Towntimesfeb21

Volume 20, Number 45 Serving Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall www.TownTimes.com Friday, February 21, 2014

Rob and Doreen Raney, of Durham, got the surprise of their lives one day.

A few years back, Rob’s mother, Kathryn (Kitty) Francis had passed away. The couple was helping the fam-ily clean out her attic when Doreen saw a chest in the corner.

“We don’t have time to look through it right now, so let’s just take it home,” she said. “And thank heavens we did. When we opened it, we found paperwork from 1700s and 1800s Durham. We were expecting family pictures or family records.”

The Raneys don’t know the origins of the chest, just that Francis’ second husband, Bob Francis, brought it to his marriage. “We’ll keep the chest, but we’re giving the contents to the town, where it belongs,” Doreen said. “It’s

town history. It doesn’t belong to us.”

Peg Atwell, secretary of the Durham Historical Society, agrees with the importance of the discovery. “It’s a signif-icant find and we must praise the Raneys for saving this. So many would have tossed it all in the garbage. This is our town and we should be dili-gent in saving our records for the future.”

“I’m grateful to the family for their generous donation,” said First Selectman Laura Francis. (She is not related to the Francis family who pos-

sessed the chest.) “I’m ap-preciative of the fact that they value our town’s heritage and history and are giving the public the opportunity to en-joy these artifacts.”

The chest offers a peek into lives lived long ago. Contents include a wide range of old books, paper-work and various items such as postcards. There is a committal form from the

1880s that sent recalcitrant youth to the Connecticut Industrial School for Girls (in Middletown), a school for ju-venile delinquents. Cause for admittance included be-ing “stubborn and refusing to obey her parents, guard-ians, or others who have the charge and control of her, or being “an habitual truant, in

the habit of wandering about the streets and public places.”

There are: a package of tax bills, from the 1870s, un-opened and wrapped in the original parchment paper and string; peddlers’ licenses from the 1880s, which were required for anyone wanting

Durham treasure found in chest

Rob Raney, First Selectman Laura Francis, and a chest full of old town records the Raneys plan to return to the town. Right: Some of the contents of a chest found in the attic of the late Kathryn (Kitty) Francis. | (Diana Carr/

Special to Town Times)

By Diana CarrSpecial to Town Times

See Chest / 5

This year, as the snow melts, sand and other con-taminants on Jackson Hill Road will be caught by a hydroponic particulate sep-arator before they reach the waters of the Coginchaug River.

M i d d l e f i e l d F i r s t Selectman Jon Brayshaw ex-plained this device is like a “giant salad spinner” that uses centrifugal force as wa-ter passes through it to col-lect sand, tin cans, pieces of glass, and other pollutants on their way to the river.

Contaminants collected by the separator will be pe-riodically vacuumed out by large trucks, specialized for the purpose, which already regularly service other par-ticular separators in the area.

“We have four or five of them around town, but this one is the biggest and most expensive,” Brayshaw said. Before the new separator was installed, Jackson Hill, a large drainage area, depos-ited dirty water from storm drains directly into the river.

“From a water quality perspective, if someone was going to tell me they were doing anything to reduce sediments deposited into

the river, that’s great. That is going to reduce all sorts of pollutant types,” said Traci Iott, environmental ana-lyst for the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Iott explained that the Coginchaug River was eval-uated several years ago and had been reported to have elevated levels of harmful bacteria.

Reducing contaminants may not solve the problem entirely, but it is certainly good for the health of the river, Iott said.

Storm water is one com-

‘Giant salad spinner’ will clean river By Charles KreutzkampTown Times

The hydroponic particulate seperator drains runoff from Jackson Hill Road and Main Street here, nex to the Levi Coe Library, where it flows underneath the railroad tracks to rejoin the Coginchaug River. | (Charles Kreutzkamp/Town Times) See River / Page 7

A2 Friday, February 21, 2014 Town Times | towntimes.com

The 2013 grand list for the town of Durham increased less than one percent (0.85 percent), according to the tax assessor’s office. The net taxable amount on the 2013 grand list is $744,269,657. The 2012 total was $737,958,996.

The grand list is the to-tal of all property taxable by the town. The grand list total comes from three components - real estate ($649,656,475), personal prop-erty ($32,533,667), and motor vehicles ($62,079,515).

The mill rate, or level of taxation, for each town is de-termined by the grand list and the town’s budget.

Last year’s mill rate, ap-plied to the grand list of 2012, was 32.66, meaning that $32.66 was owed in taxes to the town for every $1,000 in taxable property owned. The mill rate for the 2011 grand list was 32.19. The year before, it was 30.46.

The 2013 mill rate can not be determined until the town budget is passed.

Real estate, the largest component of the grand list, saw only a 0.49 percent growth from 2012 to 2013. Without a full reevaluation, last done in 2010 not sched-uled in Durham until 2015, the real estate line changes

Minimal growth in Durham’s grand listMark DionneTown Times

Grand List Top Ten The list of entities with the highest assessed taxable property in 2013 remains nearly identical to the previous year. The top ten assessments on the grand list are: 1. Connecticut Light & Power

2. Stonegate Springs

3. Tilcon

4. Covidien

5. Durham Manufacturing

6. Durham MFG

7. CSK Realty

8. Dinatale Rentals

9. Hobson & Motzer Realty

10. Diana Lynch

from new construction and demolition.

