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Lifeguard Melody Matsudaira keeps a watchful eye on Cream Hill Lake swimmers.
Riley Klein
CORNWALL — After an incident regarding raised levels of E. coli, Cream Hill Lake in Cornwall has been deemed safe to swim.
In June, water testing revealed slightly elevated levels of E. coli bacteria in the waters of the Cream Hill Lake Association and Hammond Beach.
Swimmers in the lake were advised to refrain from submerging their heads in the water, ingesting water and to shower promptly after swimming.
The Board of Selectmen reviewed the situation at a regular meeting July 1. First Selectman Gordon Ridgway said the heavy rains that fell in the spring were likely the cause of the E. coli spike.
Ridgway said the bacteria is found “on the forest floor, it moves around.” Rain likely caused excessive run off, he said, “It’s definitely important to monitor.”
Selectman Rocco Botto said the tests that caused the scare showed relatively elevated levels, but did not enter the danger zone.
“A concentration less or equal to 235 per 100 milliliters is considered satisfactory and those first tests were at like 75 and 31,” said Botto. “It puts us well within the threshold of safe swimming.”
Since this initial tests, Torrington Area Health District has stated the levels have decreased.
“We do have a little sign out as far as what the recommendations are about keeping your head out of the water,” said Ridgway. “Don’t be drinking a lot of the water... It is a pond.”
Position changes
At the July 1 meeting, the selectmen accepted a series of position changes.
Selectman Jennifer Markow will be stepping down as director of Parks and Recreation. She served in the role for about 10 years and will resign after the completion of summer events in town.
She will continue to serve on the commission as an alternate.
“I had a great time working with the Parks and Rec,” said Markow. “I had an awesome commission over the years.”
The search for a new director is underway.
Spencer Mussulman began his role as the new Zoning Enforcement Officer. His officer hours are Tuesday and Thursday from 7:30 to 10 a.m. and by appointment on Friday.
Rebecca Juchert-Derungs was appointed by the selectmen to become the new tax collector. She also works as tax collector in Falls Village and Goshen and will assume the job in Cornwall at the end of outgoing Tax Collector Jean Bouteiller’s current term in November.
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Police Blotter: Troop B
Jul 09, 2025
Police Blotter: Troop B
John Coston
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.
Trailer detachment
On the afternoon of June 28, Gary Schoonmaker, 61, of Sheffield, Massachusetts was hauling a trailer behind a Ford 150 down Old Turnpike Road North in East Canaan when the trailer detached, colliding with a utility pole. Schoonmaker was found at fault, and was issued a written warning for operating with an unsecured load.
Disorderly conduct and restraint arrest
On June 29, Brian McDermott, 53, of Sandisfield, Massachusetts, was arrested on an active warrant for an incident dating to the late evening of June 4 on Joray Road in Sharon. McDermott was processed for disorderly conduct and unlawful restraint in the second degree, and was released on a $2,000 cash bond. He was scheduled to appear at Torrington Superior Court on June 30.
Trespassing Arrest
On July 1, Steven Knox, 49, of Norfolk was arrested on first degree trespassing charges for an incident that occurred on June 21 at a Grant Street residence in Norfolk. Investigation yielded that no threats were made, although Knox had entered the residence without permission. Knox was released on a $1,500 surety bond and is scheduled to appear at Torrington Superior Court on July 15.
Vehicle scratched and dented at Town Grove
Between noon and approximately 2 p.m. on July 3, Samantha Zappia, 37, of Amenia had parked her 2019 Chrysler Pacifica in the Lakeville Town Grove parking lot, where it was scratched and dented by an unidentified party. Anyone with information is asked to contact Trooper Begley #868 at the Troop B barracks at Kathleen.Begley@ct.gov of Troop B Routine Line (860) 626-1820.
Thunderstorm crash
Late in the afternoon on July 3, Steve Zacarias, 23, of Torrington lost control of his Honda Civic EX on Route 272 in Norfolk during heavy rain and hail. The vehicle slid from the roadway and collided with a utility pole, causing damage to both the pole and car. Zacarias was uninjured in the accident, but was issued a written warning for traveling too fast for conditions.
Domestic disturbance arrest
On the evening of July 3, Troopers were dispatched to a High Street residence in North Canaan on the report of a verbal altercation between a boyfriend and girlfriend. Upon investigation, troopers determined that Sarah Rakowski, 35, of Prospect, Connecticut, was the primary aggressor in the dispute and was transported to Troop B. Rakowski was charged for disorderly conduct and was released on a $1,000 non-surety bond. She was scheduled to appear at Torrington Superior Court on July 7.
