Three-year-old Ava Grace Hayes decorates her “haunted house” with candies at a program at the Plainville Public Library last Saturday. It’s sweet on the outside, but scary on the inside. That’s how they get you.

Photo by JANELLE MORELLI

Gaetano A. Napolitano Jr., 93, passed peacefully early Monday morning, October 7, 2019 at Sharon Health Care Center, Sharon, CT.  He was the husband of Anna (Spero) Napolitano.

He was born on July 27, 1926 in Ozone Park, LI, NY the son of the late Gaetano A. Napolitano, Sr. and Lucy (Cavone) Napolitano.  He was a veteran of World War 2, serving in the U.S. Army and was retired as a machinist with the Stanley Works.

Besides his wife, he leaves his daughter, Marilyn McKnight, her husband Jay and three grandchildren.  He was predeceased by his daughter Lucille Marie Napolitano in 2013.

Family and friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial on Friday, October 11, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. directly at Our Lady of Mercy Church, 19 South Canal St., Plainville. A service of committal will be held at 1:30 p.m. in the St. Boniface Cemetery, 631 Elmont Road, Elmont, NY. There are no calling hours.

Paul E. Gosselin, 93, formerly of Meriden and Spring Hill, Florida, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Saturday October 12, 2019 at the Hebrew Health Care Center in West Hartford.

Born in Levis, Quebec, Canada on May 15, 1926, he was one of six children to the late Herve and Regina (Couture) Gosselin.  He and the love of his life, Carmen (Begin) shared the same hometown and were married July 4, 1949, settling in Meriden where they raised their 3 children and shared over 70 years of love and life adventures.   As a young and active couple, they enjoyed trips back to Canada, skiing, and bowling.  Paul was employed for Miller Company in Meriden for close to 40 years from where he retired in 1988 and was a longtime member of the Franco-American Club and the Knights of Columbus.  He and Carmen retired to Spring Hill where they spent close to 30 years, returning home two years ago to be closer to their family, and to share their final years together at the Hebrew Health Center.  Known for his stamp collecting and being amused and entertained by watching wrestling on T.V., Paul was a true gentleman; a loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather, who will be missed dearly leaving an everlasting imprint in the hearts of his family.

In addition to his wife, Carmen, he leaves his sons, Pierre Gosselin and his wife, Debra of Plainville and Michael Gosselin and his spouse Cody of South Burlington, VT; his daughter (his Princess) Linda Gosselin and partner Randy of Meriden; 4 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.  He also leaves his elder sister Irene Dionne of Spring Hill Fl., and two brothers, Jerry of Spring Hill, FL, Guy and his wife, Judy of Meriden, and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother, Lee Gosselin and his sister, Monique Roy.

In lieu of flowers, Paul may be remembered with contributions to the Dementia Society of America, PO Box 600, Doylestown, PA 18901 or www.dementiasociety.org

Paul’s life will be celebrated with a graveside service on Saturday, October 19, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. at the St. Laurent Cemetery, 1151 Hanover Ave, Meriden.  For online expressions of sympathy, please visit www.PlainvilleFuneralHome.com

by MIKE CHI’m of the opinion that good comedy should hold up after multiple viewings.
There should be laughs that will get you every time. And there should be nuggets that you might have missed the first time around and then spot them with the second, third, fourth, or fifth viewing.
I think I first saw the Marx Brother’s “Duck Soup” back in the 1970s. However, I watched it again a few weeks ago, and I remembered how funny it was. I noticed things that I missed in my previous viewings. And I realized things that I didn’t understand when I saw the movie when I was younger.
I’ve had the same experience with films like Monty Python’s “Life of Brian” or “Bringing Up Baby” with Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, and James Stewart.

The Book of Mormon
Washington, D.C.
November 17, 2017
Photo Credit: Julieta Cervantes

The stage musical, “The Book of Mormon” from Trey Parker and Matt Stone of “South Park” fame and Robert Lopez is in Hartford this week.
This, however, is not the first time the show has made the circuit through Connecticut.
And, of those times, I have been to the show twice before. Wednesday night was my third go-around.
Third time is still a charm.
Heading into the Bushnell, however, I was worried that I might have made a mistake by agreeing to see the show again. After all, I figured the show must have worn out its welcome on my funny bone.
I was wrong.
Even after seeing the show twice before, I still found myself laughing hard — not only at things I missed but the things I already took note of.
A good cast can do wonders with a familiar script.
There definitely was a different energy emanating from the cast this time around with some newcomers and some repeat offenders
One of the highlights from the last time I saw “The Book of Mormon” was Jordan Matthew Brown as the sweet clownish manchild Arnold Cunningham. Brown has definitely mastered the art of pratfalls and slapstick. He lit up the stage every time he stumbled out.
His straight man for this stop on the tour is Liam Tobin as Elder Price. My guest commented that he looked more like a Prince Charming than a comedic actor. But that’s what made his performance such a hoot. There is something hilarious about watching someone who should have the world at his feet brought down to his knees to the point where he becomes the buffoon.
Alyah Chanelle Scott as Nabulungi, the kind of love interest, also seemed to have found her groove since I saw her last. There seemed to be more clowning around with Brown, more chemistry. She seemed to have become Brown’s partner-in-crime rather than just a passenger in his comedic train. “Baptize Me, her duet with Brown, drove that point home.
The music also for “The Book of Mormon” held up fabulously the third go around. “You and Me (But Mostly Me)” and “Man Up” were particularly good fun third time around.
The show still is as scatological as all get-out. But it’s never mean-spirited. The show sees the best in everyone. Even the villain has some redeeming value.
“The Book of Mormon” is definitely one of those rarified comedies that is as good the third time around as the first.
I give “The Book of Mormon” on Oct. 16 4 ½ out of 5 stars.
The show continues at The Bushnell, 166 Capitol Ave., Hartford on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 6:30 p.m. Matinees are Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. For tickets, visit Bushnell.org..
AIKEN

EDITIONS EDITOR

By TAYLOR MURCHISON-GALLAGHER

STAFF WRITER

Two public hearings were held at the Oct. 7 town council meeting in order to gain public input regarding an increase in sewer user fees and proposed amendments to the flood damage prevention ordinance.

Both items were subsequently passed by the town council with unanimous approval. The next meeting of the town council will be held on Monday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. in the Plainville Municipal Center.

Sewer User Fees

The sewer fiscal year runs from Nov. 1 to Oct. 31, so any fee increase would be effective for the 2019-20 year. Town manager Robert Lee explained that town staff has recommended that the sewer user charge be increased by 2%. The minimum amount—paid by most residents—would increase $8 from $399.76 to $407.76. Well users would see a $10 increase from $495.68 to $505.58.

The sewer user fee increased during the 2019 year by 3.5%, when the minimum charge was increased by $13.52, bringing the total from $386.24 to the current $399.76.

“Part of it is the project came in under what we anticipated as far as the budget is concerned,” said Lee, “and part of it is people are paying their user charges as well, so we made out fairly well as far as our revenue side is concerned.”

The increase will allow for “prudent fund balance,” approximately three months worth of operating expenses. “We’re anticipating that if we get out to 2026 and these numbers play out the way they do, $1.3 million unassigned fund balance would translate to just a little bit over that three months of expenses,” said Lee.

Lee also explained that user fees can change each year and be recalculated next year depending on how the numbers track.

Flood damage prevention

Due to requirements from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) several amendments were proposed to the flood damage prevention ordinance.

The updates include changes to the general standards regarding new construction, standards regarding elevation guidelines for commercial and residential properties as well as manufactured or mobile homes, information regarding floodways, special flood hazard areas, how long recreational vehicles can be on a site within the floodplain, the appeals process, specific situation variances, consideration for granting variances and enforcement.

Lee explained that these amendments are required by FEMA because, “the federal government provides the flood insurance for those people who are in the 100-year floodplain.”

To comment on this story or to contact staff writer Taylor Murchison-Gallagher, email her at TMurchison@PlainvilleObserver.com.

We asked the Board of Education candidates the following questions:

1) The BOE began last term with $1.9 million in Education Cost Sharing funding cut by the state. Balancing budgets were a big challenge in the schools for the last two years. What did you do to address this issue (incumbents) or What would you have done? (challengers).

2) Not counting the budget, what was the most important issue faced by the Board of Education during the most recent term? How did you handle it? (incumbents) or How would you have handled it? (challengers).

3) What do you see as the most important issue for the Board of Education over the next term? How will you handle it if you are elected?

Here are their answers (Candidates are grouped in the order they will appear on the ballot):

BOE 4 year term

Foster White

Foster S. White

(Democrat, incumbent)

1) The complex process of creating and establishing a Board of Education budget, process has been compounded recently by mid-year State cuts in ECS funding. The BOE utilized its long-standing practice of re-evaluating costs, re-allocating funding and re-investing funds in addition to collaborative efforts with other areas within town government, to permit our schools to continue to effectively operate within a balanced budget.

