Vol. VII, No. 40 Complimentary (860) 928-1818/e-mail: [email protected] Friday, June 29, 2012 THIS WEEK’S CRUISING FOR A CURE Probate Court eyeing QUOTE move to Brooklyn? “You never find FACILITY ISSUES HAVE OFFICIALS yourself until you face the truth.” CONTEMPLATING RELOCATION BY MERYL E. WILLETT VILLAGER STAFF WRITER Pearl Bailey About a year ago, the idea to move the Probate Court to a new space in Brooklyn from its currently location in INSIDE Thompson was brought for- ward to the Thompson Board A8— OPINION of Selectmen. Brooklyn First Selectman A12 — SPORTS Austin Tanner said that at B1 — HOT SPOT that time Brooklyn had offered to contribute towards B5 — CALENDAR fixing the air conditioning B3-4— OBITS heating units at the current Leah Schad ELIGION location, but after speaking B5 — R with the Judge of Probate Leah Schad, he became ers Ashford, Brooklyn, aware that the issues affect- Eastford, Pomfret, Putnam, LOCAL ing that building amounted Thompson and Woodstock. to more than just heating and “Thompson was in need of Meryl E. Willett photos air conditioning. money from the district to Tanner said that after update the facilities,” Tanner Father and son Justin and Tim Oles finish their ride. speaking with Schad, she said. “If we spent that money mentioned space, the air con- to repair the air conditioning ditioning, and safety con- that would only fix one issue. cerns as some of her reason- We realized that the facilities ing for wanting to explore the still wouldn’t be where they possibility of moving the need to be, and maybe court to Brooklyn. Tanner Brooklyn has better space to said his objective is not nec- address all of Judge Schad’s essarily to have the court concerns.” moved out of Thompson’s Tanner explained that over Villager Interview Town Hall, but to provide a the past year and a half, he more acceptable space. and the Brooklyn Board of Page A4 The Probate Court covers Selectmen have been looking the 26th District, which cov- Turn To PROBATE page A11 LEARNING ‘It’s such a fun Natalie and Dan Disco in front of their cars in fun outfits that match their cars. time of year for us’ More than 150 motorcyclists showed raised an estimated $10,000 for the Deary ARC OF QUINEBAUG VALLEY their love of riding and community over Memorial Fund. the weekend for the Day Kimball LOOKS AHEAD TO SUMMER Hospital’s ninth annual Cruising for For more photos, turn to page A9! Cancer Care ride Sunday,June 24. The ride BY MERYL E. WILLETT “We’re so excited about the VILLAGER STAFF WRITER response from the communi- DANIELSON — The Arc of ty, and we’re just really over- Voices of Empowerment Quinebaug Valley Inc. has the-top pleased. It was unbe- Page A6 been involved with numer- lievable,” said Executive Sunday liquor sales draw mixed results ous fundraising efforts this Director Susan Desrosiers. year, including the Capital The goal of the Capital BY MERYL E. WILLETT for a little over a month, the a choice we wouldn’t be open Campaign and Annual Campaign was to raise SPORTS VILLAGER STAFF WRITER question remains — how are on Sundays,” said Faller. Giving Appeal. enough funds to build an ele- In an effort to modernize local stores faring under the When asked if the 5-6 per- However, as the summer vator at the Cook Hill Road its liquor laws, Connecticut change? With increased cent sales increase was months begin to roll in, The facility so that all clients of recently became the 49th hours, having to pay more to enough to offset payroll Arc is preparing for some of The Arc would be able to state to allow for alcohol to their employees by way of Faller remained skeptical. its most popular fundraising access the second floor. be bought on Sundays. staffing, was the change “I think it will build from efforts, including the 15th “Right now we can push With this change, it’s an worth it? Have sales for these there, but it’s the holidays Annual Rubber Duckie Race the button and go for a ride, end of an era for the state’s establishments improved? that are difficult with the and The 25th Annual Gold actually, and we are in the liquor laws and the begin- Craig Faller, owner of very long extended hours,” Classic. process of getting designs for ning of a new one with Gov. Northeast Wine and Spirits, he said. “We choose not to be Administrator of the roof replacement and the Dannel P. Malloy stating that with locations in Danielson open the entire time. It’s dis- Development Linda parking lot upgrade for the by changing the laws, the and Plainfield, said that he is appointing, the next