Firefighters upgrade equipment thanks to hefty donation
Assistant Chief Pat McGuire and Captain Ryan Foley with Canaan Fire Company’s new battery-powered extrication tools.
Riley Klein
Captain Ryan Foley shows the 28-inch spread of the new extrication tool as Ben Wohlfert gets a feel for the 57-pound “cutter” tool.Riley Klein
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First Selectman Gordon Ridgway opens the bid packages for new fire trucks Wednesday, Dec. 17.
Riley Klein
CORNWALL — Three manufacturers entered proposals to build new fire trucks for the Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department, and all of them are within the town’s budget.
In an effort to replace two outdated trucks, CVFD created specification sheets for a custom mini pumper and rescue pumper.
Immediately following the Wednesday, Dec. 17, 11 a.m. deadline to bid, First Selectman Gordon Ridgway opened the packages at Town Hall. He read the quotes provided by each bidder aloud to a crowd of 14 attendees that included CVFD members, the other two selectmen and representatives from two of the manufacturers.
Greenwoods Emergency Vehicles, based in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, came in at $438,957 for the mini pumper and $861,451 for the rescue pumper. A $50,000 discount would be applied if the town bought both vehicles through Greenwoods, and an additional $50,000 could be taken off for a prepaid purchase. The estimated delivery was 15 months.
New England Fire Equipment & Apparatus, based in North Haven, Connecticut, came in at $426,568 for the mini pumper and $828,268.33 for the rescue pumper. There was no estimated delivery date.
Bulldog Fire Apparatus, of Woodville, Massachusetts, came in at $448,223 for the mini pumper and $1,099,291 for the rescue pumper. The estimated delivery for the rescue pumper was 28 to 32 months. The mini pumper delivery date was not disclosed.
The town has two months to review the details of each proposal and come to a decision. “Seems pretty competitive,” said Ridgway.
CVFD President Dick Sears was enthused by the outcome. He confirmed all three bids were within the expenditure limit, which includes CVFD reserves, town truck funds and donations to the fundraising campaign that was on track to reach its goal of raising $600,000 by the end of the year. Visit cornwallfire.org to donate.
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Finding Fritz
Dec 23, 2025
Provided
Salisbury Recreation’s “Where is Fritz Contest” was won by Jacqueline Rice, left. This was the second year of the town-wide event that involved searching Salisbury businesses to find Fritz the elf. Participants followed daily clues sent out on Instagram and submitted a photo when they found Fritz. Each submission was an entry into the raffle for the holiday gift basket that was ultimately won by Rice. This year’s gift basket had games, holiday treats and gift cards. Recreation Director Lisa McAuliffe, right, gave a special thanks to the following local businesses for providing the gift cards: Deano’s Pizza, Grassland, On the Run Coffee Shop and Sweet Williams Coffee Shop & Bakery.
Program Coordinator Kristen Orr explains how Chore Service helps Litchfield County residents with household tasks.
Matthew Kreta
SHARON — The Hotchkiss Library of Sharon hosted a presentation on Sunday, Dec. 14, highlighting Chore Service, a local assistance program that provides essential non-medical support to older adults who wish to remain independent in their homes.
The presentation was the first in a four-part series at the library titled Women & Aging. Chore Service was represented by Executive Director Jane MacLaren and Program Coordinator Kristen Orr.
Chore Service was founded in 1992 by Ella Clark, a Sharon social worker, and served 22 families for a total of 1,396 service hours in its first year. Today, Chore Service employs about 50 workers who provide a total of over 8,700 service hours to more than 250 clients across 13 towns in northwest Connecticut.
While Chore Service is funded by grants, fundraisers and donations, it also operates on a sliding scale payment based on household income. The scale helps offset costs for low-income or tightly budgeted households, and no client is turned away due to inability to pay.
Chore Service is not reserved for low-income households alone. “We can help everyone,” MacLaren said.
