3-19-2010Town Times Newspaper

Volume 16, Issue 49

Serving Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall

Middlefield selectmen’s meeting short and sweet

By Sue VanDerzee Town Times

Interestingly, the subject of most discussion at the March 15 Board of Selectmen’s meeting in Middlefield concerned minutes of past meetings. Selectman Ed Bailey asked that the clerk be instructed to produce more concise minutes due to the inability of “anyone to remember every last word” (as in the current minute style). “If I vote for it, I want to be sure it’s accurate,” Bailey concluded.

First Selectman Jon Brayshaw, selectwoman Mary Johnson and a member of the audience cautioned about the dangers of too much conciseness. “This is a small town,” said Brayshaw. “People want to come to Town Hall and read about the discussion, not just what motion was passed.” Johnson concurred.

Following that discussion, the meeting was short and sweet. Updates were provided on marketing Powder Ridge (two of the three currently interested parties have met with the selectmen with one more to go) and the Nerden Camp land swap. The selectmen approved a motion in principle to endorse the swap of land behind the camp on Powder Hill Road for some land on the flat field in front of the camp buildings. The ratio would be approximately three-to-one, land the town

Public hearing on the Middlefield town budget: Thursday, March 18, at 6 p.m. upstairs in the Community Center.

This hearing is called by the Board of Finance to comment on the selectmen’s budget proposal.

would get to land the town would give. The motion also stated that there would be no buildings on the land given to the camp (backstops and benches for sports would be fine), and all the camp land would revert to the town if the camp ceased functioning.

The update on the townowned Hubbard Street property added some new information to the process of deciding whether to petition off several residential lots on Hubbard Street and market them for houses. The concern had been expressed that since the 47acre parcel was purchased partially with a STEAP (economic development) grant from the state, putting some (about 15 acres) of that land into residential lots might cause the state to ask for some or all of their money back.

However, in an email received from project engineer Nelson Tereso, Brayshaw was informed that as long as any money made through sale of the residential lots was used for economic development activities, it would be fine with the state. The selectmen received this news gladly since one of the things the town will have to do to market the rest of the land is to build an access road from Brookside Drive. The town currently has no money budgeted to do this so using money from the sale of any lots would make sense, they agreed.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Dads and daughters dance the night away ...

Right, Caroline and dad Bill Smith dance to “Daddy’s Little Girl” while below there’s some rocking going on at the Father-Daughter Dance sponsored by Durham-Middlefield Youth and Family Services on March 12. Three dozen plus men accompanied by daughters, granddaughters and nieces in grades K-6 enjoyed the evening.

Photos submitted by Nicole Milardo

See Mfld. BOS, page 12

In this issue ...

Calendar ............................4 Durham Briefs ............18-19 Easter Fun .......................13 Libraries ..................17 & 19 Middlefield Briefs.......16-17 Obituaries........................22 Scouts.........................7 & 23 Sports...........................24-28

Durham Board of Finance meets with school officials

By Chuck Corley Special to the Town Times The Board of Finance met with District 13 superintendent Sue Viccaro, Board of Education member Kerrie Flanagan and business manager Ron Melnik to discuss the school budget during a

workshop held on Saturday, March 13. At this time, the board wanted school officials to explain why the school was typically over so much in budgeting for salaries as well as the reason for its over $2 million fund balance. According to Melnik, the school previously budgeted salaries

based on the average salary, which often increased the line item beyond what was required. However, he stated that the school is budgeting closer to actual salary numbers now and pointed out that the item has gone down

See Durham BOF, page 18

2

Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at CRHS

“Something familiar, something peculiar, something for everyone, a comedy tonight!” Coginchaug Regional High School will present the madcap musical Forum on April 8, 9 and 10 at the Julian Thayer Auditorium. This show, written by Stephen Sondheim, originally starred the famous Zero Mostel in a wonderful send-up of life and love in ancient Rome.

Coginchaug’s version will star seniors Joe Oblon in Mostel’s role, Alec Bandzes as the aptly named Hysterium, and Caitlin Rogers and Ben Mor-

Town Times Community Briefs

Friday, March 19, 2010

Connecticut beef saved lives.

In addition, lead from a mine in Middletown was fashioned into the bullets used by George Washington’s men.

Connecticut’s role in provisioning the Union Army during the Civil War was no less important. Sharon Smith, author of Connecticut’s Civil War: A Guide for Travelers, will talk about how Connecticut factories produced war goods that covered the soldier from the top of his head (uniform caps from Danbury) to the bottom of his feet (shoes from Hartford) to his horse’s feet (iron from Salisbury).

Middletown and other Connecticut towns armed the soldiers, producing hundreds of thousands of rifled muskets and carbines. Factories produced many of the artillery pieces and ordnance used in the war. As part of her presentation, Smith will exhibit examples of Connecticut’s wartime industrial output.

Smith’s talk, sponsored by the Middlesex County Historical Society, will be held on Tuesday, March 30, at 7 p.m. in the Hubbard Room of the Russell Library, 123 Broad Street in Middletown. She will have copies of her book to sell and autograph. The program,

28, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The dinner is free and open to all.

ganti as the mismatched couple, Domina and Senex. Forum’s most popular song is “Comedy Tonight,” which is part of a great score including songs like “I’m Calm” and “Lovely.”

Keep your eye on the Town Times for ticket information next week!

The ‘Provision State’ and the Civil War Connecticut first earned the nickname “The Provision State” during the Revolutionary War because the state was a leading supplier of food and clothing to the Continental Army, particularly during the terrible winter of 17771778 at Valley Forge, when

Index of Advertisers To advertise in the Town Times, call Joy Boone at 860-349-8026.

Joel’s Detailing ............................7 Ken Marino Sales & Service .......7 Kim’s Cottage Confections..........3 Lema, William J., D.M.D..............5 Lyman Orchards..........................7 Masonicare..........................20, 28 McKinney, Ann ............................7 MHS Primary Care ......................7 Michalowski Agency Ins............17 Micheli Unisex Styling Salon.....15 Middletown Plate Glass.............24 Mike & Pat’s Crafts....................10 Mims Oil.....................................10 Movado Farm ............................26 Neil Jones Home Imp................23 Peaceful Healing .........................5 Perrotti’s Country Barn................6 Pet Stop.....................................23 Petruzelo Agency Insurance.....23 Pro Health Physicians...............15 Rivendell Farm ............................2 RLI Electric ................................21 Roblee Plumbing.......................27 Rockfall Co. ...............................25 Rockfall Northeast.....................24 RSDL Home Improvements......26 Saldibar Construction................23 Sea Breeze Hauling ..................27 Sharon McCormick Design .......26 Singles Alternative.....................28 Split Enz ....................................21 Stone Insurance ........................18 Sugarloaf Mountain Works........10 T-N-T Home & Lawncare..........21 Tony’s Masonry.........................25 Torrison Stone & Garden ..........24 VMB Custom Builders...............26 Whitehouse Construction..........25 Whitney Ridge Stables..............25 Windows Plus............................16

Corrections We strive to bring you the most accurate and upto-date information available each week, but if you see something in Town Times that isn’t quite right, give our news department a call at 860-349-8000, and we’ll do our best to make things right.

Domestic violence support HEART (Help End Abusive Relationship Tendencies): This is an eight-week, closed-session educational support group for people who have experienced domestic violence. Attendees will learn how to build self-esteem and avoid abusive relationships in the future. The HEART Group meets Tuesday nights from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The next session will begin April 20. Call Dianna at 860-344-9599 to register or for more information.

Children At Heart: An ongoing support group for kids ages six to 12 who have been affected by family violence.

Facilitated by the child advocate in Middletown, Children At Heart is a safe, comfortable place for kids to build self-esteem and express their feelings. This group meets at the same time and place as the HEART group. For more information or to register your children, call 860-344-9599.

Community Supper This month’s Community Supper will be hosted by Notre Dame and the Church of the Epiphany. It will be held at the Church of the Epiphany, 196 Main St. in Durham, on Sunday, March

Giant pumpkin seminars

Last year there was an early spring seminar on the Durham Fairgrounds for new pumpkin-growers. It was wellreceived so they are doing it again. Mark your calendars now for these free seminars.

Sunday, March 28 at 1 p.m.: So, You Want to Grow a Giant Pumpkin: This seminar will go over the basics of growing a giant pumpkin.

The goal of this presentation is to give you an idea of the life cycle of a pumpkin plant and what you can do to maximize your chances of growing a truly giant pumpkin. How to select a growing area, do a proper soil test, germinate pumpkin seeds and fertilize a growing pumpkin plant are just a few of the topics that will be explained. There will also be giant pumpkin seeds.

Sunday, May 2, at 1 p.m.

Show Me the Dirt, or Spring Always Brings Surprises: More details and advanced topics you don’t want to miss. This seminar will contain the main points of the first seminar, but will go into more detail, specifically how to complete an isolated pollination so that you can produce your own pure-bred giant pumpkin seeds. Novice and experienced growers are encouraged to attend. Seeds will be available following this seminar as well.

Both seminars will be held in the Medical Building on Canfield Rd. on the fairgrounds just off of Town House Rd. in Durham.

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Ace Oil.......................................18 All Ears Hearing Aid Service.....14 Allan’s Tree Service ..................22 Anderson Lawn Care ................22 APEC Electric............................22 Appraisal One Associates.........26 Assisted Living of Meriden ........18 Batter’s Box ...............................14 Behling Builders ........................22 Berardino Company Realtors..3, 20 Binge, Bruce..............................22 Bogen, Charles Jr., CPA...........25 Boylin, Dr. William .......................3 Brick Construction .....................22 Cahill & Sons.............................24 Caliber Computer Services .......23 Carlton Interiors.........................10 Carmine’s Restaurant .................3 Centurion Exterminating............24 Church of The Epiphany .............7 Colony Ford...............................19 Conroy, John, D.M.D.................11 Ct. Home Additions & Remodeling ...............................21 Daricek Landscaping.................27 Dean Autoworks..........................5 Durham Dental ............................6 Durham In Bloom ........................5 Family Tree Care ......................25 Five Star Performance Horse ...27 Fuel & Service .............................6 Fugge, David M.........................23 Glazer Dental Associates............3 Golschneider Painting...............27 Grosolar.....................................17 Haircuts Plus .............................16 Handy Man ..................................3 Home Works..............................24 Ianniello Plumbing.....................26 Independent Day School...........11 J. Randolph Kitchens ................27

which is free and open to the public, is being held in conjunction with the Society’s exhibit, “Hard & Stirring Times: Middletown and the Civil War.” Further information is available by calling the Historical Society at 860-346-0746.

Town Times

Friday, March 19, 2010

3

‘Peace’ performer comes to John Lyman, plans return visit

By Stephanie Wilcox Town Times John Lyman School hosted Victoria Christgau on March 12 for a much anticipated performance on peace.

Victoria, known for bringing history and literature to life, has been working with the first and second grade students on topics like peace, anti-bullying, music, song and dance and tied it all into ocean studies.

Her performances include “Voice in

Above, Rhea Patel and Jaden Astle with Victoria Christgau.

Below, the Lyman audience participates in the program.

Performance,” “Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement,” “Crossing Rivers, Moving Mountains Music and Stories from Slavery to Civil Rights,” and “Applying Methodologies of Kingian Nonviolence.”

During her time working with students, they have developed strategies for critical and creative thinking, cooperative communication and vocal confidence and skills.

When it all came together during the March 12 performance for the entire school, students helped sing

along to a variety of songs with deep messages, such as “We Come From,” a song the students studied having to do with how the earth is connected. They also learned a song in a West African language that gives thanks to ancestors.

Lessons from Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks were also reflected in the Friday morning performance, as well as themes supporting love, freedom and equality while rejecting meanness, fear and bullying.

“I’ve had a wonderful time working with John Lyman School,” Victoria said.

“There’s a terrific atmosphere, leadership and working as a team here.”

Victoria was joined on stage by Fre Atlast, a master drummer, and Caru Thompson, playing a gourd drum, who has traveled the world playing music.

Note: The JLPA received a CVEF grant to bring Victoria Christgau to give a community-wide presentation next year in January around MLK day. A JLPA spokeswoman said: “We plan to work hard to get a variety of Durham and Middlefield folks there (not just school families).”

You must be registered in a party to vote in primary Nobody knows yet whether there will be primaries held for any party or any office in the upcoming November state elections. Any primary for Republican, Democratic or other party candidates for state or federal offices will be held in August 2010. You must be enrolled in a political party to vote in that party’s primary. If you are unaffiliated with any political party, you will not be able to vote in any party primary. To change your political party or switch from unaffiliated to a party affiliation, you will need to fill out a new voter registration card.

If you are uncertain whether you are registered with a particular political party, you can contact the Registrars of Voters. If you wish to switch from one political party to another, you must switch at least three months prior to the primary. The three-month rule does not apply if you are switching from unaffiliated, only if you are switching from one political party to another.

If you have any questions about your party affiliation or the procedure for changing your party affiliation, contact your local registrars.

Durham Registrars of Voters

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Town Times & Places

4 FRIDAY

March 19

Shabbat Celebrate the joy of Shabbat every third Friday evening at Congregation Adath Israel in Middletown.

Special services begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by a Shabbat meal at 6:15 p.m. and conversation and song led by Rabbi Seth Haaz. The evening is free of charge and open to the public. Call 860-346-4709 or e-mail at office@adathisraelct.org if you plan to attend dinner.

Frog Friday Everyone is invited to the Forest Field in Durham at 4 p.m. to hike to the vernal pool. Call Lucy at 860-49-0313 for information.

Book Sale The Russell Library, 123 Broad St. in Middletown,.will hold a book today, tomorrow and Monday during regular library hours. Books are $3 per bag today, $2 tomorrow and $1 on Monday.

SATURDAY

March 20

Flutist Internationally acclaimed flutist Claire Chase will perform at 2 p.m. at Russell Library, 123 Broad St. in Middletown. Call 860-347-2528 for more information.

Rep. Lesser State Representative Matt Lesser will hold office hours at the Durham Public Library, 10 a.m. to noon.

Free Art Demonstration Terry Bourret will give a demonstration at Hartford Fine Art and Framing in East Hartford from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. called “Mind Games: Practicing Mindfulness With Your Art Process.” Visit terryoakesbourret.com for more information.

Goods and Services Auction The St. Pius X goods and services auction will be held in the Bill Fortin Memorial Hall, 310 Westfield St. in Middletown. The silent auction begins at 6 p.m. with a buffet dinner. Live auction begins at 8 p.m. and includes vacations, event tickets, appliances, jewelry, oil, legal, tax and salon services, gift baskets and more. Tickets available by calling 860-347-4441.

