Middlebury Bee May 2017 by Mario-Design

“Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.” ~ Author Unknown

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Volume XIII, No. 6

Park improvements under way

News you can use May 3 Vote Middlebury voters will cast ballots for or against the town budget and the Region 15 school budget Wednesday, May 3. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Shepardson Community Center at 1172 Whittemore Road. The proposed town budget is $10.6 million; the proposed Region 15 budget is $67.5 million.

Remove valuables, lock cars Despite frequent reminders from Police Chief Fran Dabbo, residents are still leaving valuables in their unlocked vehicles parked on the road or in their driveway overnight, and thieves are coming through town and helping themselves to whatever they find in those cars. This past weekend, a number of vehicles were entered. A purse, wallet, passport, some cash and a credit card were taken from one of the vehicles.

EIDC mails business survey The Middlebury Economic and Industrial Development Commission mailed a three-page survey to Middlebury businesses in late April. On the first page, the survey asks business owners to rate the importance of two dozen factors in doing business in Middlebury. Factors range from the rural nature and appearance of the town to tax rates, safety, utilities and services, and the school system. The second and third pages present open-ended questions asking owners to tell the commission what should be done to promote a better business climate and ask about difficulties in starting a business and keeping it profitable. The survey was constructed from the best ideas seen in surveys used by neighboring towns. The responses will be read in full by the commissioners and then compiled into action items. The mailing list of about 300 businesses was culled from a database of 635 businesses provided by Assessor Chris Kelsey, eliminating out-of-town leasing companies, “bedroom” LLCs, and other businesses that don’t directly serve local customers. Middlebury businesses owners who do not receive a survey by May 1 should email eidcchairman@middlebury-ct.org or visit middleburyeconomicdevelopment-ct.org.

Seeking Vietnam War Veterans The town honors all veterans at Memorial Day celebrations each year, but this year is the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, and Parks and Rec Director Betty Proulx, a Navy veteran, is encouraging all Middlebury Vietnam War and Vietnam War Era Vets to lead the Middlebury parade as honorary parade marshals. The parade lineup begins at 4 p.m. at the corner of Bronson Drive and Whittemore Road; the parade steps off at 5 p.m. Middlebury has 119 Vietnam War Vets. Vets who want to march or ride in the parade are asked to call 203-758-2520 to let Proulx know you’d like to participate. Other veterans may also call and register, particularly if they will need a ride in the parade.

Flags for veterans The Middlebury Lions Club provides Memorial Day flags for Middlebury veterans’ grave sites. Anyone who during the last year has lost a family member who was an armed services veteran and is buried in Middlebury can contact Lion Ray Sullivan at 203758-9939 to be sure an American flag will be placed on the veteran’s grave Saturday, May 27.

Veterans Memorial Day Ceremony Sunday May 28, at noon, the Middlebury Lions Club will honor war veterans in a ceremony at the Midlebury Cemetery on Route 64 behind the Middlebury Garage. The Middlebury Lions Club will pay homage to our fallen military heroes, and all those who have served our nation’s military, at the Middlebury Cemetery. Please come join them in honoring all who have served our country. The ceremony will include an honor guard and rifle salute from the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Local boy scouts will raise the flag at the start of the ceremony and lower it as taps are played. Prayers of invocation and benediction will be said by local clergy, followed by comments from Middlebury’s Selectmen, and a reading of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address as we honor those who have served and sometimes given their lives for our freedom.

Middlebury Memorial Day Events Sunday, May 28 Middlebury Lions Club Memorial Day Ceremony honoring veterans

When: 12 p.m. Where: Middlebury Cemetery behind Middebury Garage at 1126 Middlebury Road (Route 64).

Middlebury Veterans Reception – All veterans are welcome. When: 4 p.m. Where: Corner of Bronson Drive and Whittemore Road.

Middlebury Memorial Day Parade

When: 5 p.m. Where: Parade starts at Bronson Drive and goes to Town Hall for a ceremony in front of Town Hall. Features Middlebury veterans, marching bands, town organizations, sports clubs, Scouts and local businesses.

Inside this Issue Senior News Line.........3 Sports Quiz..................6 Sporting View...............6 To Your Good Health....6 Veterans Post..............5 Winning Ways.............7

Editorial Office: Email: mbisubmit@gmail.com Phone: 203-577-6800 Mail: P.O. Box 10, Middlebury, CT 06762 Advertising Sales: Email: mbiadvertising@gmail.com

wednesDAY Upcoming Events

Adoptable Pets............8 Classifieds...................7 Here’s a Tip...........................8 Obituaries...................5 Paws Corner.................8 Puzzles.......................7

May 2017

May 3

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May 6

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May 28

By MARJORIE NEEDHAM Trees, bushes and vines are rapidly disappearing from some Middlebury parks and some areas along the Greenway as the Public Works Department crew tackles projects in the recently approved Capital Plan. We dropped by the Parks and Rec Department to get more information on this work from Parks and Rec Director Betty Proulx, who is in charge of these projects. Proulx told us, “I’m thrilled this stuff is getting done. With the budget constraints we’ve had the past few years, we haven’t been able to do the repairs we are doing now.” She said when the work is complete, residents will be able to see parks as they were meant to be seen, without scrub pines and overgrowth mixed in with the other trees. Proulx said work at Meadowview will include further clearing of overgrowth around the pond behind the police station. “You used to be able to walk all the way around that pond,” she said. Once that area is cleaned up and the stumps have been removed, the pathway that leads from the parking lot by the police station past the ponds will be repaved, and a new walking bridge will be built over the brook. Proulx said of the project, “We’re making repairs and refreshing. We’re bringing it back so people can see the park.” Improvements at Ledgewood Park will include repairs to the tennis courts, skate park and basketball court and cleaning up the area around the Veterans Memorial. Some trees that have been there since 1988 need to be cut down. Trees, bushes and vines have been cleared from Volunteer Park at the corner of Regan and Middlebury Roads. Next,

Standing in Meadowview Park looking back toward the police station from the road leading to the pavilion, one can see the extent of the tree cutting done there thus far. Pine trees and other overgrowth have been removed. (Marjorie Needham photo) plants will be placed in the cleared area. Proulx said the vegetation at that corner was cleared because it interfered with drivers’ sight lines as they approached the intersection. “Everything was little when they planted it,” she said. Bristol Park on Middlebury Road will not undergo major renovations, Proulx said. It will, however, be cleaned up. Some areas along the Greenway, particularly where dense growth may affect the safety of those using the Greenway, are also being cleaned up. Some of that work

can be seen at the corner of Steinmann Avenue and Middlebury Road. Proulx said the dense overgrowth there also interfered with drivers’ sight lines, and clearing out the overgrowth made the Greenway more visible and thus safer for those walking there. As you walk farther East, however, hills rise up on either side of the Greenway, and thus it tends to be darker there. Proulx said a solar light or two would be helpful there. If anyone wants to donate lights, please call Proulx at 203-758-2520.

Spring brings skunk cabbage By JANINE SULLIVAN-WILEY When you think about the glories of early spring, many blossoms come quickly to mind. This plant is probably not one of them. But this amazing and utterly unexpected plant – skunk cabbage – is one of the most important of the spring plants. As Curtiss Clark, who photographed today’s featured plant, has noted, “Symplocarpus foetidus is indeed fetid.” How can something so stinky, and not terribly attractive, be so interesting and truly valuable? First, this native plant blooms in very early spring, although you might not realize that those emerging shapes contain flowers. A member of the Arum family, which includes calla lilies and elephant ears, its flowers appear before the leaves. They erupt from muddy ground that is often still icy or snow-covered with a maroon or purple shape called a spathe that forms a hood around the actual flowers – the spadix. There is a slight resemblance to its relative, the Jack-in-the-Pulpit. Their most unique characteristic is now visible; ice and snow melt around the emerging flowers. While at this flowering stage, skunk cabbage can maintain a core temperature in those hoods of 70 degrees, much higher than the surrounding soil and air. They can maintain that warmth even as the temperatures plummet over night. They are able to do this through an oxidative process in which they metabolize oxygen at a high rate much like some tiny mammals do. The skunky odor is most noticeable if you step on the plant, but that odor has its own important function: it attracts insects. Gnats pollinate skunk cabbage, as do – no surprise given their smell – carrion beetles and flesh flies (yes, flesh flies are real insects). These insects in turn form an important food source for birds that rely on very early spring insects for food.

Skunk cabbage flowers resemble Jack-in-the-Pulpit when they first emerge. The flowers appear before the large green leaves. (Curtiss Clark photo) The plants’ leaves contain an especially large percentage of water and are eaten by several species of moths. They are not suitable for consumption by humans or many other animals for that matter, but they are eaten by bears. (One has to consider how hungry bears are, though, after a long winter of food-less hibernation.) Happily, this is not a plant one would want to remove as it has a deep and tenacious root system. The main rhizome can be a foot long and 3 to 6 inches wide, surrounded by fibrous roots. Each year the roots contract and pull the plant deeper into the ground.

