“I’ve come to the conclusion that the two most important things in life are good friends and a good bullpen.” ~ Bob Lemon, 1981
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Bee Intelligencer Informing the towns of Middlebury, Southbury, Woodbury, Naugatuck, Oxford and Watertown A FREE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
Volume VIII, No. 16
Friday, April 20, 2012
Pick of the litter Annual Earth Day event Sunday By JANINE SULLIVAN-WILEY The Middlebury Junior Women’s Club annual Earth Day cleanup will be Sunday, April 22, from 1 to 3 p.m. Participants will meet at 1 p.m. in the parking lot next to the pavilion at Meadowview Park, where they can get garbage bags, gloves and their choice of whichever stretch of greenway or park they would like to clean (one section – from Middlebury Pizza to Junipers – is already spoken for). Since a small group from the club first began tackling litter along a short stretch of the greenway, the cleanup, thanks to a full collaboration with Middlebury Parks and Recreation Director Betty Proulx and her department, has grown into a demonstration of community spirit and concern for the environment. This year we hope to expand the effort to even more parts of our beautiful community as residents take to the streets and greenway to celebrate Earth Day. Back in February, the Bee featured Jack Salisbury in his oneman campaign to rid the town of litter. That is the kind of spirit we hope to see town-wide Sunday. What started as a greenway cleanup has expanded over the years to more areas around town as individuals or groups “adopted”
a location. Last year this included specific roads (such as along South Street and Watertown Road), parks (such as Bristol and Ledgewood), schools (the area around Memorial Middle School was tended by a family) and the baseball field. For those interested and willing to foray into the brush along the roads and greenway where a lot of litter gets stuck, a quick primer on identification of poison ivy and prevention of tick bites will be offered. Everyone is encouraged to wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants. As we celebrate Mother Earth by sprucing her up a bit, it also will be fun to see what is found as “pick of the litter.” Last year, a bright green bowling ball and full six-pack of beer seemed to suggest a couple of stories about how they came to be relegated to the bushes. (A really exasperated toss after deciding that tonight was the final gutter ball? A fast decision to walk away from underage drinking? ) What stories will the debris tell this year? Please send pictures and a tally of how many bags of litter YOU picked up to this paper at beeintelligencer@gmail.com or to kswiley@sbcglobal.net with the subject line of “pick of the litter.” See you on the greenway!
Workmen prepare painted surfaces at Middlebury Town Hall to receive a fresh coat of paint Tuesday. Additional work on the building will include replacing the rotted pillars on the front of the building and restoring the town clock there to working order. (Marjorie Needham photo)
School budget absentee ballots BoS discuss referendum dates, OK buying new cruiser Absentee ballots are available in the Middlebury Town Clerk’s office for the Wednesday, May 2, 2012, Pomperaug Regional School District 15 Budget Referendum. Electors and property owners owning property assessed at $1,000 or more on the last completed grand list are eligible to vote. They also must be a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years old. The question on the ballot is, “Shall the proposed 2012-2013 Budget of the Pomperaug Regional School District #15 in the amount of $60,251,578 be adopted?” Yes/No
An application must be filled out before a ballot can be issued. Ballots will not be mailed. The applications are available at the Town Clerk’s office at 1212 Whittemore Road or can be downloaded from the Secretary of the State’s website at www.sots. ct.gov under Elections & Voting. Print the application form for referendum only. The Middlebury Town Clerk’s office is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Additional information may be obtained by calling the office at (203) 758-2557.
