Prst. Std. U.S. Postage Paid Naugatuck, CT #27
“I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework.” ~ Lily Tomlin as “Edith Ann”
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Bee Intelligencer Informing the towns of Middlebury, Southbury, Woodbury, Naugatuck, Oxford and Watertown A FREE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
Volume VIII, No. 34
Friday, August 17, 2012
Primary Results Republican Party U.S. Senate U.S. HOUSE Candidate Middlebury Candidate Middlebury McMahon............................... 749 Roraback................................ 261 Shays....................................... 101 Bernier...................................... 77 Wilson Foley........................... 243 Greenberg.............................. 239
DEMOCRATIC Party U.S. Senate U.S. HOUSE Candidate Middlebury Candidate Middlebury Murphy................................... 238 Donovan................................... 80 Bysiewicz................................ 113 Esty.......................................... 176 Roberti...................................... 88
Police Commission meets By MARJORIE NEEDHAM The Middlebury Police Commission Monday night considered traffic problems at Richardson Drive and Route 63. They also looked at the yearend 2011-2012 budget and discussed the flashing traffic light at Memorial Drive and Route 64 and issues with the police radios. Selectman Ralph Barra, Board of Selectmen liaison, thanked Chief Richard Guisti for his efforts towards making it easier for residents of Richardson Drive to exit onto Route 63. The street is very close to the intersection of Routes 63 and 64. When traffic backs up for the traffic lights at the intersection, it’s difficult for Richardson Drive residents to turn left onto Route 63. Barra said vegetation is to be cleared north of the stop sign. Police Commission Chairman Chip Ford said Guisti wrote to the state Department of Transportation June 12. Guisti said he finally got to talk to someone in the department. He said the state won’t put a “Stop Here on Red” sign for southbound traffic before the entrance to Richardson Drive because it’s too far from the traffic light. However, he said one problem is all the signs for southbound drivers are on one pole, so they don’t notice the sign telling them not to block the intersection. He said he is asking the state to put up a separate pole for the sign and to also paint the crossbar. In discussing closing out last year’s budget (2011-2012), Commissioner Paul Bowler said he and Guisti met with Board of Finance liaison Michael Kenausis Monday morning to discuss what to do about the department being over budget. Guisti said he discovered money paid for in-kind services had been put in overtime, and it would be moved. That lowered the overage. Chairman Chip Ford said he thought the matter of billing for inkind services had been resolved last year. “When Betty has a parade, she needs to budget for police services,” Ford said, referring to Parks and Rec Director Betty Proulx. Ford asked Bowler to discuss in-kind services with Kenausis. Wednesday Guisti said the department received a payment from the state for running “click it or ticket” and driving under the influence checkpoints. Guisti said the department would now close out the year in the black. Reporting on personnel and labor, Commissioner Santos said Officer Al Cronin filed a union grievance about July 4 special duty. Guisti reported Officer Kalvaitis was injured while on duty, and Guisti has been filling 80
percent of his hours with part-time officers. Guisti said Wednesday he expects Kalvaitis to be out until Sept. 17. In addition, Guisti said one officer may leave to work for another town. Guisti said he is looking into hiring more part-time officers. “Due to the budget, we haven’t been able to bring part-timers in as we’ve done in the past,” Guisti said. Guisti reported the department had a successful summer, and the road races that brought large crowds to town were handled smoothly. “We still have some car break-ins,” Guisti said. “And there was the larceny at Public Works involving stolen grates.” He said motor vehicle enforcement is not as high as usual because the officers are working on investigations. Guisti said it’s important for people to know it is illegal to go door-to-door soliciting without first going to the police department to get a permit. He said that way he can control things such as the time of day people are knocking on residents’ doors. “I don’t want them out there at 7 a.m. Sunday or at 8 p.m. at night,” Guisti said. He said the department also takes note of the vehicles solicitors drive and the areas of town where they want to solicit. That information is shared with the dispatchers. If a resident calls to inquire about someone soliciting in their neighborhood, the dispatcher can tell by the vehicle description and the area if the person has a permit from the department. Guisti said NY Conn runs the flashing traffic light at the intersection of Route 64 and Memorial Drive, which is the road to Memorial Middle School. He said he has told them it must be in working order by the time school starts so there won’t be a traffic jam there as school buses travel to Memorial Middle School. Just before adjourning, commissioners added to the agenda a discussion of continuing poor police radio reception. Guisti said he is looking into moving the radio antennas to get better reception. He said one problem is the antenna pole at the Breakneck Hill location is the same height, but the trees around it have grown taller. Commissioner Jordano Santos said they have been talking about adding repeaters, which cost $25,000 to $35,000 each, as needed. Guisti said he thinks they may move the Breakneck Hill antenna to either the police station or town hall. If they do that and put repeaters somewhere on Route 63, he said it should solve the problem. The next Police Commission meeting will be Monday, Sept. 10, at 6 p.m. in the Town Hall Conference Room.
International Wine and Spirits at 750 Straits Turnpike was robbed at gunpoint Sunday.
