First Selectman Marty Klein presented a resolution Wednesday night that would set objective standards for the closure of Lover's Lane, but Selectmen Fred Dudek and Ed Sipples would not support the proposal.

Klein proposed to close Lover's Lane from November 1 to May 15 annually, in anticipation of significant rainfall and to keep it closed until the road has been clear of measurable water for three days. The road could be opened for an emergency by the First Selectman or emergency personnel. Dudek said he had a problem with the road being open for months in the summer, then to have it closed in anticipation of rain. He preferred the road be closed only when significant water accumulated over the road. Sipples said he would not support the closing of the road for the set dates of November to May.

Resident Arlene Tunney, who lives near the small road used as a shortcut between Rtes. 148 and 81, said with Lover's Lane currently closed, there have recently been several accidents in the area that essentially closed off that part of town. She said she can never remember the road being closed in the summer.

With no support for the proposal, Klein acquiesced and said the First Selectmen's office would determine when the road would be closed and opened in the future.

A Garden Party and Wine Tasting will be held Saturday, June 24 from 5:30-8:30. This annual event, sponsored by the Killingworth Republican Town Committee (KRTC) will take place amid the beautiful grounds of the 1785 antique colonial home owned by John and Meredith Amport at 154 River Road in Killingworth. An extensive array of delicious hors d'œuvres will also be served.

Spirits of Madison has joined with the KRTC in arranging for Best Valley Wines to provide and discuss some of the excellent wines they import from South America that are such outstanding values. After the tasting, your favorite wines will be available to order.

Founded by a Chilean American families, Best Valley Wines connects people, places, stories, and wines. They specialize in the very best wines from small wineries in South America. Their mission is to transport the natural wonders and artistic beauty of the places they love to the tables of discerning wine enthusiasts in the U.S. Their wine-growers are passionate artisans who produce top-quality wines, usually in small production quantities.

Spirits of Madison, located at 152 Samson Rock Road (near Stop & Shop) has served the Shoreline for the past 15 years. Owned by Russ and Traci Aglio, Spirits of Madison offers one of the most extensive selections of the finest wines along the shoreline.

What could be nicer than a summer evening on the lawn with laughter, music, good food and great wine? Tickets are $30 per person and reservations can be made by calling 860-663-3071.

CL&P reported that 271 homes in Killingworth were without power last night after a car collided with a pole on Cow Hill Road. The outage lasted until approximately 2:00 a.m.

Parents have expressed a need for a Prevention Education Session regarding Internet Safety. Haddam-Killingworth Youth and Family Services are responding to this request and will hold a Prevention Education Session on Internet Safety (by the Paul & Lisa Program, Inc.).

The program includes warning sign and how to protect your child's identity from an online predator. It promotes the understanding of Internet Danger Areas; Safety Tips for Web, E-mail, Blogs, Interactive Gaming, Cell phones, Chat, Instant Messaging; and Bullying. The program will also discuss risky behaviors that may lead to sexual exploitation and review case histories.

The Prevention Education on Internet Safety will be held at the locations below on the following dates:

Brainerd Library in Haddam: Thursday, June 29, 2006 at 6:30-7:45pm
Killingworth Library in Killingworth: Friday, June 30, 2006 at 6:30-7:45pm

Please select one of these sessions to attend. For further information, please contact Haddam-Killingworth Youth and Family Services at 345-7498. Space is limited; you must register to attend.

The HK Babe Ruth 14-15 Division game between HK and Branford I at HKHS Wednesday evening ended 4-0 HK. Killingworth's Chris Bova pitched 5, one-hit innings and resident Willy Tobelman added two, no-hit innings to close out the game. Reed Sturman scored twice. Zach Kumnick, Bova and Tobelman also scored. Ben Uihlein contributed an RBI double. The HK 14-15 year old Babe Ruth team is now 6-1 overall against shoreline opponents.

Town of Killingworth
Notice of Special Town Meeting
Monday, June 19 2006, 8:00 p.m.

The Electors of the Town of Killingworth and all those qualified to vote in meetings of said Town are hereby notified and warned that a Special Town Meeting will be held in the All Purpose Room of the Killingworth Elementary School on Monday June 19, 2006 at 8 p.m. to consider and act upon the following items of business:

1. To Elect one Killingworth Elector to serve as a member of the Regional #17 Board of Education for a term to Expire on December 1, 2009.

2. To confirm the Selectmen's appointments of Michelle B. Cumpstone, John F. Machold and Danilo A. Colonia as Killingworth representatives on the Haddam-Killingworth recreation Authority; for a term to commence upon confirmation and to continue until June 30, 2007 or until successors are appointed.

Killingworth Elementary School held its fifth grade class night ceremony yesterday evening in the AP Room at the school. Students were given words of advice from their principal, Rita Peretto, then sang "Thank You Very Much" to their teachers and said goodbye to one in particular. Fifth grade teacher Nancy Cassidy graduated her final class. She is retiring after more than 30 years teaching.

Pictured: (top-bot)Peter Brandon and Kurt Isleib perform the trumpet duet, Hill City Rag; Samantha Waskowitz, Emily Wang and Jillian Chongruk perform, Trio No. 5 for Flutes; The fifth grade class thanks their teachers in song; Retiring teacher Nancy Cassidy; Principal Rita Peretto offers words of wisdom.

