Volume 19, Number 48
Serving Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall
www.TownTimes.com
PRODUCTION SOON WILL TAKE FLIGHT
Friday, April 10, 2015
Late spring impacts local agriculture By Charles Kreutzkamp Town Times
Durham town budget proposed at plus-6.05 percent By Mark Dionne Town Times
The Durham Board of Finance held a public hearing April 6 on the town budget, proposed for 2015-2016 with spending of $7,349,870, a 6.05 percent increase over the current figure of $6,930,370. According to the presentation, the proposed budget would increase Durham’s mill rate by 0.49 mills. That figure does not include any potential increase due to the school budget. Loraine Coe, BOF chair, presented the budget to approximately 40 residents and town officials at the Coginchaug Regional High School auditorium. “Our grand list has only in-
creased by 0.69 percent this year compared to the 0.96 percent increase last year. In addition to this, our state and local revenues have increased only slightly, 1.16 percent and 1.26 percent, respectively,” Coe said. A significant portion of the budget and some of the increase comes from the reserve fund and capital improvement plans. “The Board of Finance has increased the use of the reserve fund to save for long term needs,” said Coe. One of the larger lines in the $1,111,020 reserve fund appropriation is $600,000 for buildings. In response to a question, Durham First Selectman Laura Francis said, “The building re-
serve fund can be used for any town building. However, we have been increasing that line in preparation to renovate those two houses [adjacent to the fire house] and 41 Main Street, the fire house.” Durham officials have discussed plans to turn those buildings into a public safety complex. Francis said that no money could be spent from those funds without a town meeting. “There’s going to be plenty of opportunity to discuss that,” Francis said. Other significant figures in the reserve fund appropriation include $105,000 for fire apparatus, $168,000 for highway equipment, and $100,000 See Budget / Page 5
The low tunnels at Starlight Gardens are helping plants sprout despite the snow still on the ground. see some color.” As for many growers, early spring is a crucial season. “We do three quarters of our business between March 21 and June 21,” Bennerup said. “That will be down to two months instead of three and we can only ship so much.” Though Sunny Borders will be taking a financial hit this year due to the weather, the busiSee Agriculture / Page 4
- INSIDE TODAY’S EDITION es Town Tim
Community
Guide 2015
The The 2015 2014 Town Times Community Guide Information for Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall
11902-01
Peter Pan and the Lost Boys finish a song while rehearsing for their April 24-26 performances of “Peter Pan, Jr.” Tickets for the John Lyman Parents Association/ PaperHouse production are on sale at showtix4u.com. Pictured, back row, from left: Rebecca Tobin, Mary Kaliszewski (as Peter Pan), Madison Burt. Middle row, from left: Katie DeFlora, Ella Milidantri, Nicholas Smith. Front row, from left: Ben Carroll, Sophia Stephan, Claire DeFlora. | Mark Dionne / Town Times
With snow still on the ground in April, the long winter is taking a bite out of area growers’ production and profits in Berlin, Cheshire, and Durham. “Mother nature does what she wants,” said Alex Arisco of Arisco Farms in Cheshire. The cold has “slowed down a lot of the growth,” even in greenhouses, which depend on sunlight. Energy bills for heated greenhouses have also risen dramatically. “Once in a while we get a mild winter, but it never makes up for all the tough ones we get. We’ve got to tighten our belts.” Arisco Farms grows flowers for Easter and Mother’s Day, as well as some edible plants. “We live by the weather,” a d d e d Jo e A r i s c o o f Cheshire’s T&D Growers. By the time the weather warms up, the season for pansies will already have ended. “We’ll be going straight into the summer season.” “We are two weeks later than last year, and last year was late,” said Pierre Bennerup of Sunny Border Nurseries in Berlin. Sunny Border grows two thirds of its plants outside. “Even if we could sell them, our customers want to