Despite unanticipated ECS funding reductions, the BOE working collaboratively within town government, was able to gain the benefit of a full time, highly effective, school resource officer. In addition, utilizing these same processes we have been able to add indoor track to the winter athletic program at Plainville High School. It is anticipated that this same concept will acquire funding to retain spring sports at the Middle School of Plainville in 2020. It must also be noted that the unanticipated reduction in funding has necessitated the postponement of several capital investments, these must be reinstated in future budget preparations. We have been and will continue to be most mindful to place a high priority on student safety, security of our buildings and keeping pace with technology advances.

2) Our most important task is to ensure that our students be provided with a safe caring learning environment that will promote academic growth, health, and emotional wellbeing. We have taken the first steps in developing social and emotional learning in Plainville Community Schools. This has been accomplished with the introduction of the Ruler. Ruler is an evidenced based approach to social and emotional learning developed at the Yale Center for Social and Emotional Learning. It is imperative that the concepts of the Ruler be implemented throughout the entire structure of Plainville Community Schools.

3) The most important issue for the Plainville BOE for the next term, will be the creation of our 2020-21 budget; most significant in this process will be the restoration of capital items eliminated from budgets from prior years. Plainville Community Schools must keep pace with technological advances and must not fall behind in our existing technology replacement plan. We must also be most aware that our five buildings must continue to receive required periodic maintenance and existing replacement plans be strictly adhered to. This will not only permit our buildings to remain safe secure learning facilities, it will also eliminate the higher costs of emergency repairs to worn out or inadequately maintained equipment.

Rebecca Martinez

Rebecca Martinez

(Democrat, challenger)

1) The Board of Education budget requires careful attention and even when the board makes a decision, often things change and adjustments are needed. Most of the time those adjustments mean reductions to the board’s budget. As someone who has observed this process several times over the past few years, I feel that I understand the importance of focusing on the needs of students and the schools rather than reaching a random percent increase that sounds acceptable. Board members are elected to ensure that the schools and students have the best tools we can provide and the budget plays a large role in making that happen.

2) There were a few important issues the BOE faced this term but they all had to do with the same thing, leadership. Hiring a new superintendent is the most important responsibility a BOE member could have. I am thankful someone as highly qualified as Steven  LePage was already here in the district. Having strong leadership on the BOE is also critical to our children’s education. I was disappointed when the school resource officer was originally proposed and five BOE members voted against it even after hearing the chief of police and administrators speak about the need to have an officer in the schools. Who would know better than the school staff and our police about the need for an officer within the schools?  Student safety should have been the BOE’s number one priority. It wasn’t until the Parkland shooting happened that the SRO conversation was back on the table. It should not have taken Parkland for that to happen. We need to have elected officials that will listen to the school staff members, public safety officials and the community.

3) Communication between the BOE and members of the community will be imperative throughout the next term. Plainville deserves BOE leadership that will make every effort to ensure that community members are well aware of the budget vote as well as the budget process. When the community is notified and understands what is at stake they do come out and vote. There will likely be another very important vote regarding the much needed renovation at the middle school during this next term. Community members will need to know why the renovation is.

Crystal D. St. Lawrence

Crystal D. St. Lawrence

(Democrat, incumbent)

1) A function of the Plainville Board of Education is to develop, approve and monitor the implementation of our Plainville Community Schools budget. The last two years of budget balancing has been a challenge with the mid-year state cuts in Education Cost Sharing (ECS) funding.  We collaborated as a board and district administrative team, keeping the best interest of our students in mind, as we re-evaluated, re-allocated, and re-invested the budget.  However, as we re-allocate things other things do get cut along the way.  During BOE budget sessions, I did stand up for items that were facing cuts or that wouldn’t be added to the budget.  I stood up for the full-time school resource officer at Plainville High School and the indoor track at PHS.  If I am re-elected, I will continue to stand up for things that I believe support our districts strategic plan and help to maintain the high quality education we have here in Plainville Community Schools.

2) Each term there are important issues for the Plainville BOE.  During the most recent term, the hiring of the superintendent was an important issue.  Another function of the BOE is retaining and evaluating the superintendent of schools.  In my current term on the BOE I have had the opportunity to participate in two superintendent hires.  We have been fortunate to have had amazing internal candidates for superintendent both times.  The decision of hiring a superintendent of schools is integral to ones district.  Our superintendent is the district’s chief executive office and implements board policy.  An excellent leader at the helm of our district is needed for our schools to stay on track of the strategic plan.

3) The 2020-21 budget is an important upcoming issue for the Plainville BOE.  Developing, approving and monitoring implementation of the district’s budget is one of the BOE’s biggest functions.  We must work together with the best interest of our students in mind as we ensure that the budget provides adequate resources for the educational priorities of Plainville Community Schools. We must maintain our high academic standards, safety, technology, buildings, and also activities where our students can learn and grow. Strong schools keep property and resale values high. We need to communicate to all citizens of Plainville our district mission, listen to the community and incorporate our citizen’s views into the discussions and actions of our Plainville BOE.

Michael Guiliano

(Republican, incumbent)

Michael Guiliano did not return his questionnaire for review. He is a Plainville Republican. He currently sits on the Plainville Board of Education.

Deb Hardy

Deb Hardy

(Republican, incumbent)

1) This is what should taken place: have a conversation with the superintendent to discuss what their recommendation is. Board of education chair and superintendent could then make a decision as to where the money should be allocated. Then bring it to the rest of the board for discussion. We also need to continue communication with town council who is the financial board for the BOE. Team work is essential.

2) The BOE was responsible this summer for hiring a superintendent, assistant superintendent, and a principal for Linden Street School. This was taken care of before the start of school. In addition to successfully completing the custodians, teachers and office professionals negotiations.

3) The concern and most important issue is improving student achievement. I believe if we follow our vision statement which is : To inspire and prepare lifelong learners to follow their passion, engage in their communities and positively impact our global society. We will have a positive result on our students if we continue to follow this vision.

Laurie Peterson

Laurie Peterson

(Republican, incumbent)

1) We had to cut items from the budget. Just like any budget, you can only spend what you have. You buy what you need and if there is any money left over, you can buy what you want. We kept the things that we felt were necessary for a solid education and thought hard on what we should cut. Cutting is never easy but was necessary, we had no choice.

2) Finding a new superintendent who was a proven leader and could handle any issue or challenge that would come up, no matter the who, the what, the where, the when or the why. What was amazing is that we had this individual already employed by the Plainville school system. He was the assistant superintendent and when we reached out to him he accepted our offer.

3) The answer to, what is the true state of our state? The main responsibility of any board of education is the school budget and we will always depend on state funding for a lot of things in our budget, at least for now. The first step would be to put people in office who not only know how to create a budget that can work but actually puts it into action. Connecticut is one of the smallest states in the union and I believe has one of the largest legislative representation in the country. Maybe we should cut the legislative fat and put the savings into the education cost sharing fund.

BOE 2-year term (to fill a vacancy)

Brent Davenport

(Democrat, challenger)

Brent Davenport did not return his questionnaire for review. He is a Plainville Democrat campaigning to fill the 2-year term on the board of education created by a vacancy on the board.

Rachel Childress Buchanan

Rachel Childress Buchanan

(Republican, challenger)

1) Extraordinary and unusual situations like the $1.9 million in education cost sharing funding cut by the state demonstrated that working together as a team is a top priority. My goal would be to work with my fellow board of education members and my town council to find creative ways to cut spending without harming programs. I would take the time to look at item by item to see where we could consolidate services and make smart spending cuts. The situation may have called for a hard freeze on spending or not filling a vacant position until a later time frame.  All paths would need to be considered. This situation, though not the norm does make one reflect on how important it is to adapt to the situation right in front of you and how vital teamwork is to ensure that our citizens get the very best outcome.

2) Not counting the budget, one of the most important issues faced by the BOE during the most recent term and I’m sure for terms to come is the ongoing effort to ensure that proposed programs are in the best interest of our students and taxpayers.  As a BOE member I will do my due diligence on each proposal.  I believe in research, education and asking questions. A terrific way to ensure a program is the right fit for Plainville students is to ask if it meets the terms of our mission statement and drill down from there.  Does this program “provide rigorous and enriching experiences that prepare each student for success in a changing global society?”  My roadmap is clear.

3) The issue that I see to be one of the biggest for the BOE in this next term is maintaining a balance between fiscal responsibility for the taxpayers while continuing to exceed expectations for our school system. The Plainville Republicans do a great job with this balancing act, and I plan on staying the course.  I think that one of the most important ways to find and keep this precious balance is by working together with your fellow board members. One of my favorite expressions is ‘Teamwork Makes the Dream Work.’  Maybe it’s the coach in me, but I genuinely believe that anything is possible if a team is working towards a shared goal.  I plan on working with Republican and Democrats alike to ensure that we keep a laser focus on what’s best for Plainville.

