May 21, 2013

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Essex Selectmen Consider Single Monthly Meeting

May 16, 2013 by

ESSEX— The board of selectmen is considering a change to it’s meeting schedule to establish a single monthly meeting at 7 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month. The board currently meets two times a month, at 5 p.m. on the first Wednesday, and at 7 p.m. on the third Wednesday.

The idea of a single monthly meeting was raised by First Selectman Norman Needleman at the conclusion of Wednesday’s meeting. Needleman, a Democrat elected top job in 2011, said the board’s agendas have been light in recent months, and he “would be OK with having one meeting a month.”  Needleman said the board could call a special meeting if important issues arose that required another meeting.

Selectwoman Stacia Libby and Selectman Joel Marzi each said they were open to a change in the meeting schedule. The board agreed to discuss, and possibly vote, on a change to the meeting schedule at the board’s next meeting on June 5.

The Essex Board of Selectmen has been following a twice monthly meeting schedule for more than two decades. Selectmen in Chester and Deep River currently adhere to a twice monthly meeting schedule.

Filed Under: Charles Stannard, Essex, News

State Grant Helps Fund Emergency Communications System for Region 4 Schools

May 15, 2013 by

DEEP RIVER— An $18,025 grant provided through the state Office of Policy and Management will help pay for a new emergency radio communications system that will link the five Region 4 schools and the district’s administrative office.

Voters at a town meeting Tuesday approved a resolution accepting the grant provided under the Inter-town Capital Equipment Incentive Program (ICE). With Deep River as the host town, selectmen and town meetings in Essex and Chester are also authorizing a joint application to apply the funds to the school district shared by the three towns. Region 4 is expected to provide matching funds to cover the estimated $38,000 to $40,000 cost of the radio system.

The funds will be used to purchase radio repeater equipment that would be attached to an existing 100-foot telecommunications tower at John Winthrop Middle School. The new system will provide direct radio communications between the middle school, central office, Valley Regional High School, and the elementary schools in Chester, Deep River, and Essex. The radio system could be used during any emergency, whether weather-related or as a result of an incident at one of the schools. The new radio system is expected to be installed over the summer to be put in operation during the next school year.

Filed Under: Charles Stannard, News, Region 4

Navy Commander Philip Beckman Awarded Military Professional Employee of the Year

May 15, 2013 by

Beckman, Philip_CDR_091407 Navy Commander Philip Beckman of Ivoryton received the Award for Military Professional Employee of the Year from the Rhode Island Federal Executive Council on May 8th.

CDR Beckman, on the faculty of the Naval War College in Newport, is part of the College of Operational and Strategic Leadership and interacts routinely with the U.S. Navy’s maritime operations centers around the globe to improve war-fighting effectiveness at the operational level. He holds a B.S. in Mathematics from the U.S. Naval Academy, a M.S. in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a Masters in Engineering Management from Old Dominion University.

The Rhode Island Federal Executive Council (RIFEC) recognized outstanding federal employees for their work and accomplishments over the past year at a ceremony held at the Radisson Hotel in Warwick, RI.

Filed Under: Community, Essex, News

Essxe Town Meeting Approves $22.68 Million Budget Plan on Voice Vote

May 14, 2013 by

ESSEX— Voters at a town meeting Monday approved a $22,684,150 town/school spending plan for 2013-2014 on a voice vote. About 50 voters turned out for the annual budget meeting, with a motion for approval going directly to a voice vote, without discussion or questions. There were several opposing votes, but no motion from the crowd for a show-of-hands or paper ballot vote on the spending plan.

The spending plan includes a $6,967,461 town government budget, and a $7,634,917 appropriation for Essex Elementary School. The town’s $8,081,772 share of the Region 4 education budget had already been approved by voters in a May 7 referendum. The total spending appropriation of $22,684,150 represents a 2.69 percent increase over the current spending total.

The board of finance will set the tax rate for 2013-2014 at a meeting Thursday. First Selectman Norman Needleman and finance board chairman Jim Francis each said after the vote the tax rate is expected to increase by “about one-half mill” to fund the total spending package. The current tax rate is 18.47 mills, or $18.47 in tax for each $1,000 of assessed property value. The property tax rate was increased by 0.49 mills last year to fund the current town and school budgets.

Filed Under: Charles Stannard, News, Town Hall

No Changes as Tax Decrease Budget Goes to May 21 Chester Town Meeting

May 13, 2013 by

CHESTER— Voters at the May 21 annual budget meeting will consider a proposed $12.32 million spending plan for 2013-2014 that includes an unusual one-half mill decrease in the town’s property tax rate. The meeting convenes at 7:30 p.m. in the new community meeting room on the second floor of town hall.

First Selectman Edmund Meehan said there have been no changes to the budget that was presented to a handful of residents at the May 1 public hearing. The total $12,328,940 spending plan, which is $419,141 less than current spending, includes the $3,515,054 town government budget, a $373,620 capital expenditure plan, a $4,182,373 appropriation for Chester Elementary School, and the town’s $4,257,893 share of the Region 4 education budget. The Region 4 education budget was approved by voters of Chester, Deep River, and Essex in a May 7 referendum.

Education spending in the proposed budget is down by $467,000 because a declining enrollment at the elementary school, and fewer students from Chester attending the  two Region 4 secondary schools, Valley Regional High School and John Winthrop Middle School. The decrease in enrollment has led to a $426,084 reduction in the Chester share of the Region 4 budget.

Meehan has described the proposed 2013-2014 budget as “an anomaly” that is unlikely to be repeated in future budget years. The enrollment-driver reduction in education spending has allowed the board of finance to recommend a one-half mill reduction in the tax rate, from the current 22.45 mills to a tax rate of 21.95 mills. The new rate represents $21.95 in tax for each $1,000 of assessed property value. Unlike many past years, the board of finance has found no need to transfer funds from the town’s undesignated fund balance as a way to hold down taxes. The fund balance is projected to total $1.57 million when the budget year ends on June 30, 2014.

Filed Under: Charles Stannard, Chester, News, Town Hall

Giuliano, Ziobron Exploring Options for Ferry Revenue

May 10, 2013 by

HARTFORD — With operating expenses exceeding income, a recent Department of Transportation plan to double fees for the two Connecticut River ferries is being met with opposition from residents along the river valley.

The state DOT wants to increase fares from $3 to $6 for vehicles and from $1 to $2 to walk-on passengers. The discount coupon book that currently goes for $40 for 20 tickets would be doubled to $80. With the ferries running at a deficit of about $650,000, the DOT says this plan will help keep both ferries viable and open.

But residents worry such a steep increase will drive ridership down and ultimately lead to the closure of Connecticut’s historic ferries. State Representatives Marilyn Giuliano (R- Old Saybrook) and Melissa Ziobron (R- East Haddam) are working with local and state officials to look for possible alternatives to doubling the fees.

“We have to be careful not to make short-sighted decisions that have the opposite of the intended result,” Giuliano said. “Doubling the fees might make sense on a balance sheet but, in practice, could be harmful to the bottom line- we need to look at all possibilities.”

“People in this region are passionate about the ferries and they play an important role in tourism including for Gillette Castle State Park in East Haddam,” Ziobron added. “We have to do our due diligence to make sure we have explored all our options before we simply double the fees. This has to be an ‘all of the above’ approach.”

Giuliano and Ziobron have arranged to speak with local stakeholders and the Department of Transportation Commissioner to discuss various alternatives to the proposed fee increases.

DOT plans to hold hearings on the fare increases this month. On May 20th there is a hearing in the Rocky Hill Community Center and on May 22nd there will be a hearing at the Chester Meeting House. Both begin at 6:30pm. Giuliano and Ziobron said they would like to attend the meeting in Chester but will likely be held up in legislative session in Hartford.

Anyone wishing to speak with them regarding the proposed rate increases can feel free to call their office at 1-800-842-1423 or send an email to Marilyn.Giuliano@housegop.ct.gov or Melissa.Ziobron@housegop.ct.gov

Filed Under: Chester, News

Essex Zoning Commission Sets Public Hearing on Proposed Centerbrook Art Studio

May 10, 2013 by

ESSEX— The zoning commission has scheduled a May 20 public hearing on a special permit application for an art studio that would occupy most of the vacant space in the commercial building at 61 Main St. in the Centerbrook section. Nairco. LLC of Killingworth is seeking approval of an art studio that would offer arts-related glasses, programs, and workshops for children, teenagers, and adults.

NairCo LLC is a partnership run by Barbara Nair, who operates the Killingworth Arts Center on North Parker Hill Road in Killingworth. The arts center is a non-profit organization in operation since 2003. NairCo. LLC purchased the 61 Main St. property for $760,000 last November.

The commercial building, located near the traffic light in Centerbrook, has been mostly vacant for more than three years, with a pool supply and repair business currently leasing space in a section of the building. In March 2012, the zoning board of appeals denied a variance appeal that would have allowed a coffee and pastries shop in a section of the building. Earlier this spring, the zoning commission approved NairCo’s request to amend zoning regulations to allow art studios as a permitted use in a commercial zone.

The May 20 public hearing agenda also includes a request by the Essex Volunteer Fire Co. to amend zoning regulations to include fire training facilities as a permitted use in the limited industrial zone on Plains Road. The volunteer fire company is hoping to construct a fire training facility on a section of Greider Field, a recreation field on Plains Road that is owned by the fire company. The public hearings convene at 7 p.m. in town hall.

Filed Under: Charles Stannard, Essex, News

Letter: Senator Linares, Gun Control, and the NRA: More Transparency Needed

May 10, 2013 by

To the Editor:

The Valley News Now (April 26) quotes Senator Linares at length in remarks before a recent seniors’ luncheon of the Estuary Council explaining why he voted against the Newtown gun control law.  In my opinion, Mr. Linares’s remarks are unconvincing.  They set a standard of glib analysis that hopefully will not characterize his future votes in office. Equally important, Mr. Linares’s remarks leave me wondering whether he has told us the whole story of his “ no” vote. The News reports that he did not volunteer his explanation, but only responded to questions after having  “consented” to a discussion.  Mr. Linares’s web site does not mention his vote.  Why is that, on an issue of such importance to his constituents?

Mr. Linares is quoted by the News as saying he “did not have a chance to read the bill.”  This is hard to credit.  The new law is largely the work of the Bipartisan Task Force on Gun Violence Prevention and Children’s Safety established last January – of which Mr. Linares was a member from the beginning.  The Task Force took extensive testimony, and legislative proposals began to emerge from it as early as the beginning of March.  The members of the Task Force then reportedly met behind closed doors to negotiate the legislation for two months before emerging in early April with a bipartisan proposal. Is it possible that Senator Linares was still clueless after participating in such a process?

The News quotes Mr. Linares as saying that the legislation “could create a black market” in guns. So what?  A black market in heroin “could be” the result of existing laws prohibiting that substance.  Mr. Linares does not, I assume, favor legalizing heroin. Taxes on cigarettes and regulatory restrictions on the production of pharmaceutical products arguably have fostered black markets in those products.  Does Mr. Linares support eliminating cigarette taxes or allowing the production of prescription drugs in substandard facilities? The answer to black markets is to enforce laws against them – not cave in.

Mr. Linares’s thought process in explaining his  “no” vote is so obscure he sometimes seems to speak in riddles.  He is quoted as saying, for example, that his concern was for police officers.  He reasons that taking guns away from common citizens could have the effect of being “dangerous to law enforcement officers.”  What does he mean by this?  How can it be good for the police, let alone the rest of us, to allow every Tom, Dick, and Harry, irrespective of mental instability or terrorist proclivities, to have access to military style weapons?  Mr. Linares does not explain.

Mr. Linares claims that “most guns are used for self defense”. This seems doubtful. I would guess that “most guns” are used for hunting or target practice.  Still, if Mr. Linares is correct that ”most guns are used for self defense,” perhaps it is because folks are returning fire — in which case it might also be true that “most guns are used in violent crime.”  In any event, Mr. Linares’s observation is irrelevant because the legislation does not ban “most guns” in Connecticut, but only a small subset of them, specifically some 100 types of assault weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines.

Few would contest Mr. Linares assertion that citizens should have the “right to defend themselves.”  However, that is not the issue presented by the Newtown legislation, which leaves intact an individual’s access to a huge variety of guns.  The issue presented by Newtown is whether we as citizens also have a right to gather in public places without the nagging fear of being attacked by an unstable, violent few bearing arms of such great destructive force that they properly belong in the military for our collective defense.

A few weeks after he voted “no” on the Newtown legislation, Mr. Linares posted a piece on his web site entitled “what I’ve heard in my first 100 days as State Senator.” There is no mention of Newtown.  Instead, Mr. Linares speaks forcefully against fiscal irresponsibility and wasteful government spending.  Is it not wasteful to spend scarce taxpayer dollars on the compensation of elected officials who do not have the  time to read important legislation and yet proceed on the basis of superficial analysis to vote against it?

In the meantime, well over a month after the enactment of the Newtown legislation, Mr. Linares still has not posted on his official website an explanation of his reasons for voting no.  I respectfully call upon him to do so now.  This is important to the transparency of his position.  All of Mr. Linares’s constituents have the right to know his reasoning, not only those who happened to attend the seniors’ luncheon at the Estuary Council.

In the context of such disclosure, it would be helpful if Mr. Linares would also clarify his dealings with the National Rifle Association.  According to the non-partisan voter education organization “Project Vote Smart”( www.votesmart.org), Mr. Linares last year was accorded a 92% approval rating by the political action committee of the National Rifle Association.  This entity, known as the “NRA Political Victory Fund” (NRA PVF), is the campaign finance arm of the NRA.  The 92% approval rating given Mr. Linares apparently was the highest accorded any member of the Connecticut General Assembly (shared with only a distinct minority of his colleagues). The NRA PVF website in turn states that it “ranks political candidates – irrespective of party affiliation – based on voting records, public statements and their responses to an NRA-PVF questionnaire.”

Since Mr. Linares had no voting record on gun control at the time of his 92% ranking in 2012, and his public statements on this issue have in my experience proven elusive, it would be reasonable to assume that Mr. Linares’s stellar NRA ranking was the result of his answers to their questionnaire.  Those answers in turn hold the key to understanding what standard Mr. Linares applied when he told the seniors’ luncheon that the Newtown legislation “ went too far and was too extreme.”

The issue now is whether Mr. Linares will be as forthcoming to his constituents as he apparently has been to the NRA.  Towards this end, I call upon Mr. Linares to publish on his web site his responses to the NRA questionnaire together with any other information he has provided to the NRA that would shed light on his gun control views.  This would help his constituents understand whether it was the Newtown legislation, or Mr. Linares’s own position, which “went too far and was too extreme.”

Sincerely,

David Harfst
Essex

Filed Under: Letters, News

DR Quiet Budget Hearing, Town/Elementary School Plans go to Town Meeting Vote

May 9, 2013 by

DEEP RIVER— A proposed $3.7 million town government budget and a proposed $5.51 million appropriation for Deep River Elementary School go to the voters for approval at a May 20 town meeting after a quiet budget hearing held earlier this week.
First Selectman Richard Smith said about a dozen residents turned out for the May 7 budget hearing, Smith said there were few questions, and no specific calls for any changes to the 2013-2014 budgets that were approved by the board of selectmen and board of finance.

The town government budget of $3,701,379 is combined with a $43,000 capital expenditure plan and $348,060 in debt service for a total town government appropriation of $4,094,439. The proposed $5,511,158 elementary school budget is up by $110,371, or 2.04 percent, over the current appropriation for the elementary school.

The annual budget meeting is set for Monday May 20 at 7:30 p.m. in the newly renovated second floor auditorium at town hall. This will be the first town meeting vote on a town budget since 2000. The town has been holding referendum votes on budgets since 2001, but ever decreasing voter turnouts for the annual referendums led the board of selectmen to hold a town meeting vote on the budget this year. The vote will be conducted by paper ballot.