When the leaves emerge, they do so in a lovely spiral pattern, growing wide and green and often covering the wet areas in which they grow. You can see them now, the leaves unfurling in wetlands along the Greenway and in Middlebury Land Trust properties. By late June, the leaves begin to die but not like autumn leaves that fall to the ground and dry up. They first develop holes, and then get slimy and dissolve away, rather like something left too long in the back of the refrigerator. By August, they are gone, only to have their warm magic bring them back in the very early spring the following year.

Vote on Town and Regional School District 15 Proposed 2017-2018 Budgets

What: Residents of Middlebury and Southbury vote on town and school district budgets When: Polls are open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Where: Middlebury residents vote at Shepardson Community Center at 1172 Whittemore Road in Middlebury; Southbury residents vote at the Southbury Firehouse at 461 Main St. S. in Southbury.

Tag and Book Sale What: When: Where:

Natural gas service to expand Page 4

Fundraising tag and book sale sponsored by the Friends of the Middlebury Public Library. Rain date is May 13. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Middlebury Public Library at 30 Crest Road in Middlebury.

Annual Memorial Day Celebration and Parade

What: See events listed in “News you can use” on this page When: 5 p.m. Where: Parade goes from Bronson Drive to Town Hall

Send mail to

P.O. Box 10, Middlebury CT 06762

203-577-6800

The Bee-Intelligencer

May 2017

Library Highlights This column features high- days, May 3 and 17, at 11 a.m. appropriate forms from the lilights for the Middlebury, Nau- Registration is required. brary or post office before the gatuck, and Southbury libraries. event to avoid unnecessary waitLa Fiesta musical tour ing. Registration required. Enjoy La Fiesta with Enzo BosConnecticut’s carino Thursday, May 4, at 6:30 remarkable women Tag and book sale May 6 p.m. He will entertain everyone presentation The Friends of the Middlebury with a musical tour through the Public Library Tag and Book Sale San Fermin Festival in PomplaThursday, May 25, at 6:30 p.m., will be Saturday, May 6 (rain date no, Spain. Registration required. see an interactive multi-media May 13), from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at program by the Connecticut Make bath bombs the Middlebury Public Library. Women’s Hall of Fame and learn Thursday, May 18, at 2 p.m., join about some of our state’s most Don’t miss this great shopping opportunity. And if you are doing DIY bath bombs. Learn how to remarkable women. Be inspired your spring cleaning, a limited make your own bath bombs. Space as you learn about well-known number of spaces are available is limited; registration required. figures like Ella Grasso, Kathafor people interested in selling rine Hepburn and Marian AnPassport on wheels items. Space rental is $25. Rederson and lesser-known heroPassport on Wheels will be ines like Maria Sanchez, serve a space by stopping by the library or online at www.middle- Wednesday, May 24, from 12 to Barbara McClintock and Hannah 4 p.m. Apply for a passport or Watson. Registration required. burypubliclibrary.org. renew an existing passport at the The Middlebury Public Lilibrary. The library and the U.S. brary is at 30 Crest Road. The Tech Talk Learn how to post pictures Post Office have teamed up to telephone number is 203-758Performer Judy Cook will present Mark Twain at the Woodbury and find friends on the social offer a convenient and time- 2634, and the website is middlePublic Library May 11. (Submitted photo) media app Instagram Wednes- saving opportunity. Pick up the burypubliclibrary.org.

Middlebury

Spring concerts showcase student musicians By MARISSA MATOZZO Three concerts in the auditorium at Pomperaug High School (PHS) in May and early June will showcase the talents of the school’s music students. Monday, May 15, at 7 p.m., The Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Singers and Jazz Band will perform. Friday, May 19, at 7 p.m., the Chorale, Symphonic Band and Orchestra will perform. Friday, June 2, at 7 p.m., the Concert Choir and Concert Band will perform John Tzetzo, the PHS Concert, Symphonic, Marching, and Jazz Band teacher, said, “There is quite the spring feel for our performances this month! Each of our music ensembles has two annual concerts; one in the fall and one in the spring.” PHS ensembles featuring student musicians are Concert Band, Concert Choir, Orchestra, Symphonic Band, Chorale, Jazz Band, Chamber Singers and Chamber Orchestra. They perform at different skill levels, either standard or advanced, and center around helping each student become a well-rounded musician. The groups performing May 15, Chamber Orchestra, Cham-

ber Singers and Jazz Band, are select ensembles that rehearse after school and perform advanced pieces. Entrance to these groups is by audition, and students are expected to learn their music at a swift pace. All members of these select groups also must take part in the PHS inschool band, orchestra and choral groups. The Chamber Orchestra performs an advanced string repertoire that will be showcased at the concert. “Pieces for Chamber Orchestra’s spring concert will include swinging jazz, tango and improvised solos,” said Linda Hughes, the PHS Concert Choir, Chorale, Chamber Singers, Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra teacher. The Chamber Singers will perform a variety of selections, including show tunes and a capella pieces. “Chamber Singers will perform music from the 1920s, 1960s and also pieces in which only the female students will sing and others in which only the male students will sing,” Hughes said. Jazz Band members learn vibrant and lively music at a rapid pace. They will perform advanced jazz compositions for

their portion of the concert. The May 19 concert will feature the Chorale, Symphonic Band and Orchestra. Entrance to the Chorale or Symphonic Band is by audition, but entrance to Orchestra is not. These ensembles rehearse at PHS during school hours. Chorale and Symphonic Band work at an advanced pace while Orchestra members work at a more gradual and steady pace. The Chorale performs a variety of different songs in multiple languages, styles and from various backgrounds. “For this concert, our Chorale will be performing one composition with our Chamber Orchestra,” said Linda Hughes. “Pianist Tim Smith will accompany our Chorale on piano.” The Symphonic Band will feature a wide range of pieces. “Symphonic Band will perform spring festival music for this concert,” said John Tzetzo. The Orchestra will perform contemporary incantations for their segment of the concert. “Our orchestra will perform classical, rhythmic, and contemporary pieces. There will also be violin and cello solos,” said Hughes.

The featured ensembles at the June concert will be the Concert Choir and Concert Band. These are not auditioned ensembles, but they do require a dedication to music and willingness to practice, as multiple songs must be learned in time for the two annual concerts. Concert Choir will perform a variety of arrangements, including traditional folk songs, pop songs and contemporary pieces. Tim Smith will accompany the Concert Choir for their performance. Concert Band will perform repertoire selected from standard literature, with some in the show or pop style, all keeping tone, intonation and balance in focus to develop members into knowledgeable and cultured music students. “PHS music students are very passionate and dedicated,” said Hughes, “I am proud to see their accomplishments with every performance.” These concerts are free to all, and attendance to support the school’s music program is encouraged. Refreshments will be available across the hallway from the school’s auditorium in front of the library.

Naugatuck Computer/Device help Are you an older adult having trouble mastering computers, laptops, email, Facebook, online job applications, or a device like an iPad or Android? A grant from the Connecticut Community Foundation’s Lifelong Libraries Pathways Initiative funds the services of Syed Arshad, a seasoned IT professional with 35 years of technical experience. He can help you one-on-one. Call 203-729-4591 to make an appointment with him.

Living dragons Tuesday, May 2, at 6:30 p.m., meet the dragons. No, not real dragons - lizards! Meet many different species of lizards when Brian Kleinman of Riverside Reptiles returns with more friends from the reptile family: geckos that can climb glass, skinks with bright blue tongues, a legless lizard, a cousin of the Komodo Dragon and a lizard with an impressive beard. Registration required; call 203-7294591.

Veterans’ assistance

Thursday, May 4, and the first Thursday of each month from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Brian Naylor, MSgt USAF retired, a veterans advocate with Independence Northwest Inc., will meet one-on-one with veterans and family members to discuss any problems or questions you may missing and the trail has gone have about veteran benefits or cold. Meanwhile, Emory wakes services. up from a head injury and finds Weight loss talk herself trapped in a cabin with a Brian Reynolds, owner of man with a dark and mysterious Thunder Sports and Fitness, will past. As she finds herself drawn speak on “Why Am I Not Losing closer to her captor, Emory decides to do whatever she has to in Weight?” Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. He will discuss the order to survive. Another book featuring decep- best way to lose weight and keep tive characters is “The Perfect it off permanently. Forget the Husband” by Lisa Gardner. Jim fads and gimmicks and hear Becket seemed like the perfect from a certified, experienced fithusband, but two years after mar- ness professional. Call 203-729rying him Tess helps put him away 4951 for more information or to for murdering 10 women. Now register. Jim has escaped prison, and Tess AARP driver course must fight back and protect herMonday, May 15, from 1 to 5 self and her daughter. As four states join forces to catch Jim, Tess p.m., a representative from the knows ultimately she will be the AARP will lead a refresher course on safe driving techniques with one to end the search. possible eligibility for an insurance discount. Class is $15 for AARP members; $20 for nonmembers payable to AARP. Registration required; call 203-729-4591.

