Dear Editor,
I would like to publicly thank all the volunteers who did make Project Graduation such a successful night for my graduating Class of 2006. It was quite evident to me and all of my peers that many, many hours of hard work were put into the night-long party. The food was exquisite, and it was all you can eat, all night long. We, in the towns of Haddam and Killingworth, are so fortunate to have a group of dedicated parents and volunteers to make this night possible.

At the end of the night, after all the prizes were given out, the graduating class quickly dispersed as the sun rose. There was some dissent over the prizes given out. I would just like all those who worked so hard collecting all those donations and prizes that I truly appreciate the work that you did. No one was entitled to a certain gift and I think some members of the class lost sight of that. Maybe it was the fact that most of us had been up for almost twenty-four straight hours. I realize what a huge undertaking that is, to guarantee a prize for every member of the class. Having collected many donations myself during my four years in high school, I know that it can be a very taxing, time-consuming and difficult thing to do. I would just like you all to know that your efforts have not gone unnoticed and are appreciated by the majority of students.

Thank you all once again for a wonderful night and congratulations for pulling off another spectacular Project Graduation. I would highly encourage others to get involved with this highly beneficial organization.

Sincerely,
Drew Granucci
Member of the HK Class of 2006

The Regional School District No. 17 has announced that it is currently recruiting for qualified candidates for the position of Director of Fiscal Operations. This position, previously known as Director of Finance & Operations, will become vacant on August 4, 2006.

Interested candidates may contact: Goens/Esparo, LLC, George A. Goens, Ph.D., or Louis J. Esparo, Ph.D., P.O. Box 271740, West Hartford, CT 06127-1740l; 860.567.1974 (phone-George Goens) or 617.227.0919 (phone Louis Esparo); gagoens@snet.net; lesparo@comcast.net.

The approved job description for this position is available at www.rsd17.org. Any questions may be directed to the Central Office of the district at 345-4534.

The household hazardous waste facility in Essex will be open today, Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. It is located off Rte. 9, Exit 4 Dump Road, in Essex.

This is the only Saturday in July that the facility will be open. Next month it will be open Aug. 5 and Aug. 19.

The Estuary Region HHW Facility allows residents to dispose of household waste with the help of trained technicians. It is free to residents of Chester, Clinton, Deep River, Essex, Killingworth, Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook and Westbrook.

For more information, including a complete list of acceptable items, call 860-388-3497.

School is out and summer has officially begun! This is the beginning of the vacation season with beach outings and picnics. It is also a time to sit back and admire all of your hard work this spring in your garden. While your spring bloomers are pretty much finished, your mid summer flowers should be coming alive. Now that many of your plants will have grown to their full height, you may notice that some plants have grown taller than you expected. Or that you have some distinct holes in your garden beds. This is a good time to make some notes about what should be moved around.(But wait until the fall unless you are willing and able to give any transplanted plants TLC for the rest of the summer) It is also a time to make a list of what plants or colors of plants you could add to you beds. Your might also take photos of your beds so that during the winter when browsing catalogues you can remember what they look like in bloom. There's more!

If you have questions or comments, please submit them through the editor@killingworthtoday.com. These columns as well as meeting and event reminders are available from the Garden Club's web page at www.Killingworthtoday.com/EGC

To the Editor:
Everyone living at the north end of town knows Lover's Lane saves time, miles and gasoline when going to the center or the north end of Killingworth. This year Mr. Klein has taken his authority to NOT open the road with little or no water on it. This road is a vital artery that could mean the difference between life and death if the road remains closed. In the past Lover's Lane was only closed during times of icy conditions.This makes sense, keeping it closed during the summer does not make sense just because it may get water on it. Every road in town gets water on it when it rains.

In 2005, this road was "car-counted" to have 600 plus cars per day using this short-cut. Does Mr. Klein realize that this causes 600+ cars using the intersection of Rts. 148 & 81? We also need to look to the future. We have a new Middle School between Rt. 148 & Lover's Lane on Rt. 81 with only two emergency evacuation routes. Lover's Lane should be the third.

We are spending money on Alder's Bridge Road and on Reservoir Road Bridge. Why not fix Lover's Lane. This road is just as important. It can be fixed. A few years ago, Mr. Ward and his crew had a plan, what happen to that???

