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Bee Intelligencer Informing the towns of Middlebury, Southbury, Woodbury, Naugatuck, Oxford and Watertown A FREE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
Volume VIII, No. 46
Friday, November 9, 2012
Voting Results Middlebury Connecticut Approve Charter Revisions
YES NO 1,988 508
President/VP
Romney/Ryan.............................................................2,666 Obama/Biden.............................................................1,586 Anderson/Rodriguez.........................................................9 Johnson/Gray..................................................................27
U.S. Senate
Linda E. McMahon.....................................................2,617 Christopher E. Murphy..............................................1,515 Paul Passarelli..................................................................22
U.S. Representative
Andrew Roraback.......................................................2,480 Elizabeth Esty..............................................................1,515
State Senator (Dist. 1)
Robert Kane................................................................1,684 James C. Gambardella...................................................804
State Senator (Dist. 2)
Joan V. Hartley................................................................732 Blair Bertaccini................................................................78 Andrew “Andy” Larsen..................................................209
State Representative
Anthony J. D’Amelio...................................................2,571 Ernest Brunnelli..........................................................1,386 Unofficial results
Resident says 911 calls dropped, ambulance slow to respond By KATHLEEN RIEDEL Middlebury resident Byron Pierce told the Board of Selectmen Monday night his mother, 91, called 911 Sunday night because she was bleeding profusely. He said her call was dropped, and it took a long time for an ambulance to respond. Selectmen said it could have been the result of Hurricane Sandy. While 35 to 40 percent of Middlebury CL&P customers were without power within 24 hours of the storm, only three customers were still in the dark as of Monday morning. Neither First Selectman Edward St. John nor Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department Chief Paul Perrotti knew whether Northwest Connecticut Public Safety Communications (Northwest) of Prospect, Middlebury’s fire and medical response team, experienced electrical or roadway obstacles in answering Pierce’s 911 call. Pierce said his mother, who was without help at her Middlebury home, called his home phone first. “I was outside with the dogs. So she called 911,” Pierce said. “Someone answered and said, ‘We’ll transfer you, we’ll do this,’ and the call was hung up on her. Now she was frantic.” As soon as Pierce did contact his mother, he dialed 911. “I did get through, and I spoke with a person, and I told them I want a Middlebury ambulance immediately.” After clarifying the address, 911 personnel told Pierce the ambulance was en route. Pierce was the first one to arrive at his mother’s home. “Shortly thereafter, our police arrived. They were there in no
time. It was over 10 minutes more before the ambulance came,” Pierce said. Seven years ago Middlebury outsourced dispatching for fire and medical emergencies to Northwest. Police calls are still dispatched locally. Pierce said he thought there was a correlation between the out-of-town dispatchers’ delay and the local dispatchers’ efficiency. “From what I understand, this dispatch was sent out of Middlebury for basic cost savings,” Pierce said. “But when you have a serious medical emergency, five, 10 minutes is life or death. I would like our medical dispatch back in town. I never saw a problem when it was handled in Middlebury.” “This is the first complaint that we have ever received that I am aware of,” St. John said. He said when residents place 911 calls, all medical and fire emergencies are sent to Northwest with the click of a mouse. Emergency vehicles are immediately dispatched. “If it’s a medical emergency, [the call] is immediately switched. What happened, By, is when they made the switch is when the call got dropped here,” St. John said. Pierce said 911 dropped a second call while on the phone with his wife. Though requesting information regarding his mother’s condition, 911 did not call Pierce back. Pierce’s wife had to redial the number to continue the conversation. “What are we actually saving a year [with Northwest] versus when it was in house?” Pierce asked.
