
Kyle McCarron led the pack through three laps in the boys 1600-meter race at the Class S state meet, May 29.
Riley Klein
Kyle McCarron led the pack through three laps in the boys 1600-meter race at the Class S state meet, May 29.
NEW BRITAIN — Housatonic Valley Regional High School had eight athletes compete in the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class S track and field championship May 29.
HVRHS made its mark throughout the long day of competitions at Willow Brook Park. The meet saw several Mountaineers set new personal records (PR) and two podiumed, qualifying for the State Open meet Monday, June 3.
Kyle McCarron set a new PR in the 1600-meter race by finishing in 4:23.5 minutes, enough for third place in Class S. The boys 1600-meter was won by Parker Cook of Old Saybrook High School in 4:22.54 minutes.
McCarron went on to PR in the 3200-meter run. He placed fourth in the final with a time of 9:55.75 minutes. The boys 3200-meter was won by Joseph DeLuise of Oxford High School in 9:33 minutes.
Ava Segalla set a new PR in the 100-meter race at Willow Brook Park.Riley Klein
Ava Segalla participated in three events: high jump, 100-meter dash and 4x100-meter relay.
Segalla placed second in the high jump by clearing 5’2”. Gwenyth Romanzi from Thomaston High School also cleared 5’2”. Neither jumper reached 5’4” and Romanzi won due to less failed attempts on previous heights.
Segalla placed sixth overall in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.77 seconds (PR). The girls 100-meter was won by Emily McKelvey from Lyman Memorial High School in 12.33.
Adelyn Diorio handed off the baton to Ava Segalla in the girls 4x100-meter relay.Riley Klein
The girls 4x100-meter relay team featured Segalla, Mia Dodge, Harper Howe and Adelyn Diorio. They placed sixth in the finals with a time of 52.05 seconds. Cogninchaug High School won the girls 4x100-meter in 50.47 seconds.
Mia Dodge placed sixth in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 49.68 seconds. The girls 300-meter hurdles was won by Zoe Eastman-Grossel from Lyme-Old Lyme High School in 46.20 seconds.
Anthony Labbadia broke his own high jump PR twice at states. He cleared 5’10” and 6’0” both for the first time and placed fifth overall at the state meet. The boys high jump was won by Ja’Mari Manson of Bloomfield High School who cleared 6’4”.
Anthony Labbadia after breaking his personal record in high jump not once but twice.Riley Klein
Labbadia went on to run the 400-meter race and finished in 18th at 54.99 seconds. The boys 400-meter was won by Brenan McCabe from Immaculate High School in 48 seconds flat.
The boys 4x400-meter team, consisting of Labbadia, Patrick Money, Kyle McCarron and Silas Tripp, was disqualified for a break line violation. Notre Dame High School (Fairfield) won the boys 4x400-meter in 3:27.49 minutes.
Patrick Money competed in the long jump and placed 11th with a distance of 5.94 meters. The boys long jump was won by Makye Wade from Capital Preparatory Harbor School who leapt 6.73 meters.
Harper Howe and Adelyn Diorio both ran in the 200-meter race. Howe placed 33rd with a time of 28.59 seconds and Diorio placed 48th with a time of 29.33 seconds. The girls 200-meter was won by Kylie Dennis of Holy Cross High School in 25.85 seconds.
Coach Alan Lovejoy was pleased to see his team perform well and set several new personal bests. Lovejoy is due to retire from teaching at HVRHS next month, but he will continue on as the track and field coach next year.
Alan Lovejoy congratulates Anthony Labbadia on setting a new PR.Riley Klein
SALISBURY — At a special meeting Thursday, May 15, the Board of Selectmen tabled the issue of approving a permit for traffic rerouting on Route 112 Friday and Saturday, June 27 to 28.
Lime Rock Park is hosting a weekend of NASCAR events. In anticipation of a large crowd, estimated between 12,000 at 15,000 in attendance, LRP has asked to have one-way traffic on Route 112 (Lime Rock Road) from Route 7 to White Hollow Road and the main track entrance between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and again between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on both days.
Tom Burke, Director of Facility Safety at Lime Rock Park, told the selectmen that this option was chosen because it does not involve detours on local roads. At their regular monthly meeting Monday, May 5, the selectmen had expressed dismay and concern at an earlier proposal to route traffic over narrow and windy Brinton Hill Road.
Burke said there will be at least two electronic variable message boards used and traditional “hard” signs.