Durham Co-Op registration The Durham Cooperative

Nursery School, 16 Main St., Suite 307, in Durham Village, will register kids from 9 to 10 a.m. A $30 registration fee, a $90 juice/snack/insurance fee and one month’s tuition will be due at the time of enrollment. Call 860-349-6800 for more information.

SUNDAY

March 21 Chamber Choir The New England Chamber Choir will perform at 4 p.m. at the Church of the Holy Trinity, 381 Main St. in Middletown. For information, call 860-347-2591 or visit www.holytrinityct.org.

Special services The Nails will be the sermon subject at Middlefield Federated Church, 402 Main St. in Middlefield, as part of a special sermon series on the symbols of Lent at 10 a.m.

Author in Chester Lauren Weber, author of In Cheap We Trust, will speak and sign copies at 9:30 a.m. at Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek, 55 East Kings Highway in Chester, as part of the Books & Bagels series.

Free and open to the public.

For info, call 860-526-8920.

Coco Key There will be a fundraiser at Coco Key Water Resort in Waterbury to benefit the Connecticut Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Coco Key is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Join friends from Durham and Middlefield from noon to 4 p.m. Tickets, reduced to $20, are available by contacting Jen at 860-349-4404 or jen.e.ren10@gmail.com or Kathy Weber at 860-349-9258 or by e-mail at khakiweather@gmail.com.

MONDAY

March 22 Banquet The winter sports banquet will be held at Coginchaug High School at 6 p.m.

Free Movie Every Monday the Middletown Senior Center, 150 William St., offers a free movie at 12:30 p.m. Today’s movie is Capitalism: A Love Story with Michael Moore.

Call 860-344-3513 for info.

60+ Club The Durham 60+ Club will meet at 1 p.m. at the United Churches of Durham Fellow-

ship Hall, Route 68 and Main Street. There will be a variety table and a social hour. Newcomers welcome.

The Golden Age The Golden Age by playwright A.R. Gurney will be read by local actors at 7 p.m. at Russell Library, 123 Broad St. in Middletown. This work revolves around a young writer’s effort to get some long-lost manuscripts from an old woman who allegedly knew “everyone” during the roaring ‘20s. Call 860-347-2528 for more information.

TUESDAY

March 23 Marketing Jobs Ken Gronbach will speak from 6:15 to 8:15 p.m. at Russell Library, 123 Broad St. in Middletown. He will discuss the market and marketing, focusing on generational marketing. Register by calling 860-347-2520.

Go Far Meeting Come to the Durham Library at 7 p.m to help organize a Go Far event on the fairgrounds in June. Call Jen at 860-781-6669 for more info.

Business After Work Sample the taste of downtown restaurants from 5 to 8 p.m at the Italian Society Hall 72, Court St. in Middltown, during the Business Afer Work event.

Contact danielle@middlesexchamber.com for information.

Free Jazz Music Classical Magnet Jazz Band will perform at 4 p.m. at the Village at South Farms, 645 Saybrook Rd. in Middletown.

Quilters Heritage Quilters of Wallingford will meet in the Auditorium at Masonicare, Masonic Ave, in Wallingford.

“Scrappy Quilt Pizzazz” will be presented by Pat Ferguson. Tickets for the April 24 Victorian Tea will be available. The quilters meet the fourth Tuesday of each month. Guest donation $5. Refreshment and social time 6:30 to 7 p.m.; meeting at 7 p.m. For info, call 203-269-2065.

Theater Free at Last Players will perform at 7 p.m. at the Buttonwood Tree on Main Street in Middletown. This not-forprofit theater group is dedicated to dispelling the myths and misconceptions of mental illness and substance dependency.

Friday, March 19, 2010 WEDNESDAY

March 24

ons Easter egg hunt will be held at 1 p.m. sharp at Peckham Park.

Insects

TOPS Durham TOPS Club meets every Wednesday at 6 p.m. on the third floor of the Durham Town Hall. For info, call Naomi Klotsko at 860-349-9558 or Bonnie Olesen at 860-349-9433.

THURSDAY

March 25 Eldercare Resources A panel of community experts will provide caregiver information on resources such as healthcare, legal issues, housing, transportation and more at 7 p.m. at Russell Library, 123 Broad St. in Middletown. The speakers will be available for questions. For information, call 860-347-2520.

Cinderunzelstiltskin At 7 p.m. Oddfellows Junior Reperatory Company will transform themselves into the students of the Hans Christian Anderson Day School performing their school play. This ridiculous tale is a little Cinderella, a bit Rapunzel and a lot of confusion. Performances tonight, tomorrow and Saturday at 7 p.m. at Oddfellows Playhouse, Washington St. in Middletown. Call 860-347-6143.

FRIDAY

March 26 TGIF Memorial School’s TGIF program for fifth graders begins at 6:30 p.m.

Business Networking The local chapter of Business Networking International will meet in the United Methodist Church, 24 Old Church St. in Middletown, at 7:30 a.m. Contact Kirk Hagert at 860-349-5626 for info.

Hypnotist Show The Project Graduation hypnotist fundraiser will be held at CRHS at 7 p.m.

SATURDAY

March 27 Passport Day The Durham Town Clerk’s office will participate in National Passport Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For info, call 860-349-3453.

Easter Egg Hunt The annual Middlefield Li-

Potapaug Audubon presents “Insects We See Every Day” at the Westbrook Library at 1 p.m. with speaker John Himmelman, author and naturalist. This free program is for ages eight and up.

Refreshments will be served.

For info, call 860-399-0136.

Easter Apple Hunt

Lyman Orchards’ Easter apple hunt will begin for ages one to three at 10:30, for ages four to six at 11:15 a.m. and for ages seven to 10 at noon. The event includes visits with the Easter Bunny, a magic show and horse-drawn wagon rides.

Registration is required for the apple hunt at the Apple Barrel or register online at www.lymanorchards.com. For information, call 860-349-1793.

SUNDAY

March 28 Easter Festival

The United Churches of Durham, 228 Main St., Easter festival is from noon to 1:30 p.m. There will be a candy hunt, face painting, palm cross making, hot cross buns and prizes.

Giant Pumpkin

“So, You Want to Grow a Giant Pumpkin” will be presented at 1 p.m. on the Durham Fairgrounds, in the Medical Building, on Canfield Rd. This seminar will go over the basics of growing giant pumpkins.

Family Ramble

Enjoy a fun family hike at Wadsworth Falls State Park.

The group will walk two miles and look for signs of spring. Meet at the Cherry Hill parking area at 1:30 p.m.

For more information, contact Lucy at 860-395-7771 or lucy@womenofthewoods.org.

Community Supper

This month’s Community Supper will be hosted by Notre Dame and the Church of the Epiphany. It will be held at the Church of the Epiphany, 196 Main St. in Durham, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

The dinner is free and open to the public. All are invited; all are welcome.

Town Times

Friday, March 19, 2010

5

Bring the spring inside your home

By Stephanie Wilcox Town Times Though January marks the start of a new year full of opportunity and potential, most of us don’t feel revived until we do our spring cleaning.

With these tips from local cleaners, designers and decorators, you’ll be able to do your spring cleaning easily and efficiently, get rid of the winter blahs and make way for the rest of 2010.

Spring cleaning First, start by giving your house a thorough cleaning. It sounds overwhelming, but Etleva Halim from Sisters Home Cleaning Team, which she runs with her sister Elsa Perry, shares what she does to spring clean her own home.

“I like to make my life as easy as I can,” she said. Start by opening all the windows of your house so the fresh air can blow from one side to the other, literally sending winter away and welcoming the spring.

The hardest part is taking all the cobwebs and dust off the walls and dusting and polishing the furniture. After you do that, vacuum everything in the house — even the curtains and furniture. Halim

follows up with spraying and washing the kitchen and bathrooms with anti-bacterial spray. Washing the floors with soap and warm water will make the entire house smell like spring.

“Here comes the easiest part — enjoy (the benefits) of a nice, healthy spring cleaning,” said Halim.

Spring redecorating But there’s more ways to get rid of signs of winter — bring on the redecorating to add new ideas into your home and liven things up. Valentina Guenther of Valentina’s Home Designs in Durham gave us these tips from a recent column.

After de-cluttering by putting winter items in the storage containers and getting rid of old papers, toys and everyday clutter, consider painting. Nothing gives a clean fresh feeling like a coat of paint, and it makes the most impact of anything you can do. Think of traditional colors that can be appropriate regardless of the time of year.

You can decorate with touches of spring by bringing in colorful accessories, like pictures, flower arrangements, candlesticks with bright colored candles to com-

plement your existing colors and add birds, bird nests, eggs and butterflies, which are all big this season. If your rooms are the more subdued and softer shades, Guenther suggests going with light coral, buttery yellow, aqua, lavender and celadon.

It may also be worth spending the money to purchase a new set of colorful towels that

represent spring.

“These small accents can make a big difference in how you feel about cleaning and

decorating,” she said.

Fill small pots with parsley, sage and basil for the kitchen sill, which is great for cooking as well as for decor.

Similarly, surround yourself with wonderful scents. People don’t often think of this, says Guenther, but how our homes smell is a form of decoration.

Potpourri and candles are beautiful decor on their own, but they also add the smell factor.

On a budget? Sometimes switching items from one room to another and simply re-organizing, fixing up, or just using an item in a different way can be enough to make a difference.

“It is a sense of accomplishment to look around and see the atmosphere that you have “recreated” with a little bit of imagination and some elbow grease,” said Guenther.

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See Cleaning, page 13

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Sharon McCormick Design in Durham adds these 12 ideas to spring decorating.

1. Introduce fresh flowers.

They don’t have to be expensive. Cut some forsythia from your yard or buy a $7.99 bunch of tulips. It will make you smile.

2. Wash your windows and let the sun shine in.

3. Lighten up. Exchange dark comforters for crisp white ones.

4. Make your dining room a bit more casual by slip covering your chair seats with a lightweight fabric.

5. Switch out to a springy

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Town Times

6

Friday, March 19, 2010

Enrollment, class sizes and sports dominate BOE budget discussions

By Stephanie Wilcox Town Times

There were two major items of discussion at the March 10 Board of Education (BOE) meeting related to the 2010-11 education budget. The first, enrollment and class size projections, and the second, sports and what they cost the district.

“I anticipate these topics will generate a lot of interest,” said Superintendent Susan Viccaro, “so these are the items I want the board to keep in mind.”

Budget: enrollment/class size projections Item number one required an explanation of numbers from Viccaro as some classes, especially at the elementary level, are over District 13’s class size policy, which is only a guideline. Referring to the proposed class sizes for next school year, Viccaro recommended the following: moving a first grade teacher at Brewster School to second grade (there are currently six first grade classes and five second grade classes); move a third grade teacher at Korn School to fourth grade to eliminate having class sizes of 25 and 26 (there are currently five third grade classes and four fourth grade classes); Brewster kindergarten will be closed and all new students

will attend John Lyman (the opposite was done last year but now Lyman has smaller class sizes); Lyman first and second grades will be closed and all new students will attend Brewster; Grade three is over class size policy in both John Lyman and Korn school with classes of 24 students each and 23 each respectively, (policy is a maximum 22) so new students will go to Korn School. Once the programs even out, the schools will switch back and forth as new students come in; All new fourth graders will attend Korn School. These were the superintendent’s recommendations; the board will have their say at a future meeting.

The board heard from some of the principals during the meeting regarding the state changes in kindergarten education. According to Brewster principal Nancy Heckler, kindergarteners are now expected to be taught how to read, write, work with numbers, etc. in addition to learning socialization and the core ethical values, etc.

“We’re trying to teach in two hours and 40 minutes what most schools are doing in a fullday kindergarten program,” Heckler said, referring to the fact that D-13 has half-day kindergarten classes. “So at least class size reductions would help teachers get all of

these things through to the kids.”

There was also a discussion on large class sizes at the high school: currently nine classes have 30 students, 21 classes have 26-29 students and 33 classes have 23-25 students.

Viccaro is working with business manager Ron Melnik to get next year’s expected class size numbers.

Regarding the Thomas Edison Magnet School, Memorial School principal Kevin Brough confirmed that nine students are attending this year and a total of 12 are expected to attend next year, of which Strong School principal Scott Nicol said you can expect three or four to return to D-13 for various reasons.

Though the proposed budget does not call for staff cuts as 6.8 positions were cut last year, board chair Tom Hennick asked what the savings would be if they decided to cut staff. Viccaro responded with about $65,000 per person, but this number will vary.

Budget: sports/cost Item number two received more conversation from the board, particularly having to do with the cost of football.

Viccaro handed out Coginchaug athletic participation numbers and its athletic budget and said, “These (budget) numbers are high — sports are expensive.

They are also really popular, and we don’t want to discourage them as part of a comprehensive school experience.”

The total budget for football is $84,734 — almost three times the next highest budget, boys’ basketball — but most of that is due to the $41,000 for supplies as Coginchaug will have its own football program this year. Viccaro noted that when Coginchaug joined with Vinyl for the VC Hawks football program, D-13 was lucky to only pay a flat fee of $18,000 every year while Vinyl picked up the rest. As Coginchaug now has too many participants to share a program, and the field at the school is not constructed yet, the district will possibly rent a field in Middletown, which will cost about $600 per game. However, it was noted that the district could likely break even if not make more through concessions, etc.

Board member Kerrie Flannigan stated that it is hard to budget for athletics as each year you don’t know what to expect, but the board wants to look at what other schools are doing regarding fees and cost per student to get a better sense for D-13. Her final point on athletics, however, is that the number for football is somewhat “disproportionate because we’re paying 1150582

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in one year for about eight to ten years’ worth of equipment.”

Hennick reminded the board that the cost for football, while it wont always be that large, is accurate to the 2010-11 budget.

The remainder of the budget discussion centered on questions, concerns and observations from board members. Debbie Golschneider brought up postage costs, shipping costs, reverse auctioning, library late fees, oil uses in relation to square footage of each school, overtime for custodians, interns and unfunded mandates, among other topics.

“If there’s anyone who thinks we don’t really read through the budget, you’re wrong,” said Golschneider.

Across from her, Dr. Joseph Ochterski asked why Naviance, described on its website as a program for “post secondary success,” is in the budget at Strong Middle School. After a long discussion, the majority of the members noted that they have not received emails or phone calls from the public with feedback on the budget and encourage people to do so.

