Volume 19, Issue 13
Serving Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall
TownTimes.com
Friday, July 6, 2012
State: new signs at Millers Pond will give ‘straightforward message’ about swimming Photos by Stephanie Wilcox
By Stephanie Wilcox Town Times The state might not have plans to put a lifeguard at Millers Pond in Durham, but the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
told the Board of Selectmen, in a letter dated June 22, that DEEP will be installing signs at the pond. The new signs will be in English and Spanish, with pronounced colors that give a “simple and straightforward” message: “People have lost
BOE elects new chair By Stephanie Wilcox Town Times The Board of Education unanimously elected Kerrie Flanagan as chairman at its July 2 meeting. She replaces Tom Hennick who was chairman the last five years. Flanagan expressed her gratitude for Hennick’s chairmanship in a phone call with Town Times Tuesday: “It’s a hard job and he’s worked really hard.” Flanagan is going into her eighth year as a BOE member. Last year she was on the Policy Committee and was chairman of the Finance and Long Range Planning committees. She was a past chairman of the Personnel Policy Committee for five years and has served on the Curriculum Committee and on several Administrative Hiring committees. She also participated in the development of the Five-Year Strategic Plan last year. “I’ve been a very active board member,” she said. “I’m excited about the opportunity to work with this great group of board members,” Flanagan continued. “We had a lot of positive momentum on the board last year, and I look forward to carrying it forward. I’m very happy to have the support of the entire board.” At the same meeting, Norm hicks was elected secretary and Mary Jane Parsons was elected treasurer.
their lives here and we do not want you to become another statistic.” The letter, signed by DEEP commissioner Daniel Esty, was a response to a letter the selectmen sent to DEEP this spring requesting for increased coverage during recre-
ation season after a recent fatality at the pond — a seventh drowning since 2000— that had residents demanding a solution. Many of the concerned people See Millers Pond, page 2
Durham may change how it leases property By Stephanie Wilcox Town Times During public comment at the June 25 Board of Selectmen meeting, resident Joseph Pasquale expressed his disappointment that the town could change the way town-owned property is leased, and therefore put the future of Deerfield Farm in question and send a mixed message about supporting agriculture in town. Pasquale, who read from the minutes of the June 12 Conservation Commission meeting, said it seems as though the town plans “to pull the carpet out from underneath [Deerfield Farm]” by adopting a new lease poli-
cy. He suggested that it was conflicting to promote agriculture in the community, “but yet as the community we’re not willing to make the commitment to the people running this business.” Melynda Naples, who has been leasing Deerfield Farm for the past five years, had been behind on making payments to the town, according to First Selectman Laura Francis. The lease for Deerfield Farm will come to an end this year, and the Conservation Commission recently discussed advice on the matter from town attorney Robert Poliner. According to the minutes of the June 12 meeting, Poliner advised that any new con-
tract should go out for bid since there is no clause in the current lease for an automatic renewal. Poliner does not recommend a five-year lease, but if it is for five years, he said payment should be made
See Property, page 11
In this issue ... Calendar............................4 Government Calendar .....6 Letters..........................8, 12 Schools........................15-18 Obits ................................20 Spotlight..........................19 Sports ..........................21-24