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Volume 23, Number 48
Friday, February 28, 2020
Middlefield votes to sell property to Habitat for Humanity By Everett Bishop Town Times
In a unanimous vote in the affirmative, the town of Middlefield voted to sell the property at 171 Hubbard St. to Middlesex Habitat for Humanity.
Rev. Jeanette Hicks distributes ashes to Dave Montgomery, left, and Frank Ovchar as part of Ashes to Go services. Photo by Everett Bishop, Town Times
Churches collaborate on Ashes to Go effort By Everett Bishop Town Times
Ash Wednesday services brought the Durham and Middlefield communities together outside of church. On Wednesday, the Middlefield Federated Church, the United Churches of Durham and the Church of the Epiphany joined to distribute ashes as part of the United Churches’ annual Ashes to Go services.
Rev. Jeanette Hicks, of United Churches, has been been providing ashes to people on the go in Durham since she joined the congregation in 2016. “The idea is about bringing the observation of Lent out to the people instead of expecting people to come into the church,” she said.
“[W]e’re here to connect with people and help them connect to God,” said Pastor Rebekah Forni of Middlefield Federated Church. “People will have tears in their eyes when they receive their ashes. We don’t know the story behind those tears, but there are stories.”
The vote occurred at a public hearing on Tuesday, Feb. 18. The regularly scheduled Board of Selectmen meeting was momentarily adjourned in order to hold the hearing. First Selectman Edward Bailey said the town had initially received the property through a “tax foreclosure” in July. Since then, the town has done some “remediation work” on the land before they were approached by Middlesex Habitat for Humanity.
“We discussed terms and conditions of selling the property to Habitat for Humanity and in essence that boiled down to what we had invested in the property … and that included the unpaid taxes, legal fees to gain possession of the property and maintenance costs,” said Bailey. Habitat for Humanity purchased the property from the town for $53,424. The town and Habitat for Humanity reached an agreement to subtract the taxes accrued over the projected nine-month construction period of the home from the purchase price of the property, which was estimated at $55,705. See Habitat, A13
Lent — the 40 weekdays Ashes were distributed in from Ash Wednesday to the parking lot of United Easter — is marked by penitence and fasting. See Ashes, A13
Scout builds picnic tables for popular park By Everett Bishop Town Times
Five new picnic tables can be found at Allyn Brook Park thanks to the efforts of a local teenager.
Nick Vestergaard, a senior at Coginchaug High School, crafted the picnic tables as part of his project to become an Eagle Scout. When he learned that
Durham Parks and Recreation wanted more picnic tables for the Pickett Lane park, Vestergaard jumped into action. See Scout, A6
First Selectman Edward Bailey and Selectman Carol Bufithis led a town hearing on Tuesday, Feb. 18 concerning the sale of 171 Hubbard St. to Habitat for Humanity. The motion passed unanimously. Photo by Everett Bishop, Town Times