The motor vehicle compo-nent grew 2.2 percent, from $60,731,840 to $62,079,515.

The personal property line, which largely consists of business and manufacturing equipment, had the biggest jump. That taxable property grew 5.6 percent in assessed value on the grand list.

A large percentage of the personal property line is ex-empt from taxation. The gross assessed value of the business and manufacturing equipment on the 2013 list is $50,722,253, but $18,188,586 or almost 36 percent, is ex-empt from taxation. The net assessed value is $32,533,667.

Of the gross motor vehi-cle assessed value, 4 percent is exempt. For the real estate line, 7.4 percent is exempt.

In 2013, Durham Tax Assessor John Philip noted that the state used to reim-burse town for exempting personal property taxes, but those reimbursements have nearly vanished.

In a page 6 story, in the Feb. 14 edition, “Star Lake Gardens rebuilds after Nemo,” the name of the farm was incor-rect. The name of the organic CSA farm owned by David and Ty Zemelsky is Star Light Gardens.

Correction

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Town Times | towntimes.com Friday, February 21, 2014 A3

Wallingford Chorus is looking for male singers to partici-pate in a spring concert scheduled for Saturday, May 17.

The chorus rehearses every Tuesday, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., at Lyman Hall High School.

For more information, call (203) 269-6218.

C o g i n c h a u g A r e a Transition has scheduled a free workshop covering the basics of online auc-tion selling for Thursday, Feb. 27, 7 p.m., at the Durham Library.

D u r h a m r e s i d e n t Claudia O’Connel l is scheduled to provide an overview, including the basics on how to get started selling on eBay. She will also list live auc-tions during the workshop for a step-by-step tutorial.

The overview will cover

becoming an ePay and PayPal member, identify-ing unwanted items that will sell, photography and editing, researching listing categories, pricing items, navigating the listing tem-plate, writing auction titles and descriptions, selling fees and payment options, estimating shipping costs and packing and shipping.

For more information, email Claudia O’Connell [email protected].

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CalendarFriday, Feb. 21

Dance - DMYFS Fun Night and Dance for fifth and sixth graders is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 21, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the DMYFS Middlefield Community Center, 405 Main St. Registration is required. A fee is charged. Bring a non-perishable food item for the Children’s Nutrition Program. For more information, call (860) 349-0258 or [email protected].

Casual bridge - The Durham Activity Center, 350 Main St., schedules casual bridge every Friday at 6:30 p.m. All are welcome. For more information, call Jim Martinelli at (860) 346-6611.

Boys basketball - CRHS vs. Haddam-Killingworth at Haddam-Killingworth HS, 7 p.m.

Feb. 27Online selling workshop

- Coginchaug Area Transition

has scheduled an online selling workshop for Thursday, Feb. 27, 7 p.m., at the Durham Library. Claudia O’Connell is scheduled to present the free workshop regarding selling items online. For more information, email [email protected].

Feb. 28Scout fundraiser - A

pasta dinner fundraiser for Boy Scout Tommy Pellegrino’s Eagle Scout project is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 28, 5 to 8:30 p.m., at United Churches church hall. Proceeds benefit Pellegrino’s project of installation of electricity to the church outdoor pavilion. For more information, call (203) 213-5110 or email [email protected].

March 1Open house - The Durham

Cooperative Nursery School,

16 Main St., Suite 307 has scheduled an open house for Saturday, March 1, 1 to 3 p.m. For more information, call (860) 349-9885 or email [email protected].

Tree pruning workshop - Coginchaug Area Transition has rescheduled its free fruit tree pruning workshop for Saturday, March 1, 9:30 a.m., at Allan’s Tree Service, 220 Jackson Hill Road, Middlefield. Dress for the weather, bring tools, if possible, and gloves. For more information, call (860) 539-1466.

Monday, Feb. 24Boys basketball - CRHS

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Wednesday, Feb. 26Boys basketball - CRHS

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Frisbee-CarrasMr. and Mrs. Peter Carras of Middlefield, CT are pleased to announce the marriage of their son Nicholas to Monica Frisbee, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Frisbee of Palm Bay, Florida. The wedding took place at the Middlefield Federated Church on Saturday, September 28, 2013, followed by a reception at the Barns at Wesleyan Hills.

The bride is a graduate of Mt. Anthony Union High School in Bennington, Vermont. She received her bachelor’s degree from Southern New Hampshire University and a masters in Behavioral Science from Northeastern University. Monica is employed by Adelbrook Behavioral and Developmental Services. The groom is a 2005 graduate of Coginchaug Regional High School. He earned his bachelors of science in business from Southern New Hampshire University. Nick is employed at Paul C. Higgins, Inc. as a property claims adjustor.

