Fees Waived For Drop-off of Storm-Related Brush [Update]

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10:34 a.m. Sunday, 11/5

The following update is from First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker.

Power has been restored to over 99 percent of Bethel homes. CL+P website still shows over 100 homes without at this hour, but this number is incorrect due to the paperwork lag in recording closed work orders from the crews.

Actual number is less than 60, many of which have more extensive damage to the service lines to their homes.

Yard waste and brush related to the storm can still be dropped off at the Bethel transfer station free of charge until further notice. See town website for hours of operation.

Leaf pickup schedule is resuming where it was left off one week behind the previously published dates from October 25th forward.  An adjusted schedule will be posted on the town website.

11:05 p.m. Sunday, 11/4

First Selectman Matthew Knickerbocker sent the following update:

• As of 11 p.m. the CL&P outage map shows power restored to 99 percent of Bethel homes.  

• CL&P reports all circuits reconnected and is concentrating now on localized outages and residential service line breaks affecting individual homes.

10:30 a.m. Sunday, 11/4

In Bethel, approximately 434 homes are without power, or five percent of CL&P customers, according to the CL&P outage map. At 6:45 p.m. yesterday, that number was at 11 percent.

6:45 p.m. Saturday, 11/3

Bethel First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker just issued a new update on the status of the town's recovery effort. Here it is:

• Bethel outage rate now stands at 11% of town, or about 950 residents.
• CL&P crews are currently working on the two remaining major circuits and expect a large portion of the neighborhoods still without power to be reconnected this evening.  
• Again, especially at this stage of the recovery, it is important that CL&P hears about your outage directly, if you have not already done so, and even if all your neighbors have already called (1-800-286-2000). This is especially important if the lights come back on in your neighborhood, but your's do not. That can sometimes indicate secondary damage to the line to your home that was not previously detected and repaired.
• The municipal center shelter is now closed, and the Red Cross resources have been redeployed down county where recovery work will continue for some time.
• All major through roads in Bethel are open. All side streets are open with exception of Rector, South (one lane only near fire house) and Tremont.

10 p.m. Friday, 11/2

Rainy Day Paperback Exchange is open regular business hours:

• 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday
• Closed Sunday and Monday
• Noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday
• 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday

Staff are happy to let people charge cellphones or other devices and said people may ask at the counter to have them plugged in.

"I have amazing battery-free, wireless, drop-resistant reading devices known as books," staff said via e-mail.

Redding Roasters is open regular hours:

• 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday
• Closed Sunday and Monday
• 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday
• 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday

People can come in and get a free sample cup of coffee.

4:23 p.m. Friday, 11/2

The following announcement regarding the Bethel school calendar is from the superintendent's office.

Due to the storm we have revised our district calendar to accommodate for the 4 days lost due to Hurricane Sandy.  The revisions are as follows:

• School will be in session on Monday, November 12th.
• School will be in session on Friday, January 18th.
• School will be in session on Monday, February 18th & Tuesday, February 19th.

The calendar is attached to this article as a PDF article.

1:06 p.m. Friday, 11/2

The following update is from First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker.

• More than half of the remaining homes without power were brought back on line by CL&P last evening.  Number of homes still without power now stands at about 2,507, or 30 percent of the town.
• All roads in Bethel now open with exception of Wolfpits, South, and Rector.  Crews still working in those areas.  Expect intermittent closures on other roads while crews replace utility poles and wires.
• Bethel Public Schools opened today on a normal schedule.  See BPS website for bus information: www.bethel.k12.ct.us.

9 a.m. Thursday, 11/1

Bethel First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker provided the following update on the town's recovery effort from Hurricane Sandy:

• More than half of the remaining homes without power were brought back on line by CL&P last evening. Number of homes still without power now stands at about 2,900, or 34% of town.
• All roads in Bethel now open with exception of Wolfpits, South, and Rector. Crews still working in those areas. Expect intermittent closures on other roads while crews replace utility poles and wires.
• Bethel Public Schools open today on a normal schedule. See BPS website for bus information: www.bethel.k12.ct.us.

3 p.m. Thursday, 11/1

The Bethel Public Schools will be open tomorrow, Friday, November 2, according to an update on the Bethel Schools website.

