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Legal Notices - May 7, 2026
Lakeville Journal
CANAAN FIRE DISTRICT
WARNING
All persons eligible to vote in meetings of the Canaan Fire District are hereby warned that the Annual Budget Meeting of the said District will be held at the North Canaan Town Hall on Tuesday, May 19th, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. to consider and act upon the following items:
1. To approve the District budget proposed for the 2026-2027 fiscal year by the Executive Committee of the District; and
2. To transact any other business proper to come before such meeting.
Dated at North Canaan, Connecticut this 7th day of May, 2026.
Anthony J. Nania
Warden
05-07-26
Legal Notice
The Planning & Zoning Commission of the Town of Salisbury will hold a Public Hearing for a petition to amend the Zoning Regulations, Application #2026-0315 by Lime Rock Park II, LLC for changes to Section 221 “Additional Requirements for Uses in the RE Zone” of the Salisbury Zoning Regulations, including Section 221.1 providing standards for a Track for Racing Motor Vehicles. Proposed changes include but are not limited to modifying the days and hours of operation at the track, frequency of events for muffled and unmuffled racing cars, acoustic monitoring, prohibition of stand-alone drifting events, and control measures. The hearing will be held on Monday, May 18, 2026 at 6:45 PM. There is no physical location for this meeting. This meeting will be held virtually via Zoom where interested persons can listen to & speak on the matter. The application, agenda and meeting instructions will be listed at www.salisburyct.us/agendas/. The application materials will be listed at www.salisburyct.us/planning-zoning-meeting-documents/. Written comments may be submitted to the Land Use Office, Salisbury Town Hall, 27 Main Street, P.O. Box 548, Salisbury, CT or via email to landuse@salisburyct.us. Paper copies of the agenda, meeting instructions, and application materials may be reviewed Monday through Thursday between the hours of 8:00 AM and 3:30 PM at the Land Use Office, Salisbury Town Hall, 27 Main Street, Salisbury CT.
Salisbury Planning & Zoning Commission
Robert Riva, Secretary
05-07-26
05-14-26
NOTICE OF ANNUAL TOWN BUDGET MEETING TOWN OF SALISBURY
WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2026 - HYBRID MEETING 7:30P.M.
The electors and others entitled to vote in Town meetings of the Town of Salisbury, Connecticut, are hereby warned that the Annual Budget meeting of said Town will be held in person and via Zoom on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. at Salisbury Town Hall, 27 Main Street, Salisbury, Connecticut for the following purposes:
1. To act upon the budget and any supplements thereto for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, which budget has been prepared and recommended by the Board of Finance; said budget is available for inspection at the Town Clerk’s office immediately.
2. To act upon the following items, which are customarily considered at the Annual Budget meeting for approval:
a. To authorize the Board of Selectmen to borrow any sums of money they deem necessary to meet the Town’s indebtedness and current or authorized expenditures, and to execute and deliver the Town’s obligations therefore;
b. To see if the First Selectman will deliver on behalf of the Town all documents that may be necessary for carrying out any of the items in the budget.
c. To see if the Town will authorize the Board of Selectmen to accept and expend any funds allocated to the Town of Salisbury by the Connecticut Department of Transportation for repairs and maintenance of roads and bridges during the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026 and extending to June 30, 2027, as recommended by the Board of Finance; and
d. To authorize the Board of Finance to transfer funds from surplus to cover shortages in various line items in the 2025-2026 budget.
3. To consider and act upon a resolution to set Wednesday, February 17, 2027, as the date for the Annual Town Meeting.
4. To consider and act upon a resolution to set Wednesday, May 12, 2027 as the date for the Annual Budget Meeting
5. To consider and act upon the adoption of an ordinance providing that sealed bidding will not be required for contracts or purchases having a value less than $35,000. A copy of the proposed ordinance will be available for inspection in the Office of the Town Clerk prior to the meeting.
