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Mike Mangini’s new office is on the second floor of the Canaan Union Depot building.
NORTH CANAAN — Physical therapist Mike Mangini has shifted operations to a new space on the second floor of the Canaan Union Depot building at 75 Main St. in North Canaan.
The new space has plenty of room and ample parking outside, he said.
The waiting room is actually in the hallway, where there are two comfortable armchairs for clients.
Mangini noted that when clients are finished with their session, they can drop in at the New England Accordion Museum on the first floor.
Patrick Stachniak
SALISBURY — Salisbury Central School’s chorus will perform at Radio City Music Hall Nov. 12, with preparations continuing despite the recent departure of music teacher and chorus director Jennifer Moros.
The chorus will perform a medley of holiday favorites before the Christmas Spectacular starring the Radio City Rockettes. Students announced the trip during their Fall Festival performance.
Principal Stephanie Magyarinformed families that Moros was no longer at the school in an email sent Oct. 28. Neither Magyar nor Moros commented on the reasons.
Magyar said the Nov. 12 performance will proceed and tickets remain available. She will oversee trip logistics, and Salisbury Band member Lee Sohl will direct the chorus.
Moros joined Salisbury Central in 2024 after nearly two decades as an educator. Working with Magyar, she expanded music opportunities for younger students and introduced a musical for fourth and fifth graders. The chorus grew to 38 students.
“I love what I do, I love making music and I love working with kids,” Moros said in an Oct. 23 interview with The Lakeville Journal.
“The program is growing really fast. The kids are training, and they’re pretty amazing,” she said.
Preparing for Radio City also brought support from the wider community. Michael Baldwin and Sarah Cuoco of Sharon Playhouse volunteered to help students develop their stage presence.
Students and community members helped raise money for the trip, selling $1,000 worth of popcorn at concerts with a machine borrowed from the local fire department.
Magyar said the program’s growth has given students more opportunities to perform and made the chorus more visible in the community.
“It’s been great. Our numbers are up, and not just the kids are responding well, but the community is getting to see us far more than they did before,” Magyar said.
The chorus is also scheduled to perform its holiday medley Dec. 6 at Salisbury’s tree lighting at the White Hart Inn.
Ruth Epstein
Cara Johnson is the new executive director of the Cornwall Library.
CORNWALL — Cara Johnson has been named the new executive director of the Cornwall Library. She replaces Margaret Haske, who chose to take on the position of director of circulation.
Johnson, 52, brings a wide range of experience to her new role. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees, as well as a PhD in archeology from the University of Connecticut. She taught at the college level and was head of school at Litchfield Montessori School and most recently education lead for Art Education Initiative, a global education foundation.
“But I’ve always been interested in libraries,” she said during a recent interview, as the sound of excited young children attending the weekly story hour could be heard. “This is more than just a library. Cornwall comes across as an arts and literary community and what is wanted here echoes my job as head of school.”
While she has no plans to make any immediate changes as she gets to know the community, Johnson said she has some ideas about expanding programs using her educational background. She really enjoys middle school-age children and hopes to be able to provide offerings to attract them to the library. “They’re old enough to have strong reasoning skills yet have not lost that sense of awe. It’s an important period.”
Johnson envisions planning events that let them express their creativity, thinking about such activities as a maker space, problem solving, exploring different media and outdoor programs. She would also like to see them involved in volunteerism.
Johnson sees the role of the library as being a community hub. With art shows, lectures, programs for all ages, as well as a repository for books, videos and other materials, the library connects people, she said.
She has already seen how it serves as an outlet for artists to showcase their talents. The walls are currently filled with a photography exhibit. “It’s lovely that people give of their time to share their work.”
She marveled at the recent Lena Dunham talk that brought out an audience of 300.
Raised in Pomfret and now a resident of Bantam, Johnson greatly enjoys hiking and kayaking. “I love being outdoors,” she said.
And, of course, she is a reader, attracted to mystery novels and what she termed “nerdy science non-fiction.” Among her favorite authors are Ann Cleeves and Sam Keen.
