‘Pay it forward’ next weekend to support area families, farms

Black Rabbit, in Lakeville, Conn., will participate in Nourish Neighbors March 14 to 16.
Sava Marinkovic
Black Rabbit, in Lakeville, Conn., will participate in Nourish Neighbors March 14 to 16.
On the weekend of March 14 to 16, Tri Corner FEED is inviting members of the community to share a meal with their neighbors. Fourteen local restaurants — spanning both Connecticut and New York — will be participating in the Nourish Neighbors initiative, encouraging visitors to “dine out and pay it forward” for the benefit of local farmers, food pantries and Tri Corner FEED’s Food Sovereignty Fund.
Participating restaurants include Panacea in Amenia, New York; Falls Village Inn in Falls Village, Connecticut; Deano’s, Mizza’s, On the Run, Black Rabbit, and the Woodland in Lakeville, Connecticut; Harney’s Tea Room, Oakhurst Diner, and Willa in Millerton, New York; Champetre in Pine Plains, New York; Sweet William’s and The White Hart in Salisbury, Connecticut; and Le Gamin in Sharon, Connecticut.
At these eateries, diners will have the option to “donate a meal” by way of a fixed or proportional monetary donation made at the time of their regular order, 100% of which will be passed along to Tri Corner FEED.
The fundraiser, conceived by Tri Corner FEED’s Community Advocates for Food Security, will advance the organization’s ability to address food insecurity by purchasing food at a fair price from local farmers and distributing it to those in need, according to Director of Food Programs Blake Myers.
“The food that’s grown in our communities should be accessible to those who live in them,” said Myers, continuing to note that even farmers themselves are often food insecure. “Their margins are so slim, and it is so expensive to produce things in a way that is good for the environment and for people,” Myers explained.
Although the bucolic junction between Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York is widely recognized for its relative wealth and affluence, Myers points out that up to 40% of people in the area make difficult decisions when it comes to food purchases, according to recent studies.
Exacerbating this issue is post-pandemic inflation, which has seen St. Thomas Episcopal Church’s Food of Life pantry in Amenia serving five times the number of weekly visitors compared to pre-pandemic numbers overall, including double the number of retirees.
While there is no shortage of energy or enthusiasm among pantry volunteers, funding remains an issue for small, charity-driven organizations. “Our numbers are still growing,” said fourth-generation farmer and pantry manager Charlie Paley, packing donation bags before a column of idling cars that stretched beyond sight; “what we really need are more donors.”
To this end, St. Thomas’ Priest-in-Charge AJ Stack describes Nourish Neighbors as “an innovative strategy” for raising both funds and awareness. Identifying a trend toward the positive perception of integrated, community-driven philanthropy, Stack believes that pulling local businesses, like restaurants, into such efforts is an effective way to reinforce that idea that “what we do stays within our community.”
“There is a huge need here, one that is only growing,” said Brigitte Harney, Manager and Buyer for Harney & Sons Fine Teas, who is hopeful that a novel fundraising initiative will help generate awareness. Alanna Broesler, owner of Millerton’s Willa, reported that there is excitement around the initiative, calling it “a great sign that so many restaurants are participating.”
“It’s almost like doubling the money that goes back to the community,” said Myers. By both encouraging patronage of local eateries and generating funds to make purchases from regional farmers, Myers said that this initiative “helps to build a stronger food system” on multiple levels. “We support businesses and farms, and we donate food to pantries,” said Myers, “so everything goes to the community.”
The rolling hills, quaint towns, and peaceful forests of the tri-corner area have been — and remain — an attractive place to live for a diverse range of people. From deeply-rooted multigenerational farmers to well-travelled artists, Myers believes that “everyone here sees something special about this area,” as evidenced by the “power behind our community-organized and supported initiatives.”
In line with the mission of Tri Corner FEED, Myer’s insists that it is critical to maintaining the region’s allure and diversity that all residents be ensured the food security that leads to abundant, healthy lives. And others can contribute as easily as pulling up their neighbors a seat at the dinner table.
Riverside-revelers bring many diversions to the banks of the Housatonic on a recent Sunday afternoon.
KENT — Even as afternoon clouds gathered, Sunday was a proper scene down on a bucolic bend in the Housatonic River off North Kent Road No. 2, a longtime swimming hole that has received negative publicity in recent years for misuse, primarily in the form of litter and waste left negligently at the site. Despite the jovial mood and thumping music, some of the riverside revelers were aware that things must change to ensure the summertime oasis stays open.
