“October, tuck tiny candy bars in my pockets and carve my smile into a thousand pumpkins ... Merry October!” ~ Rainbow Rowell, Attachments
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Bee Intelligencer AN INDEPENDENTLY OWNED FREE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
Informing the towns of Middlebury, Southbury, Woodbury, Naugatuck, Oxford and Watertown
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Volume XI, No. 11
LPOS focuses on Fenn Farm repairs, tour, easement By TERRENCE S. MCAULIFFE The Middlebury Land Preservation and Open Space Committee (LPOS) at its Sept. 2 meeting voted to bid out reroofing the cow barn and was told the first selectman had authorized funds to repair the horse barn foundation and re-open a plugged drainage ditch. They set Oct. 10 for the annual Fenn Farm tour and discussed a complaint from lifetime farm resident Robert Fenn and a draft easement for vehicles to travel over farm property to carry out burials in the adjoining cemetery. Members unanimously voted to recommend to the Board of Selectmen (BoS) that a cow barn re-roofing project be put out to bid. Repairs to the leaking barn roof had been discussed for years, with several consultants visiting the site and offering opinions. This led to Chairman Ray Pietrorazio’s offer at the November 2014 meeting to draft a bid package that he subsequently reviewed with members in February. He said the most recent structural engineering opinion, from The Barn Yard and Great Country Garages in Bethel, was there was no reason not to proceed with a reroofing, but whether or not the roof was structurally sound enough for a re-roofing job could only be confirmed by a complete engineering study. Pietrorazio said such a study would be very expensive, and he didn’t think anyone would guarantee the roof’s soundness. He noted the barn was over 200 years old and was built before building codes, making it impossible to bring it up to present-day building standards. Former Chairman John Cookson agreed with Pietrorazio the building had withstood serious recent snowstorms. Member Richard Spierto asked where the money would come from and was told by Pietrorazio it would come from the capital maintenance account, originally $200,000 and now down to $140,000. He said First Selectman Edward B. St. John told him BoS approval was needed to spend the money and encouraged him to send the project out for bids with the good possibility grants would match half the cost. St. John offered the services of the town’s financial officer, Larry Hutvagner, to help with grant paperwork. During discussion, Cookson was added to the Fenn Farm maintenance subcommittee after citing his tenure as chairman and his familiarity with the farm. He joins Pietrorazio, Malcolm Todt, Ted Mannello and Patrick
Dwyer. Member Kris Jacobi volunteered to chair a funds subcommittee to coordinate fundraising to replenish the capital maintenance account. In another long-discussed matter, Pietrorazio said he had been authorized by St. John to award masonry repair work to Sammy Masonry of Waterbury, which had submitted a $3,500 bid to fix the horse barn foundation. The masonry repairs will include two 6-inch-by-6-inch pressure-treated beams to augment a cracked beam. The money will come from the capital maintenance account. Another capital improvement-funded repair authorized by St. John was re-opening of a buried drainage ditch that required immediate attention. The job was initially estimated at $800 but grew to $1,300 when the work, performed by Jesse Esposito, proved to be more involved than expected. The Fenn Farm annual tour was set for Oct. 10 at the request of Robert Fenn, who conducts the tours as groups of visitors arrive. Pietrorazio suggested a sign be posted outside Four Corners store to promote the tour in addition to the flyers and news articles done in the past. Todt said he would cook the hot dogs, and Pietrorazio said he would coordinate with the Middlebury Land Trust, which co-sponsors the event. A letter from Fenn containing numerous complaints and suggestions on farm maintenance was discussed by members. Dwyer agreed to write a draft response for review at the next meeting. In new business, a proposed revocable license agreement allowing grave site preparation and burial vehicles to travel over a 15-foot strip of Fenn Farm property was discussed. The legal document, designed to be signed by officials of the Town of Middlebury, Middlebury Land Trust, Middlebury Cemetery Association (MCA) and Robert Fenn, stipulates liability insurance, indemnification from claims, damage repair and oversight by Fenn. MCA member Betty Jane Blick, commenting on damage from ruts, questioned whether burial vehicles were heavier than farm equipment and was told by Pietrorazio that vehicles carrying vaults were much heavier and might cause ruts that would require repairs. Blick said the MCA had not met since receiving the draft and was told by Pietrorazio changes could be suggested by all parties. The next regular LPOS meeting will be Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 6 p.m. at Shepardson Community Center.