Dated at Salisbury, Connecticut this 24th day of April, 2026. Curtis G. Rand, First Selectman
Barrett Prinz, Selectman Katherine Kiefer, Selectman
Join the webinar: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81009998770?pwd=Zy8dNVm0... Webinar ID: 810 0999 8770
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04-30-26
05-07-26
Notice of Decision
Town of Salisbury
Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Commission
Notice is hereby given that the following actions were taken by the Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Commission of the Town of Salisbury, Connecticut on April 27, 2026:
Deemed Exempt - Application IWWC-26-18 by Mike Pruss for “Prescribed Burn of 15 acres in established upland native grass field (historically farmed for corn and hay) for ecological restoration and agriculture.
and enhance established native grass and wildflower area and increase nectar and pollen production for native pollinators and honey bee Apiary.” The properties are shown on Salisbury Assessor’s map 23 lots 52 and 36 and are known as 70 Beaver Dam Road and 47 Hammertown Road, Salisbury. The owner of the property is Raccard Properties LLC.
Approved - Application IWWC-26-18 by Todd Parsons to “construct an addition to the main house and construct an office above the existing garage.” The property is shown on Salisbury Assessor’s map 64 as lot 06 and is known as 25 Morgan Lane, Salisbury. The owners of the property are Meghna and Brian McDevitt.
Approved-Application IWWC-26-17 by Robert Colabella for “constructing approximately 2100 feet of 5’ wide bituminous concrete sidewalks and appurtenances along Main Street.” The properties are shown on Salisbury Assessor’s map 52 lot 14 and map 11 lot 20 and are known as 166 Main Street and Vincent Preserve, Salisbury. The owners of the properties are James Demmert & Velda Brown and Salisbury Association Land Trust.
Approved - Application IWWC-26-11 by Trudy Kramer for “removing the inlet and outlet from a man-made pond and planting.”The property is shown on Salisbury Assessor’s map 02 as lot 41 and is known as 32 Valley Road, Salisbury. The owners of the property are Trudy & Harry Kramer.
Any aggrieved person may appeal this decision to the Connecticut Superior Court in accordance with the provisions of Connecticut General Statutes §22a-43(a) & §8-8.
Town of Salisbury
Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission
Sally Spillane, Secretary
05-07-26
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
ESTATE OF
CAROL NOEL TROTTA
Late of East Canaan
AKA Carol N. Trotta
AKA Carol Trotta
(26-00151)
The Hon. Jordan M. Richards, Judge of the Court of Probate, District of Litchfield Hills Probate Court, by decree dated March 31, 2026, ordered that all claims must be presented to the fiduciary at the address below. Failure to promptly present any such claim may result in the loss of rights to recover on such claim.
The fiduciary is:
Louis J. Trotta, III
c/o Michael Peter Citrin
Drury, Patz & Citrin, LLP
7 Church Street, PO Box 101
Canaan. CT 06018
Megan M.Foley
Clerk
05-07-26
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
ESTATE OF
EDWARD APARO
Late of Salisbury
(26-00161)
The Hon. Jordan M. Richards, Judge of the Court of Probate, District of Litchfield Hills Probate Court, by decree dated April 21, 2026, ordered that all claims must be presented to the fiduciary at the address below. Failure to promptly present any such claim may result in the loss of rights to recover on such claim.
The fiduciary is:
Jean Aparo
c/o Michael Albert Carrier
Webber Carrier Chace LLP
24 Cedar St., New Britain, CT 06052
Megan M.Foley
Clerk
05-07-26
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
ESTATE OF
GERALD B. BLAKEY
Late of Cornwall
(26-00153)
The Hon. Jordan M. Richards, Judge of the Court of Probate, District of Litchfield Hills Probate Court, by decree dated April 23, 2026, ordered that all claims must be presented to the fiduciary at the address below. Failure to promptly present any such claim may result in the loss of rights to recover on such claim.
The fiduciary is:
Charles R Ebersol
Ebersol, McCormick & Reis
LLC, 9 Mason Street,
PO Box 598, Torrington, CT 06790
Megan M.Foley
Clerk
05-07-26
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
ESTATE OF
PATRICIA A. BLAKEY
Late of Cornwall
AKA Patricia B. Blakey
AKA Patricia Blakey
(26-00154)
The Hon. Jordan M. Richards, Judge of the Court of Probate, District of Litchfield Hills Probate Court, by decree dated April 23, 2023, ordered that all claims must be presented to the fiduciary at the address below. Failure to promptly present any such claim may result in the loss of rights to recover on such claim.