Filed Under: Charles Stannard, News, Town Hall

Essex Elementary School Foundation Hosts India Day for 3rd Graders

May 9, 2013 by
Teacher Mrs. Haut models a sari

Teacher Mrs. Haut models a sari

Thanks to the Justus W. Paul World Cultures Program, the Essex Elementary School Foundation recently treated 3rd Graders to a day full of education about India.  Students sampled cuisine, created artwork and learned about authentic clothing during the celebration on Friday, May 3rd. 

This not-for-profit, volunteer organization provides funds for enrichment programs at the school, such as an iPad lab and a historian-in-residence.  For donation information, head to www.essexelementaryschoolfoundation.org.

Filed Under: News

Hadlyme Meeting Votes to Oppose Doubling Ferry Fares, Launches Petition Drive

May 8, 2013 by

ferry 2On Saturday May 4, members attending the annual meeting of the Hadlyme Public Hall Association voted unanimously to oppose the proposal by Connecticut  Department of Transportation (DOT) to double the Connecticut River ferry fares to $6 and agreed to launch a petition drive opposing the fare increase.

The Association immediately initiated the petition drive by creating an on-line petition at SignOn.org.  Click here to add your name to the petition.

Paper petitions will also be circulated throughout the communities served by the two Connecticut River ferries — the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry and the Rocky Hill-Glastonbury Ferry.

All the petitions will be presented to the state DOT officials who will be making the decision on whether to raise the fares and by how much.

The position adopted by the members at the meeting states that the Association opposes the state’s proposal to double the fares and instead urges the state to give serious consider to other alternatives that could increase revenues, including:

– Increasing posted fare prices but provide a discount for cars with Connecticut license plates.

– Institute a system of On-peak & Off-peak pricing (similar to that used by commuter railroads) that would charge higher fares on weekends and holidays when there are usually long lines of cars waiting to ride the ferries.

– Increase hours of operation on weekends and holidays to take advantage of generating more fares when ridership demand is the highest.

– In addition to the current discount ticket books, offer a flat “annual pass” fare with a sticker to place on cars to identify those who have purchased the pass.

– Working with state tourism and parks agencies, aggressively promote both Connecticut River ferries to tourists and visitors.

Connecticut DOT will be holding public hearings on the proposed fare increases on May 20 and 22.

Hadlyme Hall Association President Curt Michael urged all those concerned about or affected by the proposed fare increase to sign the petition and to attend the public hearings.

Click here for more info on the fare increase proposal and the public hearings

Hadlyme Public Hall Association is a century-old not-for-profit community organization whose membership is open to all. Its current membership represents more 140 households in Hadlyme and the surrounding area.
For more information about the Association and its historic public hall, visit www.hadlymehall. com

Related article:  Giuliano, Ziobron Exploring Options for Ferry Revenue

Filed Under: News

Region 4 Education Budget Approved on 274-145 Vote

May 7, 2013 by

REGION 4— Voters of Chester, Deep River and Essex approved a $17,776,120 Region 4 education budget for 2013-2014 Tuesday on a 274-145 vote in an eight hour referendum. The budget, which funds the operation of Valley Regional High School and John Winthrop Middle School,represents a $269,907, or 1.54 percent, spending increase over the current appropriation. The spending plan won voter approval in all three district towns.

But the result was close in Deep River, where the budget carried on a 68-64 vote. The budget carried in Essex on a 161-69 vote. In Chester, where a decrease in students attending the two secondary schools has set the stage for a one-half mill decrease in the tax rate, the budget carried on a 45-12 vote.

A total of 419 voters from the three towns turned out for the referendum. Voter turnout was down from the 2012 referendum, where 619 voters turned out the approve the budget on a 412-207 vote. A total of 699 voters participated in the 2011 budget referendum.

The low turnout prompted Region 4 Board of Education Chairwoman Linda Hall to suggest the board should reconsider it’s policy of holding an annual referendum vote on the budget. The annual referendums began in 2001, the last year a Region 4 budget was rejected by voters of the three towns. In previous years, the budget had been considered by voters at a district meeting held on the first Monday in May.

Hall, a veteran board member who has served two six year terms on the panel, said she will not be seeking another term in the November municipal election. But Hall suggested said the board that is seated in December, after the election, should take another look at the annual referendum policy based on the decreasing voter turnouts of recent years. “It’s something that should be brought to the table,” she said. “It’s such a low turnout and it is an expense for the towns.”

Filed Under: Charles Stannard, News, Region 4, Schools

Research Lab by TATE+BURNS Architects LLC is LEED-CI Platinum Certified

May 7, 2013 by

TATE+BURNS Architects LLC of Essex, Connecticut’s recent design for a 9,600 square foot Laboratory for Comparative Medicine at the Yale University School of Medicine received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI) Platinum rating from the US Green Building Council. To date, this is the first renovation project at Yale to achieve a LEED-CI Platinum rating. The project located in the Brady Memorial Laboratory Building (originally built in 1916 with additions in 1929 and 1971) continues a tradition of sustainable design by TATE+BURNS. In 2009, a 15,000 square foot laboratory renovation project on the second floor of the same building designed by TATE+BURNS received a LEED-CI Gold rating.

Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED certification is an internationally acknowledged standard for environmentally conscious design. Its criteria include sustainable siting and materials, water efficiency, energy savings, indoor air quality, day lighting, consumer waste management and design innovation. Factors that contribute to the sustainability of this project site include its location in a historic urban campus building, ease of pedestrian access, the addition of bicycle racks with affiliated changing/shower facilities and a convenient Zipcar location.

Energy conservation measures include building envelope upgrades such as window replacement and improvements to the existing masonry walls to reduce heat loss through air infiltration, innovative lighting design (lighting energy loads were reduced by more than 25%), active chilled beams for radiant heating, cooling and ventilation, Energy Star appliances and a comprehensive program for commissioning to ensure mechanical systems run as intended. Water fixture upgrades and the use of high efficiency fixtures with sensors and programmable controls yield a 30% reduction in building water use over current EPA standards.
Environmentally preferable and low emitting materials were specified. Materials with high recycled content were used. Brick, steel, wood, gypsum board and furniture were selected from regional sources of extraction and manufacture, reducing energy consumption for transportation of goods and supporting the local economy. Wood doors, millwork and laboratory casework are certified as sustainably harvested by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC rated). Interior adhesives, paints and coating meet the strictest standards for emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds. Engineered wood products are all made without use of added urea-formaldehydes (a known carcinogen). In addition 98% of generated waste from demolition and construction was diverted from landfills to recycling agencies.

Sustainable strategies were used in the design and construction to create a 21st century research facility within an early 20th century academic building which had antiquated, inefficient mechanical systems and undersized, dimly lit workspaces. The result is an efficient and aesthetically pleasing research environment successfully marrying modern technology and historic design.

The project included a team of design and construction professionals: Babbidge Facilities Construction provided construction management. Other collaborators included the Yale University School of Medicine Facilities Planning and Construction office, R.G. Vanderweil Engineers (MEPFP), Sage Design and Consulting (LEED), Michael Horton Associates (Structural), Robert Schwartz and Associates (Specifications), Philip R. Sherman, P.E. (Code Consulting), EcoOne Solutions (Waste Management) and other local subcontractors and suppliers.

Filed Under: Essex, News

Deep River Fire Department Seeking New Recruits

May 7, 2013 by

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The Deep River Fire Department is actively seeking new recruits to join the department. Positions in  fire fighting- both junior division, (14 years and over) and senior division, grant writers, computer specialists and volunteers to help the auxiliary are all welcome.

The ability to serve a community is an honor, sometimes hard work, very fulfilling and always a challenge. Please consider helping us meet that challenge. Interested individuals please stop by the Union Street Station any Wednesday at 6:30.

For additional information visit: deepriverfd.com.

Filed Under: Deep River, News

Bus Shelter Dedicated to Local Transit Pioneer

May 7, 2013 by

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From the late 1800’s until the early 1900’s, shoreline residents could travel by trolley cars throughout the region. But automobiles soon caused the demise of the trolley companies, and regional public transportation became non-existent.

As the population grew in the 1970’s, Connecticut River Estuary Regional Planning Agency director Stan Greimann saw a growing need for public transportation. He envisioned a bus system that would not only enable commuting to New Haven, but would provide travel throughout the nine town region.  He worked tirelessly to spread his vision, until in 1981, nine estuary region towns created the Estuary Transit District (ETD).

Thirty-two year later, the transit district Greimann created and led for over two decades has grown to provide nearly 100,000 passenger trips annually servicing the estuary region with thirteen buses connecting to four other regional transit systems under the name 9 Town Transit.

As a tribute to Greimann’s contribution to public transit in the region, the ETD board of directors dedicated the new Old Saybrook bus shelter in his memory.  The dedication ceremony, held on April 25, 2013, was attended by local elected officials and members of his family.

Long time ETD board member Virginia Zawoy of Clinton said of Stan, “He spent countless hours looking for ways that would enhance public transportation in the estuary region.”

A plaque memorializing Greimann and his contributions to public transit was installed on the shelter located on the Boston Post Road across from Staples.  State representative Marilyn Giuliano commented that “Stan’s contributions were many, commendable and deserving of this honor.”

The Estuary Transit District provides public transit service to Chester, Clinton, Deep River, Essex, Killingworth, Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook and Westbrook through its 9 Town Transit service.  Connections are available to New Haven, Middletown, Hartford and New London/Norwich bus services as well as the Shoreline East Commuter Rail.  All services are open to the general public with no age or disability restrictions.

Additional information, route maps and schedules are available online at www.9towntransit.com or by calling 9 Town Transit at 860-510-0429.

Filed Under: ll, News, osn

Deep River Town Meeting Approves $4 Million Sewer Expansion Project

May 3, 2013 by

DEEP RIVER— Voters at a town meeting Thursday approved a $4 million sewer expansion project that would extend the municipal system to about 130 properties in the River and Kirtland streets neighborhood on the east side of Route 154. The 46-19 show of hands vote of approval came after more than two hours of discussion, and two changes to the resolution authorizing the project.

Much of the discussion focused on the financing for the project , particularly the provision for a benefit assessment fee for properties on the new sewer line. The service area includes about 90 existing homes, with the remainder currently undeveloped parcels.

The initial seven-section resolution included a provision for a “one time benefit assessment fee of $2,000,” that could be paid off by property owners over 20 years. But acting on a recommendation from the bond counsel, Bruce Chadwick with the Hartford firm Shipman & Goodwin, voters amended the resolution to delete the reference to the benefit assessment fee. Chadwick advised removing the provision because the town’s water pollution control authority had not called a separate public hearing before discussing the fee at recent meetings.

The resolution was amended on a voice vote, but more than 90 minutes in to the discussion, Janet Kollmer, a former board of finance member, moved to restore the provision for a benefits assessment fee. While First Selectman Richard  Smith confirmed the WPCA was planning for a benefit assessment fee, Kollmer insisted the fee provision should be locked in to the resolution, and possibly higher than $2,000.

The project would be financed by a $1.2 million grant from the U. S. Department of Agriculture, and a $2.8 million USDA loan. The loan, with a 2.75 percent annual interest rate, would be paid off over 40 years, with the annual payment from the town set at $116,540. Kollmer said a benefit assessment fee should be required as a way to help defray the annual loan expense for taxpayers not served by the expanded system. During discussion  on Kollmer’s motion, it was confirmed the WPCA has discussed a fee that could be as high as $5,000 per property.

On a recommendation from the bond counsel, Kollmer’s amendment was crafted to provide for a benefit assessment fee of an undetermined amount that would be set by the WPCA after a public hearing. The fee would also require separate approval from voters at a town meeting.

Several residents spoke in support of the project, noting the expansion would resolve continuing problems with septic systems that require frequent pump outs due to soil and ledge conditions in the area that had been recommended for sewers, but not included, when the first phase of the municipal system was constructed in the late 1980s.

Smith noted the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection could order the town to provide sewers in the area at a future date when the current grant and loan funding package is not available. The expansion project is expected to be put out to bid next winter, with construction to begin in 2014 for anticipated completion in late 2015.

Filed Under: Charles Stannard, News

Pearl Twirl Hits High Note for Community Music School – Raises Over $55,000

May 3, 2013 by
Pearl Twirl auctioneer and radio personality Damon Scott generates bidding action (Photo by Kim Tyler Photography).

Pearl Twirl auctioneer and radio personality Damon Scott generates bidding action (Photo by Kim Tyler Photography).

Centerbrook, CT – The milestone was significant and the support even greater at the Community Music School’s 30th anniversary benefit gala that took place on April 20.  Presented by Landscape Specialties, The Pearl Twirl: A Swellegant Affair turned out more than 150 celebrants while raising over $55,000 to support music scholarships, music therapy services and community outreach programs.

Community Music School instructor Joni Gage with Joe Bouchard of Blue Oyster Cult celebrating the school’s 30th anniversary at the Pearl Twirl benefit gala (Photo by Joan Levy Hepburn).

Community Music School instructor Joni Gage with Joe Bouchard of Blue Oyster Cult celebrating the school’s 30th anniversary at the Pearl Twirl benefit gala (Photo by Joan Levy Hepburn).

 

Pearl Twirlers gathered on the lawn of the Lyme Art Association (LAA) to enjoy savory bites, fine wine, Swing era music performed by the school’s faculty, silent auction and a live auction emceed by radio personality and local resident Damon Scott.  Later, an Artful Patron Dinner was served inside the LAA galleries and featured a four-course dinner prepared by Owner/Chef Jonathan Rapp of the River Tavern restaurant with a wine selection from Angelini Wine carefully paired to compliment each course served.

(l-r) Community Music School Trustee Margaret Very, Student Services Coordinator Dawn Swope, and faculty members Adele Huffman and Shari Wilcox get ready to greet Pearl Twirl guests (Photo by Joan Levy Hepburn).

(l-r) Community Music School Trustee Margaret Very, Student Services Coordinator Dawn Swope, and faculty members Adele Huffman and Shari Wilcox get ready to greet Pearl Twirl guests (Photo by Joan Levy Hepburn).

In addition to ticket sales and auction bids, funds were also raised through a special appeal to support scholarships for the new summer arts program being launched by the Community Music School in partnership with The Kate in Old Saybrook.  “CMS Sells Seashells by the Seashore for Scholarships” provided donors with an oyster shell that correlated to one of many fun premium gifts.  Of note, was as a commemorative tab belt featuring a CMS logo ribbon custom designed and donated by Leather Man LTD.   A 1930’s style photo booth, where guests donned feather boas, hats and other props and received a photo strip as a keepsake, rounded out the evening’s activities .

(l-r) Dr. Katrina Wall, Sponsor Peter Wallace of Professional Planning Group, John Bauman, and Community Music School Trustee Jennifer Bauman under the tent at the Pearl Twirl benefit gala (Photo by Kim Tyler Photography).

(l-r) Dr. Katrina Wall, Sponsor Peter Wallace of Professional Planning Group, John Bauman, and Community Music School Trustee Jennifer Bauman under the tent at the Pearl Twirl benefit gala (Photo by Kim Tyler Photography).

“We are thankful for the many friends and sponsors who joined us for this celebratory evening. Their extraordinary support provides a firm foundation for us to continue to expand our programs and community outreach so more people can benefit from the arts in their life,” said Robin Andreoli, executive director.

Community Music School Trustee and Event Chair Monique Heller takes a twirl with Trustee Emeritus Peter Bierrie at the Community Music School’s benefit gala (Photo by Joan Levy Hepburn).

Community Music School Trustee and Event Chair Monique Heller takes a twirl with Trustee Emeritus Peter Bierrie at the Community Music School’s benefit gala (Photo by Joan Levy Hepburn).

