The Suffield Observer (https://thesuffieldobserver.com/author/lester-smith/)
After general contractor Gilbane and architect/engineer QA&M had been selected for the Town Hall renovation and expansion project, Town officials and contractor representatives held an hour-long kick-off meeting on May 16. Key members of Gilbane Building and QA&M Architects met with the Permanent Building Commission and Facilities Manager Chris Matejek for a general acquaintanceship and an initial exploration of many aspects of the program.
The Suffield Firemen have seldom selected a race day with more perfect weather than what prevailed on the morning of June 2, when firefighter Sam Ho blew a blast on his air horn and the Paul R. Simison Memorial Annual 5K Road Race began. (Chief Chuck Flynn would have been the starter, but he was a bit lame that day.) A bit more than 17 minutes later, Suffield Academy freshman track team member Jack Lynam, age 15, was the first to cross the finish line, timed electronically at 17:21, for a pace of 5.35 minutes per mile.
Hundreds of Suffieldians applauded the town’s traditional Memorial Day parade (on May 27 this year) and enjoyed the pomp and ceremony at Veteran’s Park – and those who could hear appreciated what was said. For those not standing close to the Veterans Memorial and the loudspeakers: the ceremony differed in several ways from the usual.
On Memorial Day weekend, another big gathering assembled at the Sportsmen’s Cabin on West Suffield Mountain to honor our hometown hero, Cpl. Stephen Bixler, USMC, who lost his life protecting his Marine comrades on patrol in Iraq 13 years ago. As always, the annual picnic was an enjoyable affair, with plenty of good food, soda and beer, and happy sociability.
The second annual Dustin L. Doyon Memorial Road Race was held at Suffield Middle School on May 25. The main events began with a new 10K run up Hill Street almost to Halladay Avenue and back.
Folks who visit Suffield’s First Congregational Church will soon be offered an uplift that has been missing, no matter how moving the sermon might be. Recognizing the building’s role as a significant community venue as well as a place of worship, the church plans to install an elevator.
The fast-moving drama of where to relocate the town highway garage, if indeed it is to be relocated, may well have passed a major milestone before this issue of the Observer is distributed. The events in the current chapter of that drama, centered on the existing building at 1160 South Street and the economic development of a garage-less Ffyler Place, have developed quickly since a new proposal was introduced by First Selectman Melissa Mack and developer Kevin Casey to the Selectmen and a few members of the public at the May 1 Selectmen’s meeting, as reported here last month.
Suffield High School’s 80th commencement exercise was a happy experience, with proud families and friends applauding on a perfect June 15 morning on Ted Beneski Field. Class President Anna Casinghino spoke briefly about the extraordinary skills of her classmates and urged them to keep their skills growing.
In late May the proprietors of the Broad Brook Brewery hung a big banner in front of the long-delayed construction project on South Street, announcing BROAD BROOK BREWERY COMING SOON. The foundation, steel framework, and exterior sheathing had been largely completed by April 2018, when the stop-work order was issued.
Alex Scott is gone, a victim of childhood cancer. But her lemonade stands live on, raising funds to fight that vicious adversary, and a group of dedicated local women called Driving for a Cure held an event in Suffield on May 18 to support the cause.