Three residents did speak up during public comment at the start of the meeting, all regarding the budget, including items in the capital fund that could potentially be put off, the “way too high” increase in classroom sizes and the decrease in enrollment while spending on teachers is not also decreasing.

Superintendent’s Report Viccaro announced that a principal search committee is forming with board members, staff and administrators and parents of high school students for the replacement of Coginchaug principal Dr. Steve Wysowski who is leaving at the end of the school year to be principal of Bristol Eastern High School. Interviews with candidates will take place in April, including any necessary site visits, with the final candidate to be announced in May so he or she can work with Wysowski. So far nine candidates have come forward, Viccaro said.

Viccaro also announced that D-13 hosted a Chamber of See BOE, page 7

Town Times

Friday, March 19, 2010

7

Judge Marino seeking re-election The Honorable Joseph D. Marino, Judge of Probate for the District of Middletown, announced his intention to seek re-election for a seventh term. The Middletown Probate District serves the towns of Cromwell, Durham, Middlefield and Middletown.

With a population of 73,000

BOE (Continued from page 6) Commerce meeting last week at Strong School with Middlefield and Durham participation. She has also met with parent and teacher groups across the district to keep everyone on track with the budget and to answer questions.

Field trip request The board approved a field trip request for Coginchaug to take part in the New England music festival in Burlington.

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Family ramble Enjoy a fun family hike at Wadsworth Falls State Park, co-sponsored by Durham Recreation and Connecticut Forest & Park Association, on Sunday, March 28. The group will walk two miles and look for signs of spring. Meet at the Cherry Hill parking area at 1:30 p.m. For more information, contact Lucy at 860-3957771 or lucy@womenofthewoods.org.

Photo submitted by Lisa Szymaszek

Makayla Cesario, Megan Szymaszek, Jenna Berens, Stephanie Finaldi, Willow Small, Jaylin Rahamatullah and Olivia Tawa from Girl Scout Troop 62650 collected clothes, blankets, stuffed animals and bandages at Korn School for HELO Haiti. They also met with Elisabeth Kennedy of HELO Haiti to organize all the donations that were generously given by the community at the Middlefield Community Center. Thank you to all the individuals who donated to HELO Haiti. For more information about HELO visit www.helohaiti.com.

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The next board meeting will be held March 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the library at Strong School.

The 2010-11 education budget will likely be finalized for presentation at a public hearing on April 7.

people, the Middletown District is the 10th largest in the sate and handles thousands of matters per year. The court is unique for its volume of mental health cases due to the presence of Connecticut Valley Hospital, Riverview Hospital for Children and Middlesex Hospital.

Judge Marino, a Democrat, is a past president of all probate judges in the state of Connecticut and an acknowledged leader in the area of mental health law. In recognition of his dedicated work in children’s matters, he was recently appointed by Governor Rell as a member of the state advisory council on children and families.

Judge Marino states, “My proudest accomplishment of the past term is the creation of the Central Connecticut Regional Children’s Probate Court. This will allow all cases involving children’s matters to receive the enhanced and specialized services offered by the regional courts to the children, young adults and families of our district.”

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Town Times Opinion

8

Friday, March 19, 2010

Beware of census scams Town Times 488 Main St., P.O. Box 265, Middlefield, CT 06455 http://www.towntimes.com News Advertising Fax Marketplace

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Town Times is published every Friday by the Record-Journal Publishing Co. and is delivered to all homes and businesses in Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall.

Sue VanDerzee, Editor Stephanie Wilcox, Reporter Brian Monroe, Advertising Director Joy Boone, Advertising Sales Wendy Parker, Office Manager Contributors: Betsy White Booz, Chuck Corley, Trish Dynia, Kathy Meyering, Judy Moeckel.

We’re on the Web: http://www.towntimes.com

Official 2010 Census forms from the U.S. Census Bureau will soon appear in mailboxes, and Consumer Protection Commissioner Jerry Farrell Jr. has some advice for residents about door-to-door census takers.

If you fill out the census survey and mail it back promptly, it’s unlikely that a census worker will also come to your home, Farrell said. But households that don’t return the form by April 1 are likely to eventually find someone from the census at their door.

“While door-to-door census-takers are legitimate, please know that scam artists may also try to use this opportunity to gather information for identity theft or to gain access to your home,” Farrell said. “Never invite or allow a stranger into your home. It’s not necessary to enter your home in order to conduct the census.”

If someone shows up at your home claiming to be from the Census Bureau, check for these indicators. Census employees will carry a bag marked with the census logo. They wear a specific badge with the employee’s name, and if they’re driving, they will have a placard in their car. They will be able to supply more identification if you ask. You can verify their identity by calling the Census Bureau at 1-866-

226-2864. You will need to provide the worker’s name and the Case ID number.

Real census workers will NOT ask any questions about your residence other than who lives at the address. They are collecting only names, ages, races, genders and salary information on those who live at your address.

A scam artist may ask more specific questions about your home and property and may even ask to enter your home. Scam artists may ask questions about your Social Security number, bank information or account numbers or political affiliation. “This personal data is NOT being collected by the Census; be suspicious of any supposed census worker who asks for it, and don’t give out the information,” Farrell said.

According to the official website, http://2010.census.gov, the census will not use email to gather information. So, delete any email message claiming to be from the U.S. Census that asks you for personal information.

It could be a scam.

The census helps determine federal aid and assistance to communities for things like hospitals, job training centers, schools, senior centers, public works projects and emergency services.

Participation by U.S. residents is mandatory.

Letters to the Editor Come to the Hunger Banquet

We would like to invite the community to the Coginchaug hunger banquet, which will be on Wednesday, March 31, at 6 p.m. At this dinner, everything from where you sit to what you eat reminds you of the inequality of resource distribution worldwide. The event will be held in the Coginchaug cafeteria and tickets are $4. The best way to purchase tickets is by contacting Mrs. Michael at 860-3497215, ext. 235. The ECO club encourages you to bring your own utensils and cups to help reduce waste. We also would appreciate donation of a nonperishable food item to donate to local food banks. After presentations and dinner, there will be our traditional dessert auction. All proceeds go to global, as well as local, hunger relief efforts. We welcome all

members of the community to attend and contribute to hunger relief.

The Environmental Coginchaug Organization

Thanks from a dad I would like to take a moment to thank the DurhamMiddlefield Youth and Family Services for the fantastic Father/Daughter dance they held this past Friday night.

It was a wonderful event — my daughter and I were looking forward to it all week. The kids had a great time, and it was well attended. In a world that is always trying to pull us apart, we really need events like these that support the bond between a father and a daughter.

It makes a real difference to these girls’ self-esteem to have their dad take the time to value them in this way.

Letters policy To facilitate the publication of your contributions in Town Times, please sign your letter and include a phone number included. The writer will be called to confirm authorship. No anonymous letters will be printed. Contributions by any individual or group will not be published more frequently than once a month. Every effort will be made to print all letters received.

However, the selection and date of publication will be at the discretion of the editor. Finally, the opinions expressed by our letter writers are not necessarily those of this newspaper. Deadline: Tuesday noon for Friday publication.

Cady was positively beaming for days afterwards.

The team did a great job running the event. I’m looking forward to going next year as well. THANK YOU! Scott Hurlbert, Durham

Lesser wasn’t the only one To the Editor, Regarding House Bill 6678 — passed June 3, 2009, which may have impacted the Durham Fair. This is a 130page bill originally proposed by the DPH way back in 1971 in response to the mass gathering at the Powder Ridge Rock festival during which there were significant public health issues and emergencies. Last year the DPH updated the bill and sent it to the legislature where it passed by a vote of 150 to 1. Obviously not one (or only one) representative in the whole state recognized the possible impact to our agricultural fairs.

This is because the wording change alluding to fairs was very small, only one word in a 130-page document! This bill contains literally hundreds of provisions.

Our representative Matthew Lesser has worked diligently with other representatives and the Department of Public Health and Ad-

diction Services to fix this wording and is very close to completion. He met with the Durham Fair Association last Friday to discuss the wording changes with them. He definitely recognizes the fair as being a very important economic engine, and last September pitched in to help at several booths. I feel confidence in our elected official Matthew Lesser, and I feel that he will always do whatever he can to serve the communities he represents.

Susan K. Heuberger R.N. Middlefield

Fishing license woes In another fine example of fleecing the tax-paying sheep, our state now charges $40 for a fresh water fishing license.

That’s double the cost of what a fisherman paid last year.

Double, in one year, so a man who wants to relax a little and free himself from the maddening crowd gets that sneaky back door tax from the thieves in Hartford. Did they double the limit of what you can take home? Of course not. So pay up, fisherman!

This year, I’m not going to buy a license. I’m going to poach trout and see if they can catch me, just as a protest, because I want my day in front of a judge. I’ll be arrest-

ed for sure and probably get five years in jail. (A child molester gets four months.) Once I’m in jail for five years, I can enjoy the gym, the fine food and health care, and it’s more than likely that they will pay to further my education. Also, while I’m in jail, I can write a book about how I found God, am now reformed, and maybe I can go on the lecture circuit and give inspiring speeches about how I turned my life around.

You catch a fish without a license, you go to jail. You steal from hard-working people with ridiculous fees, no one says a word. All for a trout dinner, but it will be worth it. Screw you, state of Connecticut. The river and the fish belong to nature and to God. Take your license and shove it!

Mark J. Czaja, New Haven

A great idea

Dear Neighbors and Friends, My name is Patrick Finnerty. I turned seven last month.

Thank you for publishing the article in January about Lex Sorrell, the boy who turned his birthday party into a fundraiser for polio eradication. He gave me the idea of donating money for Haiti.

Thanks also to my friends who

See Idea, page 20

Town Times

Friday, March 19, 2010

9

Budget meetings abound in March

Durham budget under construction

The budget season is 6.8 fewer positions in Susan L. Viccaro, in full swing, and I the current budget Superintendent of Schools than there were in the want to alert you to upcoming Board of Eduprevious year, 2008-09. cation meetings that My focus for the will be focused on the 2010-11 budget is to 2010-11 budget and enavoid additional staff courage all members cuts while maintainof the public to attend. The last budget ing manageable class sizes and continmeeting will be held on March 24 at uing to provide appropriate services Strong School in the library, begin- for all students. This becomes particuning at 7:30 p.m. All meetings begin larly important as we are looking with an opportunity for public com- ahead to our NEASC (New England ment.

Association of Schools and Colleges) Board members will be at Perk on accreditation process for Coginchaug Main on Saturday, March 20, from 10 in 2012-13 with preliminary work bea.m. to noon to provide additional op- ginning next year. portunities to answer questions and Lastly, this year’s budget of 0.58 pertalk with the public regarding the dis- cent, coupled with the 2.88 percent intrict budget. crease projected for next year, repreOn March 3 I presented the pro- sents an average increase of 1.7 perposed 2010-11 budget. (This presenta- cent each year. Again, I encourage tion can be found on the website by you to attend the upcoming BOE clicking “finance” on the left side.) meetings this March. Please do not This budget calls for a 2.88 percent in- hesitate to contact me at 860-349-7200 crease made up primarily of salaries or sviccaro@rsd13.org should you and benefits. This follows a decade- have any questions or concerns. low 0.58 percent increase for the 2009- Please look for continued weekly 10 budget year we are currently in. It budget updates on our website: is also important to note that there are www.rsd13ct.org.

Two weeks ago, the revenue or increased Board of Selectmen expenditures. presented a budget to These numbers the Board of Finance will most certainly which is the first step of change for a number our budget process. of reasons. We are The BOF will review, still out to bid for sevmake changes and eral major expenses present the proposed such as fuel, public budget to the public at works contracted a public hearing on services and equipMonday, April 12, at 8 ment. Also, I have p.m. at CRHS auditoriasked for voluntary um. There will be amfurlough days from Laura Francis, Durham ple time to make union and non-union changes based on inmunicipal employees. put from the hearing, So far I have reafter which the budget ceived a positive iniwill be distributed for tial response. There is approval at the annual still hope that on-gobudget meeting on ing negotiations with Monday, May 10, at 8 insurance carriers p.m., also in the CRHS auditorium. Up will result in savings. until that time, the budget remains We are actively working to create “under construction.” In fact, even at efficiencies by creating new partnerthe budget meeting, any line item can ships with surrounding towns and be eliminated or reduced. This is a through attrition and reorganization. very interactive process, and I urge However, savings from these efforts everyone to participate. might not be realized in the short As reported, the budget in its initial term. I am very proud of our employform would result in a .66 mil in- ees and volunteers who have diligentcrease; however, it does not represent ly fine-tuned their budgets. This is the a .66 mill increase in spending. The second year in a row that 55 percent of breakdown is as follows: General ex- the line items were either reduced or penses (including contractual agree- stayed the same. ments, health insurance increase, liWe all pledge to continue to look for brary, public works, recreation, a new savings while this budget is still “unbudget for a Durham Activity Center ) der construction.” Attend the budget - .14 mill; Reserve & Capital (increased meetings or watch for the minutes, over last year because it was largely which are posted online. Please call funded by a reallocation) - .31; Reduc- me or any member of the Boards of Fition in local and state revenue - .21 mil nance or Selectmen, or send emails to for a total of .66 mill. Unlike other provide input, ask questions or seek years, we do not have an increase in clarification, and always remember, the grand list to help offset decreased this is your budget, your town.

A View From District 13

It’s all about jobs

Connecticut’s budget deficit is due to a drop in tax revenues.

With few people working, fewer people are paying income taxes and few people are out buying products and paying sales taxes.

This is a result of the worldwide recession, but there are steps we can take to protect and create jobs right here in Connecticut.

State Rep. Last year, for example, I was proud to help lead the charge in passing legislation that saved our state’s billion-dollar dairy industry which employs 5,000 people at farms like the Greenbacker’s in Durham.

This year I am supporting efforts to simplify our tax system by giving businesses a tax credit for each job created in Connecticut.

The speaker of the house, Chris Donovan, recently appointed me to two state-wide task forces working to make Connecticut more competitive.

One is tackling the issue of our high electric rates and the other is working to find ways to create green jobs.

Thanks to a failed deregulation effort a decade ago, Connecticut families and businesses now pay the highest electric rates in the continental

United States — almost double the national average.

When Pratt and Whitney announced they were shipping 1,000 jobs out of state, what was their number one state reason?

Our electric rates.

Just a few weeks ago, Middlefield lost an opportunity to bring a developer to the Powder Ridge Ski Matt Lesser Area Resort. Again, the developer cited our electric rates as the major factor.

