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News BulletinServing Amston, Andover, Cobalt, East Hampton, Hebron, Marlborough, Middle Haddam, Portland, Colchester and Salem

PAIDGLASTONBURY CITIZEN, INC.

Volume 34, Number 29                                                  Published by The Glastonbury Citizen                                                                         October 9, 2009

RIVEREAST

See Dogs on Page 2

See Clause on Page 2

Proposed Sunset Clause Deemed ‘Slap in the Face’

Sisters Madison, left, and Reghan McGinnis of Colchester stand with their award-winning pooch, Phoebe Boofae, a Bull Mastif, at last weekend’s Pumpkins ‘n’ Poochesfestival. Phoebe was dressed as a “funky supergirl,” and was voted cutest and bestin show.

Colchester Goesto the Dogs

by Katy NallyIt was all about man’s slobbery best friend

Sunday, Oct. 4, at the 11th annual Pumpkins‘n’ Pooches Fest in Colchester. Hundreds ofdogs strutted their stuff, showing off their bestattire to a panel of four judges.

The event was sponsored by the ColchesterLions Club and held on the town green. “It wasphenomenal,” organizer of the fest and LionsClub member, Charlene Picard, said. “Peoplecame out because they love their dogs. Theylove showing them off.” And the dogs seemedto enjoy the event as well.

There were pooches everywhere. There weresmall ones, tall ones, shaggy ones, fuzzy onesand many in adorable costumes. It was actuallydifficult to walk near the judging circle withoutgetting tangled in a few leashes.

A big attraction was the costume and “sillydog” contests. Owners paraded their poochesaround the lawn in front of the judging panel,hoping to secure a winning doggie treat. Therewere five costume categories: funniest, cutest,scariest, best ensemble and most original, witha best in show finale where the five winnerswent head-to-head.

First-time competitor Phoebe Boofae, a bullmastiff, won the cutest contest and best in show.Phoebe sported a flashy, pink sequin top with ablack, tulle ballerina skirt, which looked curi-ously like an old dance costume. She worematching pink goggles and a tres-chic pinkheadband with a flower to match. Owners Madi-son and Reghan McGinnis of Colchester saidPhoebe was dressed as a “funky super-girl.” The

sisters walked Phoebe around the ring andjudges were impressed.

The judging panel included veterinarian RobMcLaughlin, First Selectman Linda Hodge,Colchester Police Officer Rob Suchecki andLions Club District Governor Keith Lemere.

The winner of the funniest costume, Peevesthe pit bull, could have won a look-alike con-test too. He was dressed as Mr. T, wearing aneck full of gold beads, red armbands and atank top that read “I pity the fool.” However,Peeves did suffer from a wardrobe malfunc-tion when his stick-on Mowhawk fell off asowner Liz Culver walked him in front of thejudges. But he still made off with the blue rib-bon and two large Milk-Bones to devour.

Peeves was no novice competitor. Culversaid he won best kisser two years ago and thisyear was the “kiss off” between Peeves and hissister, who was also a previous year champ.

There were many memorable pups at Pump-kins ‘n’ Pooches. Picard said one of her favor-ites was the second-place winner of the bestensemble category. Bentley the basset houndand his owner (who was not much taller thanthe dog) were both dressed as Elvis. Winner ofthe best ensemble contest was Kayla McAuliffewho was dressed as a bride and her Jack Russellterrier, Pickles, was the groom.

The dog contests were open to all for a smalldonation. For $3, the pups were entered intotwo contests; after that it was only $1 per en-try. All proceeds from the fest will go to sev-

by Katy NallyAt Tuesday’s meeting of the Marlborough

Board of Selectmen (BOS), board membersvoted to include a controversial “sunset clause”in an ordinance draft that would exempt a localveteran from paying his property taxes.

The selectmen agreed this was a useful ad-dition to the ordinance because it would giveboard members the chance to modify it everytwo years. However, others in town said theyviewed it as yet another “slap in the face.”

In a separate clause, the draft also excludesthe surviving spouse from receiving the tax ex-emption in the event of the veteran’s death.

Like the past BOS meetings where the vet-erans’ tax exemption was discussed, many vet-erans came from neighboring towns to showtheir support. However, all of them left afterthe public comment section and did not hearabout the sunset clause and the spouse exclu-sion.

This clause was a new concept for many whoattended Tuesday’s meeting. A sunset clause,First Selectman Bill Black said, requires theboard to renew the ordinance, in this case, ev-ery two years. The tax exemption coincides withthe Oct. 1, 2009, grand list and runs until Oct.1, 2011. “It links it to this board for applica-

tion,” essentially giving it a “drop dead date,”Black said. If the board does not “expresslyextend” this ordinance “by law” on Oct. 1, 2011it will dissolve.

The ordinance is the result of a five-monthbattle between the BOS and Willie and RobinHodge. Willie Hodge, 59, is a disabled veteranwho recently received a special adaptive hous-ing grant from the federal government. Hodgeis entitled to be property tax exempt as per statestatute 12-81 section 21(C) because of this grantand his disability. (He is paralyzed from thewaist down.) The statute exempts Hodge fromhis local property tax assessment up to $10,000;however, the “legislative body of the munici-pality” can decide to make him 100 percent taxexempt.

This is where the BOS and the Hodges’ at-torney, Pasquale Amodeo, disagree. Amodeocites the town’s charter, section 7.1.1, whichstates, “The legislative powers of the Town shallbe vested in the Town Meeting and in the Boardor Selectmen.” But Black said at Tuesday’smeeting that “the legislative body is interpretedas being the Board of Selectmen.”

The discussion about a veterans’ tax exemp-tion has been going on since this summer. It

first appeared on the BOS agenda on June 2and on Sept. 15 the board members agreed toseek counsel to draft an ordinance.

However, at the Sept. 15 BOS meeting,Amodeo and Hodge were not hoping for an or-dinance; they wanted a resolution (a motionmade by the board) to pass that night, whichwould immediately exempt Hodge from prop-erty taxes. The city of Hartford adopted the samestate statute through a resolution on June 8,2009. However, other towns, including EastHartford and Hebron, drafted an ordinance.

However, the ordinances of these two townsdo not exclude a surviving spouse from tax ex-emption. The East Hartford ordinance does notmention carrying on the benefits for the spouse,but since there is no specific clause excludingthe tax exemption, East Hartford Tax AssessorBrian Smith said it would continue after theveteran dies. “I feel very sad about the issue ofnot extending the exemption to the spouse,” saidState Representative Pam Sawyer, who waspresent at the Sept. 15 BOS meeting where theissue was discussed.

On Sept. 15, Sawyer and Black discussedhow this statute can be considered “feel-goodlegislation,” which the state writes but towns

fund. At Tuesday’s meeting Black called theordinance an “unfunded mandate.” He said “weneed some commitment or latitude” from thestate “on what we can afford, and the only op-tion that’s in there is survival of the spouse.”However, when spread out across the town, thistax exemption works out to about 42 cents perperson per year, according to Marlborough’stax assessor, Marie Hall. The Hodges’ prop-erty tax is $4,416 and there are roughly 10,000taxpayer accounts in Marlborough.

New Word LimitDue to space constraints, starting

next week – the issue of Oct. 16 – allletters to the editor must be 300 wordsor less. No exceptions will be made.

Also, due to the volume of elec-tion-related letters the Rivereast is re-ceiving, we cannot guarantee everyletter will be published. Brevity willwork in your favor.

Dogs cont. from Front PageFidelco Guide Dog Foundation and the

Colchester Land Trust. There is a complete listof charities on the Lions Club website,www.colchesterlions.org. Picard said many ofthese organizations support programs for theblind and the visually impaired.

And where there were pooches, there werepumpkins. Michelle Wyatt, a Lions Club mem-ber, directed the pumpkin contests that beganearlier in the day. For a $1 donation, anyonecould decorate a pumpkin. Wyatt said there wasa total of 35 entries, which was more than lastyear. Picard said many local companies, includ-ing Wendy’s, donated $1 coupons for prizes.Although not everyone received winning rib-bons, Picard said “all the kids got something,”thanks to donations from businesses.

Other demonstrations were also providedfree of charge. Ed Jakubowski and his talentedAustralian Shepherds gave a Frisbee demon-stration and Top Hat and Tails also worked thecrowd.