Instructor Rachel Posner and students in the American Sign Language class at Plainville High School. (Submitted)

American Sign Language is now an available elective course offered at Plainville High School. Rachel Posner, a Plainville resident, has 16 students enrolled in the course thus far.

The course has been offered in the past to students with disabilities as part of their Independent educational plans, but this is the first time it has been opened to the general high school population.

Posner and her family were part of a documentary produced last year by A & E highlighting the lives of three deaf families in the United States. In addition to being an instructor at Plainville High School, she also works for the Wethersfield school system, exclusively with deaf students. She also teaches at Naugatuck Community College and owns her own business where she assists the deaf community in a variety of capacities. In addition, she works with the Connecticut Domestic Violence Association to support the deaf population in that capacity. She has a background in Social Work, and taught at the American School for the Deaf for 15 years.

“They always say, love the work you do and you’ll never work a day in your life, so true,” Posner said in a press release. “I am very proud to be part of this community; it’s a professional and personal investment as I’ve been looking for ways to give back.”

During the course, students participate in team competitions and practice conversations using sign language. Classes include vocabulary review and sentence development practice.

Mackenzie Pye, a PHS senior, said in a press release that her interest in the course stemmed from a part time job she holds at a local grocery store, where a deaf customer would try to communicate with her.

“I couldn’t communicate with him, and it was frustrating to me, so when I saw that this class was being offered, I thought it was a great opportunity,” said Pye.  “It’s been awesome and Mrs. Posner makes sure we learn a lot but also have a lot of fun.”

Posner will also work with a group of hearing impaired students and their peers at Louis Toffolon Elementary School this year through the school’s first “Happy Hands Club.”  PHS students Nate Berube and Sam Cretella, who are currently enrolled in the ASL course, will serve as volunteers supporting Posner and the elementary level program, along with other students who are interested in participating as the year goes on.

According to Pérez, students who successfully complete the course receive a language credit and are also eligible to earn the Seal of Bi-literacy upon graduation. Pérez also said that both American Sign Language 1 & 2 courses will be offered next year.

The Plainville Police Department announced the following arrests and citations from Friday, Oct. 11 to Thursday, Oct. 17:

• Mildred Pimentel, 44, of 54 Grafton St., Hartford, was arrested on Friday, Oct. 11, and charged with sixth degree larceny.
• Kelly L. Klaneski, 37, of 11 Rising Trail Dr., Middletown, was arrested on Saturday, Oct. 12, and charged with fourth degree larceny.
• Lukasz Olechniej, 24, of 51 Wayne Dr., Plainville, was arrested on Saturday, Oct. 12, and charged with operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence, evading responsibility of injury or property damage, and failure to drive right.
• Aimee E. Leger, 39, of 365 Woodford Ave., Plainville, was arrested on Sunday, Oct. 13, and charged with operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence, making improper turns, and failure to drive right.
• Wioleta Rebisz, 31, of 36 Richard Ct., Bristol, was arrested on Sunday, Oct. 13, and charged with operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence, and making an improper turn.
• Agnieszka A. Kowal, 29, of 17 David Ave., Plainville, was arrested on Monday, Oct. 14, and charged with third degree assault, disorderly conduct, second degree reckless endangerment, and interfering with an emergency call.
• Max Mironov, 28, of 81 Divinity St., Bristol, was arrested on Monday, Oct. 14, and charged with sixth degree larceny.
• Bhavesh P. Patel, 34, of 142 Belmont St., New Britain, was arrested on Monday, Oct. 14, and charged with operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence, and failure to drive right.
• Julian A. Rodriguez, 19, of 227 Mountain St., Hartford, was arrested on Tuesday, Oct. 15, and charged with fifth degree larceny.
• Jenna M. Cavallo, 18, of 32 Pearl St., Plainville, was arrested on Wednesday, Oct. 16, and charged with risk of injury to a minor, and second degree breach of peace.
• Victor M. Gomez, 37, of 140 Whiting St., Plainville, was arrested on Thursday, Oct. 17, and charged with third degree assault, disorderly conduct, and second degree reckless endangerment.
• Robert A. Spann, 57, of 100 Metro St., Bristol, was arrested on Thursday, Oct. 17, and charged with operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence, and making an improper turn.

By TAYLOR MURCHISON-GALLAGHER

STAFF WRITER

Exchange Clubs from across Connecticut gathered at the Aqua Turf last week to honor firefighters and fire departments across the state during the 22nd annual Salute to Connecticut’s Bravest. Capt. David Massey was named Plainville’s Firefighter of the Year.

“This is a great opportunity to recognize and celebrate what these brave men and women do every day,” said Russ Finney, current national president of Exchange Clubs of America. “Firefighters are so important. They put their lives on the line every single day. They’re the first ones to go in when a lot of other people are going out. It’s just an inspiration to me to be able to participate in this this evening.”

Massey joined the Plainville Fire Company as a probationary member in the fall of 1999, and he became a regular member in 2001. He explained that he was inspired to become a firefighter by a former co-worker, and that he’s loved being a firefighter ever since.

“It’s definitely an honor to represent in front of the company. We’ve got a lot of members and to be singled out as firefighter of the year it means a lot,” said Massey.

The company’s chief, Kevin Toner, explained that when asked by the Bristol Exchange Club to nominate a member for this honor, he was hesitant to nominate any one person because “everything we do is together, it’s a team effort, it’s never an individual.”

“I chose the captain of the company because he’s the one in charge of all the man power,” said Toner. “He’s a good guy, he’s a great firefighter, and he’s very deserving of the award.”

Throughout the country, 18,000 citizens are members of an Exchange Club. The New England district holds 10% of all members, with 1,800 members, explained National Exchange Club’s New England regional vice president, Joe Dudek.

Dudek said that the event is held every October to coincide with fire prevention month, and that Exchange Clubs use the time to help raise visibility for communities across the state to help support fire departments.

Captain Massey, nominated by the Exchange Club of Bristol, was honored alongside firefighter Christopher Corso (Cheshire), firefighter Dickon Brown (Danbury), engineer Zach Britton (Stony Hill), the members of the Bethel Fire Department, firefighter and paramedic Ryan Reardon (East Hartford), Firefighter Frank Duncan (Farmington), Lt. Christopher Ferrall (Glastonbury), Lt. Justin Cappetta (North Madison), Lt. Hank Rowell (Madison), firefighter Daniel Canevari (Middletown), firefighter Theodore Hawks III (Naugatuck), Lt. Chad Boudreau and firefighters Ryan Hart, Edgar Lopez, and Brian Filush (Norwalk), Captain Todd Steward (Old Saybrook), Captain Craig Dibble and firefighter Edward Marchitto (Ridgefield), Lt. Ted Stanek and Captain Jazques Roy (Stamford), firefighter William Kennedy (Waterbury), Lt. Stephen Strauch (Windsor), and firefighter Melvin Edmond (Wolcott).

To comment on this story or to contact staff writer Taylor Murchison-Gallagher, email her at TMurchison@PlainvilleObserver.com.

By KEN MORSE

CORRESPONDENT

This week, my Big Blue award for the outstanding performance of the week goes to Blue Devils quarterback Christian Collin who rallied his team from a 16-8 fourth quarter deficit to a 22-16 victory.

Collin threw a 21 yard touchdown pass to get Plainville within two trailing 16-14. On the final drive of the game Collin directed a 14 play 68 yard drive that included a 25 yard pass to convert a 3rd and 17. With just 38 seconds left he took a fourth and goal and scampered five years into the end zone for the game winner.

Football

The 3-1 Blue Devils were back in action after being off during their bye week and traveled to Tolland to take on the 3-1 Eagles last Saturday. Plainville pulled off a last second come from behind 22-16 victory over Tolland. Beau Lasher got the Blue Devils on the board with a one yard touchdown run. The Eagles scored on a one-yard plunge, and the game was tied 8-8 at the half.

Tolland took a 16-8 lead into the final quarter, and that’s when the Blue Devils made the plays they had to. Christian Collin threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Javan Paradis to make it a 16-14 game. With time running out and just 38 seconds left on the clock, Collin went for it on fourth and one, turning the corner and scampering five yards for the game winning touchdown.

Plainville (4-1) is back at home this Friday at Tinty Stadium to take on the Berlin Redcoats (4-1) at 6:30 p.m.

Boys Soccer

The Blue Devils have turned the corner after a slow 0-4 start on the season. The defending Class M state champions have gone 5-1-1 over the last seven games, allowing just five goals while recording four shutouts.

