From a press release:
We begin the month of April with the celebration of God’s amazing love for us in His dying and the Glorious News of His Resurrection. Everyone is welcome to attend all of the Holy Week and Easter services here.
Palm Sunday is celebrated with Men’s Palm Sunday Breakfast served by the women of the church. Men from neighboring churches worship together beginning at 7:00 a.m. The speaker this year is The Rev. William West, Chaplain at the Hospital of St. Raphael in New Haven. Bill has served as a hospital chaplain at the Hospital of Saint Raphael since 1997 with primary unit assignments in the Emergency Department, In-patient Adult Psychiatric Unit, the Surgical Intensive Care Unit and the Out-patient Renal Dialysis Unit.
On April 1st, Maundy Thursday Communion Service commemorates the Last Supper and our fourth grade Sunday School students will receive their First Communion that evening. There will be a Soup and Bread supper at 6:30 p.m. on Good Friday, followed by a moving Good Friday Worship service at 7:30 p.m. The traditional Easter Sunrise service will be held at Mt. Saint John School at 6:30 a.m. on Easter Sunday, April 4th. We will celebrate Easter with two services at the church; one at 9:00 a.m., which is a family service and the second at 10:30 a.m. A wonderful array of treats prepared by Martha Beaudoin will be served by our Deacons at a special coffee hour between the two services.
Please contact the church for further information: 860-526-5045 or office.drcc@snet.net. You may also check our church website for updates and other activities in the life of the church at www.deepriverchurch.org.
By Charles Stannard
DEEP RIVER— The informational town meeting on expenditures related to the Deep River Visiting Nurses Association is now expected to be held in early April.
First Selectman Richard Smith told the board of selectmen Tuesday that a detailed audit of town expenses related to the association would be completed by March 23, the next meeting date for the selectmen and board of finance. He said selectmen would set a date for the informational town meeting at the March 23 meeting.
The town meeting will present information on town expenses for the private, non-profit association which provides visiting nurse and health related services to residents, along with coordinating social services for the town. Town officials are concerned about a rising gap between town expenses for the association, and revenue generated by the association from fees and reimbursements.
Smith has said the town meeting would also include information on alternatives, such as joining the Centerbrook-based Visiiting Nurses of the Lower Valley Inc, and sharing an employee with another town, probably Chester, for coordinating social services. After the informational meeting, the board of selectmen is expected to call a referendum vote on whether residents want to continue funding the local nusring association. The referendum would be held later in April, but before final completion of a town budget plan for 2010-2011.
The board Tuesday also conferred with town attorney Jane Marsh on legal issues related to the nursing association. The Deep River Visiting Nurses was established in 1936, with a resolution approved at a 1976 town meeting affirming the current organizational structure where a board of directors manages the operation of the association.
Marsh said the current board of selectmen could act to rescind or amend the 1976 resolution because it was prepared and presented to voters by the board of selectmen at that time. “It was the board of selectmen that created this adjunct group to run the nursing association,” she said.
By Charles Stannard
REGION 4— A total of 17 teachers have accepted the early retirement incentive offer from the district’s school boards.
Superintendent of Schools Ruth Levy said early retirement was accepted by three teachers at Chester Elementary School, five teachers at Deep river Elementary School, three teachers at Essex Elementary School, three teachers at John Winthrop Middle School, and one teacher at Valley Regional High School.
There were 1.7 early retirements from teachers funded under the Supervision District budget, which covers shared services. Both are art teachers who rotated between schools.
To be eligible for the offer, teachers had to meet state requirements for early retirement. The teachers had to be at least 50 years old with 20 years of service as a public school teacher, or any age with at least 25 years of service as a public school teacher.
The Region 4 offer had two options, a cash payout of $10,000 per year for five years, or an option that had no cash payment but five years of health insurance coverage for an individual or four years of health insurance coverage for an individual with family or spouse. Levy said seven teachers took the cash payout and 10 teachers accepted the extended health insurance coverage.
Levy said the 17 retirements was slightly more than she anticipated. Levy said the early retirements would generate savings in the 2010-2011 education budgets because salaries for new and younger replacements would be lower. She said the early retirements had averted the need for any consideration of teacher layoffs, at least under the budget plans for 2010-2011 now being prepared by the district’s school boards.
Levy projected that at least 15 of the 17 positions would have to be replaced, though some positions could be eliminated through attrition depending on student enrollment for 2010-2011.
By Charles Stannard
REGION 4— The Region 4 Board of Education has approved a $16,999,527 budget for 2010-2011 that will be presented to the voters of Chester, Deep River, and Essex at an April 8 hearing.
Superintendent of Schools Ruth Levy said the budget was approved on a unanimous vote of the board at a March 4 meeting. The gross budget represents a 1.71 percent increase over current spending. The $16.99 million total is reduced by anticipated revenue to a net budget of $16,780,530 that will be assessed to the taxpayers of the three towns. The net budget total represents a 2.14 percent increase over the current net appropriation.
