Liam MacNeil received this year’s of the Cranford Club’s Book Award scholarship. Presenting to MacNeil are, from left, Ruth Adotte, Diane Cieslowski, Cathy Wheeler, Bonnie Kinsman and Anne Rabeuf.
NORTH CANAAN — The Cranford Club may not be familiar to everyone in the town, but its members have been making important contributions to enhance and promote their community for more than 125 years.
The group, made up of women, was organized in November 1897. Since then, it has made its mark by contributing to a wide range of efforts, most recently the revitalization of Canaan Union Station and its railroad museum. Members have also been active on the town’s Beautification Committee.
For the third year, it has presented its Book Award scholarship and the latest recipient is Liam MacNeil, who just graduated from Housatonic Valley Regional High School. Previous winners were Lily Najdek and Spencer Jasmine.
MacNeil, 18, will be attending the Universal Technical Institute in Exton, Pennsylvania, for nine months this fall to study welding, with the goal of establishing his own business. His interest in the skill was piqued by the metals class he took at HVRHS and in the ag mechanics class in the FFA program.
Scholarship hopefuls are required to write an essay. In his, MacNeil said, “I enjoy working with my hands. Welding requires you to be methodical and creative at the same time. After successfully passing the American Welding Society certification exam, I hope to begin a career in fabrication or structural welding.”
He said he is most proud of becoming an Eagle Scout in February 2023. His project was the completion of a permanent firepit for flag retirement ceremonies for Couch Pipa VFW. He talked about how he improved his leadership skills during his involvement with the Scout troop, we well as his love for the outdoors.
He was also a member of the school’s robotics team. “Working with the mentors, I learned to work as a team to solve problems,” he wrote in his essay. “I also learned time management because of the intense time commitment during the build season.”
For his supervised agricultural experience, he began a landscaping business. For several years he’s been mowing lawns for residents in his East Canaan neighborhood and now that he drives, he’s been able to increase his client base.
The school provides no dormitories, but has an arrangement with a housing association for short-terms leases for its students. MacNeil said he plans to work while at school to help pay for room and board.
He expressed his gratitude to the Cranford Club for the $500 scholarship that will help a lot with his schooling.
Bonnie Kinsman, president of the club, presented MacNeil with a certificate as well as a check and wished him well in all his future endeavors.
Former First Selectman Martin Lindenmayer visits with students of Kent Center School Monday, Nov. 10, as part of the school’s Veterans Day ceremony. Lindenmayer served as a member of the U.S. Navy and later specialized in defense intelligence and technical special operations.
Region One Superintendent Melony Brady-Shanley greets veterans at Lee H. Kellogg School Monday morning, Nov. 10.
FALLS VILLAGE — Ten Falls Village veterans came to the Lee H. Kellogg School Monday morning, Nov. 10, for a Veterans Day breakfast in their honor.
The veterans gathered in the library, enjoyed coffee and doughnuts, rose for the Pledge of Allegiance, and smiled broadly as the students in grades K-2 sang “You’re a Grand Old Flag.”
Afterwards the veterans posed for photos with their children or grandchildren.
The following veterans were in attendance at the assembly: Doyle Barger, Eric Carlson, Lou Timolat, Robert Christinat, William Fox, James Gulyas, Roy Jensen, Peter Pixley, Mike Poole and Sandy Rhoades. (Hope Gallagher was unable to attend.)
NORFOLK — The construction of massive retaining walls on Route 44 in Norfolk, known as Project 97-95, has created challenges for motorists and the Connecticut Department of Transportation team alike.
The work involves stabilizing the slope and replacing the old masonry retaining walls with two new retaining walls.
Reducing the busy east-west highway to one-way alternating traffic, controlled by temporary signal lights, has caused delays to drivers and added time to truck routes.
Project 97-95 began in April2024 and was originally slated to take five years to complete. Amy Hare, DOT’s chief engineer on the project, said changes to the original plan have reduced that time by two years. “We anticipate meeting the September 2026 project completion date.” The current construction budget is $37,546,399.
