A camper collided with a trailer on Route 7 in Sharon Friday, Aug. 23. No injuries were reported.
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Sharon plans replacement of West Cornwall Road bridge
Patrick Stachniak
Nov 04, 2026
SHARON — The Board of Selectmen and Planning & Zoning Commission have approved new plans to replace the West Cornwall Road bridge over Pine Swamp Brook, just south of the historic covered bridge over the Housatonic River in West Cornwall.
The project has been in the works for three years after a survey determined that the structure was nearing the end of its intended life-span. After passing the P&Z commission, the project now only needs approval from four property owners near the site to begin the bidding process.
Demolition and the new bridge will cost an estimated total of $1.5 million, with Sharon responsible for 50%. First Selectman Casey Flanagan is “cautiously optimistic” construction will begin in spring 2027.
“We conducted a bridge assessment of our structures between six and 20 feet in length,” said Flanagan. “This bridge was identified as the top priority because of its poor condition, so that was the first one we started with.”
The approximately 15-foot bridge that crosses Pine Swamp Brook, and the several other bridges along West Cornwall Road can be indistinguishable from the normal road for commuters, according to Flanagan.
Flanagan did not identify any dangers or deficiencies but said the bridge has reached the end of its design life.
Connecticut’s $16 million State Local Bridge Program, administered by the Department of Transportation (CDOT), reimburses municipalities for repairs and replacement for small bridges. Though each town is responsible for the design, bidding and construction process, the state will reimburse 50% of the project’s total cost.
“Whether it’s kids going to school, people heading to work, or traveling to visit friends and family, every community depends on bridges that are safe and built to last,” said Governor Ned Lamont in July.
“This grant program provides significant relief to our towns and cities, helping them tackle costly infrastructure projects they couldn’t take on alone.”
The largest hurdle for both the Board of Selectmen and P&Z Commission was the revelation that four separate private properties intersect at the middle of the extended design’s Western side, which increases its lifespan.However, Flanagan stated that the property owners were cooperative and willing to allow the updated bridge design to stretch roughly 15 feet into their properties. Sharon has sought a permanent easement on the land to allow the new guardrails and road to remain on the properties, as well as enable maintenance and upkeep.
Though the complication increased the approval process timeline, Flanagan feels confident the town can compensate the property owners fairly and estimates Sharon will be able to complete the bidding process over the winter and begin construction in 2027.
The new design will not make substantial changes to the present bridge and will be functional for the next 100 years.
“Everything’s been going well. Hopefully the property owners are still eager and willing to work with us because it’s going to benefit them just as much as anybody else,” Flanagan said. “I’m cautiously optimistic that we’ll be able to negotiate deals with them all and move forward.”
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Salisbury Forum links science, religion and Earth’s future
Patrick L. Sullivan
Nov 04, 2026
From left, Sam King, Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim discuss how religion and science can be used to address environmental challenges on Oct. 30.
Patrick L. Sullivan
LAKEVILLE — Religious scholars Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim and environmentalist, writer and former Hotchkiss teacher Sam King delivered a presentation at The Hotchkiss School Friday, Oct. 30.
Sponsored by the Salisbury Forum, “Change the Story, Change the World: A New Vision for an Ecological Era” explored how religious tradition and modern science can be used together to address environmental and spiritual challenges.
Tucker and Grim are co-directors of the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology. King is project director for Journey of the Universe and taught environmental humanities at Hotchkiss.
Tucker and Grim were both students of Thomas Berry, a Catholic priest and professor at Fordham University who advocated for humanity to see itself as part of an interdependent community with the Earth, rather than using scientific and technological advances to exploit the planet.
The speakers made frequent references to “Journey of the Universe,” an Emmy Award-winning documentary co-written by Tucker. The film tells the story of the evolution of the universe, the Earth and humans from the Big Bang to the present.
Tucker said Berry was looking “not just for ways of enlightenment but a new way forward.”
“We need a new story that will integrate the discoveries of science” with religious beliefs, she said. “This new story has to be told in many forms.”
Grim said the challenge of “Journey” was how to tell the story of the evolving universe in what was originally a two-hour program, later edited down to one hour for television.
The subject matter was daunting, and the film deals with questions such as “Where did gravity come from?”
Tucker said the response to the film was gratifying and surprising. “China has really picked this up because it works with their traditions.”
Grim said he met a student from Pakistan who wanted to bring the film to that country even though it might be seen as contradicting Islamic teachings.
The student “cracked that nut,” and the film was shown in private and public schools in Pakistan without incident.
King, whose work on “Journey” includes arranging screenings, publishing a newsletter and hosting a podcast, said he taught at Hotchkiss from 2016 to 2019 in interdisciplinary humanities courses that asked students questions such as “Where do we come from?” and “What is a good human society?”
He said he discovered the film at a retreat and knew he had found something.
“I felt like I was meeting my own teachers.”
He started thinking about “a new cosmology with a new science.”
“We stand at a profound cosmic moment. We’re in the sixth mass extinction event, and the first caused by humans.”
The question for King was how to inspire young people to move from a model of human exploitation of nature toward a mutually enhancing relationship with it.
“We need to instill in young people a sense of fulfillment as creatures.”
Tucker said the interest is there. “Young people are very keen on science and cosmology.”
“This generation has gone through cynicism, disempowerment and despair. They’re coming out in a new place of hope and possibility. I’m very excited.”
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Backgammon group adds ‘Pizza and Play’ at White Hart
Ruth Epstein
Nov 04, 2026
Playing backgammon at the Saturday session at Le Gamin in Sharon are front, Jennifer Dowley and Harding Bancroft. Behind them are Michael Lonergan and David Dabill.