Event sponsors included Covenant Kitchens & Baths, Inc.; Essex Savings Bank; Essex Financial Services; Bogaert Construction Co., Inc.; Fusco Corporation; Gowrie Group; Grossman Chevrolet Nissan; Kitchings & Potter LLC; Tower Laboratories, LTD; AJ Shea Construction, LLC; Brewer Pilots Point Marina; Cigna; Clark Group; Dime Bank; Essex Marine Group; Guilford Savings Bank; Leonardo & Associates PC; Lewitz, Balosie, Wollack, Rayner & Giroux, LLC; Madison Veterinary Hospital;  Periodontics  PC; Professional Planning Group; Reynolds’ Garage & Marine; Ring’s End; and Saybrook Ford.  In-kind sponsors included Angelini Wine LTD; Coca Cola Bottling Company of Southeastern Connecticut; Joan Levy Hepburn;  KimTyler Photography; and Leather Man LTD.

Since its inception in 1983, the school has grown from five instructors teaching 40 students to 30 instructors teaching over 500 students of all ages through private and group lessons, instrumental and voice ensembles, orchestras, music therapy, special events and summer programs.  Located on Main Street in Centerbrook, its geographic reach goes beyond the Connecticut shoreline with faculty and students from as far north as Hartford and west to New Haven.   For more information on CMS programs and special events, go to www.community-music-school.org or call (860) 767-0026.

Filed Under: Essex, ll, News

Large Crowd Celebrates Reopening of Deep River Town Hall Auditorium

May 2, 2013 by
A full house for the official opening of the new Auditorium (photo by Jerome Wilson).

A full house for the official opening of the new Auditorium (photo by Jerome Wilson).

DEEP RIVER— More than 200 residents turned out Wednesday evening to celebrate the reopening of the second floor auditorium at the historic 1893 town hall after a renovation project that was brought to completion over the past year by a committee of volunteers.

Former Selectman Art Thompson, who chaired the Deep River Town Hall Auditorium Restoration Committee, welcomed the crowd to an event “that only happens once every 120 years.”  Thompson, who had pushed for completion of a restoration effort, served as master of ceremonies for a program that celebrated the role of the town hall auditorium in the town’s history.

Thompson introduced former First Selectman Joe Miezejeski as “honorary chairperson,” for the event. Miezejeski, who served four terms as first selectman through the 1980s, was a member of the Deep River Town Hall Restoration Association that began the restoration effort when it incorporated and began collecting donations for the project in 1979.

The association collected about $270,000 in donations and coordinated various improvements over the past 30 years, including installation of an elevator that was funded by the late Emma Marvin, a former selectwoman. But many improvements remained unfinished, including renovations needed to bring the auditorium in to compliance with current building codes to allow full use of the balcony.

Looking down on it all, the Auditorium's new ceiling (photo by Jerome Wilson)

Looking down on it all, the Auditorium’s new ceiling (photo by Jerome Wilson)

At Thompson’s urging, the board of selectmen in 2011 appointed the new 11-member committee and gained control of the funds amassed by the former restoration association. The committee included four members of the association, Bruce Edgarton, Sally Carlson-Crowell, Frances Strukus and Kenneth Wood Jr. The new members included Claudia Epright, Janice Kmettz, Richard Nagot, Kim Olson, Linalynn Schmelzer, and Dennis Schultz. The committee used the $270,000 in available funds to complete the restoration project over the past 14 months.

Attending the program Wednesday were more than a dozen elderly graduates of the former Deep River High School, which closed when Valley Regional High School opened in 1952. The high school was located in a section of what is now Deep River Elementary School, but it lacked an auditorium. For more than 60 years, students used the town hall auditorium for group events that ranged from dances to the annual graduation ceremony. The construction and April 1893 dedication of the town hall was recounted by Dan Conners, a retired history teacher who was a member of the original faculty at Valley Regional High School and author of a book on the history of Deep River.

Wednesday’s program, which also featured music from the Deep River Junior Ancient Fife and  Drum Corps and the elementary school chorus and clarinet ensemble, opens a period of active use of the 279-seat auditorium. Over the next month there will be concerts, movies, and a May 31 dance. The new chairs on the main floor of the auditorium are movable, allowing for a return of dances to the historic facility.

Filed Under: Charles Stannard, Deep River, News, Town Hall

Deep River Budget Plan With Expected Four-tenths Mill Tax Rate Increase Goes to Public Hearing

May 1, 2013 by

DEEP RIVER— A proposed $3,701,379 town government budget and a proposed  $5,511,158 appropriation for Deep River Elementary School goes to a public hearing on May 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the newly renovated second floor auditorium at town hall.

The town government budget is combined with a $43,000 capital expenditure plan and $348,060 in debt service for a total town government expense of $4,094,439. The town government and elementary school spending plans are combined with the town’s $5,160,854 share of the Region 4 education budget for a total proposed 2013-2014 spending levy of $14,779,521.

The $3,701,379 town government budget is up by $192,113, or 5.47 percent, from the current appropriation The town budget includes a three percent wage-salary increase for all town employees, including elected officials and part-time employees.. Debt service is up by $155,357, mostly due to new lease payments for a new fire truck and highway department truck, while the capital expenditure plan has been reduced by $291,000.

The $5,511,158 appropriation for the elementary school is up by $110,371, or 2.04 percent.  A shift in student enrollment, with additional students from Deep River attending Valley Regional High School and John Winthrop Middle School, contributed to the $281,854, or 5.78 percent, increase in the town’s share of the Region 4 education budget.

The total $14,77 million spending levy, including Region 4, is up by $448,695, or 3.13 percent. The board of selectmen and board of finance has endorsed a plan to increase the tax rate by four tenths of a mill to fund the proposed spending plan for 2013-2014. The increase would bring the tax rate to 25.08 mills, or $25.08 for each $1,000 of assessed property value. The proposed tax increase matches a 0.40. tax increase that was required to fund the current budget.

or the first time since 2001, the board of selectmen has decided to hold the budget vote by paper ballot at a May 20 town meeting, rather than by a referendum vote. Extremely low voters turnouts for the budget referendums in recent years led the selectmen to call for a town meeting vote on the budget.. The Region 4 budget goes to the voters of Chester, Deep River, and Essex in a 12 noon to 8 p.m. referendum on May 7, the same day as the town budget hearing.

Filed Under: Charles Stannard, Deep River, News, Town Hall

Chester Budget With Unusual Tax Decrease Goes to May 1 Public Hearing

April 29, 2013 by

CHESTER— A proposed $3,852,474 town government budget and a $4,182,373 appropriation for Chester  Elementary School go to a public hearing Wednesday in the newly finished community room at town hall. The session begins at 7:30 p.m.

In what First Selectman Edmund Meehan describes as “a one-time anomaly,” reduced spending for both the elementary school and the town’s share of the Region 4 education budget will allow a one-half mill reduction in the tax rate with no transfers from the undesignated fund balance. The planned reduction, from the current tax rate of 22.45 mills to  21.95 mills, would represent a property tax cut of about $150 on a house assessed at $300,000. The planned tax rate for 2013-2014 would represent $21.95 in tax for each $1,000 of assessed property value.

Last year, the selectmen and finance board approved a transfer of $174,641 from the town’s undesignated fund balance to hold the tax rate at 22.45 mills.  Meehan said no transfers from the fund balance were needed to cover this year’s one-half mill cut in the tax rate, with the undesignated fund balance expected to total about $1.57 million in June 2014.

The net spending decrease of about $420,000 includes a $41,527 decrease in the elementary school budget, and a $426,084 decrease in the town’s share of the Region 4 budget. The reduced spending for education results from decreased enrollment at the elementary school, and fewer students from Chester attending Valley Regional High School and John Winthrop Middle School.
The town government budget is up by about $47,000 from the current appropriation. The $3.85 million town government budget includes a 2.25 percent wage/salary increase for union and non-union town employees, including elected officials, and additional spending for medical insurance and the town employee pension fund. There is also an additional $6,500 for winter snow removal expenses.

Wednesday’s public hearing will be the first major municipal meeting in the community meeting room at town hall that was part of the second floor renovations that Meehan describes as “95 percent complete.”

The town hall second floor renovation project that began in February was funded by the insurance settlement from the February 2011 collapse of the former community center building on Route 154. The new community room at town hall will now host most town meetings that were previously held at the historic Chester Meeting House on Liberty St.

The annual budget meeting vote on a town/elementary school spending plan for 2013-2014 is set for Tuesday May 21 at the town hall community room. The Region 4 education budget goes to the voters of Chester, Deep River, and Essex in an eight-hour referendum on May 7.

Filed Under: Charles Stannard, Chester, News, Town Hall

My First Week on my Long Ride Home to Connecticut

April 29, 2013 by
My first overnight at a Walmart’s, in Claremont, CA. That’s “Chateau,” my 13-year-old, 180,000-mile blue and silver beauty

My first overnight at a Walmart’s, in Claremont, CA. That’s “Chateau,” my 13-year-old, 180,000-mile blue and silver beauty

Blythe, Arizona – Here I was, approaching this tiny town. Blythe is as far east in California as can be. It was Day 5 of my solo transcontinental ride home to Connecticut.The sun was setting on one of my finest days so far as I approached Blythe on I-10—my destination for this day. I saw it coming up. It’s what I call a ”one-story town.” I didn’t spot one building any higher than that.

I kept right on at 60 miles an hour with all the other traffic, waiting for the main exit to Blythe to announce itself. Surprise! I found myself suddenly crossing the Colorado River—which is a modest stream here—and confronting a big sign, “Welcome To Arizona!” What?!

I had overshot Blythe. That’s how small it is.

It was another mistake, plain and simple. Mistakes, errors, call them whatever you like, are inevitable in the kind of travel I’m doing. I experience them every day. I don’t go nuts over them any more. The only solution is to “Grin and Bear It!” Plus, “Maybe something good will come of this!”

Oh, I know what you smarties are thinking. “John, if you had GPS, this would never have happened.”

Well, I do have it. Brand-new, too. A Gamin Novi 401. Finally I got it hooked up and going. But it’s not calibrated right. That anonymous tenor persists in giving me one wrong direction after another. I’ve unhooked the darn thing. I’m hoping to run into a geek soon who will get it going right for me.

Besides, for these many decades of doing nutty trips like this, I’ve done fine with my trusty road atlas. This mistake was all Blythe’s fault! They should have a big sign up at the exit, “Stop! This Is Blythe!”

My intention was to “camp” in Blythe for the night. My definition of “camping” in my old age is sleeping in my van and eating most of my meals in it.

One reason I chose Blythe is there’s a 24-hour Walmart here. I’ve camped at a Walmart every night on this trip so far. It’s perfect.

This way, I don’t have to drive miles out of my way to find a campground, then drive miles back in the morning. Walmart is safe! And so convenient. Its 24-hour superstores—that’s what they usually are–offer everything I can possibly spend money on except gas. Plus clean bathrooms! And Walmart is free! And welcoming!

I wish they had been around on all those big past trips I’ve taken. And the many trips I took my wife and kids on.

I’ll be delighted if I can find a Walmart every single night on my 3,500-mile route home. We now have 3,000 Walmart super-centers in the U.S., which never close. I stand a pretty good chance.

~ ~ ~

As usual this trip isn’t a picnic. It’s hard work. I didn’t expect it to be easy. It never is. It keeps me busy from early morn till 10 or 11 p.m. With naps as needed, I admit. You’d be surprised at everything that’s required to do it right.

So far my ride is as good as I hoped it would be. I love the challenge of it. And I enjoy its many rewards. One is running into interesting folks. So far. I’ve struck it lucky again. and this is one of my major goals. And not a bad apple yet.

Another is to see—really, really see, with my own eyes—how our country is doing and changing. And experiencing the sights, natural and man made, at times beautiful and inspiring, at times ugly and regrettable, and too often very dull and skip-able.

Important to remind you I’m driving an 11-year-old van with more than 180.000 miles on it. Yes, that’s right, 180,000 plus.. She’s running like a top. I feel it’s just broken in. Honest! Maybe I’m setting myself up for a gigantic disappointment. But it couldn’t be sweeter running. I’m delighted.

It’s a Ford 7-passenger Econoline van. The model name is Chateau, which is—maybe was–Ford’s top of the line in vans. It’s loaded with amenities, some I love. The tinted windows (people can’t see in). The comfortable seats. The electric this and that. Other features, too.

My first little camper years ago—a VW “bus”— was Dandelion. That’s what I dubbed her. She was that color of beautiful yellow. Notice, I said “she.” After all, if we can give our boats feminine monickers, why can’t I do it for my lovely camper?

I deliberated and finally settled on Chateau as the name for this one. It’s so appropriate. This really is a wonderful and lovely little chateau, on four wheels, of course. So from now on Chateau is “she,” too. My poetic license! You’ll get used to it fast.

She does have a few bugs. The worst is the obstacle course I face to get from my driver’s seat to the back. You have to be as agile as a monkey, but I’m no monkey. And there’s no way to fix that.

The next is that I can’t stand in her. I may get home permanently hunched over. It’s made me think of the advantages of being a midget.

She has six ceiling lights. I think if I go over a bump, they all go on. Sometimes even when I’m stopped for a while.On my second day I had a dead battery. Not a promising start. But I have a AAA Classic membership—they’ll tow me up to 100 miles. A tech guy showed up in 35 minutes, gave me a jump, and pointed out the troublesome lights. Still they go on. I’m thinking of duck-taping them OFF.

I’m allowed only four road calls a year, and my year is just starting. On my next night at Walmart I bought jumper cables. Cheap insurance.

I have two keys to Chateau. They look identical. One works much better than the other. The bad one will not open the doors every time. Makes me very nervous. I’m afraid of locking the good key inside, and what then? Methinks I need see a locksmith.

It takes a mighty flick of my wrist with the ignition key to start the engine. Sometimes I have to flick hard twice, even three times. If this keeps up, I’ll be buying a brace for my wrist soon. Walmart stocks those, too.

I told you in my previous report she has a fancy, super-sophisticated entertainment system. Even a TV screen in the ceiling in back to watch DVDs. The system included GPS, too. But I discovered it was dead and the dealer that sold me Chateau, FamVans, gave me that portable Gain Navi instrument.

Well, now I find that the CD player is broke, too. So now I can’t enjoy the dozen music CDs I brought along. Got to do something about this, too.

The radio is fine. But it’s a pain to search and search and not find a station I really enjoy. Silence is golden.

Turns our that Chateau’s tires are oversize. If I try a tight turn left or right, the front tires rub on the body. Not good! So tight turns are impossible. Sometimes I can turn around 180 degrees only with two or three tries. You wouldn’t like that, either.

She gulps gasoline like a monster. California is a $4-a-gallon gas state. Maybe a few cents over, a few cents under here or there. At one stop high in the San Gabriel Mountains on Day 2, $4.14! I find that very painful.

I’m stopping for refills whenever I need $40 worth or so. That happens more often than I thought it would. Why stop so often? I like frequent breaks. And I try to work in as much exercise as I can. It’s a big step up into Chateau, and a big step down.

Besides, If I bought a maximum fill, the tab would be well over $100, and that makes me shudder. Just consider, I remember a gas war when the price dropped to 17.9 cents a gallon! I’d like a price war like that at least once a week Sob!. Such price wars are history. How come?

But I’m delighted with the many changes and improvements I made to convert her into a mini camper. My bunk with the foam mattress. The clothes hooks I screwed in. The drawers and shelves I put in. How I planned the whole interior lay-out. The whole list of little things I’ve done. Chateau is tiny, but wonderfully efficient and comfy.

I’m still making changes every day. One little improvement after another. I call them my Robinson Crusoe moments. Remember how shipwrecked Robinson used his wits to solve all kinds of problems and make his shipwreck life easier? Well, that’s me in Chateau. Each Robinson Crusoe moment, as simple as it is, gives me a glow of pleasure.

~ ~ ~

Here are some of the highlights of my trip so far. I’ll sketch them out briefly. I found them so interesting that I hope to write them up for you one by one as I go along. Patience, please.

Day 1. A symposium on three “isms” that I attended at Claremont-Lincoln School of Theology in Claremont, CA. The three are Buddhism, Sikkism, and Janism. The Jainism segment was the one that drew me. It’s a strange and impressive religion in India. I am not a Jain, but I’ve had close Jain friends for 30 years and I’ve learned abut it through them.

