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Rehab of Kent's defunct swimming pond will take time, officials say
Alec Linden
Jun 24, 2026
Cardinal Engineering Vice President Timothy Cermola points out the crumbling concrete lining of the defunct Emery Park swimming pond Wednesday, June 17.
Alec Linden
KENT – Efforts to restore Emery Park's long-closed swimming pond took a step forward last week, as engineers reported the decades-old foundation appears stronger than some expected. Even so, they said, it may be several summers before the swimming hole is back in working order.
Despite the longer than anticipated timeline, Parks and Recreation Commission Chair Rufus de Rham said during the June 17 meeting that the town remains focused on bringing back a place for residents to cool off.
“I know we have pipe dreams,” said De Rham, referring to long-term intentions to install a pavilion, upgrade the playground and even build an office for the Parks and Recreation Department at the park, among other proposed projects. “But the pond is our No. 1 mission here.”
Luckily, its bones are mostly solid, reported Cardinal Engineering Vice President Timothy Cermola. “The masonry and stone walls are probably sound,” he said of the foundation. Officials had feared the entire basin would need to be re-excavated.
However, “anything concrete that was laid on the stone masonry has to be removed,” he said, gesturing at the pool’s lining, which is cracked and crumbling in places. Cermola noted that the first focus of a recently-commissioned study will be to determine how much of the masonry is suitable to keep, noting that anything unstable or at risk of becoming so will have to be replaced. The current concrete is intended to be upgraded to a long-lasting, rebar-supported gunite lining.
The pond, a stream-fed concrete basin that was dug out to its current shape in the early 1960s, served the town as a cooling off spot before shutting down during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, the only public swimming opportunity in town is at Lake Waramaug State Park.
Plans to bring the pond back into working order have been in the works for years with ample public support. The town sent out an RFP for its restoration late last year, but it was repealed due to complications with federal funds for the project.
Since then, officials have shifted their approach, opting to bring on Meriden-based Cardinal Engineering to survey the site and develop a master plan for the park, meant to guide the swimming pond restoration and the longer term projects. Part of the plan will be bringing the park’s facilities, which span somewhat rugged terrain below a steep hillside, up to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, a requirement in public parks.
“This is where the money is well spent,” Cermola said, though he noted it will be a significant undertaking. “This is a million dollar project,” he predicted.
While the foundational structure may be more intact than some had feared, the finished product may look quite different to what’s there now.
The general shape of the pond is subject to change, said Parks and Rec. Director Matt Frasher as he perched on a sloping wall inside the basin. The curved flooris likely to be restructured with straight-down flat walls at the pond’s edges for safety reasons, he said, and the overall depth may be reduced to five-feet.
A wide, oblong section that once accommodated 75-foot lanes for the local swim team may also be narrowed in the new design.
The town currently has $400,000 in capital funds available for the swimming pond restoration, as well as an additional $100,000 in funds from the American Rescue Plan Act which will expire this year. Another $100,000 in capital has already been allocated towards upgrading the playground.
The Cardinal engineers anticipate the master plan will be complete by the end of summer, which will then act as a blueprint for next steps.
As the group dispersed, Commissioners were satisfied by the discussion, despite the temporal setbacks. “We want to do it right,” said Chair De Rham. “That’s the biggest thing.”
“While we’re working on the pond first,” added member Keith Johnson, “it won’t interfere with anything in the future… that’s what the master plan ensures.”
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Norfolk opens Haystack Woods, net-zero affordable housing complex
Madi Long
Jun 24, 2026
Community members gather for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Haystack Woods, Norfolk's newest affordable housing complex. It includes 10 homes.
Madi Long
NORFOLK — Community members gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday, June 22, to celebrate the opening of Haystack Woods, Norfolk’s newly constructed affordable housing complex.
Kate Briggs Johnson, president of the Foundation for Norfolk Living, said she believes Haystack Woods is Connecticut’s first net-zero affordable homeownership community equipped with battery storage and electric vehicle chargers. A net-zero development generates as much renewable energy as it consumes over the course of a year.
Haystack Woods features 10 homes, including ranches, cape-style houses, and two-story builds, each with two to three bedrooms.
