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

Volume IX, No. 40

Friday, November 15, 2013

Town and police union dispute dispatch safety By MARJORIE NEEDHAM Disagreements about the town’s decision to move police dispatching to the Northwest Public Safety Communications Center (Northwest) in Prospect continue as the union representing the police officers steps into the discussion. On Oct. 24, attorney Craig L. Manemeit, in-house counsel for the United Public Service Employees Union, wrote a five-page letter to Middlebury ‘s town counsel, Robert Smith. In the letter, Manemeit expressed concern for the safety of Middlebury police officers and Middlebury residents, saying the union asserts the switch has “created a more hazardous work environment” for the officers and has “jeopardized the safety and well-being of Middlebury citizens.” The letter listed a dozen dates and times since the switch was made when officers were given incorrect information about facts such as incident locations, whether a suspect had any outstanding arrest warrants and the type of arrest warrant that had been issued on a suspect. In the letter, Manemeit requested a meeting of the union with the acting chief, Northwest representatives and Smith. He also asked that recordings of all police radio transmissions from the time Northwest took over be preserved until they had met and resolved the union’s concerns. In a Nov. 13 letter, Smith said many of the events Manemeit mentioned in his letter were related to injury/ambulance calls. Smith said Northwest has handled those calls “admirably” and “without objection or complaint” since 2004. That is when Northwest began dispatching fire and ambulance calls for the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department. Smith said of the errors Manemeit listed, “callers make mistakes and dispatchers at local operations also make mistakes.” He also said many of Manemeit’s claims are “collored (sic) by false, misleading, or exaggerated assertions” and that dispatchers here in Middlebury (who continue to work until the transition is complete) interfered in some of the calls and may have created more of a danger than anyone else. Attached to Smith’s letter was a three-page item-by-item re-

sponse that listed the 12 claims and said three were false, one was inaccurate and two were incorrect. First Selectman Edward B. St. John said Wednesday afternoon that Smith’s Nov. 13 response accurately reflects the town’s position on the matter. Reached by telephone Wednesday, Manemeit said, “Frankly, I am extremely puzzled by the town attorney’s response.” He said his union does not represent the dispatchers. “I am advocating for my police officers,” he said. While Northwest may have handled fire and ambulance calls “admirably” as Smith said, Manemeit said, “Fire calls are different from police calls. The fire chief being satisfied is irrelevant.” He said his concern is whether the dispatchers at Northwest have police dispatch training. “Human errors with properly trained staff don’t occur as frequently,” he said, noting that Northwest is dispatching police calls for only one town, Middlebury. Manemeit said Smith has not yet responded to a Nov. 3 letter Manemeit sent him listing additional officer safety issues. Nor has he received a response to a Freedom of Information Act request for the training records for the Northwest dispatchers he submitted to Smith. “I want to know if the Northwest dispatchers are trained in police dispatch because, based on their performance, they are incompetent,” Manemeit said. Manemeit said he intends to file a complaint with the state labor board asserting the union’s concern for the officers’ safety and the town’s refusal to meet to discuss it as Manemeit requested. “Regionalization is great, but we want competent people telling the officers what to do and where to go,” Manemeit said. “Dispatchers are the officers’ lifeline.” He said he thought the switch to Northwest was premature and not thought through. As for Smith’s assertion that some of Manemeit’s claims were false or inaccurate, Manemeit said, “I received first-hand documentation from the officers. What documentation does Smith have for his assertions?”

P&Z approves Lake Quassapaug revisions, renews Benson Woods permits By TERRENCE S. MCAULIFFE The Middlebury Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) at its Nov. 7 meeting approved zoning regulations for the West Shore at Lake Quassapaug Condominium Association (HOA) and renewed excavation permits for Benson Woods. It also approved a store at Middlebury Station and updates to the zoning map. Amendments to Section 25 of the zoning regulations, also known as the Lake Quassapaug Preservation District, were unan-

imously approved. The district is an overlay zone with the stated purpose of “preservation, conservation, and protection of the natural features of Lake Quassapaug.” The amendments allow owners of the 26 cottages in the HOA to rebuild or expand them with up to 30 percent larger building footprints, with open porches not included in the calculations. Additional impervious areas would not be permitted unless approved by the Conservation Commission.

– See P&Z on page 5

This model brings to life Beverly Dassonville’s idea for a dream dog park. If the Middlebury woman, a finalist in the Beneful Dream Dog Park Contest, wins the grand prize, this dog park will be installed in our area.

