Volume 19, Number 28
Serving Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall
www.TownTimes.com
Friday, November 14, 2014
Solar project moves forward, but not without opposition By Mark Dionne and Charles Kreutzkamp Town Times
Durham’s solar farm project, with only a few more hurdles to clear before becoming a reality, still faces opposition from some neighboring the proposed location on the corner of Haddam Quarter Road and Brick Lane. The solar farm would be built and maintained by Green Skies, a private Middletown-based company. The electricity generated would be sold back to the town at a reduced rate to power up to 10 municipal and public safety accounts for a 20-year agreement. In an interview with the Town Times, Chair of the Clean Energy and Sustainability Task Force, Thomas Kannam, said this project will benefit the entire community, while very few residents would be impacted directly. Those residents’ concerns were being addressed, he said. Kannam and Durham First Selectman Laura Francis have both used the figure of $25,000 as the town’s potential annual savings, a figure that could go up depending on future electrical See Solar / Page 6
David Booth practices his tee shot for footgolf, a sport the Coginchaug Soccer Club will use as a fund-raiser on Nov. 16. | Jen Huddleston / Submitted
Footgolf fundraiser for soccer fields By Mark Dionne Town Times
A solar farm, proposed for this townowned property on the corner of Brick Lane and Haddam Quarter Road, has drawn opposition from neighbors in the area. | Mark Dionne / Town Times
The Coginchaug Soccer Club is bringing the new sport of footgolf to Indian Springs Golf Course in Middlefield for a fund-raiser on Sunday, Nov. 16. Footgolf, first developed officially in Europe, is pretty much what it sounds like. Footgolfers play golf using – instead of clubs and a small golf ball – feet and a soccer ball. No one is allowed to play defense in footgolf. “It’s a national phenomenon,” said Jen Huddleston, manager of Indian Springs Golf Course. “It’s making its way across the United States ... We just thought it would be a blast to try it out.” Mark Salley, registrar of the CSC, said, “It’s a great combination. We’re hoping to get parents
who might be into golf to play with their soccer kids.” The footgolf event will have two courses. The long course is 18 holes designed for groups of four in a scramble format. Huddleston said, “The holes are different. We’re shortening the holes to make it more kick-able.” Holes have been replaced with targets. The long course, according to Huddleston, is for anyone up to completing 18 holes, at an estimated time of two hours. A short course for families and youth will have a reduced number of holes and a kicking contest. Some of the proceeds from the event will go into CSC’s capital improvement account dedicated to field improvements. “As time has gone on, the fields are getting worse and
worse,” said Salley. “Our goal is to make some dramatic improvements, hopefully within the year.” In October, the CSC moved forward with a plan to donate a $8,300 fencing project to Memorial School. The fence will keep cars off the grounds, allowing the club the opportunity to work on the two soccer fields. Presenting the plan to the Board of Education on Oct. 8, Francis Willet, CSC’s field manager, said that the Memorial fields were “in desperate need of enhancement, seeding, or plugging ... If you’ve ever walked on it, it’s close to concrete.” According to Salley, cars driving on the fields is one of the biggest difficulties when it comes See Footgolf / Page 2