cornwall bos

Cream Hill Lake is safe to swim

Cream Hill Lake is safe to swim

Lifeguard Melody Matsudaira keeps a watchful eye on Cream Hill Lake swimmers.

Riley Klein

CORNWALL — After an incident regarding raised levels of E. coli, Cream Hill Lake in Cornwall has been deemed safe to swim.

In June, water testing revealed slightly elevated levels of E. coli bacteria in the waters of the Cream Hill Lake Association and Hammond Beach.

Swimmers in the lake were advised to refrain from submerging their heads in the water, ingesting water and to shower promptly after swimming.

The Board of Selectmen reviewed the situation at a regular meeting July 1. First Selectman Gordon Ridgway said the heavy rains that fell in the spring were likely the cause of the E. coli spike.

Ridgway said the bacteria is found “on the forest floor, it moves around.” Rain likely caused excessive run off, he said, “It’s definitely important to monitor.”

Selectman Rocco Botto said the tests that caused the scare showed relatively elevated levels, but did not enter the danger zone.

“A concentration less or equal to 235 per 100 milliliters is considered satisfactory and those first tests were at like 75 and 31,” said Botto. “It puts us well within the threshold of safe swimming.”

Since this initial tests, Torrington Area Health District has stated the levels have decreased.

“We do have a little sign out as far as what the recommendations are about keeping your head out of the water,” said Ridgway. “Don’t be drinking a lot of the water... It is a pond.”

Position changes

At the July 1 meeting, the selectmen accepted a series of position changes.

Selectman Jennifer Markow will be stepping down as director of Parks and Recreation. She served in the role for about 10 years and will resign after the completion of summer events in town.

She will continue to serve on the commission as an alternate.

“I had a great time working with the Parks and Rec,” said Markow. “I had an awesome commission over the years.”

The search for a new director is underway.

Spencer Mussulman began his role as the new Zoning Enforcement Officer. His officer hours are Tuesday and Thursday from 7:30 to 10 a.m. and by appointment on Friday.

Rebecca Juchert-Derungs was appointed by the selectmen to become the new tax collector. She also works as tax collector in Falls Village and Goshen and will assume the job in Cornwall at the end of outgoing Tax Collector Jean Bouteiller’s current term in November.

cornwall bos

Latest News

State awards $2M to expand affordable housing in Sharon

State awards $2M to expand affordable housing in Sharon

Local officials join Richard Baumann, far left, president of the Sharon Housing Trust, as they break ground in October at 99 North Main St., the former community center that will be converted into four new affordable rental units.

Ruth Epstein

SHARON — The Sharon Housing Trust announced Dec. 4 that the Connecticut Department of Housing closed on a $2 million grant for the improvement and expansion of affordable rental housing in town.

About half of the funding will reimburse costs associated with renovating the Trust’s three properties at 91, 93 and 95 North Main St., which together contain six occupied affordable units, most of them two-bedroom apartments. Planned upgrades include new roofs, siding and windows, along with a series of interior and exterior refurbishments.

Keep ReadingShow less

Bumpy handoff in North Canaan after razor-thin election

Bumpy handoff in North Canaan after razor-thin election

Jesse Bunce, right, and outgoing First Selectman Brian Ohler, left, exchange a handshake following the Nov. 10 recount of the North Canaan first selectman race. Bunce won the election, defeating Ohler by two votes, beginning a transition marked by challenges.

Photo by Riley Klein

NORTH CANAAN — The transition from outgoing First Selectman Brian Ohler to newly elected First Selectman Jesse Bunce has been far from seamless, with a series of communication lapses, technology snags and operational delays emerging in the weeks after an unusually close election.

The Nov. 5 race for first selectman went to a recount, with Bunce winning 572 votes to Ohler’s 570. When the final results were announced, Ohler publicly wished his successor well.

Keep ReadingShow less

Norfolk breaks ground on new firehouse

Norfolk breaks ground on new firehouse

Officials, firefighters and community members break ground on the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department’s new firehouse on Dec. 6.

By Jennifer Almquist

NORFOLK — Residents gathered under bright Saturday sunshine on Dec. 6 to celebrate a milestone more than a decade in the making: the groundbreaking for the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department’s new firehouse.

U.S. Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (D-5) and State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64) joined NVFD leadership, town officials, members of the building committee and Norfolk Hub, and 46 volunteer firefighters for the groundbreaking ceremony.

Keep ReadingShow less

Kent moves closer to reopening Emery Park swimming pond

Kent moves closer to reopening Emery Park swimming pond

It may look dormant now, but the Emery Park pond is expected to return to life in 2026

By Alec Linden

KENT — Despite sub-zero wind chills, Kent’s Parks and Recreation Commission is focused on summer.

At its Tuesday, Dec. 2, meeting, the Commission voted in favor of a bid to rehabilitate Emery Park’s swimming pond, bringing the town one step closer to regaining its municipal swimming facility. The Commission reviewed two RFP bids for the reconstruction of the defunct swimming pond, a stream-fed, man-made basin that has been out of use for six years. The plans call to stabilize and level the concrete deck and re-line the interior of the pool alongside other structural upgrades, as well as add aesthetic touches such as boulders along the pond’s edge.

Keep ReadingShow less