Volume 16, Issue 14
Serving Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall
Friday, July 17, 2009
Political caucuses scheduled: A bird’s eye view ... Help choose your town leaders By Sue VanDerzee and Stephanie Wilcox Town Times
Bet you thought politics was over for the year with the passage of budgets. Well, think again. Arguably some of the most important political events of the local calendar are scheduled for the vacation month of July. That’s the time that the local political parties nominate people to run for open offices at the town level. The election itself will be Nov. 3. The nominating caucuses must be held between July 21 and 28 this year, dates that are set by the state. Middlefield In Middlefield, the contested offices are First Selectman, Board of Selectman, Town Clerk, Tax Collector, Town Treasurer, Board of Finance (three seats open – two Democratic and one Republican) and Board of Assessment Appeals (two seats open – one Democrat, one Republican). Currently filling those seats are Republican Jon Brayshaw as First Selectman
(who intends at press time to run again), and Republican Dave Lowry and Democrat Mary Johnson on the Board of Selectmen. Democrat Donna Golub is currently serving as town clerk, Democrat Ann Olszewski is tax collector, and Democrat Mary Hooper is treasurer. Democrats Paul Pizzo and Ellen Waff and Republican Rebecca Adams, all from the Board of Finance, are finishing their terms. Finally, Democrat Robert Liptak and Republican Nancy Currlin are finishing terms on the Board of Assessment Appeals. Middlefield Democrats will be caucusing on Wednesday, July 22, at 8 p.m. in the Community Center auditorium. Middlefield Republicans will be caucusing on Monday, July 27, at 7 p.m. in the Community Center. Durham In Durham, things will look a bit different for longterm residents this year. This is the first election cycle
Above, an aerial view of the area around Coginchaug High School, which is the building at right center. The track, which will undergo a major upgrade, is the green oval just below the high school building at the right of the photo. Just below that is a treed hillside on which bleachers are planned and then the field of the former Stannard property. Moving to the left in the photo, nearly in the center, are the high school tennis courts — four of them — which will be rebuilt and one added. See a complete description of the District 13 projects on page 3.
See Caucuses, page 11
Durham Library awaiting a retrofit ...
Powder Ridge committee interviews first bidder By Sue VanDerzee Town Times The ad hoc committee on Powder Ridge interviewed the first applicant for buying/leasing the ski area on Tuesday, July 14. “We had a fascinating two hours with Dan Frank of CDF and Associates LLC,” said Dave Lowry, chair of the committee.
Above is the Durham Library beautifully lit up by a mock-up of the landscape lighting that is going to be installed by Bob Isleib of RLI Electric, LLC later this month. The library will not only look beautiful at night, it will consume much less energy. See story on page 21. Photo by Jen Schulten
According to Lowry, the next step is to try and arrange a similar interview with the second bidder, Alpine Associates, as well as arrange for “due diligence,” checking of references, etc.,
for Frank and his partners.
The committee is still hopeful that there will be some winter activity on the site this year, but “time is working against the applicants,” he said.
In this issue ... Calendar ...........................4 Durham Briefs ...13-14 & 28 Honor Rolls.....................16 Libraries.....................20-21 Middlefield Briefs ..15 & 28 Obituary..........................24 Sports..........................25-26 Spotlight..........................23