Chore Service offers a wide range of services but does not provide medical care. Caregivers assist with everyday household tasks such as laundry, housecleaning, meal preparation and yard work, as well as less tangible but equally important needs, including companionship.
Assignments may be one-time visits or ongoing commitments, with no minimum number of hours required. The organization operates under a “no job too small” philosophy.
According to a recent client survey conducted by the organization, 90% of clients reported an improved quality of life. Orr elaborated that the organization attempts to pair its employees and clients together not only based on what tasks are needed in a given household, but also personality.
Chore Service employees are background checked and vetted, and clients can request a change in caregiver for any reason as needed.
To learn more about Chore Service visit www.choreservice.org.
The next talk hosted at Hotchkiss Library in the Women & Aging series will be “The Power of Writing” with Sharon Charde, on Sunday Jan. 18, 2026.
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From left, Dan Santorso, executive assistant from FISH in Torrington, Willem Donahue, director of operations Torrington YMCA, and Julie Scharnberg, VP of Community Engagement Northwest CT Community Foundation.
Jennifer Almquist
Throughout Litchfield County, compassion takes shape in service and generosity. This holiday season, a chorus of voices from the Northwest Corner were asked to define what community means to them.
Norfolk Fire Chief Brian Hutchins said, “Community is the comfort and security you feel being connected to something bigger than yourself. It doesn’t have to be geographic, and it can be whatever fills a person with joy and purpose.”
For many, community begins with meeting people’s basic needs.
Friendly Hands Food Bank in Torrington responded, “Community is where change begins. We must ensure everyone has access to the resources for healthy lives.” On Dec. 22, Friendly Hands offered a free Christmas food party for all area veterans.
The Corner Food Pantry in Lakeville reported serving 235 families/1,107 individuals at Thanksgiving, a 20% increase over last year. The Norfolk Food Pantry made holiday baskets for 66 families, including 176 loaves of cranberry orange bread baked by the Ministry of Bread.
Erick Olsen, pastor of Church of Christ in Norfolk for 22 years, said, “The termination of SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, benefits is driving a spike in food pantry usage. I hear regularly from folks working full-time yet are forced to choose between paying rent and buying nutritious food. No one should face such choices. Our church offers help with rent, heating oil, auto repairs, medicine and care.”
Housing insecurity is another pressure point where community matters.
The folks at the Winchester Emergency Homeless Shelter at the Y in Winsted, which has 16 beds, added, “As the weather turns cold, many of our neighbors rely on us for warmth, safety, and support.”
Friends In Service to Humanity, FISH, in Torrington provides 35 shelter beds, including five beds reserved for homeless veterans. Director Deirdre Houlihan Di Cara said, “We now provide meals to 2,652 individuals, 938 families. We distributed enough food for 182,859 meals, an increase of 952 people from last year.”
Julie Scharnberg, VP of Community Engagement, Northwest CT Community Foundation, wrote, “To me community means being together in a way that generates a positive benefit; something rooted in kindness and care, that works to overcome barriers, celebrates joy and success, providing comfort at times of loss or grief.” Her work with homelessness, affordable housing, addiction, women’s issues and early childhood care “is how we help NW CT move forward for the next generations that will call this beautiful region home.”
Marinell Madden-Crippen runs the Icebox Café in Norfolk with her husband Peter. She put it simply, “Community to me is saying hello to your neighbor and asking how their week was and caring and remembering their name. We support our community by being a neutral space and remembering who people are and what they are up to and caring. Genuinely.”
Jenny Langendoerfer, executive director of Little Guild in West Cornwall explained the animal shelter’s mission, “Beyond caring for the animals within our shelter, we serve as a vital community resource. Financial hardship can separate families from their beloved pets. We created an on-site Pet Pantry providing free pet food and supplies. We hold no-cost wellness clinics for dogs and cats.”
Community is enhanced by art and music, poetry and literature, public libraries and schools, children and families, both young and old.
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