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The Coginchaug River from the Cherry Hill Road bridge, flowing downstream from the particulate separator. | (Charles

Kreutzkamp/Town Times)

River

ponent of bacterial build-up, and although it does not create bacteria, it can move those organisms into the river. Other areas DEEP looks at when dealing with elevated bacterial levels in rivers in-cludes agricultural activities as well as sewer and septic contamination.

B r ay s h aw s a i d t h e Coginchaug River is known for high water quality, and valued for recreation and fishing.

The new hydroponic par-ticulate separator, which cost more than $40,000, is a small, but important part of keeping the river clean.

Water that passes through the particulate separator drops sand, broken bottles, cans, animal feces, and other pollutants. The water then continues through a tunnel underneath main street, be-fore passing underneath the railroad tracks near the Levi Coe Library. From there, it rejoins the main Coginchaug River.

The Coginchaug River is 16 miles long, and be-gins just south of Durham in Guilford before flowing through Middlefield. The Coginchaug River feeds Wadsworth Falls, and is reg-ularly stocked with trout. From Wadsworth, the river flows to Middletown, where it joins the Mattabesset River,

From Page 1

to which it is the main trib-utary. From there, the water flows on to the Connecticut River.

As part of the Mattabesset river basin, the Coginchaug River supports a habitat for many species of fish, includ-ing the brook lamprey, which is a state threatened species.

Fortunately, as Iott ex-plained, despite increas-ing bacteria measured, the Coginchaug River was rated as fully supportive of aquatic life at a testing area in Middlefield near Route 66.

The bacteria are primar-ily a concern for recreational uses of the river by humans.

Although the river was deemed safe for canoing and kayaking, it was deemed un-safe for swimming due to the bacterial presence, which in-cludes E. coli.

A pasta dinner fund-raiser for Boy Scout Tommy Pellegrino’s Eagle Scout project is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 28, 5 to 8:30 p.m., at United Churches church hall.

Proceeds benef i t Pellegrino’s project of installation of electric-ity to the church outdoor pavilion.

For more informa-tion, call (203) 213-5110 or email [email protected].

Eagle Scout project fundraiser

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P.O. Box 265, Middlefield, CT 06455www.towntimes.com

News (860) 349-8000 [email protected] (203) 317-2313 [email protected] (203) 639-0210Marketplace (877) 238-1953 (toll-free)

Town Times is published every Friday by the Record-Journal Publishing Co. and delivered to all homes and businesses in Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall.

Executive Vice President and Assistant Publisher – Liz WhiteSenior Vice President of Operations

and Major Accounts – Michael F. KillianManaging Editor, Online/Weeklies – Carolyn WallachNews Editor – Olivia L. LawrenceAssistant News Editor – Nick CarrollReporter – Mark DionneAdvertising Sales – Joy BooneAdvertising Director – Kimberley E. Boath

Contributors – Diana Carr, Trish Dynia, Elisabeth Kennedy, Karen Kean, Judy Moeckel, Christine Foster and Michelle P. Carter.

OpinionC.A.T. Chat

(C.A.T. Chat features information from mem-bers of the Coginchaug Area Transition a local group dedicated to promot-ing a more thoughtful and sustainable, give-and-take approach to living on this planet. Look for C.A.T. Chat on a regular basis through-out 2014.)

The start of a new year can be a time for scruti-nizing and sorting through your stuff, keeping around only those items that you use and enjoy. One of the newer trends is swapping. Really a nod to the ancient bedrock of commerce, bar-tering-swap parties are an environmentally friendly version of home parties. The basic concept begins with choosing a category of items to swap such as clothing, accessories, books and CDs, sporting goods, jewelry, toys or baby items. Once you have a theme, you choose a date and a site (like someone’s house or a church hall). After send-ing invitations, the rest is all about atmosphere with details like refreshments, mood setting and logistics. Consider the types of items your guests are planning to swap and arrange rooms and furniture to maximize traffic flow and viewing space. Use furniture as merchandising tools to showcase items on table tops, to display books and jewelry, have guests supply hangers for clothing or fold and arrange items along chair backs. Be creative and have fun with displays by using peg hooks or ladders. For fashion items, have mirrors and dressing areas available.

There are simple rules

for swap parties and step-by-step instructions can be found online. Basically, guests arrive and are given one token (tickets or poker chips work well) for each item being donated for swap (multiple items are okay). All items must be clean and in good condi-tion. Add your items among those on display. Items brought for swap are no longer yours. The host will determine a time period for viewing, an hour being typ-ical. At the appointed time, the host will open the swap and guests can claim items for their tokens. After the party, unclaimed items are packed by the host and de-livered to a nearby not-for-profit donation center.

At the end of a party, guests hopefully leave with something they love with-out having spent a dime. They also can relish the feeling of the trade know-ing that nothing will end up in a landfill. In coming months, gatherings like swap parties will be a wel-come alternative for those who like to socialize, but want to save the money they formerly spent on din-ner and drinks out.

