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Leila Hawken
KENT — Pre-application information for an addition to the town library was presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) by Kent Memorial Library board members at the regular P&Z meeting on Thursday, April 11.
Preliminary plans envision renovation and expansion of the existing library building to connect with the old firehouse next door.
A brief presentation by Sam Calloway of the Kent Library Association Board of Directors described conceptual ideas for renovation and expansion of the existing historic library building. Calloway is also serving as chairman of the building committee, guiding the project.
This presentation to the P&Z was designed to be informal. The coming weeks will see the roll-out of what will be an extensive community campaign. The P&Z application process for the project will begin at the next P&Z meeting scheduled for Thursday, May 9.
“The library is running out of space and the current facilities need upgrade,” said Calloway.
“Libraries have become more than book repositories,” Calloway noted, describing ways that modern library facilities provide essential services and programs vital to their patrons. Wyeth Associates of Chester, Conn. has been retained to design an expanded modern library.
Architect Leonard Wyeth made the presentation, leading the P&Z through preliminary drawings, beginning with the site as it exists now.
The site is almost flat, but there is a gentle slope, Wyeth said. The original library building dates to 1922 and the firehouse next door was built in the 1950s on the library’s land. The whole site, library and firehouse, is incorporated in the planning.
Under a proposed plan, the library will be connected to the firehouse building, allowing book stacks to be housed on the ground level of the firehouse. The apron in front of the firehouse would be retained, and the library would have a new entrance, further to the south.
With the addition of an elevator, the second floor of the firehouse could offer a large meeting space that might be available to community groups. A new tower would add architectural interest and house the elevator works.
P&Z Chair Wesley Wyrick noted that the firehouse structure is sound.
“We’re keeping all of the old firehouse,” Wyeth said.
Wyrick raised the question of finding adequate parking to augment the on-street spaces.
Wyeth indicated that photovoltaic solar roof panels could be included, and that such panels would not be visible from the street. His firm maintains a deep interest in sustainable design practices.
A fence would be added across the rear of the property to mask the railroad tracks and provide protected outdoor access for patrons’ activities.
Discussion focused on parking and concerns for protecting the area where the annual book sale is set up.
Library Director Sarah Marshall said, “We are committed to the interests of the book sale.
The P&Z supported Tai Kern’s comment that a variance would be needed from the Zoning Board of Appeals and that the town’s Architectural Review Board must be included in the process.
Wyrick added that a special permit will be needed because the firehouse is being converted to library use.
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Gordon Gustafson (left) chatted with woodworker Alan Turner at Trinity Episcopal Church April 19.
Patrick L. Sullivan
LIME ROCK — The “All Things Trinity!” art/craft/book show opened Friday, April 19, with a reception at Trinity Episcopal Church.
Pastor Heidi Truax explained that the show is a bit of a grab bag, designed to allow parishioners the chance to demonstrate their talents without the pressure of a juried art show.
So there were all sorts of items on display, including simple and extremely comfortable stools designed by Alan Turner to be used with a kitchen island.
Christine Gevert’s nature photography was also featured, as were art works from three younger members of the Sisk family.
Tom Schindler was there with his new book “A Hidden Legacy” about Esther Zimmer Lederberg, who was married to Nobel Prize winner Joshua Lederberg.
The latter won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1958 and enjoyed an illustrious career.
Esther Zimmer Lederberg was an accomplished scientist in her own right and played an important if hitherto obscure role in her husband’s success.
“She never got credit, Schindler said.
So he wrote the book, published by Oxford University press, to rectify the situation.
“It’s been an eight-year obsession,” he said cheerfully.
The show continues this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, April 27 to 28, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is part of the ongoing celebration of the church’s 150th anniversary.
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Police Blotter: Troop B
Apr 24, 2024
Police Blotter: Troop B
Police Blotter: Troop B
The following information was provided by the Connecticut State Police at Troop B. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Evading accident
State Police Troop B is investigating an evading motor vehicle accident case that was reported to have occurred between 7 a.m. and 9:48 a.m. on Monday, April 15. An unknown vehicle sideswiped a 2018 Audi A4 that was parked in a rear lot located at 89 Main Street in North Canaan. The Audi is owned by Suzanne Mazarelli of Ashley Falls.
Traveling too fast
On Wednesday, April 17, at approximately 4:30 p.m., Ryan Phelps, 27, of Salisbury, was westbound on Route 4 in Sharon in a 2014 Subaru Crosstrek. While negotiating a curve the Subaru left the roadway and came to an uncontrolled stop off the eastbound side. Phelps reported minor injuries and was transported to Sharon Hospital. The Subaru was towed from the scene. Phelps was issued a written warning for traveling too fast for conditions.
Fog, low ceiling cited
On Saturday, April 20, at approximatley midnight, Maya Lyons, 29, of Goshen, was eastbound on Route 4 in Cornwall in a 2008 Honda Cr-v that swerved off the roadway, crossing the westbound lane and subsequenly struck a stone fence. The Honda traveled back onto the road and came to a rest in the center of the road. Weather conditions were poor with fog and low ceilings present. Lyons was issued a written warning for failure to maintain lane. The Honda was towed from the scene.
