The Lions Club event for today has been postponed until next Saturday, April 15. The time remains the same: 11 a.m. at the rear field at Killingworth Elementary School.

The Congregational Church in Killingworth invites the community to join us in worship.

Maundy Thursday - April 13 - Service of Communion and Tenebrae at 7:30 PM.
Easter Sunday - April 16 - Service of Communion and Word at 10:00 AM.
Please join us. All are welcome!

Property transfers as reported by the Killingworth Town Clerk's office for the period March 1- March 31, 2006:
• George H. Jackson, Jr. to Richard H. Davis and Jessica Davis, Lot# 3 Roast Meat Hill Rd. for $286,500.00.
• Michael T. Garvey Et Al to Robert J. Artus Et Al, Lot#10 Autumn Ridge for $599,000.00.
• Robert J. Artus and Melinda S. Artus to William G. and Jane F. West, Lot#9 Parkside Patrick Dr. for $413,000.00.
• Patricia Shaw to Elizabeth Stankovics, Mobile Home 32 Woodland Trail for $138,500.00.
• Kevin F. and Theo McClure to Thomas A. McClure, Lot #1 Little City Road for $278,400.00.
• Jensens Inc. to Laurel L. Young Sr. and Margaret A, Mobile Home 7 Beechwood Road for $120,120.00.
• Jensens Inc. to James A. and Margaret D. Comeau, 2006 Mobile Home 30 Woodland Trail for $160,160.00.
• Robert J. Gasper and Joanne Hooper to Todd J. and Gloria J. Nilsson, Lot 16 Old Mill Grove 27 A for $675,000.00.
• Ronald J. and Ruth A. Ferrero to Eva E. Sandahl, Mobile Home 11 Woodland Trail for $55,900.00.
• Gertrude M. Flanagan to Zachary D. Melina, parcel for $280,000.00.
• Braewood LLC to Leo J, Jr. and Anita G. Vallee, Lot #2 Surrey Ridge Roast Meat for $685,000.00.
For previous property reports, click here.

The HK High School Baseball team started the season with a, 7-1, win over Middletown. Tyler Riordan struck out 13 batters in his first outing on the mound and helped his own cause by driving in two runs. Tim Hedrick had two RBIs on a double in the sixth and Peter Rynkowski had one RBI. Read more about opening day in the Middletown Press.

The Boys Tennis team opened with a, 5-2, win over North Branford.

The Region 17 Board of Education will present a proposed budget of $32,705,012 at the Annual Budget Hearing on Thursday, April 13. Board of Education members voted 7-1 in favor of the budget at Tuesday night's meeting. The proposed budget reflects an increase of 7.85%. Killingworth and Haddam will vote at referendum on Tuesday, May 2.

If passed, Killingworth's share of the assessment for educating its 1,148 students would be $14,853,727; a $532,427 or 3.72% increase over last year. Haddam, which has 1,335 students in the district would be assessed $17,273,280; an increase of $1,626,393 or 10.39%. The Board made no changes in funding to learning programs compared to Schools Superintendent Gary Mala's proposed budget.

The differences in this budget compared to Mala's $32,865,907 (8.38%) proposed budget are:

• Elimination of 7.2 full-time equivalent certified staff positions instead of 6.2. The BOE decided not to replace one more elementary teacher's position vacated due to the retirement incentive program.
• Elimination of one custodial position from the new middle school staff: 6 custodians to 5.
• Further reduction of capital requests: $146,700.00 from $103,000.00
• Adjustment in the anticipated increases for fuel and utilities as a result of applying unanticipated revenue: 36.10% decreased from 42.7% (above the 2005-2006 levels + current year shortfall)
• Slight reduction in the increase in funding to co-curricular and athletic funding.

These changes reduce the nondiscretionary costs from 94.49% of the budget to 93.00% or $30,415,362. These costs include salaries, employee health benefits, facilities, transportation, tuition, debt service and new school costs.

The percent of the requested increase due to the cost of opening new intermediate school is 3.76% or $1,138,076 for 7 months. Minus the new school costs, the budget increase is 4.09%. The BOE full budget proposal is available online at www.rsd17.org

The HK Track and Field Teams opened their Spring 2006 season at Morgan in Clinton yesterday. The meet also included Old Saybrook, Valley Regional and Cromwell. Results to follow.
Pictured: (l-r, t-b) Katelyn Deimel in the long jump; Jake Corbett, Cory Weiss in the 1600 meter run; Amy Chamberlain in the 1600 meter run and Kevin Bailey in the high jump.