Our system allows Wall Street to make billions speculating on energy, while Connecticut’s companies are being driven out of business or forced out of state to lower-cost areas. There are a number of steps I am supporting at the legislature to bring real relief to consumers which include changing the way utilities buy electricity and legislation that will allow a not-for-profit alternative to compete with the energy speculators who are gouging Connecticut rate payers.

Durham Fair: part of the equation Some critics have attacked me for spending so much time this winter fighting to protect the Durham Fair.

From The State Capitol

See Jobs, next page

From The Desk Of The First Selectman

A fresh start for tomatoes, or ideas to fight the blight I love tomatoes. Actually I love juicy, Alice ripe, good quality tomatoes. I don’t like the mealy, hard, semiwhite specimens we get all winter. I long for the bonanza of the local tomato season. I eat tomatoes in the traditional ways: topping salads, blended into soups or sauces, and tucked into sandwiches between the cheese and the lettuce. My relationship with the fruit, however, may go a little further than most. When tomatoes from our family garden thrive, I find places for the perfect orbs at every meal. I eat whole ones splayed open like a flower topped with tuna for lunch. I carry cherry varieties on the go for pop snacks. Tomatoes on salads accompany my dinner. To the disgust of my kids, I slap a juicy slice on top of my breakfast toast along with cream

cheese, olive oil and black pepper.

Last year’s wet spring made ideal conditions for both early and late blights that crippled or killed many tomato varieties. Most green thumbs, new and experienced, lost several plants to what I like to call the “Great Tomato Blight.”

Sadly, I lost many of my favorites, such as Cherokee Purple and good old Beefsteak, to this widespread problem.

Some home growers lost their entire crop of tomato plants. One good gardener I know lost everything twice.

I have tended flowers for years, but I am an inexperienced tomato planter.

Since I have been growing my own only for a few years, I collected advice from others on how to avoid the blight

Blair

Garden Guru

See Tomatoes, next page

Brewster School in Town Times

10

Friday, March 19, 2010

Clockwise from upper left, Griffin Landry and Claire DeFlora (near right) are tasting their green eggs and ham before writing about them. Brewster School held Read Across America assemblies on March 2 in honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday. Second grade classes shared some assignments that they have completed based on McElligot’s Pool (far right). This year, those assignments will be presented in the form of I-Movies that the children made. On March 4, Brewster School students came back to school in the evening to hear bedtime stories. They even wore their pajamas! Brewster Loves To Read Night was attended by over 80 families. Guest readers included teacher assistant Terri Ryan (right), local librarians and retired teachers.

Sgt. John Custy, a U.S. Army medic, recently paid a visit to Mrs. Gallitto’s second grade class. He is serving in Iraq and was home for a short visit. Earlier this year, Mrs. Gallitto’s students wrote letters to Sgt. John and he replied to each of the student’s comments and questions. During his visit, students had a chance to learn more about his job and the country and people of Iraq. Sgt. John is the cousin of Molly Yale, a student in Mrs. Gallitto’s class.

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(From page 9)

They think that in this economy, there are more important things to worry about. But they don’t get it. The Durham Fair — aside from being a key part of the fabric of our towns — is a vital economic engine for many businesses, churches and non-profits in the area.

Hopefully everyone can recognize the fair’s economic importance to our towns.

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and secure the arrival of the juicy delights on my plate. My brother Pete Berry plans to start all our tomato plants from seed to avoid possible contamination from a large grower’s seedling stock. Libby Krall learned from an heirloom tomato grower that the fungus can live through the winter in the soil. She will dig down six inches, remove all the dirt in last year’s blightstricken garden and dispose of it all at the dump. She plans on replacing the soil by turning in a thick layer of manure.

Dina D’Amato hopes to buy her seedlings at the organic farmer’s market. She also plans to try the upside down, hanging tomato planters since you can control the

moisture better.

Debbie Kulpik read that spreading a thick layer of wheat straw mulch will help ward off fungus and disease.

Memorial School nurse, Joanne Nytch, will hope for less rain and plant blight-resistant types such as cherry and yellow varieties. Every vegetable gardener I talked to plans to space their tomato plants as far apart as possible.

Good air flow keeps crops dry. These nasty visitors thrive in moisture and the tomato blights are guests we want to make feel as unwelcome as possible.

For a little more garden entertainment, please see my website www.slendergardener.blogspot.com.

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Friday, March 19, 2010

John Lyman School in Town Times

11

The Harlem Wizards traveled to John Lyman School before Sunday’s game and entertained an enthusiastic audience with games and fun!

Pictured with the Wizards is third grader Holden Starr.

Photos by Betty Hadlock

Sharing cultures in weekly assembly Students in Betty Hadlock’s 3-4 class shared information about the ruana, a traditional article of clothing in Colombia, South America.

From left, Juliana Simon, Angelina Laudano (speaking and wearing the ruana) and Noelle Sorensen, sharing about the clothing people wear in Colombia.

100 Days of School

Read Across America at John Lyman School on March 2 included study buddy classes meeting together like Adam Copeland, Joshua Fazzino and Gabe Zissis, top.

Just above, students enjoy listening to teaching assistant Tracey Pollitt read. Left, Melissa Hoon reads Fox Makes Friends to students.

Kindergarteners celebrated the 100th day by making necklaces with 100 beads, putting 100 hearts in order, writing what they would do with $100 and drawing pictures of what they would look like at 100 years old.

Laura Colonna De Lega and Alicia Lowry hold up their pictures of themselves at 100 years old.

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Town Times

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Friday, March 19, 2010

Durham author Amy Bloom interested in ‘gaps’ and journeys

By Pamela Morello Special to the Town Times

In an intimate gathering at the Durham Library recently, a group of readers and fans gathered to hear local author Amy Bloom read from her latest collection of short stories, Where the God of Love Hangs Out. The book features two sets of linked narratives, each with four short stories, several free standing stories, and even a poem – When Your Life Looks Back – written by Bloom’s friend Jane Hirshfield. The book’s title story will be familiar to residents, who will find themselves im-

mersed in a small town called Farnam. The humorous yet melancholy story focuses on Macy, a young wife, and her father-in-law Ray, who both have secrets that they eventually confess to one another.

Macy is not exactly who her husband believes her to be, and Ray, though married, is in love with the woman who owns The Cup, the town’s only café.

As is typical in Bloom’s work, the stories in Where the God of Love Hangs Out explore the themes of love, sex, death, family and friends.

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said.

“I’m interested in the gap between w h a t people do and w h a t t h e y feel; the gap between what people say and what they mean.”

The book has already taken its place on bestseller lists and has received many positive reviews, but Bloom said she doesn’t pay attention to either for the sake of her own sanity.

“It’s gratifying to think that there are people out there who are not my relatives that want to buy the book,” she said.

Where the God of Love Hangs Out is Bloom’s third short story collection. The first two – A Blind Man can See How Much I Love You and Come To Me – explore similar themes.

“They are all bound together by the same parent,” Bloom said of the story collections, “so in a way it’s like siblings.

There are things they have in common and things that are different.”

The newest short story collection has been in the works for about five years, Bloom said. As a writer at this point in her career, and a woman at

this point in her life, certain themes continue to intrigue the writer.

“As I enter the second half of my life, mortality, consequences and passion are certainly things that are on my mind,” Bloom said.

For those who have read Bloom before, the cover of her newest book will seem familiar. The arrangement of fruit set against a landscape on the cover of Where the God of Love Hangs Out is very similar to the cover of Bloom’s last novel Away. Both covers were done by artist Sherrie Wolf.

“I’m not planning on making a career with fruit covers, but I like it,” Bloom said.

Bloom is currently working on another novel set in the 1930s after the Great Depression and just before the war. The story showcases the relationships between two half-sisters and their father. Bloom expects that the novel will be released sometime in 2012.

“There is an important journey in this story, but this time it has more to do with the creation of family,” she said.

The author equates the writing of a novel to having a bad case of the flu.

“It feels like ‘oh my God, I’m going to die,’” she said. “I have to prepare myself so much for a novel.”

Bloom’s work could also

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soon be seen on television once again. The writer said she is currently working on a project for cable network HBO. In 2007, Bloom wrote several episodes of State of Mind, about a group of shrinks and their personal and professional lives, which aired on Lifetime.

Though she said she doesn’t write with much of a philosophy in mind, if you asked her kids they would say her life’s philosophy is “have a good time, do no harm, pay your bills.”

For more information visit www.amybloom.com.

Mfld. BOS

(From page 1)

Brayshaw also shared a recent thought that perhaps the selectmen should ask the Economic Development Commission (EDC) to market the land for six months as a 47-acre single parcel. “Sometimes a company wants a campus-like setting,” agreed Bailey. While all concurred that sale of the whole parcel would be ideal as it would get the town out of the business of developing and marketing individual industrial and/or residential lots, they also realized it’s a long shot. Nevertheless, they voted unanimously to continue along two tracks – obtaining a rezone to residential of the acreage along Hubbard Street and charging the EDC with marketing the piece as a whole for up to six months.’

In other business, Brayshaw invited his fellow selectmen to attend the Connecticut Council of Municipalities (CCM) day at the State Capitol on March 23.

“I went last year and learned a lot,” he said.

He also reported on a meeting with Durham First Selectman Laura Francis which should lead to a joint program by the Workforce Alliance in April. Brayshaw came away from the meeting “very excited and optimistic,” he said.

“This workshop will be very valuable to our townspeople as it will help them in the job market in the future.”

In a final bit of business, the selectmen appointed Bill Warner to the Economic Development Commission and noted that his experience as a planner would be invaluable to that group.

Spring in Town Times

Friday, March 19, 2010

Easter egg hunt The annual Middlefield Lions Easter egg hunt will be held on Saturday, March 27, at 1 p.m. sharp at Peckham Park. The rain date will be Saturday, April 3, at 1 p.m. same time, same place.

Easter apple hunt No Easter egg hunt has more treasure to find, or is as nutritious as Lyman Orchards’ 26th annual Easter apple hunt held on Saturday, March 27, (rain date April 3). Children, divided into age categories, dash around the Easter hay maze in search of more than 15,000 hidden apples, each from Lyman’s own trees. The event also includes visits with the Easter Bunny, a magic show and horse-drawn wagon rides. Guests can also enjoy a pre-hunt breakfast in the Apple Barrel eatery or a snack on the deck. Most of the day’s events are free and open to the public. Registration is required for the apple hunt. Registration forms are available at the Apple Barrel or register online at www.lymanorchards.com. For additional information, call 860-349-1793.The apple hunt for ages one to three begins at 10:30, for ages four to six at 11:15 a.m. and for ages seven to 10, at noon.

Durham Rec Easter egg hunt Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 3, and join the Durham Recreation Committee for a fun-filled Easter egg hunt at Allyn Brook Park. Their will be five golden eggs in each age category. The age groups will be: 0-2, 3-4, 5-7, 8-10 and 11 and up. The Durham Recreation Committee will boil and color 1,500 eggs donated by Durham's egg farm, Hi Land Farm. Prizes will be given to all who find a golden egg, and a special bunny guest will be on site. The time of the hunt will be 9 a.m. regardless of weather. Bring baskets for your eggs.

Cleaning

(From page 5)

And now to take that spring energy outside ...

By Stephanie Wilcox Town Times Some dread it; Some find it rejuvenating. Either way, outdoor spring cleaning can be a big project to tackle as Mother Nature undoubtedly wreaked some havoc over the winter on what was once your yard. So when you decide today is the day, find an old pair of sneakers, take a moment to stretch out your body and stick this article in your back pocket as a reference. With these tips from Allan Poole and Jane Harris, both licensed arborists from Allan’s Tree Service in Middlefield, you’ll know just where to start to bring some life back to your yard.

Shrubs Examine your shrubs and follow this simple rule. Prune

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back summer or fall-blooming shrubs now (Rose of Sharon, for example) if they are getting unruly. However, wait until after blooming to prune spring-flowering shrubs, such as forsythia, azaleas and rhododendrons.

If shrubs have become too tall for your landscape, cut the oldest stems back to the ground. New shoots will fill in and give you a fuller-looking shrub. Prune shrub roses back to living buds or to short, sturdy canes — cutting back to an outward facing bud will train new growth outward.

Keep in mind that having a lot of variety in your trees and shrubs will help to keep insects and disease at bay.

Flower beds/mulching

See Outdoor, page 28

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pastel or printed tablecloth.

6. Give your kitchen a new look with fresh placemats, towels and potholders.

7. Buy an inexpensive sisal rug and swap out with your heavy oriental rugs.

8. Accent your bathroom with new towels, soap holders and flower-shaped soaps. The hot color for 2010 is turquoise!

9. Splurge on a new welcome mat.

10. If your lampshades are dusty and yellowed and buy new white ones. Bring your lamps to the lighting company. They will help you try out a shape you never considered.

11. Put away the big pile of pillows on your bed. Instead use just two pillows that have a motif you may not want to use all the time, such as dragonflies, hummingbirds or a

contemporary floral.

12. Use a lilac or fresh linen room scent so it will smell like spring the minute you walk through the door.

Spring cleaning: beyond For those who want even more spring cleaning tips, consider looking through each room and removing things you don’t need or use.

Your housecleaning will be faster and easier with fewer items to scrub. Hold a garage sale to sell unwanted items or donate them to a local charity.

Before diving in, gather all your cleaning products together and then get rid of what you don’t need. A simple multi-purpose cleaner does most jobs, and versatile products that can be used in all the rooms of your house and on many appliances and surfaces are great, like Pine-Sol Cleaner, which can even be used on hardwood floors and furniture.

To motivate yourself, start cleaning in the room that requires the least effort. You’ll finish quickly, which will give you a sense of accomplishment and you’ll be ready to tackle a more challenging room.

And remember, some of the dirtiest things in your home are things that most people never think of cleaning. Use a multi-purpose solution to wipe down your remote controls, game controls, docking stations, cell phone, blackberry and iPods. Wash the globes on overhead light fixtures and dust light bulbs; it will make the room look cleaner and brighter. Don’t forget to do the same to your purse and briefcase, which visit so many dirty places every day and land on the kitchen counter.

(Last tips from FamilyFeatures.com — Spring Cleaning)

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Town Times — Friday, March 19, 2010

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New Mexico/Josie’s Hair Design

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Middlefield Town Briefs

Middlefield Government Calendar (Unless otherwise indicated, all meetings are held in the Community Center.)

Wednesday, March 24 6:30 p.m. — Planning and Zoning 7:30 p.m. — Board of Education at Strong School; 2010-11 budget proposal should be finalized.

