Prst. Std. U.S. Postage Paid Naugatuck, CT #27
“He conquers who endures.” ~ Persius
FR EE
Bee Intelligencer Informing the towns of Middlebury, Southbury, Woodbury, Naugatuck, Oxford and Watertown AN INDEPENDENTLY OWNED FREE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
Volume IX, No. 36
Police dispatch change almost complete By MARJORIE NEEDHAM Gone is the old front door at the Middlebury Police Station, which had sidelights through which you could glimpse the interior as you waited for the dispatcher to buzz you in. Filling the space once occupied by the door and sidelights is a solid brown door with solid side panels, all made of what appears to be steel. What lies behind the door remains a mystery until a voice over the intercom welcomes you and triggers the door-opening mechanism. When we visited Tuesday, the voice on the other side of the door was that of longtime dispatcher Jim Roy. He, too, will be gone when the transition to dispatching police and 911 calls from Northwest Public Communications Center (Northwest) in Prospect is complete. Acting Police Chief Richard Wildman said Tuesday the transition is 98 percent complete, and he expects Roy will work for another week or so. Police and 911 calls already are being dispatched from Prospect, and there are just a few loose ends to tie up before the change is complete. Then the building will go dark except for Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., when it will be open to the public. During off hours, the building will be locked and will be controlled remotely from Northwest. Wildman said of the change, “This is what the town wanted to do, and it had to be done. So be it. “I’m going to miss the two fulltime and four part-time dispatchers I’ve worked with here. My dispatchers have done a lot over the years and have helped people out. Nobody is giving them a standing ovation.” Wildman said seeing dispatch leave Middlebury is sad in a lot
of ways. “I know it’s progress, but it’s sad,” he said. With the transition expected to be complete by the end of this month, how will residents contact police? Wildman said residents should dial 911 for emergencies just as they have been doing. For routine complaints like an erratic driver or a barking dog, they should call 203-5774028 as they also have done in the past. For other calls, a new administrative number has been added. It is 203-577-4030, and residents should use it for matters such as pistol permits, fingerprints, requests for police reports, storm information and to reach the chief, the chief’s secretary, the records department or voice mail for the officers. This is the first time the department has had voice mail for its officers. “We’re in the 21st century now,” Wildman said, noting the department is relying more on technology now than ever before. He said residents used to stop by the station to be fingerprinted or apply for a pistol permit. Now they will need to call the administrative number and make an appointment. Although signs around town linked public safety to keeping dispatch local, Wildman said he didn’t believe the change would affect public safety. “We just have to change the way we do business,” he said. He said there has been no change in response time since Northwest started handling the calls. Wildman said the trend seems to be toward regionalizing dispatch, with Portland, Conn., police calls being dispatched by the Middletown police department and East Hampton, Conn., police calls being dispatched by the Colchester police department. He noted the sate police also are consolidating their dispatch.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Pharmacy opens in Middlebury By MARJORIE NEEDHAM With the opening of Hop Brook Pharmacy at 900 Straits Turnpike in Middlebury, the town once again has a local drugstore. Residents have had to drive to surrounding towns since Middlebury Drug closed its doors about six years ago. Now residents can get their prescriptions filled locally. Better yet, Hop Brook Pharmacy offers free delivery and also will price match prescription costs. Sirisha Mallidi, a pharmacist and one of the owners, said free delivery is really helpful for seniors and also for mothers who may be caring at home for a sick child who needs medicine. Mallidi said she and the other owners, all pharmacists themselves, decided to open their own pharmacies so they could provide patients with the services they wanted to provide them. “We wanted to spend time with patients going over their medicines and providing proper counseling,” she said. The group owns two other Connecticut pharmacies, one in Newtown and one in New Fairfield. She said they looked at Middlebury and saw the need for a small hometown pharmacy where people can stop in any time and get the information they need. Pharmacist and Middlebury resident Matt Carrano beams as he talks about working in the town where he lives. He said of the store’s opening, “It’s fantastic and it’s needed here. It’s great for the students at Post University for immunizations and for health.” After 28 years of working as a pharmacist at large chain stores, Carrano also is very happy to be working for a small, independent store. He said large chain stores limit the time pharmacists can spend speaking with patients. For Carrano, that was really frustrating. At Hop Brook Pharmacy, he can give patients
Pharmacist Matt Carrano of Middlebury, left, and pharmacy technician Dorothy Cappiello of Morris work behind the counter at the newly opened Hop Brook Pharmacy in Middlebury. The independent pharmacy is at 900 Straits Turnpike near Viso Bello spa. Not shown is pharmacy technician Pedro Quintana, also of Middlebury. (Marjorie Needham photo) the time they need to discuss the drugs they are taking. The pharmacy accepts all insurance plans, even Express scripts, which Mallidi said not
