Where’s the audit?

Several weeks ago, a special risk-based audit of the Winchester school district’s financial system was requested and approved by the Board of Selectmen. As spring turns to summer, residents are rightfully wondering why the audit has not been completed.The point of a risk-based audit is to review an organization’s accounting practices and make recommendations regarding their accuracy and efficiency. If the process is stalled, as it seems to be, it is possible that some irregularities have been identified or auditors are finding it particularly difficult to obtain certain information. In either case, a report should be delivered to selectmen regarding the status of the audit, along with an estimated completion date.Without a status update, Winsted residents can only wonder what is happening with their tax dollars, particularly in a year that finds the Board of Education suing the Board of Selectmen for allegedly underfunding the 2011-12 school budget and a major restructuring of the schools has been approved for the coming year. How any of this will turn out successfully for the town remains a mystery, as no significant cost savings has been identified. Elected officials continue to disagree regarding how much money will be saved, and the Board of Education has made matters more difficult by deciding not to close one of the town’s K-through-8 school buildings, as was originally anticipated.The situation is anything but simple to understand, so it makes sense that a risk-based audit should take some time, but residents have every right to be getting antsy. The 2010-11 school year will soon come to a close and it will be time to put plans for the next school year into action. If voters approve the town’s proposed budget at referendum, the school system will be facing a major cut to its budget that will require significant action, as funding will be nearly $1.5 million less than the state-mandated minimum budget requirement (MBR). If the school board is successful in suing selectmen for creating that shortfall, one can only imagine the fiscal nightmare that will follow.In any case, first things first: It’s time for auditors to complete their work, or at least tell the Board of Selectmen and the town what they’ve found so far. If major problems have been identified, they will have to be cleared up immediately so town officials can get on with the business of suing themselves.

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Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

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Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

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