Last Tuesday Plainville upended Class LL foe Newington, 2-1. Logan Miller got the Blue Devils on the board with a first half goal and then assisted Gryczewski on the second half game winner. Gryczewski provided all the offense that was needed last Friday scoring both goals in a 2-0 win over last year Class L runner-up Maloney.

The defensive presence of Tucker and Tanner Rau, Jens Wadehn and Brady Beausoleil have helped keeper Brennan Staubley to record four shutouts over the last seven games. The Blue Devils (5-5-1) will be home to Lewis Mills on Tuesday and will host EO Smith on Thursday. Both contests are slated for 3:45 p.m..

Girls Soccer

The Lady Blue Devils unleashed an offensive attack on Hartford Public last Tuesday during a 10-2 victory. Delaney Beausoleil and Cortney Ouellette led the way with two goals and two assists apiece.

Nayelle Heredia tallied two goals with one assist. Michelle Gryczewski, Morgan Levesque, Alexia Sirois and Janessa Rames scored goals, while Lyndsey DiTolla and Skyler Ibitz added assists. Amber St. Onge had four saves in the net for the Blue Devils.

Last Friday, St. Onge (9 saves) got a lot of defensive help from Elena Gorneault, Jordan Thompkins, Tea Autunno and Nora Couture but a Maloney goal with six minutes to play handed Plainville with a tough 1-0 setback. Plainville (2-9) will be at Lewis Mills on Tuesday and at South Windsor on Thursday.

Volleyball

The Plainville volleyball team came within a couple of points of evening their season record eight games into the season, but instead of being 4-4, the Blue Devils were 2-6 after back-to-back 3-2 losses. Since then, the spikers have dropped six in a row.

Last Tuesday Plainville dropped a 3-0 match to Wethersfield and last Thursday fell to Maloney by a 3-0 margin. The Blue Devils (2-12) will look to get back in the win column this week with three matches all at home. On Monday they will host Berlin, Wednesday they take on Manchester and finish out the week against Bristol Central.

Cross Country

The Plainville cross country teams went up against the rest of the 32 teams in the Central Connecticut Conference Championship race at Wickham Park in Manchester last Friday. Brody Davidson led the boys (109th place), posting a time of 19:02 among the 232 runners.

Emily Roy (113th place) led the girls with a time of 24:05. The Blue Devils had something to cheer about when Javan Benoit came in at 19:31 in the boys JV race placing 52nd out of 593 runners. Anna St. Lawrence finished the girls JV race at 36:39.

For the varsity boys Justin DeBellis (120) came in at 19:15, Jeremy Courtar (156) at 19:59, Travis Lavigne (162) at 20:09, Dan Sozanski (164) at 20:13, Owen Leander (167) at 20:16 and Matt Badorek (176) at 20:21.

For the varsity girls Caitlin Riedel (168) finished at 27:11, Allie Chambrello (180) at 28:03, Teagan Russell (183) at 28:44, Helena Yawin (185) at 28:52 and Julia Restelli (192) at 30:04.

Olivia Sleszynski swims the butterfly stroke during the 200 IM during last week’s swim meet against Berlin.

By KEN MORSE

CORRESPONDENT

When you spend close to three hours a day—sometimes six days each week—for a couple of months, a team tends to take on a family kind of atmosphere. You could see the bond that has been created as the Plainville swim team huddles around on the pool deck shouting out encouragement to their Blue Devil sisters.

That close knit chemistry is one of the reasons that Plainville has rebounded after a slow 0-3 start and finished out last week at 4-5. Last Tuesday the Blue Devils knocked off Maloney-Platt by a 93-85 margin.

Last Friday, Plainville went up against the Redcats of Berlin and came up on the short side of an 89-83 final. Across the pool on the other side of the deck that family atmosphere was just as present with Blue Devils head coach Chris Zagorski going up against his mother Jan Zagorski, one of the Berlin’s assistant coaches.

“I wouldn’t call it competing against one another,” said Jan Zagorski, who has coached at Berlin for 11 seasons and 17 years total as a diving coach. “I was there to see him go through all the youth swimming programs and at Berlin. I was the one driving him to practices, so it’s nice to see him coaching now and doing very well.”

The Plainville coach began his swimming career as a member of the Redcoats. After graduating from UConn in 2011, he returned to his alma mater for two seasons before taking over the head position at Plainville seven seasons ago.

“There’s a different kind of feeling going up against Berlin, since that is where I swam in high school and it’s where I got my start coaching,” said Chris Zagorski, who did two seasons as an assistant before taking over the reins at Plainville. “But I’m not sure there is a competitive thing going on because we both want the same things. We want the girls to do well and to enjoy the experience of competing in high school.”

His mother agreed. “The morning of a meet, we may talk a little bit about what we expect,” said Jan. “Outside of that there is really not a whole lot of talk about it other than that. The thing about swimming is surprises can happen but for the most part you know how the kids are going to swim based on their times.”

Natalie Basile helped the Blue Devils get past Maloney-Platt last Tuesday picking up a pair of first place finishes in the 500 freestyle at 6:04.26 and the 100 backstroke at 1:09.94.

Caitlyn Quilter won the diving competition scoring a 164.55 with Isabella Samperi taking first in the 200 freestyle at 2:17.7 and Olivia Sleszynski finishing first in the 100 breast stroke at 1:22.25.

Plainville took the lead in the first event and didn’t relinquish it swimming to victory in the 200 medley relay with the foursome of Basile, Sleszynski, Samperi and Alyssa Macomber coming in with a 2:08.57.

Berlin provided some stiffer competition taking first place in eight of the first nine events. Plainville did manage a second place finish in the 200 medley relay with the squad of Ashleigh Bantz, Emma Miller, Kayla Foster and Macomber putting up an time of 2:15.7.

Samperi swam to victory in the 200 freestyle at 2:14.99 with Basile placing third to give the Blue Devils a brief 16-14 advantage. A 1-2-3 finish over the next two events the 200 IM and the 50 freestyle along with first and second in diving put the Redcoats safely out in front by a wide 50-22 margin.

Plainville began to whittle away at the lead with Miller 3rd and Phoebe Gediman 4th in the 100 freestyle. The Blue Devils landed a second and third in the 500 freestyle with Basile posting a 6:01.22 and Samperi checking in with a 6:03.43.

Liz Susco, Vanessa Autunno and Amber Klesitz along with Katherine Lyman, Olivia Unwin and Claudia Pierscinski gave strong performances in the 200 IM and the 50 freestyle. It was an 89-45 margin when the 200 freestyle relay team of Miller, Macomber, Samperi and Gediman took second in 1:58.47.

Plainville continued to close the gap with Bantz taking first in the 100 back stroke at 1:15.98, Sleszynski first in the 100 breast stroke at 1:22.44 and the 400 freestyle relay team of Gediman, Bantz, Samperi and Basile posting a 4:30.96.

“There’s still a lot of work to do,” said coach Chris. “We have been taking care of business after getting off to a slow start.

“We do have a small team but we have depth and some of our younger swimmers have contributed to that. I credit my assistant coach Jenna Donaghy for that as she runs the middle school programs and we have had quite a few young swimmers come in over the past few seasons.”

Plainville is back in the pool this week at Bristol Eastern on Tuesday and will host Rocky Hill on Thursday at 4 p.m. to celebrate senior night.

Leaf collection in the Town of Plainville began Monday, Oct. 21, and will continue through Wednesday, Dec. 4, weather permitting.

The following areas will be covered on the first collection, but the scheduled areas are subject to change: Central area, West Main Street area, Farmington Avenue area, South End/Red Stone Hill area, Shuttle Meadow area, Arcadia Avenue area, Metacomet area, Northwest area, and Unionville Avenue area.

Residents are asked to rake their leaves to the curbline as early as possible, and are asked to take not that only leaves will be collected, not grass clippings, sticks, or stones.

According to town officials, “If your street has an island on it, please do not put your leaves on the island. Bagged leaves will not be collected at curbside, but can be brought to the drop-off center on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. During the month of November, the drop-off center will be open Monday through Friday, from to 2 to 4 p.m. for leaf disposal only.

If you have any questions, please call the department of public works, (860) 793-0221 ext. 208.

Gabby Peters, above, paints a pumpkin last Saturday at the fifth annual Pumpkin Fest in downtown Plainville. (Photo by Janelle Morelli)

By TAYLOR MURCHISON-GALLAGHER

STAFF WRITER

The center of downtown Plainville was converted into a community block party on Saturday, Oct. 19, as hundreds of residents flooded the streets in celebration of the 5th annual Plainville Pumpkin Festival.

Pumpkin festival committee member Kris Dargenio explained that she was inspired to start an autumnal festival in town after visiting a similar event in New Hampshire several years ago. When Dargenio approached town staff with her initial idea, she was pleased that the town wanted to give it a try.

