received 124 submissions from the public with respondents spending 11 minutes and 26 seconds on average to balance the ARPA budget and submit their spending priorities.</p><p>The data collected through the ARPA Budget Simulator will be integrated into the Town of Groton&rsquo;s Community Recovery Needs Assessment to highlight the participant&rsquo;s spending priorities for allocating American Rescue Plan toward critical community projects and recovery initiatives.</p><p><br></p><p><u><strong>AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN</strong></u></p><p>The American Rescue Plan Act was signed by President Joseph Biden in March 2021 to provide state and local governments with critical resources to stop the spread of COVID-19 and to support rebuilding efforts for a comprehensive and equitable economic recovery.</p><p><strong>American Rescue Plan:</strong> <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/SLFRF-Final-Rule.pdf">https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/SLFRF-Final-Rule.pdf</a></p><p><strong>U.S. Department of the Treasury - State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds: Project Highlights:</strong> <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/American-Rescue-Plan-Anniversary-SLFRF-Examples.pdf">https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/American-Rescue-Plan-Anniversary-SLFRF-Examples.pdf</a></p><p><strong>Brookings Institution: Equitable Economic Recovery post-COVID Must Be Society&#39;s Priority (May 2022): <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2022/05/27/equitable-economic-recovery-post-covid-must-be-societys-priority/">https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2022/05/27/equitable-economic-recovery-post-covid-must-be-societys-priority/</a> </strong></p><p><strong>The New London Day: Here&#39;s where southeastern Connecticut cities and towns are in allocating ARPA funds (July 2nd, 2022): <a href="https://www.theday.com/article/20220702/NWS01/220709875">https://www.theday.com/article/20220702/NWS01/220709875</a> </strong></p><h1 class="article-head"><br></h1><p><br></p><p><br></p><table style="width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td style="width: 100%; background-color: rgb(247, 218, 100); text-align: center;"><strong>Update 1/18/2022: The Town has released a budget simulation tool that you can use to </strong><br><strong>virtually submit your budget ideas:</strong><br>&gt;&gt;<a href="https://groton.abalancingact.com/groton-arpa-spending-plan"><strong>www.groton.abalancingact.com/groton-arpa-spending-plan</strong></a>&lt;&lt;<br></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br></p>

ARPA Application 

Welcome to the Age Friendly Groton page! As an AARP designated age-friendly community, the Town of Groton has committed to:• Ensuring the active engagement of older adults in the civic planning process;• Establish of a steering committee of older adults and senior advocates to establish policies, plans and programs that encourage senior activity;• Conducting an evaluation of current senior programming to determine baseline needs and developing a plan of action for addressing gaps community-wide;• Benchmarking indicators such as miles of connective sidewalk, number of benches, and number of accessible meeting locations to ensure progress is made toward our goals.This page is a space to contribute to the discussion of age friendly planning! Take a survey, leave a marker on the map, or simply comment in the forum.

Age Friendly Groton

<p>If you like to travel, you&#39;ve probably heard of VRBO or Airbnb-style short-term rentals (STRs). You may also rent out a vacation home, a portion of your home, or the neighborhood that you live in may be impacted by a STR. Residential housing is being used in many different ways, one of which is to rent that home for short periods of time. STRs were once a niche way to travel, but are now available for rent all over the world.</p><p>The Town of Groton is considering ways to regulate STRs. What you might not know is that at this time, <em>the State of Connecticut has no legislation in place regulating short term rentals statewide</em>. Historically, Groton hasn&rsquo;t regulated them either.<strong> </strong>So to keep up with the demand, regulation of these properties must be done through a change to our <strong>zoning</strong><strong> regulations</strong> or development of a new town<strong> o</strong><strong>rdinance.</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Zoning Regulations</strong> provide rules about how a piece of land or property can be used, how large a building can be, whether a business can be opened on a property, as well as establishing parking, landscaping and lighting requirements. Zoning laws govern issues like site construction, hours of operation, parking requirements, signs, garbage collection, and the like. Zoning could specify which districts allow STRs and can specify how STRs are approved. Zoning can require that a permit is issued to the property, not the operator, and zoning can dictate enforcement through the zoning enforcement officer. Zoning regulations are adopted by the Planning and Zoning Commission and the regulations will only apply to new uses.</li><li><strong>A Town </strong><strong>Ordinance</strong>, on the other hand, would apply to both new STRs and those already operating. It would eliminate the potential for existing properties to claim grandfathered rights to operate STRs and would issue a license to the operator and not the property. An ordinance would also put enforcement in the hands of the Police. An ordinance is adopted by the Town Council.</li></ul><p>Whether we decide on new zoning or an ordinance, to develop these new regulations for STR&#39;s Groton is engaging the Horsley Witten Group to seek solutions that protect public interests and meet the needs of all residents. We strive to create regulations that generate inclusive opportunities for local wealth-creation, while still balancing the needs of all members of the community.</p><p>Please take a look around this page. You will find a project timeline, links to documents, staff contacts, and opportunities to leave feedback throughout the project.</p><p><strong><em>Thank you for your interest and participation!</em></strong></p>

Short Term Rentals in Groton

<div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a"><div dir="auto"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/ehq-production-us-california/d241507ca4e7d050788588dabbd08a0621d007df/original/1679507497/05a2b46a4b5cf904a187277952344576_336527877_1263625880919389_9163370902059481442_n.jpg?1679507497" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></div><p><br></p><div dir="auto">Enhancing Community Connectivity: Groton is eligible to receive a $936,000 Transportation Alternative Plan (TAP) grant to establish an East/West Bikeway connecting the City to the Town from Thomas Road, South Road, Route 1, and Depot Road. Conceptual plans developed by VHB would create on road bike lanes along many segments of the bikeway. Bike lanes designate a portion of the road for bicyclists and are much safer than current roadway conditions along these roads. Below is a <a tabindex="-1"></a>link to the conceptual plans, we encourage your feedback on the proposed plans. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Learn more at <a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1fey0fg" href="https://www.groton-ct.gov/dept_news_detail_T23_R500.php?fbclid=IwAR14wMkv9gw6dQm7tmLbawRbdW-eihMzHqUqzfG_od4wj8JmhMntJqdLvfI" rel="nofollow noopener" tabindex="0" target="_blank">https://www.groton-ct.gov/dept_news_detail_T23_R500.php</a></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">The public can provide input to the Town Council either in person at the Town Council meeting on April 4 at 6:30 pm at Town Hall Annex, or by emailing Council@groton-ct.gov.</div></div>

Enhancing Community Connectivity 

<p>The Town of Groton will start to develop its first Climate Action Plan (CAP) in 2023. The process of developing the CAP will help us learn about our vulnerabilities to climate change hazards and ways we can become more resilient to them. Priority actions will be selected to help us adapt, or prepare for, climate hazards like coastal flooding, flooding from heavy rain events, drought, and extreme heat and humidity. Priority actions will also be selected to help us mitigate our climate impacts by reducing our municipal energy use and emissions. The final deliverable will be a road map of the Town&#39;s future work on climate change, complete with goals and a system to transparently share progress.</p><p>We will be looking for public participation throughout the CAP development process, and will use this page to provide updates and ways to get involved. The first way to provide input is already available - please fill out the &quot;Taking Groton&#39;s Temperature on Climate Change&quot; survey below! You can also learn more about the climate impacts projected for our area through the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit, which is available through &quot;Important Links&quot; on the right.</p>

Climate Action Plan

Housing Issues Survey