Due to road closures issues, several bus stops will have alternate bus stops.

• Issue @ Wolfpits @ 302, alternate bus stop at Codfish @ Wolfpits
• Issue @ Rector @ South, alternate at Nashville @ South or Durant @ South
• Issue @ Grandview Ave, alternate @ either end of Grandview, bus can’t go through
• Issue @ Upper Rockwell, alternate @ Walnut Hill & Rockwell or Winesap and Rockwell
• Issue @ Lower Rockwell, alternate @ Dodgingtown or Rockwell @ Plumtrees Road.
• Issue @ Hoyts Road by Walnut Hill, alternate at Walnut Hill @ Taylor Road
• Issue at Grassy Plain @ Willow, alternate at Grassy Plain

12:02 p.m. Thursday, 11/1

CL&P is working on restoring power to the school complex, according to an update on the Bethel Schools website. A decision will be made by 3 p.m. today if school will be in session tomorrow.

11:31 a.m. Thursday, 11/1

First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker provided the following update.

POWER

• Last evening CL+P line crews restored power to the Reynolds Ridge housing complex, three of the five schools in the educational park, the Bethel Police Department and parts of the surrounding neighborhood.  
• Total number of homes restored about 800.
• Homes and businesses still w/o power has dropped to 4,939 (59%).
• CL+P is estimating the date for total restoration will be Tuesday, November 6.  Individual neighborhoods will come back on in stages as damage is repaired.  Please keep in mind this is tentative and dependent on weather conditions that remain safe for line workers.
• REMINDER:  All power outages, reports of trees hanging in wires, etc. must be reported directly to CL+P at 1-800-286-2000

ROADS

• The following roads have been reopened:  Chestnut Ridge, Whippoorwill, Old Hawleyville (entire length), Reservoir, Whitlock (one lane). 

BRUSH

• Storm debris may be dropped off at the Bethel transfer station free of charge until further notice.  No transfer station permit is required.
• Town highway crews are continuing to clear public property and roadways of downed trees and debris.  When that is complete, probably sometime next week, they will move as quickly as possible to complete this season's road construction.  Please be advised that town crews WILL NOT be picking up yard debris.  Federal authorities have not established a program to reimburse towns for this cost, as it did last year following Winter Storm Alfred.

SHELTER

• Bethel Red Cross shelter at the municipal center is still operating 24 hours per day.  Meals, hot showers, overnight accommodations, recharging stations and Internet access available.

SCHOOLS

• Closed today, Thursday, November 1st.

10:26 a.m. Thursday, 11/1

CL&P: 'Vast Majority' of Customers Will Be Restored by Monday or Tuesday

3:08 p.m. Wednesday, 10/31

The Bethel Public Schools and school offices will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, November 1.

10:35 a.m. Wednesday, 10/31

HALLOWEEN

• Halloween is ON in Bethel.  Big Y Supermarket on Stony Hill Road (Rte 6) is hosting its second annual  "Trunk or Treat".  The event runs from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm in the Big Y parking lot.
• If parents choose to allow neighborhood trick or treating, it must be confined to well lighted neighborhoods only.  Neighborhoods without power are off limits.  Please ensure your children wear reflective clothing, carry flashlights and are well supervised.

BRUSH

• Storm related brush can be dropped off free of charge at the Bethel transfer station until further notice.  No transfer permit will be needed; just show your drivers license to prove Bethel residency.  
• Please DO NOT push brush and debris from your yard out into the streets.  Town crews can not to pick up brush, as they have many days of road clearing work still ahead of them.  In the aftermath of WS Alfred last year, the Federal government authorized reimbursement to towns for removal of damaged tree debris from private property.  We have not been advised of any such plan this year.  Town residents will be notified if that situation changes.

POWER SITUATION

• The situation has changed little since yesterday, with outages still around 64%, as the CL&P crews assigned to Bethel focused their efforts on clearing wires and opening roads.  
• Road clearing will continue today, and restoration work will focus on powering up the school complex, the Reynolds Ridge senior housing complex, the Police Department and the emergency radio repeater tower.
• CL&P has not yet given town officials a time estimate for full power restoration.  There is still significant damage to the power infrastructure in Bethel, with dozens of trees and utility poles destroyed by the storm.  We are also continuing to have new damage occur, as trees weakened by the storm fall and damage lines that had just been cleared.  We will advise residents of restoration estimates as soon as we get them.

