Volume 19, Number 34
Serving Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall
www.TownTimes.com
Friday, December 26, 2014
Polluted groundwater spurs push for public water By Mark Dionne Town Times
The long story of Durham’s polluted groundwater that began decades ago with the then-accepted dumping of industrial solvents by two Main Street businesses added another chapter at a public hearing on Dec. 16. The hearing, attended by approximately 40 members of the public and some 10 town, state and federal representatives in an official capacity, was held to discuss a proposed ordinance that would require residents in Durham’s Superfund site to convert to public water and abandon their wells. Anni Loughlin, project manager of the Environmental Protection Agency, led a discussion on the background of the Superfund site, called “Area A” on maps related to the problem, and made a case for both converting to public waSee Water / Page 18
Superintendent Award honors exceptional seniors By Mark Dionne Town Times
Coginchaug Regional High School seniors Erin Smith and Christian Alberico were recognized by the Board of Education on Dec. 10 as winners of the annual Superintendent Award. Erin was nominated as an outstanding student especially dedicated to community service. Erin’s nomination, which was read by Superintendent of Schools Kathryn Veronesi, praised her ability “to balance her schoolwork, community service, and athletic interest with such ease.” See Award / Page 6
John Lyman’s Hello Chorus performs for Gov. Dannel Malloy in New Haven.
John Lyman receives $16K for murals By Charles Kreutzkamp Town Times
The John Lyman School in Middlefield will be getting a little more colorful thanks to a grant from the state. Grade 3 and 4 students will be working with art staff from Wesleyan University on two murals this year, with more to come. The eventual goal is to involve every grade of the school, John Lyman Principal Thomas Ford explained. “At Lyman we believe very strongly in the arts and in arts integration,” Ford said. Ford said he has no idea what the murals will look like, as students will be directing the designs. One mural will be designed under the theme of re-
flecting the school’s core values, and the other will be designed as part of the social studies curriculum. Students will be involved in every step of the process, which will support the school’s interdisciplinary approach to learning. For example, students will need to measure spaces and draw a to-scale design before the mural is painted. Students will also write on the social studies topic of that mural. “Every aspect of the curriculum will be covered in this project,” said kindergarten teacher and HOT schools site coordinator Sharon Berndt. The principal said that Berndt was “the catalyst and the spearhead” in obtaining the grant. Berndt said John Lyman approached Pam Tatge, director
of the Center for the Arts at Wesleyan. Tatge asked her staff if anyone would be interested in the project, and “as it turned out they have a woman named Kate TenEyck whose mother worked here as a teacher and Kate went to the school district here, so there was that great connection and she was thrilled to come to the school where her mom had taught,” Berndt said. Gov. Dannel Malloy announced Dec. 18 that Middlefield would be receiving $16,080 for the murals as part of a total of $250,000 in arts in education grants for Connecticut schools. Students from John Lyman’s Hello Chorus performed for the governor when the grant was See Murals / Page 4