Swapping makes great sense and really impacts the environment in a posi-tive way by keeping things out of landfills and reduc-ing the amount of resources needed to manufacture new

goods. Consider hosting your own swap party and search “swap party” online for more ideas.

Coginchaug Area Transition (CAT) will be writing regular columns in 2014. We will also be co-sponsoring a series of programs on Thursday evenings beginning in February with the Joint Task Force on Clean Energy and Sustainability. Our program on Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. in the Durham Library will feature q workshop by Claudia O’Connell on using the internet to sell/trade/swap stuff. Anyone interested in learning more about CAT can stop down at Perk on Main any Wednesday starting Feb. 6 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. There will be a CAT member there to talk to you about creating a more environ-mentally sustainable and community-minded future.

Coginchaug Area Transition is co-sponsor-ing a series of programs on Thursday evenings begin-ning in February with the Joint Task Force on Clean Energy and Sustainability. Our program on Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. in the Durham Library will feature a workshop by Claudia O’Connell on using the internet to sell/trade/swap stuff. Anyone interested in learning more about CAT can stop down at Perk on Main any Wednesday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. A CAT member will be available to discuss ways to create a more environ-mentally sustainable and community-minded future. For updates and interest-ing articles, “Like” us on Facebook at Coginchaug Area Transition or check out the Transition movement website at www.transitio-nus.org.

Swap party a fun way to recycle and socialize By Claudia O’ConnellSpecial to Town Times

Government Meetings

Durham government calendar

( U n l e s s o t h e r w i s e indicated, all meetings are held in the Durham Library. Check the town website at www.townofdurhamct.org for updates.)Tuesday, Feb. 25 Ethics Commission,

Library, 7 p.m.Monday, March 3 Fire Department Trustees,

Durham Volunteer Fire Department, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, March 4 Town Green Design

Committee, Durham Library, 5 p.m.

Clean Energy & Sustainability Task Force, Durham Library, 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, March 5 Planning & Zoning, Library,

7:30 p.m. Board of Education, Strong

School, 7:30 p.m.Monday, March 10 Board of Selectman, Town

Hall, 7 p.m. Inland/Wetlands, Town

HAll, 7:30 p.m.Tuesday, March 11 Conservations

Commission, Library, 7 p.m.

Library Board of Trustees, Library, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, March 12 Board of Education, Strong

School, 7:30 p.m.

Middlefield government calendar

(Unless otherwise indi-cated, all meetings are held in the Community Center.)Tuesday, Feb. 25 Ethic’s Commission, Library,

7 p.m.Wednesday, Feb. 26 Board of Education Student

Achievement, Central Office, 135 Pickett Lane, 9 a.m.

Senior Citizen Board, Durham Activity Center, 1 p.m.

Board of Education, Strong School, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 27 Board of Assessment

Appeals, 3 p.m. Middle f ie ld Hous ing

Authority, 3 p.m.Monday, March 3 Board of Selectman, 7 p.m.Thursday, March 6 Park & Recreation, 6:30 p.m. Economic Development, 7

p.m.


CHINESE NEW YEAR

Students at Miss Joanne’s Learning center are “traveling the world” to learn about different cultures. Pictured, the children celebrated the Chinese New Year with a parade complete with dragon hats. Draya Gohagan eats a snack with chopsticks and Kylie Rybak shows her name written in Chinese characters. | (Submitted by Joanne Hargreaves)

In her first budget proposal to the Board of Education, Superintendent of Schools Kathryn Veronesi, who started in January, proposed a budget for the 2014-2015 school year with a net in-crease of 1.74 percent.

The proposed budget for 2014-2015 totals $35,178,402 and was the result of what Veronesi characterized as “many, many challenging conversations.” BOE Chair Kerrie Flanagan echoed that sentiment, saying the budget construction was “thoughtful and hard-fought” and “a pain-ful process.”

According to the presenta-tion conducted by Veronesi and Business Manager Ron Melnik, the proposed staffing in District 13 drops by a net total of 13.2 positions.

Part of that reduction comes from eliminating 4.5 teaching positions plus an ad-ditional one special education teacher, as well as a .6 librar-ian position. The rest of the staffing reduction comes from non-certified staff, including four instructional assistants, two applied behavior ana-lysts positions, and 1.5 main-tenance positions.

Referring to the reductions, Veronesi said, “When I talk to you about challenging dis-cussions, this is where they were.”

Although the positions were not discussed specif-ically, according to docu-ments in the presentation those teacher loses occur at Brewster (a net loss of one teacher), Korn (one teacher), in the contemporary program at Memorial (a net loss of one teacher), and at Coginchaug Regional High School (1.5 po-sitions total from math, sci-ence, and languages).

“What the [budget] team was charged with was look-ing across the board at what kind of cuts could be made while still maintaining the

School budget proposes 1.74 percent increaseBy Mark DionneTown Times

educational integrity of the programs that we have here,” said Veronesi, who cited en-rollment decline for the reductions.