Day 2. My day resting and exploring Claremont. What a charming and delightful small community. With seven colleges, mind you. To me it’s THE small town to live in.

Day 3. My ride high up into the awesome San Gabriel Mountains for a white-knuckle ride along its famous Rim of the World road. But so exciting, too. A ride I won’t forget soon.

Day 4. My visit to Palm Springs, the man-made oasis out in the desert a couple of hours east of L.A. Palm Springs is a small place but who hasn’t heard of it? So many movie stars have bought fancy second homes there. I’ve been to Palm Springs several times, thanks to Annabelle. I much prefer the newer small communities that have sprung up around Palm Springs.

Day 5. As you know by now, I think, I’m not fond of Interstate Highways. Of course I appreciate their practicality. They’re great to get somewhere fast. But they bypass so many interesting things and they are so dull. I much prefer the far more interesting lesser roads. I’ve been lucky at finding some dandy ones. But I got lost! Three times!

Day 6. How I find myself in tiny Mecca. Strange name for a town here in California. A town with a heavy population of Mexicans. How I’m impressed by them. And the library that serves them and the others in Mecca as well, of course.

Day 7. I knew that the next 100 miles to Blythe would be a tedious and taxing ride. But I managed to find an alternate route and then went and messed it up again. But I got some nice rewards.

 

As always, I’ve met some interesting people along the way. Including some truly Good Samaritans. How lucky I’ve been. I can’t wait to tell you about some of them.

I’ve wondered whether I’ve become too old to enjoy this kind of travel. I’ve done a lot of it over the years and it’s been so much fun. Well, I have good news. It’s hard. Yes, it is. No denying that. But so far I am rejoicing. It is shaping up as the grand adventure I hoped for.

Long ago I realized that Mark Twain was right. That smart guy is the one who said that often it is better to travel than to arrive. My whole point is not just to get home. It’s to squeeze in as much pleasure out of every mile as I can. And it’s working out that way.

Know what? So far I’ve been on the road seven days and have traveled barely 500 miles. That’s very little–only about one-seventh of the mileage I expect to run up before I roll into Deep River. And the best parts of the route are still ahead.

So I’ve found myself wondering, When the heck will I finally be getting home?! Labor Day? Thanksgiving? Christmas? I leave it all to Serendipity!

~ ~ ~

A Post Script. Just a few days ago I turned 84. Yes, 84. Which means that was  tip-toeing into my 85th year on Earth!!!

You have no idea how surprised I am to have made it this far.

I remember when I was 8 or 9 I wasn’t doing well and my mother had our family doctor come to the house and examine me.

I remember how he finally put his stethoscope back in his black bag and looked at my mom and said, “Madame, I am sad to tell you I don’t think this little boy will live to see his 30th birthday.”

Gosh, did he shake her up! And my father when he came home! As for me, 30 seemed a long, long time away.

Gosh, have I fooled him!

I’m going to be alone on the road for this birthday. Not a problem. I’m just looking forward to another nice day, my eyes filling, I’m sure, with one wonderful sight after another, as always. It won’t be perfect. Nothing ever is. But it will be great.

I don’t need a birthday cake. I’d be embarrassed to try to blow out all those candles. How huge a cake would it take to hold them all?

Besides, I know I’ve got a lot of people cheering for me. How lucky I am! How really lucky!

Adios!

Filed Under: Deep River, ll, News

Senator Linares Lunches with Seniors, and Discusses His “No” Vote on Gun Control

April 26, 2013 by
Senator Linares extends a greeting at lunch for seniors in Old Saybrook

Senator Linares extends a greeting at lunch for seniors in Old Saybrook

State Senator Art Linares joined a well attended lunch on Thursday at the   Estuary Council of Seniors at 200 Main Street in Old Saybrook. The Senator, whose district includes parts of Old Saybrook, and all of Chester, Deep River, Essex, and Westbrook, as well as six other Connecticut towns, did not deliver a formal address at the lunch.

Rather, the 24 year old state legislator sat at a table with an ordinary group of seniors for his lunch, and after a brief greeting to all he circulated around the dining hall shaking hands, and engaging in small talk with diners.  In all there were close to a hundred seniors attending the lunch. The cost per person for an Estuary lunch is $3.00.

Senator Linares’s “No” Vote on the New Gun Control Law

After the lunch the Senator consented to a discussion of his views on the state’s new gun control law. The law was recently passed by the state legislature and signed into law by the Governor. Senator Linares cast his “no” vote on the gun control bill in the State Senate.

Asked to give his reasons for voting against gun control bill, the Senator said, “The legislation outlaws 100 kinds of guns.” He continued, “Most guns are used for self-defense,” and citizens should have, “the freedom to defend themselves.”

Continuing, he said, the new law by imposing so many restrictions on the ownership of guns “could create a black market” in the sale of guns. He also opined that taking away guns from common citizens could have the effect of being “dangerous to law enforcement officers.” “My concern it the police officers,” he said.

In addition, the Senator stressed that the new, gun law bill was moving so fast through the state legislature, “I did not have a chance to read the bill.”  Summing up his position, the first term Senator said that the state’s new gun control law “went too far and was too extreme.” He also said that he had heard that, “they are confiscating guns” from private citizens, although he gave no specifics.

Representative Giuliano Voted “No” on New Gun Law

In discussing his “no” vote on gun control legislation, the Senator said that a number of other local legislators had voted against the bill. He mentioned, specifically, State Representative Marilyn Giuliano, who voted “no” on the gun control bill in the House of Representatives. Giuliano represents the towns of Lyme, Old Lyme and Old Saybrook, and she is the Assistant Republican Leader of the lower House of the legislature.

Filed Under: Jerome Wilson, ll, News, osn, Politics

Local Library Directors Celebrate World Book Night at the Adams Shopping Center

April 25, 2013 by

world book night

Susan Rooney (right), the new Deep River Library Director, and Linda Fox, the Chester Library Director, represented their respective libraries at the Adams Shopping Center on April 23 as part of World Book Night. They gave away free copies of The Girl With the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier.

World Book Night is an annual celebration dedicated to spreading the love of reading, person to person.Each year on April 23, tens of thousands of people go out into their communities and give half a million free World Book Night paperbacks to light readers and non-readers. Not only is World Book Night about giving books. It’s also about people, communities and connections, about reaching out to others and touching lives in the simplest of ways—through the sharing of stories.

Filed Under: Chester, Community, Deep River, News

DR Selectmen Choose Town Meeting Vote, No Automatic Referendum This Year

April 24, 2013 by

DEEP RIVER-– For the first time in 11 years, voters will decide on a town/elementary school budget plan by a town meeting vote without a referendum.  The town meeting vote on a spending plan that is still being finalized will be held on Monday May 20 in the newly renovated town hall auditorium. The annual budget hearing is set for May 7.

The board of selectmen voted unanimously Tuesday not to hold a referendum vote on the budget plan for 2013-2014. First Selectman Richard Smith said Wednesday he had consulted with members of the Deep River Taxpayers Association before making the decision, and pledged that the vote at the May 20 town meeting would be by paper ballot. “There will not be a referendum this year unless we’re petitioned for one,” he said.

Smith said most residents, and elected officials such as members of the board of finance, had advised that a referendum vote on the budget should be skipped this year after extremely low vote turnouts for the budget referendums held in recent years.

Last May, a total of 190 voters turned out to approve a $14.3 million town/elementary school budget plan on a 147-46 vote. A total of 361 voters turned out for the budget referendum in May 2011. “It’s just too costly based on the turnout,” Smith said, noting that with a budget referendum costing the town about $1,800, the 2012 turnout amounted to an expense for the town of almost $100 per vote.

The town began holding annual referendums on the town government/elementary school budgets in 2001, when a depleted fund balance and steep tax increase led to controversy, and three votes before a spending plan was approved by voters. The taxpayers association formed that year, and indicated to the selectmen that they would seek a referendum vote on future budgets.

Rather than allowing a petition process to delay the budget vote, the board of selectmen, led by Smith, agreed to send the annual budget directly to a referendum vote. But turnout for the referendum that is usually held in the last week of May has decreased in recent years.

Referendum voting will continue on the Region 4 education budget, which is subject to approval by voters of the three district towns of Chester, Deep River, and Essex. The Region 4 Board of Education had adopted a policy of referendum voting on the budget in 2001, after spending plans were rejected twice before wining voter approval in a third referendum. The Region 4 budget referendum will be conducted on May 7 from 12 noon to 8 p.m. at the regular election polling places for the three towns.

Filed Under: Charles Stannard, Deep River, News, Town Hall

Pettipaug Yacht Club Excels in Small Boat Sailing Programs for Young Sailors

April 24, 2013 by
A shoreline view of the high school racing teams on the water

A shoreline view of the high school racing teams on the water

The Pettipaug Yacht Club will offer a truly impressive roster of small boat, sailing programs for young people during the soon-to-be-upon-us summer sailing season. The club is located in Essex off River Road, directly on the Connecticut River, making it an ideal small sailing boat location. Among the club’s sailing programs for young sailors this summer are those at the club’s prestigious Pettipaug Sailing Academy.

The guiding spirit behind the Pettipaug Sailing Academy is retired Electric Boat engineer and club Board member, Paul Risseew. Risseew not only directs the Sailing Academy, he runs virtually all of the sailing and boating programs at the Pettipaug Yacht Club.

Learning to Sail at the Pettipaug Sailing Academy

The aim of the Pettipaug Sailing Academy, which was founded in 1950, is to teach young sailors in Risseew’s words, “the pleasure of sailing in small boats and also the racing in small sailboats.”

Six rigged sailboats are ready for the afternoon races

Six rigged sailboats are ready for the afternoon races

155 young sailors have enrolled this coming summer for the sailing classes at the Academy. Courses at the Academy are divided into two sessions. The first session begins on July 1 and ends July 23, and the second session begins on July 25 and ends on August 16. Some students take both sessions for seven full weeks. Others opt for a single session of three and a half weeks.

Rolling sailboats into the water; a stiff winds await them

Rolling sailboats into the water; a stiff winds awaits them

Academy days are also broken up into morning classes and afternoon classes.  Morning classes, which are for children, ages 8 to 11, are held from nine o’clock until noon. Afternoon classes, which are for students, ages 12 to 16, are held from one o’clock until four o’clock.

Sailboats ready for winds gusting to 20 knots

Sailboats ready for winds gusting to 20 knots

The curriculum of the Pettipaug Sailing Academy includes lessons in teamwork, rigging, capsize recovery, tacking, gibing, reaching, running, sailing to windward and tying knots. Upon their graduation from the Sailing Academy, students are givens ranks that reflect their respective sailing skills. The rank of progressions as they are called are; Seaman, Seaman First Class, Second Mate, First Mate, Boatswain, Skipper, and Racing Skipper.

With the wind blowing hard a sailboat sets sail from the dock

With the wind blowing hard a sailboat sets sail from the dock

This year the enrollment at the Pettipaug Sailing Academy was completely filled by March 30. However, sometimes there are drop outs, just before classes begin. When this happens, new students are taken off the waiting list. The tuition at the Academy for both sessions is $700 and $400 for a single session.

A Sailboat “Race Clinic” to Precede Academy Classes

 Prior to the instructional sailing classes of the Pettipaug Sailing Academy, the club will hold an intensive, five-day “Race Clinic” for small boat, racing sailors. Classes for the clinic will be held from Monday, June 24, to Friday, June 28. The “Race Clinic” is designed to teach students how to win sailboat races, and it is expected to attract some 25 students, ages 12 to 15.

All eight fulltime sailing instructors at the club will serve on the faculty of “Race Clinic.” The clinic’s curriculum will include; in getting a good start in a race, reading the wind to attain the fastest speed, as well as learning what are sometimes not so nice, but permitted, racing tactics. Tuition for the intense, five day “Race Clinic” is $200.

Other Summer Programs at the Pettipaug Yacht Club

Another program featured this summer at the Pettipaug Yacht Club will be Powerboat Courses designed by the U.S. Powerboating Association. There will be eleven, one day, Powerboat Courses held throughout the summer sailing season. The first course will be held on Sunday, April 28, and the other course dates will be posted on the club’s web site at www.pettipaug.com and on the club’s bulletin board.

The Powerboat Courses are for students of all ages, and the one-day course begins at 8:30 a.m. and end at 6:00 p.m. The tuition is $180. For further details contact Paul Risseew at 860-767-1995, or at PRisseew@aol.com .

Teaching Sailors to Teach the Art of Sailing

As if the above programs were not enough, there will also be two courses at the club on teaching sailors how to teach the art of sailing.  A Level 1 Instruction Course for would-be sailing teachers will be held over the two weekends of June 8-9 and June 15-16. A more advanced Level 2 Instruction Course for sailing teachers will be held over three consecutive days, June 17, 18 and 19.  The tuition for the Level 1 course is $350, and $300 for the Level 2 course.

In addition, there will be Windsurfing Courses, mostly for the young, throughout the summer, for which there could be a small charge.

Club’s Hosting of High School Racing Teams

Finally, during the months of March and April of this year, the club has been hosting sailboat races for three local, high school sailing teams. (Photos of a recent race of these teams are pictured with this article.) The teams are students from; Valley Regional High School, which has nine sailors; Xavier High School, which has 16 sailors; and Daniel Hand High School, which as 28 sailors.

Fifteen of the sailboats used in this pre-season sailing program are owned by the Pettipaug Yacht Club, and twelve are owned by Xavier High School. Although it is understood that all of the sailors participating in this program are members of the Pettipaug Yacht Club, there is no financial cost involved for the racing participants.

Paul Risseew’s Philosophy of Teaching Young Sailors to Sail 

 In teaching young sailors Risseew said, “Our priorities at Pettipaug are Safety, Fun and Learning, in that order.” He also noted, “If the students are not having fun, they won’t pay attention to the learning.”

Pettipaug Sailing Academy leader, Paul Risseew

Pettipaug Sailing Academy leader, Paul Risseew

“The majority of students return year after year, because they are spending the warm summer days with friends and playing on, and in, the water,” he continued. “Pettipaug is able to provide expert racing coaching to those who want to go in that direction. We send Optimist and 420 race teams to over a dozen regattas at other clubs in Connecticut.”

Putting it all in perspective, Risseew said, “As Rat said to Mole, in Wind in the Willows:  “‘There is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” 

Filed Under: Essex, Jerome Wilson, ll, News, Outdoors

Prescription Drug Discount Program Offered by the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities

April 24, 2013 by

The Town of Essex, through its association with the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM), the statewide association of towns and cities, is now providing a new prescription discount card that will provide uninsured and underinsured residents steep savings on prescription medicines. Essex is a member of CCM and this new program is only available to CCM member-communities.

In Connecticut, over 10 percent of Connecticut residents – nearly 360,000 people – currently lack health insurance and prescription plans and another 800,000 residents are under-insured. There are over 50 million uninsured individuals living in the United States.

The “Town of Essex Prescription Drug Discount Card” helps residents save money on their prescription medications any time their prescription is not covered by insurance.  This new prescription discount card will provide immediate fiscal relief at the pharmacy counter for uninsured and under-insured residents and offers the following features and benefits:

  • Anyone can participate regardless of age or income;
  • All prescription medications are covered including pet prescriptions that can be filled at a pharmacy;
  • There is no cost to the municipality or to participating residents;
  • Cost savings average 45% ;
  • There are over 63,000 participating pharmacies nationwide, including CVS, Rite-Aid, Walgreens, Wal-Mart, Stop and Shop, and Big Y, and many independent pharmacies;
  • Discounts are also offered on other medical services including vision, hearing and Lasik services.

Norman Needleman, First Selectman of Essex, said, “CCM really came through for our town residents. It should have a positive benefit for residents and property taxpayers across Essex.”

“CCM is pleased to offer this valuable community service to Essex,” said CCM Executive Director and CEO Jim Finley. “Many families are struggling and even some families with health insurance may not have all their prescriptions covered. This program will help them save money on any medicines not covered by their insurance.”