The fiduciary is:
Charles R Ebersol
Ebersol, McCormick & Reis LLC, 9 Mason Street, PO Box 598, Torrington, CT 06790
Megan M.Foley
Clerk
05-07-23
Classifieds - May 7, 2026
Lakeville Journal
Automobiles For Sale
2012 Audi Q5: Original owner, 88,500 miles, no accidents, everything works! always garaged, $7500, OBO! 860-435-2065.
Help Wanted
PART-TIME CARE-GIVER NEEDED: possibly LIVE-IN. Bright private STUDIO on 10 acres. Queen Bed, En-Suite Bathroom, Kitchenette & Garage. SHARON 407-620-7777.
Jay’s Lawn Care is hiring full and Part-time: lawn maintenance employees. Experience operating Scag mowing equipment and ability to drive truck and trailer is needed. Salary dependent on experience. Call 860-824-0053 to schedule an interview.
Wyantenuck Country Club is seeking staff for the 2026 season: Want to work in a beautiful setting with a great team? Full and Part-Time employment available. Positions Available: Bartenders, Dishwashers, Line Cooks, Waitstaff. Please email: brandon@wyantenuck.org or call 413-528-0350.
Wyantenuck Country Club seeks a Sous Chef: Benefits Available. Work in a beautiful setting with a great team. Please email: brandon@wyantenuck.org or call 413-528-0350.
Wyantenuck Country Club is seeking lifeguards: for our upcoming season. Lifeguard position starts end of May/mid June. Please call 413-528-0350 or email: jen@wyantenuck.org
Services Offered
GARDENING: Spring and Fall Cleanup and Stone W alls. 845-444-4492.
Hector Pacay Landscaping and Construction LLC: Fully insured. Renovation, decking, painting; interior exterior, mowing lawn, garden, stone wall, patio, tree work, clean gutters, mowing fields. 845-636-3212.
Real Estate
PUBLISHER’S NOTICE: Equal Housing Opportunity.All real estate advertised in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1966 revised March 12, 1989 which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discriminationbased on race, color religion, sex, handicap or familial status or national origin or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All residential property advertised in the State of Connecticut General Statutes 46a-64c which prohibit the making, printing or publishing or:causing to be made, printed or published any notice, statement or advertisement with respect to the sale or:rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, age, lawfulsource of income, familial status, physical or mental disability or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.
Houses For Rent
Millerton, rural, newly renovated house: 2 bedroom, split air heat/a/c system, dishwasher, decks, views, pets considered. $2650 plus utilities. Call 518-567-8277.
MT RIGA LAKEFRONT CABIN: Private beach, canoe, kayaks, fishing $1,275 / Week 585-355-5245.
Tag Sales
Ancram, NY
THE BIG DOODLETOWN FARM VINTAGE GARDEN SALE IS BACK!: This weekend May 9 and 10. 177 Doodletown Road, Ancram 12502. 8 am to 4 pm. No early birds. Contents of two 1920s greenhouses including vintage teak, iron and wooden garden furniture, potting shed contents and stylish garden objects. Cast stones statuary, many vintage clay pots, teak daybed, louvered panels, tools, garden chairs, cushions, baskets, vintage linen, iron and wooden benches, harvest tables. Multiple sets of chairs. Vintage garden books. Plus interesting non-garden furniture and items. Everything except plants. All priced to sell.
Region One voters approve $19.5M budget
Patrick L. Sullivan
A sign outside Sharon Town Hall encourages residents to vote for Region One's proposed $19.5M 2026–27 school budget, which passed Tuesday, May 5, by a vote of 333-120.
FALLS VILLAGE – Voters in Region One towns approved the district’s proposed $19.5 million 2026–2027 school budget Tuesday, May 5, by a vote of 333-120.
From noon to 8 p.m., 453 total voters turned out from Cornwall, Falls Village, Kent, North Canaan, Salisbury and Sharon.