Those staffing proposals are already likely to change by the next BOE meeting. The budget process began earlier than in the past. For planning purposes, the kin-dergarten enrollment of 89 students from the current year was used. Actual enroll-ment for 2014-2015 turned out

See Budget / Page 10

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Library Briefs

Levi E. Coe LibraryL i b r a r y h o u r s a r e :

Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; closed Fridays.

Durham Public Library

Programs for Kids:Bouncing Babies (birth to

17 months). Mondays at 11 a.m. Drop in.

Mother Goose Storytime (18 to 30 months). Mondays at 10:15 a.m. Drop in.

Time for Tots (2 ½ to 3 ½ years). Wednesdays at 10:15 a.m. Drop in.

Preschool Storytime (3 ½ to 5 years). Tuesdays at 10:15 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Drop in.

Bedtime Storytime (ages 2 to 5 years). Mondays at 6:30 p.m. Drop in.

Story Magic (Grades K to 2). Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. Drop in.

N u t m e g a t N i g h t G a me s how. T hu r s d ay, March 13, grades 4 to 6 p.m., 6 to 7 p.m. Grades 7 and up, 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Form a team to answer questions about this years Nutmeg books.

L u n c h B u n c h B o o k Discussion (grades 4 to 6). Saturday, March 15, 12:30 p.m. Bring lunch; des-sert provided. “Stomp” by Carl Hiaasen. Registration required.

Programs for Young Adults:

After school movie - Movie to be announced (ages 13 to 18) Wednesday, Feb. 26, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Teen Book Club (ages 12 to 18). Wednesday, Feb. 26, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. “Steampunk!” No registration.

Programs for adultsBook Lovers Circle -

Wednesday, MArch 5, 7:30 p.m. “Fun Home” by Alison Bechdel. All are welcome.

Budget

to be 104 students, or 15 more than anticipated. One of the proposed reductions is a kin-dergarten teacher.

“We don’t have enough kin-dergarten classes in this bud-get,” said Flanagan after the presentation, “so we’re going to have to take a look at what to do about that.”

The proposed budget in-cludes several additions, including a K-4 computer teacher, additional advance placement courses at CRHS, and PSAT support.

The largest increase in the proposed expenditures, both by dollar amount and per-centage change, continues to

be the benefits line, driven by an increase in health insur-ance costs. The benefits cost of $7,289,215 for 2014-2015 is over a half a million dol-lars more than the 2013-2014 budgeted cost of $6,739,160, which is almost $700,000 higher than the 2012-2013 ac-tual cost of $6,045,540.

“There’s a lot of pressure on that line,” said Melnik.

The salary line, the largest line by in the budget, has a 0.95 percent increase.

The teacher’s contract, which makes up part of that line, was settled. The sides were not able to come to an agreement in mediation. The contract was settled after ar-bitration was scheduled but

not started. The new contract smooths

out the seniority step in-creases, sets a maximum for tuition reimbursement, and sets the stipends for leading clubs and sports at a dollar figure instead of a salary per-centage. The salary increases were set at 2.51 percent, 3.25 percent, and 3.10 percent for three years, which Flanagan characterized as comparable to the state average. The BOE could not vote to accept or reject the contract because it was reached after arbitration was scheduled and is consid-ered an arbitration award.

“The way we proceed with our budget process, we’re go-ing to define a new normal,”

From Page 9 said Veronesi. “We’re not just talking about the fact that things in school have changed, the community and the soci-ety and the economy in which our school is supported has changed dramatically.”

Starting on Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. at Strong Middle School, the BOE will meet weekly on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. at Strong until March 26.

The f i fth annual Healthy Family Funfest is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 23, 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the Aqua Turf Club, 556 Mulberry St., Plantsville. Admission is free. The event includes health information, screenings, car seat in-formation, food samples, and demonstrations. For more information, call (860) 276-1966 or visit www.healthyfamilyfun-fest.com.

Healthy Family Funfest

“We’re home.”

Independent Livingat Masonicare Health Center

If you ask Eileen if moving to Masonicare was the right decision for her and her husband, Joe, she’ll warmly smile and tell you, “We feel we’re home. We really love it here.”

The independent living apartments on the Masonicare Health Center campus in Wallingford provide the perfect setting for Eileen and Joe to enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle. And, if they ever need it, Masonicare’s acclaimed continuum of healthcare is just steps away.

Masonicare’s over-55 apartment options vary in size and features but all have one monthly rent that includes utilities and cable with optional housekeeping and meal programs.

Don’t wait to enjoy an affordable and worry-free lifestyle.Call the Masonicare HelpLine at 1-888-679-9997 or visit www.Masonicare.org

The independent living apartments at Masonicare Health Center include the Johnson, Hawkins and Wells Apartments.

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Obituary QUAHOG CHAMPS

The Coginchaug High School team won the Quahog

Bowl held in Groton, Conn. The Quahog Bowl is an

oceanographic sciences competition, held annually and sponsored by the Consortium

for Ocean Leadership. This is the first time ever the

Coginchaug team, which is coached by Lorrie Martin, has won this competition. Foreground (left to right):

Team members: Abby Eisner, Deanna Puchalski (Captain),

Ryan Gossart, Amelia Bianchi. Rear (In Hat): Team member

Tyler Bjarnason. | (Submitted)

The Town Times charges a $50 processing fee for obituaries. For more information, call (203) 317-2240.