Matthew S. Knickerbocker First Selectman

9:05 a.m. Wednesday, 10/31

First Selectman Matthew S. Knickerbocker said Bethel residents may feel free to trick-or-treat traditionally this evening and go door-to-door.

"I'm advising parents to use discretion and avoid dark neighborhoods," he said.
 

12:42 p.m. Tuesday, 10/30

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11:45 a.m. Tuesday, 10/30

Bethel First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker just released an update as of 11 a.m. today:

• Currently about 5,600 homes and businesses without power (67% of town). CL&P is currently conducting damage assessments and have not yet determined timeline for full restoration.
• Numerous road closures due to downed trees and power lines. Major through routes still closed include:
  
  • Reservoir
  • Old Hawleyville
  • Codfish Hil,
  • Parts of Route 302 and many side roads
• Bethel's emergency shelter at the Clifford J. Hurgin Municipal Center has been in full operation since Monday at noon and has power and hot showers. Residents planning to move to the shelter overnight are reminded to bring their own pillows, blankets, toiletries and personal medications.
• Town hall business offices (tax office, assessor, registrars and town clerk) will reopen at noon today.
• Bethel Public Public Library will reopen at noon today.
• Town hall internet is down, however, so we cannot be reached via email for the time being.
• Residents are reminded to call their power outages in to CL&P at 1-800-286-2000. It's important to have your address registered in their computerized tracking system, even if you think your neighbors have already called it in.

7:52 a.m. Tuesday, 10/30

All Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles locations are closed today due to Hurricane Sandy.

6:21 a.m. Tuesday, 10/30

The Bethel Office of Emergency Management noted the following road closures on its Twitter page.

• Old Hawleyville @ Kristy Drive
• Plumtrees between Maple Avenue
• Wolfpits @ 302
• Codfish @ Jacklin

5:05 a.m. Tuesday, 10/30

Sixty-one percent of Bethel homes, or 5,112 customers, are without power this morning, according to CL&P's outage maps.

To report an outage, contact CL&P at 800-286-2000 or by clicking visiting the Report an Outage link.

10:36 p.m. Monday, 10/29

59 percent of the town, or 4,954 homes, are without power, according to CL&P.

10:09 p.m. Monday, 10/29

A tree is down on Reservoir Street, reader Jennifer Servidio posted on the Bethel Patch Facebook page.

9:36 p.m. Monday, 10/29

Fifty-eight percent of CL&P customers in Bethel are without power, according to the outage maps. That's 4,847 homes.

8:41 p.m. Monday, 10/29

Bethel has 4,741 homes without power, roughly 56 percent of the town's homes, according to CL&P's outage maps.

8:34 p.m. Monday, 10/29

Tree down on Mansfield Street, reader Petey Williams reports on the Bethel Patch Facebook page. He says: "cars can get by but its dark and hard to see till you are in front of it."

5:50 p.m. Monday, 10/29

About 376 people are now without power in Bethel.

4:07 p.m. Monday, 10/29

About 148 people in Bethel without power, according to CL&P outage maps.

3:38 p.m. Monday, 10/29

CL&P is reporting 103 homes without power, as reported on its outage maps.

5:55 a.m. Monday, 10/29

As Hurricane Sandy continues its collision course for the Northeast, the town of Bethel is preparing for the potentially historic storm.

It was announced ahead of the storm that Bethel Schools will be closed Monday and Tuesday. The Bethel Municipal Center will be closed. The Bethel emergency shelter inside the Municipal Center will open at noon.

Bethel First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker said he keeps looking at storm updates, but he doesn't know when or how hard the storm will hit. When he learned the state was letting non-emergency personnel stay home Monday, he decided to close the Municipal Center.

The Bethel Emergency Response team has met and all departments are fully equipped with materials and supplies. All emergency services are also prepared and ready for the storm, according to a release by the town.

Editor's Note: Check back with Bethel Patch frequently as this article will be continually updated throughout the duration of the storm with Bethel specific news and information, including power outages, shelter openings, school closures and much more.

For live updates during the storm remember to download our App for your smartphone or tablet, "like" Bethel Patch on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.