The budget passed in every town except Falls Village, where the proposal failed by 12 votes. The vote passed with the highest percentage in Cornwall and Salisbury, with 94% and 91%, respectively.
The budget totals $19,533,640, an increase of $1,048,431, or a 5.67% increase over the current year.
The Region One budget is divided into three components: Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS), Pupil Services and the Regional Schools Services Center (RSSC), also known as the central office.
Votes by town:
Cornwall: 60 yes, 4 no.
Falls Village: 33 yes, 45 no.
Kent: 69 yes, 11 no.
North Canaan: 46 yes, 39 no.
Salisbury: 94 yes, 9 no.
Sharon: 31 yes, 12 no.
Region One town assessments were also approved, and are based on the number of students each town sends to HVRHS, meaning costs can shift as enrollment changes.
Approved town assessments as of May 5 include:
Cornwall
$2,168,169, an increase of $163,895 or 8.87%.
Falls Village
$1,752,589 an increase of $208,904 or 14.89%.
Kent
$2,783,359, an increase of $171,360 or 7.48%
North Canaan
$6,140,112, an increase of $519,526 or 9.11%.
Salisbury
$4,798,928, an increase of $17,835 or .43%.
Sharon
$1,890,486, a decrease of $33,356 or - 2.07%.
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‘Vulnerable Earth’ opens at the Tremaine Gallery
Natalia Zukerman
Tremaine Gallery exhibit ‘Vulnerable Earth’ explores climate change in the High Arctic.
“Vulnerable Earth,” on view through June 14 at the Tremaine Gallery at Hotchkiss, brings together artists who have traveled to one of the most remote regions on Earth and returned with work shaped by first-hand experience of a fragile, rapidly shifting planet, inviting viewers to sit with the tension between awe and loss, beauty and vulnerability.
Curated by Greg Lock, director of the Photography, Film and Related Media program at The Hotchkiss School, the exhibition centers on participants in The Arctic Circle, an expeditionary residency that sends artists and scientists into the High Arctic aboard a research vessel twice a year. The result is a show documenting their lived experience and what it means to stand in a place where climate change is not theoretical but visible, immediate and accelerating.
That shared experience — weeks spent together navigating the waters around the Svalbard Archipelago —forms the connective tissue of the exhibition. Artists work across video, photography, performance and digital media, but what binds them is proximity: to the landscape, to one another and to the evidence of environmental change.
“The residency is fantastic,” Lock said. “You fly into the most northerly airport on the planet, get on a ship with a bunch of artists and then sail around the archipelago and find a bay or a glacier, get into little rubber boats and go to shore. There are three guides with rifles … and they form a triangle around us to protect us from polar bears, and then you’re just there.”
That immediacy — of risk, of beauty, of isolation — is evident in the work on view. “Everyone is concerned with the environmental shifts that are occurring, and you’re witnessing it out there,” Lock said. “We were cleaning the beach one day and there’s so much trash on this beach in the middle of nowhere … because there’s plastic in the sea. We are witnessing these things firsthand.”
Lock’s own contributions underscore how quickly the landscape is changing. In one piece, two photographs are mounted on a glacier-shaped metal stand. “I went to photograph the glacier, and we were sailing around and because of the map, we knew we were at the glacier, but we couldn’t see it,” he said. Dense fog, created by warming air meeting cold ground, obscured what should have been unmistakable. Only later, in post-production, did the glacier emerge. “In Photoshop, I could extract the glacier, but to the naked eye, it was no longer visible.”
Other changes are even more stark. Lock recalled the reaction of the ship’s captain comparing current conditions to his charts. “His ‘up to date’ map showed that the glacier was 8 kilometers between one side and the other, but we parked at one side, sailed and moored on the other side and it was 1.4 kilometers,” Lock said. “So, it’s just like bam. It’s happening so fast.”
There is a sense of urgency in these images, but the collection also is a testament to process and to the community that forms in such extreme conditions. “There’s quite a nice network of artists who are pretty tight,” Lock said. “We were on a ship together in tight quarters for three weeks, so we got to know each other really well. And I found connections across the work with my own practice.”
