“We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it.” ~ William Faulkner
Prst. Std. U.S. Postage Paid Naugatuck, CT #27
FR EE
Bee Intelligencer AN INDEPENDENTLY OWNED FREE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
Informing the towns of Middlebury, Southbury, Woodbury, Naugatuck, Oxford and Watertown
www.bee-news.com
Volume XIII, No. 8
Safely dispose of unwanted medications at police station
Twin birch trees growing next to each other are on the Middlebury Land Trust’s Scavenger Hunt list. Can you find them on the trail around Lake Elise? (Curtiss Clark photo)
Go on a MLT scavenger hunt By JANINE SULLIVANWILEY It’s July, the kids are out of school, the outdoors beckons, and many of the Middlebury Land Trust (MLT) properties that have been described in this column offer great hiking opportunities. Sometimes children find a hike boring (they never are for me, but kids can have their own priorities), but one thing that can be enjoyed by all ages is a scavenger hunt. This month, we offer you a nature scavenger hunt for things you can find at Lake Elise. There is a surprising diversity of things that folks young and old can seek and find within a few feet of the trail on this MLT property. The John Largay Memorial Preserve is just over 50 acres in total, with the lake making up 13.5 of those acres. If you’ve never been there before, the en-
By MARJORIE NEEDHAM
trance is on Long Meadow Road across from the Lake Elise Cemetery. There is space to pull off and park by the trail entrance. Traveling counterclockwise, the trail is narrower at the beginning. It goes through a marshy section at its northern edge and then widens on the western side. The scavenger hunt items below are in the order you might find them. Several things can be found in multiple locations. Given that this year has been so tickfriendly, please take proper precautions against ticks whenever you are in the woods or on trails. You can cut out the list below and take it with you. Good luck and I hope you have fun! If you want to keep score: Four stars if you find all 25. Three stars: 15-24. Two stars: 5-14. Under 5: Maybe you need to spend more time looking around the natural world.
MLT Scavenger Hunt July 2017 1. A stone bench 2. Poison ivy (Identify this early so you can avoid it. Look for leaves in sets of three, and remember it can grow along the ground or vine up a tree. There is a lot along the eastern side, much less on the opposite bank.) 3. Twin birch trees (two growing next to each other) 4. White pine tree (very long needles) 5. Lily pads in the lake 6. Fish in the lake 7. An animal’s entrance hole in the ground 8. Ostrich ferns (These grow in a vase shape, and can get quite tall. There are at least four types of ferns around the lake.) 9. Virginia Creeper (Has sets of five leaves, vines along the ground and up trees) 10. Moss 11. Lichen on a tree (Look for rough gray patches on trees) 12. A large tipped over tree (on the right side of the path, where you can see underneath the roots) 13. Trees with smooth bark 14. Trees with rough bark 15. A woodpecker hole in a tree (They like large standing dead trees.) 16. A spider web, with or without a spider in it. 17. A wooden bridge (There are five. Can you find them all?) 18. Animal tracks (Look anyplace where there is mud) 19. Flowers (Can you find white, blue/purple, and yellow flowers?) 20. A wooden bench (There are two, can you find them both?) 21. Berries on bushes 22. Knobby growth growing out of a large tree 23. A big rock by the side of the lake that you can sit on 24. A pine cone 25. A bird
tuesDAY
Inside this Issue Senior News Line.........3 Sports Quiz..................6 Sporting View...............6 To Your Good Health....6 Veterans Post..............5 Winning Ways.............4
Editorial Office: Email: mbisubmit@gmail.com Phone: 203-577-6800 Mail: P.O. Box 10, Middlebury, CT 06762 Advertising Sales: Email: mbiadvertising@gmail.com
July 4
Upcoming Events
Adoptable Pets............8 Classifieds...................7 Here’s a Tip...........................8 Obituaries...................5 Paws Corner.................8 Puzzles.......................7
July 2017
Middlebury Police Chief Fran Dabbo stands beside the new drug drop box in the Middlebury Police Station lobby. It provides a convenient place for residents to drop off leftover or expired medications. (Marjorie Needham photo)
