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“The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

Prst. Std. U.S. Postage Paid Naugatuck, CT #27

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Bee Intelligencer Informing the towns of Middlebury, Southbury, Woodbury, Naugatuck, Oxford and Watertown A FREE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Volume IX, No. 17

EIDC pauses tax incentive program The Middlebury Economic and Industrial Development Commission (EIDC) at its April 23 meeting voted to adopt a moratorium on new tax incentive applications until the current policy has been fully reviewed and any changes implemented. It also postponed work on the “Guidebook for Commercial Development.” EIDC co-chairman Gerry Matthews told commissioners a moratorium on new tax incentive applications was recommended by Town Counsel Robert Smith. Smith said the town risked a lawsuit if the policy was changed to disqualify pending applications. Matthews said an application had been received from County Line Motors, but not by the second Tuesday of the month as required by the policy for review at the April 23 meeting. In a unanimous vote, commissioners adopted the moratorium, but agreed to process the County Line application under prevailing tax incentive rules. Commissioners were asked March 26 by Co-chairman Michael Kenausis to bring revision proposals to the April meeting for deliberation in eliminating gray areas and better protecting the interests of the town. He said the EIDC learned lessons from the first two approved incentives, one for Wallingford-based Winchester Electronics to relocate to Middlebury and the other for the rebuild and expansion of Shaker Family Ford-Lincoln into the Middlebury side of town-line property. The previous building was almost entirely in Watertown. Commissioners spent nearly two hours on a page-by-page review of the current six-page policy. Of particular concern was a timeline for submission to prevent retroactive applications into a program intended to be an in-

Friday, April 26, 2013

Spring is here!

centive. Commissioners agreed applications should be submitted and time stamped at the First Selectman’s office no later than 30 days after a building permit has been issued. The application flow also was clarified. “The decision making rests with the public,” said Kenausis, referring to the town meeting necessary to approve any incentive. The revised procedure is expected to clarify the role of the EICD and the Board of Selectmen (BoS), with the EICD vetting applications and passing them to the BoS with a recommendation for or against. The BoS has the final say and can pass the application to a town meeting, deny the application or send it back to the EICD for more information. The town meeting can approve or reject the application but cannot change it. Commissioners said one policy area needing improvement was business owner details and disclosure of business interests of owners and any personal and business-related litigation. Also to be clarified was the tax assessor’s role in setting the final abatement amount. A draft of the updated policy will be distributed to EICD members for review and a possible vote at the next meeting. In other matters, work on the “Guidebook for Commercial Development” was continued until the next meeting after Matthews acknowledged difficulties in producing a draft patterned after a similar guidebook from Georgetown, Mass. He said he had found a Middlebury Building Department pamphlet from several years ago that would provide a better starting point. The next regular EIDC meeting will be Tuesday, May 21, in the Town Hall conference room.

Brightly colored tulips in front of Pies & Pints Pizzeria and Pub in Middlebury tell us spring really is here even on Monday, when cool temperatures had us shivering. More seasonable temperatures were expected during the latter part of the week. (Marjorie Needham photo)

ZBA deals with rescheduled items By TERRENCE S. MCAULIFFE The Middlebury Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), at its April 10 special meeting, unanimously approved a coverage variance for a Steinmann Avenue house addition and allowed a front setback variance application to be withdrawn for a lot on Burr Hall Road. The April 10 special meeting was held because a quorum of four ZBA members was not present for the regular meeting April 3. Chairman Dennis Small, Commissioners Kenneth Long and William Bellotti and Zoning Enforcement Officer Jean Donegan were present April 3, but Commissioners Raymond Caruso and David Alley and Alternates Richard Burton Jr., Bernie Evans and Bernadette Graziosa were absent. At the special

meeting, Burton and Graziosa were absent. A coverage variance application for Peter and Sharilyn Brochhausen to enclose the 14- by 21-foot space between the house and garage at 123 Steinmann Avenue was unanimously approved. Commissioners agreed with Small that upzoning of the neighborhood created the hardship. A front yard setback variance application by Michael and Christina Cosmos of Country Club Road was allowed to be withdrawn without prejudice. Michael Cosmos told commissioners they purchased lots 4 and 5 on Burr Hall Road with the intention to build a house on the 3.1-acre lot 5 and save the 1.8-acre lot 4 for another house in the future. He said previous owner Joseph Ventura had dug a foundation on lot 5 with plans to com-

bine both lots together so no side easements would be required, but then moved out of state and sold the lots to them. Cosmos said the hardship was the existing hole, which was in an ideal location he wanted to use as is, and also his desire to preserve trees that would need to be cut if the house were moved back. Cosmos agreed other placements on the property or combining the lots together would avoid the need for an easement, but argued the setback would cause no harm and would allow installation of a pool and solar panels. Small told him a hardship was not proven because alternatives existed. The next regular ZBA meeting will be Wednesday, May 1, at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall Conference Room.