Each residence in Essex will receive a “Town of Essex Prescription Discount Card” by direct mail which they may use at any participating retail pharmacy.  Cards may be used by all town residents regardless of age, income or existing health coverage.  There are no enrollment forms, membership fees, restrictions or limits on frequency of use for residents.  Cardholders and their family members are encouraged to use the cards any time their prescriptions are not covered by insurance.  Cards can also be printed by visiting www.CTRxDiscountCard.com, and selecting Essex from the drop-down menu.

Filed Under: Essex, News, Town Hall

Essex Town Government, Elementary School Budgets Draw Mild Response

April 23, 2013 by

ESSEX— A proposed $6,967,461 town government budget and a proposed $7,634,917 appropriation for Essex Elementary School drew a generally quiet response Monday from residents at the annual budget hearing. About 45 residents turned out for the public hearing on the two spending plans.

The town government budget, which represents a $113,821, or 1.66 percent, increase over the current budget, and the elementary school budget, which is up by 100,326, or 1.33 percent, over the current appropriation, are combined with the town’s $8,081,772 share of the Region 4 education budget for a total $22.62 million spending plan for 2013-2014. The Region 4 education budget, which funds John Winthrop Middle School and Valley Regional High School, goes to the voters of Chester, Deep River, and Essex in a 12 noon to 8 p.m. referendum on May 7.

First Selectman Norman Needleman described both the town government and elementary school budgets as “reasonable” spending plans that maintain current services while limiting the proposed spending increase. The largest portion of the total proposed $594,000 in new spending is a $379,885 jump in the Essex share of the Region 4 budget that results from 31 additional students from Essex attending the district’s two secondary schools. The elementary school budget includes a reduction of two teaching positions in  response to a drop in enrollment at the school.

There were no calls for specific reductions or other changes to the budget plan during the nearly two-hour hearing. But one resident, Wally Schieferdecker, offered a specific suggestion for what should be done with a one-time $229,721 payment the town received earlier this year from the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority.

The payment from the regional trash disposal authority was to cover more than 20 years of unpaid rent and promised host town benefits for the regional solid waste transfer station located off Route 154. The Essex facility compacts trash and collects recyclables from nine area towns for transport to the CRRA incinerator and collection site in Hartford.

Schieferdecker said the $229,721 should be used to help limit any increase in the tax rate needed to fund the combined town government and school spending plans. “This is a windfall and it’s money the taxpayers have already paid over the years,” he said, adding “the taxpayers deserve a little benefit from our good fortune.”

Needleman, who negotiated the settlement with CRRA officials before accepting a new long-term contract for solid waste disposal through CRRA, agreed the one-time payment was “found money.” Needleman said he hopes the board of finance would consider the windfall when it sets the tax rate for 2013-2014 after the budgets are approved by voters. “It should ultimately have an impact with the mill rate,” he said.

Town Treasurer Robert Dixon told the crowd the town should end the current fiscal year on June 30 without any significant spending overruns. He said the town currently has about $2.6 million in its unappropriated fund balance.

The current tax rate of 18.47 mills, or $18.47 in tax for each $1,000 of assessed property value, represented a tax increase of .49 mills when it was set after the budget approval last May. With a mill generating about $1.1 million in tax revenue, a similar increase in the tax rate is likely for 2013-2014 to fund the total combined town/school spending plans. The annual budget meeting vote on the town government and elementary school budgets is set for Monday May 13 at 7:30 p.m. in town hall.

Editor’s Note:  The following letter was received today (4/24/2013) after publication of this report challenging the statement that there were “no calls for specific reductions.”  Link to letter.

 

Filed Under: Charles Stannard, Essex, News, Town Hall

John White Jr. Honored for 50 Years Service to the Deep River Fire Department

April 23, 2013 by
Fire Chief Tim Lee presents Chief Engineer Jack White with a plaque honoring his 50 years of service to the Deep River Fire Department.

Fire Chief Tim Lee presents Chief Engineer Jack White with a plaque honoring his 50 years of service to the Deep River Fire Department.

The Deep River Fire Department presented John White Jr. (Jack) with a plaque honoring his 50 years of service, while First Selectman Dick Smith presented White with a citation from the State of Connecticut commending his service to the Fire Department and to the town of Deep River.

White joined the Department at the age of 21, inspired by his father, John White Sr. who served the Department for over 25 years as Secretary. White, the Chief Engineer of the Fire Department is responsible for the upkeep of all the fire engines and equipment used by the department.

Filed Under: Community, Deep River, News

A Message from the Chester Resident Trooper

April 23, 2013 by

Subsequent to the Boston Marathon bombing, more than 100 websites were created to make people believe the site could have a legitimate charitable purpose to help those affected by the bombing.

It is believed many of the sites will instead, be used to solicit money fraudulently.  Those wishing to help should channel their gifts through reputable organizations, and verify new charities that claim to be set up to help victims of the Boston bombings.

As always, I can be contacted at (860) 526-3605 if anyone needs further assistance.

Regards,

TFC Matt Ewing
Chester Resident Trooper

Filed Under: Chester, ll, News, osn

Vote for Essex Historical Society 2013 Preservation Award

April 22, 2013 by
Centerbrook Meeting House, the winner of 2nd Annual Preservation Award of Essex Historical Society

Centerbrook Meeting House, the winner of 2012 Annual Preservation Award of Essex Historical Society

Essex Historical Society is devoted to the preservation of buildings, especially in the interest of protecting our town’s unique historical nature. EHS is looking for this year’s Preservation Award winner and we need your help!

If you know of a building that has been renovated or preserved you can nominate it for the Preservation Award. Past years’ winners have been the Ivoryton Library (2011) and the Centerbrook Meetinghouse (2012). Do you know the building that should be honored this year? Please, cast your vote!

The building can be either commercial or residential. The building needs to have been erected prior to 1936. The historic character of the original structure has to have been preserved in keeping with the period it was initially constructed.

From May 1 to May 31 all residents can submit votes for the structure of their choosing at the post offices in Essex, Ivoryton and Centerbrook. The votes will be tallied and the award will be presented  the Essex Historical Society’s Annual Strawberry Social on June 23, 2013 at 1 pm, at Pratt House in Essex.

Filed Under: Essex, News

Frame Finished at New Shoreline Medical Center in Westbrook; April 2014 Opening

April 22, 2013 by
IMG_6602

Hoisting the final steel girders for the frame of the Westbrook medical center

In an informal “Topping Off” ceremony last Thursday morning, the steel-girded frame of the new Shoreline Medical Center in Westbrook was declared complete. Or, as one observer put it, “The steel skeleton is now finished.”

Huge crane that put in place the steel girders for the new Westbrook medical center

Huge crane that put in place the steel girders for the new Westbrook medical center

There now remains the task of covering the frame, completely, with new surface materials, as well as constructing the entire interior of the new medical center building.

Workers precariously perched on narrow steel girders at construction site

Workers precariously perched on narrow steel girders at construction site

Also, according to an official of Middlesex Hospital, which is building the new Shoreline Medical Center in Westbrook, the project is still on track to open its doors for new patients in April 2014.

New Westbrook Center Will Be Off Exit 65 of I-95

The new Shoreline Medical Center in Westbrook will be located on Flat Rock Road at Exit 65 off I-95. The new 40,000 square, emergency medical facility will be twice as large as the present Shoreline Medical Center in Essex, which it will replace.

A Middlesex Hospital spokesperson said that there are still no plans as what to do with the Essex Shoreline Medical Center, once the Westbrook center takes its place.  Further dwarfing the size of the present Essex Shoreline center, the new Westbrook Shoreline Medical Center can be expanded from 40,000 square feet to 60,000 square feet, if necessity demands it.

Although Middlesex Hospital’s publicity materials stress that the new Shoreline center in Westbrook is only three miles away from the present Shoreline center  in Essex, in the minds of many Essex residents, it feels like their emergency center is gone forever, regardless of the new improvements in care promised at the new Westbrook facility.

Artist rendering of finished Shoreline Emergency Medical Center in Westbrook

Artist rendering of finished Shoreline Emergency Medical Center in Westbrook

Read related article by Jerome Wilson:

New Emergency Medical Center to Replace Essex’s Medical Center in April 2014

Filed Under: Jerome Wilson, ll, News, osn, Towns

Deep River Planning and Zoning Hearing on 444 Main Street Property Postponed

April 19, 2013 by

DEEP RIVER— The planning and zoning commission public hearing on the special permit application of resident George Bartlett Jr. for sale and maintenance of used construction equipment at a former industrial building at 444 Main St. has been postponed until the panel’s May 17 meeting.  Zoning Enforcement Officer Cathy Jefferson said the public hearing, which had been scheduled for Thursday, was postponed at the request of the applicant.

Bartlett’s previous plan for the former Champion Tool and Dye property on the west side of Route 154, also known as Main Street, had generated controversy last year and eventually led to a lawsuit filed by Bartlett against the zoning board of appeals. The initial plan called for a used car dealership, a use that would have required two variances from the zoning board of appeals.

One variance was dimensional, because the parcel was 5.3-feet short of the 150 feet of road frontage required for uses in the Turnpike Industrial Zone. But a second variance related to the used car dealership use drew strong opposition from Jefferson, representing the planning and zoning commission, at a June 19 public hearing.

The ZBA approved the dimensional variance, but there was dispute over whether the board had also approved the use variance that drew objections from the planning and zoning commission. The ZBA last September declined a request to amend it’s minutes of the June 19 session to reflect approval of both variances. The refusal led Bartlett, represented by Essex lawyer John Bennet, to file a lawsuit against the ZBA late last year.

The lawsuit that is still pending in Middlesex Superior Court does not prevent the planning and zoning commission from considering the new proposal for sale and maintenance of used construction equipment. The public hearing on the new application is expected to convene May 16 at 7 p.m. in town hall.

Filed Under: Charles Stannard, Deep River, News

Essex Savings Bank Announces Community Investment Program Results

April 18, 2013 by

Essex– Results of the recent voting by Essex Savings Bank customers who participated in the Bank’s Community Investment Program were announced at a meeting of employees, directors and trustees at the Bank’s Plains Road Office on Wednesday, April 17, 2013.  The Top Ten Winners in attendance received special recognition.

The customer balloting portion of Essex Savings Bank’s 2013 Community Investment Program, began on February 1 and concluded on March 15.  During the first phase of the program, the Bank’s customers were asked to select from a list of 71 qualified non-profit organizations that made application to the bank.

Gregory R. Shook, President and Chief Executive Officer of Essex Savings Bank stated, “Our Community Investment Program is designed to provide vital financial support and visibility to these dedicated organizations and their people who enhance the quality of life in our communities.”

Each year the bank donates 10% of its after tax net income to non-profit organizations within the immediate market area consisting of Chester, Deep River, Essex, Lyme, Madison, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook and Westbrook.   According to Thomas Lindner, Vice President and Community Relations Officer for Essex Savings Bank, 7,180 votes were cast this year.  Mr. Lindner stated that $77,400 is to be disbursed during the month of April based on ballot results.  The remaining $180,591 will be distributed over the year by the Director’s, Senior Management and Branch Managers.  By year end 2013, $257,991 will have been allocated to over 200 organizations bringing the total distribution since the inception of the program in 1996 to $3,673,544.

Essex Savings Bank is a FDIC insured, state chartered, mutual savings bank established in 1851.  The Bank serves the Connecticut River Valley and Shoreline with six offices in Essex (2), Chester, Madison, Old Lyme and Old Saybrook.  Financial, estate, insurance and retirement planning are offered throughout the state by the Bank’s Trust Department and subsidiary Essex Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA, SIPC.  Investments in stocks, bonds, mutual funds and annuities are not FDIC insured, may lose value, are not a deposit, have no Bank guarantee and are not insured by any Federal Government Agency.

RESULTS OF ESSEX SAVINGS BANK CUSTOMER BALLOTING COMMUNITY INVESTMENT PROGRAM 2013

 

Organization

# Votes

$

Amount

1

The Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries

708

$7,632

2

Valley Shore Animal Welfare League

391

$4,215

3

Forgotten Felines, Inc.

328

$3,536

4

Old Saybrook Fire Company Number One, Inc.

287

$3,094

5

Estuary Council of Seniors, Inc. – Meals on Wheels

275

$2,964

6

Tait’s Every Animal Matters (TEAM)

263

$2,835

7

Pet Connections, Inc.

215

$2,318

8

Essex Library Association

212

$2,285

9

Bikes For Kids, Inc.

184

$1,983

10

The Lyme Fire Company, Inc.

171

$1,843

11

Camp Hazen YMCA

170

$1,833

12

Old Lyme Fire Department, Inc.

155

$1,671

13

Bushy Hill Nature Center

154

$1,660

14

Lyme Ambulance Association, Inc.

151

$1,628

15

Ivoryton Library Association

139

$1,498

16

Child & Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut, Inc.

138

$1,488

17

Ivoryton Playhouse Foundation, Inc.

136

$1,466

18

Tri-Town Youth Services Bureau, Inc.

115

$1,240

19

Essex Community Fund, Inc.

114

$1,229

20

Friends of the Acton Public Library

112

$1,207

21

Lyme Land Conservation Trust, Inc.

111

$1,197

22

Deep River Ambulance Association, Inc.

110

$1,186

23

Graduation Night, Inc. – Old Saybrook

108

$1,164

24

Old Saybrook Education Foundation

108

$1,164

25

Old Lyme-Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library Association

102

$1,100

26

The Connecticut River Museum at Steamboat Dock

91

$981

27

Chester Historical Society

85

$916

28

Old Lyme Land Trust, Inc.

84

$905

29

Old Lyme Visiting Nurse Association, Inc.

82

$884

30

Literacy Volunteers – Valley Shore, CT, Inc.

74

$798

31

Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau

73

$787

32

Community Music School

72

$776

33

Westbrook Youth and Family Services, Inc.

72

$776

34

Lyme Public Library, Inc.

68

$733

35

Deep River Junior Ancient Fife & Drum Corps, Inc.

67

$722

36

Friends of the Chester Public Library, Inc.

66

$711

37

Essex Elementary School Parent-Teacher Organization, Inc.

64

$690

38

Essex Historical Society, Inc.

62

$668

39

Old Saybrook Historical Society

59

$636

40

Essex Garden Club, Inc.

58

$625

41

Florence Griswold Museum

57

$614

42

Friends of Hammonasset, Inc.

57

$614

43

Common Good Gardens, Inc.

56

$604

44

Maritime Education Network, Inc.

52

$561

45

Old Lyme South End Volunteer Association, Inc.

51

$550

46

Friends of the Deep River Public Library, Inc.

50

$539

47

Lyme Art Association, Inc.

48

$517

 

Organization

# Votes

$

Amount

48

Lyme Public Hall Association, Inc.

47

$507

49

Scranton Library, Madison (E.C. Scranton Memorial Library)

47

$507

50

Vista Vocational & Life Skills Center, Inc.

47

$507

51

Westbrook Project Graduation, Inc.

47

$507

52

Madison Ambulance Association, Inc.

44

$474

53

Friends In Service Here (F.I.S.H.)

43

$464

54

Lyme-Old Lyme Education Foundation

41

$442

55

Hope Partnership, Inc.

39

$420

56

Cappella Cantorum

38

$410

57

Camp Claire, Inc.

35

$377

58

Con Brio Choral Society, Inc.

34

$367

59

Lyme Consolidated School Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO)

34

$367

60

Ruth Ann Heller Music Foundation

32

$345

61

Old Lyme Historical Society, Inc.

31

$334

62

Friends of the Valley Railroad, Inc.

29

$313

63

The Country School, Inc.

28

$302

64

Friends of Madison Youth, Inc.

27

$291

65

Old Saybrook Community Foundation, Inc.

27

$291

66

Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts

25

$269

67

Act II Thrift Shop, Inc.

20

$216

68

Madison Historical Society, Inc.

17

$183

69

Lyme-Old Lyme Junior Women’s Club (LOLJWC)

15

$162

70

Tracy Art Center, Inc.