Middlebury Library book club picks for June The Brown Bag Book Discussion Group book for the meeting Wednesday, June 7, at 1 p.m. is “A Week in Winter” by Maeve Binchy. Chicky Starr returns to her home town, Stoneybridge, Ireland, to turn a rundown Cliffside mansion into a restful place for a holiday by the sea. To help in the renovation she hires her friend’s son Rigger and Orla, her niece, to run the business. Together, they get the place ready for the first week of holiday guests. John, an American movie star takes advantage of a missed flight to escape incognito. Winne, a 34-year-old nurse, arrives trapped in a vacation with her boyfriend’s mother. Nicola and Henry, married doctors, come for some respite. Miss Nell Howe, a retired schoolteacher, leaves early, disap-

pointed in her stay. A clairvoyant librarian in love with a married man comes to recover from her broken heart. Anders, the heir to a Swedish accounting firm but in love with music, comes to Stoneybridge to find a musician friend. Readers of “A Week in Winter” will watch as hearts mend and relationships sort themselves out. If you enjoyed “A Week in Winter,” you also may enjoy “A House on Willow Street” by Cathy Kelly. Also set in Ireland, it takes the reader to the seaside town of Avalon with its quaint shops and warm cafes. Standing at the end of Willow Street is Avalon House, which has been in Tess’s family for generations. Today, Tess ekes out a living from her antique shop as the mansion decays. Suki, Tess’s sis-

ter, left and married into a highprofile American family, and only a scandal has her slinking back to Ireland. The postmistress, Danae, watches all from the sidelines, offering up advice while hiding her secrets. Danae’s niece, Mara, comes to visit and help her aunt. As the season changes to winter, these four women encounter old loves, embrace new friendships and start to look beyond the past. On Tuesday, June 13, at 6 p.m., the Mystery Book Group will discuss Sandra Brown’s “Mean Streak.” Dr. Emory Charbonneau, a pediatrician and marathon runner, goes missing after an argument with her husband. The police begin to suspect her husband of “instant divorce” since he has waited so long to report Emory

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Pub Book Club The Pints & Pages Pub Book Club will meet Wednesday, May 31, at 6:30 p.m. with library staff members Matt Yanarella and Kirk Morrison at The Corner Tavern at 178 N. Main St. in Naugatuck to discuss “Big Little Lies” by Liane Moriarty. Food and beverages available from the tavern menu. Need a copy of the book before they meet? Stop by Whittemore Library to pick one up and register or call 203-729-4591 to register. The Howard Whittemore Memorial Library is at 243 Church St. in Naugatuck. Call 203-7294591 or visit whittemorelibrary. org.

Southbury Classical guitar concert Thursday, May 4, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., Carnegie Hall performing musician Peter Fletcher will play a 70-minute classical guitar set in the Kingsley Room.

There will be a brief intermission. After the performance, Fletcher will stay to greet patrons and chat. Registration required; call 203-262-0626, ext. 130.

Sea Tea Improv Thursday, May 11, at 7 p.m. in the Kingsley Room, Sea Tea Improv will put on an interactive comedy show. Spend a hilarious evening with Sea Tea Improv for an hour of comedy fun! These seasoned performers will delight the audience with improvised comedy based completely on audience suggestions. The audience will give them ideas and they will spin those ideas into hilarious scenes, skits, and songs in the style of “Whose Line Is It Anyway.” Don’t miss this oncein-a-blue-moon event – no two shows are exactly the same! Registration required; call 203-2620626, ext. 130.

May movies Wednesday films at the library are offered free to the public and start at 1 p.m. in the Kingsley Meeting room surround sound theater, with infrared listening system available. Three of this year’s Oscar-nominated best pictures and a 1945 film noir are the May Wednesday afternoon movie offerings at the library. May 10, Denzel Washington stars as a working-class black man in the 1950s struggling against racism and trying to preserve his self-pride. Viola Davis won an Oscar for her supporting role as the devoted wife and mother, mediating clashes between father and son. The May 17 film tells the story of the African-American women mathematicians who, in the early 1960s, played a pivotal but previously unheralded role in the American space program, overcoming the indignities of segregation and eventually winning the respect of their colleagues and supervisors. The May 24 offering is one of the year’s best foreign-language films (with English subtitles). This Swedish film concerns a cranky but quietly heroic man forced into early retirement at the age of 59 because of a heart condition and overwhelmed with grief for his late wife. His lack of purpose festers into picking arguments with people. The 1945 film to be shown May 31 casts Edward G. Robinson as a timid middle-aged bookkeeper pulled into a world of crime and deception by a seductive woman, played by Joan Bennett, and her manipulative boyfriend (Dan Duryea). The movie was directed by Fritz Lang. For more information, call 203-262-0626 or visit www. southburylibrary.org. The library is at 100 Poverty Road in Southbury.

Woodbury Weight gain Saturday, May 6, at 2 p.m., Jen Steiner, a certified holistic health coach and environmental health specialist, will present “The Skinny on Chemicals and Weight Gain: How Everyday Products Could Be Making You Fat.” Steiner will discuss one of the reasons behind out-of-control weight gain and difficulty losing weight that you’ve never heard about. Register online at www.woodburylibraryct.org for this free program.

Mark Twain Come back in time Thursday, May 11, at 7 p.m. as renowned performer Judy Cook entertains you with a look at America’s most famous humorist, Mark Twain, through excerpts from his writings, the songs he would have known, and images from the era. Enjoy cookies and “Aunt Polly’s Lemonade” while enjoying the entertaining show. A Q&A and an opportunity to purchase Judy’s book and CDs will follow this free presentation. Support for this program is provided by Friends of the Woodbury Library. Register by calling the library or visiting the library website. The Woodbury Public Library is at 269 Main St. S. in Woodbury. Call 203-263-3502 or visit www. woodburylibraryct.org. To see more library events, please look online at www.beenews.com.

The Bee-Intelligencer

May 2017

Conservation Commission accepts three applications By TERRENCE S. MCAULIFFE The Middlebury Conservation Commission (CC) at its April 25 meeting accepted two dock rebuilding applications on Lake Quassapaug and a septic tank relocation at Quassy Amusement Park. It also accepted an applica-

tion for a house on Washington Drive. Robert Peck told commissioners he wanted to remove an existing 5-by-60-foot dock at 25 Tyler Cove and replace it with a wider 8-by-60-foot dock utilizing existing concrete pads. He showed a letter from the home-

owner association approving his plan. Landscape architect John Piper told commissioners Kimberly and Richard Gilbert planned to rebuild a dock at 3 Bristol Road by removing existing concrete footings and decking, and replacing it with a stone

Middlebury Senior Center Events Closing

New Gentle

The Senior Center will be Yoga class closed Monday, May 29, in obInstructor Doreen Dash foservance of Memorial Day. cuses on moving the body, calming the mind and finding the Driver safety program stillness within. The class for The next AARP Driver Safety teens through adults will meet Course will be Monday, May 1, Thursdays, May 11 to June 15 (six from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the senior sessions), from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. center. The course is the nation’s in Shepardson Center, Room 28. first and largest driver-refresher The fee is $40 for residents; $45 course. for nonresidents. Drivers who attend the class This gentle yoga class for all will receive a completion cer- levels offers guided postures, tificate and may be entitled to a asanas, and breath work ending discount on automobile insur- with meditation and final relaxance (contact your insurance ation, svanasana. Please wear company for details). comfortable clothing that fits AARP membership is not re- close to the body; no shoes or quired, and drivers of all ages are socks. Please bring a yoga mat, invited to attend. The cost to small cushion to sit on, and a participate is $15 for AARP mem- blanket or throw to cover yourbers and $20 for nonmembers. self during relaxation. All checks must be made out to Please call 203-758-2530 to “AARP.” Call 203-577-4166 to reg- reserve your seat. ister.

Commission on Aging

Connecticut Mobile Food Pantry The Connecticut Mobile Food Pantry offers food to anyone who needs it. The truck comes to two locations near us: First Congregational Church at 40 Deforest St. in Watertown the first Wednesday of the month at 2 p.m. and the Southbury Senior Center at 561 Main St. S. in Southbury the third Friday of the month at 11 a.m.