The Lakeville Journal will publish the outcome of police charges. Contact us by mail at P.O. Box 1688, Lakeville, CT 06039, Attn: Police Blotter, or send an email, with “police blotter” in the subject line, to johnc@lakevillejournal.
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From left, Rotarians Randy Chapell, director; Bill Spalding, president; Bill Pond, president nominee; Duane Estes, member and Jerry Baldwin, Paul Harris Fellow, gathered following the April 9 meeting of the Salisbury Rotary Club, which is celebrating its 75th Anniversary this year.
Debra A. Aleksinas
SALISBURY — Chartered on Jan. 25, 1949, the Rotary Club of Salisbury is celebrating 75 years of service to the community, a milestone which will be capped by a gala anniversary celebration in the fall and numerous activities throughout 2024.
“We have so much on our plate over the next two to three months, all are exciting, and all are necessary,” club president Bill Spalding told the dozen or so members during the group’s weekly meeting at Noble Horizons on Tuesday, April 9.
“Every event we do will be loaded with Rotarians,” Spalding announced.
The small but dedicated club of about 35 members, which meets at the Noble Horizons Community Room every Tuesday at noon, serves not only Salisbury, but also Falls Village, Canaan, Sharon and Cornwall.
Since its inception, the local club, which is part of Rotary District 7890 comprising 55 clubs in northern Connecticut and western Massachusetts, has sponsored or generously supported a wide range of local and international projects.
Locally, Salisbury Rotary Club has awarded annual scholarships to deserving high school students, and volunteers have rolled up their sleeves to assist local nonprofits, including Chore Services, Salisbury Association, the Canaan Child Care Center and local food banks, among other nonprofits. Members have also supported and participated in myriad community events and activities, including fairs, festivals and parades.
Internationally, Salisbury Rotary, which has a personal connection to Tulum Rotary in Mexico, has helped that club with funding water fountains and computers for schools, assisted with water-related projects in Ecuador and has backed the international effort to eradicate polio worldwide.
“Our biggest shining star is what we’re doing to eradicate polio,” said club director Randy Chapell who with his wife, Fran, also a Rotarian and executive director of the Canaan Child Care Center, have traveled internationally on behalf of the Salisbury club.
He noted that Rotary International, along with its partners, have helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children against polio in 122 countries, reducing polio cases by 99.9 percent worldwide.
“We’re down to 9 to 10 cases in two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan,” Chapell noted.
Jerry Baldwin, a retired banker, joined the Rotary in 1976 and served as the local chapter president from 2005 to 2006.
“I’ve been a Rotarian for 48 years this month,” he proudly revealed.
During that time, he was recognized for his community service as a Paul Harris Fellow, the club’s highest honor, named after the founder of Rotary International.
Over the years, Baldwin had worked tirelessly for the Winter Sports Association, sponsor of annual ski jumps at Satre Hill in Salisbury, and served on numerous community boards and associations.
“I was brought up that you can’t just take, you have to give,” said Baldwin. “This is not work, it is an honor and a pleasure. We love the community, it’s a wonderful place to live, and I just feel the need to give back and help others.”
Baldwin said one of the most significant changes he has seen over the years is the club’s dwindling active membership. Dues-paying members, he noted, stood at 78 when he joined, and it’s about half that now.
Today’s younger generations, he explained, keep very busy with activities, but tend to be less civic minded. “It used to be that the next generation believed in a sense of service.”
Rotarian Duane Estes, who coaches baseball at Salisbury School, noted that membership has been declining since the 1980’s.
“Look around the room, it’s not hard to see that we’re an older club, age-wise. We have the same problem and challenges that other organizations do” in terms of recruiting new blood, he said. “Affordable housing fits into it. There are not as many young people as when we moved out here 24 years ago.”
Club members said one of their main goals is to find new recruits.
“We will try to get the values of the organization out there and explain the reasons it’s important,” said Bill Pond, the club’s president nominee and administrator of Noble Horizons, which donates space to Rotary for its weekly meeting.
Rotary provides services to others, promotes integrity and advances world understanding, goodwill and peace through its fellowship of business, professional and community leaders. Rotarians pledge to uphold the organization’s mantra, “Service Above Self.”
Membership dues, at $150 annually, are the club’s major source of income, supplemented by fundraising events throughout the year.
“It’s not our goal to have a huge savings account. As our account builds, we try to reallocate it back into the community,” Pond explained.
Among upcoming activities is the club’s popular Kentucky Derby Social on Saturday, May 4 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at Noble Horizons. The event, one of its largest and most popular fundraisers, was on hiatus for two years due to the pandemic, but as of last year it is back on track, said organizers.
The event, sponsored by more than a dozen individuals and businesses, features a silent and live auction, and attendees are invited to bet on the horses. Tickets are $25 and doors open at 4:30 p.m.
Then, on May 18, Salisbury Rotary will hold a Day of Service during which members and volunteers will perform clean-up and gardening tasks for the Salisbury Association, partnering with volunteers from the Canaan Day Care Center, including parents and children.
Among other events planned for later this year is the Rotary Club’s annual July 4 fireworks display at Lime Rock Park, and its 75th Anniversary Gala in the fall, the dates and details of which have yet to be finalized.
Referring to Salisbury Rotary Club’s milestone anniversary, Spalding noted, “This will be a good year for us. We’re excited and looking forward to it.”
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