Volume 17, Issue 39
Serving Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall
Middlefield selectmen discuss Beseck Mountain safety, budget and location of voting polls By Chuck Corley Special to the Town Times The Board of Selectmen (BOS) began their discussion on Jan. 3 with Lucy Beaudry, whose son, Michael, fell from Beseck Mountain May 23, 2010. Beaudry spoke in the hopes that the town might act to prevent any more falling deaths in the future. Michael and a number of his friends parked at the gate at the end of Kickapoo Road to gain access to the mountain. According to Beaudry, “The gate is a joke,” for a number of reasons. She noted that the sign on the gate only says that there is no loitering or parking, when she felt it should send a stronger message about fines or cars getting towed in order to prevent people from parking there. She also suggested that the town should monitor the area more regularly to prevent trespassing. Beaudry also suggested that the town put up a plaque at the site where Michael fell, both to serve as a memorial and as a warning to any future hikers passing the location. The loose, gravelly trap rock along the ridge makes it difficult to hold onto, and Michael’s death isn’t the first to happen along Beseck Mountain – First Selectman Jon Brayshaw noted that three people have died along the Metacomet Ridge since he entered office five years ago. “I have to sleep knowing that my kid fell,” Beaudry stated, but she also hoped that her son’s death might not be in vain by preventing anyone else from falling in the future. Unfortunately, the area where Michael fell is near the Blue Trail that runs along the
Metacomet Ridge. The trail passes not only through the town’s property, but state and private property as well. So while the board spoke in favor of putting a sign on the cliff where Michael fell, they added that it may be difficult because it isn’t wholly under their authority. Brayshaw added that two signs were made for one of the other falling deaths along the ridge, but were never put up. He explained that if a sign is put up at the site of one death, but not another, then it may generate complaints. While it was suggested that a sign could go up on the gate at Black Pond, this again raised the issue of whether the town has that right. The same is true of the gate at the end of Kickapoo Road. Resident Marianne Corona recommended that Beaudry speak with the Forest and Park Association, while Brayshaw agreed to find out who can authorize the placement of signs or plaques along the trail. The board also briefly reviewed the budget, with Brayshaw reporting that Middlefield’s portion of the school budget should go down due to a decrease in the number of Middlefield students. Middlefield’s percentage of students went from 34.9 percent to 33.33 percent, and while See Mfld. BOS, page 5
In this issue ... Calendar ...........................4 Durham Briefs............... 10 Middlefield Briefs ..........11 Sports .........................12-13 Creative Arts...everywhere Obituary .........................14
Friday, Januar y 7, 2011
Our talented community: Creative Arts part II
Left to right, “Dot Creature” by Priscilla Pascucci, IDS grade 3, of Durham; Melissa Handy, pen and ink drawing, CRHS; “Greek Amphora” by Mattina Benedetto, IDS grade 5, of Middlefield. See more creative art on pages 15-24 and scattered throughout.
Celebrating a ‘holiday about peace’ By Cheri Kelley Town Times On Thursday, Jan. 13 the people of Durham and Middlefield are invited to enjoy a musical celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights movement and the importance of peace and tolerance. Victoria Christgau is the artist who coordinated this performance. Christgau is the founder and executive director of the Connecticut Center for Nonviolence (CTCN) housed at the University of Hartford. She has been a peace/arts educator for over 25 years while living a creative life. “When I was a child, I lived with my grandmother for a time; she was a costume designer for Broadway. I was privileged to go to rehearsals and sometimes go shopping for materials with her. My mother, whom I also lived with, wrote all the time. I was
The poster displayed around town for the community-wide MLK Jr. event. always encouraged to be highly creative and expressive,” Christgau explained. After Christgau completed high school, she went to work on a small movie, while living in Wichita, Kansas. She loved
acting, but singing really became her passion. “It’s just in our home,” Christgau said about music; her husband is a guitarist and her son is a professional drummer who travels the world. Christgau started her work with nonviolence when she was 12 years old. She was in sixth grade when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. She talked about that time: “My family had been following the movement and living in Queens in York City. At 12, I knew racial tension was wrong. I was emotionally affected by it.” Christgau moved to Connecticut, and as an adult in 1986 started a MLK Commemoration in Litchfield County. It started out as a potluck dinner where she invited musicians, actors and poets. They did readings and reached out to the community. Christgau said, “I felt it was crucial that See MLK JR., page 9