Free sewing class The Middlebury Senior Center offers a free sewing class Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. Whether you’re a beginner or experienced, they have something for you. There are no age limits for these classes; everyone is welcome. If interested, please call 203577-4166 for more information.

Hollywood film and talk Thursday, May 11, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., Tom Rosa will show and discuss the movie, “The Best Exotic Marigold Motel.” Rosa, a retired art teacher, is an expert on old Hollywood movies. This 2012 comedy directed by John Madden stars Tom Wilkinson, Judie Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Dev Patel and Celia Imrie. It follows a group of British retirees who decide to live in retirement in India where life is less expensive and more exotic. Refreshments will be served and all are welcome.

The next Commission on Aging meeting will be Tuesday, May 16, 2017, at 9:30 a.m. in Room 26. All interested persons are welcome to attend.

Lunch and Learn Reserve your seat now for the Thursday, June 8, Lunch and Learn at 11:30 a.m. Kelly Lukas from Guardian Angels Homecare will give a talk on “Home Safety.” She also will display three different types of emergency response systems. Guardian Angels Homecare will provide a complimentary luncheon. Please call 203-5774166 to reserve your seat.

Trip Thimble Islands Cruise Thursday, June 8, enjoy a 45-minute narrated cruise around The Thimble Islands aboard the Sea Mist. First discovered in 1614 by Adrien Block, these islands off the coast of Branford, Conn., were used for everything from farming to quarrying granite, from bootlegging to hiding Captain Kidd’s treasure. Captain Kidd sailed here in 1665 … you can still feel his presence today. The bus will leave the Senior Center at 10 a.m. for the 12:15 p.m. Cruise. Call 203-577-4166 to reserve your seat. The cost for admission and transportation will be $20 per person.

terrace that would connect to floating dock sections. He told Commissioner Terry Manning the patio would not intrude into Lake Quassapaug more than what was taken out. Chairman Mary Barton reviewed the planting list and told Piper the plans should contain a sequence of construction. Quassy Amusement Park President Eric Anderson and attorney Michael McVerry told commissioners bathroom septic

tanks needed to be relocated to make space for new water slides. The new location would be closer to the lake, just inside the 150-foot setback. A single-family house on a nonconforming lot at 389 Washington Drive was accepted for commissioner review. Contractor Jad Harb said the house would occupy less than 10 percent of the lot and use public sewers and a well. Barton told him a wetlands report for that

area was on file for review. In enforcement matters, Barton said Wetlands Enforcement Officer Deborah Seavey would send a notice of violation letter to the Lake Quassapaug Outing Club at 2328 Middlebury Road because of unauthorized grading and excavation. The next regular CC meeting will be Tuesday, May 30, at 7:30 p.m. in Room 26 at Shepardson Community Center.

Retirement study is an eye-opener Are you ready to retire? Do you have enough money? Have you given it much thought? The Employee Benefit Research Institute just published the results of its 27th survey about financial readiness to retire. likely monthly financial needs Here are a few things its reor expenses. Less than 23 persearch revealed: cent have spoken to a financial • Many of us are stressed out adviser, and only 10 percent about retiring, but we’re not have a plan. The number of taking steps to get ready. One people who are confident third of participants worry about having a comfortable about money. Half think they’d retirement is lower than last be more productive at work if year. they weren’t stressed about the • Only 37 percent are confident financial aspects of retiring. that Social Security will con• Only 60 percent say they’ve tinue to provide benefits, and saved for retirement. Forty perthe same number have low cent have tried to work out the confidence that Medicare’s numbers and even fewer have current levels will continue. tried to calculate their expectAccording to the survey, 80 ed Social Security benefit and percent of those who have al-

ready retired are more confident about having a comfortable retirement. Per a government pamphlet (“Top 10 Ways to Prepare for Retirement”), you’ll need between 70 percent and 90 percent of your pre-retirement income to maintain your current lifestyle. If you’re stressed about the financial aspects of retirement, knowing is better than guessing about how you might fare. A financial planner can look at the figures and tell you the facts. If nothing else, call Social Security to ask about your likely future benefits (1-800-772-1213). To view the study, go online to ebri.org and look for the 2017 Retirement Confidence Survey. It’s an eye-opener. (c) 2017 King Features Synd. Inc.

The next issue of the Bee-Intelligencer will be distributed Friday, June 2

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The Bee-Intelligencer

May 2017

Bee Intelligencer

in•tel•li•gencer: n. One who conveys news or information The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed.

Issued by: The Middlebury Bee-Intelligencer Society LLC Bee-Intelligencer Staff: Editor-In-Chief/Publisher: Marjorie Needham Contributing Writer: Terrence S. McAuliffe Art & Production: Mario J. Recupido - Submit press releases in person, by mail or email The Bee-Intelligencer welcomes news, press releases and advertising from all surrounding communities Editorial Office: 2030 Straits Turnpike, Suite 1, Middlebury, CT 06762 Direct mail to P.O. Box 10. Telephone: 203-577-6800 • Email: beeintelligencer@gmail.com Advertising Information: Telephone: 203-577-6800 • Email: mbiadvertising@gmail.com Deadlines: Display Advertising: 5 p.m. Friday preceding publication Classified Advertising: 5 p.m. Monday preceding publication Editorial/Press Releases: Noon Monday preceding publication Copyright © 2017 by The Middlebury BeeIntelligencer Society, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

Natural gas service to expand

Letter to the Editor Region 15 numbers don’t add up To the Editor: There’s not enough Bill Bellottis to go around. His letter* itemized the statistical facts, asked why the numbers don’t add up and are in conflict with budget increases while pupil population previously increased. Isn’t it logical to assume that pupil increases will increase budgets while pupil decreases will cost less? Bill’s research indicates perpupil cost has increased from $15,441 to $17,739 while we lost 828 pupils. In the quoted time frame, per-pupil cost increased $2,308, or collectively by $1.9 million. Why? How can this be justified? The answer is that the board of education budget creation, union public relations, (and) contract negotiation committee are all driven by union salary and benefits. The union agenda is parasitic. It negotiates with seasoned professionals. Region 15 taxpayers are negotiating with amateurs who are reluctant to research equivalent professional occupations, compare job descriptions, salary and

benefits and then demand the union justify its negotiating position. We have the board of education, the negotiating committee, (and) the boards of finance of both towns that acquiesce to union expertise and statewide leverage. How effective is the union? Compare the cost and percentage of salary and benefits to the total budget and cost per pupil. It’s obvious the budget simply subsidizes the union contracts. This situation isn’t likely to change until both towns budget for an unaffiliated professional agent who has a negotiational background for various industries or professions. This man/ woman would basically utilize a “prosecutor” approach in confronting the situation. Sincerely, Frank Pellegrini Southbury *Bellotti’s letter to the daily newspaper presented statistics showing Region 15 enrollment was decreasing while the Region 15 budget was increasing over the past five years. Ed. note: The town boards of finance have no say in the regional school district budget.

Letters to the Editor Letters to the editor may be mailed to the Bee-Intelligencer, P.O. Box 10, Middlebury, CT 06762 or emailed to beeintelligencer @gmail.com. Letters will be run as space permits. Please limit letters to 500 words, avoid personal attacks, and understand letters will be edited. For verification purposes, please include your name, street address and daytime telephone number.

By MARJORIE NEEDHAM A natural gas service expansion program that may cost Eversource more than $2.6 million could get underway in Middlebury as early as May. The expansion offers natural gas service to 275 homes in the Three Mile Hill Road area. Middlebury resident Lou Orsini lives there, but he didn’t know about the expansion until he read about it in the daily paper. He and his wife had been in Florida visiting their son and were away when Eversource held a community meeting April 19 to tell residents about the project and the special offers for those who sign up for the service. Orsini said he and his wife use propane and are very satisfied with it. They use it for their furnace, fire place, grill and pool heater, but they have an electric stove and an electric clothes dryer. He said his wife loves to cook with natural gas, which she got to do at their son’s home. But their newly remodeled Middlebury kitchen has a brand new electric stove in it. He said whether or not they would switch to natural gas from propane would depend largely on the cost comparison between the two. A quick online search shows natural gas is much cheaper than propane at current prices here in Connecticut. Eversource spokesperson Mitch Gross said that price differential is one advantage of natural gas over propane. Another is that you don’t have to have a storage tank or have fuel delivered to you; it is piped directly into your home. Gross also said natural gas burns much cleaner than fuel oil, with 99 percent less sulfur, and produces less carbon dioxide.

