In his weekly address, First Selectman David Denvir continues his series on the status of "big ticket" items the town has under discussion. This week Denvir reviews the Venuti parcel of land; its advantages and drawbacks. Read David Denvir's complete remarks here.
A reminder that the site walk for the Recreational Complex will take place today from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. A shuttle bus will be available from the Elementary School. There will be no parking available on the site or on Route 81.

Agenda
Meeting of the Board of Selectmen
Monday, October 25, 2004 at 7:00 p.m.
Town Office Building

1. Call to Order
2. Approval of minutes of Regular Meeting held October 12, 2004
3. Visitors: Steve Hollander, PAYT Committee (Transfer Sta. Hours), Ruth Patrick, Tax Collector/a)Post Office Situation b)Pension Plan
4. Tax Abatements & Refunds
5. Appointments/Vacancies:
    1. PAYT Committee
    2. Library Board
    3. Conservation Commission
6. Old Business:
    1. Lovers Lane
    2. Explanatory Text
    3. Bosco Wetlands Review
7. New Business:
    1. CL&P Refund
8. DLD Announcements
9. Selectmen's Concerns
10. Executive Session: Personnel:Municipal Agent; Administrative Aide
11. Adjournment
Agenda as of Noon, Friday, 10/22/04
Printable version

HKYFS Activities Reminder
The deadlines for the HKYFS Pumpkin Writing & Coloring contests are Monday, October 25. For information on the contests, or to pre-register for the October 31 Pumpkin Run, please call 345-7498 or visit the website at www.hkyfs.org. The Pumpkin Run will take place at 1:00 p.m. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. The cost is $15 prior to race day and $18 on the day of the race.

Flu Shot Clinic at St. Lawrence Church
On Monday, October 25, the Visiting Nurse Association will hold a flu shot clinic at St. Lawrence Church from 9:00-11:00 a.m. The clinic is restricted to Killingworth residents who are over 65 years old, or those who have a chronic medical condition. For those under 65, a doctor's note that details the nature of the condition is required. Residents should bring their Medicare card and driver's license. There is no charge for those on Medicare. For more information contact the VNA at 664-3100. As of today, Friday, 10/22, the clinic is still being held.

Civil Conservation Corp History Lecture
Marilyn Aarrestad, the Park Forest Supervisor and Museum Curator at the Shenipsit State Forest in Stafford Springs was the guest speaker last night for a fascinating program on the Civil Conservation Corp and its activities between 1933-1937 in Chatfield Hollow State Park and Cockaponset State Forest. The program was hosted by the Killingworth Historical Society and the Killingworth Land Conservation Trust.

The CCC was a "peacetime army" initiated by President Franklin Roosevelt in his first hundred days in office. This depression time program was created to help alleviate devastating unemployment and help battle the erosion and timber destruction in the nation's forests by putting unemployed urban men, between the ages of 18-25, to work. The single men who enlisted in the program sent most of their $1/day salary home "to mom", but many earned high school degrees, learned a trade and qualified for higher pay once they enlisted in the military during WWII. The first camp at Chatfield Hollow was named Camp Roosevelt.

Among the many projects these young men accomplished during this time were: carving trails and roads; building barracks and other buildings; constructing an earth and stone dam that forms the seven-acre Schreeder Pond; building the stone walls and dam at the Mill Pond, and according to Aarrestad, creating "the best example of CCC projects in Eastern Connecticut". The extensive recreational facilities were so popular that the camp was actually closed because the Corp could not maintain the park properly. The camp in Haddam continued to run at Cockaponset State Forest until 1942.
One of the contract teams brought in to help build charcoal-making kilns, included Angelo Annino. In the photograph to the left, Annino is pictured with his son Louis, who celebrated his 12th birthday at his father's worksite. photos courtesy Marilyn Aarrestad

For more information on the CCC visit these sites:
Roosevelt's Tree Army
National Park Service CCC History
James F. Justin CCC Museum

KES Blood Drive
Killingworth Elementary School and its 5th grade class are sponsoring their annual Red Cross Blood Drive on Oct. 27 from 1:00 to 5:45 p.m. The current supply of blood is very low across the country. With only five percent of the American people donating, it is easy to see how your own regular donation can make a great difference. Anyone wishing to donate may call our school nurse at 663-1121 to schedule an appointment. Each year the fifth grade students show their community spirit by volunteering to assist in a variety of tasks during the drive. This will truly be a community affair from the heart!

