FALLS VILLAGE – The Blue and Gold student art show will open Thursday, May 14, at the Kearcher-Monsell Gallery inside Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
The opening reception will take place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., with the awards ceremony beginning at 5 p.m.
Now in its 22nd year, the juried art show will feature more than 100 works by HVRHS students in categories including photography, sculpture, paintings and ceramics. Many works will be for sale.
The event is free and open to the public.
Ruth Epstein
Children explore emergency vehicles during the Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department’s open house Sunday, Oct. 18.
CORNWALL — The Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department held an open house Sunday where it showcased its equipment and explained the services its members provide to keep townspeople safe.
With the fire engines and ambulances on full display, excited children were given the experience of climbing onto and into the vehicles. An occasional loud horn could be heard even from a distance as young hands touched all the knobs and buttons.
At one point, Captain Ian Ridgway addressed the attendees to describe the two new trucks that have been recently purchased by the department. The trucks are now being built and should be delivered by next August.
One is a six-seater, he explained, that will replace a two-seater, allowing more firefighters in the vehicle. The second truck is not as big and will better enable access to smaller locations.
“These trucks will allow us to respond more quickly, since they will hold equipment that will help us to be ready to go where seconds really matter; to bolster our response time,” he said.
The cost for the two is $700,000. The department raised over half by private donations, with the town’s contribution at $200,000. The goal was exceeded and the remainder will be put toward certain equipment, gear and extrication and battery-powered tools.
The trucks are being built by Greenwoods Emergency Vehicles in Attleboro, Mass.
The department’s current fleet contains six trucks: four are housed at the West Cornwall firehouse and two at the Cornwall Bridge firehouse.
Also speaking at the event was Bill Dinneen, who oversees the local Wreaths Across America project that places wreaths on the headstones of veterans and first responders.
Dinneen said the goal is to purchase 175 wreaths at $17 per wreath. Donations may be sent to Dinneen at 102 Popple Swamp Road, Cornwall Bridge 06754. For further information, contact Dinneen at billdinneen@yahoo.com or call/text 860-248-1543.
The wreaths will be placed at Cornwall Cemetery and North Cornwall Cemetery on Dec. 19 at noon. Volunteers are needed to participate in the ceremony.
Patrick Stachniak
SHARON — For the first time in more than two decades, the Sharon Sewer & Water Commission (SSWC) has proposed hiking rates for both sewer and water users, citing several “major hits” to the system this past year.
If approved by the Board of Finance, residents who use the town services face a 23% increase beginning in 2027.
In an Oct. 13 meeting, the Selectmen voted to approve the increase, which will now be sent to the Board of Finance for review. About 300 homes near the town green are connected to Sharon’s sewer and water system and would be affected. Most homes rely on private wells and septic systems.
Sharon residents who are connected to the town’s sewer and water systems are likely to face a $200 annual increase. Homeowners who only utilize the sewer will see an increase of $20.88 quarterly.
Despite that increase, the SSWC says it charges one of the lowest prices for the service in the Northwest Corner.
SSWC Chairman Stephen Szalewicz said burst pipes last winter and other damage played a role in the hike. During a freeze in January, one of the largest water mains in town burst. The repairs cost the town nearly four times the cost of an average pipe repair, which is typically around $20,000-$25,000.
Sharon’s water woes continued when a state road work crew damaged another pipe several months later. Though the SSWC is appealing to the state to cover the $20,000 price tag, it is unsure whether the state will cover the cost.
In July, the 35-year-old water plant generator failed and is not repairable. The plant is now powered by a rented generator for $4,000 a month until a new one can be purchased, which the SSWC estimates will cost $60,000.
Additionally, routine maintenance on the plant’s lagoons, which the state requires to store water while the plant is back-washed for cleaning, cost even more than typical after the town was forced to find a new company.
According to Szalewicz, very few companies offer the service and Wind River Environmental, based in Massachusetts, quoted the SSWC $110,000 for it: five times the traditional cost.