Gross said, “We continually hear from more and more people who want access to natural gas. There’s more to it than home heating and cooking. It’s also used for dryers, fuel pits, and heating swimming pools.” He said he thinks more people are considering it for financial and environmental reasons. “They are looking ahead,” he said. First Selectman Edward B. St. John favors the expansion. He said the project is the result of the Connecticut Comprehensive Energy Strategy, a 10-year plan to expand natural gas service in the state. “If this works well,” he said, “we may expand to other parts of Middlebury.” St. John said residents who attended the April 19 informational meeting all favored the project. And he said he understood more than 50 percent of the residents had already signed letters of intent with Eversource. “That will give those residents sewer, water and natural gas service to their homes,” he said. Eversource is offering several incentives for folks to switch to natural gas. They will get a $250 Eversource gas bill credit, they will get a free gas main extension in the street and a free gas connection to their home from the street, and they will get low-interest financing for up to 10 years on new equipment purchases they need to make the switch. Customers also will qualify for Energize Connecticut rebates. Gross said the weather will in large part determine how quickly this project can be completed once it gets under way, but he said projects like this are very fast-moving.

Natural gas service is being offered to streets in this area. See article for street list. (Photo courtesy Eversource) Eversource currently provides natural gas to 516 Middlebury customers, 435 of which are residential. Westover, Town Hall, the Police Department, Shepardson Community Center and Public Works use natural gas as do homes in Brookside, Steeplechase, Avalon Farms, and Ridgewood. The following streets are included in the proposed project:

Three Mile Hill Road, Acme Drive, Aveline Avenue, Bayberry Road, Bayberry Terrace, Birchwood Terrace, Blueberry Knoll, Dorothy Drive, East Ridge Drive, Gleneagle Road, Hannah Drive, Janet Drive, Jericho Road, Juniper Road, Marney Drive, Meridith Road, Nick Road, Northwood Drive, St Joseph Avenue, Skyline Drive, Southview Avenue, and Upland Road.

education/mental-health-firstaid. For more information, contact Mental Health Community Educator and Certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor Valerie English-Cooper at 860-4716715 or venglishcooper@mhconn.org.

raise funds for the Jeffery C. Singleton ‘82 and Alumni Scholarship Fund in front of Camp Hall (the Lower School building). The public is invited. This year, Chase is working in conjunction with Naugatuck Valley Community College, whose greenhouse will supply all the plants – geraniums, coleus, tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs and assorted succulents. The Jeffrey C. Singleton ‘82 and Alumni Scholarship Fund was established in 2006 by the Class of 1982 in memory of their classmate, Jeffrey C. Singleton. It aims to support deserving students with financial need, and is not exclusively given to Upper School students.

In Brief Glebe House opens May 3

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The Glebe House Museum & Gertrude Jekyll Garden will open its doors for its 92nd season Wednesday, May 3, at 1 p.m. The opening includes an exhibit of a beautiful array of botanical art and artifacts by artist Phil Stone that will be on display throughout the month of May. Enter the museum for an educational, well-crafted 45-minute tour led by one of the museum’s expert docents. The tour will take you back to the 1770s, when Woodbury was embroiled in the Revolutionary War. The Gertrude Jekyll Garden was designed in 1926 by the legendary English garden designer, Gertrude Jekyll. The house is open Wednesday to Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. through October. Admission is $7 for adults, $2 for children, or free to members. Call 203-2632855 or visit www.glebehousemuseum.org for more information and to register for summer programs for children, adult programs, “An Evening of Festive Dinners with Friends” (on May 20; the museum’s major fundraiser), to schedule a group tour, or to become a member.

Fly fishermen’s meeting The Housatonic Fly Fishermen’s Association (HFFA) will meet Thursday, May 4, at 7 p.m. at St Paul’s Episcopal Church at 65 N. Main St. in Wallingford,

Conn. Steve Colson will speak about ”The Little Things” in trout fishing. The HFFA is dedicated to preserving and protecting the Housatonic River as well as furthering the sport of fly fishing. Refreshments will be served.

Free mental health first aid training May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and in recognition of the fact that mental health problems touch us all, Valley Spirit Cooperative and Wellness Center in Washington Depot is offering free community Mental Health First Aid Training on Saturday, May 6, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 7, from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. The training is being offered for the following reasons: The county’s substance use disorder epidemic, the median time from the onset of mental health problems to receipt of professional care is 10 years, the leading cause of hospitalization in Connecticut for residents 5 to 45 years old is mental health problems (surpassing respiratory illness in 2012), the federal government has determined that young adults (ages 16 to 24) are underserved relative to mental health support, early intervention supports early recovery and social distance still leads to silent suffering. The Center is at 6 Green Hill Road in Washington Depot. To register, visit www.mhconn.org/

Art exhibit Saturday, May 6, the Washington Art Association and Gallery will present “Objectivity,”an exhibition of sculpture and photographs. This exhibition will explore how five artists working in different media deal with the quality of being objective through the lens of a camera or the touch of the hand. Artists exhibiting are sculptors Mary Adams, Dan Murray and Jon Riedeman and photographers William de la Marr and Catherine Noren. The exhibit will run from May 6 through Saturday, June 3. An opening reception will be held on May 6 from 4 to 6 p.m. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 pm. For more information, please call 860-868-2878 or email at washingtonart@snet.net. The gallery is at 4 Bryan Plaza in Washington Depot, Conn.

Chase plant sale

Free meals Master’s Table Community Meals will host a free brunch and a free dinner in May. The brunch will be Saturday, May 13, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., and the free community dinner will be Sunday, May 21, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. All are welcome. The meals are served at Assumption Church at 61 N. Cliff St. in Ansonia. For more information, visit www. masterstablemeals.org or call 293-732-7792.

Paint Night fundraiser

Plants will be blossoming for Whiskers Pet Rescue, a 501(c) a good cause at Chase Collegiate (3) no-kill animal shelter, will School on Thursday, May 11, celebrate its one-year anniverfrom 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The – See In Brief on page 5 school will hold a plant sale to

The Bee-Intelligencer

May 2017

Volunteers of the Year

Region 15 Volunteers of the Year are, left to right, Amy Parrott (Memorial Middle School), Cara Spath (Rochambeau Middle School), Lindsay Vlaskak (Gainfield Elementary School), Jennifer Lynch (Gainfield Elementary School), Brittany Stoler (Long Meadow Elementary School), Jodi Wasserstein (Middlebury Elementary School), Brigitte Weinmann (Long Meadow Elementary School), and Ana Jordan (Middlebury Elementary School). Missing: Anna Farino (Memorial Middle School), Marisa Amara (Pomperaug Elementary School) and Yvette Lomaro (Pomperaug High School) (Submitted photo)

It Happened in Middlebury

Middlebury schools – Breakneck School By DR. ROBERT L. RAFFORD Middlebury had always been divided into six school districts: 1. Centre (Central, around the Green); 2. Break Neck Hill (northeast); 3. Kissawaug (southwest); 4. Hop Swamp (southeast); 5. Tylertown (northwest); and 6. Sandy Hill (south central). Today, of course, districts usually have two or more towns to each district. By the late 1700s, virtually all Connecticut towns were divided into school districts. School districts grew out of ecclesiastical districts, and control of them alternated between town and ecclesiastical societies until 1856. Official School Visitors were appointed in each town, including Middlebury, starting about 1827. Visitors were instrumental in improving conditions in schools including improving attendance, pay for teachers, teacher qualifications, building and classroom conditions and standardization of textbooks. New leaders in education who emerged included Horace Mann in Massachusetts and Henry Barnard in Connecticut. In 1838, Barnard was appointed secretary to a new state board of commissioners for schools. In the 1800s, the state paid for some of a student’s education, but families still paid a tuition, according to Clifford J. Dudley (“The History of Public Education in Connecticut,” © The Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, online). The Break Neck Hill school district of Waterbury predated Middlebury’s founding in 1807. The building was at the intersection of present-day Watertown Road and Breakneck Hill Road on the south side of the street. It is now a private residence.

This picture of Breakneck School was probably taken around 1930. (Middlebury Historical Society photo) Middlebury resident Bessie Wheaton Bronson (1846-1923, wife of Eli Bronson) wrote in 1919 that a teacher, Mrs. Julia Platt Dunham (1840-1940, wife of Giles Langton Dunham), described conditions at Middlebury’s Hop Swamp school in 1858: “The summer term was six months long and the Winter term four months … I had previously taught in the Breakneck district when I received $1.00 per week and my board, going home at the end of the week for over Sunday.” When she began teaching at Hop Swamp School (later called Hop Brook and then Bradleyville), her salary was raised to $1.50 per week; at the end of six summers it reached $2.02. She taught six days one week, five days the next, from nine to 12

mornings and one to four afternoons. Some of the places where she boarded were more than a mile from the school, and rainy days were especially difficult; fortunately, the school had a Franklin stove to dry her. She reported that, “Great emphasis was placed on reading and spelling … Arithmetic, geography and grammar were taught. Writing came after they could read and spell.” (Delia Bronson, “History of Middlebury, Connecticut”). Delia Bronson’s History reports the schoolhouse at Breakneck was replaced by a new one in December 1868; it was repaired in 1887 for $112.50, and eight feet were added on in 1898 for $282. In 1915 a new Bradleyville school building was built on a

new site. However, in 1931 the town had already begun building a new school that incorporated the Kissawaug, Center, and Breakneck school districts. It was called Center School. When William Martin Shepardson (b. 1864), a much-admired superintendent of Tranquillity Farm and an honored School Committee member for many years, died in 1944, the school was renamed the Shepardson School. The building today is known as the Shepardson Community Center. Bob Rafford is the Middlebury Historical Society president and Middlebury’s municipal historian. To join or contact the society, visit MiddleburyHistoricalSociety.org or call Bob at 203-2064717.