The Melansons pose with the giant pumpkin. From left, Eric, Owen, Bryce, Emma and Tina. (Photo by Janelle Morelli)

“I’ve been in town for about 34 years and it’s amazing—it’s a lot of work, for four months straight the committee, the town, the police, all members of different organizations come together and we all make this happen—nobody is fighting, nobody is arguing. It’s the best of Plainville,” said Dargenio. “When I look at the streets packed like this, people having fun and taking pictures, it’s just amazing.”

Bringing people downtown was part of why Dargenio wanted to host the festival in the first place. “There’s so many cute little businesses here, and they all welcome people down here. It’s kind of like come down and see what we have—there’s tons of parking in the back of all the buildings, so now all these people can see what they have, what’s downtown,” she said.

Not long after the opening of the festival, attendees could see an army of spooky characters marching down Whiting Street as the children’s costume parade made their way to the public library. Amongst the crowd were Halloween staples such as Wednesday Addams from the popular television show, “The Addams Family,” and new characters from popular movies such as Mal from the Disney movie, “The Descendents.”

Attendees were treated to several food trucks, vendor booths, live music, and the Plainville Pumpkin Patch where families could decorate their own jack-o’-lanterns which would be displayed in front of the public library.

Settled in the pumpkin patch, paint brush in hand, was State Rep. Dr. William Petit Jr., and his son, dressed as a dragon.

“I think that this is an inexpensive way for people to have a good time and just celebrate in a safe environment,” said Petit. “We moved here when I was five in 1961, Plainville has always had great community spirit.”

And that sense of community spirit didn’t falter, as all of the funds that were raised during the festival will be donated to the Plainville Community Fund, established by a group of Plainville community leaders who were interested in creating a resource for charitable programs and projects that would enhance the quality of life for Plainville residents, according to www.plainvillecommunityfund.com. Each year, grants are awarded to charitable programs and projects working to enhance the community in the areas of arts and culture, education, environment, health, and human services amongst others.

To comment on this story or to contact staff writer Taylor Murchison-Gallagher, email her at TMurchison@PlainvilleObserver.com.

Photos by JANELLE MORELLI

Alicja Zaman (left) and Julianna Wojtowicz pose for a photo standing in front of pumpkins painted for the Petit Family Foundation.

(L to R) Paolo Acca (Buzz Lightyear), Max Acca (Woody), and Sarah Mathers (Jesse).

Nicholas Z. (Spiderman) and Brayden Z. (giraffe) with their Mom Kristen Z. at the Pumpkin Fest last Saturday. Kristen hand made the giraffe costume.

We asked the Plainville Town Council candidates the following questions:

1) At the 2017 election, Plainville was facing challenges with a deficit due to the town’s health insurance plan, along with challenges with state financing. What did you do during the last term to address these challenges? (incumbent) or What would you have done to address these challenges? (challenger).

2) Other than the above issues, what was the most important issue faced by the Town Council over the last term? How did you handle it? (incumbent) or How would you have handled it? (challenger).

3) What do you see as the most important issues for the Town Council over the next term? How will you handle it if you are elected?

Here are their answers (Candidates are grouped in the order they will appear on the ballot):

Rosemary Morante (D)

Rosemary Morante

(Democrat, incumbent)

1) State aid reductions made later in the fiscal year and claim spikes in our self-funded health care fund combined to create this situation. To address the shortfall, the council had a subcommittee to propose recommendations. I was pleased to be a member. We developed multiple strategies including reductions, savings, use of unassigned fund balance, and supplemental tax. Recommendations received bipartisan approval and resolved the immediate situation in ways that were fiscally sound and minimally disruptive. However, the town still had to address health care costs on a long-range basis. The self-insured plan worked well for years but a 2018 review of data on current and projected costs showed significant concerns going forward. Therefore, to contain cost and avoid unpredictability, the town has gone to a fully-insured state partnership plan. In terms of state funding, we continue to work with legislators and city/town organizations to support reasonable levels of municipal aid and timely adoption of state budgets.

2) I believe that the issue of how to adjust the 2019-20 board of education budget prior to the second town budget vote on May 14 was both challenging and very important. The first BOE budget was defeated by 12 votes in April. It was up to the council to decide on the next budget to send back to voters. My stated position was that a 12-vote margin was not a mandate for large reductions. I cited several other factors including the need to recognize the role of strong public schools in the big picture of what will make Plainville a desirable place to live. As the council deliberated, I worked with others to minimize a reduction. Although there was ultimately a bipartisan compromise to finalize and move the budget forward, I believe that we made a real difference in the outcome. I think this issue was also important because it created awareness of the need to participate. Numerous residents did in fact become engaged in the process prior to May 14. Parents and others came forth to voice opinions. The budget then received overwhelming support and while turnout was still relatively modest, many more people voted. I certainly will continue to actively encourage such civic involvement.

3) I would name the overarching issue of committing to building a vibrant future for Plainville and then making specific decisions based on that vision. It is too easy to stay with the status quo or hold ourselves back from being the best we can be. Actions that I believe can contribute to a strong positive direction include: Maintain and upgrade buildings, infrastructure, and technology; Promote smart planning and innovation using the upcoming plan of conservation and development as a guide; Support resources that create an excellent quality of life such as parks, recreation, library, and senior services; Recognize public safety as a priority that establishes a sense of community well-being and security; Reallocate, reinvest, and conserve in ways that achieve the above goals with budgets that are responsible, reasonable, and financially sound.

Bill Garrity (D)

Bill Garrity

(Democrat, challenger)

1) I feel strongly, joining the Connecticut Partnership Plan, which Plainville did do on July 1, 2018 was the most appropriate step to take. Plainville has approximately 1,400 employees between the town employees and the board of education. However the entire plan has more than 55,000 members (numbers can be verified here (osc.ct.gov/ctpartner/members.html), which greatly increases the bargaining power of the town and its employees. The plan encourages wellness visits and tries to capture issues early before they become catastrophic. With more towns or small employers joining into the plan our bargaining power will only strengthen and hopefully lead to greater discounts which benefits the employee members and the taxpayers.

2) Having to have a second BOE budget vote this past year seemed to me to be a very large issue and I hope it opened the eyes of our Plainville citizens. During the special session meeting that was held I/we got to listen to multiple people passionately speaking about not cutting a budget that lost by 12 votes. Knowing we were looking at cuts to teachers, programs, paraprofessionals, sports, everything across the board was on the chopping block at a $200,000 number. People turned out to speak and implore the council to not destroy the education system in our town. After a brief recess, parents and a few past students who had spoke passionately about what they believed, had to leave, the meeting continued and a man stood up and said “We should ignore all those people” “They never come to the meetings” “They only want one thing”. That was the final straw for me, it let me know I needed to be involved, and I need to fight to make sure everyone in this town has their say.

3) As with question number 2, I believe citizen engagement needs to be moved higher up on a priority list. I’ve read all the minutes going back for three years now, and with very few exceptions the same six to eight people speak at every meeting. I was appalled when I learned our voter turnout for the budget was less than 8%. But with the research I found our 2017 budget elections were less than 6% voter turnout. While our turnout for municipal offices elections are better, around 25%. That is still unacceptable and bad on all of us for not working to turn out the citizens of this town. If elected or not, we all need to work to increase the voter turnout of our town.

Jessie Salley (D)

Jessie Salley

(Democrat, challenger)

1) I feel the best move was to change the health care plan after the claims exceeded the amount and the loss of funding by the state of Connecticut. The new plan was the best option for the long-term planning for the employees and the Town of Plainville. I would have liked to stay with the self-funded plan because in years past it showed to have a surplus in funding, but it is sometimes better to be cautious.

2) Over the last year the town council has faced many issues that are very important. Recycling is now costing the town money, and we need to find ways not only to pay for it but make sure that the residents are educated in what we should be recycling since now we are paying for every pound we put in the blue barrels. Education on recycling is essential for reducing cost and making sure that our taxes are not increased because of recycling.

3) After attending town council meetings this year, it seems that the trail is one of the most important issues that are facing the town currently and how it affects the town and residents. The trail is coming, the state is giving us no choice, so we should embrace the upgrade to our town and make sure that the plan has the least impact on the residents and the environment. I will make every effort to ensure that this is one of my top concerns.

Jesse Gnazzo (D)

Jesse Gnazzo

(Democrat, incumbent)

1) Shortly after the 2017 election, we had some difficult decisions to make. We were facing a significant deficit due to a shortfall in our self-insurance fund, a result of $1.6 million in claims above what was expected, and a reduction to the funds received from the state of $1.9 million. Our first priority was to balance the budget and do it as responsibly as possible. We used a portion of our undesignated fund balance to cover a majority of the deficit. Next, we had to make an adjustment to our revenues with a onetime supplemental cost to the residents. Finally, we ended our self-insurance plan and joined the state health partnership plan. Moving away from self-insuring allows us to avoid the possibility of such a deficit caused by insurance claims in the future.