In total, the broken pipes, generator and additional service charges cost Sharon an extra $240,000 in 2026, depleting the commission’s reserve funds.
While waiting for the new income from the rate increase, the SSWC also applied for a loan from NBT Bank to help cover the charges and pay for the generator and more scheduled maintenance on the plant.
“An increase in rates is prudent given what inflation has done over the past 20-some years,” said First Selectman Casey Flanagan. “[The SSWC] has to meet certain requirements imposed on them by the state and make sure things are working properly with 100-year-old pipes in the ground and a facility that’s 30-some years old.”
Flanagan acknowledged the strain on residents living on fixed incomes but said the SSWC needs sufficient reserves to address problems as they arise. The commission is considering raising rates further in the coming years, but believes the current increase is “at a good place.”
“It’s the reality. Things are more expensive than they were 20 years ago and they need to catch back up,” Flanagan said. “This is why you need to have reserves built up with aging infrastructure like they have. And why this rate increase is necessary, because they do need to build their cash position so that when another pipe breaks, they can fix it.”
Ruth Epstein
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal presents a certificate of recognition to Catherine Bachrach, a founding member of the Kent Community Fund, during a 20th anniversary celebration of the fund on Oct. 16.
KENT — The Kent Community Fund celebrated its 20th anniversary Oct. 16 at Kent Town Hall, marking two decades of helping residents meet emergency needs and supporting local charitable programs.
The volunteer-run nonprofit has awarded more than $700,000 in grants since its founding in 2006.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal praised the fund’s work and commitment to helping neighbors.
“What you have done here is inspirational,” he told guests at the reception. “It’s really about community.”
Founding member and current board member Lorry Schiesel traced the fund’s roots to Charlie and Lucy Tremont, a local couple who supplied holiday food baskets.
Residents organized the fund in January 2006 and secured nonprofit status that November to help neighbors meet emergency needs and support charitable programs.
George Jacobson and Jim Palmer recruited founding donors, raising $44,346 for an endowment. After Palmer’s death in 2010, the board established programs for seniors in his memory.
The fund supports the Kent Food Bank and helps children attend summer camp, after-school programs, Kent Community Nursery School, and Park and Recreation programs. With Kent Memorial Library, it sponsors Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, providing free monthly books to children.
A 2018 merger with the Kent Nursing Association expanded its mission to include community health and assistance with health care needs and financial emergencies.
Board member Joe Speranzo served as emcee for the event, emphasizing that the fund has no paid staff and its board members are volunteers.
Also attending was state Rep. Maria Horn of the 64th District.
“This is what it’s all about; caring for neighbors. The Kent Community Fund quietly goes about its work and makes it happen. Neighbor is now a verb. It’s happening here in Kent. It reminds me we are a community,” Horn said.
First Selectman Eric Epstein, who was out of town, sent a letter in which he said, “A strong community is built on people who care about their neighbors and are willing to step up to help others.
The Kent Community Fund is a wonderful example of that spirit and we are fortunate to have an organization so dedicated to supporting our town. As we celebrate this important anniversary, we recognize not only all that has been accomplished over the past 20 years, but also the positive impact the fund will continue to have in the years ahead.”
Both Blumenthal and Horn presented citations to founding board member Catherine Bachrach, who recently stepped down.
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Patrick Stachniak
Downtown Kent, where a Planning and Zoning Commission subcommittee is reviewing sign regulations following residents’ complaints about excessive signage.
KENT — After receiving several complaints from residents on the overabundance of signage in downtown Kent, the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) created a subcommittee last month to update the regulations to ensure the town maintains its small-town feel.
The Subcommittee of Signage Regulations Revisions has met three times and plans to have the revised rules ready by 2027.
The subcommittee is composed of existing P&Z members as well as other community leaders, such as Kent Memorial Library Executive Director Sarah Marshall and Fife ‘n Drum Restaurant & Inn Owner Elissa Potts, bringing both commission and local business perspectives to the review.