Middlebury residents no longer have to wait for a special medication collection day; they can drop unwanted medications into the new drug drop box in the lobby of the police station on Southford Road. Middlebury Police Chief Fran Dabbo said the department obtained the drop box through a grant from CVS. Medications can be dropped off 24 hours a day. Dabbo noted liquids and needles cannot be put in the box. But what can be put in there is not limited to prescription
pills, patches, medications and ointments; you also can drop off over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, samples and pet medications. Dabbo said, “The drop box is good because it gets medicine out of the medicine cabinet.” He cautioned residents, “Don’t leave them lying around. It gives them a chance to be misused.” Jennifer Dewitt, executive director of the Central Naugatuck Valley Regional Action Council, said misuse of prescription drugs is more common than many people
– See Medications on page 4
P&Z approves Sunoco signs, camp trailer, grand opening signs By TERRENCE S. MCAULIFFE The Middlebury Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) at its May 4 meeting approved signs for the Sunoco station at 550 Middlebury Road (formerly Ford’s), a water line easement for Westover Water Company and road maintenance work on scenic roads around Lake Quassapaug. It also discussed recommendations for zoning regulation revisions and a formalized site plan resolution. At its June 1 meeting, it approved temporary use of a camp trailer at 80 Yale Ave. and temporary “grand opening” signs at the Shell Station on Middlebury Road. The Sunoco signage was approved after Al Whiting of Ready Imaging Inc. told commissioners the Sunoco arrow sign and LED price sign to be installed on the same pole and at about the same height as the original would not include a flange that appeared in the plans. He agreed it was unsightly and not needed. At the request of Zoning Enforcement Officer Curt Bosco, the approval also included a Sunoco sign on each side of the new canopy. The original plan showed signage for CITGO, but Bosco said the brand subsequently changed. The water line easement was approved after town attorney Dana D’Angelo told commissioners the Westover Water Company was selling its assets to the Connecticut Water Company and needed to obtain easements for its water lines, many of which were installed as far back as 1907. She said the Congregational Church and the town needed to sign the easement, and P&Z approval was required by Connecticut General Statutes Section 8-24. Town engineer John Calabrese told commissioners Public Works Director Dan Norton was planning road maintenance work on Upper Whittemore, Tranquility, Spring
Signs approved by Middlebury’s Planning and Zoning Commission are in place at the new Sunoco station (formerly Ford’s) in Middlebury. The station opened for business on or about June 22. (Marjorie Needham photo) and White Deer Rock Roads from the Tyler Cove area to the Woodbury line and pointed out they are designated as scenic roads and governed by Connecticut General Statutes. He said the work is being done to correct drainage problems and re-treat or repair existing roadway surfaces. He said Norton
was not proposing to widen the roads or make major drainage changes, and the roads will look the same as they look today except they will have a smoother finish. Chairman Smith said maintenance of a scenic road
– See P&Z on page 8
Independence Day Holiday All town offices, library and transfer station are closed. First of the Newtown Savings Bank’s five free summer concerts in Woodbury
wednesDAY July 5
What: When: Where: Info:
Hazardous Household Waste Collection
saturDAY
July 29
What: When: Where: Info:
Where to see fireworks Page 3
Blues Alley Band performs rockin’ blues. 6:30 p.m. Hollow Park in Woodbury. Bring your picnic and blanket or chairs and enjoy a summer evening of great music, different every week on July 5, 12, 19 and 26 and Aug. 2.
Properly dispose of hazardous materials commonly used in the home, including paint, pesticides, household cleaners, poisons, and chemicals. 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Former General Datacomm building at 6 Rubber Ave. in Naugatuck For details on what you can drop off, visit nvcogct.org/content/household-hazardous-waste-hhw.
Published by The Middlebury Bee Intelligencer Society, LLC - 2030 Straits Turnpike, Middlebury, CT 06762 - Copyright 2017
Send mail to
P.O. Box 10, Middlebury CT 06762
203-577-6800
Visit us at 2030 Straits Turnpike, Suite 1