Two homes have been closed, five more are scheduled to close and three houses remain available. The three remaining homes will be sold for $261,000 and are three-bedroom houses for households below 80% the Average Median Income.
Each home within the complex features high-efficiency insulated construction and a dedicated solar array designed to generate its annual energy needs. The development has also earned LEED and National Green Building Standard certifications.
The community wasn’t built without struggle, Briggs Johnson said, as committee members spent an additional 12 months at PNZ and Wetlands Zoning meetings to transition the private road to a public road. This came with the help of the Norfolk Cemetery Association, which provided the easement to construct the road.
Jordan Seibert, a Haystack Woods homeowner, expressed her gratitude to the crowd.
“Like many people, I reached a point where homeownership felt increasingly out of reach,” she said. “I’m fortunate to be purchasing a home at a young age, giving me the chance to be comfortable, put down roots, and think long-term about my future.”
Prominent guests attended the ribbon-cutting, including Norfolk’s First Selectman Henry Tirrell; Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz; Ricky Jordan, manager of Energy Efficiency at Eversource; Margaret Warner, Senior Vice President at Northwest Community Bank; Libby Borden of the Norfolk Land Trust; Maria Horn, Connecticut State Representative; and Seila Mosquera-Bruno, the commissioner of CT Department of Housing.
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Salisbury native trades NYC for outdoor summer tour
Patrick L. Sullivan
Jun 24, 2026
Singer-songwriter Elijah Stone performs at the NECC Millerton Farmers Market on June 20.
Patrick L. Sullivan
MILLERTON – Salisbury native Elijah Stone returned to familiar territory Saturday, June 20, playing electric guitar and singing at the NECC Millerton Farmers Market.
Stone, 24, is the son of Lakeville-based artist Karen LeSage and Richmond, Virginia, musician and educator Joshua Stone.
“I feel lucky to come from a family of artists,” he said. “Less explaining to do.”
Stone released his debut EP, “Twenty-Second Catch,” in October 2025 and plans to release a full-length album later this fall.
With an early stop near his hometown, Stone has performances planned through the end of August spanning from Massachusetts into the Hudson Valley. Performances will include farmers markets, festivals and community venues.
Of performing outdoors, Stone said he likes the way they reach a wide range of ages.
“And the hours are better,” he quipped.
At the Millerton Farmers Market, Stone played several covers among an eclectic set list of original music, including Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” and “Midnight at the Oasis,” made famous by Maria Muldaur.
His arrangements were simple and tasteful, while his vocals were precise and unstrained.
Stone also maintains close ties with childhood friends from the Northwest Corner. He recently collaborated with Kent native Nick O’Neil on the first full music video for his song “Look Listen.” The pair filmed the video in Manhattan in one of the last remaining phone booths in New York.
“Nick and I walked by the phone booth and knew we had to incorporate it into our next project,” Stone said. “It was a blast shooting with him.”
Stone attended Salisbury Central School, The Hotchkiss School and the University of Michigan. When he’s not touring as a musician, he teaches math in Washington Heights, New York City, where he just completed his second year.
For more information and upcoming performance dates, visit Stone's website at elijahstonemusic.com.
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After third extension, Lime Rock regulation nears finish line
Alec Linden
Jun 24, 2026
A car races around Lime Rock Park during the 2026 Memorial Day season opener.
Madi Long
LIME ROCK – The Planning and Zoning Commission continued its hearing last week on proposed changes to Lime Rock Park’s operating regulations, with commissioners suggesting a resolution could be close.
“I think with some clarity from our lawyer, this should be very easy to move along,” commissioner Allen Cockerline said, referring to P&Z’s attorney Charles Andres, who was unable to attend the June 15 meeting.
The proposed regulation change was first brought before P&Z in May after the state Superior Court in Torrington approved an amendment to a decades-old legal agreement governing the race track.
Largely placing further restrictions on the Park’s operations, the proposed zoning change aims to transfer the language of that agreement into the zoning code.
During three hearing sessions since May 18, commissioners focused largely on drifting – when vehicles intentionally lose traction on the rear tires while rounding a curve – due to its potential to cause tire smoke pollution. By the June 15 meeting, however, commissioners appeared largely satisfied by the track’s handling of the technique that involves limiting the hours of the practice.