The budget plan includes a 1 percent salary increase for district teachers. It also funds an in-house television studio at Valley Regional High School that was started with a donation from the Region 4 Foundation. New funding for the television service totals $5,632. The budget also funds an upgrade for the part-time athletic director position, and converts the existing one-half time assistant principal position at John Winthrop Middle School to a full-time position. The asisistant principal at the school currently dedicates half time to school social worker duties.
Levy, who assumed the superintendent job last June after working previously in the district as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said the budget proposal “takes in to consideration student needs and a difficult economy.”
The $16.78 million net budget is assessed to the towns of Chester, Deep River, and Essex based on the number of students from each town attending the middle school and high school.
Chester, with 271 students, has an assessment of $4,616,324, an increase of $174,438, or 3.95 percent over the current assessment. Chester had an increase of 11 students at the two schools over the previous enrollment total.
Deep River, with 295 students, has an assessment of $5,025,769, a decrease of $80,510, or 1.58 percent from the current assessment. Enrollment from Deep River at the two secondary schools has dropped by four students.
Essex, with 403 students, has an assessment of $7,138,437, an increase of $256,132, or 3.72 percent, from the current assessment. Enrollment from Essex at the two schools increased by 16 students.
The budget hearing is scheduled for April 8th at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at John Winthrop Middle School. Voters of the three towns will vote on a budget plan for 2010-1011 at a May 4 referendum.
Supervision District Budget
The proposed Supervision District Budget for 2010-1011 totals $5,811,229, an increase of 3.5 percent from the current supervision district appropriation. The supervision district funds shared services among the two secondary schoolls and the elementary schools in Chester, Deep River, and Essex. Shared services include central office staff and operations, bus transportation, and staff that work at more than one school.
The supervision district budget is divided among the three towns and Region 4 based on student enrollment, with the components then included in the spending plans for Region 4 and the three elementary schools. The budget has received unanimous approval from the Supervision District Committee and each of the four district school boards.
Proposed new spending in the supervision district budget includes $18,410 for a four-tenths time upgrade of a school psychologist position serving the three elementary schools, an $8,000 stipend for a doctor who would be on call for the district, and $10,000 for a consultant to assist in preparing a full regionalization plan for the district.
Superintendent of Schools Ruth Levy said the district school boards are working on a full regionalization proposal that could go to the voters of the three towns in a referendum by the end of this year. A full regionalization would merge the districts five school boards, the Region 4 Board of Education, the Supervision District Committee, and the school boards of Chester, Deep River, and Essex, in to a single elected board of education that would run the three-town district.
From a press release:
The Deep River Public Library is pleased to report that the Middlesex County Community Foundation has approved a grant in the amount of $5,000 for Improved Access to “The New Era.”
The grant has been awarded in the Heritage Enrichment focus area. The grant is made possible by the generosity of the Middlesex County Community Foundation/River View Cemetery Fund/MiddleOak Fund. The grant will be used to purchase a microfilm reader scanner. The Deep River Historical Society and the Friends of the Library will also be contributing toward this equipment.
The Deep River Public Library houses and provides access to microfilm copies of the old newspaper New Era ( Chester ) May 1874-March 24, 1877 and ( Deep River ) New Era January 1880-January 19, 1977. Our present microfilm/reader printer was donated in 1997 by the Deep River Historical Society because of easier access to the microfilm at the library.
The old papers were microfilmed due to the unworkable paper copies and because Deep River could supply a major part of the papers we were included in the filming of the collection. The Connecticut State Library in Hartford is the only other place where the microfilm is available. Presently our microfilm reader/printer for the public provides spotty results at best. The New Era is accessed for any number of reasons – researching events, genealogy, or when writing a thesis. The users come from Deep River, Old Saybrook, Essex, Chester , Westbrook, and throughout the state and country. Replacing the old microfilm reader/printer is a must to better serve the researching of heritage in the area.
We will acquire a productive and more efficient microfilm retrieval solution, which is user-friendly, flexible and scalable, which will improve the accessibility, quality and timeliness of information to our patrons. After the images are scanned pages can be saved to a hard drive or flash drive, printed, or e-mailed. This grant allows the continuation of the cooperation between The Deep River Historical Society and The Deep River Public Library.
The Middlesex County Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for the people of the County, now and in the future, by developing endowments, making grants that have impact and assisting donors in meeting their philanthropic objectives. Since its founding in 1997, the Community Foundation has provided over $1.5 million in grants to more than 200 organizations for the arts, cultural and heritage programs, educational activities, environmental improvements and for health and human services.