And there will be state troopers deployed to assist motorists.
Public comment was negative. Victor Jermack said the entire idea seemed unreasonable to him, and Michael Klemens, who chairs the Planning and Zoning Commission, voiced concern about what he called “programmatic creep” at the track.
Sarah Wolf, who lives on White Hollow Road, wanted to know how people in the neighborhood were supposed to go about their usual business during the periods of one-way traffic on Route 112.
First Selectman Curtis Rand asked if the track’s representatives had been in touch with the neighbors. Burke said no, because they are waiting on final approval before informing the neighbors.
“That’s a lot of pressure on me,” Rand replied, adding he is wary of signing off on the plan without much input from the public.
He also asked why he has to sign off on the plan at all, since the traffic disruptions take place on a state highway. He said he was going to call the state Department of Transportation and ask the same question.
Selectman Kitty Kiefer pointed out that there is another event Thursday, June 26, that the selectmen could not discuss because it was not on the special meeting agenda. By state law special meeting agendas cannot be modified, whereas regularly scheduled meeting agendas may be amended at the start of a meeting.
The Lime Rock Park website lists the Thursday event as a “Pit Stop Party and Hauler Parade” at the White Hart Inn in Salisbury, with details to come.
Selectman Chris Williams said that while it doesn’t help the immediate situation, the town and track need to consider the town’s infrastructure, or lack thereof, when planning events that draw large crowds.
Ultimately the selectmen agreed to table the matter and resume at another special meeting. Rand said he was going to consult the town attorney in the interim.
The selectmen will have another special meeting Wednesday, May 21, at 2 p.m.
FALLS VILLAGE — The Board of Finance will hold a public hearing on the proposed spending plans for 2025-26 Wednesday May 21, 6:30 p.m. at the Emergency Services Center and on Zoom.
First Selectman Dave Barger will present the municipal plan and Board of Education Chair Pat Mechare will handle the plan for the Lee H. Kellogg School.
SALISBURY — The spending plans for the town and Salisbury Central School were approved unanimously at a town meeting Wednesday, May 14. The vote was 26-0 on both budget items.
The Board of Finance will set the 2025-26 mill rate after a special meeting Wednesday, May 21, at noon.
The municipal budget for 2025-26 has a bottom line of $9,205,102, an increase of $575,530 or 6.7%.
The budget for Salisbury Central School is for $6,897,148, an increase of $361,209 or 5.53%.
The Region One budget passed at a referendum vote May 6. The town’s Region One assessment is $4,781,093, an increase of $373,080 or 8.46%.
Total town education spending is therefore $11,678,241, an increase of $734,289 or 6.71%.
At the public hearing April 30, Finance chair Pari Farood said it is likely that there will be no mill rate change if the budget proposals were approved. The Salisbury mill rate is currently 11.0.
NORTH CANAAN — The Board of Finance accepted spending proposals for the town and school at its regular meeting May 14.
The meeting was held immediately after a three-minute public hearing on the budgets. One resident spoke to ask about the selectmen’s salary line. This matter was also discussed by the finance board members in their meeting.
In the original 2025-26 municipal spending proposal, the first selectman’s salary was reduced to $6,500, matching the salary of the second and third selectmen.
The Board of Finance requested that line of the budget be reinstated to its 2024-25 amount, which totaled $37,000: $30,500 for First Selectman Brian Ohler and $6,500 for Selectman Craig Whiting. Selectman Jesse Bunce turned down his salary last year, but this year he requested to be paid the same as Whiting.
When the 2025-26 budget was modified after the finance board’s request, the first selectmen’s salary was set at $24,000 and the three selectmen’s salaries totaled $37,000 to match 2024-25.
At the May 14 meeting, Board of Finance Member Christian Allyn made a motion to add $4,000 more to the first selectman’s salary.
There was no second to the motion, “So therefore the motion is dead,” said Chairman Doug Humes.
Allyn voted against the motion to accept the municipal budget, but the motion carried 4-1.
The town spending plan shows a bottom line of $3,239,732, a reduction of $3,204, or -0.1% from last year’s budget.
The NCES spending plan totals $4,767,136.46, an increase of $231,023.76, or 5.09%, compared to last year.
A Town Meeting to vote on the budgets will be held Wednesday, May 21, at 7 p.m. in Town Hall.
Residents will also vote on a two-year $TK contract for the resident trooper.