Tuesday, March 30 7 p.m. — Zoning Board of Appeals Thursday, April 1 7 p.m. — Economic Development Commission Monday, April 5 7 p.m. — Board of Selectmen

Brayshaw approaches P&Z about two rezoning issues

By Chuck Corely Town Times First Selectman Jon Brayshaw went before the Planning and Zoning Commission during its Wednesday, March 10, meeting to hold an informal discussion about rezoning the town’s Hubbard Street property.

Brayshaw wants to rezone 30 percent of the town’s 47 acres of industrial land to residential, in the hopes of subdividing the property and selling it off. He explained that part of the deal reached with Zygo prevents the town from building Brookside Drive as a through-road to Hubbard Street, meaning that only 70 percent of the town’s property can be reached from Brookside Drive. Furthermore, Brayshaw felt that rezoning the remaining 30 percent on

Friday, March 19, 2010

Hubbard Street would make it fit better with the abutting residential zone.

While resident Lucy Petrella reminded the commission that neighboring property owners opposed a similar proposal in the past, she added that this was when residents thought Zygo would allow Brookside Drive to access Hubbard Street. As this is not the case, she added her support to Brayshaw’s proposal.

Although no one opposed the principal, there were a few other issues that came up.

One is whether or not subdividing the land would affect the STEAP Grant that the town received for the Hubbard Street property. (Note: Brayshaw announced at the later selectmen’s meeting that the rezoning would be allowed as long as the money made from sale of the residential lots was used for economic development, in this case, for construction of a road into the remaining industrial land.)

The other major issue was whether or not there are pesticides in the proposed resi-

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dential portion of the property, as these were found in a 2006 soil study. According to Brayshaw, the pesticide-laced soil is in the other 70 percent of the property, though sanitarian Lee Vito is currently investigating the matter.

Another alternative brought up by Petrella was possibly using the inaccessible part of the property as open space.

As this was only an informal discussion no decisions were made. However, commission member Bob Johnson suggested that Brayshaw contact the Chamber of Commerce about his proposal.

Brayshaw’s next proposal to the commission met with a little more resistance. He proposed rezoning less than an acre of the town’s Strickland Farm property industrial so the town can sell or lease the property to Monarca, whose buildings in the current industrial park adjoin the land in question.

The concerns with this proposal were twofold. One issue brought up by the commission and members of the public is that Monarca is already using the piece of property Brayshaw hopes to rezone. Petrella was concerned that offering the property to Monarca might expand even further after the sale or lease, thus encroaching on town property once again. She also noted that Monarca hasn’t been in compliance with its site plan as far back as 2000.

The other issue with the proposal is that, according to the Plan of Conservation and Development, the industrial zone is not supposed to extend any further into the Strickland Farm property. Speaking as a former member of the zoning commission, Petrella stated that her commission felt the industrial expansion into Strickland Farm had already reached its “logical conclusion.”

Another point current commission member Ron Mattias brought up is that the last time part of the Strickland property was rezoned, it benefited the entire industrial park.

Brayshaw’s proposal, meanwhile, only benefits Monarca.

On a related note, chairman Mike Turner mentioned that Monarca is leasing out part of its property to a trucking busiSee P&Z, next page

Middlefield Town Briefs

Friday, March 19, 2010

P&Z

(From page 16)

ness and might have enough space for the equipment on its own property if it removed the trucking business. Brayshaw replied that the ZEO should take care of that issue. He also stated that he doesn’t want to see Monarca moving out of town.

One final item Brayshaw brought up in support of rezoning part of the property is that the town is using the land as a parking lot (during the Durham Fair), rather than for agricultural purposes.

Town Planner Geoff Colegrove stated that the Plan of Conservation and Development will need to be changed in order to go through with a zone change. Before calling a public hearing, though, the commission agreed to go on a site walk of the property in order to see how accessible the property is and to get an idea of how far Monarca is currently encroaching onto town property.

In light of Monarca’s encroachment onto town property, Colegrove and ZEO Al Johanson have spent the past few months reviewing the various violations throughout the industrial park. Based on their findings, significant violations were found on Monarca’s property, as well as Zanelli’s properties. Before proceeding with any official action against the violators, the

April vacation soccer camp

Levi Coe Library Hours: The library is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visit www.leviecoe.com or call the library at 860-3493857 for information or to register for any program. You can also renew, reserve and check your library record on the website.

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mornings of the April vacation? Why not let them run around and get some exercise at soccer camp?

The camp will run Monday through Friday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon on the Wesleyan campus and the kids will be coached by Wesleyan head coach Geoff Wheeler and his players. The program will be held on the Long Lane Fields behind the Field House or inside the Bacon Field House should the weather not cooperate. Cost for the camp is $110. Register on line at www.middlefieldparkandrecreation.com.

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commission decided to seek permission for a site walk on both the Monarca and Zanelli properties.

Another item briefly brought up by Brayshaw is that the town is considering a land swap with the Nerden Camp on Powder Hill Road.

The town would gain 8-10 acres while the camp would gain enough property for an athletic field. No other discussion was held on the matter, though Brayshaw reminded the commission that the town also has reversion rights on the camp should it ever cease to exist.

The final matter the commission discussed was the need to review the Plan of Conservation and Development. Colegrove stated that the commission should try and revise it to best fit with the state’s Plan of Conservation and Development. He also noted that the state’s open space database for the town is out of date. Brayshaw informed the commission that the Conservation Commission is currently working on an open space map for hunters and that P&Z may want to contact them to avoid duplicating their efforts.

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by Erin Hunter, Leprechaun in Late Winter by Mary Pope Osborne, Off Like the Wind!: The First Ride of the Pony Express

by Michael P. Spradlin, Heart and the Bottle by Oliver Jeffers and My Garden by Kevin Henkes. To view anticipated arrival dates for new titles, visit our web page www.leviecoe.com, click on Activities and Events and go to monthly calendars.

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17

Dylan Carlson, from Middlefield, had the opportunity to meet “Jungle” Jack Hanna at the Jorgensen Center at UConn.

Jack is known for his appearances with wild animals on many TV programs and is an advocate for all animals. Hanna discussed illegal poaching of kangaroos and black rhinos, as well as a place in Montana that takes in all domestic animals that are maimed, diseased or just plain unwanted.

Photo submitted by Mary Carlson

our newest DVDs, visit our website www.leviecoe.com, click on Online Resources, select Book Talk, then Recently Acquired Titles; scroll down to DVD link.

Durham Town Briefs

18

Durham Government Calendar (All meetings will be held at the Durham Library unless otherwise noted. Check the town Web page at www.townofdurhamct.org for agendas and last-minute changes.)

Monday, March 22 7 p.m. — Board of Selectmen at Town Hall Wednesday, March 24 7:30 p.m. — Board of Education at Strong School; budget proposal should be finalized.

Tuesday, March 30 7 p.m. — Ethics Commission Tuesday, April 6 6:30 p.m. — Public Safety Committee Wednesday, April 7 7:30 p.m. — Board of Education public hearing on the proposed 2010-11 education budget at CRHS. 7:30 p.m. — Planning and Zoning Commission Monday, April 12 8 p.m. — Public hearing on the proposed 2010-11 town budget at CRHS auditorium.

7:30 p.m. — Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Tuesday, April 13 7:30 p.m. — Midstate Planning, 100 DeKoven Dr., Middletown Thursday, April 15 7 p.m. — Compensation Review/Personnel Policy Commission at Town Hall 7 p.m. — DMIAAB at Middlefield Community Center 7 p.m. — Durham Animal Response Team

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ing services for 2010-11, while the services of James George will be used for 2009-10.

Finally, the board was informed that the vehicle maintenance budget is currently $6,100 over-budget due to a number of unexpected expenditures. While this budget is often $20,000 over, finance director Maryjane Malavasi explained that this is due to a number of unexpected repairs that come up every year and that the budget is based on what’s known to need maintenance in the coming fiscal year. The finance board chose not to act on the overage.

Audit report available

The Audit Report for the town of Durham, year ending June 30, 2009; is now available on the town’s website under “Town and State” documents. The website can be accessed at www.townofdurhamct.org.

Important info about reval

As mandated by Connecticut State Statutes, the town of Durham is starting work for the revaluation of all real estate in the town. This revaluation will be effective for the Grand List of October 1, 2010.

Tax bills for the new revaluation will be due by July 1, 2011.

The town has contracted with Tyler Technologies CLT Appraisal Services to assist the Assessor with this task.

This process will be ongoing through most of 2010.

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more teachers. However, the BOF was also told that two kindergarten school teachers were already dropped due to a decline in enrollment at the elementary level. The school expects this decline to continue for at least another two years, which has prompted them to perform a building efficiency study. This study is examining whether or not the school has enough space to potentially close one of its buildings.

Two other significant items were mentioned to the board. The board was informed that the state may require seat belts on school buses in the future, which could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to implement. Brewster School will also need its roof replaced at some point, as it’s currently leaking.

The board spent the rest of their workshop focusing on the town budget. A cut of $8,000 was taken from the health insurance line item, while another $2,000 was removed from consultants. The results of the MAT bus study also came in, though the board hasn’t decided whether to put the $13,000 item back in the budget yet as first selectman Laura Francis noted that usage is up during the summer as some students use it to go to a program that’s run out of East Hampton. However, she stated that those students could probably go to Middletown to get on the bus.

Francis also stated that no more than $27,000 will be needed for the community center, as two items are unnecessary as of now. She said that the ceiling won’t need to be painted yet as the town will probably want to drop the ceiling should it see regular use, while an exercise floor also isn’t needed right away.

In other business, the board chose to solicit bids for audit-

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in the past couple of years.

Though the number may be down, Melnik stressed the need to have some leeway due to factors such as maternity leaves and the expense of services for special needs children that may come up unexpectedly.

As for the fund balance, Flanagan reported that $1.7 million of it is already accounted for in the school’s revenue line item that gets applied to the budget. Melnik also informed the finance board that running the school district costs $2.2 million a month, necessitating that the school have enough money on hand to pay its bills should there be an issue with funding.

The school also reviewed a few other items with the board, such as the need to maintain its current level of staffing. Viccaro told the board that an accreditation team will visit the high school in 2013 and one of the items the team will look into is how many students there are per teacher, thus why the school hopes to avoid losing any

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Reval (Continued from page 18) lectors have been hired, trained, and will be supervised by CLT, the nation’s leading property revaluation firm. The data collector will carry an official photo identification badge and will be registered with the Assessor’s office and police department.

The town urges residents NOT to allow anyone to enter their home without proper ID. Data collectors will ask permission to inspect the interior of each residence. They will verify the exterior measurements of each building on a property and may ask questions. If applicable, they will ask for verification of recent sales information. The data collectors will not be able to answer questions regarding value, assessments or taxes.

Cooperation is important to the overall success of the project. Residents will be asked to sign the data collection form to verify that a data collector visited the property. If no one is at home, the data collector will measure the exterior of all buildings on the property at the time of the initial visit.

A letter requesting an interior inspection will follow.

Last chance for housing rehab program

issues. The town could receive up to $300,000 per fiscal year for the Housing Rehabilitation Program.

Income eligibility is based on household size, for example, a household of two with an annual gross income of less than $51,200 or a family of four with a gross annual income below $64,000 would be eligible for participation in the program. For an individual the gross income limit is $44,800. Both owner occupants and investor owners may apply and receive financial aid, but rental units must be maintained as affordable for at least five years after rehabilitation if they participate in the program. Investors may be eligible for direct loans with interest rates up to three percent and maximum terms of 15 years. All loans are secured with a mortgage deed, promissory note and memorandum of agreement. The town may, at their opinion, subordinate their loan upon written request from the owner, if determined to be in the town’s best interest.

The town must establish need for this program within the town. Interested residents are asked to kindly submit a letter of interest to First Selectman Laura Francis, P.O. Box 428, Durham. At least 15 letters are needed. Letters should indicate need for the loan and detail the interested party’s situation, i.e. an elderly person on a fixed income needs a new furnace or roof, an individual with a disability or medical condition must make repairs or alterations to stay in the home, loss of assets, loss of a secondary income, recent housing problems etc. The Department of Economic and Community Development wants to be sure there is interest/demand for the funding and eligible residents will use the funds. Residents with questions can call Jan Muraca, grants coordinator at town hall 860-349-3153 or L. Wagner & Associates, Inc. at 203-573-1188.

Durham Library Hours: Regular library hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Mondays through Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Visit www.durhamlibrary.org to search the catalog, review your account, register for a program or renew your mate-

rials online. For information or to register for a program by phone, call 860-349-9544.

Storytime: The winter/ spring 2010 story times will run through April 7. Mother Goose for children 18 to 30 months will be on Mondays at 10:15 or 11 a.m., Time for Tots for children ages two and half to three and a half will be on Wednesdays at 10:15 or 11 a.m. and the Preschool Story Time will be on Tuesdays at 10:15 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. Please stop by or call the library to register.

The Book Lover’s Circle

19

will meet on Wednesday, April 7, at 7:30 p.m. to discuss The Plot Against America by Philip Roth. Copies of the book are available at the library. Everyone is invited to join this informal discussion.

The Mystery Book Discussion Group will meet on Tuesday, April 20, at 7:30 p.m. to discuss The Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler.

Copies of the book are available at the library. Everyone is invited to this discussion.

Check out new titles: Hell Gate by Linda Fairstein, Deep

Shadow by Randy Wayne White, Poisoned Honey by Beatrice Gormley, Forget-HerNots by Amy Brecount White, The Silent Sea by Clive Cussler, The Six Rules of Maybe

by Deb Caletti, Coyote at the Kitchen Door: Living with Wildlife in Suburbia by Stephen DeStefano, The Treatment Trap: How the Overuse of Medical Care is Wrecking your Health by Rosemary Gibson, My Life with the Taliban by Abdul Salam Zaeef and The Shift by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer.

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The town is hoping to receive a grant from Small Cities Community Development Block Grant funds for a town wide Housing Rehabilitation Revolving Loan program that would provide financial assistance to rehabilitate and renovate housing units occupied by income eligible individuals or families.

Typically, funds are offered in the form of deferred loans to owner/occupants. Deferred loans are 0 percent interest loans that do not require payment until a title is transferred, the property owner has died or the subject property is no longer the applicant’s primary place of residence.

Once established the program would assist low and moderate income residents with the rehabilitation of their homes to increase energy efficiency or make necessary repairs to correct deficiencies in health and safety

Durham Town Briefs

20 Idea

(From page 8)

More Letters to Town Times

Friday, March 19, 2010

Friends of the Orphans to help the earthquake victims in Haiti. Friends of the Orphans runs an orphanage in Haiti, several outreach programs, and the only free pediatric hospital in Haiti, St. Damiens.

