Government/Town

Lots of Brass: Great Music

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When the 102nd Army Band of the Connecticut National Guard came to town, concertgoers at Suffield High School on October 19 were greeted outside the auditorium by a jazz group, a talented sub-unit of the band. That nice surprise was a good start to what turned out to be a top-notch concert. Sponsored by the First Church’s Music on High program as the beginning of a yearlong celebration of Suffield’s 350th anniversary, the event was free. As First Selectman Melissa Mack was unable to attend, Selectman Mel Chafetz opened the event with a welcome and some notes on the sponsorship and the band, and 350th Chair Kacy Colston spoke of 350th events to come. The concert itself opened with the Army’s brass band sub-unit: a dozen musicians down in front of the stage with an assortment of shiny instruments ranging from two small trumpets to a giant Sousaphone.

Government/Town

Six Towns Share Haz Waste Disposal

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Suffield has joined with five other towns to support periodic disposal of household hazardous waste, and our first participation took place on Saturday, November 9, at the Simsbury public works facility on Town Forest Road in that town.The set-up there turned out to be very satisfactory and easy to find, though it did take this reporter about 45 minutes and over 16 miles to drive there from Suffield Center. Just like previous disposal events in Suffield, the first stop was for information and ID verification. Then two queues led to drive-through lanes in a giant, sixteen-truck parking garage, emptied for the occasion, where hazardous waste was unloaded. The rest of the building was filled with sorting and crating spaces. The tractor-trailers of MXI, the main disposal company present, were parked nearby.

Suffield 350th Anniversary Committee

Paint a Mini Barn Quilt!

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Paint a mini barn quilt at the A Stroke of Color gallery on Saturday, January 11, at 1 p.m. The gallery is in the Masonic lodge on Bridge Street, across from the Senior Center. 

Several patterns are available. The program is open to both adults and young people. Cost is $25 per person. Primed wood and paint will be provided, as well as expert coaching by Lynda Montefusco. Email Suffield350.org or leave a message at 860-758-0115 to sign up.

Government/Town

PARKS & REC NEWS

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Get ready for a fun winter! It is time to register for winter programs offered by the Parks and Recreation Department.

Suffield 350th Anniversary Committee

350th Anniversary Trivia

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Which club planted the original dogwoods on Main Street? a. The Woman’s Club b. The Suffield Beautification Committee
c. The Suffield Garden ClubDuring World War II, Bradley Field was the location for what? a. An Army air base
b. A Red Cross Station Hospital
c. A Training base for Chinese pilotsIn 1964, Mary Edwards, a well-known Hartford landscape architect, designed a garden for what Suffield property? a. Hugh Alcorn’s house
b. The Suffield Academy
c. The Phelps-Hatheway HouseWhat are the Fatal Vision Goggles which are available from the Suffield Local Prevention Council (SLPC)? a. They provide vision support to people who play Pokemon Go in order to prevent fatalities while playing the game.

Government/Town

Town Hall Update to Begin Soon

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No deadline date had been announced at press time, but current occupants of Suffield Town Hall were getting ready to move to their assigned “swing space” so renovation work can begin. Contractors QA&M and Gilbane say that planning is on schedule; conceptual drawings have reached the point where construction drawings began in mid-November. And careful evaluations of the estimated costs are still within the $5.1M remaining of the $5.2M authorized. Demolition and reconstruction work can carry through the winter, as most of the work is inside. Plans now have several departments moving to temporary quarters on Ffyler Place in the rooms recently vacated by the Kent Memorial Library.

Government/Town

New Mini Bus Delivered

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Paula Pascoe, who runs the Suffield Mini Bus program as well as the Senior Center, welcomed the arrival of Mini Bus No. 19, which would allow No. 16 to be retired soon, and the fleet will stay at its customary three buses and three sedans.

Government/Town

East Street Paved, Finally

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By the end of September, the last visible task of the Connecticut DOT’s East Street paving project appeared to be complete. That was the task of rebuilding the little black-topped traffic island at the Enfield-Suffield bridge traffic light, separating northbound cars from left-turning traffic off the bridge. The bridge, incidentally, for almost 50 years carried two large bronze plaques reading “Enfield-Suffield Veterans Bridge,” but the plaques disappeared in the major rework of 2010, which included new parapets. Last spring, the milling and paving began, as most such projects do, with the renovation of the catch basins. But work came to a stop, probably for lack of funding to continue in that fiscal year.