15

$162

71

Connecticut Audubon Society Eco Travel

13

$140
Filed Under: ll, News, osn

Essex Printing Winner In New England Regional Awards of Excellence Competition

April 18, 2013 by

The announcement was made on April 4 during the Printing Industry of New England (PINE) Industry Awards Gala with hundreds of industry professionals in attendance. PINE’S Awards of Excellence Competition attracts over 200 entries from 41 printing and imaging companies across New England competing in a variety of printing and graphic communications categories.

Essex Printing won Awards of Recognition for the printing of Essex Savings Bank’s 2013 calendar. A panel of judges with extensive experience in printing and print production examined a wide range of work submitted. Each entry was judged anonymously on its own merit in a category with similar printed pieces.

“We are very proud to have won this competition because it confirms our commitment to our clients that we provide an outstanding level of quality printing, William McMinn, President”.

For more information please contact Essex Printing at 860-767-9087

Filed Under: Business, Essex, News

Chester, Deep River Elementary School Budgets Reduce Teaching Positions

April 17, 2013 by

CHESTER/DEEP RIVER— The 2013-2014 spending plans for Chester Elementary School and Deep River Elementary School include reductions in teaching positions in response to drops in student enrollment at the kindergarten through sixth grade schools. The budget plans were approved by the local school boards late last month.

The proposed budget for Chester Elementary School totals $4,182,373, a decrease of .98 percent, or $41,527, from the current budget. An enrollment at Chester Elementary School of 251 students this year is expected to drop to about 236 students in the 2013-2014 school year. The spending plan eliminates two teacher positions, for a savings of $94,000, and one seven-tenths para-educator position for a savings of $16,000. But an anticipated increase in special education students led the school board to accept Superintendent of Schools Ruth Levy’s recommendation to fund a new special education para-educator position at a cost of $26,147.

The proposed budget for Deep River Elementary School totals $5,561,158, an increase of 2.97 percent, or $160,371, over the current budget. With enrollment at the elementary school expected to drop from the current 347 students to 326 students in the 2013-2014 school year, the budget eliminates one teaching position for a savings of $46,907.

The elementary school budgets are now subject to review by the finance boards in each town. The elementary school spending plans will be presented at the annual budget hearing for each town, and sent to the voters in May for approval with the general government budgets for each town.

Filed Under: Charles Stannard, News, Region 4

New York City Developer Clears Away the Trees at His Foxboro Point Development Site

April 17, 2013 by
The pile of trees which once grew on the Foxboro Point site

The pile of trees which once grew on the Foxboro Point site

In an early step of his development of eleven acres of Foxboro Point’s shoreline property along North Cove in Essex, a New York City developer has now cleared away the trees at the development site. Last December the Essex Planning Commission, after a contentious review process, granted developer Frank J. Sciami, Jr., permission to develop seven new home sites, including the restoration of the historic Croft mansion on the property.

Part of the Foxboro Point development site, recently cleared of trees

Part of the Foxboro Point development site, recently cleared of trees

A major point of contention in the review process was whether or not the public should have access to the waters of North Cove by means of a pathway, running down through the development from Foxboro Road to North Cove. Initially, the Essex Planning Commission directed the developer to create such a pathway running from the road to the waters.

However, after the developer brought a lawsuit against the Commission protesting such public access, the Planning Commission consented to the developer’s objections, and worked out a settlement which junked the pedestrian walkway to water proposal. In its place the Commission created a view easement, which would give visitors along Foxboro Road a pubic perch to look down to the waters of North Cove, but not walk down to it.

The Foxboro Point development site is being built on one of the last remaining open spaces along the Connecticut River in the Town of Essex. The trees that have been cut down are now loosely piled in a stack to the right of the Croft Mansion. They will undoubtedly be removed as the development of the site continues.

Filed Under: Essex, Jerome Wilson, News

Home I Go, and Very Slowly – John LaPlante

April 15, 2013 by
Happy Ending: Mike, me, and Antonio as I prepare to drive off. In back is my blue and silver beauty–van turned camper!

Happy Ending: Mike, me, and Antonio as I prepare to drive off. In back is my blue and silver beauty–van turned camper!

Newport Beach, CA — This morning at 9:30—after the massive freeways here have been relieved of their crushing commuter traffic—I’ll climb behind the wheel of my new little camper van and start the long ride home to Deep River.

I’ve been here far longer than usual on my annual get-away from the ice and snow of Connecticut. This has been my 18th winter here with milady Annabelle, lucky me. It happens that she has lived in this warm and sunny place all her life. (If some really icy place were her home, I suspect I’d make it up there to be with her.)

Anyway, tomorrow is when I get going. A kiss and embrace and I’ll start the engine, and with a final wave and toot, begin another long solo trip. One of many I’ve racked up.

The most direct route home is about 3,200 miles. No way will that be how I’ll go. I plan to zig and zag. Take as few Interstates as possible. Stop here and stop there, Look at this and that. See famous sites and little-known ones. Avoid the very big cities—I’ve seen many of them. Don’t want to put up with all the traffic and headaches getting in and out of them.

I’ll be camping most of the way. I expect to stay at a motel now and then. More to my liking would be a hostel, For a rest, a chance to soak my body and do my laundry and  hang out with some interesting folks.

I have no specific “must-sees” in mind. But I’ll visit parks big and small, and museums, I hope, and factories that welcome visitors, and for sure, senior centers and libraries and universities. And get to meet people. That’s a priority.

I’ll be driving on a California permit that gives me two months to get home. If it gets tough and isn’t fun, I’ll be home in two weeks. But I hope to make the most of the trip and get home on the last day of my permit. Why not? There’s no rush. I’m looking at is as maybe my last hurrah. And I’m leaving it up to serendipity.

I flew here in late December, which has been my routine for some years. And I expected to fly home, as usual. What the heck happened?

~ ~ ~ ~

I have to go back about seven years to explain. Annabelle and I did a house swap in France.  I got the idea deep in Chile while on my solo trip around the world. I met a French couple down there. He was an M.D. with a specialty in psychiatry. She was a professor of nursing. They were there for some light mountain climbing.

When he told me they came from Poitiers, I got excited. It’s a small city about two hours southwest of Paris. Famous for an ancient university. But more important than anything else for me is that the Poitiers area is where  my ancestor LaPlante came from—my great, great, great, great, great grandfather, I think.  He was a soldier in New France–the present Quebec. He was one of about 1,100 who arrived in June 1665. Their mission was to protect the colonists from the nasty Iroquois from what is now up-state New York.

The soldiers beat the Iroquois back and restored peace. After thee years the king recalled the regiment home. But there were only 2,500 or so colonists in New France—most living in what is now Quebec City. The troops were given the choice of staying—more strong Frenchmen were essential to get this tiny settlement going. My ancestor was one of the third who stayed in that harsh but welcoming new land.

But his name was not LaPlante then. It was Savignac. A strange thing happened. For some reason still debated. Many of those guys decided to take on new names. To symbolize a new life? Maybe.

He chose LaPlante. All it means is ‘the plant.” So, nothing romantic. Others chose other common words like that as their name—words starting with “La” or “Le.” But I know his name was Savignac because church records were meticulous—the records of baptisms, confirmations, weddings, and deaths. That’s why I also know he came from the Poitiers corner of France, and that his outfit was the Regiment Carignan-Salieres. Those were the names of two colonels.

My two new French friends in Chile laughed off the idea of a house swap when I first mentioned it. “Risky!” they said. “How can you be sure what kind of people will be moving into your house?”

Back in Deep River, I kept up an email correspondence with them. Sent them photos of our pretty town. And my nice little condo, And news about typical events. And we made the swap happen.

We swapped residences, of course—their home and my condo. And everything in them, of course—the kitchen stuff, the books, the computers, the TVs and other electronics, the whole works. Also their big VW wagon and my Buick sedan.  Plus their network of relatives of friends and mine—how important that turned out to be.  I joke now—everything except the ladies! We agreed on a six-week swap. I wanted 12 weeks. “Impossible!” he said. “I’m still practicing.”

It worked out fine in every way. They drove my Buick to Niagara Falls. We drove their VW to Paris—had a picnic lunch in it under the Eiffel Tower—and down through the rich wine country to the Med.

Oh, I was a Rotarian. So in Poitiers I went to the weekly meetings of the big Rotary Club there. Four times the size of our Deep River club. Annabelle came along. And that was marvelous.  I had a ball speaking French and really getting to know what life over there was really like. Annabelle had studied French long ago and was a good sport about it all.

~ ~ ~ ~

 A bit of background. I was born in the U.S.  My parents were immigrants from Quebec. I’ve been there often. Still have a few relatives there. So I have a great interest in Quebec..

I speak French well and enjoy using it. You have to use a language or you’ll lose it.  One thing I do is listen to Quebec radio via the computer. Streaming radio, it’s called. I listen to two fm stations, one in Montreal and one in Quebec City. They offer light classical music, and their announcers speak good French—contemporary French, with current idioms and slang. Wonderful.

So! I got the idea not of a house swap up there, but of a home stay. With a Quebec family for a month or so. To talk the language, enjoy the culture, experience their life.  I’d gladly pay. I wrote to the two stations, then to a big Rotary Club, then to a university. Didn’t get a single bite.

What to do? I decided I’d go on my own. It was now late October, and the weather was getting cold and the days short. I’d go for two weeks. Drive up. Annabelle chose to stay behind in California and I understood that.

Not long ago, I would have started on a trip like this without hesitation. But bad things have happened to me of late.  Nothing calamitous. But challenging enough to make me feel my age.

On the morning that I got into my Hyundai Sonata to start out, I looked in the mirror and spoke to myself.  “Is this wise? To go with no companion?  What if something goes wrong? Something could.”

And I spoke back to myself. “I really want to do this. Time is running out. I’d getter do it while I can. Something bad could happen at home. I’m going!”

And I turned started my car and headed north. I traveled some 1,500 miles in all.  Crossed into Quebec at a small custom station in Vermont.  Just a mile or two into Quebec I made out big Mount Sutton. It rises beside the small town of Sutton.

That’s where my grandparents lived. My grandfather Michel LaPlante had a maple operation on the flank of Mount Sutton. Tapped trees and made maple syrup every early spring.  On the rise on the opposite side of the village was his farm–an old-fashioned self-sufficiency homestead.  Thirty milk cows. Sunday was the day of rest but they still had to milk the cows twice that day, too. A vegetable garden and small orchard.

My grandma had a big cast-iron stove…baked a huge pot of beans every Saturday for the week. Served her large brood  21 hearty meals a week. She had a handpump for water in the kitchen. Every fall they filled the cellar with firewood they had sawed and split. There was an outhouse in the backyard.

On Sunday mornings my grandfather hitched the family horse to their Sunday carriage. The horse that pulled his plow and hay wagon. And drove them to the little Catholic church they could see in the valley below. They sat through Mass and then lingered on the church steps to greet and chat with their friends. It was their big outing of the week.

Yes, that little church where they had attended so many weddings and baptisms and funerals. I did that when I went with my dad and mom. And later as a grown man visiting up there.

So on this trip, Sutton was my fist stop. I had a nice visit with Tante Rosanne, the last of my aunts. She was so surprised and pleased! I visited  the church, then the church  cemetery. Saw a whole row of my kin resting side by side. Visited the farm, of course. The house had been knocked down and a beautiful expensive country home stood in its place. Sutton has become a famous ski resort, and this was the country home of a wealthy Montreal family. The barn still stood. It had never looked so good. But now it housed riding horses instead of cows.

I visited in the village and got into little talks. Sutton has been transformed. It’s a tourist town with cafes and art galleries and pricy restaurants. If my grandparents and parents could have seen this!

I went on to Montreal and Quebec City and half a dozen small cities. All familiar to me.  Stopped and looked and talked time and again. Stopped at mom-and-pop motels on most nights. But it was just me and the TV set. That’s not my favorite thing, even in French. But found three cozy hostels to stay in. I was so old I wondered whether they’d let me in. They did. Nobody looked at me crossways and I had fun. I spoke French all day.

On Quebec highways, tourist information stations are indicated by a big question mark. Yes, just a huge ?. I stopped at every one I spotted. For tourist advice, but that was my excuse. What I wanted was a little chat. It was magic when I mentioned I was of Quebecois descent. They made me feel like a prince.

I finally made it home to Connecticut with not a single bad thing happening to me. And guess what? I felt  20 years younger.

~ ~ ~ ~

 Here at Annabelle’s two months ago I began thinking of my return flight to Connecticut. And remembered my splendid road trip to Quebec. I wondered, why not drive home? Yes, why not? In the same casual and  relaxed way. And that’s how I got the idea of making the long ride home to Connecticut in a little camper.

I chose a good moment to mention it to Annabelle. She’s certainly chalked up a lot of adventures of her own. But she’s getting along in years, too. She declined. Understandable. She didn’t have the same interests of language and family

Then I spread the word to family and friends. Nobody was ecstatic. They advised caution.  Great caution. I’m sure some considered me nuts. That didn’t surprise me. But as I’ve said, doing it is important to me. And here I am, ready to go.

Oh, I had to find a camper.  A must was a rig that I could park in a single parking spot. So many are so huge! Offer nice amenities but what a challenge driving them around.

I started searching while I was in Morro Bay with my daughter Monique and her hubby David at Christmas. No big argument from them. Just “Caution!”

David was a big help in feeding me leads about promising vehicles. When I moved down here to Annabelle’s, he continued to send me leads. He made a hundred-mile round trip to check one out for me. He was disappointed.

A friend up there named Martha also steered me to a couple of possibilities. They didn’t pan out.

I searched here at Annabelle’s. Looked at this one and that one. Studied Craig’s List time and again. With Annabelle, I made a 120-mile trip up to the city of Riverside to check one rig that sounded perfect. Disappointing.

One day online I read of a 2002 Ford van called the Chateau. It wasn’t a camper. It was a seven-passenger van. It was loaded with nice features. Even a ceiling drop-down screen to watch DVDs. There were photos of the van. It looked terrific. The price was $4,900. Definitely in my budget.

It was for sale at an outfit called FamVans.  Just a 25-minute ride away. I called and spoke to a salesman named Mike Malvey.

He told me the Chateau model was the top of the line. Was in excellent condition. Had 180,000 miles on it.  Wow! That’s something to think about! But I went and looked. The photos had not exaggerated. It had a tiny scrape on one side. And a small ding in the front bumper, and another at the back. It was better than I expected.  I was excited.

I told him about my cross-country plan. He looked dubious. I understood that. I’m no kid. But I gave him details about some of my long-distance travels and her perked up.

“Tell me,” I said to him. “What’s wrong with this van?”

“There’s nothing wrong with it.”

That’s not a surprising thing to hear from a used-car salesman.

“Let  me explain how we do business,” he continued. “We have a complete staff here, including good mechanics. We check every vehicle. We sell 20 per week, week in and week out. More than a thousand a year. Have been in business more than 20 years. But I want you to check us out.”

He smiled. “Look! I understand your concern. Take it for a day. A weekend. Take it to any mechanic of your choice. Have it checked thoroughly. We’ll pay for that. Then show us his written report. We’ll take it from there.”

“Sounds good. But I don’t know any mechanic here.”

“No problem. We’ll take it to a Ford agency near you. They’ll do the checking. Give you their report. We’ll pay for it. Then you decide.”

Very fair, I thought. He did that. I got the report. The form had some 30 items on the check-off list. Every single one got checked off as “Good.”  Remarkable, I thought..

At my next meeting with Mike—yes, we were using our first names now—I asked about the whopping 183,000 miles. Who wouldn’t?

“That’s really much for a van of that age.  We got one in the other day. A Ford. Owned by an airport shuttle service. Its odometer said 900,000 miles. And still in service.”

I whistled at that.

I was curious about one thing. How come the Chateau looked so good. I put the question to him.

He turned to his computer. Looked up the Chateau. “This is the second time we sell it. The first time was when it was about 18 months old. We chose it to a Japanese man for family use. He traded it in for another. That’s the story. Not that unusual.”

