Serving Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall
Volume 17, Issue 40
Friday, Januar y 15, 2010
21st century emergency Weather is nippy, but ice is nice notification available to all Right, the Paulson family, By Sue VanDerzee Town Times “If we can’t reach you, we can’t alert you!” It’s a brave new world out there. The proliferation of methods of instant communication means that you’re almost never unreachable, anywhere, any time. That can be annoying, but it can also be life-saving and anxiety-reducing. It’s the latter affect that the Safer Durham notification system hopes to have on your life. That system, which was developed by Everbridge, and adopted by the town of Durham in 2009, allows residents who sign up to be notified of emergencies or community alerts using any number of communication
methods. These include home phone, cell phone, email and text message. About 1,000 Durham households have signed up. According to Francis Willett, Durham’s emergency management director, the system would have allowed town officials to reach residents instantly when Graphite Die Mold experienced an industrial emergency that necessitated the evacuation of residents in the area. In a recent meeting with representatives of Durham, Middlefield and Regional School District 13, Willett announced that because Durham holds a current contract with Everbridge, and
of Middlefield, spent Tuesday afternoon skating — and slipping — at Lucy Strickland Memorial Skating Pond in Middlefield. “It’s colder out here than it looked,” said mom, Fran, helping son Alex with husband Chris while son Luke looks on. “But it’s a lot of fun to get out here and skate.”
Just across the pond, Chris and Matt Quick, left, of Middlefield, played ice hockey with their dad David and dog “Nutsy.” David declared “Nutsy is the best hockey player in the family.”
See Emergency, page 3
Durham ice is nice, too
Page one photos by Stephanie Wilcox
New camera purchased to help foil burglaries, Durham budget holding so far By Stephanie Wilcox Town Times At their first meeting of 2010, the Board of Selectmen (BOS) heard a December status report from the Resident State Trooper, delivered by First Selectman Laura Fran-
In this issue ...
Renee Donlan and daughter Erin, 5, had the ice to themselves at the ice rink on Route 68 in Durham.
Calendar.........................4-5 Durham Briefs................13 Libraries .........................11 Middlefield Briefs ......14-15 Obituaries ..................18-19 Sports ..........................20-23 Spotlight ..........Next week!
cis. She informed the board about the town’s new “ground hog” camera and surveillance system that was purchased using a Justice Assistance Grant (JAG). The self-contained device is used for repetitive robberies and is unique in that it is used on the ground for better angle views. Francis noted that the state police have nothing of its kind, and in fact it is being borrowed by a state police sergeant who is testing the equipment. In return, the sergeant will provide an instructional manual, guidelines and classroom and practical training to
Durham. Nov. 2009 fiscal analysis Francis reported that state revenue is the biggest concern in the fiscal analysis and said there may need to be a spending freeze if the town does not receive the grants that have been promised. She said the Town Aid Road (TAR) money has not been released by the state, but most anticipated year-todate ECS funding has been received. Finance director Maryjane Malavasi helped determine that no deficit mitigation measures are necessary at this time. See Selectmen, page 13