In its 11th year, Pumpkins ‘n’ Pooches hasgained a much larger following than when itfirst began. Picard said there were 99 vendors

this year, and, although there is no way of track-ing attendance because there is no admissionfee, she said there were about 3,000 people whocame out.

Pumpkins ‘n’ Pooches debuted in 1999, whenPicard first came up with the idea. It has largelyremained the same, she said, but now there aremore activities revolving around the dogs, be-cause people love to show off their pets.

The new addition this year was the onlinephoto contest. Photos of the precious poocheswere uploaded to an online site and peoplecould cast unlimited votes for their favorite dog.The top eight finalists went on to Pumpkins ‘n’Pooches where people could vote for the topdog with $1 per vote and the final three wereawarded prizes. Picard said this event aloneraise $139 for the charities.

Picard said this year’s event was a huge suc-cess because “it was a lot of fun.” She added,“It was so much work, but when we walkaround the green and see people laughing, smil-ing, eating and running in to people they haven’tseen in a long time, you see what we’ve ac-complished and see how much fun we’ve had.”

Sunday’s festival was filled with, well, pumpkins and pooches. Pictured above left are some of the pumpkins entered in a pumpkindecorating contest. Show at center are Joyce Schwartz of Salem and her dog Tess walking happily out of the judging circle afterwinning second place for funniest costume. Pictured at right are the winners of best ensemble, Kayla McAuliffe of Colchester andPickles the Jack Russell terrier, dressed as a bride and groom.

Three veterans and State Representative Pam Sawyer came out to the Sept. 15Marlborough Board of Selectmen’s meeting to show their support for Willie Hodge,a disabled veteran who lives in town. The BOS discussed a draft of an ordinancethat would make Hodge property tax exempt on Tuesday. Pictured is Sawyer with,from left, veterans, Sam Ranno, Mike Gilbert and Howard Vallier.

The board also discussed the next steps forinstating the ordinance. They agreed to hold apublic hearing on Oct. 27 where residents couldweigh in on the ordinance, but not vote on it.Amodeo made the point that this is not the sameas a town meeting, which the charter designatesas part of the legislative body.

A veteran from East Hampton asked Blackif he was welcome at the Oct. 27 hearing andBlack was hesitant to give permission. He saidthe hearing is really only open to people whopay Marlborough taxes but exceptions can bemade for “subject matter experts.” However,when pressed he said “anybody’s welcome toattend.”

After the Oct. 27 hearing, Black said the se-lectmen would take into account everyone’ssentiments and perhaps modify the ordinanceaccordingly. He said the purpose of the hear-ing is to “get input on the ordinance.”

Once a final ordinance is drafted, the select-men will adopt or reject it. Black said if resi-dents are still unhappy with the outcome, theyare welcome to petition to have it placed on areferendum ballot. “This is the process we be-lieve is the correct process,” Black said.

There are 19 other veterans in Connecticutwho are 100 percent property tax exempt, RobinHodge said. “It’s something he’s entitled to,”she said about her husband. “It’s just getting

really frustrating and I’m starting to think it’spersonal.”

Robin Hodge added Thursday that the sun-set clause “was definitely, definitely a slap inthe face, because we’ve been arguing for [thetax exemption] since the end of May.”

This ordinance is the result of many boardmeetings and several tenacious veterans whohave adamantly attended for an opportunity toshow their support. Like the past BOS meet-ings, the veterans lined up on the back wall,refusing to sit down. Their presence was om-nipotent even throughout the usual board pro-ceedings.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Howard Vallier, a vet-eran of East Hartford, brought a small Ameri-can flag (something that was notably missingat the Sept. 15 meeting) and an impromptupledge of allegiance began.

The veterans expressed the same dismay thatwas heard at past meetings. Comments like SamRanno’s about how another disabled veteran inEast Hartford received his property tax exemp-tion without the hassle that Willie Hodge hasgone through. Ranno was once again frustratedwith the board, saying, “I’m going to keep com-ing here, and coming here, and coming hereand we’re [the number of vets] going to get big-ger and bigger and bigger.”

Clause cont. from Front Page

Colchester Looks to Become Certified Wildlife Habitat

Colchester Selectmen, Finance BoardsAgree to MacDonald Road Purchase

by Katy NallyColchester is poised to become the first cer-

tified wildlife habitat community in Connecti-cut – just 38 more houses or businesses areneeded for the town to receive the designation.

A certified wildlife habitat community is aplace that has enough resources for native wild-life to thrive and where people strive to edu-cate residents about the importance of nature.

The certification is determined by the Na-tional Wildlife Federation (NWF). Accordingto the federation’s website, www.nwf.org, thereare two aspects of a certified wildlife habitatcommunity. First, Colchester residents must“make it a priority to provide habitat for wild-life by providing the four basic elements thatall wildlife need: food, water, cover and placesto raise young.” Then, the town must educateits residents about “sustainable gardening prac-tices.”

Those four essentials for wildlife are veryeasy to set up at home, Katherine Kosiba, co-chair of the Certified Wildlife Habitat Commu-nity of Colchester initiative, said. Providingfood can be as simple as having acorns or sapon the property, water can be a bird bath, a pondor a butterfly puddling area, cover can be awooded area or a bramble patch and a place toraise young can be a nesting box or ameadow. There is a complete list of these es-sentials on the NWF website.

“It’s a whole lot easier than people think,”First Selectman Linda Hodge said at lastThursday’s meeting of the Board of Selectmen,where Kosiba gave a presentation about the ini-tiative. Hodge said she recently had her prop-erty certified after she made a few simplechanges. She added some more bird houses,native plants to attract humming birds and abutterfly puddling area (which is a small platewith very little water and some soil). With theaddition of Hodge’s home, the certification ini-tiative is one point closer to achieving its goal,Kosiba said.

The certification system is based on points.

According to the NWF, because Colchester hasabout 15,000 residents, the town must earn atotal of 400 points, with 200 coming from resi-dences, businesses and schools. The initiativealready received the first 200 through educat-ing residents and holding public workshopsabout wildlife.

Through nature hikes hosted by theColchester Land Trust, the initiative wasawarded several points, Kosiba said. CraginMemorial Library raked in more points withthe speakers it invited. This past spring, sev-eral speakers dropped by to discuss such topicsas gardening for butterflies and native birds.Ellen Falbowski, co-chair with Kosiba on theinitiative, said the library was a “big help.”

The Green Team also helped through its gar-dening program. Every year, seniors and youthsget together and build a vegetable and an herbgarden, and then they hold a block party withfood made from their produce.

“I’m really impressed with Colchester,”Falbowski said, “with the number of activitiesthat are going on in a town that is really notvery large.”

Falbowski first approached Kosiba with theidea of community certification in the summerof 2008. For her, the certification would meanthe preservation of a habitat for one, small, lo-cal bird: the Song Thrush. A small song bird,the Song Thrush lives in wooded areas, but itsnumbers have been on the slide since the 1960sdue to habitat destruction and acid rain.

Falbowski said she grew up listening to hermother’s stories about the bird’s flute-like song,but never had the pleasure of hearing one – untilshe moved to Colchester. She said a recogniz-able “ee-oh-lay” came from the woods in heryard in 2005. She identified the song after lis-tening to it on the Internet. “It really was themost beautiful song you’ve ever heard,” she said.

After learning about the certification pro-gram, Falbowski said she realized it would beone more way to help the Song Thrush. She

First Selectman Linda Hodge and her husband Bob sit in their backyard inColchester. Their yard was recently certified as a wildlife habitat, getting the townone step closer to a community-wide certification from the National WildlifeFederation.

by Katy NallyThe acquisition of land on MacDonald Road

took a big step forward at Monday night’s jointmeeting of the boards of selectmen and finance,as this time officials went by the book – liter-ally, as a big green binder of ordinances wasread from.

There was even applause from members ofboth boards, as the ordinance that outlines ac-quiring open space was read aloud and everymotion was double checked.

However, the purchase is ultimately up tothe voters. The Board of Selectmen (BOS)agreed to hold a town meeting on Oct. 15, whereresidents can decide on the purchase of the landas well as several other matters, including theright to farm ordinance.