Enough is enough.....OPEN THE ROAD!!!!!!!!
Sincerely, Andrew Annino

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Dear Editor:
Mr. Klein was elected to represent all the citizens of Killingworth. His actions with regard to closing Lover's Lane are dictatorial at best and not in the interest of the citizens living in the area serviced by that road. Mr. Klein has not been authorized to close this Town Road and should be held accountable.

Sincerely, Phyllis Ferber

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To the Editor:
Marty Klein is a friend and one I enjoy. We have agreed to strongly disagree on many topics throughout our friendship. Like many Democrats in town, though, I am struck by the inanity and arbitrary nature by which Marty has - outside of his authority, expert counsel, and the Selectmen's majority vote - effectively closed Lovers Lane.

Probably less than 10 vehicles use the one-way Alder's Bridge Road daily. Yet Marty commenced a project primarily permitting the split property of his friend, Mr. Adametz, to be rejoined. Meanwhile, across Route 148, a busy and safe thruway has been arbitrarily shut down. How can this be? Our tax dollars have been extended to "fix" an unbroken and under-utilized one-way road, yet the gates can't be kept open on Lovers Lane, at no cost, for the manifested daily use of more than 10 percent of our residents. Why? According to the Hartford Courant, Marty simply said, because "I would like to see it closed permanently." Read more of Jamie Young's letter.

According to the Hartford Courant, First Selectman Marty Klein installed new locks at both the Rte. 148 and Rte. 81 ends of Lover's Lane after vandals broke the locks on July 4th. According to the article, Resident State Trooper Kevin Stratton is investigating the vandalism and Klein is quoted as saying," No one will be able to drive through even if they destroy the locks again". The road is closed due to measurable water over portions of the road. Klein has said his preference would be to close the road permanently. There is strong opposition from residents who live on Rte. 148 and the north end of town, who feel closing the road would cut off that part of town in an emergency.

Dear Editor,
I read, with interest, Mr. Klein's condemnation of folks trying to access Lovers Lane. In my opinion, Mr. Klein should be tried to the fullest extent permitted by law, for unlawfully closing Lover's Lane, a Town road, without permission.

He has closed it for his ego and not to benefit the folks who live in the Northwest end of Town. We have not only been disenfranchised but literally cut off from the rest of Town on two recent occasions when accidents on 148 & Rte 81 have closed off access to our end of Town.

Perhaps the "perpetrators" were thinking of the Boston Tea Party on July 4th when they cut the locks. Certainly we've had no representation on this road closing. Mr. Klein just ignores us.
Sincerely yours,
Arlene Tunney

To the Editor:
I want to agree with the speeding of cars on small roads. My parents live on North Tower Hill road and have been there for 32 years. This is a dead end street but leads into the state forest. Growing up there all the kids used to be able to ride bikes, rollerblade and just hang out on the street. We have 10 houses on the street so you would think speeding would not be problem. Between the kids speeding to go in the woods and party and other people driving their hot rods at full speed, we are afraid to even get the mail. People walk, ride bikes and horseback ride on our streets. It's just a matter of time before something bad happens. I think the idea of having speed bumps is great. Our road is a half mile long so I think that would do the trick.
Thanks
Michelle Miller

On July 4, 2006, vandals destroyed the locks on the gates at Lover's Lane. This is considered an act of civil disobedience; the perpetrators, when apprehended, will be prosecuted to the full extent permitted by law.

Martin Klein
First Selectman

Judith B. Hurle died very suddenly at home in her garden on Friday, June 30. She was 63 years old. She was the loving wife of 33 years of Robert J. Hurle and the daughter of the late Thomas and Gertrude Bridge. Judy was born and raised in Plymouth, MI and had been a resident of Connecticut for the past 35 years. She was retired but had been the Director of Early Childhood for the City of Bridgeport, was instrumental in promoting School Readiness statewide and was considered a role model for administrators. She had served two terms on the Madison Board of Education. In addition to her loving husband Bob, Judy is survived by two step daughters; Pamela H. Wissenbach and her husband Thomas of Clinton and Melinda Fayette Hurle and her partner Pam Fradkin of Boston, MA; a sister, Patricia Smoker of Australia; a brother-in-law Ned Hurle and his wife Bert of Middletown; a sister-in-law Ginger Holland and her husband Barry of Rhode Island; a granddaughter Eryn(AKA Elvira) Wissenbach; and several nieces and nephews and her dog Buster.