Town Meeting Opens Public Discussion on "Bosco"
Ever since the referendum on the Killingworth Recreational Complex failed in May 2003, First Selectman David Denvir and several Town committees have been working on a revised plan to give the town the fields it needs, at a price it will approve. Over the last month, plans have become more solidified and Town officials have decided it is time to present the plan for discussion and referendum. Monday's Town Meeting was the next step in moving the plan forward.

At the surprisingly small gathering of interested residents, Denvir briefly reviewed the plan's history, from original conception, through the failed referendum and the revised bare-bones plan, to the newest redesign. The most recent plan gives the town eight additional fields and assorted recreational areas on 50 of the 133 acres of town-owned land, at cost of $5.25 million. Landscape architect David Sousa from Clough Harbour & Associates answered questions on the design, and agreed to provide additional information to residents concerned over wetlands issues, construction and maintenance costs, safety, and overall design.

Sousa said the plan calls for two wetlands crossings but assured residents that the final design would be altered to accommodate wetlands restrictions. He said Clough Harbour designed the complex based on their initial site surveys, knowledge of the soil conditions, and site topography. A final design would be the next step if the project is approved at referendum and bonding secured.

The town has planned a site walk of the Route 81 property for Saturday, Oct. 23 from 10:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. Denvir encourages all residents to attend, but cautioned that no parking will be available on the property nor on Route 81. A shuttle bus will be available from the Elementary School to the site at half-hour intervals or as frequently as needed. The Town will provide maps and a guide to the property so residents may explore the site and the areas for the proposed facilities. A second Town Meeting will be held at KES on Monday, Nov. 8 at 8:00 p.m., to further discuss the project, approve the bonding, and send the plan to a town referendum on Saturday, Nov. 20.

In addition to receiving information on the Complex, residents at Monday's meeting approved the Annual Report of the Board of Finance for fiscal year 2002-2003, and if approved by the State Election Enforcement Commission in time to be included with absentee ballots, authorized the preparation and printing of an explanatory text in advance of the referendum to be held regarding the Killingworth Recreational Complex.

Pharmedica "Not Going to Fly"
The 23-page draft report from the Town Office Building Committee does not recommend the purchase of the Route 80 Pharmedica property for use as Town Offices. According to Chairman Phillip Evans, the committee looked at the property's potential from "every possible way" and in the end could not recommend the purchase of such a large building that has also been sitting vacant for two years.

Evans said the larger of the two buildings, looked at for possible Town Office space, was just "too big" for the town's needs. He said the 20,000 square-foot building has never been occupied and Building Official Richard Leighton had serious concerns about the untested heating and air conditioning systems. Leighton recommended the seller run both systems for at least 120 days to make sure everything was working properly, and even then, Evans said, there was concern over who would warranty the systems if there were problems.

The renovation costs in addition to the estimated $2.7 million purchase price, according to Evans, exceeds the amount the town might reasonably spend to design and construct a building specially tailored to its needs. He said the smaller, occupied building, that the town could have continued to lease to Pharmedica, would have needed costly renovations as well, including $250,000 for a sprinkler system.

Evans estimated the current Town Office building will be adequate until 2010, and he recommended the town plan at least two years in advance for any new construction design or expansion. Evans said he was pleased with the work from the committee and appreciated the assistance of the building renovation experts who volunteered their time to the committee.

HK Volleyball Pulls Out Win Over Hale Ray
A match that started out looking like a romp, turned more interesting when the HK Volleyball team got complacent and dropped the second game to visiting opponent Hale Ray. The Cougars were able to pull it together in the third game and went on to dominate Hale Ray three games to one. Game scores were, 25-14, 25-27, 25-7, 25-19. Liz Kozlowski had 10 kills, Lindsey Marek had 8 kills, Heather Warren had 11 assists and Sawyer Kimball had 12 assists. HK improves to 11-2 on the year.
In road action, the HK Field Hockey team defeated Morgan of Clinton, 5-0, yesterday. Leslie Zules had 2 first half goals, Ally Hall had two second half goals and Stacey Probst also scored for the Cougars.

