The Ice Man declares the lake is frozen
Lake Wononscopomuc in Lakeville is officially frozen, but there are still soft patches.
Photo by Don Mayland
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Route 44 construction on track for September 2026 completion
Route 44 construction on track for September 2026 completion
NORFOLK — The construction of massive retaining walls on Route 44 in Norfolk, known as Project 97-95, has created challenges for motorists and the Connecticut Department of Transportation team alike.
The work involves stabilizing the slope and replacing the old masonry retaining walls with two new retaining walls.
Reducing the busy east-west highway to one-way alternating traffic, controlled by temporary signal lights, has caused delays to drivers and added time to truck routes.
Project 97-95 began in April2024 and was originally slated to take five years to complete. Amy Hare, DOT’s chief engineer on the project, said changes to the original plan have reduced that time by two years. “We anticipate meeting the September 2026 project completion date.” The current construction budget is $37,546,399.
Hare explained, “Driver behavior is still one of the toughest challenges we face. We’ve collaborated with State Troopers to provide traffic calming presence periodically, we revised signal timing several times to create a safer traveling path and utilized flaggers when on-site activities require additional driver direction.”
Old Colony Road, a side road off Route 44 that became a shortcut for impatient drivers, has been closed to through traffic at the discretion of the Town of Norfolk due to safety concerns. Hare added, “From what I understand from the Town representatives, the observed speeds were unacceptably high, and there were several near misses.”
“Another challenge we are anticipating facing is the classic ‘Icebox’ weather this winter,” continued Hare. “We anticipate winter activities to include forming the front face of both retaining walls, setting rebar, and then pouring the concrete face.”
Hare and her team have worked closely with the Town of Norfolk.
“As a team, we are saddened to see First Selectman Riiska leave his position but are looking forward to working with the incoming First Selectman Henry Tirrell to bring this project to success.”
To report a problem or raise a concern, call 860-594-2560 or email: DOT.CustomerCare@ct.gov
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Outgoing first selectman Marty Lindenmayer thanks Kent’s leaders and employees for their commitment to waste management. Behind, from left: First Selectman-Elect Eric Epstein, transfer station staff Rob Hayes and Rick Osborne, State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64), State Sen. Stephen Harding (R-30), and HRRA Executive Director Jennifer Heaton-Jones.
Alec Linden
KENT — The Kent Transfer Station is set to undergo a series of major renovations meant to modernize and streamline its waste management operations after receiving a state grant of $408,500 in a recent round of funding.
Town, state and regional officials gathered at the facility on Tuesday morning, Nov. 4, to celebrate the award and discuss the future of recycling, composting and waste reduction in Kent and across western Connecticut.
Among the speakers was Jennifer Heaton-Jones, executive director of the Housatonic Resource Recovery Authority (HRRA), a regional government agency that manages waste and recycling programs for 14 municipalities in western Connecticut. “Waste is not a partisan issue — it affects all of us every day,” she told the assembled group.
The funding will support key infrastructure upgrades designed to improve the transfer station’s efficiency and safety. Planned improvements include the construction of a retaining wall to separate waste streams and reduce cross-contamination, a new shed to safely store motor oil, paint and shredded paper, and new canopies over waste and recycling containers to improve material quality and reduce litter. The grant will also fund the installation of a new scale to support Kent’s nascent “pay as you throw” unit-based pricing program.
The “pay-as-you-throw” initiative — made permanent last fall after a successful pilot — charges residents by the bag rather than a flat annual fee, incentivizing lower waste generation. Heaton-Jones said the new scale will help “build on that momentum” by providing data to refine the program and expand composting efforts.
Kent’s award represents nearly one-third of the HRRA’s total $1.5 million allocation from the second round of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) grant program. In late October, DEEP announced $7.5 million in total funding to support municipalities and regional waste authorities across Connecticut.
The grant money comes in the midst of what Heaton-Jones described as a “waste crisis” in the state where, since the dissolution of the Hartford MIRA facility in 2022, about 40% of Connecticut’s municipal solid waste is exported to out-of-state landfills and recycling centers.
Heaton-Jones thanked Conservation Commission Chair and former First Selectman Jean Speck, who spearheaded Kent’s earlier waste reduction initiatives, and current First Selectman Marty Lindenmayer, who helped continue and expand them, praising both for their “consistently demonstrated leadership in waste reduction despite limited resources.”
The attendees, which included State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64), State Sen. Stephen Harding (R-30), First Selectman-Elect Eric Epstein, transfer station staff members Rob Hayes and Rick Osborne, and the majority of the Kent Conservation Commission, agreed with Heaton-Jones’s assessment.
During his own speech, Lindenmayer said that Kent had “set the tone in how we can continue to improve.” He thanked Hayes and Osborne for their contributions and ongoing hard work: “These guys do it with humor and good will and in all types of weather.”
Horn similarly lauded Kent’s commitment to waste reduction, describing it as a town “that has really stuck its neck out,” while Harding admired the town’s ability to come together and work as a team with various groups: “It’s a shining example of addressing our waste crisis efficiently.”
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Salisbury Central School recognizes Veterans Day on Monday, Nov. 10.
Patrick L. Sullivan
LAKEVILLE — Fourteen veterans came to Salisbury Central School on a rainy Monday afternoon, Nov. 10, for a Veterans Day ceremony.
The middle school chorus sang “God Bless America” and, with the K-5 chorus, “Thank You Soldiers.”
Donna Begley took a moment to remember David Bayersdorfer, a Marine Corps veteran who died earlier this year.
“He was always the first to arrive and the last to leave” at the Veterans Day event.
“He was the kind of person every community is lucky to have.”
Peter Oliver, introduced by his grandson, thanked the school “for inviting us back, 19 years in a row.”
The veterans attending were: Peter Oliver, Jerry Baldwin, Larry Conklin, Jason Pennella, Jay Rogers, Chris Ohmen, Jim Kennedy, Randy Cannon, Marc Dittmer, Bruce Sangster, Troy Ramcharran, Carl Jenter, Peter Becket and Dan Rashkoff.
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The 4th graders of Cornwall Consolidated School read an acrostic poem during a school assembly Monday, Nov. 10, for Veterans Day.
Riely Klein
CORNWALL — The student body of Cornwall Consolidated School hosted six veterans of the armed forces at a Veterans Day ceremony Monday, Nov. 10.
Eighth graders shared breakfast with the vets before migrating to the gym for the full assembly.
Veterans of the Army included Huntington Williams, William Berry, David Cadwell, Jake Thulin and Tony Sterzl. Representing the Navy was Max Ule. Combined years of service ranged from the 1950s to the 2010s.
Sharing a memory from his time in the service, Williams recalled a “first class” Thanksgiving dinner while stationed in Korea in the 1950s.
“We had turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, nuts and shrimp cocktail,” Williams said. “The one thing that was missing was ice cream.”
Each grade created unique ways to thank the veterans including poems and handmade crafts.
CCS Principal Leanne Maguire closed the ceremony in gratitude. “You deserve this recognition. You deserve our thanks,” she said. “How fortunate we are to live in a country with freedom.”
Students in Region One paid tribute to veterans of the armed forces on Monday, Nov. 10, during school ceremonies. In Cornwall, as seen above, former servicemembers received handmade tokens of appreciation. Riley Klein
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