WINSTED — More than 70 residents attended a public hearing on the proposed town budget for fiscal year 2013-14, which was held at Pearson Middle School on Monday, March 31.The budget presented by Town Manager Dale Martin is $33,639,815, which is down by approximately $508 from the budget originally presented by Martin in mid-March.“The state budget has not been set yet and right now it is in flux,” Martin said. “The state budget will not be set until after we have our town meeting on May 6. That is why there will be some changes.”Martin said that State Rep. Jay Case (R-63) informed the town that it will receive an extra $120,000 in Educational Cost Sharing (ECS) funds from the state.Martin said the budget, as he presented it at the March 31 meeting, would result in a mill rate of 33.57 if approved by residents.After Martin made his presentation, Police Chief Robert Scannell made his budget presentation to the audience.At the beginning of his presentation, Scannell showed a series of pictures of members of past departments.“In 1929 we had 19 officers, in 1941 we had 15 officers and in 1971 we had 19 officers,” Scannell said. “As of tonight we have 16 officers including me. I want the selectmen and residents to take this all into consideration when our budget goes before voters.”Scannell proceeded to play a call made into the department asking for help in order to break up a fight at a Christmas party.“On one particular call our resources can be used very quickly,” he said. “All of our officers can be on the road. On this call, one officer had to respond to a medical injury sustained in the fight, another had to chase a suspect into the woods and another had to detain a suspect. There has been an increase in domestic violence issues in town because money is short and people are unemployed. There has been an increase in domestic violence cases and suicides.”Martin’s proposed budget includes hiring an evidence and property clerk, along with a deputy chief position.The first resident to speak about the proposed budget was Stephen Kosinski who said he was not entirely satisfied with the proposed budget.“There is a lot of fat that still needs to be cut out of this budget,” Kosinski said. “We have to scrape the bones. We know we have an economic situation where the price of food and fuel is going up. But we need some sort of an increase, probably minimal mill rate. It’s a natural process of what goes on economically. The woes of this town are not due to the present Selectboard but due to past boards that did not do their job.”Kosinski said the town is “on its knees” financially.“We need to all come together or this town is going to die,” he said. “The last person out of town, please shut the lights off.”Resident Marsha Sterling criticized the budget and said, if passed, it would cause a ten percent property tax increase across town.“Property taxes will go from $20 million to $22 million,” Sterling said. “We are supposed to see $300,000 from the state to put into road [maintenance and repairs], but this budget doesn’t do anything with that amount. The $2 million increase is going to go to people and their pay, including their benefits. More stuff, but not fixing the one thing that needs to be fixed and that is roads.”Sterling said the closing of the Holabird Avenue bridge is the clearest indication that funds need to be spent on road maintenance and repairs.“It’s important to understand that there has been a big myth that the town has had zero budget increases over the years,” Sterling said. “The board of education’s budget has been capped over the past few years, so the increases have all been on the town’s side of the budget. Even without the supplemental tax, this year we have had a five percent increase in property taxes and a ten percent increase in spending. It’s not that we don’t have the money, we are not spending the money in the right way. If you support this budget, you are supporting the roads looking exactly the same way that they do now. Nothing will change.”Community Lawyer Charlene LaVoie criticized Sterling.“Well, I guess what the last speaker is saying is that we should get rid of the police department or cut it in half and do the same to the public works department, LaVoie said. “On the town side, that is all where the major staff is. Or let’s get rid of the assistant tax collector or the assistant town clerk. If that’s what you are suggesting, to further cut services or staffing to the bone, then say so. You say that we’re not spending money on the roads. No kidding. That’s because we have not consistently funded the budget. People have to make more every year. You don’t expect to work every year for 30 years and not get increases each year.”After public comment, all of the Republican members of the Board of Selectmen requested a long series of cuts in the proposed budget.The long series of cuts were not officially approved or voted on by the board.Mayor Lisa Smith requested that all salaries for town employees be frozen.Smith also asked for a cut to the finance director’s salary by $13,000 to $75,000.Town Manager Martin objected to the decrease.“My concern is you get what you pay for,” Martin said. “Cutting the finance director to $75,000 is going to greatly reduce the pool of qualified candidates.”“I did some research on the salary levels,” Smith said. “It was not just an arbitrary number. We offer them the amount if they want the job.”Selectman Dan Langer recommended that the town not hire an assistant town engineer, which would save the town $66,300.This drew ire from the current Department of Public Works Director Neil Amwake who was in the audience.“Right now I am the only staff member who does technical engineering for bridges, water and sewer issues,” Amwake said. “We are reaching the point that some of these infrastructure projects that we are talking about are going to be delayed because I am the only technical person as well as the one running the administrative and financial operational side of public works.”“We’ve contracted out before,” Smith said.In the police department’s budget, Smith proposed a $75,000 cut to the department’s overtime budget line.She also proposed to take out funding for a deputy chief and use it instead to fund a new patrolman’s position.Under proposed capital improvements, Smith proposed to take out funding for a new police car, reducing the budget by $50,000.Selectmen Candy Perez did not support Smith’s proposal.“When the department was at one of our meetings, when they were asking for funds to get an engine replaced, they talked about the cars in the parking lot that had a lot of problems,” Perez said.“I understand,” Smith told Perez.“Alright, I guess you decide,” Perez said.Smith also reduced a budget line item by $46,250 that would have been used to purchase a new plow truck.“So that will mean that it will take four years to get a new truck instead of two years,” Martin said.“Unless they have an auction for those types of things,” Smith said.“You all know that our plow trucks are over 10 years old,” Perez said.Also, Smith requested that the budget for Highland Lake maintenance to be reduced by $10,000, which Perez objected to.“The water quality tests are very important up there, as is the herbicide treatment up there,” Perez said. “It also provides for 26 percent of the tax base of this town. Making sure that the water quality stays where it’s supposed to be for generations to come is important. So please don’t make that cut.”Smith did not respond to Perez’s plea.Martin could not provide a total of the proposed cuts made by the selectmen.The next step for the budget is a hearing on the proposed Board of Education side on Monday, April 7, at 7 p.m. at The Gilbert School.