From a press release provided by the Chester Public Library:
From our first emphatic “No!” as a toddler on through adulthood, our ability to assert the negative is closely linked to our sense of self and independence. Gain insight regarding how you relate to “No” yourself, to better support your child’s developing independence, or to more clearly understand your spouse’s, partner’s, or friend’s relationship with this negative assertion. Join us for a brief presentation and opportunity for conversation on Monday, March 22, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at the Chester Library, 21 West Main Street in Chester.
About Seniel Lucien: Since receiving her Ph.D. at the University of Southern California, Dr. Lucien has pursued additional clinical and psychoanalytic training and has worked with children, adolescents, and adults. She has taught at the university level, as well. Dr. Lucien has offices in Chester and Glastonbury. For additional information visit her website www.SLucien.com.
Links:
Chester Public Library
Seniel Lucien
By Charles Stannard
ESSEX— The renovations to the first floor at town hall are complete, a project that includes a new floor and improvements to offices entranceways.
First Selectman Phill Miller announced the completion of the work at Wednesday’s meeting of the board of selectmen. The project that began in late December was prompted by severe deterioration of the original floor of the building that was discovered during a carpet replacement. The town hall was constructed in the early 1890s and served as the town’s high school until 1952.
Miller said the work, which includes a new laminated floor and upgrades to the town clerk and registrar of voters offices, cost a total of $41,700, about $1,700 more than was initially anticipated. Funding for the work, which was done by Riggio and Sons Inc. of Ivoryton, was available in the current town budget.
In other business, Miller announced that town police would be conducting enhanced speeding and stop sign enforcement on Lynn Road in the Ivoryton section in response to recent complaints from residents. The selectmen in 2008 rejected a request from residents for a new stop sign at the intersection with Winthrop Hills Road . A traffic consultant had advised against putting a stop sign at the location, which is on an incline in the road.
From a press release:
With Walker Evans’ mesmerizing 1936 photographs of sharecroppers in Alabama, David Hays sets the mood for his brilliant staged play reading of the James Agee book.
Hays, who has designed sets for more than fifty Broadway plays and ballets is adding director to his impressive resume. After reading the book many years ago, he decided it needed to be performed. He felt the time was right to listen to the words from the real-life characters in Let Us Now Praise Famous Men which grew out of Agee’s and Evan’s assignment for Fortune Magazine at the height of the Great Depression.
“This story parallels the economic plight of America right now. That’s why I thought it was so important to bring an adaptation to the stage.” says David Hays.
With an outstanding cast featuring award winning film and Broadway actress, Scotty Bloch and actress and Margreta Stage artistic director, Jeanie Rapp, the staged play reading runs March 26 and 27 at 8:00 pm and March 28 at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $20.00 and can be reserved by calling 860-767-8943 or they may be purchased at the door.
Margreta Stage Company is a non-profit, developmental, performance and teaching company. It combines the talents of theater professionals and members of the community to bring a unique dramatic experience to Connecticut and beyond.
Tom Briggs, Music Director, Jenifer Grant, clarinet, Linnea Hagstrom, flute, Judith Anderson, violin, Ralph Sturges, Christine Murphy and Art Meister, trumpet.
Under the direction of our music director and composer, Tom Briggs, this group of musicians will be performing such classics as the “Scott Joplin Medley,” “St. Louis Blues,” Variation on a Theme,” “I Dream of Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair” and an all time favorite, “Spanish Eyes.”
The Adult Performing Ensemble is still looking for new members, so come join the fun! For more information, call us at 860-767-0026 or visit our website at www.community-music-school.org.
By: Charles Stannard
CHESTER–Voters will be asked to consider four funding appropriations at a March 16 town meeting, including the town’s contribution to a firehouse expansion project.
First Selectman Tom Marsh said the meeting, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Chester Meeting House, would be asked to authorize an expenditure of $64,700 towards a planned expansion of the firehouse on High Street. Marsh said the Chester Hose Company is planning a one bay expansion of the firehouse that is expected to cost between $250,000 to $300,000.
Marsh said the hose company has received private donations to cover the remainder of the cost, including funds that were remaining in a bank account held by the former Chester Ambulance Association, which merged with the hose company several years ago. He said the volunteer firemen hope to complete the expansion project this year.
Voters will also be asked to authorize an expenditure of $70,050 for air handling system upgrades at Chester Elementary School, and $5,460 for removal of aquatic weeds in Cedar Lake. The weed removal at the lake is expected to be done in May.
Voters will also be asked to approve an expenditure of $150,000 to the town’s highway department for purchase of a new front-end loader. The new equipment would replace a 1993 model loader.
Marsh said funding for nearly all of the appriopriations is already included in the capital expenditure fund of the current town budget, except for $50,000 of the cost of the front-end loader. In a final resolution, voters will be asked to approve a transfer of $50,000 from the town’s undesignated fund balance to be directed toward the $150,00 expense for the loader.