2) Other than the budget deficit, the most important issue over the last term was the reduction to the 2020 recommended education budget. The education budget failed by a slim margin and our charter directs us to reduce the proposed budget prior to a second vote. The two sides were far apart on where to set the new recommended budget. Through conversation with the residents of Plainville and the members of the town council, we were able to find a compromise.

3) There will be a number of issues to work on, and it’s difficult to say which is the most important. The majority of what we do is budgetary. However, in addition to continuing to try and budget responsibly for town and educational costs, we need to make sure we are properly supporting our police and fire departments. Economic development is vastly important to any town’s viability. We need to continue to work to grow our tax base. A healthy tax base allows the support of schools, first responders and town departments. This will allow Plainville to continue to have solid services for our residents.

Christopher Wazorko (D)

Christopher Wazorko

(Democrat, incumbent)

1) To address our health insurance issue we made three important decisions. First, we used fund balance to help offset some of the revenue deficit. Fund balance is designed to be used when a town experiences some unbudgeted, unforeseen expenses. To try to address future deficits of the health insurance fund, we decided to move from a self-insurance fund to a fully-insured fund sponsored by the state. Lastly, we made a budgetary adjustment to increase the monthly cost of the health insurance line item in the budget for fiscal year 2020. Since the state decided to reduce our state aid during the fiscal year two years ago, the town had to absorb that reduction without outside assistance. Through a combination of fund balance, a supplemental tax bill, and reduction in budgeted items we were able to bridge the gap from what we expected to get from the state to what we actually received after the state decided to rescind aid to our town.

2) We saw the start of the Wheeler school renovation project, which is currently slated to be completed in Feb. 2020. This will allow Wheeler to join Toffolon and Linden as recently renovated to best educate our children. We continued with years three and four of the five year road improvement bond. I have committed to getting back on a program that allows us to repave roads every 25 years. We also, with great assistance from the fire company and community, moved forward with replacing two of our more outdated fire trucks. We should see two new fire trucks delivered over the next two years, one in 2020 and the other in 2021.

3) The most important issue will be keeping any tax increases as close to zero as possible while supporting our fire and police departments, our human services (social and senior), our school system (academics and athletics), as well as our capital needs (sidewalk and roads, for example). More specifically, we need to invest in our fire and police equipment. Making sure that we replace aging or obsolete equipment to make sure our public safety employees are safe. We need to invest in the town’s road and sidewalk infrastructure. We have many roads and sidewalks that are in dire need of replacement. We need to be sure this stays a priority and gets addressed over the next two years. With the school system we need to see the completion of the Wheeler school renovation. In addition, the middle school will need to be renovated seeing it is now going to be over 30 years old. There are structural as well as academic enhancements that need to be made to this facility to keep up with the changes in education over the last 30 years. I would like to look for ways to save costs by regionalizing certain responsibilities the town currently owns. By sharing costs with other towns in our area we can save money for the taxpayers of Plainville.

Deborah Tompkins (R)

Deborah Tompkins

(Republican, incumbent)

1) The self-insured health plan that the town has been using for many years turned out to be too unpredictable the past few years, as we have seen numerous claims, and some of them very large, which resulted in a large increase to the cost of the plan. We also sustained a $2 million reduction in state aid six months into the fiscal year. These two things caused the deficit in our budget. Steps we took to address this were switching to a state health insurance plan that is less costly. Everyone has been very happy with the new plan. The aid deficit was addressed by scaling back on our original budget, using funds from our fund balance, and sending out interim tax bills.

2) Balancing the financing with the needs of the town continue to be a top priority.  Contractual obligations of salaries and pension funds continue to rise, but we have managed savings of road paving and fire equipment through bonding. We have also realized savings through reorganizing departments, and consolidating some services with other towns.

3) The aid we get from the state continues to be unpredictable. We need to continue to work on expanding our grand list, so we can increase our revenues. We also need to continue to look for ways to reduce costs while maintaining the services that make Plainville a great place to live.

Ty Cox (R)

Ty Cox

(Republican, incumbent)

1) The initial challenge we faced in 2017 was a large cut in state financing to the town’s education cost sharing grant. The state’s financial state had caused us to lose funding and impose a mill rate increase in order to make up for the lost funding. While the state continues to face budget challenges, our town must continue to focus on fiscal responsibility so that if cuts like this happen again we don’t need take the same action. When dealing with the health insurance plan, we were facing an unusual number of claims which was causing us to pay more for our self-insured plan, which for years had been saving the town money. Our solution was to join the state partnership plan that allows us to have a better idea of how much to budget since this is not a claim-based plan.

2) The most important issue we face year after year is the budget. We often don’t have a lot of wiggle room due to rising costs from all areas. Therefore, the areas of the budget where we are able to make changes and keep increases minimal, are areas that directly impact the community for years to come. This creates a very focused dive into line items that can wait or be paid for in different ways. One way the council has gone about this is by using bonds to pay for big ticket items. We currently have a road bond that allows us to focus on roads every year that are in desperate need of repair while we pay for the cost over time and avoid large bills to the town. Another example is the fire truck bond. Our fire department was long overdue for fire trucks as they had two older than the usual 20-year life. Facing challenges doing repairs on their pumper truck, we were asked to purchase a new one. Instead of using large sums over years of payments in our capital improvement budget, we decided to bond both trucks as a more fiscally responsible way to pay for these large ticket items worth $2 million. We plan to continue facing fiscal challenges head on in order to maintain minimal budget increases.

3) Over the next term, economic development will be a focus of mine and the town council. As the liaison for the economic development agency for the last two years, I plan to continue focusing on growing our town’s revenue through supporting our local businesses. Along with this we plan to continue to implement financial processes that have opportunities to create cost savings. Much like our fiber project has the opportunity for us to stop paying into monthly and yearly service plans. We want to focus on our goal, maintaining our community and its worth, while being as fiscally responsible as possible. Thank you.

David Underwood (R)

David Underwood

(Republican, challenger)

1) I agree with the town joining the state partnership plan to mitigate the effects of such occurrences. The plan is favorably received by employees of the town and board of education while providing clarity in budgeting for the health insurance benefits of our employees. Closing the gap in the budget often times results in the town transferring dollars out of our fund balance or “rainy day fund.”

2) Wheeler School renovation project. Both education and municipal needs continue to grow due to contractual obligations, along with our water pollution control plant; long term capital expenditures; health care and retirement benefits are ongoing challenges; creating a solid financial plan despite unknown challenges from the state; and public safety in our schools.

3) Maintaining existing programs and services without raising taxes, such as snow and leaf removal; library operations; senior services and park and recreation  activities; looking for new revenue sources other than taxes / economic development; continue supporting public safety in our schools; grant money received for education from the state; health care and retirement benefits are ongoing challenges; both education and municipal needs continue to grow due to contractual obligations; and long term capital expenditures.

Katherine Pugliese (R)

Katherine Pugliese

(Republican, incumbent)

1) For several years, the Town of Plainville had a self-insured health plan. This town budget for claims but had experienced unpredictable claim volumes resulting in substantially increased costs. Closing the gap in the budget often resulted in the town transferring dollars out of our fund balance or “rainy day fund.”  This practice was viewed as unsustainable by the council. The town joined the state partnership plan to mitigate the effects of such occurrences. The plan is favorably received by employees of the town and board of education while providing clarity in budgeting for the health insurance benefits of our employees. Reductions in state aid specifically the education cost sharing grant proved problematic for Plainville. An interim mill rate increase was implemented to overcome a midyear reduction in state aid to Plainville. The teachers’ retirement under funding by the State of Connecticut continues as a potential cost which may potentially be passed on to local municipalities. Plainville’s annual cost could be as much as $100,000 or more if this occurs. We maintain a close relationship with our representatives in Hartford who constantly lobby for our community’s best interests.

2) Creating a solid financial plan despite unknown challenges from the state continue to be a top priority. Both education and municipal needs continue to grow due to contractual obligations. These obligations paired with increases in health care and retirement benefits are ongoing challenges. Thoughtful reorganizing of departments addressing retirements and open positions has allowed some cost savings while continuing service delivery. Our creative long term capital expenditures management plan has permitted our road paving program to flourish. Additionally, the town successfully passed a referendum allowing for the purchase of two new pieces of firefighting apparatus. Continuing to oversee the upgrade to our water pollution control plant and the final phase of the Wheeler School renovation project are priorities important to the town.

