Canaan Child Care Center’s Education Consultant Mary Cecchinato (standing left) and CECA’s Exucutive Director Merrill Gay (standing right), along with two students, Riley and Winnie, thanked State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64) for her commitment to early education when presenting the Children’s Champion certificate in North Canaan Aug. 29, 2024.
Early childcare professionals in the Northwest Corner applaud the announcement of the passing of a new childcare affordability bill in the state, even if some details remain unclear.
On May 31, Connecticut state legislation passed a first-of-its kind bill that offers free early childcare to families with a total annual income of less than $100,000, and limits childcare costs to just 7% of annual income for families who make more.
“We’ve been on the back burner for a long time,” said Salisbury’s Housatonic Child Care Center Director Tonya Roussis, explaining that the moment feels like a reckoning of sorts for early childhood caregivers. “It’s nice to see that this is coming to the forefront, and we are being recognized.”
The bill, known as Senate Bill 1, has been a top priority for Senate democrats in the 2025 legislative session, which adjourned on June 4. The proposal was strongly backed by Governor Ned Lamont (D), who described it as “an investment in our future by expanding access to affordable pre-school” in a Feb. 2025 press release, explaining that early socialization and education prepares young children to succeed while their parents are able to earn more income.
The bill passed by a large margin, 32-4, in the state Senate on May 30, followed by a House vote the next day that was split on party lines, 101-45.
The core of the bill establishes an endowment fund from annual budget surplus amounting to up to $300 million per year that would subsidize families’ costs beginning in 2028. In a news release celebrating the May 30 Senate vote, State Sen. Doug McCrory (D-2) described the endowment as a “first-in-the-nation” strategy to address mounting early childcare and preschool costs.
The bill met opposition from Republicans who considered using surplus budget funds for off-budget spending irresponsible. A spokesperson for state Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding (R-30), who voted against the bill, stated that the senator was in favor of much of the bill but could not support what he felt was a violation of the state’s fiscal guardrails. He attempted to pass an amendment that would use capital from the state general fund rather than budget surplus for the endowment, but it was voted down.
Speaking at the session, Harding said the bill was “playing budget gimmicks with early childhood.”
Childcare, like in many places, is costly in the Northwest Corner. Roussis said in a region where annual preschool costs average between $14,000 and $17,000, the new legislation is welcome. “For those families making less than $100,000… they need to work, they need to live, they need to survive. And having this one piece off their financial plate is probably going to do so much for them.”
The bill also promises higher pay and better health care benefits to childcare professionals, which Roussis hopes will address underpay for highly qualified educators in the field. She said 90% of HCCC teachers have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in early childhood care and deserve fair compensation.
While Roussis is celebrating the bill’s passing as “amazing progress for the field of early childhood,” she’s aware that funding may be a long way away from a program like HCCC. “Private centers are down the road,” she said, explaining that the funds will primarily be allocated through state programs at first, like the Office of Early Childhood’s “Early Start CT” program. As the endowment grows, she is hopeful that organizations like HCCC will receive their share.
Other local childcare centers are cautious about the uncertainties surrounding how the funds will be directed and dispersed. Fran Chapell, who directs the Canaan Child Care Center, said that the Early Start program will subsume the OEC’s “School Readiness” program that has funded CCCC’s families, and that the details of how the shift will play out are yet unclear.
“It’s hard to know what the future is going to bring until we have more information,” she said.
Until then, Chapell is focusing on community partnerships as means to alleviate some of the cost burdens on young families.
The CCCC recently took over North Canaan’s community garden, Chapell said, and in the first week of June local families came out to help plant tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and other vegetables donated by East Canaan’s Freund’s Farm. When ready for harvest, the produce will be brought to the Fishes and Loaves Food Pantry, which will help reduce costs on food expenditures for families trying to make ends meet.
Chapell said a number of other partnerships, like a grant from the Salisbury Chapter of the Rotary Club which helps pay for school supplies or another grant from the Northwest CT Community Foundation that subsidizes winter clothing expenditures, also help to ease financial pressures on families facing such a variety of essential costs.
Partnerships, and looking to neighbors, she said, are the way to access the wealth or resources that the community offers. “We don’t have everything in the Northwest Corner, but we do have a lot that offers support for our families.”
Alec Linden
KENT — The Planning and Zoning Commission is working to untangle a long-standing zoning complication affecting John and Diane Degnan’s Lane Street property as the couple seeks approval to convert an old warehouse into a residence and establish a four-unit rental building at the front of the site.
During the commission’s Feb. 12 meeting, Planning and Zoning attorney Michael Ziska described the situation as a “quagmire,” tracing the issue to a variance granted by the Zoning Board of Appeals roughly 45 years ago that has complicated the property’s use ever since.
