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Sydney St. Clair and Paige Saunders race to the ball.
Lans Christensen
KENT — Cool weather blessed the Oct. 8 meeting of Kent School and Kingswood-Oxford School girls soccer teams.
The evenly matched squads promised a tough match-up. The first half ended scoreless despite Oxford putting endless pressure on Kent’s defense.
The second half showed both teams equally aggressive, and Oxford’s Mackensie Kahill scored early in the period.
With eight minutes left in game time, Kent’s Lorenza Phail scored a tying goal.
With time running out, Naomi Diffenderfer scored Oxford’s winning goal and took home a 2-1 victory.
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Arts space approved in Sharon
Oct 15, 2025
SHARON — An arts development that has brought some contention to town hall during the past few months was approved with conditions at the Wednesday, Oct. 8 meeting before ten minutes had passed, kicking off a notably busy agenda for the Planning and Zoning Commission.
The proposal, which calls for an office space and events center on Low Road in Sharon’s commercial district, met some opposition from neighbors during the public hearing, which began in July and closed in September. Opponents were primarily concerned about impacts to Lovers Lane, which runs along the backside of the property, such as increased traffic and light pollution among other disruptions to the half-paved, narrow roadway.
The applicant, Low Road Sharon, is the nonprofit planning to create an artist colony on property in town belonging to painter Jasper Johns, 95, after he dies.
Low Road Sharon parried criticism of the project by assuring that impacts to the road will be minimal. Since the hearing began, the applicant has removed lighting fixtures adjacent to Lovers Lane, shortened a proposed walkway meant to connect Low Road to Lovers Lane so that it ends midway across the property and affirmed that the downtown facility will remain separate to functions on other properties owned by the property to keep traffic low.
Conditions imposed by the Commission at the Oct. 8 meeting were primarily aimed at protecting Lovers Lane property owners. P&Z stipulated that the walkway must end at a concrete pad overlooking a brook at the property’s edge, and that any event advertisements instruct guests not to use Lovers Lane to access the property. Parking for the facility will be accessed from North Main Street and Low Road.
Additional conditions solidify the applicant’s proposal: 1 Low Road will be the address for both proposed new structures; 15 Low Road remain a single-family residence; and 29 Low Road will provide additional parking for the facility. The proposed south building is planned to contain offices for Low Road Sharon staff, while the north building will be a multi-use structure that will provide a downtown venue for arts-related programming, such as performances, readings and exhibits. Low Road Sharon has promised these events will be open and free to the public.
P&Z’s decision was tabled from the Commission’s September meeting to allow the town’s attorney time to review a dispute over a possible right-of-way easement existing between the applicant’s property and a neighboring plot where Thomas and Margaret Youngberg live.
Low Road Sharon has questioned the existence of the easement and claimed it shouldn’t have an impact on the project even if it is present on the property. The Youngbergs, on the other hand, are adamant that the easement does exist, and have sought answers on how the development will impact it.
At the Oct. 8 meeting, Attorney Steven Byrne’s verdict was presented: that P&Z does not have the authority to judge the legitimacy of an easement. Byrne affirmed any dispute over the easement will have to be settled in court outside of P&Z deliberations.
Conley Rollins, representing Low Road Sharon, stated his gratification with P&Z’s decision and said he hopes construction will begin early in 2026.
“We are grateful to the P&Z and Inland Wetlands Commissions, and to the neighbors and other residents who provided input during the public approval process,” he said.
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Housatonic Valley FFA students prepare for the upcoming convention with teacher David Moran.
Kellie Eisermann
FALLS VILLAGE — Housatonic Valley FFA students are gearing up to head to the 98th annual National Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, Oct. 29 to Nov. 1.
This year, students are preparing to take on the landscape, horse judging, creed speaking and extemporaneous competitions.
Creed speaking involves memorizing and reciting all five paragraphs of the FFA Creed (by E.M. Tiffany).
Contestants are judged on how well and uniquely the creed is presented, and the judges question the speaker on aspects of the creed.
For extemporaneous speaking, the student is given a topic relating to agriculture and has 30 minutes to prepare before answering questions from the judges.
Riley Mahaffey will be taking on her third year of public speaking at the national level.
The landscape team consists of Madeline Collingwood, Michael Gawel, Hayden Bell and Byron Bell. The competition will include plant identification, a written exam, landscape practicums and a team event.
The equine judging team consists of Madison Melino, Darwin Wolfe, Hannah Johnson and Kellie Eisermann. The competitions will include a general knowledge test, judging horses in halter classes and under saddle, oral questions and a team event to wrap it all up.
Zayre Trail is advancing to the national level to represent the Housatonic Valley FFA chapter as the creed speaker.
Kellie Eisermann is the FFA Reporter this year She is a junior and lives in Lakeville and plans to go into the family business, Four Seasons Pool Service in Millerton.
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Democratic Town Committee chair Chris Jacques added public comment at the Board of Selectmen meeting Monday, Oct. 6. From left, Jacques, First Selectman Brian Ohler, Selectman Craig Whiting and Selectman Jesse Bunce.