Student Council wins award
Pomperaug High School Student Council President Emily Kaplita enthusiastically accepts the State Silver Award from the Connecticut Association of Student Councils on behalf of Pomperaug High School. The award was given during a two-day spring leadership conference at Weslayan University last month. (Submitted photo)
By JONATHAN “CHIP” LONGO The Middlebury Board of Selectmen (BoS) met Monday night in the Town Hall conference room with all three selectman present. The board discussed referendum dates for both the proposed Property Maintenance Ordinance (PMO) and a resolution to join the Torrington Area Health District (TAHD). Also on the agenda were the annual Fair Housing documents, the purchase of a new police car and an updated job description for the library director. The board voted on the final copy of the PMO to be sent to referendum. They are looking at either May 8 or 22 as the referendum date. They said they don’t want it to conflict with voting on the town budget. The board also voted to remain with the TAHD to provide public health services to the town. First Selectman Ed St. John again stated he has heard no opposition from anyone in town about continuing with the district. He said he would like to vote on it the same day as the PMO. The TAHD cost for the remaining fiscal year, which ends June 30, is $1 per capita ($7,394). For fiscal year 2012-2013, the cost would be $4.77 per capita ($36,281). The BoS adopted the Fair Housing Resolution. This is routine and something the board has to do every year. The BoS voted to purchase a 2013 Ford Marked Police Interceptor. The award went to Crowley Ford, who came in lowest per state bid. The BoS was unsure who the vehicle was for or what it would replace. The Library Board of Directors asked the BoS to update the Library Director’s job description. St. John said current director Jane Gallagher is set to retire, although he is not sure when. “Jane has done a great job,” he said. Selectman Elaine Strobel read an anonymous letter submitted to the selectmen’s office. The writer complained of shoddy work being performed by Lewis Tree Service
somewhere on Watertown Road. Strobel noted the town does its own tree work, and perhaps Lewis is a contractor for CL&P. If so, the town has no jurisdiction. Strobel said since the town does not pay the contractors, they have no control over the quality of work. Selectman Ralph Barra commented on his ongoing discussions with the Police Commission regarding traffic issues on Richardson Drive and the intersection of State Rtes. 63 and 64. Prior to public comments, St. John presented to the board a petition submitted to Town Clerk Edith Salisbury Monday afternoon by resident and Police Dispatcher James Roy. He is petitioning the BoS to call a special town meeting to consider the following resolution: “That the BoS establish a committee to study the regionalization of emergency communications for the Town of Middlebury.” Twenty signatures are needed to petition for a special town meeting pursuant to Chapter IX, Section 902 C (3) of the town charter. Roy submitted 23 signatures. He would like the committee to include at least two members that are police officers, fire fighters, emergency dispatch telecommunicators (sic) and emergency medical technicians. He also would like the communications budget for 2012-2013 funded at the level recommended by the BoS ($312,401.74). St. John is referring the matter to legal counsel before going any farther. He said he passed the information along to Police Chief Richard Guisti with the hopes the chief could work with the petitioners to find ways to save money and keep the communications center from being regionalized. St. John then handed out copies of the minutes from the Sept. 9, 2004, BoS meeting to show this is not a new issue facing the Town. Porter Avenue resident Greg Cyr was at the meeting looking for updates from the town regarding his ongoing struggles to have his neighborhood’s federal flood plain
designation changed. Strobel told Cyr the town did its “due diligence” regarding the matter. There previously was a question the former First Selectman Tom Gormley administration somehow “dropped the ball” regarding this matter. Strobel presented legal notices dated Aug. 16, 2010, by the Planning and Zoning Commission to amend the Zoning Regulations Section 9 – Definition and Section 53 – Flood Plain District. She said Gormley also sent a letter to the Conservation Commission asking for a 30-day extension. She said she talked to Conservation Commissioner Paul Bowler about Cyr’s problem. Bowler said he remembered talking to Cyr and that during Hurricane Irene, Bowler drove down Porter Avenue, and it was flooded. Strobel said this wasn’t a town matter, and Cyr should go back to his mortgage company, as they are the ones requiring him to have flood insurance. She also suggested he continue to talk to representatives from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. When asked if he had ever made any flood insurance claims, Cyr said, “No.” He said he researched the insurance history of his house, and there has never been a flood claim. Also during public comment, St. John said the painting project on the exterior of Town Hall is on schedule and on budget. He asked John Cookson about the progress of the new stove and exhaust hood purchases at Shepardson Community Center. Cookson said things were coming along, and he was waiting on two companies to give him prices for the exhaust hoods. St. John also praised Cookson and the Board of Education for presenting a flat Region 15 budget to the town. Cookson said a lot of hard work was done in workshops to find savings. The next scheduled BoS meeting is May 7 at 6 p.m.
Inside this Issue Library Lines......................2 Nuggets for Life................6 Obituaries.........................5 Parks & Rec.......................6 Puzzles.............................7 Reg. 15 School Calendar...3 Senior Center News...........3 Varsity Sports Calendar......6
Editorial Office: Email: mbisubmit@gmail.com Phone: 203-577-6800 Mail: P.O. Box 10, Middlebury, CT 06762 Advertising Sales: Email: mbiadvertising@gmail.com
saturDAY Upcoming Events
Book Review.....................2 Adoptable pets.................8 Classifieds.........................7 Community Calendar.........2 Computer Tip....................8 Fire Log.............................2 In Brief..............................4 Library Happenings............2
April 21
sunday
April 22 EARTH DAY
Tuesday
April 24
Woodbury Earth Festival
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday What: Celebration for Earth Day Where: Hollow Park, Woodbury
Region 15 annual art show next week
Pick of the Litter
Page 3
When: 1 to 3 p.m. What: Earth Day activity – Clean up the Middlebury Greenway, streets and parks Where: Meet in the parking lot by the pavilion in Meadowview Park
Conn. State Republican Primary
When: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. What: Elections for presidential Republican candidates Where: Shepardson Community Center
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