The Degnans’ attorney, Jay Klein, initially appeared before the commission late last year with a proposal to amend the zoning regulations to accommodate the project. Commissioners and Ziska, however, expressed reservations about rewriting the regulations for a single property.
In the months that followed, Ziska and Klein worked together to identify an alternative path forward. They ultimately found one in Regulation 9320.4 of the town’s zoning code, which permits a nonconforming use to be changed to another nonconforming use, provided the new use is no more detrimental to the neighborhood’s character.
Under the revised proposal, the warehouse would be converted into a residence, and the four-unit building at the front of the property would be approved for residential rental use. Commissioners responded favorably to the approach, as did several neighbors who spoke in support. Residents noted that the plan would permanently eliminate the possibility of the warehouse returning to industrial or commercial use.
Over the years, the building has housed an auto body shop, an aquarium store, a sign production facility and other commercial operations.
The commission voted to keep the public hearing open until its March meeting to allow for additional discussion.
Alec Linden
Kent Town Hall, where the Planning and Zoning Commission closed a public hearing on High Watch Recovery Center’s permit modification request on Feb. 12
KENT — The Planning and Zoning Commission on Feb. 12 closed a long-running public hearing on High Watch Recovery Center’s application to modify its special permit and will continue deliberations at its March meeting.
The application seeks to amend several conditions attached to the addiction treatment facility’s original 2019 permit. High Watch CEO Andrew Roberts, who first presented the proposal to P&Z in November, said the changes are intended to address issues stemming from what he described during last week's hearing as “clumsily written conditions.”
Neighbors have argued throughout the extended hearings that the proposed revisions amount to an undue expansion of the recovery center on rural Carter Road.
Among the changes originally proposed — but since withdrawn — was the addition of two beds to the detox unit. Another withdrawn proposal would have removed a rule barring the facility from admitting people in police custody or those ordered by a court to undergo treatment. Additionally, High Watch has withdrawn its request to eliminate the requirement that local officials be notified if a client leaves the campus without authorization.
The application still seeks to allow the facility to accept patients outside regular hours under unusual circumstances, while preserving P&Z’s authority to enforce standard admission hours if deemed necessary. The most controversial remaining request is the creation of a lecture hall for “staff education” that may include speakers and guests from outside the organization.
Despite the modifications, neighbors continue to voice objections.
Jeremiah O’Brien, whose property abuts High Watch, said he believes the organization has gradually exceeded prior limits.
“It’s been, if we give an inch they take a mile,” O’Brien said at the hearing, referencing what he described as past transgressions by the nonprofit, including the cutting down of trees years ago above Kent Falls.
Roberts apologized for any past wrongdoing and said his appearance before P&Z with the application is an effort to right past wrongs.
Karen Altfest, a Carter Road resident, described the management of the rehab center as “disingenuous” and the facility as “not a good neighbor.”
Annette Koberlein-James said the organization has grown beyond what she expected for the area.
“Nobody on this road bought their home to live next to such an ever-expanding, growth-focused organization,” she said. She acknowledged that the facility seeks to provide quality services and good jobs but added that “it has reached a tipping point that’s very real.”
Other residents offered a more supportive perspective. Lili Mason pointed to initiatives that have benefited the community, including Wilson’s Café on Main Street, which was established by the organization, and a vaccine clinic High Watch opened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s no longer the little place on the hill, which was adorable and sweet,” she said, “but is it really infringing that much on the neighbors?”
Ziska said the modified application generally reflects his recommendations but emphasized that P&Z is under no legal obligation to amend the original conditions and may accept or reject the request as it sees fit.
Alec Linden
The Swift House in Kent has been closed to the public since the COVID-19 pandemic. A newly appointed town committee will review renovation costs and future options for the historic property.
KENT — Town officials have formed a seven-member committee to determine the future of the shuttered, town-owned Swift House, launching what could become a pivotal decision about whether Kent should invest in the historic property — or divest from it altogether.
The Board of Selectmen made the appointments on Wednesday, Feb. 11, following recent budget discussions in which the building’s costs and long-term viability were raised.
The Swift House has been closed to the public since the COVID-19 pandemic. Its future has sparked debate among residents, with some viewing the property as a taxpayer burden requiring costly upgrades and others considering it a distinctive community asset central to Kent’s character and history.
Selectman Lynn Harrington will represent the BOS on the newly formed Swift House Investigation Committee. Jason Wright was appointed as the representative from the Board of Finance.
Five members of the public were also named to the panel: William Reihl, Margie Austell, Jim Anderson, Chris Adams and Marge Smith.
Anderson serves on the Historic District Commission. Adams is the newly appointed director of the Kent Historical Society, and Smith is the organization’s former director and current curator. The Historical Society is exploring the possibility of placing the Swift House on the National Register of Historic Places.
The committee has been charged with evaluating renovation and upgrade options — including costs associated with bringing the building into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act — and determining what it would take to return the property to active use.