This week, Killingworth Democratic Town Committee member Rick Berzon provides an endorsement and some background on 2nd U.S. Congressional District candidate, Democrat Jim Sullivan. Berzon says "Sullivan is honest, hard working, unassuming, familiar with the needs of the people who live and work in Connecticut's second congressional district, and grounded in practicality, not ideology". Read his complete remarks here.

Town Meeting for Recreational Complex Tonight
The meetings and referendum schedule for the Killingworth Recreational Complex on the Route 81 town-owned Bosco property has been updated.
Public Informational Meeting: Monday, October 18 at 8:00 p.m. at Killingworth Elementary School All-Purpose Room.
Public tour of the property: Saturday, October 23, 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Shuttle buses will be available from KES. rain date; Sunday Oct. 24.
Town Meeting: Monday, November 8, 8:00 p.m. KES All-Purpose Room.
Referendum: Saturday, November 20
For a look at the Clough Harbour & Associates complex design click here. For a more detailed view, look at the .pdf file. This is a large file and will take a few moments to download. On both representations, the southernmost field that was eliminated from the plan, has been removed.

O'Connor Runs Unopposed in November
At least one race in the November elections is going to be easy to predict. Rep. Brian O'Connor will run unopposed for his 35th District state House seat. His most recent opponent was Republican John Fillion who withdrew from the race back in July. Read more about this in today's New Haven Register.

Estuary Senior Center Gets Grant
The Estuary Council of Seniors in Old Saybrook has been awarded a $700,000 state grant for the expansion and renovation of its regional senior center. The expansion will add 4,000 square feet of space to the 16,000-square-foot center that serves nine towns including Killingworth. Read more about this in today's New Haven Register.

HK Football Falls to Unbeaten Hyde
The Haddam-Killingworth High School Football team lost to Hyde of New Haven, 32-6, yesterday at Bowen Field. Adam Chamberlain scored the only HK touchdown with 1 minute, 41 seconds remaining in the game. The Cougars were held to 104 yards total offense. Read more about the game in today's New Haven Register.
The HK Field Hockey team defeated Old Saybrook, 3-0. Chelsea Brooks, Kelly Devlin and Leslie Zules netted a goal and added an assist as the scored for the Cougars who are now 7-3-1, 5-3-1.
The HK Volleyball team defeated North Branford in a three-game sweep. Game scores were 25-12, 25-16 and 25-16. Lindsay Marek had 10 kills and Heather Warren had 12 assists for the match. The Cougars are now 10-2 for the season.

When Marian Sang
by Pam Munoz Ryan
ISBN: 0439269679

"It was her range of notes that caused all the commotion. With one breath she sounded like rain, sprinkling high notes in the morning sun. And with the next she was thunder, resounding deep in a dark sky."

This beautifully illustrated children's book tells the story of Marian Anderson's life, from her singing of hymns in church, to her debut with the Metropolitan Opera. Marian's gorgeous voice set her apart, even as a young girl. She took her singing seriously, and practiced her parts to perfection. Attending a Metropolitan Opera performance, she was inspired to go as far as she could with her talent. But racism intervened, and she was denied entrance into music school because of the color of her skin.

Her spirit would not be dampened, and she began private study with an acclaimed vocal instructor. She continued to develop her voice, and went to Europe for further instruction and the opportunity to perform recitals. Marian's recitals earned rave reviews, and established her as a world-class singer.

Ironically, Marian's most difficult debut was in the United States. In 1939 her sonorous voice and strong spirit soared on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in front of an integrated crowd of 75,000 who were gathered there after a march for civil rights. At this concert, Eleanor Roosevelt presented Marian with the NAACP Spingarn Medal, and Marian was honored by the adoring crowd in the manner she deserved.

Susan Miller is the Associate Director of the Arnold Bernhard Library at Quinnipiac University. She holds a Bachelor and Master of Music from Ohio State University and a M.S. in Library Science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Contact Susan at covertocover@killingworthtoday.com