According to Land Use Administrator Tai Kern, the rules and regulations are “outdated” and have been in need of revisions for some time now.
“The signage has gotten to a point where it’s getting a little bit much, and we got some complaints, which ultimately forced the commission to create a subcommittee,” said Kern.
While the revisions are being developed, all meetings, materials and proposed changes can be found online. Currently, the subcommittee has addressed issues such as the size of internally illuminated signs that can increase light pollution.
In an open letter to Kern and the subcommittee, one Kent resident stated the need for the updated rules:
“Visitors come to Kent and easily imagine what it was like to live in a small, friendly community in a simpler time. Kent’s understated charm is evocative. The human scale of the town invites our visitors to come here to unwind and imagine a life with a slower pace, fewer complications, and fewer assaults on the senses,” wrote John Casey concerning Kent Green.
Casey and Kern both said that the revisions will be less about enforcement and more focused on clarification on how best to attract weekend visitors and tourists without disrupting the architectural standards of Kent.
According to Kern, many visitors can miss the small businesses located beyond the railroad track that runs through Kent, and the subcommittee’s ultimate goal is to “promote economic growth” for everyone in town.
“The village center has this quintessential New England kind of character. Especially this time of year, all the leaf peepers, everybody comes, so it’s a very touristy kind of destination,” said Kern. “Nobody really wants to see anything too cluttered or too outrageous, because it would change why people come here in the first place.”
Kern said a public hearing on the proposed revisions is expected in 2027, although no official timeline has been set.
Patrick Stachniak
NORTH CANAAN —The Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing Nov. 9 on a proposed two-year moratorium on data centers and battery energy storage facilities, giving town officials time to study how to regulate the uses.
The commission has discussed the proposal with the Board of Selectmen as officials consider potential land requirements and effects on the electrical grid.
“I think it’s something that needs some research and study before we just add it into our regulations and definitions or we jump to a conclusion to prohibit,” said P&Z Chair Michael O’Connor.
The proposed moratorium would provide time to research the facilities and consider zoning rules governing future applications. O’Connor said officials also want “time to absorb what the state of Connecticut is doing.”
The commission previously discussed a moratorium in September, when Cornwallannounced it was considering a ban on both types of facility.
Data centers house computer servers and related equipment. Battery energy storage systems store electricity for later use.
A proposed battery storage project in New Milford illustrates the scale of development being considered in the region.
An October 2025 draft application describes a 140-megawatt facility off Aspetuck Ridge Road that would occupy approximately 10 acres. The application identifies access to transmission infrastructure, the ability to connect to the grid and suitable land.
Connecticut has also established incentives for energy storage. The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority created the Energy Storage Solutions program in 2021, with a goal of deploying 580 megawatts of storage capacity by 2030.
The Nov. 9 hearing will give residents an opportunity to comment on the proposed moratorium.
Patrick L. Sullivan
FALLS VILLAGE — Voters will consider supplemental appropriations for a new ambulance, dehumidifiers for the Town Hall basement, and painting the Senior Center at a town meeting Monday, Oct. 26, at 6 p.m. at Town Hall.
The requests, discussed by the Board of Selectmen at its Tuesday, Oct. 13, meeting, are $113,000 for the ambulance, up to $7,000 for the dehumidifiers and up to $5,000 for the painting.
First Selectman Dave Barger said the painting appropriation would supplement a state grant that is expected to fall short of covering the full cost. He said he wants to ensure the work is completed.
In other business, Selectman Judy Jacobs reported that new signs identifying the Historic District have been installed.
Jacobs also said the state has no interest in paying to refurbish the deteriorating historic marker on the town Green. Bill Beebe and Denny Jacobs plan to undertake the work themselves.
The board accepted the resignations of Cheryl Aeschliman and Frank Hadsell from the Village Historic District Study Committee and appointed Anne Bidou to the committee.
The selectmen also appointed Stephanie Astrow as cemetery sexton.
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