“A Japanese man, you say. Well, I’ve been to Japan. I know how people over there take care of things.”

He nodded. “You’re probably right.”

“Well, I’ll pay $4,500.”

He smiled. “Sorry. The price is the price.”

“How about at least a senior discount?’

He smiled again. And shook his head. “Sorry. No.”

I test-drove it, of course. I used to drive a van of this size routinely at Incarnation Center in Ivoryton, Conn., when I was the director of its Elderhostel program. Often filled with passengers. That kind of driving all came back to me now.

I had searched for a high-rise model, with more headroom. In this one I couldn’t stand fully.  But adapting wouldn’t be difficult.

Mike and I discussed some details. I had no place to keep the van till departure time. I had to make modifications. Could I keep it at FamVans? I had no tools. I might need a hand on some jobs.

“Not a problem.  Keep it here. Just ask and we’ll let you borrow whatever you need. And we’ll help you find a young guy to help you as needed.”

One more question. Did I have to register it in California? I’d register it in Connecticut when I got home. It would be crazy to have to register it in one state, then the other.”

“We know the law. There is a simple solution. I’ll give you a document. You’ll have a permit on the windshield. You will be able to drive it to Connecticut with the previous owner’s plates. They’re on the van now. You’ll be allowed to make that single trip home. Nothing for you to do here. No California sales tax to pay. You’ll register and pay the tax in Connecticut. That’s all there is to it.”

There was considerable discussion, but that was the essence of it. We shook hands on the deal. I paid a deposit. It worked out just as he said. I kept the Chateau at FamVans for more than a month. He let me use his dealer’s plate to do errands with the van.

He introduced me to one of his workers, Antonio—Tony. Mexican. Born there. About 35. Working at FamVans for 13 years. Took a liking to him. He was talented and enthusiastic.  He called me “Senor John.” I liked that.

Nearly all the employees were Mexicans. They impressed me. And I liked the culture of the place. They worked hard. Seemed to enjoy their day. Were friendly.

One small detail. I spotted a popcorn machine in the office. It was filled fresh every morning. I love popcorn.

Mike was one of three brothers. His older brother was president. He was the sales manager. A younger brother ran the huge parts department.

FamVans had 200 vans and cargo trucks on the lot. Very busy. This was really a full-service place. Twenty workers doing everything from A to Z, including complete engine changes and rebuilds. Every vehicle got scrubbed and washed when it arrived. And spiffed up for delivery.

Antonio said “Yes, senor” to everything I asked.

Here are some of my changes to the van.  I removed one of the two big seats in the second row. I had the second one turned around, so it faced backward. I was going to remove the 3-passenger back seat. But I moved it back 18 inches and adapted it into a bunk. Got a 4-inch foam mattress custom cut for it.

Installed two three-drawer cabinets. Built a shelf along one side. Put in a one-burner propane stove and an ice chest. Even a homemade potty, for emergencies only. The carpeting was very clean. I put in carpet runners to keep it clean. Built a wooden step to rest on the ground by the big sliding door. Made it much easier for me to get in and out. Did this and did that.

Oh, important. Behind the back bench I installed a big plywood shelf. It was the width of the van and  two-feet wide. I could store suitcases and boxes under it. I had lots to take home. And loads of  everyday stuff on it. I am delighted with it.

The Chateau had tinted windshields. I liked that. People couldn’t see in. But the tint on the window by the driver gave a distorted view when I looked out at an oblique angle. That was a problem..

Antonio used a razor to make a crescent-shape cut and peel off that corner of the film. Excellent. Then did the same thing on the other side.  I asked why he bothered. “Not good if they look different, senor!”

Oh, I forgot to mention that the van had a gps navigation system. At the last minute it was discovered it had a problem. Not fixable. Mike gave me a new Garmin instrument. I’ve set it up.

Antonio made even more small changes that I requested when I picked it up. He installed two brackets for me. I’ll hang my clothes neatly on them.

I had one final request.  I asked him to drive the Chateau to the front of the lot and park it there, with the big FamVans’ sign showing right behind. And had Luis, the foreman, to

take a photo of Mike and Antonio and me side by side. They were busy but good sports about it. I wanted it as a souvenir of this very nice experience.

We shook hands.  I was glad I had tipped Antonio. He deserved it. Mike had kept his word in every way. We shook hands and promised to keep in touch. They were waving to me as I drove off.

I would be departing in three days. They knew that. Mike said, “If something comes up, don’t hesitate to call me.” This was a no-warranty deal. But his words made me feel good.

Well, tomorrow morning is the big moment. I’ll get home to Deep River when I get home. Maybe in a few days. Maybe in several weeks. We’ll see.

I’ve never lived in a chateau. But now I have a nice little one on wheels to live in.

Gosh, I’ve written a lot of words to tell you all this.  God bless you if you’ve reached this last paragraph!

Filed Under: Deep River, John Guy LaPlante, News

Deep River Man Identifed and Charges in April 8 Police Chase and Shooting

April 15, 2013 by

AREAWIDE— State police have announced the arrest of the second suspect in the April 8 chase and shootout on Route 153 in Westbrook, Sebastian P. Award, 24, of 257 West Elm St. in Deep River.  Another suspect, 24-year-old Jonathan Alvarado of Deep River was shot to death in an exchange of gunfire with police that left Detective Scott Wisner with a shoulder wound.

Award and Alvarado were fleeing the scene of an armed robbery at the Days Inn motel on Route One in Old Saybrook, with police in pursuit, when their vehicle crashed into a vehicle operated by Wisner on Route 153 near Doc’s Hill Road in Westbrook. Award was injured in the crash and shooting, and has been under treatment and police guard at Hartford Hospital for the past week. Wisner is a former resident state trooper for Essex.

Award has been arrested and charged with two counts of criminal attempt to commit murder, two counts of first degree kidnapping, two counts of first degree robbery, three counts of second degree larceny, and assault on a police officer. He was expected to be arraigned Monday at Middlesex Superior Court in Middletown.

Filed Under: Charles Stannard, Deep River, ll, News, osn

Essex Winter Series Receives Community Foundation of Middlesex County Grant

April 15, 2013 by

The Board of Trustees of Essex Winter Series is honored to announce their receipt of a grant from the Elizabeth Swaim Arts Enrichment Fund of the Community Foundation of Middlesex County.  This grant will underwrite a day of community outreach music programming in the Middletown Public Schools on April 30, 2013.

Essex Winter Series President, Peter Amos, said of this award, “Essex Winter Series is delighted to receive generous support from the Community Foundation of Middlesex County for outreach to the Middletown schools. We all hear recorded music, constantly, but the special quality of live performances given by young emerging artists is so different and can be truly inspirational to students.  Essex Winter Series is a vibrant concert series, with a history of 35 years of excellence, but we realize the importance of bringing music to new audiences. For many students these outreach concerts in Middletown may be their first opportunity to be exposed to instrumental music of this quality and genre.”

This sentiment was echoed by Mihae Lee, Essex Winter Series Artistic Director, who added that, “we are fortunate to have loyal and generous supporters who believe in our community outreach program. I am especially grateful to Cynthia Clegg and the Community Foundation of Middlesex County for extending our program to Middletown students.”

Three of Essex Winter Series’ 2012 and 2013 Fenton Brown Emerging Artists will perform in two different schools on this outreach day: Romie de Guise-Langlois, clarinet, Carl Oswald, oboe and Adrian Morejon, bassoon.  Marco Gaylord, Director of Fine Arts for the Middletown School District, responded enthusiastically about this new outreach program, “It’s great to have these talented young musicians come to our High Schools and present a master class and interactive performance for our instrumental students.  We are planning for this to be in a classroom setting, which provides a wonderful intimate experience. This is a unique opportunity for our students to have a chance to ask questions that are pertinent to their instrument from professional musicians not too much older than themselves.”

This Middletown outreach day is a first-time addition to the annual community outreach offerings provided by the Essex Winter Series’ Fenton Brown Emerging Artists.  On April 29 the above-mentioned trio of musicians will perform and conduct master classes at Essex Elementary School, Essex Meadows, Apple Rehab Saybrook, and Community Music School in Centerbrook.  The master class at Community Music School, scheduled at 4:00pm, is FREE and open to the public.

The Elizabeth Swaim Arts Enrichment Fund of the Community Foundation of Middlesex County provides grants to enrich minds and expand the horizons of Middletown K through 12 public school students with arts programming.  This is the first year Essex Winter Series has received this grant.

 

Essex Winter Series’ mission is to bring the finest music, in live performance, to the Connecticut River Valley and Shoreline Region during the winter months and to cultivate its appreciation to the widest audience.

 

More information, including details for the 2013-2014 season, can be found at www.essexwinterseries.com or calling (860) 272-4572.

Filed Under: Essex, News

Senate Republican Staff Attorney Prepares Summary of Provisions of New Gun Law

April 15, 2013 by

A summary of the provisions of Connecticut’s new “Gun Violence Prevention and Children’s Safety” law has been prepared by Mike Cronin, Esq., a Staff Attorney of the Senate Republicans.  The summary, dated April 5, 2013, is available on the Connecticut Senate Republican’s website.

Using a question and answer format, the summary is a guide as how to obey the new gun control law. Typical questions posed in the summary include:

Do I have to give up any of my presently owned guns? How does the new law affect the sale of assault style rifles? Hand guns? Shot guns? What are the new registration requirements for assault style guns, and what are the new limits on ammunition purchases?

Private Guns Sales Covered by New Law

Also, the summary notes that the new gun control law requires a background check for firearm sales, including private transactions.

Here is one of the twenty-four questions asked and answered in Attorney Cronin’s guide:

Q. If I already own a large capacity magazine, can I still use it?

A. Yes. If you legally possess large capacity magazines prior to the passage of this bill you can still use it in your gun. If you are at home or at a target range or shooting clubs, you can load as many bullets as the magazine can hold. Anywhere else, you can only load 10 bullets in the magazine.

 

Filed Under: Jerome Wilson, ll, News, osn

Talking Transportation: Cruise Ships: The Devils on The Deep Blue Sea

April 14, 2013 by

Jim CameronIn the eight years I’ve been writing this column I’ve never found a reason to write about cruise ships, one of my favorite ways to travel.

Since my Dad took me as a passenger on freighters through the Caribbean when I was a kid right up to our now-annual cruises to the same area, I’ve always loved the high seas.  There’s nothing easier than driving to the pier in New York City, hopping on board and kicking back for a week.

A few years ago my fascination with cruising brought me to a great book, “Devils on the Deep Blue Sea” by Kristoffer Garin which detailed the formative years of the cruise industry, especially the start-up of Carnival Cruise Lines in 1972.  It was a rough start, but today Carnival owns 10 cruise lines (almost half the cruise ships in the world) including Cunard, Holland America, Costa, P&O, Princess and Seabourn.  At one point they even had their own airline ferrying passengers to Miami and San Juan, their biggest embarkation ports.

By segmenting the cruise market, just as hotels do, they offer everything from singles-filled party cruises to upscale trans-Atlantic “crossings” on the Queen Mary 2 (which is where I was while reading Garin’s book in 2006).

But more recently Carnival’s had some very bad PR.  Last year it was crash of the Costa Concordia in Italy (whose Captain abandoned ship).  Then, the February stranding of the 4,000-person Triumph for days in the Gulf of Mexico (without power, food or sanitation) was just the latest in a series of engineering problems.  Last week another ship, Fascination, failed a Center for Disease Control (CDC) health inspection, the fourth of their ships to do so this year alone.

Last week demand for cabins was so low that Carnival was offering cruises for $38 a night per person … less than the cost at Motel 6.   And that price includes all meals (assuming those CDC inspections don’t hurt your appetite).

Admittedly, this is a weak time of year for cruising, but Carnival knows it’s always best to sail with a full ship and make money on the booze and ship excursions.

In my view, the real problem isn’t Carnival or its ships’ safety, but the fact that they pay no taxes … and yet, depend on the US Coast Guard for their numerous rescues.

Micky Arison, son of the founder of Carnival (and owner of the Miami Heat), is the richest man in Florida.  Last year Carnival brought in $15.3 billion in revenues.  But they paid just 0.6% in US, state, local and international taxes last year while socking taxpayers for millions in US Coast Guard expenses for 90 different rescue missions in the last five years.

Senator Jay Rockefeller says Arison is a “cheater… treacherous and wrong” and wrote him asking to do the right thing and pay-up.  Carnival declined the invitation, prompting Rockefeller (the Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee) to call their response “shameful”.

Shameful, perhaps.  But perfectly legal and the result, even Rockefeller admits, of sloppiness by Congress.  So, expect some grandstanding, a few hearings and maybe some face-saving philanthropy by Arison.   But don’t expect many changes in the cruise industry, especially in higher fares that reflect the true cost of being a “devil on the deep blue seas.”

JIM CAMERON has been a commuter out of Darien for 22 years.  He is Chairman of the CT Metro-North / Shore Line East Rail Commuter Council, and a member of the Coastal Corridor TIA and the Darien RTM.  You can reach him at CTRailCommuterCouncil@gmail.com or www.trainweb.org/ct .  For a full collection of “Talking Transportation” columns, see www.talkingtransportation.blogspot.com

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Filed Under: News, Transportation

Chester Planning & Zoning Denies Seating Request for Route 154 Market

April 12, 2013 by
Chester's Organon Market, located at 56 Middlesex Avenue. (photo by Jerome Wilson)

Chester’s Organon Market, located at 56 Middlesex Avenue. (photo by Jerome Wilson)

CHESTER— A divided planning and zoning commission Thursday denied a request to amend a 2011 special permit approval to allow limited seating at the Organon Market on Route 154. The request to remove a special permit condition prohibiting seating and on site consumption of food was rejected on a 5-4 vote.

Local resident Peter Kehayias, who is a member of the commission, had petitioned the panel to amend it’s September 2011 special permit approval for the market to eliminate the restriction on seating and on-site consumption of food and allow either 12 chairs or two benches for market customers. Kehayias, operating under the name 56 Middlesex Avenue LLC, had acquired the property and won commission approval to open a retail market in 2011. Kehayias had recused himself from participating in the commission’s review of his own zoning petition.

The building at 56 Middlesex Avenue, also known as Route 154, was previously used as a gasoline station, and most recently as a bicycle repair shop. It had been vacant for several years before the market opened late last summer. The property is a non-conforming commercial use in a residential zone, with the commercial use predating the town’s approval of zoning regulations in the 1960s.

Kehayias, through Deep River lawyer Jane Marsh, had asked the commission at a March 14 public hearing to allow the limited seating as a convenience to customers. Marsh noted that many customers are already consuming items brought at the market on the property, including the parking lot. There would be no table service, with Kehayias maintaining he has no plans to attempt to turn the market in to a restaurant-style operation.

The request to allow limited seating drew support from some residents at the March 14 hearing, but also strong opposition from several nearby residential property owners. Many of the nearby residents had also opposed the original special permit application for the market in 2011.

After receiving a legal opinion from commission attorney David Royston advising that the panel has the authority to amend special permit conditions, commission members took sharply diverging positions on the request during more than an hour of discussion at Thursday’s meeting. Commission alternate Mel Seifert contended removing the permit condition would represent an illegal expansion of the non-conforming use “to a fast food restaurant or deli.”

Seifert also maintained removing the condition would set a precedent that would open the door to possible future expansions of the non-conforming use in to a possible restaurant if Kehayias were to sell the property. “If we grant this petition we create a new non-conforming use which others in the future could use to continue this illegal expansion,” he said.

But commission member Errol Horner maintained it was a stretch to suggest that allowing two benches in the market would create a fast food restaurant. “I don’t know why we can’t do it,” he said, adding the change could give a small boost to a new local business.

Voting to deny the request were Seifert, members Doreen Joslow and Michael Sanders, alternate Sarah Janson, and commission Chairman Jon Lavy. Voting to approve the request were Horner, and members Henry Krempel, Stephen Merola, and Keith Scherber.

Filed Under: Charles Stannard, Chester, News

Sen. Art Linares Tours Chester-based Roto-Frank, Inc.