The exhaustive double-checking of the openspace ordinance, and the jubilation of the boardmembers Monday night, was because the pro-cess of acquiring the land has taken longer thananticipated, after officials discovered it wascarried out incorrectly in June.

Instead of following an ordinance that waspassed in 2003, First Selectman Linda Hodgejust followed charter procedure for purchasingthe 31 acres. She proposed it a June BOS meet-ing, and then a town meeting was held, wherevoters approved it. Hodge said Tuesday thatabout 40 people came out in June to approvethe open space purchase.

However, according to the 2003 ordinance,the Conservation Commission recommends aparcel of land for “open space purposes,” thenthe BOS approves the recommendation andforwards it to the Planning and Zoning Com-mission (PZC) and the Board of Finance (BOF).Then, a final action is taken by the selectmen.According to the charter, the purchase must thengo to a town meeting for approval.

BOF Chairman Bruce Hayn said last month

he became suspicious about the purchase overthe summer, when his board was not asked toapprove it. He said after his “own investiga-tion” he brought the matter to the BOS in Au-gust, and the process to purchase the land wasrestarted on Sept. 3. PZC okayed the purchaseat a Sept. 16 meeting.

At Monday’s joint meeting of the BOS andBOF, the process went according to the ordi-nance. Both boards agreed to purchase the landfor $182,250, with $140,000 coming from thetown and $42,250 from the Colchester LandTrust (CLT). The $140,000 will come from twoaccounts; the open space account and the landacquisition account. The CLT plans to barrow$42,250 from the Norcross Wildlife Founda-tion, Hodge said Tuesday.

Hodge said the meeting “went smoothly andthe outcome was good.” Hayn agreed.

Now it’s once again up to Colchester resi-dents to vote on the purchase of the MacDonaldRoad land. The BOS agreed to hold a specialtown meeting Thursday, Oct. 15, at 7:30 p.m.,at Town Hall, 127 Norwich Ave., for people tovote on the purchase. Residents will also voteon three other proposals, including a leash lawin the new dog park, which would allow dogsto be off their leases in the park; the right tofarm ordinance, which mandates certain lawsthat protect farmers; and the return of openspace to a developer who is looking to developa site in the Westchester area.

Hodge said she hopes people approve theMacDonald Road purchase because, “it’s agood investment for the town.” According tothe BOF, the land is about three lot sizes, butno development will take place, as it is desig-nated for open space. The land is next to theRuby Cohen property.

Hebron ResidentOpens Counseling Center

by Sarah McCoySteve Haley will be the first to admit that

he’s not your typical therapist.He didn’t finish college until he was an adult

and even then didn’t know what he wanted todo. “I had a friend ask me what I was good at,”Haley recalled earlier this week. “As a joke, Itold him I was good at manipulating people andgetting them to do things. He said I should be atherapist.”

That was just the push Haley needed.He enrolled at Southern Connecticut State

University and, in 2000, received a master’sdegree in social work. Since that time, Haleyhas worked in the Department of Children andFamilies for two years and then another twoand a half years with highly traumatized chil-dren at the Waterford Country School.

For the past two years, Haley has workedfor Connecticut Behavioral Health in New Lon-don. While he enjoyed what he was doing,Haley said he was looking to work for himselfat a spot closer to his Hebron home.

Both of those desires will become a realitywhen Haley Counseling Center LLC opens nextweek.

Haley, a licensed clinical social worker, willbegin seeing individuals over the age of 7, fami-lies and couples at his Main Street office. “It’sexciting but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t ner-vous,” he said this week.

Starting a business in the current economy,Haley admits, might be a difficult undertaking.But, he doesn’t believe in coincidences. “Toomany things lined up for me to ignore,” Haleysaid, who just signed a lease on the building inAugust. “I feel like I’m right where I’m sup-posed to be.”

Physically, that place is 17 Main St., just afew miles from where Haley lives with his wifeand two sons.

Emotionally, that place is reaching out andhelping those individuals in need. He doesn’tcare if it’s an adolescent with severe behavioralissues or a couple whose marriage is on therocks. “For people who have been stuck orstruggling with something, therapy is worth a

shot,” he said. “If you’ve tried to get un-stuckon your own and it hasn’t worked out, come inand we’ll talk about it.”

Haley doesn’t see his business as a placefor clients to just come in and vent. “I’ve seenpeople in therapy for two, three, four, five yearswithout progress,” he said. “I’m about findingthe problem, finding a solution and workingon that.”

Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that Haley fa-vors solution-focused and cognitive behavioraltherapy techniques. The son of a truck driver,Haley said he figures himself to a be a “work-ing class guy” – a title that fits with his type ofactive therapy that challenges clients to changepatterns that aren’t working for them.

Sessions are typically held weekly for 45minutes. Though, Haley said, this can bechanged based on the needs of the client.

Haley Counseling Center LLC will openThursday, Oct. 15. To make an appointmentwith Haley, call 860-337-7171. More informa-tion about Haley and his practice can be foundat www.haleycc.com.

At the present time Haley Counseling Cen-ter LLC accepts Anthem, Aetna and all stateinsurance carriers.

Hebron resident Steve Haley will offerindividual, family and couples therapyat Haley Counseling Center LLC whichopens next Thursday, Oct. 15.

has other, less local reasons for heading the ini-tiative. She said after reading more about glo-bal warming, she thought to herself, “OK, I’mgoing to do what I can to help.” The commu-nity certification was one more way to do herpart.

For Kosiba, the initiative is really about edu-cating youngsters on the importance of nature,she said. As of late, more children are spend-ing their afternoons inside rather than explor-ing the outdoors. “There’s a big disconnect be-

tween children’s health and wellbeing and na-ture,” she said. The town’s recognition wouldpossibly call attention to this issue, she said.

The initiative is in its second year and bothKosiba and Falbowski hope to receive the rec-ognition soon. Hodge said one goal was to becertified by the third week in October of thisyear. So keep and eye out for the first select-man if you haven’t certified your property yet,because, Hodge said, “If I have to go door todoor to get the last 38, I will.”

Hebron Public Hearing Slated on Village Green Projectby Sarah McCoy

A vote to send a proposed agreement be-tween the town and property owners has allparties involved hopeful that the Village GreenDistrict will soon become more than just a road-way.

At Wednesday’s special meeting, the Boardof Selectmen (BOS) unanimously supported thescheduling of a public hearing on Thursday,Oct. 22. At this public hearing, taxpayers willhave an opportunity to voice their opinions ona proposed ordinance involving the develop-ment of the 140-acre plot located on Main Street(Route 66), across from the Ted’s Plaza.

This land, primarily owned by Horton Broth-ers, LLC, has been slated for a mixed-use de-velopment called the Village Green Districtsince 2000. However, due to the disagreementof the installation of a traffic light and otherutilities as well as the present economic climate,neither the town nor the landowners have beenable to move forward on developing the land.

A master plan for the parcel was approvedin 2004 and, in 2007, the town received a SmallTowns Economic Assistance Program (STEAP)grant to cover the majority of costs associatedwith installing a roadway into the property.Since then, the property has sat dormant.

Lew Hinman, chair of the Planning and Zon-ing Commission, has been serving on a sepa-rate committee charged with making infrastruc-ture recommendations regarding the property.The committee, which was formed in July, con-

sisted of BOS Chair Jeff Watt, Board of Finance(BOF) Chair Mike Hazel and Economic De-velopment Commission member Vicki Avelis.

“Basically, we wanted to see how we couldget this Village Green development going,”Hinman said Wednesday.

Hinman said the ordinance recommended bythe Infrastructure Committee would have thetown front the money necessary to get theproject going with a separate tax district set upin order for the town to recoup the money overthe following five years.

It will cost an estimated $281,000 to carryutility lines into the property and install a traf-fic light at the intersection of Rte. 66 and JohnE. Horton Blvd. According to the ordinance,the town would pay these costs upfront. Addi-tionally, three representatives from the town andtwo representatives from the property ownerswould comprise a board of commissioners forthe Village Green District who would overseethe levy calculation and repayment of the$281,000 over the course of five years.

According to initial estimates, levy repay-ments would be around $2,061 per acre. Thatcomes to $412 a year for five years.

In approaching the development this way,Hazel said, the committee was hoping to alle-viate the barriers to development while “pro-tecting the interests of the town.”