“We’re in jeopardy of losing this really nice spot to hang out at, to play music and spend time with our families if we don’t clean up” said a Danbury-based taxi driver who wished to remain anonymous.
Sitting on a camping chair in ankle deep water by the riverbank surrounded by the rest of her group, she gestured at the surrounding landscape: a swimming-pool like hole where swimmers of all ages relaxed in the August-warm river, surrounded by gentle rapids.
“It’s a fun area that connects you with nature,” she said. “I can speak for my group — we pick up all our trash.”
Those who don’t respect the area ruin the spot for everybody, the taxi driver said.
Frank, another Danbury resident who said he’d been visiting the spot for 12 years, said that he comes to “enjoy a nice meal with family,” arriving early to secure a prime spot. He said he knows many of the groups that frequent the location, which remind him of scenes from his home in the Dominican Republic.
His advice to those thinking of littering? “Do the thing you think is better for the world — don’t watch what others do, just do the right thing.”
The outreach of river stewards has made noticeable impacts, the taxi driver said, pointing at half full-trash bags at each surrounding group’s setup. The stewards are interns from the Housatonic Valley Association who have been distributing garbage bags and stewardship guidance at popular locations along the Wild and Scenic stretch of the Housatonic since June. This was their last weekend on the job, and their efforts did not go unnoticed: the taxi driver from Danbury said she had visited swimming holes across Connecticut and never found such a welcoming community as that in Kent.
Kent Resident Trooper Vicki Donahoe, who had been stationed at the trailhead since 11:30 that Sunday morning, and all day Saturday before that, said that a convivial approach was the best path forward, but that the litter must stop. “I want them to be happy. I just want them to pick up their garbage.”
The only issues Trooper Donohoe had experienced thus far were illegal parking incidents, which she promptly addressed. Otherwise, river-goers had been receptive to her guidance on how to respect the river and accepted offerings of garbage bags.
Still, the litter remains. Trooper Donohoe pointed at some discolored napkins on the ground just in front of the trailhead kiosk to the preserve, which is owned by the state Department of Energy and the Environment. “Look at that nasty stuff,” she said. “No one wants to pick that up.” She reported that a group of self-volunteered residents had retrieved hundreds of bottle caps at the site the day before. “That’s not right.”
With 51 cars parked on the road and multitudes of that number on the shoreline below, the beach at 4 p.m. on Sunday was relatively clean, largely due to the efforts of those residents who have removed hundreds of pounds of trash from the beach in recent weeks.
What to do with the spot moving forward is a complicated matter, but some river advocates are determined to find solutions that keep the river open and accessible.
Mike Jastremski, Watershed Conservation Director at the Housatonic Valley Association, advocated at an Aug. 4 selectmen’s meeting, and again in a subsequent interview, for “equitable, safe and sustainable” river access: a recognition that “the river belongs to all of us,” that it is inherently dangerous but with safer zones, and that it be managed in a way that promotes recreation that is both sustainable to the community and the resource itself.
The North Kent Road spot, he argued, satisfies the first two tenets quite well, as a free, publicly accessible and relatively safe swimming hole in comparison with other riskier, but still popular, locations along the river.
A core facet of stewardship and the HVA’s mission is getting people to personally connect with the resource. “You’re not going to care about it unless you’re there,” he said.
Beyond changing the mindsets of river users, he said, is getting the various parties of interest in the area to work together to come up with solutions, which includes the town, DEEP, Eversource Energy, the Kent Land Trust, the Housatonic Valley Association, and, of course, neighbors residents and recreators.
“People want to be on the river,” Jastremski said, “and not only that, they have a right to be on the river.”
Max Lins, at left, worked with the Scoville Memorial Library’s Julia Hobart on a fidget cube Saturday, Aug. 16.
SALISBURY — At about 2:15 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, things were looking bleak at the Scoville Memorial Library for Julia Hobart’s children’s program.
Nobody had showed up to make cool stuff like fidget toys.
Hobart was stoic about this. Teenagers can be erratic, and a summer Saturday offers many alternatives.
But then Max Lins and his mother Ari Cruz showed up and saved the day.
Max is 11 years old and heading into 6th grade at Salisbury Central School.
After carefully weighing the options, he decided to make a fidget cube, which is constructed out of little squares of wood, cunningly taped together so they fold around themselves.
Hobart had a bag full of materials, including an Asterix comic, which Max chose for his initial foray into fidget cube decoration.