Every dollar raised will go to good use to help those who have suffered so much.

Thank you again.

Patrick Finnerty, Durham

prior to buying a large segment of the Strickland Farm on Cherry Hill Road. For this property and the properties on Strickland Road, and of course Powder Hill Ski Resort etc., our administration used the same selling point — if a developer purchased the property, they will build houses.

New houses will result in school kids and thus high school taxes. The property on Hubbard Street is a bit different; we got a state grant to purchase it for industrial development (no houses).

Now our first selectman is considering a zone change on the Hubbard Street property from industrial to residential.

He is also considering selling parcels of this land to developers enabling them to build houes. Thus more school kids, resulting in higher school taxes. I guess it depends on which direction the wind is blowing whether we want high school taxes and a balanced town budget or find other means to balance the budget. It now appears that the wind has changed direction completely.

It blows in the direction of certain needs, not reality.

Albert Smith, Middlefield

came to my birthday party.

Your donation instead of presents turned into $1,160 for

Masonicare Primary Care Physicians announces Expanded Hours for the Community

Our Primary Care Physicians from l to r: Alla Bernshteyn, MD, Geriatrician; Robert Elwell, MD, Family Practice; Ronald Schwartz, MD, Internal Medicine

To accommodate the busy schedules of our patients and their families, we’re now open Evenings, Saturdays and through Lunchtime. We are accepting new patients and can assist in transferring records.

Our patient-centered team has been caring for adults from the greater Wallingford community since 1997.

If you don’t have a primary care physician — or would like to make a fresh start — and are over the age of 18, give us a call.

We are conveniently located on the first floor of Masonicare’s new Medical Office Building at 67 Masonic Avenue, right off Route 150, in Wallingford. And, should you need a blood test or x-ray, Clinical Lab Partners and MidState Radiology Associates have offices in our building.

Thank you, Alan Pease On behalf of all the loyal fans of the Coginchaug Lady Blue Devils, I would like to thank Alan Pease for his spectacular reports on all the girls’ basketball games. It was always a pleasure to see Alan making his way to the top of the bleachers on game night, but even when he was unable to attend, his eagerly-awaited play by play of the game always found its way to the pages of the Town Times.

Thank you so much for your time, talent, dedication and support. Your efforts were greatly appreciated by all.

Linda Mancinelli, Durham

The truth about Matt Lesser When the Connecticut Department of Health asked the legislature to make a technical one-word change to a 130page mass-gathering regulation enacted in 1971 as a reaction to the Powder Hill Festival, out of the 151 votes cast, 150 legislators, including all the Republicans, voted for it, and one, a Democrat didn’t.

That 37-year-old law never applied to agricultural fairs. But when it became evident that because of the one-word change, it could now apply to all fairs, not just the Durham Fair, Matt Lesser went to

work to have it changed.

Working directly with the Department of Health, legislative leaders of both parties, the Connecticut Association of Fairs and the executive committee of the Durham Fair, the proposed changes include exempting all agricultural fairs. It has the backing of the Department of Health and legislative leaders of both parties. But even if it didn’t exempt fairs, to say that it would cost the Durham Fair “an exorbitant amount of money” is sheer nonsense.

I’m disappointed that anyone, much less someone whom I held in high regard, would take such a harsh and unfair political stance just because it’s an election year. After all, every Republican supported it, but I don’t see anyone trashing them.

The fair, the town and the state police have worked together for years on all aspects of the Durham Fair’s public safety plan, and Matt should be commended for working with all of them to help keep it Connecticut’s favorite fair.

Jim McLaughlin, Durham

Which way does the wind blow?

Through the years that I have lived in Middlefield, our town administration has always promoted the concept that if the town would purchase land that was offered for sale, and designated it for open space/industrial development, etc., then the land would not be sold to a developer who would build houses. Of course the “selling point” was new houses result in families, thus school kids. This, of course, will cost the town a fortune to educate these children.

To name a few properties we purchased, I can remember the controversy involved

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Time to clean up!

It is that time of the year again to roll down our car windows and enjoy the beauty of our community. Smell the fresh, spring air; see the buds developing on the trees; feel the warmth of the sun; and hear the robins sing. But, what about all of the litter along the road?

Let’s work together to clean up the roads in Durham and Middlefield with the Exchange Club. Meet at Allyn Brook Park on Saturday, April 10, from 8 to 9 a.m. and pick up the bags with special ties provided by Kurt Bober and adopt YOUR own road!

You alone CAN make a difference! It only takes a few hours.

We do this “Adopt-a-Road” project twice a year — the first week in April and the last week in October (along with the National “Make a Difference Day”). You do NOT have to belong to a group or civic organization. Get together with your family or neighbors and collect some of the unsightly debris along the roads of our towns.

Those joining us again this See Clean up, next page

Last Letter to Town Times

Friday, March 19, 2010

Clean up

(From page 20)

Horn (Rt. 79 from South End Ave to the intersection of Rt. 17), Murray Newton (Haddam Quarter Rd. Ext.), Marge and Jack Stahl (Carriage Dr. and up to Arbutus on Haddam Quarter Rd.), Marian and Fred Raley (Argerola Rd.), Marjee and Gordon Wolfgang with Harry Kinney and family (Parmelee Hill Rd.), Ron Gonzalez (Howd Rd.), Jill Phillips along with Cynthia and Gerry Durkee, Walt and Maria Sanford, Rick and Ann Hansen, and Peter Nilson (Lexington Place, Pine Ledge Rd., part of Higganum Rd.- Bear Rock to Blue Hills Rd.), Brad Wilkinson and family (Haddam Quarter Rd. from Rt. 17 up to Maiden Lane and Brick Lane), Alma and Giles D’Orvilliers (Austin Rd.), Susan, Stephen and Sheehan Michael (Dunn Hill Rd., Salted Lane and Brittany Lane), Nancy Morand ( Banta Lane, Surrey and Crooked Hill Rd.), Doreen Raney (Sand Hill Rd.), Betty Whitehead and family (South End Ave.), Trisha, Bob and Laura Dynia along with Sam and Dave Michnowicz (east side Main St. — Fowler to Pharmacy), Sheila and Mark Filiault (Bear Rock Rd.), Brenda Eddy (Billboard and part of Rt. 17), Michael, Christine, Sara and Kaylynn Sambor (School St.), Joanne, Laura, Michelle Hargreaves along with Bonny and Lucas Fowler (Cedar St.), Robert McCormack and family along with Sarah and Darin Overton, Susan, Michael and Rachel Viccaro and Jim Kaminski (Miller Rd. in Middlefield).

Our experienced group and club volunteers include:

Durham/MiddlefieldYouth & Family Services Unless noted, all events take place at the Youth Center in the Middlefield Community Center. Office hours: 3:30-5:30 Tuesdays-Fridays; phone 860-349-0258; email nmilardo.dmyfs@comcast.net.

CPR Class for Adults On Friday, April 16, American Red Cross will hold an adult CPR Class from 6 to 9 p.m. The fee for this class is $55.

A $25 deposit will need to be in by April 9 to hold your spot.

Classes are filling up fast. Send checks to DMYFS at 405 Main Street, Suite 11. Middlefield, CT 06455.

Dance On Friday, April 23, there will be a fifth and sixth grade Dance. Pizza and snacks will be sold. Admission is $5.

“When I’m in Charge” class On Saturday, April 24, the American Red Cross will hold a class “When I’m in Charge” from 9 to 11 a.m. The fee is $25 per students, ages 11- and up only. A deposit must be made by Monday, April 19 to reserve a spot.

Something going on?

Send your info to news@towntimes.com The Exchange Club (Rt. 147 from Dairy Mart to the town line), Gary Danis and the Boy Scouts (Meeting House Hill Rd., Birch Mill Rd., South End Ave.), Audrey Taylor and the Garden Club (Main Street opposite Strong School and the triangle at intersections of Routes 17 and 79), Lori Charette and Laura Francis with the Women’s Club (Pisgah and Dead Hill Roads), Dawn Badon and the POPS (Maple Ave., Talcott Ave. and Old Cemetery Ave.), Joining us every year from the high school are Donna Mattei and the National Honor Society (Foot Hills Rd.), Susan Michael and the Environmental

Club (the high school complex — Korn, Strong, CRHS, fields), and Nancy Alberino and the Spanish National Honor Society (Maiden Lane to the High School).

Look over the list of the names of streets and areas already covered. Is YOUR street named? If it is, why not help that person or group or take over a new street to call your own! It does not take long (usually less than two hours) and the results are beautiful! There is such pride in the accomplishment!

Call 860-349-0798 and reserve Saturday, April 10, for the clean up day! Rain or shine, we will be there!

Babby Nuhn, Durham

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year include: Charles Ingold (Salted Lane, Dunn Hill Rd.), Janice Kleeman (Shunpike and Chalkey), Marcia and Don Klepper-Smith (Arbutus Rd.), Mary Olson (440 Higganum Rd to the line), Jim and Evan Hempel (Cesca, west on Haddam Quarter), John and Maria DeNunzio (Haddam Quarter Rd.), Simone Howe (west side of Main St.), Mike and Ethan Cote (Pent Rd.), Gene Brown and son Gene (Maple Lane), Mark Beroz (Creamery Rd.), Barbara, Josh and Brandon Kauffman (part of Rt. 147 to Lyman’s), Janet, Russ, Mark, Kevin and Shawn Donovan (Anthony Terrace and Indian Lane), Don Bastis (Dunn Hill Rd.), Jean, Abbott and Fairchild Bingham (Park Ave, Creamery Rd.), Karen, Geoff and Elizabeth Meiman (Rt. 17 from Stagecoach to Saw Mill Rd.), Harry Aivano (Strickland Rd. to High Meadow Rd.), David Wallace (Carriage Dr.), Diane, Kevin, Katie and Eric Mischke (Acorn Dr., Rt. 17 to Lino’s), Sherry and Jim Banack (Powder Hill Rd., Durham/Middlefield town line to Rt. 68), Kathy and Dave Regan (Oak Terrace, Austin Rd. and Partridge Lane), Cindy and Jim Stannard (Cream Pot Rd. and Diongi Rd.), Jay, Liz and Will Conroy with Katharine and Ralph Chase and Mike, Susan, Jonathan and Rebecca Good (Higganum Road), Kevin, Emilie, Gregory, Melanie and Janice Frank (Green Lane), Clark Kearney ((Royal Oak Dr. and part of Rt. 17), Tom Mansolf and family (Clearidge Dr.), Peter Cascini (part of Rt. 77: from Creamery Rd. to Mica Hill Rd.), Rob Poliner (Harvey Rd.), Tony Cuomo (Pisgah Rd. and Dead Hill Rd.), Ken and Susanne Gregory (Buckboard Rd.), Norm Jason (Maiden Lane from Main St. to Brick Lane), Elmer Clark (Clark Rd.), Jean and Doug Meyers (Old Washington Rd.), Jeff Robinson (Burt Dr.), Ed, Dawn and Brooke Badon (Cider Mill Rd.), Larry French (Hubbard St. and Whisper Winds Rd.), Lori and Bill Martin (Rt. 79 from Sand Hill Rd to 3268 Madison Rd.), John and Betty Long (Rt. 17 from Raccoon Club south to Stage Coach Rd.), Mike Cote (Pent Rd.), Peter and Maria Nilson (458 Higganum Rd. to Bear Rock Rd.), Ray Koba (Saw Mill Rd.), Dot and Erv Baker (Side Hill Rd., Howd Rd up to Tri Mtn., and Patterson Rd.), Dean, Cathy, Shelby and Lindsay Artkop (Anna Dr.), Lori, Jack, Lindsay, Kelsey and Tina Yeomans (Mica Hill Rd.), Lauren and Sharon Dahlmeyer-Giovannitti (Wilcox Rd., Edwards Rd.

and Partridge Rd.), Joanne and Tan Bronson (Parmelee Hill Rd., Sawmill Rd.), June and George Higgins (DiNatale Dr., and Bernadette Lane), Shari, Dave and Kyle Adams (Laurel Brook Rd. and Fox Lane), Lisa, Don and Donnie Rawling (Old Farms Rd., Stage Coach Rd.), Betsy and Rob Spiro (Tri Mtn. Rd.), David, Derek and Dylan Heer along with Ethan and Cody Donecker (Cherry Lane and Hellgate), Tina Bartosiak (Whites Farm), Harry, Sharon, Jessica and Billy Hall (Madison Rd. to South End Rd.), Karen, Greg, Wes, Ashley and Kaitlin Balavender (Tuttle Rd.), Joe, Keri, Avery and Abby Millo (Sycamore Dr. and north side of Maiden Lane), Bob, Ann and Mallory Figoras (Mattabasset Dr. and Sachem Ct.), Kim Kraft Ebner along with Eileen Ulizio (Old Blue Hills Rd), Michelle, Alicia and Andrew Tirado (Stephen Woods), Anne Cassady (corner Rt. 17 south on Rt. 77), Terry Ryan and family (South Woods, Johnson Lane to Bear Rock Rd.), Sharon and Bob Chase (Whispering Winds Rd. in Middlefield), Lynn, Alexis and Ivan Johnson along with Garrett, Deanna and Marissa Puchalski (Laurel Brook Rd. in Middlefield), Dr. Adam and Ben Perrin (Baileyville Rd. in Middlefield), Sarah and Skye Aceto (Powder Hill, King Rd: Bailey to Long Hill Rd.) Our veteran volunteers also include: Lori and Dur Seible (Johnson Lane), Connie and Jim Gagnon (Arbutus Rd.), Katharine and Ralph Chase (Haddam Quarter-JohnsonMaiden Lane triangle), Marilyn

21

Hair - Nails - Tanning 16 Main Street • Durham, CT • (860) 349-6901

Town Times Obituaries

22

Frank A. Lamphier Jr. Frank A. Lamphier Jr., 84, husband of Anne DeMaria Lamphier, died Friday, March 12, 2010, at Masonic Healthcare Center in Wallingford.

Born Feb. 21, 1926, in West Warren, Mass., he was the son of the late Frank A. Lamphier Sr. and Anne FiJol Lamphier.