Latest News
Roy Wildlife Management Area, Sharon CT
Quiet back roads, hidden woodland trails and rolling fields are just part of what makes autumn so brilliant. Golden, amber and crimson leaves blanket the communities we call home, turning even the most familiar places into something special.
Take a look at some of the snapshots that capture the best of autumn in our communities.
Sharon, CTBill Wakeley
Mill Pond, Sheffield MADeb Segalla-Watson
New Marlborough, MAWendy Miller
Peter Austin
Falls Village, CTPete Sanders
Tom Carley
Factory Pond, Lakeville CTBarbara Peck
Lime Rock Road, Lakeville CTKeary Hanan
Lime Rock Road, Lakeville CTJake Marcum
Housatonic River, Sharon, CTBill Wakeley
Norfolk, CTTom Carley
Reed Brook, Deans Ravine, Canaan CTBill Wakeley
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
Textile designer Justine Valla sits in her father’s chair, which she painted, alongside her husband, illustrator and muralist Victor Valla, in their Atelier Valla studio.
“I was always drawing as a child,” Justine recalled. Victor dreamed of illustrating magazine covers like those of the “Saturday Evening Post.”
Victor studied design and illustration at Rochester Institute of Technology, then received a fellowship to study painting and printmaking at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaigne. He graduated in 1967. The following year, he received a grant from the Tiffany Foundation to study printmaking in Paris at Atelier 17, an experimental graphic arts workshop founded in 1927.
“What a great experience that was!” he recalled.
Returning home after the Paris uprisings of 1968, he discovered that the magazine covers he’d hoped to paint had largely given way to photography. His agent suggested trying record covers, which he pursued along with illustration and graphic design.
He also began teaching at Kean University in New Jersey.
“Kean had a wonderful graphic design and illustration department. I loved teaching Graphic Design, even though I never thought I would.”
He later taught at Syracuse University and Pennsylvania College of Art and Design.
In the late 1980s, he decided to stop teaching and concentrate on his own art. He moved to Falls Village, to a house on the corner of Minor and Prospect Streets.
“I used to call the studio ‘Minor Prospects Atelier,’” he said.
He continued working in illustration and graphic design, creating book covers for stories by H.P. Lovecraft and other authors, along with magazine covers, logos, advertising and murals.
Justine and Victor Valla in their studio with a painting of Victor’s,”Jonah and the Whale.” Robin Roraback
His local commissions include the green and gold Noble Horizons signage and wall murals for the Stockbridge Inn, the Spa at Norwich Inn, Orchards Hotel in Williamstown and the David M. Hunt Library’s children’s section.
Justine grew up in the Bronx and studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology. After graduating, she took on whatever work she could find, including designing toys and novelty items for Russ Berrie. But her true calling was textile design.
She moved to Los Angeles to pursue that calling, where she learned silkscreen printing from 1960s design icon Corita Kent.
“I was in her program at Immaculate Heart College. All fabric design at that time was silk screen. My first job in textile design was in L.A., creating wallpaper for Bob Mitchell Design.”
Justine returned to New York City, where the advent of computers required her to learn new design techniques. She enrolled at Parsons School of Design, studying Photoshop, Illustrator, Lectra U4ia and Kaledo.
Around this time, she met Victor online and moved to Falls Village.
A recruiter found her a job in Arkansas at Dillard’s, a department store chain operating in 30 states and known for its exclusive designer collections.
“They had the best equipment I’d ever seen,” she said.
She became a senior computer-aided design designer there, designing fabric and preparing purchased designs for production.
The Vallas left Falls Village for Little Rock.
“It was a big move,” she said. “It was a different culture, but Little Rock was very progressive.”
The originally planned to stay in Arkansas for five years but ended up remaining for nearly 10.
Then Justine was hit by a car. She suffered injuries to her leg and head and required four years of rehabilitation.