all drugstores will honor. If the The pharmacy also offers immedication a patient needs isn’t munization services. They offer on hand, they can order it by 11 trivalent flu shots daily on a a.m. and have it the same day, even on Saturday. – See Pharmacy on page 5
MVFD open house this Sunday By MARJORIE NEEDHAM The Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department (MVFD) annual open house is this Sunday, Oct. 20, from 1 to 5 pm at the firehouse at 65 Tucker Hill Road. It includes a raffle with a drawing at 4 p.m. In case of rain, the event will be held the following Sunday, Oct. 27. In addition to the raffle, the MVFD will demonstrate conducting a search and rescue, using the Jaws of Life to extricate someone trapped in a vehicle and extinguishing a car fire. The public can tour the fire house, see the equipment firefighters use, and look inside the ambulances and fire trucks. If the newest vehicle, the rescue truck purchased earlier this year, is ready for service, firefighters will have a ceremony to welcome it to the fleet. Free refreshments will include Frankie’s hot dogs, munchkins and beverages. Fire prevention handouts and smoke detectors will be available. Kids will get plastic firefighters’ hats along with a ride on a fire truck. The MVFD annual raffle is the department’s second biggest fundraiser. It helps People board a fire engine for a trip around the block complete with sirens fund fire department equipment not covered by the town budget, firehouse needs and horns during a previous MVFD open house. (Marjorie Needham photo) and training items. Proceeds from fund-
raising also go towards two $1,000-dollar Region 15 scholarships, a children’s Halloween party and sponsorship of the Middlebury Baseball League. This year’s six raffle prizes are: first prize of a $1,500 gift certificate redeemable at Disney Magical Vacations, second prize of two $100 gift cards to Stop & Shop, third prize of two $100 gift cards to Stop and Shop, fourth prize of a $100 gift card to Lowe’s, fifth prize of two $50 gift cards redeemable at a Shell gas station and a sixth prize of a $100 gift certificate redeemable at the Town Tavern restaurant in Middlebury. Raffle ticket holders need not be present to win. Tickets at $2 each are available in books of 10 tickets, but tickets can be bought singly. Tickets will be sold right up to the time of drawing. Darren Wittko is the donor of the first prize Disney Magical Vacations gift certificate. Wittko, a Middlebury resident and a Disney travel agent, puts together vacation packages for those planning a Disney vacation. He said the certificate can be used for any Disney destination, including Disney Cruise Line. Wittko noted his services are free; they are paid by Disney rather than by his customers, so the entire amount of the certificate will go toward the winner’s vacation package.
MVFD Fire Chief Paul Perrotti said the open house is held each October because that is fire prevention month. Fire prevention week was last week, but Perrotti said Middlebury celebrates a week later so as not to conflict with the neighboring Watertown fire department, which had its open house Oct. 13. The MVFD will visit Middlebury schools this Friday, Oct. 18, showing the students fire equipment, demonstrating its use, talking to the students about fire prevention and handing out open house flyers. Perrotti said most people in Middlebury are very conscious of fire prevention. “Twenty years ago, when I asked the kids to raise their hands if their home had a smoke detector, only five or six kids would raise their hand,” he said. “Now every hand in class goes up.” Perrotti cautioned residents to take care when using lit candles. “One of the leading cause of fires right now is lit candles that are left unattended and start accidental fires,” he said. He also reminded residents not to dispose of fireplace ashes in a paper bag. “It’s not uncommon,” he said. “People do it, and it’s crazy. They think ashes are out and they start a fire.” The MVFD has been providing fire and emergency medical services to Middlebury residents for 72 years.
Adoptable Pets................ 8 Book Review................... 2 Classifieds....................... 7 Community Calendar....... 2 Fire Log........................... 2 In Brief............................ 4 Library Happenings.......... 2
Nuggets for Life.............. 4 Obituaries....................... 5 Parks & Recreation.................7 Region 15 School Calendar....3 Senior Center News......... 3 Sports Quiz..................... 7 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
Upcoming Events
Inside this Issue
saturday
Oct. 19
Middlebury Congregational Church Rummage and Bake Sale
What: Clothing and shoes for all ages at unbelievable prices; home-baked cookies, cupcakes, pies When: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Where: Middlebury Congregational Church at 1242 Whittemore Road in Middlebury
Pomperaug pulls victory from jaws of defeat
Page 6
sunday
Oct. 20
Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department Open House What: When: Where:
Fire engine rides, firefighter demonstrations, firehouse and equipment tours, Frankie’s hot dogs, and raffle to raise funds for the department 1 to 5 p.m. Firehouse at 65 Tucker Hill Road in Middlebury
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P.O. Box 10, Middlebury CT 06762
203-577-6800
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