Lime Rock President and CEO Dicky Riegel said the track has voluntarily followed the proposed regulations since 2022, even without any legal obligation, limiting drifting to two days per year, with a maximum of three 15-minute demonstrations on those days.
Cockerline said even so,“I just want to be sure we have safeguards in the future if it does become clearly a pollutant and nuisance.”
Land Use Director Abby Conroy noted that that may be difficult to achieve as it’s currently proposed given it is a regulation change and not a conditioned special permit. She and the Commission agreed that further consultation from Attorney Andres would be needed.After consultation withLime Rock, the hearing was extended again, set to reconvene on July 6 at 6:45 p.m.
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Local filmmaker documents life in Falls Village, releases 38th video
Patrick L. Sullivan
Jun 24, 2026
FALLS VILLAGE – Local filmmaker Eric Veden, who has been creating films about Falls Village since 2000, has released a new video, marking his 38th production featuring the people, businesses and everyday life of the community.
The latest video begins with scenes from the 2025 Fall Festival, featuring pumpkin decorating, live music and apple cider making.
Veden then sits down with Falls Village resident Barbara Lobdell, whose parents hailed from Wyoming. Describing her childhood as “low-drama, stable and happy,” Lobdell remembers leaving Laramie, Wyoming, after high school to attend the University of Washington where shereceived a degree in history and art. She then earned a master’s degree in Library Science and a two-year degree in electrical drafting.
Lobdell’s journey took her to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, where she worked as a draftsman for 35 years during what she described as “very much a man’s world.”
The film also features local blacksmith Will Blass, whom Veden describes as a “young, long-haired blacksmith extraordinaire.”
Blass traces his interest in metalworking to childhood.
“I grew up loving ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and decided I needed a magic sword,” Blass said.
Then, in high school, his attention turned to go-karts.
“Every time you want a new project you have to learn a new metalworking skill and it just kind of went from there,” he said of learning to forge and weld.
Blass said he got his first welder in eighth grade and started picking up tips from his father and cousin, Dusty Blass.
Another segment follows assistant librarian Anna Pattison and a group of children making 3D stars and lanterns at the Hunt Library, an activity that requires making cocoa first. It’s a representative slice of life at the library.
The film concludes with Alan Lovejoy at the library discussing his 2025 bicycle trip from Alberta, Canada to the U.S./Mexico border in Antelope Wells, New Mexico along the Great Divide.
To see the video, visit YouTube and search for “Eric Veden” or visit youtube.com/@ericveden4408. DVDs are also available through the David M. Hunt Library.
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North Canaan receives $2,500 grant for firefighter training equipment
Christian Murray
Jun 24, 2026
First Selectman Jesse Bunce (left) and North Canaan Fire Company representative Isaac Freund display a $2,500 check from the Northwest Community Bank Foundation.
Provided
NORTH CANAAN – North Canaan has been awarded a $2,500 grant from the Northwest Community Bank Foundation to help fund the purchase of specialized equipment for the North Canaan Fire Company, First Selectman Jesse Bunce announced earlier this month.
The fire company plans to purchase a Multi-Force Forcible Entry Door training system, which allows firefighters to practice breaching doors and entering buildings under realistic emergency conditions.
The training system allows firefighters to practice forcible-entry techniques on both inward- and outward-opening doors with metal and wooden jambs, replicating conditions commonly encountered during emergency responses.
The planned purchase includes a Multi-Force training door system, crush-door training slabs and a mobile wheel system. The total cost of the project is estimated at approximately $10,960.
“This is an important investment in firefighter preparedness and public safety,” Bunce said. “Our volunteer firefighters put themselves on the line for the community every day, and providing them with high-quality, realistic training tools helps ensure they are prepared to respond safely and effectively when seconds matter most.”
Town officials said the grant will help strengthen the fire company's capabilities while reducing the financial burden of acquiring the specialized equipment.
“The North Canaan Fire Company is an essential part of our town,” Bunce said. “We’re grateful to the Northwest Community Bank Foundation for recognizing the importance of ongoing firefighter training and supporting the dedicated volunteers who serve North Canaan.”
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