Max watched carefully as Hobart demonstrated how to place the tape so the thing folds correctly.
“Ahh,” he said. “I think I get how this is going to work.”
And it did.
As it turned out, reinforcements were on the way. As a reporter headed down the stairs to the children’s section and the library’s rear entrance, there was another mother, this time with a young girl, looking puzzled.
“We thought there was a —” started the mother.
“Upstairs, on the right” she was told.
This coming Saturday, Aug. 23, there’s an end-of-summer reading event at the library starting at 1 p.m. and winding up at 4 p.m. with a concert by the Salisbury Band. Readers need to check in between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to qualify for raffle prizes.
CORNWALL — The restrictive rectangle is a thing of the past.
Cornwall Planning and Zoning Commission modified the town zoning regulations Aug. 12 in an effort to allow for construction of more homes.
The change removed the requirement that a property’s buildable area must be contained within a 20,000 square foot rectangle with each side no shorter than 100 feet.
The newly adopted regulation allows buildable areas to be any shape that can be drawn with a 100-foot diameter circle. The 20,000 square foot minimum size remained static.
Commissioner James LaPorta clarified, “The buildable area is not the same as lot dimensions. So, if an applicant comes before the Commission and requests to have a subdivision or make a lot, we look at both the lot dimensions and make sure it has specific dimensional requirements. But also we make sure that there’s a buildable area within that lot that would contain the house.”
Buildable lots cannot contain steep slopes or wetlands, among other terrain considerations.
The regulation change was unanimously approved upon conclusion of a public hearing that saw three residents express support.
“It’s about time,” said Nancy Berry. “I support this. I applaud it.”
Jill Cutler of the Affordable Housing Commission thanked P&Z for the effort to increase housing stock in Cornwall.
First Selectman Gordon Ridgway noted, “Housing is a top priority of the Board of Selectmen. I think this is a good step.” He continued, “It’s a small step, but many small steps get you where you need to be.”
The change will take effect Sept. 1.
The Sharon Town Hall was packed for the Low Road hearing on Wednesday, Aug. 13.
SHARON — It was standing room only Wednesday, Aug. 13, for the second round of public hearing for an application by arts nonprofit Low Road Sharon to develop an office space and events facility adjacent to the North Main Street shopping plaza.
Land Surveyor James McTigue of Arthur H. Howland & Associates and Conley Rollins representing the nonprofit presented changes to the proposal since the last hearing. The alterations were made in response to queries from residents and officials alike for more specific plans for the usage of the site and clarification on development specifications such as lighting, parking and landscaping.
McTigue said the new plans remove three of the tall pedestrian light fixtures to limit any lighting interference with abutters and Lovers Lane, which has no street lighting.
He stated there would be “no lighting on the backside of the property” adjacent to Lovers Lane. He noted that the lighting structures to be used follow “dark sky” principles, focusing their illumination downwards, not outwards, to mitigate spread. The lights will be timed to turn off no later than 9:30 p.m.
It was specified that the north building would be used primarily as an extension of the office space in the south building, but with the added capacity for cultural programming such as readings, exhibitions, and performances, hosted by Low Road Sharon, other local non-profits or the town. These events, which would be free of charge and open to the public, will be capped at 78 guests and end by 9 p.m., and there would be no external commercial use or rented events in the building.
Public comment yielded several more queries about traffic impact to Lovers Lane, to which McTigue responded that there is “no expected increase of traffic on Lovers Lane” as all parking is in on-site lots accessed from Low Road with overflow behind the NBT Bank on North Main Street.
A letter from Cassandra Hess on behalf of Thomas and Margaret Youngberg, residents on Lovers Lane, asked for several clarifications in the proposal, including a detailed tree removal plan, further lighting alterations and specification of the usage of a proposed walkway along a stream on the property, among other concerns. The letter states that abutting property owners have “significant concerns over the scale and impact of the current proposal.”
Two other letters read into the record showed support for the project. Stephanie Plunkett of Kirk Road argued that “creative industries… are powerful engines of local prosperity” and “enrich our sense of place and community identity.”
Nick Moore, who’s family farm sits on Low Road, described Jasper Johns, the celebrated painter, and Low Road Sharon as “good neighbors” and that the plans are “a big improvement over the existing structures” currently located at 1 Low Road.
The applicant filed for a 65-day extension of the hearing to formally respond to comments raised at the meeting. The hearing will be continued at the next P&Z meeting, scheduled for Sept. 10.