Fifty attend Cornwall Association annual meeting, tea

CORNWALL — The Cornwall Association held its annual meeting and welcoming tea for new residents on Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Cornwall Library. First Selectman Gordon Ridgway gave the yearly state of the town report and representatives of other town groups presented reports on their activities. About 50 people attended.David Cadwell, who is retiring as president of the association, put the organization’s role in town in perspective. “Over the years,” he said, “the Cornwall Association has been called Cornwall’s think tank.”Dinny Greene, president of the Cornwall Historical Society, reported on her group’s activities and noted that, “The former barn which is now home to the Cornwall Historical Society once belonged to the town’s undertaker.” “The Historical Society and the Cornwall Foundation, which provides money for special projects for the town, both need volunteers,” she commented. There was no connection between that request and the society building’s former use.Barton Jones, president of the Cornwall Library, reported that library cardholders can now download audio books to their own computers and will soon be able to do the same to Kindle electronic book machines. Jones noted the library operates with two full-time and one part-time employees and more than 30 volunteers. Alexa Venturini of the Fund for Excellence, established in 2004, said the fund is building an endowment to provide enrichment activities for students at Cornwall Consolidated School that are not covered by the school budget. One program already established is an annual digital photography workshop for eighth-graders.Longtime West Cornwall resident and educator Pam Wilson gave a report of the Cornwall Child Center.Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department Rescue Captain Skip Kosciusko explained that Cornwall is one of a handful of towns in the state with a volunteer rescue squad that does not charge for its services. “If you call 911 for an ambulance in Cornwall, we’ll take care of you and, if necessary, transport you to the hospital without charging you. Most other towns’ squads will send you a bill.”He also said that the fire department is one of the few in the state with a swift water rescue team and a road rescue team with four-wheel drive vehicles able to access remote trails.Newly appointed Cornwall Consolidated School Principal Michael Croft, who brought his toddler son Jonathan with him, said he especially looked forward to the first day of school when the “cute young children come to their first day ever of school and are ready to hug anything with a pulse.”Croft explained it is important to fully challenge and support all students, not just those with special needs. The job is to “make sure the challenges we give them are in balance with the support we provide. We also have to make sure we teach 21st-century skills.”Richard Griggs manages the Cornwall website www.cornwallct.org and reminded newcomers that this is an excellent first place to visit for information about what’s happening in town.Ridgway said this volunteer website is so comprehensive and effective that the town does not have to maintain its own web presence.In presenting his State of the Town address, Ridgway said, “We are very lucky Cornwall has an amazing number of people with diverse skill sets.”He urged residents to register for the Reverse 911 telephone alert system (call the town clerk at 860-672-2709).He described some of the town’s many environmental programs, which are ecological and also help save taxpayer dollars. A number of residents maintain private solar panels for their home and farm electricity. Town Hall is now solar powered.Ridgway also reported the town’s 2010 census showed the first decline in population in many decades.In response to expressed needs to enhance the town’s business environment, the first selectman announced that the town will soon have an economic development commission.“We have to keep the town vibrant and strong.” He also thanked the many volunteers in town who step up when things need to be done.In his closing remarks, Cadwell noted that when Tropical Storm Irene came through, Ridgway and his daughter Elizabeth came to the West Cornwall firehouse and answered the continuously ringing telephones for 15 hours.After all the reports, the welcoming tea began.

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