Middlebury woman seeks contest votes By MARJORIE NEEDHAM Beverly Dassonville of Middlebury is one of 14 finalists in the Beneful Dream Dog Park Contest. The grand prize is a $500,000 improvement to a dog park in the winner’s area, along with a cash prize and Beneful dog food for the contestant. Dassonville is asking everyone to go online at BenefulDreamDogPark.com every day until Dec. 5 to vote for her entry. “Please tell your friends and everyone you know to vote. It’s not just for Beverly and Chloe (her dog); it’s for the whole community,” Dassonville said Wednesday. Dassonville, a dog lover who owns two Pomeranians, is an emergency medical technician with the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department (MVFD) and a member of the MVFD ladies’ auxiliary. She said she learned of the contest this September from her daughter Katie, who lives in Lancaster, Penn., where last year’s dream dog park is located. To enter the contest Dassonville first had to write and submit an essay about her dream dog park. More than 1,000 contestants sent in essays in September, but only 20 were chosen by the judges, and Dassonville was one of them. The theme for Dassonville’s proposed dog park, a fire brigade, comes from her MVFD membership. In her essay, she said, “Being a member of our town’s volunteer fire department, I’ve thought of how much fun a fire department theme park would be … I envision a replica of a shiny red fire truck ... with hoses that shoot tennis balls for the fetch dogs and bubbles for the dogs to chase. The wheel area of the truck would be open to create tunnels for the dogs to run through. “Fire hydrants throughout the park would serve as water fountains. Large truck tires mounted

upright at different heights could be hoops to jump through. Fire bells, hung from the truck, could be rung by dogs who grab the knotted rope that would hang from them ... A water area with fire extinguishers and hoses that spray water would be a great cooling-off place. A big wooden bridge with ladders as railings would feel like the dogs were climbing and descending the aerial ladder truck ... I’d have a large wooden deck area with benches and a bright red overhead canvas for relaxing in the shade with our buddies and making new friends!” On Oct. 1, Dassonville was notified she had been chosen for phase two of the competition. That meant she had to submit a plan of her proposed dog park along with a two-minute video showing her typical day at the dog park with her dog. After seeing the sketch submitted by last year’s winner, Dassonville decided to do something even more ambitious – she would create a model of her proposed park! Off she went to Michael’s for supplies she would use to bring her idea to life in model form. “I’ve been consumed with this project,” Dassonville said. “I’ll get up in the middle of the night when I get an idea. At 2 a.m. one morning after I returned from an ambulance call, I was sitting in the kitchen with yellow clay making tennis balls for my model.” Her video was shot in Middlebury and also at the Southbury Dog Park. She said a major challenge of shooting the video was Beneful’s requirement that no logos could be visible. That meant when she sat on the bumper of a fire truck for a shot of her and her dog Chloe, she had to position herself so she was covering the name of the truck manufacturer. Online votes will count towards 30 percent of each contestant’s score. The remaining

70 percent will be determined by the judges. They are: designer and dog lover Nate Berkus, who will help design the winning dog park; contractor Jason Cameron, host of DIY Network’s Desperate Landscapes and Man Caves, who will manage the renovation; pet expert Arden Moore, who will oversee the renovation from a dog’s point of view; and a Beneful brand representative. Beneful will decide on the area dog park that will get the improvements. Whether it will be the Southbury Dog Park or another in the area is unknown. And it’s possible Middlebury may have a dog park soon. Dassonville submitted a proposal

for one to the town and was to present it to the Parks and Recreation Commission at their Thursday night meeting. In her proposal to the town, Dassonville outlined how a Middlebury dog park would be organized, funded and maintained. Which dog park would be chosen by Beneful can’t be predicted, but one thing is certain: If Dassonville wins this contest, there will be a fire brigade dog dream park somewhere close by. To help make that happen, you can vote for Dassonville daily until noon Dec. 5 at BenefulDreamDogPark.com. The winner will be announced Dec. 12.

Beverly Dassonville of Middlebury, shown holding her dog Chloe, is one of 14 finalists in the Beneful Dream Dog Park Contest. She is asking people to vote for her online at BenefulDreamDogPark.com. (Marjorie Needham photos)

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

Nuggets for Life.............. 7 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

friday

Nov. 15

Novemberfest Holiday Shopping Night by Preschool on the Green What: When: Where:

Second annual holiday shopping night with vendors (jewelry, candles, kitchen tools, etc.), a basket raffle and more. 6 to 8:30 p.m. Middlebury Congregational Church at 1252 Whittemore Road in Middlebury

Pomperaug shuts out Weston

Page 6

“Tis the Season Holiday Fair” - A Charlie Brown Christmas

saturday

Nov. 16

What: When: Where:

Hand-crafted and hand-painted plaques, crèches, snowmen, chairs and holiday figures. Handmade holiday decorations; hand-sewn, crocheted, knitted and tatted articles. Gift baskets, food items including breads, fudge and peanut brittle. Snacks and lunch will be served. 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fellowship Hall, First Congregational Church, 40 DeForest St., Watertown, Conn.

Send mail to

P.O. Box 10, Middlebury CT 06762

203-577-6800