Frank Cunningham was recently voted Chairman of the Killingworth Republican Town Committee. He is currently a member of the Board of Finance and a former selectman. He is a retired teacher from Haddam-Killingworth High School. Cunningham joined the Republican Town Committee in 2004 and chaired the party nominating committee last year. Read more about the recent elections of both Town committees in the Hartford Courant.

Bring your appetites to the Killingworth Library on Tuesday, April 11 from 6-7:30 p.m.. Munch on Tuscana Apizza while discussing Brainboy and the Deathmaster by Tor Seidler. Multiple copies of this 2007 Nutmeg title are available at the library. For more information or to sign up, please call 663-2000.

The Killingworth Park and Recreation Commission will sponsor the annual Fishing Derby this Saturday, April 8 from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. The pond at Sheldon Field will be stocked with trout and children age 12 and under can participate in the derby. Only bait fishing is allowed with the bait generously donated by the Country Cloverleaf Store.

•Thursday , April 6:
8:00 a.m. & 7:00 p.m. HKTV Short Films
10:00 a.m. & 9:00 p.m. "Killingworth in the Past" Town Discussion
•Friday, April 7:
8:00 a.m. & 7:00 p.m. Old Saybrook H.S. Substance Abuse Town Meeting
10:00 a.m. & 9:00 p.m. HKHS Lip Sync 2006
•Saturday & Sunday April 8 & 9:
8:00 a.m. & 7:00 p.m. Old Saybrook H.S. Substance Abuse Town Meeting
10:00 a.m. & 9:00 p.m. HKHS Lip Sync 2006
information provided by HKTV

To the Editor:
Nearly three years ago, residents in Regional School District 17 voted in favor of building a new school (grades 5-8) on Route 81 in Killingworth near the Haddam town line.

Forecasts were that by the middle of the decade, classroom space at local elementary schools would become crowded, jeopardizing the learning process.

Those class size projections turned out to be correct. The student population in District 17 recently topped 2,500 students. Now, more than 100 morning and afternoon bus routes crisscross the district. Our school buses travel in excess of 2,000 miles each school day. Read more.

The John P. Hine, Jr. Memorial Golf Tournament is still accepting reservations for the June event. Come join us at the Clinton Country Club on Monday, June 12th for an 11:00 a.m. barbeque lunch, followed by a 12:30 shotgun tee time.

After playing eighteen holes of fabulous golf at this private club, you will enjoy a buffet dinner in the club's elegant dining room. Interesting and varied raffles and prizes will add to the fun.

All of the proceeds from this event will benefit the Killingworth Library. To reserve a spot for yourself or a foursome, or to receive further information regarding playing in or sponsoring the tournament, please call Shelly at 663-2747 or contact her by email at xmastreesrus@sbcglobal.net.

According to today's Hartford Courant, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday that the Town Zoning Board of Appeals was correct when it ordered resident Nicole Graff to reduce the number of dogs on her property from 14 to 4.

The unanimous decision reversed an earlier Superior Court ruling and dismissed the appeal by Graff. The Town Planning and Zoning Commission had issued a cease and desist order back in 2001 because neighbors complained about the dog noise at Graff's 8.75 acre property on Route 148. Graff appealed to the Town Zoning Board of Appeals which upheld the decision.

The Supreme Court rejected the claim by Graff that town regulations were vague. Read another related story in the Hartford Courant.

First Selectman Marty Klein offers his monthly column.

Last month on Reading Across America Day, I had the honor of reading to second graders at the Killingworth Elementary School. I read the Dr. Seuss classic, The Butter Battle Book. This story gives lessons in settling differences, learning to compromise, and to accept not always getting one's own way. I wish to thank the students in Susan Dean's class for the opportunity to meet them, and for their sweet note of appreciation.

I can still remember reading bedtime stories to my own children and I don't have to tell you who fell asleep first. It was fun when the children were preschoolers and "read " to me or their siblings by memorizing other Dr. Seuss books like Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in the Hat or Eric Carle's Brown Bear, Brown Bear. It's exciting listening to first graders sound out the words in the same books that we read to them before they went off to school. Read more of Klein's column.