Church to host mobile food pantry By MARJORIE NEEDHAM

The First Congregational Church in Watertown is the new site for the Connecticut Food Bank’s Mobile Food Pantry. The church will host the pantry Wednesday, May 1. (Submitted photo)

The Connecticut Food Bank’s Mobile Food Pantry will be at a new location next week. Wednesday, May 1, from 2 to 3 p.m., it will be in the parking lot at the First Congregational Church in Watertown. It will return the first Wednesday of each month to provide food for those in need. Readers are encouraged to share information about this new food source. The Rev. Sam Dexter, the minister at First Congregational, said two things are unique about the mobile food pantry. One is that people don’t have to qualify to receive food from the pantry. All they have to do is show up with their shopping bags. The other unique thing about the pantry is it provides perishable foods like fresh produce, milk, eggs and yogurt. Offerings vary from month to month. In contrast, town food pantries, which Dexter noted are largely supported by food drives, generally provide only non-perishables: canned goods, rice, cereal, peanut butter and such. Dexter said, “Our church has made a focus of meeting the needs of people in our town who are food insecure. A large part of our mission’s giving goes to the local food bank and to the Greater Waterbury Interfaith Ministries (which runs a food pantry, soup kitchen and resource center). Every week we accept food donations for the food bank.” He said the church also has a policy of providing

direct assistance to those who need food. Two years ago, when the church saw the Watertown Food Bank was faced with increasing demands for food, members started volunteering to staff it every Thursday night from 5 to 6 p.m. Previously, it was open during the day one day a week. Dexter said use of the food bank has doubled over the past two years. Seeing the increasing need for food, and with the church’s approval, Dexter contacted the Connecticut Food Bank to see if the church could get on its Mobile Food Pantry schedule. The closest locations on the schedule were the Police Athletic League parking lot at 64 Division St. in Waterbury the first Thursday of each month and 561 Main St. South in Southbury the third Friday of each month. Dexter’s request was approved, so now the area will have a third location that will make food available the first Wednesday of the month. He said it will take about 15 volunteers each month to staff the mobile food pantry. Every month, volunteers will assist with the distribution. Food will be put out on tables, and volunteers will put items into bags for clients. Dexter said, “Everybody who comes gets a certain amount of food per household. It’s usually a couple of bags.” He said the church is coordinating volunteers for the project, and a number of church members have signed up to help. Students and faculty from nearby Taft School also have gotten involved and

will be helping with the pantry. Others who would like to volunteer can call the church at 860-2746737 and leave their name and number so the volunteer organizer can contact them. The church’s address is 40 Deforest St., but the easiest way to find it may be to know it’s up the hill from the intersection of routes 6 and 63 in Watertown. It’s one of two churches at that intersection. As mentioned in the preceding paragraph, the telephone number is 860-274-6737. The Mobile Food Pantry has been in operation since 2010, when the Connecticut Food Bank purchased the truck with federal stimulus funds through The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The truck arrived in September 2010. Since the program began, the Mobile Food Pantry has distributed more than 1.4 million pounds of dairy products, fresh vegetables, fruit, whole grain goods and other perishable items directly to individuals in need. The 20 current mobile pantry sites each serve an average of 120 to 250 households. In addition to Watertown, Waterbury and Southbury, the Mobile Food Pantry goes to Bridgeport, Danbury, Derby, Hamden, Meriden, Middletown, New Haven, Old Saybrook, Plainfield, Putnam, Ridgefield, Torrington, West Haven, Willimantic and Winsted. Some towns or cities offer more than one site. For more information on the Connecticut Food Bank or its Mobile Food Pantry, visit www.ctfoodbank.org.

Inside this Issue Nuggets for Life.............. 6 Obituaries....................... 5 Puzzles........................... 7 Region 15 Calendar........ 3 Senior Center News......... 3 Sports Quiz..................... 6 Varsity Sports Calendar.... 7

Editorial Office: Email: mbisubmit@gmail.com Phone: 203-577-6800 Mail: P.O. Box 10, Middlebury, CT 06762 Advertising Sales: Email: mbiadvertising@gmail.com

Household Hazardous Waste Collection

Upcoming Events

Adoptable Pets................ 8 Classifieds....................... 7 Community Calendar....... 2 Fire Log........................... 2 In Brief............................ 4 Legal Notices.................. 7 Library Happenings.......... 2

(See www.cogcnv.org/HHW.html for list of items)

saturday

April 27

When: What: Where:

8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free collection for residents of Middlebury, Southbury, Woodbury, Watertown, Naugatuck, Oxford, Waterbury, Beacon Falls, Bethlehem, Thomaston Southbury Town Hall at 501 Main St. South in Southbury

Free and anonymous disposal of prescription and over-the-counter drugs When: What: Where:

9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Safely dispose of expired, unused, unknown and unwanted prescription drugs and over-the counter medicines. (No IV solutions, injectables, needles or thermometers) Southbury Resident Trooper’s Office at 421 Main St. South in Southbury

Alumni Art Work Featured at Region 15 Art Show

Page 8

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