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Patricia D’Amato MIDDLEFIELD — Patri-cia (Hamel) D’Amato, 74, of Middlefield, passed away

at her home u n e x p e c t -edly on Fri-day, Feb. 14, 2014, after a brief illness. Born in New Brit-ain, she was

the daughter of the late Onesime and Rose (Luke) Hamel. Patricia was raised with her seven siblings in a close knit and loving family. Patricia was a loving and devoted mother, grand-mother and friend. She will be forever missed by her son, Marc and his wife, Dina D’Am-ato, of Middlefield; her daughter, Deborah D’Am-ato, of Mooresville, N.C.; and her beloved grand-children, the joys of her life whom she loved dearly Garrett and Lydia D’Ama-to. She leaves behind her brothers, Joseph and his wife, Mary Hamel, Albert Hamel, David and his wife, Joyce Luke; and sister, Melvina and her husband Joseph Lavigne; a broth-er-in-law, Henry Sardilli; a sister-in-law, Joan Hamel; and many nieces, neph-

ews; and friends whom she loved so dearly. She was predeceased by her broth-er, Charles and his wife, Joan Hamel; sister, Lexi Sardilli; and Patricia’s twin brother, Patrick Hamel. Af-ter retiring from CEUI, Pat enjoyed spending much of her time with her very dear friends and family. She found true happiness in her home which she loved, and where so much joy and laughter was had with her friends and family. Patri-cia was a devout Catholic with a very deep and pro-found faith from which she gained her strength. She was an active member of St. Colman’s Church and enjoyed dedicating much of her time with the Ladies Guild. Funeral services were held at Biega Funeral Home, 3 Silver St., Mid-dletown on Friday, Feb. 21, from 4 to 7 p.m., followed by a Funeral Liturgy on Saturday, Feb. 22, at St. Colman Church, Hubbard St., Middlefield, at 10 a.m. Those who wish may send memorial contributions to St. Colman’s Church, 145 Hubbard St., Middlefield. To share memories or ex-press condolences online please visit www.biegafu-neralhome.com.

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Senior Happenings

Stroke program

A free presentation “Stroke - Improving Outcomes Through Action” is sched-uled for Monday, March 17, 1 p.m. at the Durham Activity Center, 350 Main St.

The program, presented by Paramedic Brad Fowler, will discuss stroke incidence and impact, who is at great-est risk, causes and types of

strokes, prevention, recog-nize stroke signs and symp-toms, importance of early recognition and more.


60+ Club day tripsThe 60+ Club has sched-

uled the following day trips. Wednesday, March 12 -

Ronan Tynan of the Irish

tenors at Venus De Milo, Swansea Mass.

Thursday, April 10 - Newport Playhouse $ Cabaret “My Husbands Wild Desires”.

Wednesday, May 28 - Frankie Valli and 4 Seasons Tribute at the Aqua Turf.

Wednesday, June 11 - Doris Duke Estate walking tour.

Tuesday, July 8 - All You Can Eat Lobster at Delaney House.

Wednesday, July 23 - Naut ical Newport Inc Newport Slots, Harbor Cruise.

Sunday, Aug. 17 through 23 - Mackinac Island.

Thursday, Sept. 4 - Hidden Treasurers of New England.

Tuesday, Oct. 14 - Jimmy Sturr at the Log Cabin.


to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call

Dial-A-Ride (MAT) at (860) 347-3313.

Office hours and senior lunch

The Senior Center office hours are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lunch is served on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at noon. Make a reservation at least one day in advance, by visiting the Senior Center or call (860) 349-7121.

Free blood pressure screening

The Middlefield Senior Center has scheduled free blood pressure screenings for the first and third Wednesday of each month at 12:15 p.m. No appointments are required. For more information, call (860) 349-7121.

Senior Center Programs

The Senior Center offers a knitting group, a card group, a bridge group, an exercise group, a yoga group.

AARP tax aideAARP offers free tax-aide

to Durham and Middlefield low and moderate income taxpayers, especially those 60 and older.

The program is sched-uled through April 7, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Middlefield Community Center, 405 Main St., by appointment. If tax counselors do not have ade-quate knowledge or a return is too complex, participants may need to seek another qualified counselor or paid tax assistance.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Joan at (860) 349-7121.

The Town Times welcomes news and scores from all sports leagues in Durham and Middlefield.

Send information and photos to: Town Times, 11 Crown St., Meriden, CT 06450 or email to [email protected].

To submit sports info

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Men’s Basketball

G r a d e A H o m e I m p r o v e m e n t 6 0 , Carmines 37: Grade A con-nected on seven first-half threes on their way to a com-manding 39-17 halftime lead.

Carmines played hard in the second half, but could not make a dent in the deficit.