He resided in Meriden for most of his life. Frank attended Wilcox Technical School, Providence College and the Cooper Art School in Cleveland. He was employed by the Record-Journal in the display advertising department until 1994 and was a regular, longtime contributor of editorial cartoons under the signature “Lamp” through February 2010. He was a veteran of World War II having served in the Army Air Corps as a B-24 ball turret gunner with the 90th Bomb Group in the 5th

Air Force, 320th Squadron in the South Pacific. He was a parishioner of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church and was the chairman of their Prayer Line. Frank designed the logos for the Antique Veterans Post #1 and the World Champion Connecticut Falcons Women’s Fastpitch Softball Team. He was a member of the Meriden Hall of Fame, inducted in the category of Art in 2002. He was also a member of the Holy Family Retreat League, Antique Veterans Post #1, and the Harlequin Club Performers. He earned the 2006 Meriden Arts Council’s “Artist of the Year” award.

Frank volunteered for many years doing art presentations for Meriden students and at area senior centers. He enjoyed all sports, especially his beloved Boston Red Sox. He was a captivating storyteller. Always a terrific host, he loved dining with family and friends, entertaining all

with an assortment of jokes and songs. Frank celebrated his 60th wedding anniversary with his soul mate and the love of his life, Anne (his “Bud”), on Feb. 18, 2010.

Besides his wife, Anne, he is survived by two daughters and son-in-law, Karen Smith of Meriden and Maureen (Mickey) Perez of Meriden; two sons and daughters-inlaw, Brian (Rosalie) Lamphier of Middlefield, and Blaise (Alice) of Portland, Ore.; seven grandchildren, Daniel and Jonathan Lamphier, Corey James Engfer, Sara Molino, DeJa Robedee, Nathan Perez, Ivy Grant Lamphier; four sisters, Irene Witt and Marian Schramm of New Jersey, Dolores (Gerard) Egan of Virginia, Evelyn (Raymond) Niland of Alabama; two brothers and sisters-in-law, Dwight Lamphier and Roy Lamphier, both of Middlefield; also survived by several nieces, nephews and cousins.

A Mass of Christian Burial

Friday, March 19, 2010

was held at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, burial with military honors took place at Sacred Heart Cemetery.

Melvin T. Ash Melvin T. Ash, 83, beloved husband of Barbara E. Ash, died peacefully in his sleep March 6, 2010 at the Apple Health Center in Middletown. He was the son of the late Rose and Marion Ash, and he was pre-deceased many years ago by his only sibling, Robert L. Ash. Besides his wife of 58 years, he is survived by four children: Melvin T., of Oakland, California; Karin T. and her husband, Steve Esons, of Charlestown, R.I., Brian W. of Horse Cave, KY, and Amy and her husband, Michael Nixon, of Kirby, VT. His youngest

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daughter, Beth Ash, pre-deceased him in Dec. 2007.

He is also survived by 13 grandchildren: Daniel, JoHannah, Elizabeth, Molly, Aren, Ethan, Michael, Melanie, Laura, Rose, Grady, Patience and Beau, and one great-grandchild, Jocelyn. He is also survived by four nieces, Margarita, Susan, Nancy and Wendy.

A veteran of World War II and the Korean conflict, Mel was a decorated Navy diver who dove in Pearl Harbor and was stationed in Hawaii. He fought in the battle for Okinawa with the first Marine Division. He volunteered for the Lion 8 – Land Invasion Occupational Navy unit which was attached to the Marine Raiders, and was as closely affiliated in his heart with the U.S. Marine Corps as he was with the U.S. Navy. In an interview with The Hartford Courant printed for Veterans Day 2000, he said, “In late August and after the Japanese surrendered, I learned there was a need for regular Navy men for deep sea and underwater salvage. I volunteered, passed a tough physical. I didn’t smoke or drink, which helped, and in mid-September of 1945, the C-47 lifted off from Yontan Air Field and swung over the long green island that looked like such a peaceful setting in the China Sea and headed east to Guam. I was about ready to finally be in the real Navy as our destination was the U.S. Submarine Base at Oahu, Hawaii Dive School. I looked back at Okinawa. I had been lucky. I was alive. Many were not, and they were young, too, like me. I was just 19.”

Mel served on diving units and land invasion units who were involved in highly dangerous missions, and he was responsible for helping to recover dog tags and identifying information from the sunken ships in Pearl Harbor so families would have positive identifications of their loved ones lost at sea.

Mel was a native of a small town in Iowa, Manilla, a hometown he was very proud of and where he participated in sports during high school. He was nicknamed “Flash Ash” on the basketball court. He was also an altar boy at his hometown church and worked after the war in the community power plant, a poSee Ash, next page

Town Times

Friday, March 19, 2010

23

Troop 27 Red and White dinner

By Tristan Sayah and Geoff Meiman Special to the Town Times

Troop 27’s Red and White on Feb. 13 was no ordinary dinner. In addition to the usual awards and achievements, the troop was also celebrating the 100th year of scouting and the 87th year for Troop 27. Many guests attended the dinner, including Eagle scouts and some past scoutmasters. Also attending the event were State Representative Matthew Lesser, First Selectman Laura Francis and State Senator Edward Meyer. As the night wore on, awards were presented, such as merit badges, rank advancements and the Iceberg Award (for camping in below zero con-

Made by scouts, these decorations recognized the 100th year of scouting and captured the important message of scouting. Also the scouts planned all the events that took place on this night and pitched in with the food. All these efforts put together made the Red and White Dinner a truly special and memorable evening in the 100th year of scouting.

(From page 22)

Receiving a plaque from Gov. Rell presented by State Rep. Matt Lesser and State Senator Ed Meyer.

Eight Webelos II became boy scouts and earned the honor of the Arrow of Light at Pack 33’s Blue and Gold dinner held on March 6. The boys are each holding up their Arrow of Light plaque. Jim Murray was the Pack cubmaster and Chris Seibert was the Webelos II den leader. Their efforts with the boys was quite extraordinary. The boys, from left, are Conrad Korzon, cubmaster Jim Murray, Nathan Timbro, Andrew Murray, Ethan Doolittle, Thomas Seibert, Webelos II den leader Chris Seibert, Jonathan Sopelak, Troy Willis and Sailesh Pandey.

Photo submitted by Matt Willis

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sition he was very proud of. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy after a recruiter visited his high school in 1943. “Five brothers from Iowa were lost in battle in 1942 on the U.S.S. Juneau.

Most of us gave our promises to enlist when we were 17,” he told The Hartford Courant in his interview a decade ago.

Later, after the war, he attended diesel mechanic school in Chicago, where he met his wife, and they were married on Christmas Eve 1951 in his hometown.

Mel worked for Pratt & Whitney for eight years and built his own home, from digging and pouring the foundation to stacking cinder blocks, on the acre of land he and Barbara bought in Durham where they raised their family. He founded a business, A & B Waterproofers, which he ran for over 30 years.

Mel was involved in the American Legion and provided charitable services to Notre Dame Church in his mother’s memory. He was also active in the Boy Scouts of America in Durham.

Mel loved the Florida Keys, and he and his family wintered there for decades. He was a master diver who loved snorkeling, fishing and shrimping.

There will be a memorial service at a later date in the Durham Cemetery, where Mr. Ash will be interred with his mother, Rose and his brother, Robert.

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Ash

ditions). Some cub scouts from Pack 27 also crossed over to join the Boy Scout ranks. A plaque of recognition from Governor Jodi Rell was presented to the troop.

Later, skits were performed and then we ate.

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Town Times Sports

24

Friday, March 19, 2010

Portland prevails over Coginchaug girls (again)

By Alan Pease Special to the Town Times This season the Coginchaug girls played a total of 26 games. They lost only five, but four of those losses came to one team – the Portland Highlanders. Portland was the ninth seed in the state Class S tournament, and it was fifth-seeded Coginchaug’s challenge to try to break the jinx that Portland had them under, with previous losses by two and 17 points during the regular season, and by fourteen points in the Shoreline semi-final. I had what I hoped was a nifty headline all set in my mind for a Coginchaug win – “Fourth Time’s the Charm” – but the fourth time was not the charm, as the Devils went down to a season-ending defeat, 35-28, at the hands of the Highlanders.

Before I go into the game, a quick note on the Portland

fans – at least some of them. I think it’s great that kids come out and support their team, cheering with vigor and volume, and I have no problem with that. But when they start to cheer, in an obviously preplanned way, well before a solo singer is finished with the National Anthem, I take exception. It’s hard enough to get out there on the floor, completely unaccompanied, and sing a truly difficult song in front of a packed Glastonbury gym, but to have the second to last line completely drowned out by an organized cheer from the Portland fans was beyond the pale. I don’t recall the name of the singer, but I give her credit for not faltering and carrying through to the end. Mind you, this was not your typical chanting and screaming over the last note or two, this basically wiped out “O’er the land of the free.” It was rude and disrespectful.

Also rude was the chanting directed by name at specific Coginchaug players. I have no problem with “air ball” chants, or general cheering in an attempt to distract players – Coginchaug fans do that as well, sometimes rather cleverly, I must say. But chanting an opposing player’s name in a derogatory way during the game is over the top. If I misunderstood what they were chanting, I’ll apologize, but regardless, the anthem antics were ridiculous.

Coginchaug started pretty well, rolling to a 9-0 lead in the first quarter. The Highlanders took nine shots, and missed all of them. Audrey Biesak had two baskets, Lauren Esposito had a basket and a free throw, and Erica Jones hit two from the line for the Devils. However, Esposito’s basket, with about 1:30 left in the period, was to be the last field goal for the Devils for the next 14 minutes, spanning the

entire second quarter.

In that second period, only two free throws by Biesak offset 16 points rolled up by Portland. Six different players attempted a total of 12 shots for the Devils, and they all missed the mark, with two blocks by Portland contributing to the futility. So in one period, they went from being up by nine points to being down by five, 16-11.

The early stages of the third period continued to be non-productive for Coginchaug, as they had three turnovers, missed three shots, and two free throws, while Portland scored six more to lead 22-11. Finally with four minutes gone in the period, a Cassidie Cade steal led to an old-fashioned three point play by Esposito, Mancinelli assisting.

Mancinelli also scored on a drive to the basket, and later made a free throw, but Portland stuck a three-pointer in

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between to make the score after three 25-17, with Coginchaug trailing by eight.

Jones started the Devils off right in the fourth, scoring off of a Mancinelli assist. The Highlanders scored on backto-back twos to lead by ten, 2919. Over the next three minutes, Coginchaug held Portland scoreless, with a rebound put-back by Amanda Boyle, a free throw by Esposito, and a Mancinelli-assisted basket by Biesak closing the gap to five at 29-24. Portland hit two from the line, but Esposito responded by hitting both ends of a one-and-one after a Portland rebounding foul. Portland hit the second of two free throws, but Jones responded by hitting two from the line to make the score 32-28, but Coginchaug was not able to score again, and Portland connected on three of four from the line, and got the offensive rebound on their only miss, to make the final score 35-28, and extending the Portland jinx over Coginchaug.

Both teams shot abysmally, as Portland connected on only three of 21 shots (14 percent) from inside the arc, while Coginchaug was some better hitting eight of 34 (24 percent), with that being affected by eight Portland blocks. Portland shot five of 18 from beyond the arc, not exactly sterling at 28 percent, but Coginchaug did not connect on a single three-pointer, going 0 for 9.

And so the season ends. To be honest, a season that surpassed what almost anyone could have expected, with three sophomores playing significant roles on the team, and a total of seven sophomores on the roster, the Shoreline coaches were comfortable, at the beginning of the season, to schedule the Shoreline Conference tournament at Coginchaug, comfortable that the Devils would not be participating – but they ended up being the number one seed! However, those horrid Highlanders spoiled that at-home party, handing the Devils their fourth loss.

Lauren Esposito led Coginchaug with 9 points, adding two rebounds and a steal. Audrey Biesak had 8 points, two steals and a rebound. Erica See Lady Devils, page 27

Town Times Sports

Friday, March 19, 2010

25

Devils dominate University Hawks, but not St. Paul Hawks

By Alan Pease Special to the Town Times

St. Paul On Wednesday, March 8, the Coginchaug boys, fifth seed in the state Class S tournament, hosted the 12th seeded Hawks of St. Paul in the second round of the tournament.

Despite trailing for much of the game, Coginchaug was good enough to hold the lead at least once in every period, and on the strength of five points apiece from Jeff Tiedemann and Tommy Ryan, three from Eric Hewitt and two from Andrew Markoski, led after the first period 15–14, with the lead coming on an

Ethan Donecker kick-out to Ryan who nailed the threepointer to end the period.

The second period was not kind to the Devils, as they were outscored 13–4 over the first four minutes. Only a Ryan assisted basket by Hewitt and a Markoski-assisted basket by Tiedemann interrupted the Hawks run. Then, with a 27–19 lead, St. Paul went into a slowdown offense.

The Hawks managed an early free-throw, which Hewitt matched, but after Hewitt’s score with three minutes left, neither team even managed a shot until the Hawks missed with about 30 seconds left. Hewitt cleared the rebound, and on the ensuing possession, Wasyl managed to get the ball out to Tiedemann, who was set up at the three-point arc and dialed long distance, as he dropped the ball through the net, to drop the deficit to five points at 28-23 going into halftime.

As the second half opened, Ryan traded baskets with St. Paul, then Markoski connected on a Hewitt assisted trey to draw within two points at 3030. The Hawks quickly expanded the lead again, but back-to-back baskets by Tiedemann tied the game up as 32-all. The visitors hit a two, but a Tiedemann-assisted trey by Erikson Wasyl gave the Devils their first lead at 35–34 since early in the second quarter. Unfortunately, to close the period, St. Paul went on a 8–0 run to make the score after three periods 4235, with the Devils trailing.

Tiedemann started the final period right, dropping in a Wasyl-assisted trey, but the Hawks put together back-toback baskets, the first a triple, to go up by nine points, 47–38.

The Devils crawled back into it, with first Tiedemann knocking down two from the charity stripe, and Wasyl replicating the feat. The

Hawks scored a basket, but then Ryan hit on back-to-back two’s, aided by Markoski’s assist and steal and a Tiedemann block. A single Ryan free throw brought the Devils within two points at 49-47.

The visitors dropped in a two, but a Wasyl-assisted trey by Ryan made it a one-point game. Unbelievably, the Hawks came right back with a three-pointer of their own, but a Wasyl steal and driving lay-up made the score 54-52.

With less than a minute left, Ryan drilled a Markoski-assisted three for his 11th point in three minutes to give the Devils a 55-54 lead. On the ensuing possession, Chris Borea of St. Paul brought the ball up the court, and stopping well short of the threepoint arc, launched a shot that ultimately decided the game. Despite the fact that Borea had already connected

See Devils, page 27

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On Monday, March 6, the fifth-seeded Blue Devils hosted the 28th-seeded Hawks of University High School of Hartford in the first round of the state Class S tournament.