Hazel said that, from the BOF’s perspective,it’s important for the town to maintain an

undesignated fund balance of at least 7.5 per-cent of the town’s operating budget. Even withfronting the $281,000 needed to get the projectstarted, the fund balance would still remainabove 8 percent, Hazel reported.

He added that by creating this separate taxdistrict the repayment of the $281,000 wouldcome as a tax assessment. This means the townwould be first in line to collect any money owedto them if the development doesn’t pan out.

The proposed agreement has received thesupport of Hebron Director of Finance Jim Dayas well as the town’s auditors.

After Wednesday’s meeting, James Horton,one of the three Horton brothers comprisingHorton Brothers LLC, said he’s been pleasedwith the level of cooperation with the town ofHebron and looks forward to moving the projectforward.

The Horton family has owned the land inquestion for over 150 years, James Horton said.Up until the 1950s the Horton brothers’ father,John E. Horton, used it as farmland. Now, 15years after John’s passing his three sons are try-ing to create a legacy for their father. “It hasn’tbeen an easy decision,” James Horton said ofpotentially developing the land. “But, we rec-ognize that it’s good for everyone involved andthat’s what our father would have wanted.”

Greg Horton, another member of the HortonBrothers LLC, said that plans call for maintain-ing the stone walls and walking paths as much

as possible on the land. “It really is for the en-joyment of all,” he said of the property.

Both James and Greg Horton reported that,as of yet, no deals have been reached with po-tential developers for the land. “Once the traf-fic light is in and we’ve met the DOT require-ments, we can open the opportunity to com-mercial vendors,” Jim said.

Horton Brothers LLC owns all put 6.17 acresof the parcel. The other owner is Hebron resi-dent Sara Tarca who has long had plans to de-velop her piece of the property into an aquaticcenter and health club.

At Wednesday’s meeting, BOS membersdidn’t voice any concerns regarding the con-tent of the agreement but did have some con-cerns regarding the timeline going forth. BOSVice Chair Mark Stuart said he’d like to seethe town hold its charter-mandated town meet-ing on the matter after the property owners haveagreed to the proposal.

Ballots from the property owners – statingwhether they are in favor of going ahead withthis agreement or not – are due back to townofficials on Nov. 23.

There was some discussion on holding thetown meeting the evening of Nov. 23, but a fi-nal date has not been set at the time of publica-tion. A public hearing will be the next step inthe process and that will be held Thursday, Oct.22, at 7 p.m. in the community room at Dou-glas Library, 22 Main St.

Portland Fair Makes Its Returnby Michael McCoy

The Portland Agricultural Fair returns thisweekend, and this year the three-day event iscelebrating its 10th anniversary.

The fair will be held from today, Friday, Oct.9, through Sunday, Oct. 11, at the ExchangeClub Fairgrounds, on Route 17A.

No doubt the biggest addition to this year’sfair is a 5K road race set for Sunday morning.The cost is $25, and runners can register atwww.portlandfair.com or at 8 a.m. on the morn-ing of the race. The race will start an hour later.

John Dillon is the fair’s spokesman, enter-tainment coordinator, and co-founder. An avidrunner in his younger days, Dillon was the driv-ing force behind starting the 5K.

The 3.1-mile course will begin and end atthe fair, with the majority of it going alongroutes 17 and 17A. Dillon called it a “rela-tively flat course.” A map of the course is avail-able at the website.

“It’s always something I wanted to do,” saidDillon, who said he used to run in the HaddamNeck Fair 5K. (Dillon added that he considersthe Portland Fair to be comparable to theHaddam Neck one, which is traditionally heldover Labor Day weekend.)

The other major change is the parking loca-tion. When the fair relaunched in 1999 (it ini-tially ran from 1919-1989, then ceased due to alack of interest), parking was located virtually

on the fairgrounds. Once the fair outgrew thatspace, it was relocated to a sizable lot behindthe town garage. However, that is now a soccercomplex. So, this year parking will be held in alarge field off of Sand Hill Road, which is lo-cated off of Route 66, near its intersection withRoute 17.

As always, Nichols Bus Service will providea free shuttle to the fairgrounds, and handi-capped parking will still be located onsite.Though the fair does reimburse Nichols for acertain amount, Dillon said, “Let’s just say theyhelp us a lot. We owe Nichols a huge debt ofgratitude.”

Dillon seems to have high hopes for the fair.This makes sense, as he called the 2008 fair “abanner year.” Fairs are obviously a slave toweather, and the Portland Fair has had a noto-riously stormy relationship with the elements.However, weather was uncharacteristically kindin 2007, and last year, the fair enjoyed argu-ably the most beautiful weekend of the season.Dillon said this success allowed the Fair Asso-ciation to “pay off some of the debts we’ve ac-cumulated over the previous eight years.”

Dillon specifically credited the HemlockGrange and the Portland Historical Society forhelping the fair over the years.

As for music, Dillon highlighted The GreatHill Mountain Band, which will return this year

for a 12:30 p.m. show Sunday on the main stage.Dillon called the group “one of the best coun-try bands in Connecticut.”

Sunday will have a decidedly country flavoras the fair’s music will close out with CharleneMarie & Nashville Bound.

Dillon said Saturday’s music will tend to-ward classic Motown and R&B with acts likeThe Nifty Fifties Band and The Bernadettes.(The former will once again host a dance con-test.) Plus, don’t forget local staple Joe Milardo& The Musical Cavaliers.

Also, playing to the golden oldies feel of theday, Saturday will also include the hot rod andclassic auto show.

Friday’s music includes Small Town Rootsand the Michael Cleary Band, and Dillon com-pared the latter to Dave Matthews Band.

Children’s events include appearances byRonald McDonald and Wally the Green Mon-ster. (The Red Sox started their postseason inCalifornia this year, freeing up Wally for theday.) One of the fair’s biggest events, the an-nual talent show, begins at 11 a.m. on the smallstage.

The Jim Show will close out the entertain-ment schedule Sunday at 4 p.m. According towww.thejimshow.com, this one-man show fea-tures juggling, physical humor, red socks and“understated sarcasm.”

“He’ll bust your sides open,” Dillon said.Dillon said when he and a small group of

people resurrected the fair in 1999, “we reallykind of did it for the kids.” Of that core group,Dillon said only he and fair president DonBascom are still heavily involved. Both are life-long Portlanders who frequented the fair allthrough their childhood. Dillon said they re-ally got motivated to relaunch the fair when theyhad children of their own.

There is so much more to the fair than thisstory can contain. This includes tons of fall fairvittles, as well as booths from businesses, civicorganizations and plenty of politicians. This tosay nothing of the carnival rides, as well as thelivestock/produce/culinary competitions andtractor, horse, and cattle pulls that make this anagricultural fair in the first place

Setup for the fair began this past Mondaynight. The fair will kickoff this afternoon witha tractor pull at 5 p.m., and the opening cer-emonies will follow an hour later.

Admission to the 10th annual Portland Ag-ricultural Fair is $7 for adults, $5 for seniorsand free for children under 10. The fair runs 5-11 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m.-11 p.m. on Saturdayand 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. More informa-tion is available at www.portlandfair.com.

Colchester Police News MarlboroughPolice News

9/29: Shauna Edgerton, 27, of 31 Enfield St.,Enfield, was charged with writing bad checks,State Police said.

10/5: Nicole Reynolds, 21, of 164 CheneyRd., was charged with DUI and making an im-proper turn, State Police said.

9/25: Youth offender was charged with dis-tributing a controlled substance to minors inschool, State Police said.

9/29: Shaun Ratliff, 18, of 17 Mallard Pt.,Griswold, was arrested on a warrant stemmingfrom an Aug. 21 incident, on charges of threat-ening, breach of peace and harassment, StatePolice said.

10/2: Kimberly Ann Wilson, 34, of 84Alexander Dr., was charged with third-degreeassault, disorderly conduct, second-degree un-lawful restraint and interfering with emergencycalls, State Police said.

10/2: Joshua Wetmore, 35, of 64 BriarwoodDr., was charged with possession of less thanfour ounces of marijuana, State Police said.

10/4: Joanna Marshall, 44, of 36 HolbrookRd., West Hartford, was charged with DUI andfailure to drive in proper lane, State Police said.