Ruth Epstein
Like pickleball enthusiasts who just can’t get enough of the game, those who love backgammon are eager to play as often as possible.
With interest growing, Backgammon of Northwest Connecticut has added a third location for its weekly gatherings.
Besides offering instruction and play at the Hotchkiss Library at 2 p.m. Wednesdays and competitive play at Le Gamin Cafe at 9 a.m. Saturdays, the group now gathers in the White Hart Inn’s library in Salisbury at 5 p.m. Wednesdays, where players can purchase pizza made in the outdoor oven.
What began as a handful of players has grown to a mailing list of 70 people, most of whom live within 30 miles of Sharon. They come from Cornwall, Litchfield, Torrington and Kent, with some traveling regularly from New York and Boston.
Several members teach the game at the Hotchkiss Library at no charge. Beginners and intermediate players are welcome. There are no membership requirements or dues.
On Saturday mornings, players are paired with others of similar proficiency. On Wednesdays at the Hotchkiss Library, the emphasis is on teaching, using a lesson plan composed of 14 components.
“Backgammon combines the strategy of chess, the luck of poker and the randomness of dice to create a unique experience for both the novice and the seasoned player,” said group founder Roger Lourie. “The use of the doubling cube takes the players to a whole new dimension of competitiveness. The use of the cube marks a player’s graduation from social play to competition; from novice to the first steps of expertise.”
Lourie, who introduces players to one another, said competitive play is also about enjoying one another’s company. He aims to match players of similar skill.
Ed Corey, director of membership services for the U.S. Backgammon Federation, provides informal instruction. Advanced beginners and intermediate players also play backgammon chouettes, a format in which a team strategizes together to defeat a single player known as “the box.”
During most sessions, players can purchase food to enjoy while they play.
The new location at the White Hart gives players another opportunity to gather with the four-year-old group.
David Dabill of Falls Village, the organizer of the “Pizza and Play” sessions, said, “This is a way for people to connect on an individual basis. Winters are long here and the White Hart is a community center for many activities. Long winters and dark days give us a chance to connect, dine and compete.”
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Salisbury students bring spooky stories to The Moviehouse screen
Patrick L. Sullivan
Nov 04, 2026
Salisbury Central School students celebrated the screening of two films they created through the SOAR after-school program at The Moviehouse in Millerton Sunday, Oct. 25.
Patrick L. Sullivan
MILLERTON — SOAR, the after-school enrichment program at Salisbury Central School, presented two films made by SCS students at The Moviehouse in Millerton Sunday, Oct. 25.
Jeremy Boviard, the manager of the theater, and Tom Cloutier, the assistant manager, were the advisors to the students.
Boviard said the film classes took about seven weeks. Itwas the fourth year he has worked with SOAR on student films.
The students decided on all the important aspectsof production such as scripts and treatments, which takes to use, costumes and special effects, and casting.
“This is all student-led,” he emphasized.
The title of the first film, “Blood on the Mirror,” elicited a couple of nervous chuckles from the audience.
“Should I be nervous?” one woman asked a youngster, who replied with a vehement “Nah!”
In brief, a new student named Kyle comes to school, and suddenly kids start to die in horrible ways.
This involved special effects, most prominently dummies.
The entire film is played, very well, for laughs.
The second film, “The Last Episode,” is structured as a reality/found footage show that goes awry.
A TV crew is investigating why a school has been closed for two weeks with no explanation. Finding an open door, the team explores the school, noting that it appears everyone left in a hurry without taking their belongings.
Then, in the background, a strange figure appears briefly, and disappears into the empty teachers’ lounge.
The intrepid reporter follows, the door slams shut, and all sorts of supernatural weirdness ensues.
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Falls Village selectmen approve senior center upgrades
Patrick L. Sullivan
Nov 04, 2026
FALLS VILLAGE — The Board of Selectmen approved three grant-funded projects totaling $47,700 at a special meeting Thursday, Oct. 22, including painting and new flooring at the Peter G. Lawson Senior Center and electrical work at the transfer station.
Value Restorations will paint the senior center for $32,500, using funds from a state Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) grant.
Laigle Flooring will install new flooring at the center for $9,940, paid for through a federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant.
At the transfer station, Sharon Electric will wire a new trash compactor for $5,260, also funded through a STEAP grant.
The selectmen also appointed Susan Kelsey as an alternate on the Board of Assessment Appeals.
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Sharon seeks volunteer to fill zoning appeals vacancy
Patrick Stachniak
Nov 04, 2026
Sharon Town Hall
File photo
SHARON — The resignation of Zoning Board of Appeals member Theodore Coulombe was announced at the Board of Selectmen’s meeting last month.
The Selectmen are now actively searching for a new volunteer to serve out the rest of his term, which ends in 2027.
Coulombe, a local artist and gallery owner, did not respond to a request for comment on his resignation, but still serves as an alternate for the Historic District Commission.
According to First Selectman Casey Flanagan, finding volunteers to serve on any board can be difficult due to the time commitment and fears over potential conflicts with their small town neighbors.
“[But] we rely heavily on volunteers in this town,” said Flanagan. “We’re looking for people who are interested in volunteering and giving their time to the town. People who have a good head on their shoulders, who can work well with others, and have an interest in helping.”
Interested applicants must write a brief letter of intent explaining why they’d be a good fit and submit it to 1stselectman@sharonct.gov. The Board of Selectmen will review the letters and appoint the best candidate.
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