Retirement accounts for business owners In past columns we discussed Individual Retirement Accounts – both traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs. Business owners, of course, are often eligible to contribute to these IRAs, subject to the same rules as non-business owners. But there are other types of retirement plans business owners can take advantage of that may allow for larger contributions and resulting tax benefits. For a small single-person business, the most common type of retirement plan is a SEP (Simplified Employee Pension) plan. Effectively, this allows the business owner to contribute up to approximately 20 percent of net income from their business into a SEP. The contribution is tax deductible, and future withdrawals will be taxable, similar to traditional IRAs – but you must be showing a profit in the business. Also, depending on the amount

Diversified Tax Tidbits By MARK A. BURNS

of profit in your business, the 20-percent calculation may be less than you could contribute to a traditional IRA, so you may be better off doing the latter instead of a SEP, or you may be able to do both. The nice thing about a SEP is the contribution does not have be made by April 15, as is the case with regular IRAs. The deadline for a SEP contribution is the deadline for the tax return, including extensions. For someone reporting their business on Schedule C of Form 1040, this means the SEP contribution can be made anytime up until Oct. 15. This gives the business own-

er additional time to come up with the funds for the SEP, if necessary. Extensions can be filed on April 15 and since the actual SEP contribution does not have to be made before the tax return is actually filed with the IRS, the tax return can be filed on April 16 or any time up until Oct. 15. That tax return can include the SEP contribution and it is valid as long as the funds get into the SEP account by Oct. 15. But a word of caution: I have seen clients of mine who have good intentions of getting those funds into the SEP account by Oct. 15, but then future business cash flow turns out to be less favorable than expected, so the owner is not able to fund the contribution. Then amended tax returns need to be filed (and additional tax preparation fees incurred) to remove the SEP contribution from the tax return and the client

period during which the disciplinary board takes it all under advisement, and more replies and appeals, while the employee is still getting paid. It could be worse ... and it is. Take the case of the surgical nurse who showed up for work drunk,

and then operated on a veteran. It will take nine months to get him out of there, at a minimum. Extensions can increase that time. He was charged with reckless endangerment, being drunk in public and driving drunk after spending time at a casino, but the VA can’t quickly fire him. Now the VA is working with Congress to speed legislation that would cut the time needed to get wayward employees off the rolls. The VA Accountability First Act will give the VA secretary the power to expedite a firing. Still,

Obituaries Florence “Cerie” (Jackson) Rowland Florence “Cerie” (Jackson) Rowland, 85, of Southbury, Conn., and formerly Waterbury, Conn., passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by her family, on April 12, 2017. Cerie was born on Oct. 7, 1931. The daughter of the late Dr. Edward J. and Florence (Delaney) Jackson, Cerie grew up in Middlebury, Conn., and attended St. Margaret McTernan School and St. Mary’s School of Nursing. Cerie was married to Sherwood L. Rowland Jr. for 45 wonderful years until his passing in 2000. Beloved mother of John and his wife, Patty, of Middlebury, Conn.; Ned and his wife, Colette, of Hingham, Mass.; Henry and his wife, Bea, of Waterbury, Conn.; Marnie Crawford and her husband, Jeff, of North Kingstown, R.I.; and Skip and his wife, Deana, of Watertown, Conn. Known as Gramma-Cat to her 11 grandchildren and three greatgrandchildren, Cerie is survived by her sister, Veronica Jackson Searles and brother-in-law Bob of Westerville, Ohio. Predeceased by sisters Barbara Mierzwinski of Bethlehem, Conn., and Claire Cassidy of Charlotte, N.C. Cerie also is survived by several nieces and nephews and many dear friends. Cerie was a long-time member of St. Margaret’s Church in Waterbury, St. Andrew’s on Block Island and more recently Sacred Heart in Southbury. Cerie was known for her spirit and hospitality with meals at her dinner table an unforgettable experience. Her wit and grit left her friends in stitches and her critics in tears. She was an accomplished tennis player, mariner, bridge player, artist, and cook, and brought passion and energy to all she did. A former Commodore of the Block Island Club, Red Cross nurse, Salvation Army volunteer, Republican Party organizer, St. Mary’s Hospital Auxiliary, B.I. Ice Cream Store manager, and Waterbury Club member, Cerie steered her activities with the same gutsy confidence as at the helm of the “Tigerina” trawler that she and Sherwood navigated for many years together along the Eastern coast. To a command from Cap-

tain Cerie to throw a line, her mate Sherwood would promptly reply “Yes Cerie, I Sherwood!” Cerie loved Block Island summers but perhaps even more the off season. As Cerie often said during a fall hurricane, “We are in for a blow,” and there was no better place to be than in her “Spinnaker Hill” family home of 50 years on the southeast side with a roast in the oven. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated April 18 at Sacred Heart Church in Southbury. Burial was to follow at Riverside Cemetery in Waterbury. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Cerie’s name may be made to the Mary D. Fund, P.O. Box 323, Block Island, RI 02807. Visit www.murphyfuneralhomect.com for more information or to send an online condolence.

Mark Comstock U.S. Navy Veteran

Mark Comstock, 62, of Waterbury, loving husband of Tami (Ventres) Comstock, passed away peacefully at his home on Friday April 14, 2017. He was born in Stamford, Conn.,the son of Arline (Mead) Comstock and the late Samuel F. Comstock. A 1973 graduate of Henry Abbott Technical School in Danbury, Mark lived in Waterbury for the past 30 years. He had worked at the Home Depot in Waterbury for 13 years and was known for his quick wit and incredible sense of humor. He enjoyed music, photography, and movies, especially Star Wars. He was a proud veteran of the United States Navy. Besides his wife, Tami, and his mother, Mark leaves his daughters, Aubrey Ellis and Brittany Comstock; his brothers, Glenn and Thomas Comstock; and several nieces and nephews. Visitation was April 20 at the Naugatuck Valley Memorial/FitzgeraldZembruski Funeral Home in Naugatuck. Memorial contributions can be made to Hartford Health Care, HOPE Team, 50 Brookside Road, Waterbury, CT 06708, or the Harold Leever Center, 1075 Chase Parkway, Waterbury, CT 06708. To send an online condolence, please visit www. naugatuckvalleymemorial.com.

Obituary Policy Please ask your funeral director to send obituaries and photos to us at beeintelligencer@gmail. For more information, call 203-5776800. The Bee-Intelligencer runs obituaries and their accompanying photos free of charge. We do this as a community service to honor the deceased and the family and friends who love them.

In Brief -

Continued from page 4 sary with a Paint Nite Fundraiser on Sunday, May 21, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at Rad Art at 144 Oxford Road in Oxford, Conn. An artist will lead the group through a step-by-step guided painting. Tickets are $40 per person and must be purchased in advance by May 1. Tickets can be purchased by emailing whiskersticket@gmail.com and or stopping by the adoption center at 134 Main St. S. (Bennett Square Plaza) in Southbury Tuesday thru Sunday from 12 to 3 p.m. For more information, call 203586-1666. The website is www. whiskerspetrescue.org.

owes additional taxes to the IRS plus interest and penalties back to April 15. In addition to a SEP, other plans business owners can possibly take advantage of include simple IRAs and the more complicated profit-sharing and defined-benefit plans. These will Call for artists be discussed in future columns. This is an overview of a potenThe Southbury Women’s tially complex subject. Always Club is accepting applications consult a tax professional if you are uncertain about how tax matters might affect you. READERS: Do you have a tax topic you would like Mark Burns to discuss in this column? If so, please send your column idea to Mark@DFSPC.biz. Mark A. Burns, M.B.A., is a C.P.A. with Diversified Financial Solutions PC in Southbury. He can be reached at 203-264-3131 or Mark@DFSPC.biz.

and sponsors for the 13th Annual Fall Fine Arts Festival of Southbury to be held Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Southbury Green at 775 Main St. S. The juried outdoor festival is open to all artists and handcrafters who produce their own original work, and all mediums, styles, and techniques are welcome. Proceeds from the festival go to local charities. Admission to the festival is free. Artists who apply by June 1, pay $65 for a single space (double space is $130) when the application is received by June 1, 2017. Fees increase June 2 and after July 31. Find more information at www.southburywomensclub.org or email FallFineArtsFestival@gmail.com or call 203-228-8243.