Despite 17 points from Ryan Donecker, Carmines struggled to find any kind of offensive rhythm.

Three players finished in double figures for Grade A, led by Dan Pease with 15.

Scott Tax 88, Cody D’s Team 43: Scott Tax con-tinued its torrid scoring pace setting five-year Men’s League records for points in the first half (48), and total points in a single game (88).

Ryan Pelletier of Scott Tax made an incredible 15 field goals on his way to 31 points.

James Carmichael f in-ished with 14, leading the way for Cody D’s Team.

Allstate Fire Equipment 39, Around The Clock 38: Both teams traded leads throughout in what was the closest game of the season thus far.

The first half was marked by tough defense as Around The Clock led 17-16 at the half.

Allstate held a two-point lead late in the second half until Pete Donecker’s tip-in rebound tied the game at 38.

A l l s tate ’s Joe Dav i s broke the tie with a free throw that proved to be the game-winner.

Trevor Hansen led all scorers with 13.

G r a d e A H o m e Improvement 48, Allstate Fire Equipment 42: Mark Crayton scored 18 points as Grade A Home Improvement won its f ifth consecutive game.

Grade A continued to play suffocating defense, only al-lowing one player to score in double figures for Allstate.

Joe Davis finished with 10 points in defeat.

Cody D’s Team 49, Carmines 38: Cody D’s Team got its first win of the season behind 24 points from James Carmichael. Ca rm ichael ’s s i ze a nd strength in the paint proved to be too much for Carmines to handle.

Ryan Ronan led Carmines with 10 points.

Torrison Stone 53, Scott Tax 49: The rematch of last season’s championship game lived up to the hype, as Scott Tax looked to use its speed to combat Torrison Stone’s size. Both teams entered the night undefeated at 6-0.

Torrison ended a physical first half with a 22-17 lead be-hind nine points from Matt

Lynch. Scott Tax battled back by attacking the basket and making an incredible 26 of 32 free throw attempts, led by Leland McKenna, who finished with 16 points.

To r r i s o n c o u n t e r e d McKenna with dominat-ing inside play from Adam Poturniki, who scored 14 of his game-high 20 points in the second half.

- Kevin Walsh

Coginchaug Area Transition has rescheduled its fruit tree pruning workshop for Saturday, March 1, at 8:30 a.m., at Allan’s Tree Service, 220 Jackson Hill Road, Middlefield.

The free workshop will focus on pruning and growing fruit trees. Dress for the weather; bring pruning tools (if possible) and gloves.


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SchoolsPreschool screening

Regional School District 13 has scheduled preschool screening for Friday, Feb. 28 at 9 and 11 a.m. at Brewster Elementary School. All dis-trict four year old and chil-dren turning three by Aug. 30 are welcome.

The screening allows par-ents the opportunity to have

their child observed by dis-trict professionals in an in-formal, fun setting.

Parental permission and involvement are required, however, children will also separate for parents during the screening.

For more information and registration, call Crystal at (860) 349-7210.

Mercy High SchoolThe following local stu-

dents were named to the sec-ond marking period honor roll at Mercy High School

High honors - Molly Breen, Madeline Dumas, Flannery Keenan, Kendra Landy, Abigail Marran, Caitlin McAuliffe, Isabella O’Keefe, Gabrielle Pakech,

Mackenzie Scotto of Durham; Amy Boyle, Victoria Conroy, Stephanie Mangiameli, Alice Ochterski of Middlefield.

First honors - Demery Coppola, Olivia Marran, Ashley Mason, Hannah Pakech, Nina Peach, Danielle R i c h a r d s o n , K a t e l y n Richardson of Durham; Cecelia Giuffrida, Brittany

Hall, Tiffany Mangiameli of Middlef ield; Mikayla Mazzotta of Rockfall.

Second honors - Kelly Brennan, Ashley Scotto of Durham; Megan Etheridge of Middlefield.

Sacred Heart Academy

The following local stu-dents were named to the sec-ond semester honor roll at Sacred Heart Academy.

High honors - Julia Davis, Lauren Davis of Middlefield.

GraduatesSouthern Connecticut

State University - Katherine Conroy, Monica D’aria, Nicole Fekete, Amber Lake, Amber Ryan of Durham; Bailey Berardono, Jessica Robinson of Middlefield; Justin Giambrone of Rockfall.

Scholastic achievements

Warren Hadley, Abigail Mancinelli of Durham were named to the first semes-ter honor roll at Kingswood Oxford.

Dean’s listClarkson University,

New Yo rk - D o n a l d MacNaught of Durham.

College of the Holy Cross, Massachusetts - Victoria Piscatelli of Middlefield.

Fairfield University - Emily Bower, Shannon Egan, Annalee Forline of Durham; Michael Smith of Middlefield.

Marist College, New York - Alexander Kovacs of Durham.

M c D a n i e l C o l l e ge , Mar yland - Benjamin Shoudy of Durham.