A memorial gathering will be held at 415 Roast Meat Hill Rd., Killingworth, the family home, on Saturday, July 8, at 2 p.m. There will be time for friends and family to pay their respects following the eulogy. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Judith B. Hurle Memorial Fund, c/o Patti Galello, 2220 Main St., Stratford CT 06615 or the Democratic State Central Committee, 179 Allyn St., Hartford, CT 06103. Plantsville Memorial Funeral Home 975 S. Main St. Plantsville is handling the arrangements.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006, was a special night for the Senior Class at Haddam-Killingworth High School. Earlier in the evening, the weather held out for the graduates so that they could enjoy an outdoor graduation celebration. After spending some time with their families, the graduates returned to the Field House for an all-night alcohol and drug free party.

This year's theme was "Back to the Sixties". Decorations with Peace signs, happy faces, and even a 12-foot long mural of a VW bus transformed the Field House into a sixties wonderland.

The class was treated to entertainment all night including a D.J., obstacle course, basketball, volleyball, a palm reader, magician, caricaturist, car racing, horseracing, trampoline, video games, and the pool was opened for a midnight swim. Money prizes were awarded throughout the night and each graduate left in the wee hours of the morning with a substantial prize. Some of the prizes were dorm refrigerators, computers, iPods, printers, TVs, gift certificates, and other essentials for dorm life in the fall.

Food was plentiful including pizza, subs, a peanut butter and jelly bar, ice cream, fruit and veggie platters, stuffed breads, and so much more.

All of this would have been impossible without a tremendous amount of help. Volunteers worked on the project since September planning an unforgettable night for the seniors. Many monetary and product donations were made by local businesses and private citizens.

Keep in mind the business listed here, and when their services are needed, please support them.

The Project Graduation Committee and the Class of 2006 extends their thanks to all those who donated so generously, and made their night so memorable.

To the Editor:
I love living on Roast Meat Hill Road. Great neighbors. Beautiful area. The only draw-back is traffic. It's not even the amount of traffic; it's the speed at which drivers travel. We see motorbikes, motorcycles and cars travel at 60-plus mph through this area. I know that because I've followed some.

Of great concern is the safety of children, parents walking with strollers, folks taking their horse out for a ride or walk, and an elderly neighbor who finds crossing the street to visit downright fearsome.

The speeding problem is a safety issue and, indeed, a quality-of-life issue. It's time for the town to take some responsibility. It was stupid to paint lines down these streets. Lines allow people to absolutely know where they are on a road, so they can travel even faster! Roast Meat Hill Road between 81 and 80 could at least use some SIGNS. We have ONE dismal little sign at the intersection of 80. It's time to, at the very least, purchase a portable radar speed indicator.

It's probably time for concerned citizens to get some petitions going?

Joan Hinchcliffe

6.29.2006: Jessie Buckus of Clinton was rear-ended by Edward Perkins of Killingworth in the Rte. 80/81 traffic circle. Perkins was cited for following too close.

6.26.2006: Cory Willaims, 23, of Killingworth was charged with DWI in Westbrook. He was released on $500.00 bond with a July 10 court date.

6.24.2006: Judy Fredrickson of Killingworth was traveling southbound on Rte. 81 at the Killingworth Village when Christopher Craig, traveling northbound, crossed into her lane striking her head on. Fredrickson was transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital with minor injuries. Craig was transported to Middlesex with minor injuries. Enforcement action is pending.

To the Editor:
Well, here's my two cents on the speeding issue. I live on the unpaved section of North Chestnut Hill. Once upon a time we would see a vehicle pass by only once every other day or so. These days 50 to 75 A DAY is the norm. Some days bring more than that. Many of them speed. I have followed some at over 50 MPH.....NO THAT IS NOT A TYPO...over 50 miles per hour on a narrow, winding dirt road. I feel I now take my life into my own hands every time I leave the driveway. I can spend all day looking left and right at the end of my driveway, making sure it's clear, only to pull out and have someone suddenly fly like a bat out of hell over the brow of the little hill to the South or around the curve at the North and almost run me down. Speed limit signs have been installed; the resident trooper has stopped a few offenders from time to time, but there seems to be no lasting solution. Sadly many of the culprits appear to be local people. It's depressing to witness such callous disregard for our rights and safety in what was always a nice little town. What happened?

Now that we each know that we are not alone in our having a problem with the speeding in town, the question remains: What do we do to stop it?

Regards,
P.J. Tefft