Patient steals car from hospital parking lot
At about 1:30 a.m. on July 6, Sharon Hospital phoned Troop B to report a missing patient who had left the hospital. Just after 3 a.m., another report notified troopers of a 2020 Red Chevrolet Silverado that had disappeared from the hospital’s parking lot. It was later determined that the patient, Chace Jones, 25, of Kent, had taken the car and drove it to the Cumberland Farms gas station in Amenia where he abandoned it, subsequently finding other means of travel back to the High Watch Recovery Center in Kent where he was located by troopers. He was processed for larceny of a motor vehicle, and was unable to post a $5,000 cash bond, after which he was transferred to New Haven Correctional Facility. He was scheduled to appear at Torrington Superior Court on July 7.
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 subject, to editor@lakevillejournal.com
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USA Waste & Recycling, based in Winsted, is seeking to purchase the Torrington Transfer Station for a price of $3.25 million.
Jennifer Almquist
TORRINGTON — Effective July 1, Connecticut Department of Administrative Services became the entity overseeing municipal waste service agreements in the Northwest Corner.
The shift occurred after the MIRA Dissolution Authority Board of Directors was unable to reach a consensus on what to do with the Torrington Transfer Station prior to June 30. The two apparent choices were to sell the facility to USA Waste & Recycling for $3.25 million, or to convey the property and permit to the Northwest Resource Recovery Authority, founded by the City of Torrington.
MIRA-DA had previously, at different times, accepted both proposals.
An agreement was reached in February 2025 for a regional waste authority to take over the Transfer Station. Most Northwest Corner towns expressed interest in joining. The City of Torrington worked with the Northwest Hills Council of Governments to establish the NRRA, holding a public hearing May 19 and concluding the process in early June.
USA Waste & Recycling’s purchase offer was conditionally accepted May 14, days before the NRRA could be established. Before the sale went through, the state intervened by passing an amendment to the Intervenor Bill (HB 7287) requiring the Torrington Transfer Station operating permit be transferred to the public authority.
MIRA-DA’s June meeting centered around how to proceed. The vast majority of discussion took place in executive session, which was recessed and reconvened over several days.
On June 26, Chairman Bert Hunter said, “After considerable deliberations, there is not sufficient support to pursue either the sale to a private party as proposed by USA Waste, a private option, or the public option as proposed by Northwest Hills COG plus the City of Torrington. So, since we cannot support either path, the contracts associated with the Torrington Transfer Station and the transfer station property will by law transfer to the Department of Administrative Services.”
The law cited here is the Solid Waste Management Services Act - Section 22a-284e, passed in 2024, which names DAS as the successor to MIRA-DA effective July 1, 2025.
MIRA-DA went on to make a motion formally recommending DAS “competitively bid the sale of the Torrington Transfer Station land and operations by September 30th, 2025, or at their earliest practicable opportunity.”
Towns in the Northwest Corner continue to mull the option of joining NRRA. Cornwall First Selectman Gordon Ridgway explained a town ordinance must be passed to secure membership.
“It’s still a ways away, but that’s where things are going,” Ridgway said at a selectmen’s meeting July 1.
As of early July, Torrington remained the sole municipal member of the Authority. Northwest Hills COG staff encouraged interested towns to “start the process” of joining the NRRA.
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Falls Village welcomes new eatery
Jul 09, 2025
Guests line up for food and drink at the Off the Trail Cafe soft opening Saturday, July 5.
Patrick L. Sullivan
FALLS VILLAGE — Just in time for the regular monthly “First Saturdays in Falls Village” event, the Off the Trail Cafe had a soft opening Saturday, July 5.
Proprietor Liz Ives was scooting back and forth between the serving area and the kitchen at around 10:30 a.m., as three or four groups of customers sat at tables inside and out and another knot of half a dozen people waited to place their orders.
Ives said the cafe is offering a limited menu for the moment, with more to come.
There were four other employees besides Ives working.
There is also a notebook in which Appalachian Trail hikers can log in with trail names such as Moxie, Frogger, Candyman and Leafy, who all visited recently.
The cafe is in the town-owned 107 Main St. building, sharing the ground floor with Furnace: Art on paper and the building with the Senior Center upstairs.
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