Quinnipiac University - Connor Bates, Anthony DeMarinis, Heidi Emack, Mark Fusco, Ariana Giacco, Brian MacDuff, Allison Person, Amy Solomon, Chelsea Tuttle of Durham; Anastasia Griffin of Rockfall.

Salve Regina University, Rhode Island - Elizabeth Harlow, Jocelyn St. Pierre of

See Schools / Page 15

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Chest

to sell something; the grand list for taxes, from the 1870s and 1880s — and the leather pouch used for collected money. Some examples of property taxes are: $1.90, $2.10, $7.79, $16.35, and $20.90.

The treasure trove also yielded: military enroll-ment papers, sealed shut, from 1872 to 1880; prop-erty deeds; a description of deeded land, dated 1742; a list of people who had regis-tered their dogs, dated 1881; a postcard from 1887, which cost one cent; book of un-collected taxes from 1875 to 1879; a letter from Durham, England, dated July 10, 1882, from a man writing to his wife while he was waiting for dinner at a hotel; a form stat-ing an exemption from mili-tary service due to hardness of hearing, dated 1884; an in-surance policy in the original Aetna envelope, dated 1890, issued to the Selectman of Durham — it was for $600,

From Page 1 with a premium of $9.50A transfer of the title of

land, from 1790 took place “right after the Revolutionary War,” Rob said, “so the money was in pounds.”

Letters include one dated 1797 and “Some were sad,” Doreen said. “Some were hard to read because of the handwriting. There were done in ink, in calligraphy.”

There are also a number of bills from various people who had done work for the town;

$1 for tolling the bell at a fu-neral that took place Sept, 26, 1883; cutting bushes, $1; work on Hellgate Road, $2; work on Loveland Road, $4.50; in 1882, a bill for one day’s work, for $1.75; in 1883, a bill for $28 for work done with a team of horses for seven days

Oscar Leach advertised that his store sold grocer-ies, crockery, hardware, oil cloths, boots and shoes, grain and feed, and paper hanging. Oscar promised good ser-

vice. “I propose to do a Live Business on ‘Small Profits’ for prompt pay.” In 1883 he billed the town for 13 cents for a padlock, 27 cents for four packs of tobacco, 10 cents for two pounds of nails, and 88 cents for a shovel.

“If we didn’t find all this,” Doreen said, “Durham would have missed out on that whole section of recorded history.”

“This treasure chest is very special,” said daughter Jenny Raney Nims. “It gives

you a glimpse into the past and it gives you a better un-derstanding of where you came from.”

Although thrilled to have come upon this slice of his-tory, the family is happy to be living in today’s Durham.

“I don’t wish I lived back then,” Rob said. “It was much tougher to survive. People spent all their time working hard, and there was little time for leisure. Plus there was no ESPN.”

Schools

Durham; Alexia Mazzotta of Rockfall.

Springfield College, Massachusetts - Michael M a s t r o i a n n i , J e s s i e Maniscalco of Durham; Mar i ssa P ucha l sk i o f Middlefield.

University of Hartford - Edgar Carrasco, Ross McCain of Durham; Tyler Berry of Middlefield.

University of Rhode Island - Kathryn Carria of Durham; Katie Bednarz, Kristopher Selvaggi of M i d d l e f i e l d ; Ni c h o l a s Mazzotta of Rockfall.

University of New Haven - Emily Carria, Kevin Donovan, Aaron Norowski, Laura Reimer of Durham; Jennifer Roth of Middlefield; Eric St. Armand of Rockfall.

University of Delaware - Shannon McAuliffe of Durham.

University of Vermont - Kristen Ciarlo, Zachary LaVigne, Anne Linden of Durham.

Wake Forest University, North Carolina - Matthew

From Page 14

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Schools

Gueble, Jacob Teitelbaum of Durham.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Massachusetts - Jeffrey Ducki of Middlefield.

ScholarshipThe Executive Board of the

Middlesex Hospital Vocal Chords is accepting applica-tions for its annual scholar-ships to students pursuing a career in nursing or music.

The $1,000 scholarships will be presented at the spring concert at Portland High School, Saturday, May 17.

Applications are available at guidance offices or a www.vocalchords20.org/. Deadline is Monday, March 31. For more information, call (860) 277-3913.

CHET Dream Big!The sixth annual CHET

Dream Big! Competition, aimed to get kindergarten through fifth grade students thinking about their educa-tion, is accepting entries.

The competition features two entry categories based on grade level. Students in kindergarten through grade 3 may submit an original draw-ing that answers the ques-tions “What do I want to do after I go to college?” Fourth and fifth grade students must submit an essay that responds to the question, “How will I change the world after I go to college?”

Entries are judged on creativity, originality, por-trayal of theme, spelling and grammar.

Three $1,000 grand prizes will be awarded (one win-ner from each grade). Forty-eight winners (six per county) will be awarded a $500 CHET account. Twelve statewide winners represent-ing Connecticut’s Review and Turnaround Schools will be awarded a $500 CHET account.

Deadline for entries is March 26.

For more information and entry form, visit www.CHETDreamBig.com.

From Page 15

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