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Bee Intelligencer Informing the towns of Middlebury, Southbury, Woodbury, Naugatuck, Oxford and Watertown A FREE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
Volume IX, No. 20
Health district switch unlikely By MARJORIE NEEDHAM Middlebury’s possible switch to the Pomperaug District Department of Health (PDDH) from the Torrington Area Health District (TAHD) at the end of this fiscal year (June 30, 2013) as reported in the Republican-American May 11 isn’t possible. James Rokos, director of health for the Torrington Area Health District said the agreement between the town and the health district will not allow a switch at that time. Meanwhile, it seems Southbury may require Middlebury to join the PDDH if Middlebury wishes to pool its medical insurance coverage with Southbury and Region 15. Rokos said Middlebury initially signed a contract with TAHD. Later, the town voted at referendum to become a member of the TAHD. Members can withdraw, Rokos said, but the procedure for withdrawing is the member must notify the TAHD in writing by Dec. 31 of the year preceding the year of withdrawal. To withdraw June 30, 2013, Middlebury would have had to notify the TAHD of its intention by Dec. 31, 2012. If Middlebury does decide to withdraw from the TAHD, the earliest it can do so is June 30, 2014, and it will need to notify the TAHD of its plans no later than Dec. 31, 2013. Middlebury First Selectman Edward B. St. John said the Southbury Board of Selectmen (BoS) was to consider medical insurance pooling at its Thursday, May 16, meeting which is after this issue of the paper is printed. St. John said he heard Southbury might require Middlebury to join the PDDH as a condition of pooling medical insurance with it and Region 15. This reporter contacted Southbury First Selectmen Ed Edelson to confirm medical insurance pooling was on the Southbury BoS agenda. He said it was. He said the BoS would have to terminate the current two-party agreement between Southbury and Region 15 and then approve a three-party agreement among Southbury, Middlebury and Region 15. The agenda states, “Board action will be sought to terminate the contract with Region #15 and to sign the contract with Region #15 and the Town of Middlebury.” Asked if he thought the Southbury BoS would sign the three-party contract, Edelson said, “I’d rather not speculate. If they feel it’s best for Southbury and better than what they have today, they can cancel the current agreement.” Asked about Middlebury joining the PDDH, Edelson said, “Clearly I have a bias because if Middlebury joins, Southbury will benefit.” We asked if Southbury selectmen might make Middlebury joining the PDDH a condition of Southbury entering the three-party medical in-
Friday, May 17, 2013
Celebrating getting older!
surance pooling agreement. Edelson said he would not comment on the matter. “I just hope we can move quickly,” Edelson said. “We are getting towards the end of the year and Anthem Blue CrossBlue Shield needs information for the new year that begins July 1.” It is clear the three member towns in the PDDH would benefit financially if Middlebury joins the district. Costs would be spread among four towns instead of just Oxford, Southbury and Woodbury. In an April 15, 2013, letter to Middlebury Board of Finance Chairman Michael McCormack, PDDH Director of Health Neil Lustig predicted the per capita rate Middlebury would pay would be $5.99, or a total of $45,301 per year. Middlebury initially paid the TAHD $4.77 per capita. Chief Financial Officer Lawrence Hutvagner said the TAHD per capita fee had increased a very small amount in the third year. He was out of the office when the newspaper reached him and didn’t know the exact amount. It seems safe to assume it is less than $5.99, so Middlebury’s cost would increase. It appears current PDDH members are paying $7.73 per capita, so their rates would drop. Lustig said, “We would love to have Middlebury join. It is my understanding when the district was formed in 1986 it was the founders’ intention to have Middlebury as part of the district.” He said the district has tried three times previously, in 1992, 2002 and 2011, to get Middlebury to join, but each time the district has been turned down. “I really don’t know why,” Lustig said. He said when it comes to sanitation services and health inspections, the TAHD and the PDDH are similar. But, Lustig said, the PDDH offers many services the TAHD does not offer. It offers free or low-cost vaccinations for children, skincancer screening and preventive care such as hypertension monitoring at senior centers, a chronic disease management program and a program for seniors, “A Matter of Balance,” that helps those with a fear of falling. Edelson said an important reason for Middlebury to join the PDDH is that emergency response services involve Pomperaug High School (PHS), which Middlebury and Southbury share as members of Regional School District 15. When the American Red Cross opened a shelter there after snowstorm Alfred and Hurricane Sandy, it was staffed by members of the PDDH Medical Response Corps. And emergency preparedness drills also are held at PHS. McCormack said he has been looking into the plusses and minuses of Middlebury joining the PDDH. “Pomperaug seems
– See Health District on page 3
Celebrating May birthdays at the Middlebury Senior Center Wednesday are, seated, left to right, Sandy Goldberg, 75; Vincent Sullivan, 90 (May 15); and Ann Scoffone, 97, (May 17); and standing, left to right, Lawrence Joseph Nastri, 63; Joe Colabello, 91; Paula Girard, 87 (May 2); Virginia Verrinder, 87 (May 7); Don Chabot, 65 (May 16), Elsie Mellette, 84; and Barbara Lynch, 85. The senior center gives seniors in the lunch program a free lunch on their birthday. (Marjorie Needham photo)