10/4: Gregory Currier, 23, 9 Windham Ave.,was charged with possession of less than four

ounces of marijuana, State Police said.10/4: Lindsay Fuller, 19, of 159 Waterhole

Rd., was charged with possession of less thanfour ounces of marijuana and possession of drugparaphernalia, State Police said.

10/4: Cynthia Carbuni, 56, of 577 Rte 32,North Franklin, was charged with DUI and driv-ing too fast, State Police said.

10/5: Deborah Long, 53, of 105 Geer Ave.,Norwich, was charged with third degree larceny,State Police said.

10/5: Horace Henry, 45, of 179 Palm St.,Hartford, was charged with DUI and failure tomaintain proper lane, State Police said.

10/5: Jessie Blesso, 30, who police reportedhaving no current address for, was charged withfailure to appear in court, State Police said.

10/6: Dyan Derringer, 50, of 439 Parum Rd.,was charged with failure to appear in court,State Police said.

Portland Police News9/29 — Barry Murphy, 47, of 155 Jobs Pond

Rd., was charged with breach of peace andthird-degree criminal mischief, Portland Policesaid.

9/30 — Rachel Fields, 24, of 43 ChathamCt., was charged with risk of injury to a minor,third-degree assault, disorderly conduct andthird-degree criminal mischief, police said.

Parents of Child Left on Bus Outraged at East Hampton School Systemby Michael McCoy

The parents of a 5-year-old child left on aschool bus for an entire day last month arespeaking out about the incident – and they arenot happy.

Last week, East Hampton Police SergeantGarritt Kelly reported that a 5-year-old kinder-gartner did not exit the bus at Memorial School,on the morning of Sept. 4. It was just his fourthday of school.

Kelly said last week the bus driver, an em-ployee of Nichols Bus Service, not only neverchecked to make sure the bus was empty whenhe parked it in the yard, but he never alertedanyone of the situation once he realized it. Kellyalso said the school never contacted policeabout the incident. Instead, the parents did twoweeks after the fact.

The 5-year-old’s father, who wished not tobe identified so as to protect his son’s identity,contacted the Rivereast this week, and stillseemed more than agitated this week. “I amcompletely disappointed in the school system,”he fumed. “We are so upset.”

Though the father was clearly displeased withthe driver’s behavior, he sounded downrightappalled with the school system. “I’m mostupset that the school didn’t get a hold of me ormy wife and claimed it wasn’t their responsi-bility,” he said.

The father, a Pratt & Whitney employee, saidhe was off on a mandatory furlough day on Sept.4. So, the parents went golfing and out to lunch.But, he said they both had their cell phones onthem the entire day

The father furnished the Rivereast with thesame written account they eventually gave thepolice. He said he and his wife spent Sept. 5and 6 recounting everything before they couldforget the finer points.

According to the father, the bus stops rightat their driveway. At 8:30 a.m., both parents sawtheir son off. The father said that, as his sonwas the last to be picked up on the route, hehad to sit in the back because there were noseats near the front, something the father re-called remarking to his wife about at the time.

The bus arrived at Memorial School 10 min-utes later, but the boy did not get off, the fathersaid. The father explained this was because, onthe previous three days that week, the boy wasspecifically directed by staff to exit the bus. Thefather said his son is a very precise follower ofdirections, and without the explicit instruction,did not realize he should exit.

In their written account, the boy’s parentssaid he was marked absent by his teacher be-tween 9 and 9:30 a.m., around the same timethe bus arrived back at the bus yard. Accordingto the account, the boy said he tried to commu-nicate his presence, but the driver may not haveheard because of “loud noises there.”

The account described the boy as “scared andconfused on the bus, sitting in the heat.” (Thetemperature reached 82 degrees that day, ac-cording to www.weatherunderground.com.)

According to the account, it does not seemthe boy moved from his seat the entire day, and

began to cry. The account said he later told hisparents he felt guilty about crying, because “youtold me to only cry when I get hurt.”

According to the account, the driver retrievedthe bus at around 2 p.m., and picked high schoolstudents up at 2:10 p.m. The boy said a highschool student, whom he called a “grown uplady,” brought him to the front of the bus andinformed the bus driver the child was on it. Bythis time, the boy had urinated in his pants,which allegedly prompted the only exchangebetween he and the driver, who responded, “It’sOK; accidents happen all the time.”

Then, the parents said that the driver finishedthe route, picked the Center and Memorialschool children around 3:10 p.m. He said thedriver dropped off the boy around 3:34 p.m.,without saying anything to his mother, who waswaiting at the foot of the driveway.

Upon getting off the bus, the boy started cry-ing, and told his mother, “I made a busmistake…I never made it to school today,” ac-cording to the account. The mother called Me-morial School, the account said, and also calledthe parent of a classmate to find out if he theson was indeed out of school. Both MemorialSchool and the parent confirmed the child’sstory, and his mother also noticed he still hadhis lunch money.

Around 4 p.m., the child and his parentsdrove to Memorial School to meet with Princi-pal Karen Fitzsimmons. According to the par-ents, Fitzsimmons said both the home phoneand the mother’s cell phone were called to alertthem of the student’s absence, but that therewas no voicemail available. However, themother said in the account, there is no recordon her cell phone of a call. Caller ID on thehome phone only registered one call, at 10:19a.m., the mother said.

Superintendent of Schools Judy Golden latersaid a message was never left at home becausethere was “a long delay” after the rings, lead-ing the caller to believe there was no voicemail.But the father holds that the voicemail picksup after four rings.

The parents said around 5:30 p.m. they werenotified that school administrators had spokenwith the bus driver and told the parents “he hasbeen put on leave.”

(According to published reports, that driverhas been fired. However, Charlie Nichols,owner of Nichols Bus, has not been availablefor comment to confirm this. Regardless,Golden has said that Nichols guaranteed thedriver would not drive for East Hamptonschools any longer.)

The father said he has yet to receive an apol-ogy from Nichols Bus.

According to the account, the boy was onthe bus for seven and a half hours, with morethan five of them spent in solitude. The reportsaid the boy “thought he was never going to gohome” and “really wanted Mommy to be withhim.”

The account also said the boy has experi-enced guilt, perceiving the incident to be his

The parents of a 5-year-old child expressed anger with the East Hampton schoolsystem this week after their son was left alone on an empty bus all day at the schoolbusyard.

fault. During the weekend after the incident,according to the account, the boy wet the bedeach night and refused to be left alone in a room.The father said he and his wife have stoppedasking their son about the ordeal to “let himforget about it.”

The father said this week he and his wife werequite upset by comments form both Golden andBoard of Education (BOE) member DonCoolican in last week’s Rivereast article. “Thesuperintendent has us very upset,” he said, ex-plaining he and wife’s disbelief that Golden feltthe administration did what they could.

Golden did not have much to say this week,but said, “We made several changes to ensurethis won’t happen again.” These measures in-cluded making sure the driver does not drivefor the school, having staff check the bus dur-ing drop-off, and exhausting every phone num-ber on file for a student until a person is reached.

“We are extremely sorry this happened to thislittle boy, of course,” she said.

When asked about the administration’s han-dling of the situation, BOE Chairman MichaelVasquenza said they “kept us in the loop fromthe first day.” “It’s an unfortunate incident, noquestion,” he said, later adding, “I think theadministration handled the situation as best theycould.”

Coolican said last week he felt the adminis-tration handled the situation appropriately, andthought it reasonable to not think the worst andcall the police right away. However, when toldthis week that the school reportedly called theparents’ home number once, and not any emer-gency contact number or cell phone, he said, “Ididn’t know that.”

“I completely understand why they’re upset;they have a right to be,” Coolican said. “I’d bemad as hell too.”

He added that if any of his comments in lastweek’s article upset the parents, “I am trulysorry.”

The father said that soon after the event hetold his wife, “We have to get him back on thebus on Tuesday,” or he’d never get past whathad happened.

According to the account, the mother askedthe new bus driver the morning of Sept. 8 ifthere was an assigned seat for her son, and thedriver replied, “Not yet; it’s my first day.” (Be-cause of Labor Day, this was the boy’s first dayon the bus following the ordeal.)

On Wednesday, the father said he and hiswife have hired a lawyer, who sent a letter ofinquiry to Nichols, informing him they will beworking with his insurance company. The fa-ther declined to comment further on possiblelegal action.

