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EAST HAMPTON — Custom-designed commemorative Bevin Bells cowbell sales to mark the centennial of the local fire department have far exceeded expectations, according to fire officials.

Originally, 100 limited-edition bells were ordered, however, they sold out within a week and a half, said Jerry Cloutier, chairman of the East Hampton Volunteer Fire Department 100 year Anniversary Committee.

East Hampton-based Bevin Bells, a sixth-generation family company founded in 1832, is co-owned by former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin.

Cloutier posted on Facebook that the collectibles allow people to bring home “a piece of history.” Cloutier, a Navy veteran, has been with the fire service for 27 years, and is an emergency preparedness specialist at the Millstone Power Station in Waterford.

Upcoming celebratory events include a picnic with all past members of the department, appreciation dinner and awards, he said. Special red versions of the bells will be distributed to those who attend the picnic.

The 70-person volunteer department, which takes about 400 calls for service a year, has 70 volunteers spread over three stations, Cloutier said.

The white cowbell features the fire department’s current patch on one side and anniversary patch on the other side. It was designed by resident and patch contest winner Ekaterine Tcheldize, who competed against seven other entries, Cloutier said.

The commemorative bell resembles the official patch with crossed axes. It incorporates a gold Bevin bell decorated with a blue, fully rigged ship, topped with “America’s Bird” and decorated with a tiny ladder, fire hydrant and red sash.

“The design popped out at us, especially with the eagle on it,” Cloutier said. “[It] incorporated everything on it.”

The two types of bells, both official and for collectors, have been restocked and are flying off the shelves at family-operated Paul & Sandy’s Too garden center and hardware store at 83 E. High St., according to employee Michele MacGranor.

The committee has ordered another 200 bells for the garden center, Cloutier said, with all proceeds going to the fire department. They are also available at Ace Hardware at 25 E. High St.

“We predict we’ll have to order another batch from Bevin Bells,” he added.

The store carries different styles of Bevin Bells year-round, including one for the Chatham Historical Society and a Pumpkin Town USA cowbell in honor of Paul’s & Sandy’s Too's widely popular fall drive-through attraction, billed as a “premiere non-scary fall attraction.”

“People come in from all over” for the chance to purchase a bell, MacGranor said.

The volunteer department was established in 1923. Remnants of the original firehouse remain at the Co. 3 station on White Birch Road, including an antique hand-pump truck formerly drawn by horses.

Bells are $10 apiece, and all proceeds will benefit the department and celebratory events.

They will come in handy during the Old Home Days parade July 8, which steps off at 11 a.m. The theme, honoring the legacy of the department, is "A Century of Service." About 20 other fire departments are invited to participate in the event.

To purchase the bells, stop in at the fire station at 3 Barton Hill Road. For information on Paul’s and Sandy’s Too, visit Paul And Sandy's on Facebook. They can also be reserved at the store by calling 860-267-0143.

EAST HAMPTON, CT (WFSB) - After weeks of rising tension, East Hampton voters made a decision on proposed school budget cuts.

Students, parents, and teachers met at a recent town council meeting where they spoke out against school budget cuts. The proposed cuts could impact local school funding by almost $800,000.

Residents packed recent meetings, and parents were especially concerned about the proposal’s implications.

The East Hampton Board of Education asked for more funding to accommodate rising costs. However, the town’s finance board responded by proposing $729,000 in cuts.

The proposal would lay off at least five teachers, so class sizes would likely increase. Another source of conflict was the proposal to reduce working hours for school psychologists.

The town said the proposed cuts were due to unfunded mandates and state and federal inflation.

The East Hampton Board of Finance said it was trying to maintain a low tax base for the town. Residents argued that students’ education and mental health should take priority over financial matters.

Residents raised their concerns at a town meeting earlier in May.

The heated debate lasted two hours. There were several outbursts from the crowd and two people were asked to leave after the council decided to keep the cuts in place.

One resident pleaded for the council to send the budget back to the finance committee for another review, but the council voted 4-3 in favor of keeping the budget as is.

East Hampton Superintendent Paul Smith said the council should’ve listened to their constituents.

“Two hundred and fifty people show up to a meeting. As a school and town official that’s a pretty good representation. I would listen to those comments,” Smith said.

East Hampton residents voted on the proposed budget at a referendum on Tuesday. The polls opened at 6:00 a.m. By 2:00 pm., more than 1,000 votes were cast.

Voters were able to vote “YES” or “NO” on two proposed budgets, the $35 million school budget and the $17 million budget.

After a heated debate on the budget, East Hampton residents ultimately did not approve the proposed budget proposed for the 2023-2024 school year.

Residents voted that the proposed budget of $35,608,655 was too low.

The town also voted no on the town budget, also saying the budget was too low.

The budget now goes back to the board of finance.

Copyright 2023 WFSB. All rights reserved.

A controversial vote on proposed cuts to the school budget in East Hampton pushed taxpayers to the polls Tuesday.

On the ballot were almost $800,000 in cuts to the school district’s budget. If voters approve the cuts, the superintendent, Paul Smith, said five teaching positions would need to be eliminated including two elementary teachers, one high school English teacher and two special education teachers who work in the upper elementary level.

This opportunity to vote came after the town council held several lengthy meetings were there was public outcry from parents, students and teachers who opposed the cuts.

Several parents turned out to vote on Tuesday, including Elizabeth Quealy, who has three young children, two of whom are already in the public school district.

“Education is important whether or not you have children in the school system. It’s our future and it’s really what we need to focus on,” Quealy said.

Quealy said her oldest child in fifth grade needs additional help with math and reading. She is concerned about the potential increase in class size and reduction of resources if the budget were to be approved.