“I lost the ability to paint after the accident. I struggled to paint again.”
The Vallas returned to Connecticut, this time settling in Salisbury, where they’ve lived since 2013.
After leaving Dillard’s, Justine had planned to sell her work through Printsource in New York City, an international showcase for surface and textile design. But after the accident, she no longer had the mobility or energy to travel back and forth to the city.
Instead, she began selling her work locally at craft shows, including clothing, hand-printed tea towels and floorcloths.
She is currently working on selling her collection of textile designs.
In December, Justine will have a show of her tea-themed watercolors at the NorthEast-Millerton Library.
Victor recently exhibited “The American West: A Pictural History” at the NorthEast-Millerton Library. The series, created in the early 1990s, was part of a commission from the Postal Commemorative Society for which he completed 100 paintings in two years.
He hopes to place the series in a museum and has created books from its images, complete with text. Over the years, he has designed many other books that are ready for publication, including “Looking In, Looking Out,” a cosmic view of the universe.
Reflecting on his career, Victor said, “It’s about doing what you love”.
Justine agreed.
To see, purchase or commission work, contact Justine at justinevalla@gmail.com or Victor at victorvalla@comcast.net, or call 860-596-4282.
Jane Herold’s beautifully simple dinnerware.
Cornwall ceramicist Jane Herold explained that there’s quite a lot of enthusiasm for Clay Way among the region’s ceramic artists.
“We all need work space, which is hard to find or afford in urban areas. The wood-fire crowd needs lots of wood and outdoor space. This area is great because it’s rural enough for us, but has a wonderfully enthusiastic and supportive population of pottery [patrons].”
While many of the artists are returning from previous years, the loose collection of unofficial organizers likes to keep the event manageable for the public, limiting the number of artists and studios each year. A direct drive from the southernmost point at Ann Heywood’s studio in Wingdale to Herold’s big barn in Cornwall is under 40 minutes. But if you want to catch it all, plan for a full day’s worth of art exploration along some of the most beautiful roads in New England.
Starting at its northernmost point, Herold’s studio will host Matin Malikzada of Afghanistan, whose polished, modern interpretations of traditional forms are instantly recognizable. They’ll be joined by wood-fired ceramicists Steve Johnson, with his raw, organic forms, and Harry Levenstein, whose works relate closely to Johnson’s while making even more direct references to nature.
Herold herself creates work that is both beautiful and utilitarian. Her prolific output of objects is intended to be used by everyday people as part of their daily lives.
Moving south is Todd Piker of Cornwall Bridge Pottery. Piker has been making pots in his giant wood-fired kiln since 1971. The kiln looks more like an ancient blast furnace than something designed to transform clay into ceramics, but over the years, he’s mastered its intricacies and produces an impressive amount of fine work.
A ceramic vase by Kathleen Heidemann.Provided
Piker will host Sanah Peterson, who works at Cornwall Bridge Pottery and draws inspiration from both her time with Piker and her time traveling the globe as a child. They’ll be joined by Stephanie Haines, whose vibrant, eye-catching work features underglaze illustrations of birds, fruit and the bounty of nature.
Further along in Warren, Jessica Dubin’s pieces will be on display at the studio of Christine Owen. Both artists seem to appreciate the chaos and unpredictable nature of clay but find ways to refine it all using their own unique methods.
Heading east to Washington, Conn., Will Talbot’s creates intricate work while allowing for the unpredictable nature of clay to play a role. His studio will house Tom Knox and his wide variety of textures and forms, as well as New York City-based Alex Lebedev, who lets music and the nature of improvisation guide his work.
There will be two studios participating in South Kent. Alison Palmner, whose page on the Clay Way website states she “strives to achieve a lighthearted meld of human forms, animals and the vessel.” Her studio will host Ben Eberle, who trained under the guidance of legendary potter Toshiko Takaezu; James Guggina, whose intricate work can appear both deliberate and whimsical; and Paula Shalan, who blends rough, unrefined surfaces with polished precision in individual pieces.
Joy Brown’s delightful ceramic sculptures.Provided
Nearby is Joy Brown, whose work have become a staple of the area, with her figurative sculptures dotting the Northwest Corner. Brown’s studio will also feature Bonnie Levine, who taps into the beauty of chaos and destruction in her work, and Brendan Moore, whose more utilitarian forms are perfect for everyday use.
Finally, the tour crosses the border into Wingdale, New York, where the studios of Drew Montgomery, Ann Heywood and Amy Brenner will host Jackie Sedlock, Lynn Behrendt,and Kathleen Heidemann.
Brenner creates some of the most colorful and vibrant pieces on the tour, while Behrendt’s work is among the most studied and precise. Heywood creates carefully considered, intuitive forms, while Heidemann moves from simple minimalism to intricate textures. Montgomery and Sedlock both find new ways of playing with traditional forms, producing delightfully distinctive pieces.
To learn more about the artists and download a map of participating studios, visit clayway.net
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
