Kent residents speak up on Waramaug wakesurfing issue

No wakes to be seen on Lake Waramaug on a stormy Friday evening in June.
Alec Linden
No wakes to be seen on Lake Waramaug on a stormy Friday evening in June.
KENT — A Tuesday, June 17, public hearing to discuss banning wakesurfing on Lake Waramaug was held with relative civility compared to other recent meetings on the topic.
The proposed ordinance would prohibit all wakesurfing on the lake, as well as the use of any technologies on wake boats that are used to enlarge the wave. The ordinance calls for a $250 fine per infraction.
The boats themselves are not banned in the ordinance’s language, only the activity.
Breaking with the more split opinion demonstrated in previous public debates, Kent residents spoke largely in favor of the proposed ordinance, citing what they saw as risks to public safety and the lake’s ecology resulting from the sport.
The ordinance in question was drafted over the course of two years by the Lake Waramaug Authority and finally passed at a June 6 meeting. After the initial meeting adjourned with no opportunity for public comment, several citizens grew angry and accused the Authority of operating un-democratically in producing its proposed ordinance.
On June 17, the first two speakers, Kent residents John Amster and Amie McKay, spoke out against the proposed ordinance, suggesting that the issue be left to the state to delegate so it could perform its own research.
Amster doubted the validity of a town-commissioned study conducted by environmental consulting firm Terra Vigilis, alleging that the data from that survey was narrow in scope and didn’t adequately address the impact of wakesurfing on water quality and public safety. “It can’t possibly be the big risk everyone is making it out to be,” he said, claiming that he sees very little wakesurfing actually occurring on the lake.
McKay noted that the study didn’t actually suggest a ban, but rather recommended implementing strict depth and distance regulations when using a wake boat in surf mode.
After those testimonials, however, the remainder of the public commentary swayed largely in support of the ordinance.
Kevin Brady, a longtime member of the Lake Waramaug Association, a 110-year old stewardship organization, said that there can’t be compromise regarding the sport because it presents a “serious hazard to other lake users.” He estimated that there are approximately 40 wake boats on the lake at present.
Lakefront-homeowner Christopher Spring, another member of the Association, alleged that his family has limited use of their dock due to safety concerns from large wakes. “We don’t go on our dock on the weekends anymore because it’s just too darn dangerous frankly,” he said.
Several longtime lake-users recalled a decades-long period of poor water quality in the 1970s and 1980s and expressed the importance of keeping the lake’s ecology healthy. “I have seen the lake at its very best as a kid,” said Jim Hicks, who spoke several times throughout the meeting. “I have also seen the lake at its worst.”
Kent is the first of the three towns in the Interlocal Commission – a coalition of the first selectmen of Kent, Warren and Washington that governs the Lake – to hold a hearing on the issue. For the ordinance to be passed, it will have to pass a vote in each town.
Kent residents will vote on the proposed ban in-person only at a 7 p.m. town meeting Friday, June 27.
SALISBURY — Amanda Cannon, age 100, passed away Oct. 15, 2025, at Noble Horizons. She was the wife of the late Jeremiah Cannon.
Amanda was born Aug. 20, 1925, in Brooklyn, New York the daughter of the late Karl and Ella Husslein.
She was widowed at the age of 31 and worked as a bookkeeper for the Standard Oil Company and other oil companies in New York City until she retired at age 72.
Amanda moved to Noble Horizons in 2013 to live near her daughter Diane and son-in-law (the late) Raymond Zelazny.
She enjoyed her time in the Northwest Corner and was an avid nature lover, albeit considered herself a native New Yorker as she was born and resided in NYC for 88 years.
She was a faithful parishioner of St. Mary’s Church in Lakeville and attended Mass regularly until the age of 99.
Amanda was the grandmother of (the late) Jesse Morse and is survived by her daughter, Diane Zelazny, her grandsons, Adam Morse, Raymond Morse and his wife Daron and their daughter and her great granddaughter Cecelia Morse.
A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Thursday, Oct. 23, 11 a.m. at St Mary’s Church in Lakeville, Connecticut.
Memorial donations may be made to St. Mary’s Church.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
LAKEVILLE — Barbara Meyers DelPrete, 84, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, at her home. She was the beloved wife of George R. DelPrete for 62 years.
Mrs. DelPrete was born in Burlington, Iowa, on May 31, 1941, daughter of the late George and Judy Meyers. She lived in California for a time and had been a Lakeville resident for the past 55 years.
Survivors, in addition to her husband, George, include son, George R. DelPrete II, daughter, Jena DelPrete Allee, and son Stephen P. DelPrete. Grandchildren; Trey, Cassidy, and Meredith DelPrete, Jack, Will and Finn Allee, and Ali and Nicholas DelPrete.
A Funeral Mass was held at St. Mary’s Church, Lakeville, on Saturday, Oct. 4. May she Rest in Peace.
Ryan Funeral Home, 255 Main St., Lakeville, is in care of arrangements.
To offer an online condolence, please visit ryanfhct.com
SHARON — Shirley Anne Wilbur Perotti, daughter of George and Mabel (Johnson) Wilbur, the first girl born into the Wilbur family in 65 years, passed away on Oct. 5, 2025, at Noble Horizons.
Shirley was born on Aug. 19, 1948 at Sharon Hospital.
She was raised on her parents’ poultry farm (Odge’s Eggs, Inc.).
After graduating from Housatonic Valley Regional High School, she worked at Litchfield County National Bank and Colonial Bank.
She married the love of her life, John, on Aug. 16, 1969, and they lived on Sharon Mountain for more than 50 years.
Shirley enjoyed creating the annual family Christmas card, which was a coveted keepsake.She also enjoyed having lunch once a month with her best friends, Betty Kowalski, Kathy Ducillo, and Paula Weir.
In addition to John, she is survived by her three children and their families; Sarah Medeiros, her husband, Geoff, and their sons, Nick and Andrew, of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, Shelby Diorio, her husband, Mike, and their daughters, Addie, Lainey and Lyla, of East Canaan, Connecticut,Jeffrey Perotti, his wife, Melissa, and their daughters, Annie, Lucy and Winnie, of East Canaan. Shirley also leaves her two brothers, Edward Wilbur and his wife Joan, and David Wilbur; two nieces, three nephews, and several cousins.
At Shirley’s request, services will be private.
Donations in her memory may be made to the Sharon Woman’s Club Scholarship Fund, PO Box 283, Sharon, CT 06069.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
MILLERTON — Veronica Lee “Ronnie” Silvernale, 78, a lifelong area resident died Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, at Sharon Hospital in Sharon, Connecticut. Mrs. Silvernale had a long career at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, where she served as a respected team leader in housekeeping and laundry services for over eighteen years. She retired in 2012.
Born Oct. 19, 1946, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, she was the daughter of the late Bradley C. and Sophie (Debrew) Hosier, Sr. Following her graduation from high school and attending college, she married Jack Gerard Silvernale on June 15, 1983 in Millerton, New York. Their marriage lasted thirty-five years until Jack’s passing on July 28, 2018.
Ronnie is survived by her daughter, Jaime Silvernale (Wm. MacDaniel, Sr.) of Millerton, her beloved grandson, Wm. MacDaniel, Jr.; two special nieces, Shannon and Rebecca and a special nephew Sean Hosier. In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by her brother, Bradley C. Hosier, Jr. and her dear friend Ruth Fullerton of Millerton.
Visitation was private. A celebration of Ronnie’s life will be held in the future. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546. To send an online condolence to the family or to plant a tree in Ronnie’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com