(Marjorie Needham photo)
Armed robbery tops Middlebury crimes By MARJORIE NEEDHAM August may prove to be a busy month for the Middlebury Police Department. It started with the discovery that nearly $15,000 in materials had been stolen from the Public Works Department. Then, Sunday, Aug. 12, a local liquor store was robbed at gunpoint. Anuradha Gupta was working at International Wine & Spirits at 750 Straits Turnpike Sunday at 2 p.m., when an armed robber entered the store and told her to give him the money in the cash register. She did as she was told, handing over $400 to $500, and the robber departed on foot. Anuradha’s husband, Sanjiv, said Monday the woman had her back turned to the counter and was straightening bottles on a shelf. She realized someone was at the counter and turned to wait on them. Sanjiv said that’s when the robber pointed his gun at her and said, “Give me all the money.” In the 11 years Sanjiv and his brotherin-law, Bhavesh Patel, have been in business together, it is the first time the store has been robbed at gunpoint. “We chose to be in retail,” Sanjiv said, noting that some crimes, like shoplifting, are to be expected when you are in retail. He said thieves also have broken the glass door and gotten in to steal things when the store was closed. As for the armed robbery he said, “We knew things like this can happen in retail.” He said his wife did the right thing Sunday when she handed over the money to the robber. Monday, the phone at International Wine & Spirits kept ringing. People were calling to express their concern for the owners. Fellow tenants in the shopping
plaza also stopped in to sympathize with Sanjiv. His wife wasn’t there Monday. He said she was more stressed out Monday than right after the Sunday robbery, so he told her to stay home, rest and try to recover from her ordeal. Employees at the surrounding businesses – Subway, Sunset Beach Tanning and I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt – said Monday they were unaware of the robbery until police arrived to start their investigation. The tanning salon closed at 2 p.m., which was about the time the robbery occurred, but the other businesses were open when the robbery occurred. The Middlebury Police Department issued a press release Sunday describing the alleged robber as a lone black male of medium build who was wearing blue jean shorts and a black hoodie sweat shirt. Assisting Middlebury Police Sunday were Connecticut State Police Troop A in Southbury as well as police officers from Naugatuck. They searched the immediate area, but did not find the suspect. Two police K-9’s were deployed for tracking, one Connecticut State Police dog from Troop L in Litchfield and one from the Naugatuck Police K-9, which was just coming on shift. Based on the dog track, it is believed the suspect was picked up after the robbery in the area behind the shopping plaza that is Drubner Center, a part of Post University. Police were reviewing surveillance tapes from several businesses in the area. They also feel someone may have noticed the suspect’s hooded sweatshirt as it was unusual attire for such a hot day. Police ask anyone who has information on the robbery or who saw someone or something suspicious or saw any
suspicious vehicles in the area at the time of the robbery to call Middlebury Police at 203-577-4028. Officer Todd Adams is the investigating officer. Middlebury Police Chief Richard Guisti said Wednesday the investigation continues, but a citizen called to report seeing a dark (possibly black) Honda or Acura with dark tinted windows parked at the corner of Umberfield and Country Club Roads about the time of the robbery. He said the most recent armed robbery before Sunday was in 2002, when the Mobil station, also at 750 Straits Turnpike, was robbed at gunpoint. Investigation of the theft at the Public Works department also is continuing. Guisti said sometime between Wednesday, Aug. 1, and Sunday, Aug 5, someone entered the grounds from the rear by coming down from the Woodside Heights area. They cut the fence to gain access to the facility and then stole storm drain frames, flow seal covers, manhole riser rings and galvanized catch basin grates from a storage building. Guisti said the materials, which have a value of $14,705, were owned partly by the Public Works Department and partly by the Water Pollution Control Authority. He said the police department has contacted almost every scrap metal dealer in Connecticut to be on the lookout for someone trying to sell the materials for scrap. “Scrap metal dealers usually contact us when anything unusual comes in,” Guisti said. Nothing has turned up yet, so he said it’s possible the materials were taken out of state. Asked if the materials could have been cut up or melted down, Guisti said doing either would take a lot of effort.
Inside this Issue Library Happenings............2 Nuggets for Life................6 Obituaries.........................5 Parks & Rec.......................6 Puzzles.............................7 Region 15 Calendar..........3 Senior Center News...........3 Watertown Events.............3
Editorial Office: Email: mbisubmit@gmail.com Phone: 203-577-6800 Mail: P.O. Box 10, Middlebury, CT 06762 Advertising Sales: Email: mbiadvertising@gmail.com
SUNday
Upcoming Events
Book Review.....................2 Adoptable Pets..................8 Classifieds.........................7 Community Calendar.........2 Computer Tip....................8 Fire Log.............................2 Frugal Mummy..................5 In Brief..............................4
Aug. 19 through
saturday
Aug. 25
saturday
Aug. 25
Connecticut Sales-Tax-Free Week
When: All week What: Most clothing and footwear priced under $300 will be exempt from sales tax. Where: Visit www.ct.gov/drs for more information.
Mid-Summer Night Lantern Tour When: What: Where: Price:
7 p.m. (first tour) and 8:30 p.m. (second tour) Lantern tour of the Hurd House Museum 25 Hollow Road in Woodbury A $10 donation is suggested.
Dog-A-Tuck Day coming to Naugatuck
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Mail: P.O. Box 10, Middlebury, CT 06762 Published weekly by The Middlebury Bee Intelligencer Society, LLC - 2030 Straits Turnpike, Middlebury, CT 06762 - Copyright 2012