3) Maintaining existing programs and services while creating stable budgets that our citizens can support is crucial. Expanding economic development opportunities will enhance our grand list and assist in continuing services including snow and leaf removal, library operations, senior center services and park and recreation activities along with public safety and education initiatives. The ongoing problem in Connecticut is an over reliance on local property taxes. As additional unfunded mandates are passed to the cities and towns the challenge in seeking additional revenue continues. Cost containment is of course always a goal but without additional funding from other sources the stress of continuing services is ever present. Supporting regionalization of certain services with our neighboring towns continues to be a successful approach to particular projects and service delivery. Expansion of these relationships would bring cost savings as well as coordination of activities beneficial to all involved. I also believe providing support for our major events such as Wings and Wheels, the hot air balloon festival and the pumpkin fest creates a positive image of Plainville and invites others to join our town in backing our local charities.

Jacob Rocco (R)

Jacob Rocco

(Republican, challenger)

1) While I did not serve during the last term, it is my understanding that the town was facing issues involving its self-insured health plan. The town was experiencing unpredictable claim volumes which lead to increased costs. The council was paying for this plan via transfers out of the fund balance or “rainy day fund.” Had I been on the council I would’ve made this plan a top priority for reform as relying on transfers out of the fund balance is not a fiscally responsible plan. The council decided to join the state partnership plan to offset the effects of this plan. I would’ve supported the council in this decision as it provides more stable costs which allow the town to maintain a more stable budget

2) During the last term the council faced major budget challenges due to the uncertainty of the state’s budget. Fund sources from the state were at risk, while the needs of the town continue to grow. I would’ve worked with other members of the council to develop a plan to compensate for the uncertainty in the state and meet the needs of the town. I would’ve worked close with town personnel from all departments to discover cost savings, and determine what needs need to be met to continue providing quality services. Developing innovative plans to provide these services is an ongoing issue given the uncertainty within the state. The council succeeded in developing a creative long-term capital expenditure plan to meet the needs of the town. Plans such as this would’ve been my focus if I were on the council at this time.

3) The most important issue facing the council over the next term is ensuring that the Plainville education system is able to provide a quality education, and offer extracurricular activities that are crucial in a child’s development. Providing the board of education with their needs while maintaining a responsible budget is going to be the biggest challenge faced by the council in the next term. With cuts from the state continuing it is becoming more and more difficult to ensure our schools have everything they need. I would address this issue by working closely with BOE to determine the needs of the school system, and which areas require the most attention. Working closely with the BOE and other council members will be essential in developing a sound budget that will deliver the education our children deserve.

Wayne L. Fish

(Independent, challenger)

Wayne L. Fish did not return his questionnaire for review. He is an independent Plainville candidate seeking a seat on the Plainville Town Council.

Fernand “Fern” Paradis, 84, of Plainville, Connecticut, entered his eternal rest and went to his heavenly home on Monday, October 21, 2019.

Fern is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Simone, and their children: Vic & Wendy (Briggs) Paradis of New Hartford, Perry Paradis of Plainville, William & Sandra (Paradis) Fray of Texas, John & Beverly (Bailey) Paradis of Plainville, Paul & Debbie (Rusczyk) Paradis of Kensington, and Foster son, Rick Lemke of Bristol. At the time of his passing, he was abundantly blessed with 11 granddaughters (and their 5 spouses), 9 grandsons (and their 7 spouses), 6 great granddaughters and 18 great grandsons. Also, surviving him are 12 of his siblings, multiple cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Fern was born in Frenchville, Maine and graduated from Wisdom High School in St. Agatha, Maine. He was the eldest child in the loving family of Antoine and Roseanna (Chamberland) Paradis and he had 7 brothers and 10 sisters.  He proudly served his country for 2 years in the US Army as a member of the 12^th Infantry Regiment. In February of 1965, Fern and Simone along with their growing family, relocated to Plainville, Connecticut, where they lived and remained life-long residents until his passing.

Fern was a lifetime member of the VFW Post 574 in Plainville. His tireless work ethic was a great example to his family. He worked as a Construction Foreman for Caron Pipe Jacking Co. of New Britain. He also was the beloved Pepsi Man for the Pepsi Bottling Company of Bristol for 25 years.  After retiring, he continued to drive seasonally for 15 years with Paradis Pools, LLC. He enjoyed tinkering in “Pepere’s Workshop” where he built furniture and treasured pieces for his family and friends.  Fern and Simone enjoyed their winters in the south and became “Winter Texans” in 2008 where they spent the next 10 winters with their daughter and son-in-law in South Texas.

Fern had a great love for people and often opened his heart and home to help those in need. During his 52 years of living on Wayne Drive, with his wife, five children and countless pets, there was always room for one more person in need. He was actively involved and volunteered in his church and community and gave of his time, talents and treasures to help those less fortunate. He was involved in the Full-Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship and counselor at Christian Fellowship Center in Bristol.  He experienced his spiritual rebirth in 1977 and began a lifelong and personal relationship with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. His wish was for all his family, friends and co-workers to experience that same spiritual awakening. He had no doubt in his heart and mind where he would be spending eternity and wants everyone he knows to be as assured of that same promise.  “…that everyone believes may have eternal life in Him. For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son…whoever believes in Him shall have eternal life…God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” John 3:15-17, NIV.

A celebration of his life will be held on November 9^th, 2019 at Apple Valley Worship Center, 594 W. Center Street Ext, Southington, CT. A meet and greet with the family will be held from 11:00am-1:00pm prior to the Celebration of life at 1:00pm followed by a luncheon. The Reverend Kenneth Gray will officiate.  Burial will be at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, a donation in his memory may be made to: St. Jude’s Research Hospital www.stjude.org  The Gideon’s International www.gideons.org  or Bristol Homecare & Hospice Agency 222 Main St, Bristol, CT 06010.

For online expressions of sympathy, please visit www.plainvillefuneralhome.com

William Sisto Bergenty, 91, lifelong resident of Plainville, entered into eternal rest on Saturday, October 19, 2019 at Apple Rehab in Plainville.  He was the husband of Helen (Broczkowski) Bergenty for 68 years.

Bill was born in New Britain on September 5, 1928, a son of the late William F. and Helen (Pelcher) Bergenty.  He attended Plainville schools, and was a member of the Plainville High School class of 1946.  Bill raced motorcycles at Tinty Race Track shortly after high school, where he earned the name “Bronco Bill” from Bob Steele, who was the track announcer during his racing years.  He then went on to race stock cars at the same track, then named Plainville Stadium, as well as at race tracks in New York and Massachusetts.  He was self- employed as owner and operator of Phil’s Service Auto Repair on Farmington Ave., a home builder and used equipment dealer.  Bill was a 64 year member of the A.O.P.A (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) and a member of Our Lady of Mercy Church.

In addition to his wife, Helen, he leaves his son, William F. Bergenty, II and his wife, Carla; grandsons, William C. Bergenty and his wife, Kristen and Adam R. Bergenty and his wife, Courtney; his great-grandson, Charles “Zeke” and twin great-granddaughters, Reagan and Avery.  He also leaves his brother and sister-in-law, John and Audrey Bergenty; his sister, Joyce Hayes, and many nieces, nephews and cousins.  He was predeceased by his brother Robert.

Bill’s wife and family would like to extend their gratitude to all of their friends and wonderful staff at Apple Rehab in Plainville for their attentiveness and loving care given to him while he made his home there for the past 11 months of his life.

Bill may be remembered with contributions to Our Lady of Mercy Church, 19 S. Canal St, Plainville or the Plainville Hometown Connection (501c), 27 Sherman St, Plainville, CT 06062.

A Mass of Christian Burial in celebration of Bill’s life will be held on Wednesday at 10 a.m., meeting directly at Our Lady of Mercy Church, Plainville. Committal will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery.  Family and friends may gather on Tuesday from 5-8 p.m. at Plainville Funeral Home, 81 Broad St, Plainville.   For online expressions of sympathy, please visit www.PLAINVILLEFUNERALHOME.com

Sylvia Y. (Sulinski) Kratka, 70, of Plainville, wife of Roger Kratka, passed away with her family by her side on Friday, October 18, 2019 at the Hospital of Central Connecticut, New Britain.

Born in Warrenton, NC on June 5, 1949, she was one of two daughters to the late John and Dorothy (Young) Sulinski.  Raised in Warrenton, she moved to New Britain in her twenties, where she met the love of her life, Roger, whom she would marry three weeks later.  Together they settled in Plainville where they raised their two daughters and shared 48 years of love, life adventures and world travels on their annual cruises.  Sylvia had a longtime career in the medical field as an EMT, of which she was very passionate, and later for private physicians’ offices.  Known for her delicious home-cooked meals and baked goods, her greatest joy was to be surrounded by (and feeding) her much loved family.  She enjoyed pro bowling in her younger years, taking trips to the casino and cheering on her favorite team, the Boston Red Sox.  A loving wife, mother and grandmother, she will be missed by dearly, leaving a legacy of love, laughter and many treasured memories.

