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125 years ago — January 1901
CHAPINVILLE — Mr. Charles Kilmer and family are moving this week to East Canaan in Mrs. Brinton’s house. He will work for Mr. Canfield.
The new directories of the Sharon Telephone Company have been issued.
The Holley M’f’g factory started up work Wednesday morning after a week’s shut down for inventory and vacation.
100 years ago — January 1926
A telephone has been installed at the home of George Doty on the Factory Street road.
It is understood that the New York Central railroad has made an offer to the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad for some of its lines and among those included is the Central New England division with its branches.
The cold snap of this morning has rendered the ice excellent for skating and the new rink of the skating club will be illuminated by electric lights for the first time tonight.
50 years ago — January 1976
Several hundred mallard ducks died on or near Lake Wononscopomuc in Lakeville Saturday or Sunday as the result of eating moldy grain or bread.
Northwest Corner towns are doing the right thing in banding together to share solid waste disposal facilities and possibly to seek a temporary regional landfill, Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority President Richard Chase asserted this week.
Lake Wononscopomuc in Lakeville officially froze over Monday morning, according to George Milmine, who has kept records of the “ice-in” on the lake for many years.
25 years ago — January 2001
The first baby to be born at Sharon Hospital in 2001 is Avery Harshberger, who made her appearance at 8:21 a.m. Jan. 2. Weighing in at 8 lbs. 13 oz. she is the daughter of Emily and Jonah Harshberger of Great Barrington, Mass.
It’s all water under the bridge at Housatonic Valley Regional High School where problems with a well kept the school closed for two days prior to the winter vacation.
These items were taken from The Lakeville Journal archives at Salisbury’s Scoville Memorial Library, keeping the original wording intact as possible.
Wake Robin saga continues into new year
Wake Robin Inn
LAKEVILLE — The defining land-use story in Salisbury in 2025 centered on Aradev LLC’s renewed effort to expand the Wake Robin Inn, a proposal that ultimately won approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission in October but continues to face legal challenges and sustained neighborhood opposition.
After withdrawing its initial proposal in December 2024 — following a contentious hearing process that drew criticism over the project’s size — Aradev returned at the beginning of 2025 with a modified plan.
In January, the developer appeared before the P&Z for a pre-application meeting, signaling the company’s intent to rework and resubmit the project.
Anticipating that move, Wells Hill Road residents Angela and William Cruger filed a lawsuit in March challenging a zoning regulation amendment adopted by the commission in 2024 after discussions with Aradev.
The suit alleges that the change, which permits hotel development in the Rural Residential 1 zone where the Wake Robin Inn is located, was enacted illegally and constituted spot zoning.
The commission opposed a restraining order, maintaining that the amendment was intended to address broader zoning nonconformities in town and was not designed to benefit a single property.
As the legal challenge moved forward, Aradev resumed the regulatory process.
In late April, the developer presented its revised plans publicly for the first time, seeking a modification to a wetlands permit previously issued by the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission. The commission approved the request, and a week later Aradev returned to P&Z with a 644-page application it said reflected significant reductions made in response to public criticism.
The revised proposal eliminated a controversial detached event barn, reduced the number of external cottages, lowered total guest capacity from 158 to 130, and imposed tighter restrictions on events, operating hours and noise. Architectural plans were also revised with the aim of better aligning the Inn with the surrounding rural New England setting.
In June, the Salisbury Water Pollution Control Authority approved the project’s sewer specifications, eliminating a major municipal roadblock for the proposal.
Opposition, however, intensified over the summer. In July, residents gathered at the Congregational Church of Salisbury to promote a petition opposing both the Wake Robin expansion and the 2024 zoning amendment, ultimately collecting more than 500 signatures.
The public hearing process, which spanned seven sessions between August and September, largely resembled the first contentious hearing rounds in 2024, with residents still staunchly opposed to the project, despite the developer’s modifications.
“Lakeville is not Ibiza,” said Wells Hill Road resident Aimee Bell, echoing neighbors’ concerns about noise and what they described as a shift toward a destination venue.
The comparison to the Spanish party island captured the sentiments of many residents, who said the project would intrude on the peace and quiet of their neighborhood.
After the hearing closed, commissioners spent several meetings deliberating over traffic, noise, auxiliary cottages, and the overall intensity of development.
On Oct. 20, following more than a year and a half of hearings and discussions, the commission voted 4–1 to approve the special permit, adopting a nine-page resolution with 40 conditions.
Cathy Shyer, the P&Z vice chair at the time, cast the lone dissenting vote, maintaining that the revised proposal remained too large. “The bottom line is this is a big development… It’s as big as the last one,” she said during deliberations.
The controversy’s impact extended beyond the project itself.
P&Z Chair Michael Klemens, who had served for 15 years, resigned two years before the end of his term. In an Oct. 27 resignation letter, Klemens cited the “vitriol and bigotry” he said he experienced from members of the public during the Wake Robin hearings as a factor in his decision.
As Salisbury enters the new year, the issue remains unresolved. The Crugers’ challenge to the 2024 zoning amendment is still awaiting a court decision, and an appeal of the commission’s October approval is also pending.
SHARON — The Sharon Housing Trust has received a multi-year grant from the Low Road Foundation to support the renovation and expansion of its four-building affordable housing campus on North Main Street in Sharon, as well as to provide general operating support once the project is complete.