month Lamoreux said to date, the Mechanic Street location, state can now remain more not happy about the Sunday is going to be really difficult Capital Campaign, which is and the handicapped assess- competitive with its neigh- sales. but we’ll see what happens. winding to a close (July 1), able bathroom — those are boring states that allow for “It’s like we predicted — We’re a discount store, so we has surpassed the set goal of the main projects we’ve been Softball League Results looser regulations when it before the bill was signed work on volume, and have $250,000 and has raised more focusing on,” said Lamoreux. comes to where and when a into law, we had data predic- about $7 million in sales — than $312,000 in gifts and “We’ve been waiting since Page A12 consumer can buy alcohol. tions, and it’s about a 5-6 per- pledges over a five-year peri- Turn To ARC A15 With the new laws in effect cent sales increase. If we had Turn To LIQUOR page A11 od. page EVERYDAY ECOLOGIST PAGE A5 The calm before the storms OPINION PREPAREDNESS ON MINDS OF LOCALS AFTER GET YOUR POINT ACROSS LAST YEAR’S WEATHER BY MERYL E. WILLETT state. ments mean greater reliabil- WHAT TO DO VILLAGER STAFF WRITER Since the summer is ity for our customers,” said With summer now upon regarded as the time of year CL&P Vice President of A CALENDAR the Quiet Corner, and mem- where the most electricity is Customer Operations Ken OF AREA EVENTS ories still fresh in people’s used as residents cool their Bowes. PAGE B5 minds as we near the one- homes, in light of last year’s CL&P spokesman Mitch year anniversary of many storms that left the Gross said that it has always Tropical Storm Irene and Quiet Corner without power been standard operations the devastation it unleashed for days, CL&P officials for CL&P to begin its proce- in New England, officials announced they are striving dure planning for the sum- announced in May that to reduce the possibility of mer starting in the fall, as File photo Connecticut Light and long-term service interrup- summer is the greatest Power (CL&P) is moving tions for its customers. demand for power. Electrical workers repair power lines in Woodstock after Hurricane “We are always working to “It needs to be on when Irene knocked out power across the state last August. CL&P offi- into the final stages of a ensure that our system can our customers flip the cials have recently announced they are working to improve their sys- $42.3 million program to meet the demands that are tems to ensure they won’t be caught off guard by another severe upgrade and strengthen its Turn To CL&P page A16 storm. infrastructure across the put on it. These improve- A2 • Friday, June 29, 2012 PUTNAM VILLAGER Helpful tips for a lush lawn lush lawn is much more than a pretty will pay off with a lusher lawn *** Want a few good reasons to grow a healthy green carpet of grass. come summer. TAKE For best results, mow in a lawn? Lawns are beneficial to the environ- A different pattern every week. ment as they prevent soil erosion, generate In fact, lawns work hard to keep our envi- *** THE If you mow in the same tracks oxygen and act as a natural air conditioner! ronment healthy. Studies show a lawn can Water early in the day. INT the lawnmower wheels com- reduce the surface temperature by up to 40 Watering in the early morning H pact the ground preventing *** degrees as compared to bare ground. And helps to ensure that the sun KAREN proper growth in those areas. Win Dinner for Two at the Publick House believe it or not, eight average lawns provide won’t rob moisture from your — Your tips can win you a great dinner for the same cooling effect as air conditioners in lawn. Wet grass at night can TRAINOR *** two at the historic Publick House Historic 16 homes. Want more? Just 250 square feet of lead to disease. Watering every Experts advise against Inn in Sturbridge! Simply send in a hint to be lawn produces enough oxygen for a family of other day depletes nitrogen adding nitrogen to green up entered into a random drawing. One winner four! rather rapidly so be sure to fertilize properly. the grass. While it might boost the color it per month will win a fabulous dinner for two A great lawn is no easy accomplishment could weaken the root structure. It’s best to (a $60 value) at the renown restaurant, locat- and with today’s hectic schedules even a *** stick to a balanced fertilizer and plenty of ed on Route 131 across the town common in “make do” lawn can be a challenge to main- Did you know most lawns need one inch of water.