Kelly said police applied for an arrest war-rant for the driver on Monday, charging himwith risk of injury to a minor. However, as ofpress time, Middlesex Superior Court had notruled on the warrant

Kelly said the charge was an “unclassifiedfelony,” so the court has leeway on sentencing.Though the driver could technically face jailtime, Kelly did not seem confident of that since,he said, “it was nothing of an intentional na-ture.”

Though Kelly formerly spoke about his dis-appointment with the school’s handling of thesituation, he said the police will pursue nocriminal charges against them.

Hebron Special Ed Director Resignsby Sarah McCoy

After a little more than a year on the job,Director of Special Education Brenna Kosickihas resigned, to take a job in the Hartford pub-lic school district.

Kosicki came to Hebron in the summer of2008. Superintendent of Schools Ellie Cruz saidthat, in that time, Kosicki has been an instru-mental part of building relationships with par-ents and developing programs to help bring pre-viously outplaced students back into theirhometown school.

Cruz also said that Kosicki had a big part increating the school district’s Pandemic Plan aswell as teaming up with regular educationteachers to improve writing throughout theschool. “Brenna has been a tremendous part ofthe good work being done in Hebron and I’mconfident she’ll continue to be an asset to anyschool district,” Cruz said.

In an Oct. 1 letter to the families of Hebronschoolchildren, Kosicki said she has taken aposition as zone director of pupil personnel ser-

vices in Hartford. Cruz said she certainly didn’t“begrudge” Kosicki for taking the position as“it is a tremendous opportunity.”

Cruz said Kosicki’s hiring for the Hartfordposition demonstrates the type of high-qualityeducators Hebron has on its staff.

Kosicki’s last day in Hebron will be Friday,Oct. 16. The district is currently accepting ap-plications for the soon-to-be-vacant position.

Cruz is also looking for parents interested inserving on the search committee for a hiring anew special education director. The search com-mittee, in partnership with Cruz, will be respon-sible for making a recommendation to theHebron Board of Education.

Cruz hopes that the hiring will take place inNovember with the person starting in the rolearound Dec. 1. Until that time, Annie Sweeney,who was interim principal at Hebron Elemen-tary School last month, will serve as interimdirector of special education for the district.

East Hampton Police News

East Hampton Town CouncilSet to Make TV Debut

by Michael McCoyAnyone speaking up at next Tuesday’s Town

Council meeting may just find themselves ontelevision soon after.

Starting on Oct. 13, all East Hampton TownCouncil meetings will be recorded and broad-cast on Comcast Cable.

This initiative came from Town Councilmember Thom Cordeiro, who brought the mat-ter up to the council last fall, and the councildecided to move forward with it. “I’ve wantedto do this since I was first elected two yearsago,” Cordeiro said this week.

In February, Cordeiro first made contact withJohn Bairos, Comcast’s manager of governmentand community relations for western New En-gland, to get the ball rolling.

Cordeiro said initially, he and Town Man-ager Jeffery O’Keefe explored the idea of a livefeed. However, they were swiftly told byComcast that this would involve equipping theTown Hall with fiberoptics, a $30,000 endeavor.Nevertheless, Cordeiro said he felt a live feedwould be ideal somewhere down the road

“It’s so unobtrusive,” Cordeiro said of thecamera, which was installed in the rear of theEaton E. Smith Meeting Room, by the clock. Itis recessed into the wall, and resembles a secu-rity camera. (Anyone acquainted with the roomknows this sounds much more appealing thana large camera situated in the aisle.)

Cordeiro said they explored getting two cam-eras, to provide different perspectives, but even-tually decided against it. However, the cameradoes have zooming capabilities, thoughCordeiro said this would not be used, at leastinitially.

The equipment is being provided by HB, aNew Haven company, as will the installation,which was completed Sept. 29. The equipmentincluded the camera, a DVD recorder, a 16-inchLCD television, and new microphones that willbe positioned on the council table. Cordeirocalled the latter “very sensitive.”

Town Clerk Sandy Wieleba has already re-ceived training on the equipment by Comcast,and will be in charge of manning the technology.

Cordeiro figured many residents “busy withtheir lives” can’t make it to meetings, but stillhave a right to see what’s happening. He saidthe step was “important for transparency.”

Best of all, this measure will not cost the towna cent, with the exception of the gas involvedin running the recorded DVDs to Comcast.Because the meeting room technically doublesas the town’s emergency management room,they were able to apply for a federal Depart-ment of Emergency Management Servicesgrant, which they received in August. The grantwas for $10,000, but this initiative still leavesthem with $6,000 left over for other applicabletechnology.

“I’m a marketing guy,” said Cordeiro, whoposses a communications degree from TempleUniversity in Philadelphia, PA. “I fully endorsethe use of this medium.”

The details of the broadcast have not yet beenironed out. Comcast, whose nearest office islocated in Middletown, provides two local sta-tions. Channel 15 is for public access, whileChannel 19 is for government affairs. Cordeirosaid he would be happy to be on either, but thatChannel 19 looked to have more promising timeslots, not to mention the broadcast’s pertinenceto government affairs.

“Obviously, we’d rather not be on at two inthe morning,” said Cordeiro, adding that hehoped to score a spot at 7 p.m. on a weeknight.

East Hampton Town Council meetings arenot exactly known for fitting into nice little one-hour spaces. Cordeiro was unsure exactly howthe entirety of each meeting would make it toair, but seemed confident it would happen some-how, promising, “We’re gonna show our entiremeeting…for all to see.”

Cordeiro said he hoped to know the timeslotfor the meetings by the end of the week.

Cordeiro said the town is also exploring post-ing the video of the meetings on its website,www.easthamptonct.org, but seemed wary ofthe site currently being able to support a filethat large.

9/24 — David Caldwell, 20, of 7 SouthWangonk Tr., was issued a ticket for operatingan unregistered motor vehicle, East HamptonPolice said.

9/24 — Joseph Sorvillo, 23, of 12 BrowningDr., was issued a ticket for traveling too fast,police said.

9/25 — Edward Odell, 41, of 166 BearSwamp Rd., was issued a ticket for travelingunreasonably fast, police said.

9/25 — Matthew Sypher, 25, of 31 Chris-tian Hill Ln., Higganum, and Ayisha Bennett,27, of 178 Tunis Ave., Bloomfield, were in-volved in an accident on Childs Road, policesaid, adding that Sypher was arrested for fol-lowing too close, operating without insuranceand failure to carry registration.

9/25 — Two 16-year-old male juveniles,whose identities were not released, were issuedtickets for possession of tobacco by a minor,police said.

9/26 — Henry Cooper, 22, of 63 Clark HillRd., was issued a ticket for operating a motorvehicle in violation of classification, police said.

9/26 — Lindsay Miner, 20, of 116 ColchesterAve., was issued a ticket for operating a motorvehicle while using a cell phone, police said.

9/26 — Daniel Crook, 65, of 15 MarkhamRd., was arrested for operating an unregisteredvehicle, operating without insurance, drivingunder the influence, misuse of plates, operat-ing under suspension, failure to display frontmarker and a defective windshield, police said.

9/27 — Randolph Scherp, 40, of 47 Hog HillRd., was arrested for disorderly conduct andsecond-degree violation of conditions of re-lease, police said.

9/28 — Paul Raschi, 43, of 501 Moodus Rd.,was arrested for violation of a protective order,police said. He was also arrested pursuant to awarrant for disorderly conduct and violation ofa protective order, police added.

9/29 — Christopher Cherry, 32, of 159 MainSt., was arrested pursuant to a warrant for vio-lation of probation, police said.

9/29 — Amy L. Ingalls, 30, of 869 Main St.,Willimantic, was issued a ticket for failure toobey a traffic signal, police said.

9/29 — William McCabe, 22, of 28 WilliamDr., was issued a ticket for failure to obey atraffic signal, police said.

9/29 — Melissa P. Gish, 49, of 23 East HayesRd., was issued a ticket for operating a motorvehicle while operating a cell phone, policesaid.

9/29 — Jessica F. Duers, 39, of 75 TarragonDr., was arrested for operating under the influ-ence of alcohol and failure to drive right, po-lice said.