Johnson served as a trustee of the Connecticut Board of Independent Schools and board member of the Rotary Club of Thomaston and the Junior Women’s Club of Litchfield Hills. She’s been a wilderness guide and mentor and continues to serve as a research scientist in the University of Connecticut’s department of anthropology.
Riley Klein
Housatonic’s Jackson McAvoy during the 4-0 loss at Shepaug Valley Oct. 28.
WASHINGTON — Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s boys varsity soccer team concluded the regular season with a tough road loss at Shepaug Valley High School Wednesday, Oct. 28.
After taking an early lead, Shepaug held on to a 1-0 margin at halftime despite a relentless attack by the HVRHS offense for most of the first half. Shepaug’s perseverance paid off in the second half as the Spartans scored three goals in quick succession to secure a 4-0 win.
The game marked the end of the regular season for both Berkshire League teams. It was played in Washington, with the temperature about 55 degrees.
In the opening minutes, Shepaug’s Grady Hughes put his team ahead with an early goal.
HVRHS played with unwavering effort and created offensive opportunities by winning most 50/50 balls.
Senior striker Jackson McAvoy faced swarms of Spartan defenders whenever he got the ball but came close to scoring several times as the first half progressed.
The second half started with more pressure from the HVRHS offense and another shot by McAvoy that was saved.
In the 65th minute, Shepaug’s Jonathan Croft launched a free kick from the left side into the box. The ball soared over the players who were leaping to head it and landed in the right side of the net.
Just two minutes later, Hughes got his second goal of the day, weaving inside in a solo effort before scoring with a low shot to the right.
In the 74th minute, Shepaug scored on a follow-up effort after a corner kick. Shepaug’s Elijah Tendler collected the ball at the top of the box and fired a hard strike into the top left of the net.
HVRHS had several scoring chances down the stretch, the closest of which came from captain Angel Gonzalez, whose late-game shot was saved.
Heading into the postseason, Shepaug sat in fourth place in the BL with a record of 10-5-1, while HVRHS was in fifth place with a record of 7-9. At the top of the league were Northwestern (14-1-1), Nonnewaug (14-2) and Lakeview (11-4-1).
All five teams earned bids to compete in Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference tournaments. Nonnewaug and Lakeview will represent the BL in the Class M tournament as the fourth and 13th seeds, respectively. In Class S, Northwestern is seeded first, Shepaug eighth and HVRHS 15th.
The first round of boys soccer tournaments is scheduled to begin Friday, Nov. 6, with higher seeds hosting home games.
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Alec Linden
Reopening Emery Park’s swimming pond remains the top priority as Kent considers broader improvements to the park.
KENT — Kent’s selectmen want the town to focus on reopening Emery Park’s swimming pond as it weighs a $5.75 million plan to renovate the park.
The Board of Selectmen reviewed the master plan at its Oct. 20 meeting. Reopening the swimming area remains the priority, with broader park improvements planned in phases over the following years. The board did not provide a timeline for reopening the pond.
Prepared by Meriden-based Cardinal Engineering, the plan outlines upgrades to the park, including its 80-year-old, stream-fed swimming pond, which has been closed since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Parks and Recreation Director Matt Frasher said planning for the pond’s rehabilitation revealed the need for broader infrastructure improvements and accessibility upgrades under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“We started to cut the onion and we had to really take apart so many more layers deeper in,” he said. “It was like a domino effect.”
Frasher said reopening the swimming pond remains the commission’s top priority, although completing the broader park rehabilitation could take a decade or more.
“We are under the understanding that this could be a 10, 15 year project,” he said. “It’s not something that’s going to happen instantaneously.”
Cardinal’s estimates include approximately $4.2 million for general park improvements, $550,000 for pond dredging and utilities, and roughly $1 million to rehabilitate the swimming area — a combined cost of up to $5.75 million.
The general improvements include a Parks and Recreation Department office, bathing and changing facilities, a 50-person pavilion, landscaping and a new playground.
The town has $550,000 in capital funds allocated to various aspects of the project, covering approximately 10% of the estimated total, Frasher said.