Mindful of the environmental stakes embedded in the work itself, Lock made decisions aimed at reducing impact when curating the exhibition. “A lot of this work I printed with their permission to cut down on my carbon footprint,” he said.
And yet, for all its focus on fragility and loss, the Arctic exerts a pull. “It was funny, I’ve been twice,” Lock said. “When I left the last time, I was like, oh, I don’t know if I need to go back. And then I got back, and all I wanted to do was go back.”
The Tremaine Gallery is located on the Hotchkiss campus at 11 Interlaken Road, Lakeville. Gallery hours are Tuesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, 12 noon to 4 p.m.
Beyond Hammertown: Joan Osofsky designs what comes next
Kerri-Lee Mayland
Joan Osofsky and Sharon Marston
Joan Osofsky is closing the doors on Hammertown, one of the region’s most beloved home furnishings and lifestyle destinations, after 40 years, but she is not calling it an ending.
“I put my baby to bed,” she said, describing the decision with clarity and calm. “It felt like the right time.”
At 80, Osofsky is stepping away from the business she built into an institution. Yet her attention is not fixed on what she is leaving behind but on what she calls “Beyond Hammertown,” a phase shaped not by legacy but by intention and possibility.
“Not defined by what I created, but by what I choose next,” she said.
Founded in a barn in Pine Plains in 1985, Hammertown grew into a singular brand with locations in Rhinebeck and Great Barrington, known for its warm, layered aesthetic that blended European and American antiques with rustic textures and modern simplicity. Often credited with helping to define a “modern country” sensibility, the store drew a devoted following from across the region and beyond. But for Osofsky, its success was never a solo effort.
“Hammertown was never just my story,” she said. “It was built alongside my family and colleagues, whose support and talent made everything possible.”
That sense of collaboration traces back to her earlier life as a teacher in New Jersey and Rhode Island. While raising her children in the late 1960s and ’70s, she launched a patchwork quilting business, selling work in shops in New York City and the Berkshires. She went on to work with friends on The Sweet Life Chocolate Engagement Calendar, published in the early 1980s and sold nationally, and led a PTA quilting project that still hangs in her children’s former elementary school.
Those early experiences of building a home, raising a family and creating by hand became the foundation of Hammertown. Even now, that instinct remains unchanged.
“I still love knitting for babies and making scarves for friends,” she said.
As news of the closing spread, Osofsky said she felt both the weight of the decision and the depth of the community it touched.
“I felt its weight and its love when I announced Hammertown was closing,” she said.
Still, her focus returns to what lies ahead. She describes this next phase as open, undefined and deeply personal — a shift away from building a business toward following curiosity wherever it leads. Writing, travel and creative exploration are all part of that vision, along with revisiting ideas once set aside.
Among them is a book she once considered publishing traditionally. Now, she is rethinking that path, reflecting a broader change in how she approaches creativity. No longer tied to a store or a brand but “just for the joy of it,” she said.
That shift also makes room for other parts of her life, including time with her granddaughter, cooking, learning to garden and spending time in France.
“I’ll be at Trade Secrets helping my dear friend Sharon from Marston House,” she said of the annual garden event in May benefiting Project SAGE. “She lives in France most of the year, and I visit her frequently — we shop the markets, share life and walk the French countryside. This has become an important part of my life.”
Other constants remain. Tennis, she said, has long provided not only recreation but connection. She hopes to spend more time on the court, possibly even competitively, while continuing her work with the Northeast Community Center and the Little Guild. These commitments she describes as deeply meaningful and essential to what comes next.
“That has meant a great deal to me beyond Hammertown.”
As she prepares for the transition, Osofsky speaks less about loss than about clarity — a desire for space, a readiness for quiet and the ability to move forward on her own terms. She describes this next phase as rooted in authenticity and an “imperfectly perfect life,” acknowledging that it carries both release and uncertainty.
“I’ll let go, but I’m not sure where I’m being led, and that is OK,” she said.
A year from now, she expects people might see a shift in her — someone lighter, less burdened.
“Still deeply connected to creative beauty,” she said, “just less tied to outcomes and more open to surprise.”