Chairman of the Killingworth Board of Finance, John McMahon, made his opinion clear last Thursday following Schools Superintendent Gary Mala's presentation of his proposed 2006-2007 budget. The Board of Education and Mala met with the Killingworth and Haddam Boards of Selectmen and Finance to hear comments, and answer questions on the budget proposal.

Mala is requesting $32,865,907 for the 2006-2007 school year for an increase of $2,539,974 or 8.38%. The opening of the new intermediate/middle school represents 3.83% of the overall increase, with nondiscretionary costs totaling 94.49% of the total budget.

McMahon said "8% is not acceptable. Period!". He said, the District should take a serious look at adjusting the start times of the elementary schools in order to accommodate the new bus routes for the middle school. McMahon also said "that as painful as it may be, the District should look at increasing class sizes". He said Killingworth has been "postponing projects in order to feed RSD17".

Mala's proposed budget requests $200,000 to pay for contracted service for the new intermediate/middle school for the first seven months of operation. Transportation Director Michael Zanelli determined that if the District wanted to handle the new middle school routes with its current drivers and buses, the elementary, middle and high school levels would each need a unique opening and closing time. Mala said that might entail elementary school children returning home after 5:00 p.m. Mala said he did not want to do that, especially considering how dark it gets late in the year.

In regards to class size, Mala's budget proposed average class sizes at Killingworth Elementary School of 15 for kindergarten up to 20.25 for fifth grade. He also offered for comparison, an average class size minus one section. This raised the kindergarten average to 18.75 and the fifth grade to 27.

Mala's presentation includes a statewide comparison of the recommended budgets of school districts that are also opening new schools this year. The range is 8.87% for Danbury to 12.70% for Colchester. Schools that foresee an increased enrollment have a recommended budget around 8.0%. Region 17 is estimating an increased enrollment of 30 students for next year, mostly in the Haddam elementary schools. The statewide average for all 127 Districts is 7.37%.

The Board of Education Budget Committee will meet on Tuesday, April 4 at 7:00 p.m. to discuss and refine the budget. The Annual Budget Hearing will be held on April 13 at 7:00 p.m. at Burr Elementary. The Annual Meeting will be held on May 1 in the HKHS auditorium with the budget referendum the following day, May 2. The superintendent's proposed Budget Presentation is available on the District's website at www.rsd17.org

The Town highway crew has been active on the corner of Routes 148 and 81 with re-alignment and improvements to Alders Bridge Road. The road is currently a one way entry from Route 81 that connects to Schnoor Road to the West. Determined to be a hazardous access and egress point, the Town approved moving the entry point and widening the road, several years back. The new entrance will be on Route 148.

According to the Town highway crew, the entrance from Route 148 is almost completed. The next step is to smooth out the curve onto the main straight of Alders Bridge, cut down some additional trees, and widening the road. When this is completed the road will be paved. Board of Finance Chairman John McMahon said the money to finish the project is in the proposed 2006-2007 budget. Selectman Fred Dudek said the total cost of the project will be reimbursed through the State's Local Capital Improvement Program (LoCip).

The Killingworth Volunteer Fire Company will hold its annual GIANT AUCTION on Saturday, April 8, from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm at Fire Headquarters on Route 81.

The event is a fun filled day and attendees can pick up bargain "treasures". The monies raised by the auction are used to supplement the fire company annual budget, as well as purchasing additional training and special fire/rescue equipment.

An "Auction Hotline" has been established for those wishing to donate items for the auction. The number is 860-663-2043 and the line is automatically answered 24 hours a day. Please leave your name, phone number and the items to be donated. A firefighter will return your call and make arrangements for pickup.

HAVE YOU RECEIVED YOUR POSTAL PATRON MESSAGE FROM THE PROJECT GRADUATION COMMITTEE YET?

You should have received it by now. If so, please take the time to read the mailing, and consider contributing to this Graduation celebration. The committee is committed to making this an enjoyable night for our senior class, but your financial help is needed.

If you would rather donate your time or a service, that is appreciated as well. Please contact those listed below, and if you are interested in attending a meeting, the next one is scheduled for Tuesday, April 11, 2006 at 7:30pm in the Lower Media Center of the High School. Any questions, comments, or inquires can be directed to:
Chair Person: Nancy Bradley -663-2485 and Vice Chair Person: Laura Dowd - 345-3109.