Trust & Dignity

VA regulations let bad apples linger A recent press release details the Department of Veterans Affairs’ difficulty in firing an employee for misconduct, saying it will take 30 days to get rid of him. The employee in question was removed from patient care, but he’s still there, pulling in a paycheck. The steps to dismiss an employee generally have taken 270 days. There has to be 30 days advance written notice ... after multiple other steps are first taken to gather evidence. Then there are replies, and appeals, and a long

there’s the required advance notice, the response time, the appeal, a final ruling ... and those all add up. Another bill, H.R. 27, signed off by the House and handed to the Senate, has a hope-inspiring title, “Ensuring VA Employee Accountability Act.” The devil is in the details, though. All the act requires is that copies of reprimands and admonishments remain in the employee’s permanent record, yet it’s been sitting there since January. (c) 2016 King Features Synd. Inc.

The Bee-Intelligencer

May 2017

Diabetic asks if meds caused leg weakness

TAG SALE & Auction

Saturday, May 6, 2017

Shepardson Community Center 1172 Whittemore Rd., Middlebury

Tag Sale - 9:00 am -1:00 pm

(Early Bird entry 8:30 am – $10 fee)

Live Auction – 6:30 pm

Silent Auction & Preview Party – 5:30 pm

SEEKING DONATIONS Gently Used Housewares, Sports Equipment, Electronics, Furniture, Home Décor, Collectables, Books, Jewelry, Linens, Toys Unique items of historical interest

Call 203-758-2671 Donations are tax-deductible - Pickup is available

Middlebury Congregational Church, 1242 Whittemore Rd. Worship with us Sunday at 10:00 am All are welcome!

would be very unusual if you took the Reglan for only two months and have stopped. I think it is unlikely that either diabetic neuropathy or the Reglan are causing the muscle weakness. There are many kinds of neuropathies, and all (or nearly all) are more common in people with diabetes. I would revisit your doctor to try to find out more about why you are having leg weakness. READERS: Diabetes has become epidemic in North America. The booklet on it offers insight into its diagnosis and treatment. Order a copy by writing to Dr. Roach – No. 402W, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6 Canada with the recipient’s print-

ed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery. DEAR DR. ROACH: We always hear about “superfoods” and their antioxidant power. Is there any truth to the hype? – H.C. ANSWER: I know what you are saying; blueberries, kale and acai berries often are called “superfoods.” I don’t really know what “superfood” means. These foods are generally healthy as part of a balanced diet, but it doesn’t mean that eating them can make you live forever – or even erase bad food choices. To me, a healthy diet is one with lots of diversity – many different fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains and fish and limited amounts (or none) of red meat,

saturated fat and processed foods. Health isn’t found by sticking to a fad diet, but by a lifetime of healthy eating, regular exercise, stress reduction, good social interactions and being fortunate enough to avoid injury and disease. Making good choices dramatically improves your odds of a healthy life. Questions Dr. Roach regrets he is unable to answer individual letters, but he 1. When was the last time before will incorporate them in his column 2016 that the Cincinnati Reds whenever possible. Readers may were no-hit in a regular-seaemail questions to ToYourGoodson game? Health@med.cornell.edu. To view 2. What team did the Baltimore and order health pamphlets, visit Orioles defeat to end their www.rbmamall.com, or write to season-opening 21-game losP.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL ing streak in 1988? 32853-6475. 3. In an NFL game in 2015, New (c) 2017 North America Synd. Inc. Orleans’ Drew Brees and Eli All Rights Reserved Manning of the New York Giants set a record for most combined touchdown passes in a game (13). Who had held the mark? May 15, 2014: Hernandez is in- 4. When was the last time before dicted on two counts of first-de2016 that the men’s basketball gree murder and other charges in teams for Oklahoma and Orconnection with the shootings of egon met in the NCAA Tourde Abreu and Furtado. nament? May 28, 2014: Hernandez pleads 5. Seven NHL players have tallied not guilty to charges in connection at least 700 goals for their cawith the deaths of de Abreu and reer. Three others finished Furtado. with at least 690 goals, but did Jan. 9, 2015: Hernandez goes on not break the 700 mark. Name trial for murder in Lloyd’s killing. the three. April 15, 2015: Hernandez is 6. Toronto set an MLS record in convicted of first-degree murder; 2016 for most goals in the it carries a mandatory sentence of playoffs. How many did Tolife imprisonment. ronto score in six games? Feb. 14, 2017: Hernandez goes 7. Who was the first light-heavyon trial for murder in the 2012 killweight champion to remain ings of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro undefeated during his time as Furtado. champion? April 7, 2017: The jury begins Answers: deliberating. April 14, 2017: Hernandez is acquitted of murder in the 2012 killings of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. April 19, 2017: Hangs himself at age 27. This is a bizarre world, and the world of sports is supposed to offer you an escape. I have no words to convey how truly sad I am that Aaron Hernandez turned out to be such a disappointment. May God have mercy on his soul and bless his daughter and family. Mark Vasto is a veteran sports(c) 2017 King Features Synd., Inc. writer who lives in New Jersey.

Five years dead Five years ago, Aaron Hernandez was one of the brightest prospective players in the NFL, a 22-year-old all-pro tight end out of the University of Florida who had just signed a lucrative fiveyear, $40 million contract with the perennial champion New England Patriots. During that span of time, if Aaron Hernandez had chosen to walk a different path, barring injuries, he would have made the playoffs all five of those years and would be wearing two Super Bowl rings. More than likely, he would be negotiating an extension. On April 19, he would have joined his teammates at the White House as they celebrated their latest Super Bowl victory. Instead, sometime during the early morning of April 19, Aaron Hernandez hanged himself inside his cell at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster, Mass., where he was imprisoned for life for murder, five days after being acquitted in a separate double-murder trial. Think about that for a moment. The man could have made millions ... won two Super Bowls as part of the best TE super tandem in NFL history with Rob Gronkowski, lived happily ever after with his pretty fiancee and beautiful daughter in their man-

sion with in-ground pool, but he thought this was the better path to take: July 16, 2012: Two men, Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado, are shot to death in their car as they wait at a red light in Boston’s South End neighborhood. August 27, 2012: Hernandez signs a five-year, $40 million contract with the New England Patriots. February 2013: An associate, Alexander Bradley, is shot in the face in Florida. Bradley files a lawsuit alleging that Hernandez shot him after they argued at a strip club. June 17, 2013: The body of Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional football player who was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancee, is found about a mile from Hernandez’s mansion in North Attleborough, Mass. June 26, 2013: Hernandez is arrested on a murder charge in Lloyd’s slaying and later pleads not guilty. The Patriots release him hours after his arrest.

1. Rick Wise of Philadelphia nohit the Reds in 1971. 2. The Chicago White Sox. 3. New Orleans’ Billy Kilmer and St. Louis’ Charley Johnson combined for 12 in a game in 1969. 4. It was 1939, in a semifinal game. 5. Mark Messier (694), Steve Yzerman (692) and Mario Lemieux (690). 6. Seventeen. 7. Michael Spinks (1981-85).

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have peripheral neuropathy symptoms in my feet. I am borderline diabetic and keep it under control by eating right. Also, my legs are weak, and I am doing exercises. I was taking the drug Reglan for a couple of months. During the time I was taking it was when I started to have these leg problems. Could this be a side effect of the Reglan? – G.D. ANSWER: Diabetic neuropathy is pecially after chemotherapy, and a complication of longstanding is used to stimulate the stomach diabetes, especially if it has been emptying in people with diabetic poorly controlled. Occasionally, it gastroparesis, which is a type of can show up seemingly early in neuropathy of the nerves to the the course of Type 2 diabetes, but stomach and intestines. Many or this is thought to represent a delay most diabetics with gastroparesis in diagnosis in otherwise asymp- also have diabetic neuropathy. tomatic disease or in those who However, metoclopramide should have ignored symptoms. The not be given for more than eight symptoms of diabetic neuropathy weeks due to the risk of tardive usually begin with numbness, and dyskinesia, a serious disease of later on pain and tingling of the motor control, especially in the feet. Weakness, when it happens, facial muscles. Although tardive dyskinesia can cause symptoms generally comes later on. Metoclopramide (Reglan) is in the limbs, weakness would be used forBee: 5.25 x 3.8 (six vertical) nausea and vomiting, es- unusual, and tardive dyskinesia

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Classified Advertising Deadline: 5 p.m. Monday Classified Advertising Cost: $10 per insertion, up to 40 words. 25¢ each additional word. Submit ad with your name, address, telephone number and payment to: Mail: Bee-Intelligencer, P.O. Box 10, Middlebury, CT 06762 Email: mbisubmit@gmail.com Office: 2030 Straits Turnpike, Suite 1 This publication does not knowbeach. 3-Bedroom. Weeks ingly accept advertising which is available. Sleeps 8. $3500. deceptive, fraudulent, or which Email: carolaction@aol.com might otherwise violate the law for more information. or accepted standards of taste. However, this publication does FOR SALE not warrant or guarantee the accuracy of any advertisement, TWO HERITAGE KAYAKS nor the quality of the goods or made in Bristol, R.I. Sit on services advertised. Readers top, one-person seat in exare cautioned to thoroughly cellent condition, paddles, investigate all claims made in life vests. Two Thule roof any advertisements, and to use racks for car or van. Used at good judgment and reasonable Lake Quassapaug in Middlecare, particularly when dealing bury. Asking $250 firm. Call with persons unknown to you 203-573-0235. who ask for money in advance of delivery of the goods or serHEALTH & FITNESS vices advertised.

