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Bee Intelligencer Informing the towns of Middlebury, Southbury, Woodbury, Naugatuck, Oxford and Watertown A FREE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
Volume VIII, No. 48
Friday, November 23, 2012
BoE discusses full-day kindergarten plans with community By KATHLEEN RIEDEL The Region 15 Board of Education (BoE) held a special meeting Monday night to communicate with the community regarding full-day kindergarten (FDK) and redistricting propositions for Region 15. While both subjects were open to discussion, parents from both Middlebury and Southbury focused their enthusiasm or concern on the FDK changes. Erica Leonard of Middlebury, who has a 4-year-old daughter, was excited about the prospect of FDK. She said many children in the community attend halfday preschool and are ready to be in school all day. “I also think this brings Region 15 up to a standard that is being held across the country and across Connecticut,” Leonard said. “This is a way to make us even better and even stronger.” Dr. Stacey Langsam, who also has a daughter in kindergarten, agreed FDK was a necessary change for Region 15. “With a half-day system, (my daughter) is not in school that much,” Langsam said. “In the last week in October and the first week of November, she was in school for a total of 15 hours in that two-week period of time.” While the two-week period did include hurricane cancellations and parent-teacher conferences, Langsam was concerned about the effect shortened days have on the region’s kindergarteners. “When there’s a half day for the elementary school,” she said, “there’s a half of a half for the kindergarteners.” On these abbreviated days, Langsam’s daughter rides the bus for 45 minutes, and is in school for an hour and 20 minutes. Amy Gilcrest, a Middlebury mother, said as a former kindergarten teacher she knew firsthand the inadequacy of a halfday kindergarten schedule. “From a teacher’s perspective, it’s like a dream come true
to have these kids all day long in the classroom,” Gilcrest said. Because students ages 4 to 6 have such diverse educational and social needs, Gilcrest felt FDK would be a gift for parents, teachers and children. While Robyn Wright, also a Middlebury mother, said she appreciated the board’s FDK presentations as well as other mothers’ comments, she felt an FDK schedule would put excess strain on many kindergarten children. “I am asking the board to consider extended-day kindergarten,” Wright said. She felt the extended-day program would allow teachers increased time with students while still allowing necessary unstructured play time for children. “Also,” she continued. “The state of Connecticut was quoted in ‘The Trumbull Times’ as saying they have not actually studied whether students in full-day programs are better prepared than those who are not.” With respect to extended-day kindergarten, defined as some shorter and some longer days, Superintendent Dr. Frank Sippy said FDK savings would be lost. “By definition, that’s going to create additional budget costs for transportation,” he said, “because we’re still going to need to provide transportation for those children on the abbreviated days.” However, Sippy said, this was not reason to eliminate the extended-day option. Marion Manzo of Southbury, a member of the FDK committee and a volunteer in the kindergarten classroom, was another advocate for FDK. “There’s simply not enough time in the classroom to have a deep and meaningful experience,” Manzo said. Even with exceptional teachers, she felt kindergarten classrooms still move at a frantic pace. The current half-day program allows only 9 minutes of recess time. As the curriculum changes to
Senior Center honors veterans Above: Some 130 veterans and their spouses enjoy a meal at the Middlebury Senior Center last Friday. Social Services Director JoAnn Cappelletti, her staff, staff from other town departments and a number of volunteers honored veterans by serving them a meal of roast pork, turkey, mashed potatoes, butternut squash, green beans, salad, rolls and, for dessert, apple crisp with vanilla ice cream. At right: U.S. Navy Petty Officers Steve Sullivan, left, and Robert Davis, right, enjoy a meal at the Veterans Luncheon at the Middlebury Senior Center last Friday. The officers work in the Navy’s Waterbury recruiting office. (Marjorie Needham photos)
– See BoE on page 3
Selectmen approve deed restriction release, discuss 911 calls
ZBA meeting lacks quorum By TERRENCE S. MCAULIFFE The Middlebury Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) failed to achieve a quorum at its Nov. 14 meeting, rescheduled from Nov. 7 due to the Nor’easter snowstorm. Chairman Dennis Small and regular members Raymond Caruso and Kenneth Long were present, but regular member David Alley and alternates Richard Burton, Bernard Evans and Bernadette Graziosa were absent. The meeting would have continued a public hearing on a variance application by Joseph L. Molder and Elizabeth M. Molder to rebuild a Lake Quassapaug cottage and expand its footprint. That hearing will continue at the next regular meeting Wednesday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m. at Shepardson Community Center in Room 26.