– See 911 on page 5
The Hitt family of Middlebury, left to right, Eban, Dan and Laramie, are behind boxes holding 74 pounds of food they collected for the Middlebury Food Bank from those who visited the elaborate Halloween decorations they put up at their home. They also collected $7 for the food bank. Each year for the past 35 years, they have decorated their home and yard for Halloween. See more photos on page 5. (Submitted photo)
P&Z postpones Whittemore Crossing decision By TERRENCE S. MCAULIFFE The Middlebury Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) at its Nov. 1 meeting continued a Whittemore Crossing zone revision public hearing affecting Woodland Road and tabled a decision on Whittemore Crossing site plan revisions. It also renewed Benson Woods’ excavation permits, approved renovation and expansion plans at Quassy and a change of use at the formerBeanies, set public hearings for a 415 Middlebury Road sign and for zoning changes permitting restaurants in Light Industrial (LI-200) zones and set a disciplinary hearing date for the Zoning Enforcement Officer (ZEO). Tara Perrotti’s public hearing on rezoning part of her property at 86 Woodland Road to CA40 from R40, continued from Oct. 5, was kept open until Dec. 6. Attorney Michael McVerry reminded commissioners 1365 LLC, a Dr. Dean Yimoyines company that owns Whittemore Crossing, has an option to purchase her 1.5-acre parcel south of Junipers Restaurant and Whittemore Crossing. He said the additional land would help solve issues with parking at Whittemore Crossing and might allow for construction of another building. In addition, McVerry said, the land provided contiguous access to commercial property owned by Rte. 188 Investors LLC. That land is very close to Middlebury Road (Route 64) and if it also were purchased, Yimoyines’ property would go through from Whittemore Road nearly to Middlebury Road (Route 64) and would allow him to complete development in what is known as the Judd’s Corner district. McVerry answered Oct. 5 traffic concerns from adjoining residents by showing removal of a Woodland Road-facing stub of land from the rezoning, eliminating commercial access. He also argued against claims of overdevelopment and inconsistency with Middlebury’s Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD), saying the current buildings had 6,000 square feet of lot coverage in the 88,000-square-foot property where regulations allowed 25 percent coverage, or
22,000 square feet, with all expansion in the commercial zone. He said charges of spot zoning were inaccurate since the small piece of land being rezoned adjoined the much larger commercial Junipers and 1365 LLC properties. Objecting to the zone map change during public comments was Dana Osborn of 1364 Middlebury Road who expressed dismay at seeing a “Taj Mahal, lit up at night – a palace to economic development,” saying other commercial areas in Middlebury were more appropriate. Also objecting was 63 Dwyer Road resident Pat Dwyer who said the zone change was a “blank check” to any commercial use. Attorney Michael Broderick, representing Junipers Restaurant owner Baylis Properties LLC, agreed with Dwyer and said it was common for a site plan to be presented with a zone change so commissioners knew what was intended and urged commissioners to require the plan in the best interests of the public, otherwise anything commercial could be built. In comments from commissioners, William Stowell expressed concern the zone change might not be accompanied with access to Middlebury Road through acquisition of the Rte. 188 Investors LLC property and said he wished the property were owned. McVerry said 1365 LLC would complete the purchase by the December meeting. Chairman Curtis Bosco continued the hearing to Dec. 6 with a requirement for detailed maps of the zone change properties. Bosco said Tara Perrotti could not market her house as a residence with Junipers and Whittemore Crossing in her front yard. He also said it was not uncommon for zone changes to be approved without site plans, saying future development activity would require approvals. In a related matter, voting on a site plan modification for Whittemore Crossing was continued to Dec. 6 to wait for Conservation Commission approval and comments from the town engineer. The modifications addressed parking and drainage concerns with an impervious front parking lot adding 28
new spaces and a new drainage system to route water along Route 188 into property northwest of Junipers, keeping it out of the common parking lot. Commissioners expressed concern about retaining walls and structures in the 50-foot buffer to Saint John of the Cross property, and Bosco asked them to consider those concerns when voting. An excavation and grading permit renewal for Middlebury Land Development LLC for Benson Woods at North Benson Road was approved for another year. Quassy Amusement Park plans for restaurant expansion and reconstruction of a deteriorated building were unanimously approved. A second story and expansion away from the lake was planned for the restaurant adjacent to Kiddieland, and a total rebuild on the same footprint was planned for the deteriorated Birthday Pavilion. Also approved was a change in use of the former Beanie’s dry cleaner at 530 Middlebury Road to a tailor shop. Bosco commented to property owner Frank Grenier that such approvals had been done by the ZEO, but now needed commission review to assure all zoning factors were considered. Public hearings were scheduled Dec. 6 for a sign for Dr. Richard Smith’s dental office at 415 Middlebury Road and for amendments to the zoning regulations requested by Robert LaFlamme d/b/a Sunbeam Partners LLC to permit a restaurant in the 199 Park Road LI-200 light industrial zone. A disciplinary hearing date for ZEO Jean Donegan was set for 7 p.m. Nov. 26 at a meeting room to be determined. Called a Loudermill hearing, Bosco said it would address concerns about Donegan’s job performance discussed in executive session at an Oct. 16 special meeting where Bosco and Commissioner Terry Smith were appointed to write a “Loudermill letter” describing the charges. A Loudermill hearing provides public employees an opportunity to present their side of an issue before a decision on discipline is made. The next regular P&Z meeting will be Thursday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m. at Shepardson Community Center.
Adoptable Pets................ 8 Classifieds....................... 7 Community Calendar....... 2 Fire Log........................... 3 Frugal Mummy................ 5 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
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
Nov. 10
wednesday
Nov. 14
Pilgrim’s Pace 5K Road Race, Fitness Walk and Childrens’ Fun Run When: What: Where: Cost:
10 a.m. (Registration 8-9:30 a.m.) Fundraiser for Middlebury Congregational Church Middlebury Congregational Church on the Green in Middlebury $25 entry fee
Middlebury Lions Club Annual Turkey Dinner When: What: Where: Cost:
5 to 7 p.m. Middlebury Lions Club serve traditional turkey and fixings Shepardson Community Center Adults $10, seniors and children $8, children under 6 free; $35 family maximum
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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