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LEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL USE OF REAL PROPERTY OWNED BY THE TOWN OF MIDDLEBURY LOCATED ON NICHOLS ROAD The Town of Middlebury invites proposals for use of a portion of real property located on Nichols Road more properly described in a Map entitled, “Property Survey of Land Owned By the Connecticut Water Company Middlebury, CT to be Conveyed to The Town of Middlebury” By: Gesick & Associates, P.C. dated March 3, 2000, Scale 1”=150’, Revised through December 13, 2000. A copy of the Legal Description of the Property, the aforementioned Map, Warranty Deed to The Town of Middlebury, and Conservation Restriction may be obtained from Middlebury Town Hall. To receive consideration, three (3) copies of the proposal must be received by the Office of the Selectmen by May 31, 2017 at 9:00 am at which time they will be publicly opened and read aloud in the Conference Room on the third floor of the Town Hall. Submissions received after the date and time specified above will not be considered. The Town of Middlebury reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal it deems to be in the best interest of the Town. All proposals are subject to the requirements of Connecticut General Statute §8-24 and the Middlebury Town Charter. Questions pertaining to the use of this property should be emailed to the First Selectman, at firstselectman@middlebury-ct.org To request copies of RFP documents, please email Connie Brunswick, Finance Assistant, at cbrunswick@middlebury-ct.org

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Mental toughness I think it’s safe to say that none of us lives a charmed life in which everything always seems to go our way without a hitch. The reality is that all of us face obstacles and challenges on a daily basis that have the potential to disrupt our efforts and compromise our accomplishments. I say potential because, although we all face such tribulations, our responses to them vary significantly. Why is this? Why do some of us fall victim to difficult circumstances, often suffering significant negative impacts whereas others seem to get through similar experiences intact, remaining essentially unaffected? Why do some people appear to get thrown off course by the slightest impediments and others navigate through them seemingly undeterred? While there can be many reasons why people react differently to adversity, one way to explain such diverse outcomes is to attribute them to varying degrees of mental toughness. Mental toughness describes people’s capacity to continually perform to the best of their ability regardless of the circumstances in which they find themselves. They maintain their definiteness of purpose. The essence of mental toughness is consistency. Mentally

Winning Ways By Pat Iannuzzi Insights for Constructive Living

tough people are steadfast. They don’t let hardship or misfortune divert them from the behaviors, values and beliefs they know are key to their success and happiness. They are consistent in maintaining positive attitudes about themselves and optimistic expectations for their future. They persevere and don’t let challenges or temporary setbacks throw them off track. Such consistent, disciplined adherence to their guiding principles maintains their momentum through difficult times and gives them a competitive edge over those who allow adversity to disrupt or even completely thwart the attainment of their goals. Studies have demonstrated that mental toughness plays a more important role than anything else, even talent, in achieving our personal and professional goals. That’s good news because we can’t do much about the genes we were born with, but we can do a lot to develop mental toughness. We need to continually push ourselves in thousands of small ways to keep doing what we know we should

be doing in spite of what happens. We must keep our focus on our ultimate goals and not become sidetracked by current problems. Developing mental toughness is like developing a muscle. It’s built through consistent small gains. It’s the individual behavioral choices we make on a daily basis that build our “mental toughness muscle.” It needs to be exercised to grow and develop. Otherwise, we won’t be mentally and emotionally prepared when things get difficult. We all want mental strength, but we can’t just think our way to it. It’s our consistent disciplined behaviors that develop our mental toughness. When things get tough for most people, their focus gets distracted and they stray from their mission. When things get difficult for mentally tough people, they find a way to remain focused, stay on schedule and not let the challenge at hand deter them. Pat Iannuzzi of Symbiont Performance Group, Inc. is a performance consultant, trainer and coach focusing on selling, presentation and interpersonal skills. He lives in Litchfield and can be reached at 860-283-9963 or piannuzzi@symbiontnet.com.

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Tuesdays bring cyber security breaches By JUSTIN GOLDEN If it’s Tuesday, then there must have been another cyber security breach. Apologies to the 1969 comedy, “If it’s Tuesday, this must be Belgium.” The movie humorously depicted the travails of individuals on a packaged tour of European countries. With the continuous press reporting about the latest hack or breach of personal, private or confidential information occurring all around us, people are uncertain how to effectively reduce the risks they face while online. An article in Cyber Heist News documents this in, “Chinese Hackers Use Fake Cellphone Tower to Spread Android Banking Trojan Worm.” Check Point Software blogged about Chinese hackers who took to smishing (phishing attacks or the attempt to gain access to information by posing as a trusted source or appearing as a legitimate SMS, which stands for Short Message Service, standard text messaging used by people globally). This was taken to the next level using a rogue cell phone tower to distribute Android banking malware (malicious software) via a

spoofed SMS. They fooled mobile telephone users into downloading a malware application onto their smartphones or tricked them into giving out sensitive information. In this fast-evolving “wired world,” your information is at risk of being stolen and then used against you. Pew Research Center reported in an article, “What the public knows about Cybersecurity,” that the majority of Internet users can answer fewer than half the questions correctly on a complex knowledge quiz about cybersecurity issues and concepts. The quiz asked 13 questions that tested American’s knowledge of cyber security issues and terms. While cybersecurity is a broad subject, it outlined the concepts and topics that experts believe are necessary for users to protect themselves online. The majority of those who took the quiz were able to answer two questions correctly. Seventyfive percent could correctly identify the strongest password from a list of four options. The correct password is the password that does not contain words in the dictionary, but does contain letters, numbers and symbols and

a combination of upper- and lower-case letters. Most quiz takers also knew that using public WiFi that is password protected does not mean it is safe to perform sensitive tasks such as online banking on that network. Swiss Re Institute asks, “Awareness is here, but is preparedness?” Cyber risk can vary,and the outcomes can occur via a variety of methods. Your data can be exposed deliberately or inadvertently. With that exposure you may face a financial loss or harm to your reputation. Any business is at risk, not just large, publicly traded companies but small businesses, too. Swiss Re/IBM reported in October 2016 that 40 percent of surveyed companies had been affected by a cyber incident within the past three years and 60 percent expected cyber risk to increase. These risks can be reduced but not eliminated. Take the first step, which is to educate yourself on to how navigate safely online. Don’t become the next cyber security hack statistic. Contact us, Golden Technology Services Inc., at 972-670-9738 or info@gtscloud.com.

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May 2017

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Adopt a Rescue Pet

VIOLET

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This adorable gray/white spayed female kitten with white boots is about 10 months old. She is very affectionate, and quite playful at times. She is fine with other mellow cats, healthy, and a real love bug. She would probably prefer to live with another mellow cat also. She urgently needs a foster home until she is placed, everything provided.

Serena is an adorable, affectionate spayed female gray/brown tabby mix with green eyes. She is 4 to 5 years young, mellow and playful. She is a healthy love bug who wants to be with you and may follow you around at times. She may be fine with another mellow cat.

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accommodated. (The airline ultimately apologized to the passenger.) Part of the problem is not knowing or understanding how service or companion animals such as therapy dogs should be accommodated. Another part of the problem is that the regulation about service dogs in the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)

is somewhat vague and doesn’t address other animals or specific types of services. Therapy and other types of companion pets are not mentioned in the ADA regulation. The bill being debated in Massachusetts takes aim at a third problem that has arisen: businesses that take advantage of the ADA’s vague wording to sell inadequately trained animals to people in need of service dogs or companion pets. Supporters of the bill say poorly trained animals can undo years of work raising awareness of the need to allow service dogs and therapy pets to come into businesses with their owners. In short, there’s a need for clearer legislation and continued

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