The panel will also examine options for selling or otherwise transferring the property out of public ownership should the town decide to divest.
The committee must present its findings by April 30, a deadline intended to allow potential budget adjustments ahead of Kent’s May budget hearing and vote.
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Lakeville Journal
CANAAN — Kathleen Rosier, 92, of Ashley Falls Massachusetts, passed away peacefully with her children at her bedside on Feb. 5, at Fairview Commons Nursing Home in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.
Kathleen was born on Oct. 31,1933, in East Canaan to Carlton and Carrie Nott.
Kathleen retired from Housatonic Curtain Company where she was a machine operator for many years.
She was predeceased by her husband of 65 years, John A.Rosier Sr., her son John A Rosier Jr., her son Frank H. Rosier and her brother Jerome Nott.
Kathleen leaves behind her son, Brian Rosier and his wife JoEllen of East Canaan, her daughter, Theresa Morin of Ashley Falls, her daughter, Lisa Dawson of Great Barrington, a brother Henry Nott, her sister Ann Percy, 11 grandchildren, nine great grandchildren and many nieces, nephews and friends.
There will be a celebration of life held in her honor on Feb. 21 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Bitterman Center in North Canaan. All are welcome to come.
Lakeville Journal
LAKEVILLE — Carolyn G. McCarthy, 88, a long time resident of Indian Mountain Road, passed away peacefully at home on Feb. 7, 2026.
She was born on Sept. 8, 1937, in Hollis, New York. She was the youngest daughter of the late William James and Ruth Anderson Gedge of Indian Mountain Road.
Carolyn’s first job out of high school was at the Time and Life building in Manhattan, New York. In 1956, she went on to work for Capital Airlines until they disbanded.
She began banking in White Plains, New York, where she met her husband Edward James McCarthy. They started their family and relocated to Pleasant Valley, New York. She then returned to banking in Poughkeepsie, New York and later pursued real estate.
Carolyn was very creative and enjoyed home making, gardening, sewing, knitting, cooking and baking. Her Christmas cookies were always remarkable. She had a pioneer spirit and embraced the toil of yard chores. She was very independent and at 87 she still shoveled the driveway in the winter, mowed the grass, trimmed the bushes, raked the leaves and dragged the brush. She took pride in the manicure of the grounds where she resided.
Carolyn was a wonderful mother who had an enormous heart. She loved all animals, wild or tame. She will be dearly missed by her family and the people that knew her.
She is predeceased by her husband Edward McCarthy Sr. and her brother Dr. Stafford Gedge of Minnesota.
She is survived by her son, Edward (Anne) McCarthy of Greenfield, Massachusetts, and grandsons James and Theodore, son Sean McCarthy of Oak Hill, New York, sister Nancy Dougherty of South Carolina, nieces Lynn Warner, Debra Phillips, Susan Nelson, Christine Richards and nephews William, James and Robert Gedge.
A private service will be held at a later date.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
Lakeville Journal
SHARON — Ronald Ray Dirck, affectionately known as Ron, passed away peacefully with his family at his side on Jan. 17, 2026, in Phoenix, Arizona, at the age of 85. Born on Jan. 31, 1940, in Sedalia, Missouri, Ron lived a life filled with warmth, laughter, and deep devotion to his family.
Ron shared an extraordinary 62-year marriage with his high school sweetheart and beloved wife, Jackie. Their enduring partnership was a shining example of living life to the fullest.
Ron served his country as a captain in the US Marine Corps, flying helicopters during the Vietnam War. He then flew commercially for TWA for 25 years, both domestically and internationally. He finished his flying career with Nippon Cargo Airlines. Ron enjoyed the outdoors and enjoyed taking care of their beloved Sharon, home for more than 50 years. He was also an avid builder and enjoyed his many projects over the years.
In retirement, Ron and Jackie split time between Sharon, and Phoenix, Arizona, before settling full-time in Phoenix two years ago. Ron loved his evening cocktails with Jackie and their many friends, as well as a hand or two of gin rummy.
He was a devoted father to Melissa Dirck Appel and her husband, Jeff Appel, and Patrick Dirck and his wife, Lisa Dirck. He carried the memory of his son Kevin with enduring love throughout his life. His legacy continues through his cherished grandchildren; Alexandra, Caroline, Emma, Natalie, Evan, Cooper, Elle, and Tanner. Ron is also fondly remembered by his brother, Jim and wife Lena.
Ron had a tender heart for animals. The loyal companionship of his beloved dogs Mini and Mae brought him comfort and joy over the years.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Jackie, and parents, Raymond and Gladys Dirck.
In honor of Ron’s love of animals, the family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to The Aussie and Friends Rescue, www.aussiefriendsrescue.com.
His light lives on in the hearts of all who knew him. May his memory continue to bring comfort and smiles to those he touched.
A private celebration of life for the family will be held at a later date.
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