Hare explained, “Driver behavior is still one of the toughest challenges we face. We’ve collaborated with State Troopers to provide traffic calming presence periodically, we revised signal timing several times to create a safer traveling path and utilized flaggers when on-site activities require additional driver direction.”
Old Colony Road, a side road off Route 44 that became a shortcut for impatient drivers, has been closed to through traffic at the discretion of the Town of Norfolk due to safety concerns. Hare added, “From what I understand from the Town representatives, the observed speeds were unacceptably high, and there were several near misses.”
“Another challenge we are anticipating facing is the classic ‘Icebox’ weather this winter,” continued Hare. “We anticipate winter activities to include forming the front face of both retaining walls, setting rebar, and then pouring the concrete face.”
Hare and her team have worked closely with the Town of Norfolk.
“As a team, we are saddened to see First Selectman Riiska leave his position but are looking forward to working with the incoming First Selectman Henry Tirrell to bring this project to success.”
To report a problem or raise a concern, call 860-594-2560 or email: DOT.CustomerCare@ct.gov
Outgoing first selectman Marty Lindenmayer thanks Kent’s leaders and employees for their commitment to waste management. Behind, from left: First Selectman-Elect Eric Epstein, transfer station staff Rob Hayes and Rick Osborne, State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64), State Sen. Stephen Harding (R-30), and HRRA Executive Director Jennifer Heaton-Jones.
KENT — The Kent Transfer Station is set to undergo a series of major renovations meant to modernize and streamline its waste management operations after receiving a state grant of $408,500 in a recent round of funding.
Town, state and regional officials gathered at the facility on Tuesday morning, Nov. 4, to celebrate the award and discuss the future of recycling, composting and waste reduction in Kent and across western Connecticut.
Among the speakers was Jennifer Heaton-Jones, executive director of the Housatonic Resource Recovery Authority (HRRA), a regional government agency that manages waste and recycling programs for 14 municipalities in western Connecticut. “Waste is not a partisan issue — it affects all of us every day,” she told the assembled group.
The funding will support key infrastructure upgrades designed to improve the transfer station’s efficiency and safety. Planned improvements include the construction of a retaining wall to separate waste streams and reduce cross-contamination, a new shed to safely store motor oil, paint and shredded paper, and new canopies over waste and recycling containers to improve material quality and reduce litter. The grant will also fund the installation of a new scale to support Kent’s nascent “pay as you throw” unit-based pricing program.
The “pay-as-you-throw” initiative — made permanent last fall after a successful pilot — charges residents by the bag rather than a flat annual fee, incentivizing lower waste generation. Heaton-Jones said the new scale will help “build on that momentum” by providing data to refine the program and expand composting efforts.
Kent’s award represents nearly one-third of the HRRA’s total $1.5 million allocation from the second round of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) grant program. In late October, DEEP announced $7.5 million in total funding to support municipalities and regional waste authorities across Connecticut.
The grant money comes in the midst of what Heaton-Jones described as a “waste crisis” in the state where, since the dissolution of the Hartford MIRA facility in 2022, about 40% of Connecticut’s municipal solid waste is exported to out-of-state landfills and recycling centers.
Heaton-Jones thanked Conservation Commission Chair and former First Selectman Jean Speck, who spearheaded Kent’s earlier waste reduction initiatives, and current First Selectman Marty Lindenmayer, who helped continue and expand them, praising both for their “consistently demonstrated leadership in waste reduction despite limited resources.”
The attendees, which included State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64), State Sen. Stephen Harding (R-30), First Selectman-Elect Eric Epstein, transfer station staff members Rob Hayes and Rick Osborne, and the majority of the Kent Conservation Commission, agreed with Heaton-Jones’s assessment.
During his own speech, Lindenmayer said that Kent had “set the tone in how we can continue to improve.” He thanked Hayes and Osborne for their contributions and ongoing hard work: “These guys do it with humor and good will and in all types of weather.”
Horn similarly lauded Kent’s commitment to waste reduction, describing it as a town “that has really stuck its neck out,” while Harding admired the town’s ability to come together and work as a team with various groups: “It’s a shining example of addressing our waste crisis efficiently.”