In addition to her husband, Roger, she leaves her daughters and sons-in-law, Carrie Kratka (Eddie Collazo) and Michelle Curtis (Frank Samuel); her pride and joy, her grandchildren, Devin Curtis (Amanda Rusczyk), Meghan Curtis, and Keegan Curtis, Ethan Collazo and Ontavia Samuel; and her great-grandson, Blake Curtis.  She also leaves her sister, Sheila DuBois and her husband, Rick, her godson, Michael, and several nieces, nephews, dear friends and extended family; along with her companion who never left her side, her cat Cyndee.

Sylvia may be remembered with contributions to the Plainville Community Food Pantry, PO Box 233, Plainville, CT 06062, an organization that she proudly donated to frequently.

Family and friends may gather in celebration of Sylvia’s life on Monday, from 5-7 p.m. at Plainville Funeral Home, 81 Broad St, Plainville.  For online expressions of sympathy, please visit www.PlainvilleFuneralHome.com

Albert A. Racine, 86, of Plainville, husband of Georgette “Jette” (Huard) Racine, passed away with his family by his side, on Sunday, October 13, 2019 at the Hospital of Central Connecticut, New Britain.

Born in Brunswick, ME on January 8, 1933, he was one of seven sons to the late Rosario and Imelda (St. Pierre) Racine.  He attended local schools, and proudly served his country in the U.S. Navy upon graduation.  He returned home to marry his high school sweetheart, Jette, and made their way to Connecticut the next day.  Residents of Plainville for more than 55 years, they settled here to raise their three children, shared 65 years of marriage, and were blessed with three more generations.  A machinist for Pratt and Whitney for close to forty years, he was also skilled craftsman and intricate woodworker, creating custom pieces of art for his family to appreciate for years to come.  A cribbage player and sports enthusiast, Albert excelled at golf and bowling, played tennis in his younger years, and enjoyed anything that included a ball. Albert was a fan of the Red Sox, Patriots, and UCONN women, though his greatest joy was being on the sidelines cheering on his children and grandchildren.  A well-known umpire for Plainville Little League, he had the disheartening task of striking out his family on a few occasions, but always took great pride in being there.  A devoted father and grandfather, he will be greatly missed, leaving his family with priceless memories.

In addition to his wife, Jette, he leaves his children, Sue Racine Cyr, Debra Racine-Vazquez, and Rick Racine and his wife, Tobie; his grandchildren, Nikka (Jordan) Benson, James “J.J.” (Crystal) Cyr, and Jennifer Cyr-Rout (Brian); eight great-grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren.  He also leaves his brothers, Robert and Andrew Racine, and many nieces and nephews.  He was predeceased by his brothers, Emile, Omer, Lucien, and Roland.

In lieu of flowers, Albert may be remembered with contributions to the Connecticut Humane Society, 701 Russell Rd, Newington, CT 06111 or to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at www.lls.org

Funeral services in celebration of Albert’s life will be held on Friday at 9 a.m. from Plainville Funeral Home, 81 Broad St. Plainville, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Mercy Church.  Committal services with military honors will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery.  Family and friends may gather on Thursday from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home.  For online expressions of sympathy, please visit www.PLAINVILLEFUNERALHOME.com

by MIKE CHAIKEN

EDITIONS EDITOR

Wow, just wow.
I’ve been to a handful of drag shows.
Typically, though, they have been in smaller clubs with small stages and dim light.
Stage production was on dependent on the performers themselves. They made their own costumes. They had the look. They had the songs. And some worked props of their own construction into their act.
But I wasn’t prepared for the explosion of drag that I saw at RuPaul’s Drag Race –Werq the World Tour that stopped at the Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino on Oct. 25.
The entire show was a burst of color and energy that gave top performers like Ariana Grande, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera a run for the money.
Yes, the performers all lip synced, that’s the nature of a drag shows, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t any talent on display. Because, to a one, the cast of the Werq the World, were superstars on stage. They were immensely talented and oozed charisma.
My favorite moment of the evening was the dance explosion during Vanessa Vanjie’s set. If you hooked up Vanessa to some electrical wires, her energy during her set could have lit up the entire Foxwoods’ complex. The fact she could flip and turn in Olympian gold medal fashion, and never, lose her wig, was simply amazing. I think her set made the backup dancers break a sweat.
Yvie Oddly took drag to a level that I never would have expected. Her outfit took drag to outer space, dressing as an alien that escaped from Area 51. With her makeup and hair, and tentacles, she was a bit scary, a bit unnerving, but you couldn’t take your eyes off her. The imagination she exhibited in crafting her set was simply unbelievable.
Kameron Michaels’ aerial work on a trapeze, high above the stage, as snow (glitter) floated down was simply lovely. Cirque du Soleil, take note
And Asia O’Hara, what can I say? As the host for the evening, she was hilarious and was great at the banter as the stage was retooled for the next act. And her own set, with its amazing use of computer-generated graphics courtesy of a “Star Wars” lightsaber was incredible. I’m sure the technology is available to anyone who asks for it. But it was the first time I’ve seen it and it was fun and mesmerizing as she surprised me with the images she was able to generate.
From beginning to end, not a single performer cast for Werq the World was a drag… pardon the pun.
The show also was blessed with tremendous production values. The set was Broadway quality. The lighting outshined some of the arena pop concerts as I have seen.
The wigs and makeup were simply lovely. They drew from the drag tradition, but there was something special about how it was applied.
And the costumes… wow. OMG. The work on display would have given any designer at New York Fashion Week a run for the money.
By the time, the final bows were made. RuPaul’s Drag Race Werq the World tour left me invigorated. Like a great roller coaster ride at your favorite amusement park, I wanted to hop on the ride and do it all over again.
I give “RuPaul’s Drag Race Werq the World” tour five out of five stars. This was drag that was out of this world.

The Plainville Police Department announced the following arrests and citations from Friday, Oct. 18 to Monday, Oct. 28:

• Monique O. Jones-Pelletier, 37, of 7 Helen St., Plainville, was arrested on Friday, Oct. 18, and charged with disorderly conduct.
• Eric J. Pelletier, 41, of 7 Helen St., Plainville, was arrested on Friday, Oct. 18, and charged with disorderly conduct.
• Javan C. DelValle, 38, of 24 Conlon St., Bristol, was arrested on Monday, Oct. 21, and charged with sixth degree larceny.
• Ali O. Ali, 20, of 110 Cleveland St., New Britain, was arrested on Tuesday, Oct. 22, and charged with second degree failure to appear.
• Gregory R. LaFlamme, 29, of 139 Whiting St., Plainville, was arrested on Tuesday, Oct. 22, and charged with possession of a controlled substance, and second degree failure to appear.
• Courtney S. O’Connor, 59, of 70 Metacomet Rd., Plainville, was arrested on Tuesday, Oct. 22, and charged with impersonating an office.
• Sebastian A. Anton-Victor, 18, of 45 Rosemont Dr., Plainville, was arrested on Wednesday, Oct. 23, and charged with disorderly conduct, and second degree harassment.
• Dale J. Quereux, 48, of 246 Camp St., Plainville, was arrested on Thursday, Oct. 24, and charged with second degree threatening, disorderly conduct, and third degree assault.
• Vivian Odell, 27, of 66 Wallace St., New Britain, was arrested on Friday, Oct. 25, and charged with operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence, and driving too closely.
• Montrell L. Tompkins, 40, of 130 Nutmeg Ln., apartment 236, East Hartford, was arrested on Friday, Oct. 25, and charged with third degree assault, and disorderly conduct.
• Cory N. Kastner, 46, of 143 Orchard St., Rocky Hill, was arrested on Saturday, Oct. 26, and charged with two counts of first degree failure to appear.
• Nancy V. Gonzalez, 50, of 309 East St., Plainville, was arrested on Sunday, Oct. 27, and charged with disorderly conduct, second degree assault, third degree assault, and risk of injury.
• Sarah A. Marchetti, 38, of 28 Park Pl., New Britain, was arrested on Sunday, Oct. 27, and charged with criminal impersonation, and interfering with or resisting arrest.
• Ashley N. Morgan, 32, of 309 East St., Plainville, was arrested on Sunday, Oct. 27, and charged with risk of injury, two counts of third degree assault, and disorderly conduct.
• Anthony J. Tryzna Jr., 59, of 16 Whiting St., Plainville, was arrested on Sunday, Oct. 27, and charged with sixth degree larceny.
• Freilyn J. Jimenez, 21, of 38 Norton Pl., Plainville, was arrested on Monday, Oct. 28, and charged with operation of a motor vehicle under suspension, and failure to display lights.