9/30 — Kyle J. Buracchi, 21, of 8 Lena Ln.,was issued a ticket for traveling unreasonablyfast and failure to have headlight, police said.

9/30 — Chapin M. Stickler, 27, of 61 Chest-nut Hill Rd., was issued a ticket for travelingunreasonably fast, police said.

From the Editor’s Desk

Observations & Ruminationsby Mike Thompson

Well, the long, strange and deeply disap-pointing season finally wrapped up for theNew York Mets last weekend. I had ticketsfor the final two games, and had a great timeat both of them.

For starters, the Mets won them both. Theyhad also won last Friday’s game too, so thatmeans the Mets finished the season with athree-game sweep of the Houston Astros.Pretty impressive. In fact, I can’t rememberthe last time the Mets swept an opponent thisseason. (Did I mention it was a rough year?)

Saturday’s game was incredible fun. Theweather forecast did not look promising. Ichecked weather.com Friday night, and itcalled for a 90 percent chance of rain on Sat-urday. And yet, when the next day rolledaround, it wasn’t that bad. It was cloudy, butit wasn’t raining. However, shortly after thegame started, I saw from my seats at the topof the upper deck in Citi Field, some umbrel-las start to open (my seats were under an over-hang, so I was never in danger of getting wet).It rained lightly for a while but around thefifth inning it got heavier and, after the fifth,the sky just opened up, and the game wentinto rain delay mode.

The rain delay lasted for quite some time.But at no point did I think it would wind upbeing postponed, because the sky neverlooked that dark; in fact, you could see breaksof sunlight every now and then. Sure enough,after about two hours, the game resumed, andthat’s when things took a turn for the – well,for the pretty awesome.

It seemed that during the rain delay loadsof people had filed out of the stadium. (Notall that shocking, I suppose, considering it wasa rather meaningless game between two teamsthat had already been eliminated from thepostseason.) By the time play resumed, therewere maybe 500 or so people left in theballpark. The public address announcerstepped to the mic and declared that, as a re-ward to those who stuck it out, fans couldmove down to any seat on the field level –i.e., the really expensive seats.

I was at the game with my sister (a fellowlong-suffering Mets fan), and we had alreadybeen on the field level, chowing down on thetasty field-level food. So when the P.A. guymade his announcement, we were alreadypretty close to some good seats. We hot-footedit down the aisles, and wound up seven rowsbehind the first-base dugout. Just seven rows.The seats would’ve cost around $200 apiece,under normal circumstances.

Action resumed in the top of the sixth in-ning, so I had a few innings to soak up theview from my new seats. And it was amaz-ing. I could see the expressions on the play-ers’ faces as they walked into the dugout. Icould see first baseman Daniel Murphy movethe dirt around with his foot. I could see play-ers actually engaging in conversation witheach other. It was incredible. Easily the bestseats I have ever had for a Major League base-ball game, and probably the best seats I everwill have.

How good were they? Well, I gotta admit:The Mets were leading 5-1 entering the ninthinning, and a small part of me was secretlyhoping they’d blow their lead, and the gamewould go into extra innings, and I would beallowed more time in my awesome seats. But,the Mets held on and won. So, I got an up-close view of the players celebrating. No com-plaints about that.

The next day’s game was played under gor-geous, sunny skies, so there were no MotherNature seat upgrades. However, at the startof the season my sister and I got tickets forthis final game of the year in the “CaesarsClub” level of Citi Field – a fancy level lo-cated in between the field and the upper deck.The level even had its own bar, a very up-

scale place I’d been to a few times earlier inthe season (as they let fans from the upper deckvisit the bar after the game – but never duringit). And there was some fancy food there too,edibles that were unavailable anyplace else inthe ballpark. I picked up a grilled steak sand-wich and some delicious garlic fries. (Yes, myballpark eating has come a long way since theKahn’s hot dog I enjoyed during my first tripto Shea Stadium 14 years ago.)

The seats, while not as close as the onesI’d sat in the day before (but then I didn’t ex-pect them to be), were still very good, andafforded me some real quality views of whatturned out to be a quality Mets win. Bothgames I saw last weekend, in fact, featuredtimely hitting, strong pitching and good de-fense. While that wasn’t the case for much of2009, at least the Amazin’s ended the seasonon a strong note.

* * *Speaking of baseball, the first round of the

playoffs are upon us. Who do I want to seewin? Well, at the risk of sounding unpopular,I’m rooting for the Angels to beat the Red Sox.The Angels are such an inspirational story thisyear; one of their starting pitchers, NickAdenhart, who was just 22 years old, waskilled in a car accident the first week of theseason. The team was understandably rockedby the death, but the players recovered, andfinished the season with 97 wins, the second-most in all of baseball. Also, I’ve always likedMike Scioscia. He makes smart moves, andhe seems like a jolly guy.

Plus, the last time the Angels won a play-off series was 2003, when they won the WorldSeries. The Red Sox have won two WorldSeries titles since then (2004 and 2007). Yeah,from a Red Sox fan’s perspective, that’s great(I know I’d be doing backflips if the Mets wontwo world championships in four years – hell,at this point, I’d settle for them just makingthe playoffs), but from the point of view of afan of the game, well, you’d like to see some-one else make it.

As for the Twins-Yankees series, I’m defi-nitely pulling for the Twinkies. Not becauseI’m a Minnesota fan (in fact, part of me’s alittle jealous those Twins fans get one lastpostseason in their Metrodome, which will betorn down at the end of the year; I’d have lovedfor Shea to have seen one last playoff series),but because they’re playing the Yankees. Likeany good Mets fan, I hate the Yankees. So theYankees need to lose. They need to lose fast.They need to lose painfully.

Over in the National League, the Dodgersare taking on the Cardinals. This one’s easy:gotta root for Los Angeles. I’ve always had asoft spot for the Dodgers. I like seeing JoeTorre succeed; I felt bad for him after the Yan-kees treated him so badly a couple of yearsago. I like Manny Ramirez. I like Dodger Sta-dium. There’s a lot to root for with Los Ange-les. Not so much with the Cardinals; certainlynot for me, anyway. There are still too manyguys there from 2006, when St. Louis rippedout Mets’ fans hearts during that seven-gameNational League Championship Series.

The Rockies are battling the Phillies. Thisone is another no-brainer: Rockies. As is thecase with the Twins, it’s not so much becauseI like Colorado, but because I hate, hate thePhillies. They need to lose, much like the Yan-kees need to lose. (And yes, I’m aware thatsince they’re both in the playoffs, there’s achance the Yankees and the Phillies could faceeach other, in what I would instantly deemthe World Series From Hell. I’m choosing notto dwell on that scenario.)

So, let’s go Angels, Twins, Dodgers andRockies.

And let’s go Mets. In 2010, anyway.* * *

See you next week.

ObituariesEast Hampton

Patricia Anne BettsPatricia Anne (Murphy) Betts, 65, of East

Hampton, beloved wife of Richard Betts, diedunexpectedly Sunday, Oct. 4, at MarlboroughMedical Center. Born June 6, 1944, in Waterbury,she was the daughter of Dorothy (Phillipone)Urling and the late Edward Murphy.

Patricia was a resident of East Hampton for 37years and a communicant of St. Patrick Churchin East Hampton. Patricia was a nurse havingworked at Cobalt Lodge in the Cobalt section ofEast Hampton for several years.

She is survived by her mother, Dorothy Urlingof Cheshire; her loving husband, Richard Bettsof East Hampton; her son and his wife, RichardE. and Vera Betts of East Haddam; her daughterand her husband, Sheryl Anne and Richard Carterof Virginia; a brother, Thomas Murphy of Water-bury; a grandson, Richard P. Betts, and severalnieces and nephews.

A graveside service was held Thursday, Oct.8, in St. Patrick Cemetery, East Hampton. Friendscalled at the Spencer Funeral Home, 112 MainSt., East Hampton, on Wednesday, Oct. 7.

Memorial donations may be made to theAmerican Cancer Society, 538 Preston Ave., P.O.Box 1004, Meriden, CT 06450.

To leave online condolences, visitwww.spencerfuneralhomeinc.com.

ColchesterNorine M. Tetreault

Norine WamboltTetreault, formerly ofColchester, passed awaySept. 3 unexpectedly.Born July 22, 1947 inNew London, she wasthe daughter of the lateOscar and MildredChemerynski Wambolt.