From the time that Andrew Markoski scored the first basket of the game, on a driving layup along the baseline, to the resounding block by TJ Murphy in the closing seconds of the game, this was a Devil’s delight. Coginchaug scored the first eight points of the game and never looked back in a wire to wire 85–59 win against the overmatched Hawks.

Coginchaug led 20–8 after the first period, extended that to 40–25 at the half, were ahead 58–42 after three, and ended with the 26-point win at 85–59, outscoring the visitors in every quarter.

About the only thing that went wrong all night happened before the game, when Markoski apparently collided with one of the Coginchaug cheerleaders during pre-game warm-ups, twisting his ankle.

Andrew was still able to start, but by just a few minutes into the second quarter, he clearly was in some pain, and sat for the rest of the game. Fortunately, the Devils did just fine, even without his hustle and determination, for the last two thirds of the game.

This was a night for the seniors, as both senior co-captains produced double-doubles, Jeff Tiedemann with 16 points and 10 rebounds, Eric Hewitt with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Tiedemann added four assists and a steal, while Hewitt had six assists and two blocks. Erikson Wasyl scored 16 points, and added three rebounds, three steals and an assist. Tommy Ryan scored 11 points, and added four rebounds and three assists.

Even with his limited minutes, Andrew Markoski scored eight points, adding two rebounds and two steals.

Ethan Donecker had a brilliant game off the bench, scoring 14 points, hitting on all seven of his shots from the field. Ethan also had three rebounds, two steals and an assist. EJ Luther contributed four points, four rebounds and

two assists. Ed Ruddy had three assists and a rebound.

Jake Tietlebaum had two points and a rebound, Jay Norton had two points, Alec Corazzini had a rebound, and TJ Murphy had a blocked shot. Roby Graenger also played.

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Town Times Sports

26

Friday, March 19, 2010

Coginchaug boys’ basketball season wrap-up

By Alan Pease Special to the Town Times

thick-heeled sneakers.

So, I was hoping for a .500 record, with a shot at making each tournament, but not much hope of advancing, as I looked at the team in the preseason.

Pretty clearly, this team has at least exceeded my expectations, and I think the expectations of many fans. The overtime win at North Branford showed exactly how tough the returning seniors could be, as both Tiedemann and Hewitt had double-doubles. Even a late season bad stretch, where they lost four of their last six games, was more a construct of the schedule then any failing on the par of the team, as three of the four losses were to the teams that finished first through third in the regular season conference race, Hyde (still undefeated), Cromwell (scheduled to play in the quarter finals of the Class M tournament as I write this), and Valley, scheduled to go against Hyde in the semi-fi-

The Coginchaug boys have completed their 2009–10 season, finishing with a 14–6 regular season record, a 1–1 record in the Shoreline tournament, losing a heartbreaker to Hyde, and a 1–1 record in the state tournament, finishing with a tough and hard-fought loss to St. Paul Catholic.

They had two starters returning — Jeff Tiedemann and Eric Hewitt. Of the nonstarters returning, only Tommy Ryan had any significant experience, though Andrew Markoski had seen some playing time.

Ed Ruddy, Erikson Wasyl and EJ Luther each had 10 minutes or less of varsity experience and Ethan Donecker was not varsity last year.

To top off all of that, none of the returning players were more than six feet tall. I’ve heard that Eric Hewitt is six foot one, but that must be in

and hit at a 58 percent clip from inside the arc. If you need a basket with the clock winding down, Tiedemann was the guy to get the ball to.

Hewitt was the best under six-foot center in the Shoreline conference. Tied with Tiedemann for leading rebounder, leading shot blocker, and averaging 10 points per game, Hewitt had a deadly drop step that never resulted in a travel call and was almost impossible to stop, despite his (relatively) small size.

Both Tiedemann and Hewitt leave big shoes to fill for next year’s team.

Junior Tommy Ryan was the second leading scorer, and had games it seemed that he could not miss. He was also the second leading threepoint shooter at 38 percent. If Ryan can work through his sometimes streaky shooting and limit turnovers, he could be a force to be reckoned with in the Shoreline conference next year.

nals of Class S. Then at season’s end, they had a fantastic win against a tough SMSA team. Nearly pulling out a win against Hyde in the second round of the Shorelines was memorable and something for these kids to be proud of.

One thing that really stands out in my mind about this team is how effective they were against the press. I watched all but two or three games this year, and I did not see a single turnover against a full court press. Usually the press-break involved getting the ball to Hewitt just before the mid-court line, then intelligent passing. It was kind of fun to watch such crisp execution.

The starters On a team that featured great balance, senior Tiedemann would be my selection for MVP. Tiedemann led the team in scoring, and tied with Hewitt for the rebounding lead. He was the best threepoint shooter at 46 percent,

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Junior Andrew Markoski brought high energy and intangibles to the floor, while still leading the team in both assists and steals. Averaging better than seven points a game, Markoski tends to play on a fine line of control – if he stays on the right side of the line, he can be difficult for opposition players to handle.

Look for Markoski to be another significant contributor next season.

The bench

Senior Ed Ruddy wasn’t even the first man off the bench, but brought a great attitude to the court, playing in all but one game this season. His hustle and can-do attitude were major contributors to the team’s success and will be missed.

Sophomore Ethan Donecker was the leading bench scorer and rebounder, and at 6’1”, brings a much-needed dimension to the Blue Devils. As he gains experience and confidence over the next two years, look for impressive play.

Junior EJ Luther was the first guard off the bench, providing defensive intensity and hustle. He should contend for a starters’ spot next season.

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Sophomore Wasyl was the third leading scorer for the team, plus handling the bulk of the point guard duties. Wasyl showed flashes of brilliance, but would sometimes allow himself to fade a bit into the background. If he ever decides to be the on-court leader he’s shown that he has the potential to be, the rest of the Shoreline conference better watch out.

Juniors TJ Murphy and Roby Graenger, at 6’6” and 6’1” respectively, have the chance to be significant contributors next season if they can pick up their confidence level a bit.

Their size will be needed.

Junior Jay Norton and sophomores Alec Corazzini and Jake Tietlebaum should all contend for minutes next year at guard.

Last but not least, Coach Todd Salva and his assistants John Forlini and Ryan Donecker have been a big part of the Devils’ success this season, and are part of the reason why fans can look to next season with at least a little optimism.

Town Times Sports

Friday, March 19, 2010

Devils (Continuted from page 25) four times from long distance in the second half, I’m sure his coach was thinking “no, no, no, don’t take that shot,” especially when it clanked off the rim and bounced up. But it bounced up, and around, hitting the rim three or four times, before finally dropping through, giving the Hawks a 57–55 lead they would never relinquish. If that shot had failed, even a small fraction of an inch further off target, Coginchaug would likely have gotten the long rebound. They could have had the ball, and the lead, and maybe a trip to the quarter-finals of the tournament. But the ball did drop through, and just like that, the

Lady Devils (Continued from page 24)

The Regional playoffs started strong for the Clippers with a 9-4 win over Rhode Island, and then they beat the New Hampshire Avalanche 7-2. The team suffered their first loss, 4-3, against Connecticut’s, Mid Fairfield Blues. In the semis, the Clippers ranked second facing the New Hampshire Avalanche who ranked

Back row, from left, Chase Harwell, Chad Fasig, Alex Milardo, Chris Lyman, Tyler Juliano, Evan Silker from Durham, Tyler Augustinsen, Logan Underwood, Taggart Corriveau. In the front row, from left, Sam Gonski, Andrew Bronk, Brendan Pelletier, Tyler MacMillian, Andrew Loya, Noah Sanders and Matty Kricheli. third. The Clippers overcame the Avalanche 4-1.

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third period, the Clippers scored, now 3-1. Mid Fairfield pulled their goalie and had six attackers on the ice.

With 24 seconds left, the Clippers iced the puck and scored an empty net goal; final score 4–1. Next up for the 97 Connecticut Clippers: competing for a National Championship.

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I would love to see the girls take down Portland next year, if only to see their fans cowed a bit. It’s been a great season – next year should be interesting.

The Connecticut Clippers Tier 1 AAA Pee Wee Major (97) Team won the New England District Hockey Regional Championship in Cromwell. The district included all over New England. The Clippers will represent the New England District as one of 12 teams competing in the USA Hockey Nationals in New York in April. The team, composed of all 1997 birth year players from Connecticut and New York, is coached by retired NHL player Yvon “Ike” Corriveau.

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This was a great season for Coginchaug, with only the multiple losses to Portland to spoil the sweet taste of success. Seniors Taylor Edinger, Erica Jones and Liz Meiman will be missed next year, but with juniors Cassidie Cade and Amanda Boyle and sophomores Lauren Esposito, Samantha Mancinelli and Audrey Biesak coming back, they will have a great base on which to build. And with Coach Calcagni’s free substitution proclivity, the other players, juniors Hannah Elliot and Amy Solomon, and sophomores Kara Levine, Andrea Braga, Jackie Benson and Jessica Solomon, all have some varsity experience, and will be ready to challenge for the minutes of the departing seniors next year.

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Jones had 6 points, five rebounds and a block. Samantha Mancinelli had six rebounds, three assists, three points and a block. Taylor Edinger had six rebounds and a steal.

Amanda Boyle scored two and grabbed a rebound. Cassidie Cade had two steals and grabbed a rebound. Elizabeth Meiman had an assist and a rebound. Andrea Braga also played.

season was over. Coginchaug still had their chances, with an inbounds attempt under their own basket with enough time left to do some damage, but the inbounds pass was tipped and intercepted, and that really was the end, as St. Paul went three-for-four from the line in the final seconds for a 60–55 win, and a date to meet Valley Regional in the quarter final game, a game that Valley would win 54–53.

Tiedemann led Coginchaug in three categories, with 19 points, seven rebounds and two blocks, an assist and a steal. Ryan scored 18 points, and added two assists, a blocked shot and a rebound.

Wasyl scored seven points, assisted six times and had three steals and two rebounds. Hewitt had six points, four rebounds, a steal and an assist.

Andrew Markoski had five assists, five points, a rebound and a steal.

Off the bench, Ethan Donecker had an assist. EJ Luther and Ed Ruddy also played.

27

Town Times

28

Durham Men’s League Scott Strang Special to the Town Times

Team Orange (2-5) overcame a slow start and 11-point halftime deficit to overtake Red, 56-41, in Week 7 Durham Men’s League action. Scott Marks and Ryan Donecker combined for 42 of the 56 Orange points, while Carl Schlicker picked up all 12 of his points in the second half to seal the victory. Matthew Sullivan scored 10 points while Frank DeFlippo added 9 and Roe Granger finished with 4 for Red (1-6) in the loss.

Torrison Stone 65, Young Gunz 49 – Adam Poturnicki was virtually unstoppable in

the second half, scoring 18 of his 24 points as Torrison Stone (7-0) pulled away to beat the Young Gunz, 65-49, and clinch the top seed in the upcoming league playoffs. The Young Gunz (4-3) used six three-pointers in the first half to hold close, and the teams were deadlocked at 28 at halftime, but Poturnicki and Jeremy Lobo (15 points) were too much for the Gunz to stop in the second half. Alex Schade again led the Young Gunz with 21 points, while Greg Bereski added 11. Tyler Gerry had a season-high eight points for Torrison.

Friday, March 19, 2010

At right, on Feb. 20, Sam Frey, left, and Sheehan Michael competed in the Connecticut State Open Indoor Track Championship meet. Frey achieved his personal record pole vaulting 12 feet and placing 11th.

Michael earned seventh place in the 55 hurdles with a time of 7.89 seconds and 10th place in the 300 meter dash with a time of 37.53 seconds.

Both Frey and Michael When you rake out your are looking forward to a flower beds, shred those leaves strong outdoor track sea- from last year and use them as son. mulch because they will im-

Outdoor

Photos by Susan Michael

Life should be measured not in years but — in moments.

Masonicare’s all-inclusive Assisted Living can provide a helping hand — so you can enjoy the special moments that each day holds. Take pleasure in the lifestyle of our vibrant, active community. Join a Tai Chi class, attend a lecture with friends, or take a leisurely stroll along our beautifully landscaped grounds and 9-acre pond.

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The privacy and spaciousness of our apartments provide the comforts of home, as well as support of everyday living. And the security of our acclaimed senior healthcare services offers peace of mind — including our newest level of care, The Hearth, a special memory care “neighborhood.”

Come live well with us.

prove your soil as they break down. Also, think about getting your wood chips from a tree service — you can always top them off with a more finished product from the garden center. When mulching your trees and shrubs, leave a few inches between the mulch and stems to prevent decay and insects from attacking your plants. Your tree should not look as if it sprouted from a volcano!

Soil Consider getting your soil tested before you apply any fertilizers, and remember that what your garden doesn’t use ends up in our waterways — think nitrogen leaking into Long Island Sound.

Trees Inspect your trees by asking yourself these questions. Are branches too close to your house or roof? Are there branches that are cracked or broken? Are there signs of decay or insects? Is the tree’s bark peeling or cracked? Do low branches extend over your walkways or driveway?

If you answered “yes” to any of the above, you should call an

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(Continued from page 13) arborist. Remember that CT State Law requires an arborist license to prune trees or treat them for insects or disease.

Planting Think about planting native trees and shrubs – songbirds and butterflies will thank you. UConn has an excellent guide to what will grow in New England: http://www.hort.uconn.edu/ plants/.

Here are some tips for treeplanting this spring.

1. Buy trees from a reputable, established nursery.

2. Inspect for signs of wilt, disease, broken branches.

3. Do NOT remove any branches unless they are cracked or broken.

4. Pull away the potting soil or burlap to see where the tree’s roots start to flare out — this should be at the soil line when planted.

5. Dig a hole as deep as the tree’s roots and twice as wide.

6. Fill the hole with water and let it drain.

7. If tree is potted, remove pot and gently loosen roots before placing in hole. If balled and burlapped, remove any wire, rope or plastic, remove as much burlap as possible, or fold down as low as possible.

8. Fill around the tree with the same soil you dug out of the hole.

9. Water again – deeply. A young tree should receive at least an inch of rain or two gallons of water a week during the first growing season.

10. Mulch with wood chips or shredded leaves at least to the drip line, but no more than two to three inches deep.

11. There is no need to stake your tree unless it’s on a steep slope. Stakes should be removed after the first year to 18 months.

12. Be kind to your tree and don’t tie ropes or chains around its trunk or branches.