Jude Barry, who has three children in the district in grades 7, 9 and 11, shared the same concerns.

“The whole reason I moved to this town is for the children,” said Barry. “The ratios will be worse and the kids won’t get the attention they’ll need.”

One of Barry’s children even attended one of the previous town council meetings.

“How often do you see children, children at a town hall meeting? So, the fact that our kids are bright enough is a statement of the educational system of itself,” said Barry.

But other voters questioned if the school district could be doing a better job budgeting with the money they already have.

“How much do we really need? How much bigger schools? How many more athletic fields do we have to have,” said Tim Larson, an East Hampton voter.

“I think it’s too high because they increase the budget ever year and they have less students,” said Dale Weiman, an East Hampton voter.

The district has seen a slight decrease in enrollment and have adjusted accordingly, according to Superintendent Smith. For example, in the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school year, enrollment decreased by approximately 20 children each year. The district took steps and already eliminated an elementary teaching position each time.

Smith said that if the proposed $800,000 cuts went through and another two elementary positions had to be eliminated, they would have to combine classes and the size would go from 20 or 21 students in a class to 24 or 25.

But some voters said the taxes in East Hampton are starting to become unreasonably expensive.

“The mill rates are become so high that it becomes very difficult for the average person to even afford a home in this area, unless you're making a certain amount of money. And that's kind of pushes those people who've been here, legacy people who've been here for a long time, away from it,” Larson said. “If you look around you, even the building in front of us [Town Hall] cost us millions and millions of dollars. And to that point, it just becomes almost difficult for someone to make it on the taxes, especially if you as you go toward retirement,” said Larson.

Voters had until 8 p.m. on Tuesday to vote.

The East Hampton education budget will now go to the people for a vote. The town council moved that budget forward today in a tight 4-3 vote.

This coming as dozens of people opposed that move.

“We’ve kind of united to support our teachers, and our students and our community," said high school senior Noelle Lavender.

She spoke about the dozens of people that showed up to Tuesday’s East Hampton town council meeting to fight a proposed education budget, which would cut about $800,000, possibly eliminating five teacher positions.

Lavender says those staff members are crucial to student success.

“I need these people because I go through some things. Our kids go through things, and they help us no matter what,” she said.

Parents, teachers and students in attendance said the cuts can’t happen.

“The people’s voice when it cries as one is a great roar, so I say listen to us roar. Send the budget back,” Deborah Field, an East Hampton resident, said.

“I have a hard time trying to understand how anybody can justify taking money away from our schools when we’re still in the process of recovering,” student Enzo Berry said.

In a tight 4-3 vote, the town council decided to move the education budget to a referendum where the town would vote.

School Superintendent Paul Smith said the proposed cuts to school staffing will move forward, but said this about the council’s action:

“I’m a little bit disheartened that they didn’t take the opportunity to send it back to the Board of Finance,” he said.

Town Council Chair Mark Philhower said he’s received messages from concerned citizens not at the meeting saying the cuts are necessary.

He also believes the Board of Education can take action themselves, saying the councilors cannot tell the board what to do.

“They can find money somewhere. Keep the teachers with removing some of the other staff,” Philhower said.

The head of the local teacher’s union is disheartened as well.

“That’s devastating. We have an incredible school system,” Neil Shilansky, president of the East Hampton Education Association, said.

May 30 is when the referendum on the town budget and education budget is supposed to happen.

A group of East Hampton High School students are spreading the word about the town’s budget referendum. It comes after cuts to education were included in the proposed budget.

“They bring so much to the school and every teacher matters, here especially,” Enja Barry, a junior, said.

That’s how students at East Hampton high school feel about their teachers. As the town budget moves forward to a referendum, included are about $800,000 in education spending cuts, possibly eliminating five teacher positions. That didn’t sit well with the students.

“Once we start cutting teachers, we start showing people that education no longer matters. Once education no longer matters, how does that paint us as a society?” William Faber, a freshman, said.

In response to the budget cuts, a group of students is mobilizing their fellow classmates.

“I value my voice and I value the voice of my students and I want to make sure that they’re heard,” Salem Didado, a senior, said.

This meant handing out informational slips to high school students eligible to vote, breaking down what a yes or no vote would mean and encouraging them to register to vote if eligible.

“I went to a bunch of different homerooms. I had volunteers helping me. I assigned them to different wings of the school.”

Senior Noelle Lavender came up with the idea and design.

“I specifically made them half sheets, because I know if I’m a student and I get a full sheet of paper, I know I’m not going to look at it,” she said.

Lavender says this required administrative approval from the school and the superintendent. Superintendent Paul Smith confirmed he approved of the slips being distributed with caveats saying in a statement:

“Students at East Hampton High School asked if they could spread the word about the upcoming budget referendum (May 30) and remind their fellow students who were eligible to register to vote if they had not already done so. Permission was given by me for them to proceed as long as no school supplies (paper) or school copy machines were used to create their pamphlets. No taxpayer dollars were used for this effort. We’re proud to support student involvement in this civic process.”

The chair of the East Hampton Board of Education stressing in a statement the students are working independently saying:

“Any resident choosing to actively participate in local democracy should be applauded. While the group of grass-roots advocates have made themselves known, the Board of Education has no involvement or influence in these efforts.”

Lavender says the school and teachers have been clear, the slips can only be informative about the referendum. They cannot take sides.

“I don’t want to sway people’s opinions in any way. I want them to form their own with the facts,” she said.

She hopes students go to the ballot box having a say on what their future holds.

“I’m not going to be here next year, but my friends are going to be here. My brother who’s like my best friend is going to be here,” Lavender said.

The town budget referendum is set to happen on May 30.