I had the pleasure of a tour of Kent Memorial Library recently and I left feeling so excited about the changes taking place that I wanted to share some of the highlights. Clearly every resident is anxious for the long-awaited reopening given the ongoing environmental saga the town’s endured. But after seeing it first-hand, I truly cannot wait for all of us to once again utilize this inspiring building. Facilities Director Julie Oakes and Highway Foreman Mark Cervione were my tour guides as we entered the new all-abilities accessible entrance, lovingly named in honor of Suffield’s Mary Anne Zak whose family provided an enormously generous donation towards the project. The entrance is an inviting and impressive space welcoming patrons.
“Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us, snow is exhilarating; there is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.”
– John Ruskin
“Tut, Tut, looks like rain”
– A.A. Milne
“It always rains on tents. Rainstorms will travel thousands of miles, against prevailing winds for the opportunity to rain on a tent.”
– Dave Barry
“I say it’s so hot, the hens are picking up worms with potholders.”
– Julie Trotter
“Don’t knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn’t start a conversation if it didn’t change once in a while.”
– Kin Hubbard
“The weather is like the government, always in the wrong.”
– Jerome K. Jerome
“A change in the weather is sufficient to recreate the world and ourselves.”
– Marcel Proust
Cinco de Mayo – May 5
“Cinco de Mayo has come to represent a celebration of the contributions that Mexican Americans and all Hispanics have made to America…Latinos have fought in all of America’s wars, beginning with the Revolutionary War. Many Latinos are fighting and dying for our country today in Iraq, just as several of their ancestors fought for freedom in Mexico over a century ago.”
– Joe Baca
National Teachers’ Day – May 8
“Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.”
– Malala Yousafzai
“Education is the key to success in life, and teachers make a lasting impact in the lives of their students.”
– Solomon Ortiz
“If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher.”
– A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
“The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts.”
– C. S. Lewis
“A good teacher must be able to put himself in the place of those who find learning hard.”
– Eliphas Levi
“Education is improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it.”
–Marian Wright Edelman
“The test of a good teacher is not how many questions he can ask his pupils that they will answer readily, but how many questions he inspires them to ask which he finds it hard to answer.”
– Alice Wellington Rollins
“Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions.”
– Unknown
International Nurses Day – May 12
“Sometimes I inspire my patients; more often they inspire me.”
– Unknown
“Nurse: just another word to describe a person strong enough to tolerate anything and soft enough to understand anyone.”
– Unknown
“To do what nobody else will do, in a way that nobody else can do, in spite of all we go through; that is to be a nurse.”
– Rawsi Williams
Mother’s Day – May 13
“Children are not a distraction from more important work. They are the most important work.”
– C.S. Lewis
“Being a mom might mean that my hands are full, but so is my heart.”
ByArt Groux, EMS Chief, Emergency Management Director |
On Saturday, April 7, the Suffield Volunteer Ambulance Association recognized their annual award winners for 2017-2018 at a dinner at Crestview Country Club. The following are this year’s award recipients. Hero Awards
Civilians: Jim Rogeness, Tahycha Velavquez, Jeremy Schussler, Marian Beland, Bree Berner, Marilyn Rice, K9 Sapphire, K9 Ted E Bare
Suffield EMS Members: Ken Shaffer, Laura Steinmeyer, Bill Borchers, Bob Lowell, Lisa Shelanskas, Ted Hansen, Don Miner, Laura Steinmeyer
Suffield Public Safety Partners: Officer Justin Fuller, Dispatcher Mildred Webster, Officer Rob Dabkowski, Dispatcher Lorraine Morelli, Officer Tom Kieselback, Dispatcher Lauren Mayhew, Police Chief Rick Brown, Fire Lt. Kevin Seger, Fire Captian Mike Thibedeau, Firefighter Colby Tyler
Years of Service Milestones
5 Years: Kathy Dunai, Joan Perrone, Suzanne Sussman, Rev. Scott Seabury
10 Years: Dawn Santaniello, Barbara Daley, Karen Doyon
By invitation of Captain Christopher McKee and in support of National Public Safety Telecommunications Week, I spent three hours with Suffield Police Dispatcher, Lorraine Morelli. This visit demonstrated to me the seriousness and expertise of police dispatchers. Between calls, she was able to offer basic explanations of all the technical equipment used by the dispatchers. I felt fortunate to be observing an expert at work. Dispatcher Morelli sits in front of three sets of double screens. Above these are security cameras which display police station doorways, cells, and other vital access points. She has three computer screens in front of her and three “mice” to operate them.
The State mandated Revaluation of all real estate is in full swing. The Town has partnered with Vision Government Solutions (Vision) for this project. A revaluation is undertaken every five years to secure a more equitable distribution of the tax burden and to bring the assessment level up to date. State Statutes also require that properties are fully inspected once in every ten assessment years. In many situations, a completed data mailer signed by the owner can count as an inspection.
The Memorial Day ceremony and parade will be held on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, beginning with the parade at 9 a.m. The parade will form at 8:45 a.m. on Ffyler Place and march up Mountain Road to Main Street to the Veteran’s Memorial. A Memorial Day program will take place at Veteran’s Memorial immediately following the parade to honor our fallen heroes. The Officer of the Day is Lieutenant Colonel William E. Moryto, USMC. Music will be performed by Joseph Migliore and the Suffield High School band as well as the Suffield Middle School band led by Amy Wilson and Corey Killian. All Suffield veterans are welcome to participate in the parade in uniform if possible.