Though many have framed Hammertown’s closing in terms of legacy, Osofsky resists that perspective. For her, the present moment feels far more alive.
“Legacy is something you come to understand later,” she said. “Possibility is something you feel in the present.”
What she hopes people carry forward is not just a memory but a feeling of something less tangible.
“I hope people don’t just remember Hammertown,” she said. “I hope they feel it — that sense of warmth and comfort, like walking into a place that felt like home.”
She sees Beyond Hammertown not as retirement but as the beginning of something new and intentional. There is still more to try, more to learn, more to become. It just might be her most personal design yet.
“And that, more than anything,” she said, “feels right.”
A celebratory season of American classics and new works at Barrington Stage Company
Richard Feiner And Annette Stover
Amid the many cultural attractions in the region, the Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, stands out for its award-winning productions and comprehensive educational and community-based programming. The theater’s 2026 season is one of its most ambitious; it includes two Pulitzer Prize-winning modern classics, one of the greatest theatrical farces ever written, and new works that speak directly to who we are right now as a society.
“Our 2026 season is a celebration of extraordinary storytelling in all its forms — timeless, uproarious and boldly new,” said Artistic Director Alan Paul. “This season features works that have shaped the American theater, as well as world premieres that reflect the company’s deep commitment to developing new voices and new stories. Together, these productions embody what BSC does best: entertain, challenge and connect our audiences through theater that feels both essential and alive.”
The company has several theaters within a few blocks of each other. In the Boyd-Quinson Theater, BSC’s main stage, the season features “A Chorus Line” (July 15-Aug. 8), a new 50th anniversary production of the Broadway musical that won nine Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for drama. This will be followed by Michael Frayn’s beloved door-slamming comedy “Noises Off,” in a first-time BSC production directed by Gordon Greenberg.
At BSC’s Blatt Center for the Performing Arts, the St. Germain Stage season will open with “Driving Miss Daisy” (May 27-June 21), a collaboration with Palm Beach Dramaworks directed by BSC founding artistic director Julianne Boyd and starring Ray Anthony Thomas and Debra Jo Rupp. This is followed by the world premiere of “Estate Sale” (June 30-July 25) by Keelay Gipson, an Afro-surrealist artist, professor and award-winning playwright and BSC Sparks grant recipient.
The season includes other provocative and timely new works. “The Zionists: A Family Storm” (June 16-July 3), produced in association with Miami New Drama, focuses on a family gathering on a Caribbean island where old grievances give way to new political fears. “Dead Girl’s Quinceañera” (Aug. 5-29), a collective world premiere by BSC, Chicago’s Goodman Theatre and Hartford Stage, is a dark comedy about true-crime obsession, teenage bravado and what happens when girls decide to stop waiting for answers. Another world premiere, “The Urmetazoan” (Sept. 30-Oct. 25), by playwright Alex Rugman and directed by Jack Serio, tells the story of two sisters facing an imminent goodbye as one prepares to leave Earth for deep space.
“BSC is deeply committed to our home in the Berkshires, producing as many or more shows this summer than ever before, for a devoted and engaged audience,” said Managing Director Greg Reiner. “And we are continuing our deep work within this community, showing up where it matters to bring new audiences theater that matters.”
Since moving to Pittsfield in 2006, Barrington Stage has prioritized its connection to residents and families through extensive and inclusive education and community engagement programs that help make its productions accessible to all. The company strives to make BSC an artistic home for an inclusive community of talented actors, writers, designers, directors and musical directors, as well as a home for its staff, students, interns and educators.
BSC has gained attention beyond the Berkshires, with productions that have moved on to Broadway and to major regional theaters around the country. The company believes that its work to support playwrights, and their visions of the world we live in, is central to its success in creating meaningful theater that resonates with all audiences.
“BSC’s season is a thrilling reflection of who we are right now as a society, wrestling with division and longing for connection,” Paul said. “It’s an exciting season because it’s alive and designed to bring us together in the dark to experience something unforgettable.”
For tickets and more information on the 2026 season, including additional productions, concerts, cabarets and the company’s annual gala, visit barringtonstageco.org.
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