Inside this Issue Adopt a Rescue Pet.....8 Library Lines................2 Classifieds...................7 Obituaries...................5
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Diversified Tax Tidbits...5 Puzzles.......................7 Golden Technologies...4 School Daze................4 It Happened in Middlebury...5 Senior Center Events....2 Library Highlights........2 Winning Ways.............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
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October 2015
Better Homes & Gardens® comes to Middlebury By MARJORIE NEEDHAM Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate announced Sept. 23 that it has opened its first office in Connecticut. And it’s right here in Middlebury. Middlebury real estate broker-owners Donna Bannon and Mary Ann Hebert’s independent brokerage, Bannon and Hebert, has become a franchisee of Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate. The firm’s new name is Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate Bannon and Hebert. Bannon said they told the firm’s agents about it at their agent appreciation dinner at John’s Cafe. She said she began with, “We have something sort of important to tell you.” Bannon said the agents were thrilled with the news because the relationship with Better Homes and Gardens® will provide them with a number of tools that will make their jobs a lot easier. Bannon and Hebert operated as an independent agency for 19 years, but the time had come to consider other options. Bannon said, “I think we began to see what was happening with technology was explosive. The smaller firms were finding it hard to compete.” Hebert said of the new relationship, “We are very excited to be the first office in the state … I feel as if we have hired consultants. They help us in so many ways.” The franchise allows them to remain independent owners while enjoying benefits such as marketing materials and training tools. “Donna and I looked around at other firms,” she said. “We saw this brand matched our business’s core values.” Bannon agreed, saying, “Their core values match our core values.” Those core values are passion, authenticity, innovation, growth and excellence. In a prepared statement, Sherry Chris, president and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate LLC said, “Our entry into Connecticut is an exciting milestone, and we are particularly pleased to continue our strategic growth with a team who aims toward the future while still maintaining their deep roots in the community. From their outstand-
Middlebury’s Donna Bannon, left, and Mary Ann Hebert, right, hold one of their firm’s new signs, Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate Bannon and Hebert. The broker-owners operated as an independent brokerage, Bannon and Hebert, for nearly 20 years. (Marjorie Needham photo) ing commitment to ethical practices to their commendable business acumen, Donna Bannon and Mary Ann Hebert embody the core principles upon which Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate was founded.” As a franchisee, the Bannon and Hebert tradition of giving
back locally will continue through year-round charitable efforts, including active involvement in Waterbury Youth Services, serving as a drop-off point for the local food bank and hosting an annual coat drive. For more information, please visit www.bannonandhebert.com.
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate® LLC is a subsidiary of Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY). The firm’s network includes more than 9,500 affiliated sales associates and approximately 290 offices serving home buyers and sellers across the United States and Canada.
Proulx retires, CC accepts applications By TERRENCE S. MCAULIFFE The Middlebury Conservation Commission (CC) at its Sept. 29 meeting thanked retired member Thomas E. Proulx for his service and welcomed new member Curtis S. Bosco. It also accepted an application for an illegally constructed concrete dam at 120 Tranquility Road, agreed to sign off on a certificate of occupancy for an 891 Straits Turnpike building, took an application for afterthe-fact work for an oversize patio constructed without prior approval, and accepted an application for a building on Southford Road. Chairman Vincent B. LoRusso opened the meeting by thanking Proulx, who was not there, for his service. Proulx, a 10-year veteran of the commission, served as its chairman from October 2013 to August 2014. LoRusso called
Proulx “a solid member of the commission you could always count on.” LoRusso then welcomed new member Curtis S. Bosco, Middlebury’s zoning enforcement officer and a former member of the Planning and Zoning Commission. Attorney Anne Peters, representing dam owner Robert Bosco, said at the Aug. 25 meeting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) granted approval for a planting plan for the dam, which was built without a permit. LoRusso on Feb. 24 instructed Peters to come back with an application for a new wetlands permit within 60 days after the ACOE made its determination. Also in August, Peters said the dam is constructed so water flow is more predictable and the dam is less susceptible to wash out. Soil scientist Cynthia Rabinowitz
said the native species plantings are designed to be naturalistic and in time will create a woodland setting, provide shade and keep the water cool. The application was accepted for review with the requirement commissioners be allowed to walk the property and a list of changes be provided. In enforcement matters, Wetlands Enforcement Officer Deborah Seavey told commissioners a 20-by-20-foot patio was approved for the new office building at 891 Straits Turnpike but a 20-by-40-foot patio with stairs and a retaining wall was built. She said the owners asked for a certificate of occupancy with the condition an after-the-fact modification application be submitted. Commissioners agreed and unanimously accepted the application for review. At the September meeting, the commission unanimously ac-
cepted for review an application by Joseph Desantis and Richard Brown of Middlebury, D/B/A Southford Road LLC to combine a 2½ acre parcel at 1000 Southford Road with an acre from the adjoining lot at 984 Southford Road owned by Francis Cipriano of Watertown D/B/A Southford Park LLC for a new 14,000square-foot commercial building. Attorney Michael McVerry said the 1000 Southford Road property previously was approved for a car wash/gas station/convenience store, and the combined 3½ acres would provide room for a centrally located commercial building on the property. The next regular CC meeting will be Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m. in Room 26 at Shepardson Community Center.
St. George’s Church Blessing of the Animals Festival What: When: Where:
Annual blessing of the animals festival includes pet adoptions, pet basket raffle, pet grooming, food and drink, vendors 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. St. George’s Episcopal Church, Tucker Hill Road, Middlebury
Annual Fenn Farm Fall Tour
What: Farm tour, hot dogs, apple cider, apples, pumpkin raffle and photo contest When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Where: 55 Artillery Road, Middlebury
Middlebury Parks and Rec Annual Halloween Trick or Trunk What: When: Where: Info:
Decorate your vehicle and fill your trunk with candy for a “Howling Ghoul” time Set-up from 12 to 1 p.m.; Trick or Trunk from 1 to 3 p.m. Memorial Middle School parking lot, 1 Memorial Drive, Middlebury For more information call Parks and Rec at 203-758-2520, ext. 702
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