The Nov. 14 meeting recording clerk was Barbara Whitaker instead of long-time clerk Linda Burton, who recently resigned according to Small. Commissioners wondered whether Linda’s husband, Richard Burton, would stay on as a member of ZBA. They recalled her quip when Richard was appointed in November 2011. She said then he joined to help carry her carton of documents and plans to meetings. Linda Burton’s departure continues a string of resignations from longtime ZBA members, including former Chairman Robert Bean in September 2011, along with Jack Baker, Ronald Kulpa and Brendan Browne. The Board of Selectmen recently appointed William Bellotti as a regular member to fill the last vacancy.
By KATHLEEN RIEDEL At Monday night’s Board of Selectmen (BoS) meeting, the board approved the release of a deed restriction on 325 Washington Drive in Middlebury. During the 1930s, property on Washington Drive was made up of numerous small parcels of land known as tea lots, each averaging 20 by 100 feet. Residents of Bridgeport who wanted space outdoors could trade a teabag for a tea lot on which to sit and enjoy the fresh air. “What happened years ago,” First Selectman Edward St. John said, “ is when we sold one for a miniscule sum, we didn’t want the property owners accumulating them and to keep acquiring them at a very reduced price and then to ultimately sell them.” As a preventative measure, the town put a partial deed restriction on the properties, forbidding owners to build on bundled parcels. With removal of that partial deed restriction, the owners of the 325 Washing-
ton Drive property will be able to increase the size of their home. The property was on the auction block earlier this year due to unpaid property taxes, but the person who bid on the property did not complete the purchase. By signing the partial release, St. John said selectmen were not giving a carte blanche release of the town’s deed restrictions on the property. “This is a single issue to address the Gargoni property on Washington Drive,” he said. “If we have other issues that come in, we will act on them individually.” Selectmen also provided a report of Byron Pierce’s 911 calls and subsequent emergency proceedings Nov. 4, 2012. “There is absolutely nothing that indicates that there was any kind of a delay to Mr. Pierce’s call. It was handled in an extremely efficient manner,” St. John said. “His whole call took 44 seconds. How can we do anything faster than 44 seconds?” St. John said he cannot answer why
Pierce’s mother’s call was lost. Neither Northwest Connecticut Public Safety Communications nor the Middlebury police department dispatch center have any record of Pierce’s mother’s first call. In other business, selectmen approved Rita Smith’s appointment as a member of the Library Board of Trustees, replacing Christopher Parker for the Nov. 19, 2012, to Dec. 7, 2015 term. Also, William Bellotti was appointed as a regular member of the Zoning Board of Appeals for the Nov. 19, 2012, to Nov 19, 2017, term. In addition, the board approved Janice LeDuc’s reappointment as Safety and Health Committee Member from Nov. 21, 2012, through Nov. 21, 2013. The board then moved into executive session to discuss contracts. No votes were taken after the session. The next regular BoS meeting will be Monday, Dec. 3, at 6 p.m. in the Town Hall Conference Room.
Adoptable Pets................ 8 Classifieds....................... 7 Community Calendar....... 2 Fire Log........................... 2 Frugal Mummy................ 3 In Brief............................ 4 Legal Notices.................. 7
Library Happenings.......... 2 Nuggets for Life.............. 6 Parks & Recreation.......... 6 Puzzles........................... 7 Region 15 Calendar........ 3 Senior Center News......... 3 Varsity Sports Calendar.... 6
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Upcoming Events
Inside this Issue
Sunday
Nov. 25
saturday
Dec. 1
Opening Reception for Dollhouse Exhibit at the Gunn Museum When: 1 to 3 p.m. What: Exhibit of more than 50 unique, handcrafted dollhouses Where: Gunn Museum at 5 Wykeham Road in Washington, Conn.
Christmas Tree Lighting & Caroling on the Green; Santa at Shepardson When: 4 p.m. for the lighting and caroling; Santa at Shepardson follows What: Tree lighting and caroling followed by Santa and hot chocolate Where: Middlebury Green followed by Santa at Shepardson Community Center
PHS defeats New Fairfield
Page 6
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