The $250,000 grant moves the Trust significantly closer to its overall fundraising goal for the new campus. The project is also supported by a $2 million grant from the Connecticut Department of Housing, along with contributions from local individuals, foundations, and businesses.
The project includes the renovation of three buildings owned by the Trust at 91, 93, and 95 North Main St., which currently house six occupied affordable rental units, most of them with two bedrooms. It also includes converting 99 North Main St.—the former town community center, currently unused—into four new affordable rental units, each with two bedrooms.
The Trust has leased the community center from the Town of Sharon for 99 years at $1 per year. Once the work on 91, 93, 95 and 99 North Main St. is substantially complete, the Trust plans to landscape the grounds around all four buildings. Renowned landscape designer and Sharon resident Lynden Miller has donated a new landscape plan for the four-building campus.
In a Dec. 18 statement, Richard Baumann, president of the Sharon Housing Trust, said, “With the help of the Low Road Foundation, we look forward to providing reasonable housing to those who need it and helping all Sharon residents take pride in what their community can accomplish.”
LAKEVILLE — Winter classes begin Jan. 12 at Taconic Learning Center, a nonprofit membership organization providing lifelong learning opportunities in the Northwest Corner.
Annual membership dues of $60 per person are fully tax-deductible. There are no other set fees. Individuals may sign up for any number of courses. Classes lasting two hours are held once a week at one of three venues.
Class details below. For more info, visit www.taconiclearningcenter.org
Trials, Tribulations, Failures and Successes of Our First Three Presidents, 1789 to 1809
This course will examine several events and attitudes that Washington, Adams, and Jefferson had to address. Some of the problems these events and attitudes caused were handled during their administrations, some of them are still with us today, including: The power of the federal government. vs power of the states, and massive war debt. The class will look at these on a timeline basis, giving credit where due and criticism where appropriate.. Instructor: Tom Key. Mondays 10 a.m. to noon, Jan. 12 through Feb. 16, at Noble Horizons.
Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine was arguably the savior of the American Revolution and one of the essential contributors to its success. John Adams said: “Without the pen of Paine, the sword of Washington would have been raised in vain.” And yet, of all the founders, Paine is without question the least known, the least understood, and the least appreciated.This course will examine his extraordinary life -- warts, brandy, huge successes, dramatic failures and all. The class will look at and discuss excerpts from some of his writings and the historical context in which he wrote. Instructor: Douglas Cooper. Mondays 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Jan. 12 through March 2 (no class Feb. 2 and Feb. 9) at Noble Horizons.
Composer Jam Part II
Five different composers this semester (can’t claim they are new since the oldest is from the 1600s) get their moment in the spotlight. The class will hear a sample of their best compositions in the best available versions. Instructor: John Robinson. Tuesdays 10 a.m. to noon, Jan. 13 though Feb. 10 at Geer Village.
Documentary Films on Humor
Enjoy the humor presented by great comedians and also review their lives and difficulties. The class will enjoy the artistry of Buster Keaton, W.C. Fields, Charlie Chaplin, the Marx Brothers, Jack Benny, Sid Caesar, Jonathan Winters, Robin Williams, and Peter Sellers. Instructor: Laurance Rand. Tuesdays 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., seven sessions starting Jan. 13 - Jan. 27 and again March 10 - March 31 at Geer Village.
Conversation Class
Based on exchanges from the past three Conversation classes, this discussion series could easily be retitled “The Anything and Everything Class.” Discussions have ranged widely across political, economic, social, and personal topics, and beyond. The class is known for its lively conversations and broad participation and will continue where it left off in the fall. Instructor: Laurance Rand. Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to noon, Jan. 14–Jan. 28 and March 11–March 25, at Noble Horizons.
An Amazing Period for the American Short Story, 1970-2020
The second half of the 20th century was a period of considerable upheaval in the US. Disturbances in the social, and political fabric of the country cut across many aspects of everyone’s lives (e.g., civil rights legislation, feminism, the Vietnam War, student sit-ins, HIV) and lasted well into the 21st century. In the literary world, story writers searched for new ways to capture and reflect on the lives of everyday Americans. The class will explore stories from this period, collected by John Freeman in “The Penguin Book of the Modern American Short Story.” In the six sessions, the class will read and discuss stories by 18 writers; among these are Raymond Carver, Louise Erdrich, George Saunders, Junot Diaz, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Lauren Groff. Enrollment is limited to 14 members in order to facilitate discussion. Instructor: Joanne Carlisle. Thursdays 10 a.m. to noon, Jan. 15 - Feb. 19, at Geer Village.
The Ghost Stories of Henry James
Part light-hearted fun, partly serious forays into human motivation, the ghost stories of Henry James are well worth exploring. Across the span of his 40-year career, he wrote 20 such stories, ranging from brief, almost comical accounts of fairly stereotypic “hauntings” to longer, intensely psychological portraits of individuals grappling with events that they could not understand, but which the reader comes to see as intriguingly ambiguous projections of psychological trauma.
In this class, participants will read and discuss several of James’s most intriguing ghost stories, including his famous novella, “The Turn of the Screw.” Instructor: Addison Stone. Wednesdays 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Jan. 14 to Feb. 18 at Geer Village.