Screenshot from Zoom
NORTH CANAAN — At the Oct. 6 meeting of the Board of Selectmen, speakers had to use a microphone sound system so those in the back of the audience could hear them as residents filled the meeting room for the last selectmen’s meeting before the Nov. 4 election.
In the month leading up to the October meeting, state troopers were called to Town Hall to remove Town Clerk Jean Jacquier, whose return to work after nearly eight months of absence followed a judge’s decision to upholdher removal from the ballot as a candidate.
Democratic Town Committee (DTC) chair Chris Jacques spoke during the public comment period at the start of the meeting.
He said that First Selectman Brian Ohler deliberately waited until after the Aug. 6 deadline for nominating petitions to be filed to alert the Secretary of the State’s(SOTS) office about the faulty DTC paperwork and that the Republican candidate for town clerk, Krystian Segalla, had used a nominating petition because of a similar error on the Republican Town Committee’s part.
He said the Republicans were notified but the Democrats were not.
“When standard procedures for correcting errors are selectively applied there are serious questions about fairness in our electoral processes.”
Ohler then spoke for about 40 minutes about the controversies surrounding Jacquier and provided his timeline of events.
“This has been a long two years, I won’t sugarcoat it,” he said.
He said complaints about Jacquier’s conduct as town clerk go back to the previous administration and that he received at least six complaints early in his term.
He said he had no choice but to act on the complaints.
Ohler responded to charges that he or Paul Mattingly, who is the selectmen’s executive assistant and filling in as assistant town clerk, had manipulated Town Hall security video footage that was the subject of a Freedom of Information Act request from the DTC.
Ohler said the reason there are gaps in the footage is that the video system uses a motion sensor, which does not provide continuous footage.
“So yes, there are long periods with no recording.”
He said allegations that the footage was altered are baseless. “We don’t have the capability.”
Ohler said that he and Cheryl Duntz did examine the DTC endorsement form (missing the information for Jacquier and Overby) shortly before 4 p.m. on July 23.
He said he did not have advance notice of the errors on the DTC form but did see the paperwork. “I went in on deadline day and took a photo.”
Ohler said candidates and party officials usually look at the candidate filings so they know who they are running against. “That’s how I found out you were running for First Selectman,” he said to Selectman Jesse Bunce.
Ohler said the Republicans were not notified of the missing signatures on the endorsement slates for candidates Krysti Segalla and Tucker Whiting. He told The Lakeville Journal that RTC secretary Cheryl Duntz noticed the missing signatures while double checking the forms on July 30. She then asked for advice from the SOTS office and learned the candidates could petition to remain on the ballot if enough signatures were attained and filed by Aug. 6.
As far as querying the SOTS office on Aug. 7 about missing information on the DTC slate, Ohler said he was within his rights as first selectman to do so.
Ohler said that in early February 2025 he assumed Jacquier had left her position. He said one person had asked her about an absentee ballot and Jacquier replied that she had received it but was no longer Town Clerk. He showed an email sent from Jacquier to the Adkins Printing Company on Feb. 7 instructing them not to send grant materials because she had left the job.
When asked about the email to Adkins, Jacquier confirmed she sent it and stated “there was a good reason for it. I knew I was not in the office for a time. There are reports that have to be filed on certain dates for that grant also, the grant has to be done by a certain date or the money has to be returned, and I did not want to take responsibility for that. And of course my assistant had never really done it on her own before so I was being very safe and saying, I just don’t want that responsibility since I’m not there.”
Ohler said he made contact with Jacquier’s husband who said she was finished with the job.
“So what would you assume?” Ohler asked the audience at Town Hall.
Moving on, Ohler said the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC) was investigating Jacquier as of July 10 for soliciting for candidates in Town Hall, untimely stamping of documents and failure to fine candidates forlate campaign filings.
The Lakeville Journal has confirmed the SEEC investigation is ongoing.
Ohler said Jacquier came to Town Hall on Aug. 14 at 7:45 a.m. and found the locks had been changed, which Ohler said was done back in March.
Ohler described Jacquier as “enraged” and said she “proceeded to tear down all the signs” on the door of the town clerk’s office.
The state police were called. Ohler said Jacquier was ordered to leave and did so. He said he had to restrict Jacquier’s access to Town Hall until her intent could be determined, and that if Jacquier wanted to return to work she must have her legal team get in touch with the town’s lawyers to make that happen.
“To date this has not happened.”
Jacquier provided copies of emails to The Lakeville Journal that were sent by her attorneys to North Canaan town counsel Randy DiBella. On March 11 attorney Jeffrey Mirman wrote “Ms. Jacquier has not abandoned her office” and intends to return to work when she feels ready. On Aug. 14 attorney John Kennelly wrote Jacquier did not resign and cannot be locked out of the office. He requested a set of working keys be provided to Jacquier.
Ohler said Jacquier returned to Town Hall at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 29, sat down at a computer and asked for a copy of the current key.
Jacquier told The Lakeville Journal she went to help prepare for the election.
The state police were called again, and again Jacquier left.
Ohler said he has an obligation to maintain the security of Town Hall, and particularly the Town Clerk’s office and the documents and records therein.
He noted that Jacquier is still technically the town clerk. “I did not remove her,” he said. “We’re restricting access until we know her intent.”
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