LPOS considers vinyl siding for Fenn farmhouse By TERRENCE S. MCAULIFFE The Middlebury Land Preservation and Open Space Acquisition Committee (LPOS) at its May 14 special meeting discussed repairs needed for Fenn Farm and said that Logue Farms, Inc. of Woodbury would cut the hay in 2013. It is considering the use of vinyl siding or the Rhino-Shield product instead of paint on the farmhouse. The Rhino Shield website says it is a long-lasting exterior coating that gives the appearance of fresh paint with the durable longevity of vinyl siding or fiber cement siding. It describes the product as a ceramic coating. Chairman John Cookson confirmed ceiling water damage found in the main house after a recent rain storm was caused by a rotted window board and not by defects in the newly installed roof. He said the damage could be covered by insurance if repair funds were insufficient. Fenn Farm resident and former owner Rob Fenn said Wednesday the leak Cookson mentioned was not caused by a rotted window board. He said workers who installed the rubberized roof last November secured a metal strip at the edge of the roof by screwing it into a clapboard. The screw split the clapboard, and water entered the house through the split in the board. Cookson said issues with foundation deterioration and bowing of the barns were documented and given to the selectmen’s office for budgeting. Cookson said $3,600 had been appropriated from $5,900 requested for maintenance and repairs. He said drainage trenches and fields looked good and probably wouldn’t need attention. A replacement for the 38-year-old furnace is being quoted by David Dickson of AIMNET in Cheshire. The estimated cost is $5,000 to $6,000. A cost of between $65,000 to $80,000 to prepare and paint the house at Fenn Farm and the need for periodic repainting were
the reasons given by Cookson for using vinyl siding or another product. The house is not listed on the National Historic Registry because it is owned by the town, Cookson said. He said the house had been treated with linseed oil in years past and that prevents paint from adhering. Repainting would require sandblasting and scraping of all surfaces, made more difficult by the many small additions and extensions added to the house over the years. The house would still need repainting every eight to 10 years, something he said the town wants to avoid. An estimator from Superior Finishes, LLC of Plainville will assess the house and offer recommendations. Middlebury Town Historian Dr. Robert Rafford said Wednesday he hadn’t looked deeply into the issue of applying vinyl siding to the farmhouse. “I understand the LPOS is looking into the issue. I really don’t feel strongly about the issue,” Rafford said. “I know with historic houses that has traditionally been discouraged,” he said, adding the farmhouse dates back to the 1800s. Fenn said, “I would much rather keep the old clapboards, but I’m reasonable, and if we can’t solve the paint problem, we need to do something. A good vinyl siding job would solve the problem. If I had my druthers I would rather stick with the paint, but if has to be repainted every 3 or 4 years I’m willing to accept it (vinyl siding).” Fenn said the top priorities right now need to be the horse barn and the cow barn. “The horse barn is going to fall down if they don’t fix the foundation,” he said. And he said the roof on the cow barn is 40 years old and needs to be replaced. “These are things that need to be done before they worry about painting or siding,” Fenn said. “Rob Fenn has nothing to do with Fenn Farm,” Cookson said. He said the property is owned by the Town of Middlebury, and is under Middlebury Public Works and its Buildings and Grounds Department. The
LPOS Committee charge is to oversee Fenn Farm and work with public works to manage the property. Cookson said he and LPOS member Kenny Long are the two liaisons between the town and Fenn. “We make recommendations to the Public Works department, and Dan (Public Works Director Dan Norton) refers them to the Board of Selectmen.” Cookson said he considered the horse barn a maintenance project rather than a critical project. “I don’t think it will fall down,” he said. “It went through the winter snowstorms without any problems.” Middlebury Administrative Manager Bill Stowell said Wednesday he was unaware of the furnace, painting, structural repairs or vinyl siding jobs being put out to bid. “To tell you the truth, this is the first I’ve heard of that. No bids have gone out, and no one has talked to me. If any bids have gone out, they have not gone out through me,” Stowell said. Cookson said it is too early for bids to be sent out. He said he was waiting to see if the town budget passed before he started the process. “I hope to start the bidding process by the first of June,” he said. Before the bids go out, companies have to be called in, their recommendations considered and specifications for the bids drawn up. Cookson said First Selectman Edward B. St. John and Norton authorized him to look into the projects. He said St. John wanted Dickson to look at the furnace and give his recommendations for it. St. John said, “I don’t recall John Cookson discussing the need for the furnace or siding with me at all. If there is a need, come to the Board of Selectmen, and we’ll talk about it and how we’re going to pay for it.” The next regular LPOS meeting is Wednesday, June 5, at 6 p.m. in the Town Hall conference room. Marjorie Needham contributed to this article.
Adoptable Pets................ 8 Classifieds....................... 7 Community Calendar....... 2 Fire Log........................... 2 In Brief............................ 4 Library Happenings.......... 2 Nuggets for Life.............. 6
Obituaries....................... 5 Puzzles........................... 7 Region 15 Calendar........ 3 Senior Center News......... 3 Sports Quiz..................... 6 Varsity Sports Calendar.... 6
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