April 12, 2013 by
Roto-Frank President and CEO Chris Dimou (left) and Sen. Art Linares (right) chat during Linares’ April 11 tour of the Chester-based manufacturer.

Roto-Frank President and CEO Chris Dimou (left) and Sen. Art Linares (right) chat during Linares’ April 11 tour of the Chester-based manufacturer.

Sen. Art Linares on April 11 toured Chester-based Roto-Frank, Inc. (www.roto-frank.com) and spoke with the manufacturer’s 50 employees.

Roto-Frank President and CEO Chris Dimou led Sen. Linares on the tour, introducing Sen. Linares to employees and discussing the company’s future goals. The company creates worldwide leading hardware technology for windows and doors.

Sen. Linares’ tour coincided with National Window Safety Week, which is observed annually during the first full week in April.  The designation aims to heighten public awareness of what can be done to help keep families safe from the risk of accidental falls or injuries in the home.

Sen. Art Linares speaks with Roto-Frank employees during his April 11 tour of the Chester-based manufacturer.

Sen. Art Linares speaks with Roto-Frank employees during his April 11 tour of the Chester-based manufacturer.

“Windows play a vital role in home safety, serving as a secondary escape route in the event of a fire or other emergency, but they can also pose a risk for a fall if safety measures are not followed,” Sen. Linares said.  “I was a pleasure to tour Roto-Frank to see firsthand the great work being done in this area.”

Sen. Linares, who serves on the legislature’s Commerce Committee and the bipartisan Manufacturing Caucus, has been visiting with area manufacturers to discuss their concerns and to learn how state government can help them grow and retain jobs.

“By listening to area manufacturers, I can take their concerns and ideas directly to Hartford,” Sen. Linares said. “My goal is to pass policies at the State Capitol which help our local businesses thrive.”

Sen. Linares is supporting a bill to eliminate the state’s business entity tax and a proposal which aims to establish a “Learn Here, Live Here” program to provide an incentive for students who graduate from Connecticut colleges or technical schools to establish a new business in the state.

Sen. Linares (www.senatorlinares.com) can be reached at Art.Linares@cga.ct.gov or at 800-842 1421. Sen. Linares represents the 33rd Senate District, which encompasses Chester, Clinton, Colchester, Deep River, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Lyme, Old Saybrook, Portland, and Westbrook.

Filed Under: Chester, News, Politics

Local Men, Former Essex State Trooper Involved in Monday’s Crash and Shootout

April 11, 2013 by
One of the gunmen involved is air-lifted from Middlesex Hospital, Essex to Hartford Hospital (photo by Jerome Wilson).

One of the gunmen involved is air-lifted to Hartford Hospital (photo by Jerome Wilson).

AREAWIDE— A Deep River man and a former Essex resident state trooper have been identified as participants in Monday’s police chase, crash, and shooting on Route 153 in Westbrook. The crash and shootout, which occurred Monday around 3:15 prm., followed an armed robbery of a resident at the Day Inn motel on Route One in Old Saybrook.

State police have identified the suspect who was shot and killed in the incident as Jonathan Alvarado, 24, whose last known addresss was in Deep River. Alvarado and another man were fleeing the scene of the Old Saybrook robbery, with police in pursuit, when the suspect’s vehicle crashed into a cruiser operated by Detective Scott Wisner. The crash occurred on Route 153 in Westbrook, near the intersection with Doc’s Hill Road.

In an exchange of gunfire that followed the crash, Wisner suffered a shoulder wound, while Alvarado received fatal gunshot wounds. Also firing his weapon during the exchange was Sgt. Keith Graham, a shift supervisor at the nearby Troop F barracks in Westbrook. The second suspect was injured in the crash and exchange of gunfire, and was transported by LifeStar helicopter from the Shoreline Clinic in Essex to Hartford Hospital.

Wisner, an area resident, was treated at the hospital and is now recovering at home. A 21-year veteran officer, Wisner served as resident state trooper in Essex for several years from the late 1990s until he was promoted to detective. Graham is a 14-year state police officer.

The second suspect had not yet been identified by state police as of Thursday, but he is believed to be an area resident. He remains under police guard at Hartford Hospital, but is expected to survive to face multiple criminal charges stemming from the incident.

Filed Under: Charles Stannard, ll, News, osn

Tri-Town Youth Services Announces Three Mini-Grant Recipients

April 11, 2013 by

In the photo, L-R: Calley Beckwith and Denise Learned of Camp Hazen YMCA, Carol Jones and her son, Peter, from Valley Baseball Boosters.

In the photo, L-R: Calley Beckwith and Denise Learned of Camp Hazen YMCA, Carol Jones and her son, Peter, from Valley Baseball Boosters.

Through funding from Middlesex United Way for Healthy Communities ● Healthy Youth of Chester, Deep River, and Essex, Tri-Town Youth Services recently awarded mini-grants to Camp Hazen YMCA, Valley Baseball Boosters, and Deep River Congregational Church South Dakota Mission Trip.

All three programs will take place over the summer and all three are designed to build youth developmental assets.  For further information about Healthy Communities ● Healthy Youth, contact Gail Onofrio at 860-526-3600.

For additional information about developmental assets, visit: www.search-institute.org.

Filed Under: Community, News, Towns

Valley Regional High School Hosts Blood Drive

April 10, 2013 by
(left to right): Elsbeth Kane, Valley Regional student, and Cathy Poulin, Bob’s public relations director

(left to right): Elsbeth Kane, Valley Regional student, and Cathy Poulin, Bob’s public relations director

Valley Regional High School in Deep River, Conn. hosted a blood drive on March 28. Students at Valley Regional High School are coordinating blood drives throughout the school year with the American Red Cross as part of the Bob’s Discount Furniture $100,000 High School Heroes Scholarship Program.

This annual program recognizes outstanding high school seniors in Massachusetts and Connecticut who have made exceptional contributions to their schools’ volunteer blood programs by awarding $100,000 in college scholarships each year. 

For more information, please visit www.mybobs.com.

Filed Under: News, Region 4

Region 4 Continues Study on Moving Sixth Graders to John Winthrop Middle School

April 9, 2013 by

REGION 4— School officials will spend another year studying the option of moving sixth graders from the three elementary schools to John Winthrop Middle School in Deep River, a step that would probably require referendum approval from voters in Chester, Deep River, and Essex of a change in the agreements establishing the regional school district.

The combined district school boards, including the Region 4 Board of Education and local school boards governing the three elementary schools, last week received a preliminary report from a study committee established last fall to analyze the option of relocating sixth grades to the middle school.  Bill Duffey, the first year principal at the middle school who presented the report, said most middle schools in Connecticut now include grades 6-8, with the state’s new common core standards also focusing on a grades 6-8 middle school program. Duffey said the committee that includes teachers, parents, and administrators has “nearly unanimous support” for pursuing a move of the sixth grades to the middle school.

Duffey said the 42-year old middle school, which underwent a renovation and expansion that was completed in 2005, has 26 classrooms and could accommodate sixth grades from the three elementary schools without any need for new renovations or construction. He said the committee determined that transportation of sixth graders to the middle school could be done without a need for additional buses.

But any relocation of the sixth grades would also require “governance” changes, particularly a change in the current regionalization agreement between the towns of Chester, Deep River, and Essex that refers to a regional school district serving students in grades 7-12. It is this agreement which provides for an elected Region 4 school board that manages the middle school and Valley Regional High School, and elected local school boards that run the elementary schools in the three towns.

A change to this agreement would be expected to require referendum approval from voters in each of the three district towns. District schools boards have been studying options for governance changes for several years, but have not yet presented a specific proposal for changes to the towns. There has been reluctance to propose a full regionalization of the school district to include the elementary schools, creating a full regional school district like Region 17 (Haddam-Killingworth), and Region 18 (Lyme-Old Lyme).

Superintendent of Schools Ruth Levy said Monday the need for governance changes that could require referendums is one of the issues the committee would continue to study in to the 2013-2014 school year. Other issues include more details on transportation and any other costs, and the possible need for some of the current nine sixth grade teachers to update their state certifications to allow them to teach a middle school curriculum. Levy said there is currently “no end point” for the sixth grade study committee’s work, though another report to the school boards is expected in the spring of 2014.

Filed Under: Charles Stannard, News, Region 4

State Senator Art Linares Voted “No” on New “Gun Violence Prevention” Legislation

April 9, 2013 by
State Senator Art Linares

State Senator Art Linares

State Senator Art Linares voted “no” on the recently enacted, new Connecticut state law, entitled, “An Act Concerning Gun Violence Prevention and Children’s Safety.” Connecticut Governor Daniel Malloy signed the bill into law on April 4.

In explaining his “no” vote the Senator said in a written statement, “Having witnessed the emotional accounts of parents, teachers and citizens after the Newtown tragedy, I am more committed than ever to help create a safer Connecticut.”

He continued, “After much consideration and talking with many residents of the 33rd district, I decided to vote no on the bill. While I support some of the individual elements such as criminal background checks and discontinuing the early release program for violent felons, I concluded that [the bill] did not correctly address the most important issues of safe neighborhoods, school security, and most importantly, mental health.”

Following three more paragraphs of explaining the reasons for his “no” vote, the Senator concluded, “Now that [the bill] has passed, I will continue moving forward, working with our school superintendents to address school safety issues, with our mental health experts to get access to needed resources, and with gun owners to help them understand the new regulations.”

Sen. Linares represents the 33rd Senate District, which includes Chester, Clinton, Colchester, Deep River, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Lyme, Old Saybrook, Portland, and Westbrook.

Filed Under: ll, News, osn, Politics

New Emergency Medical Center to Replace Essex’s Medical Center in April 2014

April 9, 2013 by
Artist rendering of finished Shoreline Emergency Medical Center in Westbrook

Artist rendering of finished Shoreline Emergency Medical Center in Westbrook

A new $28 million Middlesex Hospital Shoreline Medical Center, which is presently under construction in Westbrook, is slated to replace the hospital’s present Shoreline Medical Center in Essex as early as next April. According to Middlesex Hospital’s Harry Evert, Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning and Operations, the new Westbrook Shoreline Medical Center, “will double the number of rooms and bring a higher level of efficiency,” than exists at the present Essex facility.

Billboards Promise New Shoreline Medical Center in Westbrook next year

Billboards Promise New Shoreline Medical Center in Westbrook next year

The hospital’s new Shoreline Medical Center in Westbrook will be located on Flat Rock Place, just off Exit 65 of Interstate I-95. The Center will be just down the road from the Tanger Outlet shopping mall. The frame of the new two story medical center is in the process of construction at the Westbrook location.

Construction workers busy at Flat Rock Place site, near Exit 65 of I-95

Construction workers busy at Flat Rock Place site, near Exit 65 of I-95

Essex’s “Shoreline Clinic” Served Area for 40 Years

The existing Shoreline Medical Center in Essex will be closed down as soon as the new Westbrook center is ready to accept patients. The Essex Shoreline Medical Center has provided emergency medical services to shoreline residents for the past 40 years, according to Middlesex Hospital materials.

What will happen to the Essex shoreline center, once it is phased out, however, has yet to be decided, according to Evert.

Some Essex residents are deeply concerned about closing of the present Shoreline medical center in their town. At the same time they can look forward to using a new larger and better equipped medical facility, when it comes on line neighboring Westbrook.

Essex Shoreline Center Was First of Its Kind  

According to a Middlesex Hospital sources, the shoreline facility in Essex was, “the first freestanding hospital-based emergency center in the country, and it became a model for other hospitals to follow.” In building a new medical center in Westbrook, the hospital notes, “We are moving three miles down the road from the current facility on Route 153 in Essex to Westbrook.” An advantage of the Westbrook location is that it “will provide easy access from I-95 as well as local roads.”

Middlesex Hospital’s Senior Vice President Evert also pointed out that the new Westbrook facility would be able to serve, more easily, the emergency medical needs of a number of towns along the I-95 corridor. For example, persons living in towns to the west of the new facility on I-95, such as Madison and Clinton, would have direct access to the new Westbrook center.

Also, towns to the east on the I-95 corridor, such as Old Saybrook, Old Lyme and Lyme, could be served by the new Westbrook center as well. The new Westbrook center could also serve the towns of Essex, Deep River and Chester, as well as Haddam and Killingworth without difficulty. In addition, accident victims on I-95 could be treated more easily from the Westbrook center.

Middlesex Hospital’s Evert estimated that the increase in the number of patients at the new Westbrook facility over those at the Essex facility would be in the ten to fifteen percent range. However, when pressed he said that this might be a “low ball” figure, and that he “just wanted to be conservative.”

New Westbrook Center Twice the Size of Essex’s   

The new 40,000 square foot emergency and outpatient facility in Westbrook will be double the size of the present Essex medical center. Furthermore, according to Middlesex Hospital materials, “Should we need even more space we have the option to add a second level, which would increase the Shoreline Medical Center space to 60,000 square feet.”

Until the use of this additional 20,000 square feet becomes necessary, it will remain undeveloped on the second floor of the new medical center building.

A two story frame is in place for the new emergency medical center in Westbrook

A two story frame is in place for the new emergency medical center in Westbrook

The new 40,000 square foot facility, presently being built, on the first floor will have, “an expanded emergency center with an express care area for minor illnesses and injuries.” Also, the new 40,000 square feet facility will allow, “a separate ambulance entrance,” as well as a “covered drop-off area, and improved patient privacy.”

Outpatients at the new Westbrook emergency center will also have their own entrance, and at the center there will be, “a whole host of diagnostic and treatment services.” In addition at the new center, “Radiology services will expand to include a new MRI testing area, and designated women imaging area.” In addition, “Other offerings would include lab services, pre-surgical testing and chronic care management.”

In summary Middlesex Hospital released this summary of services at the new Westbrook emergency center:

  • Emergency: 24/7 care, Helipad, Paramedic service
  • Other Services: Pre-surgical testing, chronic care management programs.
  • Outpatient Diagnostics: X-ray, MRI, CT, Ultrasound, Mammography, Laboratory services

As for the staff at the new Shoreline Medical Center in Westbrook, it will consist of:

  • Physicians, board certified in Emergency Medicine, providing coverage 24/7,
  •  Magnet nurses with a reputation for the highest quality care,
  • Laboratory and radiology clinicians credentialed in their areas of specialty.

Middlesex Hospital summarized by noting that, “Hospital emergency departments are the healthcare safety net for all in the community, any hour, day or night, seven days a week. All patients who come to the facility, regardless of their ability to pay receive care.”

The hospital also noted, “Each year, more than 23,000 people rely on the Shoreline Medical Center for emergency care.”

Filed Under: Essex, Jerome Wilson, ll, News, osn

Exchange Program Seeks Host Families for International Students

April 9, 2013 by

ASSE International Student Exchange Programs (ASSE) is seeking local host families for boys and girls from a variety of countries around the world. These students are 15 to 18 years of age, and are coming to this area for the upcoming high school year or semester.  These personable and academically select exchange students have good English, are bright, curious and anxious to learn about the USA by living as part of a family, attending high school and sharing their own culture and language.

The exchange students arrive from their home country shortly before school begins and return at the end of the school year or semester.  Each ASSE student is fully insured, brings his or her own personal spending money and expects to bear his or her share of household responsibilities, as well as being included in normal family activities and lifestyles.

The students are well screened and qualified by ASSE.  Families may select the youngster of their choice from extensive student applications, family photos and biographical essays.

To become a host family or find out more about ASSE and its programs, call Joyce 207-737-4666 or 1-800-677-2773 or visit www.asse.com.  There are many students from which to choose — Area Representatives also sought.

 Editor’s Note: ASSE International is a nonprofit 501.c.3 educational and cultural exchange organization headquartered in Laguna Beach, California.  ASSE promotes global learning and leadership by offering a unique, richly personal experience for students, volunteer families, host high schools and local communities. ASSE reaches across interpersonal and international borders, celebrating worldwide community through the spirit, character and promise of our youth.

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Filed Under: News, Towns
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