Selectman Lynn Harrington expressed concern that the broader rehabilitation could distract from or impede efforts to reopen the swimming pond.
First Selectman Eric Epstein said his conversations with engineers supported addressing regulatory compliance throughout the park alongside the swimming-area work. But a project of this scale should involve public input, he said.
“My concern is we need to take this to the taxpayers,” Epstein said.
Frasher said his office and the commission intend to hold public forums in November and December to discuss the plans with residents.
Selectman Lynn Worthington asked whether the commission had considered replacing the pond with a swimming pool.
Frasher said “going the pond route is a significantly less expensive option, and one that we don’t have to fall under a significant amount of regulation.”
Maintaining it as a pond would also give the town more flexibility in its use, he said. The commission has discussed the possibility of winter skating when conditions allow.
Frasher said restoring accessible public swimming would provide residents with a place to cool off and opportunities to learn lifesaving swimming skills.
“The commission and I are beyond ecstatic to get behind it,” he said.
Patrick Stachniak
KENT — The Board of Finance has formed a subcommittee to study a potential property tax exemption for owner-occupied primary residences.
Subcommittee members Casey Cogut and Jason Wright are gathering information about the option, which neighboring New Milford has implemented.
Connecticut law allows municipalities to adopt a homestead exemption of between 5% and 35% of the assessed value of qualifying owner-occupied primary residences. The exemption requires local approval; it does not apply automatically to all full-time residents.
New Milford’s exemption covers 10% of the assessed value of the primary lot and dwelling for eligible homeowners who make the property their permanent residence.
For example, a 10% exemption on a home assessed at $500,000 would reduce its taxable assessment to $450,000. At an unchanged mill rate, homeowners would see their tax bill drop 10%.
The exemption would reduce the town’s taxable property base. If the town needed to collect the same amount in property taxes, a higher tax rate would offset some of the savings for qualifying homeowners and shift more of the tax burden to properties that do not qualify.
As of Oct. 30, Kent’s review remained preliminary. Board of Finance Chair Nancy O’Dea-Wyrick described the subcommittee as being in its “infancy stage,” with members gathering information before holding their first meeting.
O’Dea-Wyrick said there was no estimated timeline for completing the research. She said the findings would ultimately be brought to the Board of Selectmen for consideration.
“Our subcommittee is at work with the individual members gathering relevant information. We will ultimately present the information at a public subcommittee meeting, or directly to the other Board of Finance members,” Cogut said.
Patrick L. Sullivan
SALISBURY — Preparations to relocate Lakeville’s historic railroad station are underway, with trees removed behind the Ethan Allen Street building and asbestos remediation in progress.
First Selectman Curtis Rand told the Board of Selectmen Monday, Nov. 2, that a crew removed trees behind the station the previous week.
“We left a couple on the embankment. I think it will be nice,” Rand said.
Burlington Construction, the contractor for the project, is performing asbestos remediation in the basement. Rand said the work is proceeding as anticipated, with no surprises.
Asked whether the new foundation would be dug before winter, Rand said he did not know.
The project calls for moving the station back 19 feet from the roadway, lifting it and constructing a new foundation and basement. Delivery trucks serving nearby restaurants have repeatedly struck the building’s overhanging roof, prompting the town to install concrete barriers that further narrowed the street.
The move is intended to protect the station and improve safety along the busy approach to the Town Grove.
Voters authorized spending up to $650,000 on the project at a Sept. 16 town meeting. On Oct. 15, they approved using up to $611,000 from the town’s debt reduction account to pay for the work.
The Planning and Zoning Commission completed the town’s approval process Oct. 19, unanimously approving a special permit for the new foundation and relocation.
During that meeting, commission Chair Cathy Shyer questioned whether the building needs three entrances and whether the accessible ramp could be reoriented to provide more room for a pedestrian walkway.
Rand said those details would be worked out with the commission, the town’s building department and the State Historic Preservation Office.
“We’re just focused on getting the building moved,” he said.
The commission approved the permit with a condition allowing the town flexibility in the design of entrances, exits and accessibility.
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