Volume 18, Issue 37
Serving Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall
Friday, December 23, 2011
Jesus is born! The Middlefield Federated Church held its first Living Nativity last weekend. A “cast” of 25+, left, aged 4-70+, staged the first Christmas story inside and around the church building to help immerse visitors in the “reason for the season.” Participants included a cow, a sheep and two chickens. Over 125 people enjoyed the experience and donated a can of beans for Amazing Grace food pantry as the price of admission. Right, Ellie Nick, of Middlefield, took the part of a sheep at the annual Christmas pageant presented by the Middlefield Federated Church on Sunday, Dec. 18. This year, the pageant was authored and directed by Sierra Manning and Colin Plant (with lots of help from the Gospel of Luke). Photos by Sue VanDerzee
Crocs for Haiti
Special meeting approves fund transfers for vehicles, Deefield farm and emergency operations center By Trish Dynia Special to Town Times
French Honor Society with advisor Donna Cashore. By Elisabeth Kennedy Special to Town Times Molly Dudko and her mom, Cloe Poisson, traveled to Haiti in August 2010. Although the poverty and devastation in Haiti post-earthquake can be difficult to bear, Molly and her mom came home not overwhelmed but committed to make a difference. What a difference they have made — Cloe writing a powerful story published in the Hartford Courant,
Molly writing for The Devil’s Advocate and both choosing to change the life of a young boy through sponsorship. Both Molly and Cloe will return to Haiti at the end of the month, sacrificing holiday time with family and friends to continue to make a difference. Molly asked how she could help and embraced the chore of collecting crocs for all of the children of HELO (Home Education Love Opportunity, an orphanage in
Photo by Elisabeth Kennedy
Haiti). A member of the French Honor Society at Coginchaug, Molly approached the group with the challenge: 49 pair of crocs for the children of HELO. The French Honor Society (FHS) has its own history of making a difference in Haiti, being one of HELO’s first sponsors and supporting one of the girls at HELO since 2008. Students raise funds to pay See Crocs, page 6
About 25 residents attended a special town meeting on Monday, Dec. 19, to review and approve several fund transfers. First on the agenda was a proposal to approve the transfer of $52,971 for the down payment and/or first lease payment on a new Freightliner dump truck and $116,538 for the purchase of a new F350, a used F350, sanders for the F350 trucks, and another vehicle to be determined for the sanitarian as recommended by the Board of Finance. First Selectman Laura Francis noted that the proposal is in line with the
town’s Public Works Fleet Replacement Schedule and “falls within the purpose of the funds.” In response to several questions from the public, Francis and other town officials provided the following information: The town’s equipment took a beating last year, and the sanitarian’s vehicle is unfit for safe service and will be replaced with a fourwheel drive Jeep to be used primarily by sanitarian Bill Milardo. This vehicle will cost $18,000 or less. One F350 is coming off the road and will not be replaced, and the Freightliner dump truck is similar to the one purchased last year. The only difference See BOS, page 22