The General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC) and its members, including the Suffield Woman’s Club, recite this ‘prayer for the day’ written by Mary Stewart in 1904 at each meeting. Also known as ‘the Collect for Club Women’ (but appropriate for everyone) it reminds us that we may disagree on some topics, but that doesn’t preclude us from being kind to each other. I believe if we ask each other why we disagree or how did we come to that conclusion or belief, we would gain a greater, deeper understanding of our fellow human beings. And wouldn’t that little step help seed a kinder world. A Prayer for the Day
Collect for Club Women
Keep us, O God, from pettiness;
Mark Zuckerberg’s grilling in Congress about how Facebook treats personal information about data privacy and his responsibility to users caused me to also give this some thought. For some people, any amount of lack of privacy is bad on principle. I am closer to the other extreme: what does it matter if Facebook knows my preferences in books, movies, clothing, political leaning, food, group activities, friends, age, name, etc., etc. My major life dependencies, such as bank account, are secure. So what’s the big deal?
As of this writing, the Board of Finance is in the process of reviewing various department budgets and capital requests in order to propose the FY 2018/19 budget for the Town Meeting on May 8. A public hearing was held on April 25, and the budget proposal outlined below may include changes as a result of that meeting and outside factors such as adjustments to state aid that we have seen in the past. What was presented at the public hearing is an operating budget of $58,009,479, which represented an increase of $2.3M over 2017/18. Due to the use of $2M from the Fund Balance and other changes in revenues, the budget represents an estimated tax increase of 0.86%. State aid, including payments from the Airport Authority, represents $12.2M which is a decrease from the $14.4M we received just two years ago.
This photo, judged Best in Show in the recent photo contest at Kent Memorial Library, was titled “Autumn at 467 South Main Street” by its creator, Robert W. Lyons, who reported that it was taken a few years ago.
In the six weeks allowed for designing and building, the Suffield/Windsor Locks High Schools’ team in the FIRST Robotics Competition created a sturdy, capable robot and developed good skill in operating it. Aces High did very well in their first three meets. In the team’s favor is the general high-tech environment of this region, and the very favorable circumstance that WLHS provides the team with a well-equipped meeting space and a competent machine shop including up-to-date computer-aided machines. This year the team’s chief mentor is Peter Davis, the WLHS teacher in charge of those facilities in his day job. There are about 40 students on the team – high school level and a few middle school – with a majority from Suffield.
The Observer is looking for worthy high school students interested in a $1,000 college scholarship. The Sam Fuller and Robert Warren one-year scholarships are for full-time students residing in Suffield and attending a four-year or accredited community college in the fall. They should be planning to study history, communications, journalism, creative writing, political science or research and should have community service experience. The application can be obtained from the SHS or Suffield Academy guidance offices or online at http://thesuffieldobserver.com/scholarship-information/. The deadline for applications has been extended to May 15.
Copies of the The Suf-field Observer destined for West Suffield Post Office box holders are customarily delivered by the printer to the Suffield P. O. and then forwarded to the West Suffield P.O. for the boxes there. That did not happen for the April issue. After receiving a number of complaints, we checked and confirmed the situation. When the West Suffield box problem was discovered, we carried a supply of papers to the West Suffield P. O., but it was more than a week later than the normal schedule. We are very sorry for the inconvenience.
Gloria and Bernard Magliozzi discovered a copy of the Observer in their luggage when they journeyed to Lovers Key in Florida to celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary and renew their vows on the beach there on February 14.
Welcome spring in all its glory with the annual Mother’s Day Tea on Sunday, May 13 at 2 p.m. at the Phelps-Hatheway House! Each year, our costumed staff welcomes guests to our historic house for a splendid repast of tea sandwiches, scones with homemade lemon curd and jam, quiche, fresh fruit, a seasonal cake, and many pots of tea to lift the spirits and usher in the spring. A short tour of our museum will acquaint visitors with life in the late 18th century and the fashion of taking tea (or not!) during the Revolutionary War years. After the tour, join us in either the Summer House (weather permitting) or in the Pine Room for pleasant company and delicious fare. A walk through our formal and herb gardens or a stop in our gift shop may complete your visit.
The staff of the Phelps-Hatheway House and Connecticut Landmarks are pleased to welcome Lynda Montefusco to our exhibition gallery for the upcoming season. From May through October, visitors to the Hatheway House museum can view a selection of Lynda’s favorite paintings. An opening reception to honor Lynda will be held on Friday evening, May 4, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the historic Visitors Center, 55 South Main Street. Admission is free to the reception and to the exhibition hours of Saturdays and Sundays from May through October, 1-4 p.m.
Lynda holds a special place in our town not only as an inspired artist, but also as a passionate teacher. For over 38 years, she has owned and operated “A Stroke of Color Art Studio” in Suffield.
Cubs from Den 4 of Cub Scout Pack 266 show the no-sew blankets they made to donate to Project Linus, a non-charity organization that provides blankets to children in need due to traumas or medical illness.
Home from college for Thanksgiving last November, new Eagle Scout Evan Cashman had his official ceremony in Boy Scout Troop 260 and received his Eagle credentials. After graduating from Suffield High School last spring, Evan is now in his first year at Savannah College of Art and Design, where he is majoring in film. He entered the Scout program through Cub Scout Pack 209 and advanced to become the Assistant Patrol Leader of Troop 260 as well as a Brotherhood member of the Order of the Arrow, the Boy Scout honor society. Along with all the other achievements for the rank of Eagle Scout, Evan’s Eagle service project was to build a sand box about 6 feet square, with benches alongside the sand, for Spaulding School. The unit has been installed in the fenced playground behind the school.