Norine leaves hersoulmate husband of 48years, Robert TetreaultSr.; a son, Robert Jr. andhis companion, Shelia(the daughter she never had); a granddaughter,Abbie of Charleston, ME; a sister, EvelenaHollendonner of Niantic; a brother, OscarWambolt of Colchester; and many aunts, unclesand cousins.

She was predeceased by a grandson, RobertIII.

At Norine’s request there were no services.Messages of condolence and memories may beexpressed at www.laryfuneralhome.com.

East HamptonCharles Joseph Turner

Charles Joseph (Chuck) Turner, 57, of EastHampton, husband of Grace Elizabeth (Betsey)Fortin Turner died unexpectedly Monday, Sept.28. Born in Kensington, Chuck was the son ofthe late Kenneth J. Turner and is survived by hismother Rita R. Turner of Kensington. A lovingfather, Chuck is survived by his daughter RaimyO’Neil Turner and his son Kyle Zhonghe Turner.He was predeceased by daughter Tahnee MarkleyTurner.

Chuck, a caring and loving individual dedicatedhis life to those in need as a member of emer-gency services. He began his career at the age of18 with the Kensington Volunteer Fire Depart-ment, obtaining the rank of assistant chief andremained a life time member. He was part of theoriginal group of employees that founded the NewBritain Emergency Medical Services, rising to therank of Deputy Director. Chuck’s career contin-ued, working for Manchester Fire Rescue EMSDepartment as a firefighter/paramedic until hisretirement. After retirement he worked part-timeas a driver education instructor for AAA AutoClub.

He is survived by sister Deborah of East Hamp-ton; brothers Gerald of Niantic, Kenneth R. ofEast Haddam, James of Kensington and Robertof Old Saybrook; along with several nieces andnephews. He also leaves many, many friends.

A memorial service will be held Sunday, Oct.11, from 3-5 p.m. at the Kensington VolunteerFire Department, 880 Farmington Ave.,Kensington.

In lieu of flowers and in accordance withChuck’s wishes, donations may be made to: Na-tional MS Society, Connecticut Chapter, 659Tower Ave., First Floor Hartford, CT 06112,Camp Sunshine, 35 Acadia Rd, Casco, ME 04015.

MarlboroughPatricia Jo (Nolan) Golias

Patricia Jo (Nolan) Golias, 56, of Marlborough,wife of John J. Golias, died Sunday, Oct. 4, atHartford Hospital. Born April 2, 1953, in NewBritain, daughter of Josephine (Pellegrini) Nolanof Plainville and the late James Nolan Sr., shewas raised in New Britain and had lived inMarlborough since 1999.

She was a senior legal assistant for UTC. Shewas a graduate of New Britain High School Classof 1971. Patty was a 12-year pancreatic cancersurvivor who was loved, cherished and adoredby her family and friends. Patty had a very lovingway about her and was always willing to help outand provide support and guidance. She had a kindand giving way. One of her greatest joys was play-ing Mrs. Santa Claus at the Helen and Harry GrayCancer Center for the last nine years. She had anunstoppable sense of humor. She made a tremen-dous impact on the lives of people she touched.She was a very special person to all of us and shewill be greatly missed.

Besides her husband and mother, she is sur-vived by her brothers and sisters and their spouses:Kathleen and Andy Wydar of New Britain,Jacquelyn and Robert Flowers of Bristol, RobertNolan and Jane Harries of Kansas, Claire andKeith Barrington of Plainville, Judith Nolan andSteve Bonin of Plainville, Brian Nolan of Bristol,Timothy Nolan of Bristol, Richard Nolan ofFlorida; her stepson, Joseph Golias of Colchester;stepdaughter, Kelly Boerenko and her husbandErik of Colchester; her grandchildren Ariana,Alexis and Karissa Golias, Kylie Boerenko; sev-eral nieces and nephews and two grandnieces.

She was predeceased by a brother, James NolanJr., and a niece, Regina Nolan.

Funeral service was today, Friday, Oct. 9, at9:15 a.m., from the Mulryan Funeral Home, 725Hebron Ave., Glastonbury, followed by a Massof Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in St. John FisherChurch, 30 Jones Hollow Rd., Marlborough.Burial in St. Mary’s Cemetery, New Britain willbe private. Friends called at the funeral homeThursday, Oct. 8.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may bemade to the Helen and Harry Gray Cancer Cen-ter, 85 Retreat Ave., Hartford, CT 06102.

PortlandStephen Richard Luppi

Stephen Richard Luppi of Portland passedaway peacefully Friday, Oct.2, after a long ill-ness. He is survived by his loving wife of 55 years,Joanne; his devoted daughters Faye Luppi of Po-land Spring, ME., Carol Luppi of Winthrop, MA.,and Cynthia Luppi of Winthrop, MA; his son-in-law, Mark Hyland; and grandsons Ethan andMatthew Hyland, whom he adored.

He was pre-deceased by his father Stephen J.Luppi, and his mother Leta Thompson McNutt.

Steve served during World War II in the YankeeDivision, Patton’s Third Army, where he foughtin the Battle of the Bulge. He was awarded theBronze Star and a Purple Heart. He worked formany years as a quality control foreman at UnitedTechnologies before he retired. He was most proudof his work on the Apollo space program and pio-neering work with fuel cells. He spent his retire-ment years traveling the country with his wife andfamily, and in the company of his devoted dogs,Maggie, Brandy, Gus, and Sox. He looked forwardevery spring to golf season and spending time atcamp in Maine with his family.

The family wishes to thank the caring staff atWater’s Edge Center for Health and Rehabilita-tion of Middletown and Cromwell Health andRehab.

Memorial contributions may be made to thePortland Fire Department, or the Yankee GoldenRetriever Rescue, at www.ygrr.org/donations/do-nations-beyond-time.html. The family will hostan open house to celebrate his life at their homeSaturday, Oct. 10, from 1-7 p.m. Arrangementsare under the direction of the Portland MemorialFuneral Home, 231 Main St., Portland.

To leave an online expression of sympathy, visitwww.portlandmemorialfh.net.

East HamptonJeanne N. Stone

It is with great sadness that we announce thedeath of our beloved mother and grandmother,Jeanne N. (Goodrich) Stone, 79, of East Hamp-ton. Jeanne passed away peacefully Tuesday, Oct.6, at Middlesex Memorial Hospital, surroundedby her loving family. She was met by angels tocross over to be with her daughter Pamela Stone,her sister Ellen Platka, and her former husbandHenry J. Stone Jr.

Jeanne was born in Boston, MA, on Oct. 8,1929, to the late Elizabeth Gregg (Moulton) andE. Lester Goodrich. She graduated fromBloomfield High School in 1947 and attended theUniversity of Vermont. Jeanne was employed atMiddlesex Memorial Hospital as a licensed prac-tical nurse for many years. She generously vol-unteered for over 15 years at the MiddlesexCounty American Red Cross.

Jeanne is survived by her beloved childrenCarol Stone of East Hampton, Linda Roberts ofVirginia and Henry Stone III of Colchester. Alsosurviving are eight grandchildren, Stephen Gil-bert and his wife Lisa of Meriden, Jennifer Th-ompson and her husband Rob of Rhode Island,Shannon Stockburger and her husband Jason ofMarlborough, Rebecca Rittman and her boyfriendMichael Guidicelli of Manchester, as well asHenry Stone IV, David Stone, Daniel Stone andChristopher Stone, all of Colchester. Jeanne cher-ished her seven great-grandchildren, CatherineGilbert of Virginia, McKenzey Thompson ofRhode Island, Hannah and Kaitlyn Gilbert ofMeriden, Talan and Kayl Stockburger ofMarlborough and Adrien Stone of Colchester.

Jeanne had a passion for sports cheering on theNY Yankees and the UConn basketball teams. Awoman of great strength, integrity and dedication,she remains an inspiration to her family andfriends, who will miss her dearly.

A private family burial will take place at a laterdate.

In lieu of flowers, Jeanne may be rememberedwith contributions to the American Red Cross,Middlesex Central Connecticut Chapter, 97 BroadSt., Middletown, CT 06457 or to The March ofDimes, (Attention DRFR) 1275 MamaroneckAve., White Plains, NY 10605.