NEWINGTON - The proposal was made about six months ago and now it’s official--a portion of Richard Street in Newington is being dedicated to the late Robert Seiler, Sr., a resident who served the town in multiple capacities, including as a police officer and firefighter, throughout his life.

       The Town Council voted unanimously to approve the street dedication, proposed by Newington resident Ann Brown several months ago, at its June 9 regular meeting.

       â€�"I’d like to see this move forward,” said Newington Mayor Stephen Woods, who expressed his support for the dedication when it was first discussed. â€�"Bob’s birthday is coming up on July 9, so it’d be great if we were to pass this.”

       Seiler, who started as a volunteer firefighter in town in 1966, passed away in November of 2013. He retired as a police sergeant in 1991.

       â€�"This would be a way to keep his memory alive,” said Ann Brown, a resident who proposed the dedication and spoke out in favor of it at a March Council meeting.

       Seiler also provided support to the town’s Human Services Department, the Newington Kiwanis Club and the Memorial Day Parade Committee.

       At the March meeting, others spoke out in support of the dedication.

       â€�"Bob was a go-to guy,” said Kenneth O’Brien, a Newington police officer who chairs the Memorial Day Committee. â€�"Bring about any issue to him and his response was, ‘I’ll take care of it.’”

       All of the community service that Seiler accumulated over the years might be news to some people, because he never advertised the extra work he did, O’Brien said.

       â€�"He never bragged about his volunteerism,” he said. â€�"In fact, many of us, despite knowing him for many years, never knew how many different volunteer organizations he was involved in.”

       O’ Brien added, â€�"Bob never sought recognition, but I think he would approve of this recognition.”

       The dedication would not change the name of Richard Street, but designate it as a memorial road in honor of Seiler, the Council said.