Agenda
Special Meeting of the Board of Selectmen
Wednesday, June 14, 2006 at 7:00 p.m.
Town Office Building

1. Call to Order
2. Approval of Minutes of the Regular Meeting held on May 22, 2006 and Special Meeting held on May 15, 2006
3. Tax Abatements & Refunds
4. Visitors: A. Tunney, PAYT Comm.
5. Appointments/Vacancies:
    1. Housing Partnership - J. Amport, M. Board
    2. Reservoir Rd. Bridge Committee - Louis Fronte
    3. Recreation Commission (vac. S. Hollander)
    4. P&Z Alternate Vacancy
6. Old Business:
    1. Lover's Lane Resolution
    2. Town Meeting - June 19, 2006 Board of Ed., H-K Recreation
    3. Computer System
7. New Business:
    1. Sludge Lagoon Lease - R. Dudek
    2. PAYT ( Selectmen discussion)
8. MK Announcements:
9. Selectmen's Concerns
10. Adjournment
Agenda as of 9:20 a.m. Tuesday, 6/13/06
Printable version

On last night's FOX61 News at 10, First Selectman Marty Klein made a more public plea to the U.S. Postal Service for a post office in Killingworth. Klein has previously contacted state and federal lawmakers as well as the U.S.P.S. but has not receive any encouragement that a formal post office will ever be located in Town. The push for a post office has been going on for over thirty years.

Fox61 Reporter Eric Zager said, "One of the oldest towns in America doesn't have something most towns take for granted; a post office."

Putting a light twist on the story, Zager said the postal substation is currently located "mixed between groceries and deli meat". The crew even went so far as to knock on the door of President George W. Bush's uncle, Jonathan Bush, who lives in town.

Klein said, "we want our own identity". "At this rate, Baghdad will get a post office before we do." A petition has been collecting names at the Town Offices for almost a year, but the only answer back from the U.S.P.S. is that "it is not cost effective to build post offices in small towns".

This month, Killingworth Democratic Town Committee member Kathleen Amoia writes in support of John O'Leary for the Board of Education vacancy.

John O'Leary knows that he is making a major commitment by agreeing to be the Democratic candidate for District 17's recently vacated Board of Education position. Having attended many BOE meetings over the past two years, he has seen first hand the responsibilities of being on the Board, the hierarchy of issues with which it deals, and the energetic leadership of Superintendent Gary Mala.

A graduate of Fairfield University, with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a Master of Arts in Counseling, O'Leary has been working at Yale University School of Medicine since 1990. A seven year resident of Killingworth and the parent of KES fifth and second graders, he has a vested interest in quality education. "I am very motivated to make certain our tax dollars are invested wisely and lead to innovative educational approaches that are implemented by the highest quality teachers," O'Leary explained. full story.

Students from the three Region 17 Elementary Schools participated in a fun and competitive Track and Field Day yesterday and two days last week to celebrate fitness and the end of the school year. The third, fourth and fifth grade classes from Killingworth, Haddam and Burr elementary schools each participated in hours of running and jumping with their class at the high school track and field stadium. The children wore brightly colored t-shirts to designate their school and show their team spirit.

The fourth grade classes from the District elementary schools in action. Photos courtesy. K. Milano.

In the basement of the Town Office building most Saturday mornings for the last year and a half, three young women have been enthusiastically donating their time, archiving the Historical Society's large collection of materials. Sara Dodson and sisters Julia and Heather McCurdy grew up down the road from each other in Killingworth and share a common interest in history, architecture and preservation. The trio is in the process of identifying, preserving, and cataloging every document, photograph and object in the collection, then entering the information into a database that will eventually be available on a Historical Society website.

Sara, the daughter of Killingworth Land Trust Board member Bruce Dodson, grew up surrounded in history in the 1822 Gideon Lane House right next door to former Historical Society President Tom Lentz. She said she got the idea to volunteer for the project after reading Lentz's book, A Photographic History of Killingworth. "I wanted to figure out a way to get involved in the Historical Society and knew Heather and Julia would be interested as well." She remembers Heather was especially excited at the idea and joked that she wanted to be in charge of the white gloves. Read more.

Members of the Haddam-Killingworth High School Class of 2006 gathered at the Haddam gazebo Saturday evening before heading to the Senior Prom at Fantasia in North Haven. Photo courtesy K. Milano.

The Tuesday Book Discussion Group will next meet at the Killingworth Library on Tuesday, June 13 to discuss The Honey Thief, by Elizabeth Graver. The novel explores a mother-daughter relationship influenced by both the constricting storm clouds of lying and the liberating breezes of an unlikely friendship. Graver is an Associate Professor of English at Boston College.

The selection for Tuesday, July 11 is Map of Love by Egyptian writer Ahdaf Soueif. Newcomers are always welcomed to join the discussions. Meetings begin a 1:00 in the Killingworth Library meeting room.

St. Lawrence Church on Hemlock Drive, will hold its Annual Strawberry Festival Giant Auction & Craft Fair on Saturday, June 17 from 10:00 a.m - 4:00 p.m. Bidding for the auction begins at 11:00 a.m. There will also be quilt raffles, a plant sale, a bake sale, food booths, children's games and FUN for the whole family!

The Board of Selectmen's Meeting originally scheduled for Monday, June 12 has been postponed until Wednesday, June 14 at 7:00 p.m. at the Town Offices. The agenda will be available on Tuesday.

The HKMS Girls Softball team closed out its Spring season with a close, 3-1, loss to North Branford on Tuesday. The Cougars finish the year at 8-5. Special thanks go out to the coaches, Nancy Tozzo and Larry Leone. photo courtesy M. Murray.