NewHartfordPlus.com

By: Bob Moore & Maria Moore

Amy Speace came to New Hartford and her performance lit up the Night at the ‘Nights at the Beekley’ concert on Saturday, February 12.

As David Sessions said to the audience in his introduction: “I’ve told Amy that we’re the kind of a crowd that likes to hear her talk about her music and I hope to learn a lot more about it this evening.” And that’s exactly what Amy proceeded to do.

The evening was a delightful mix of stories of the people in her life, and the stories in her songs, which sometimes related to each other and sometimes did not. But no matter. The stories were charming, and Amy’s music stands on its own, with no need for props or help of any kind. Accompanied only by her guitar and ukelele, Amy enchanted her audience. Whether crooning a love song as in “It’s too late to call it a night,” or whooping it up as in “Double Wide Trailer,” her sweet, melodious voice carried her audience with her on a journey of musical discovery from Near-New York (Jersey) to Nashville and back again to New Hartford, where she made everyone feel,as she said at the beginning of the evening: “… you’re my kind of people!” And for her audience that evening at the Beekley, Amy was the star who lit up their night.

Amy’s music spans a vast emotional range. Here’s one example as she sings “Weight of the World” which was performed by Judy Collins at the Newport Folk Festival, albeit without acknowledgement. But let Amy tell you about that…

[youtube width="580" height="360"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DerNGdr7pO4[/youtube]
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Bob’s hands-down favorite from the concert is Amy’s rendition of “Battened Hatches” by New Haven composer Chuck E. Costa. Listen and you’ll see why Amy Speace’s music is so easy to love…

[youtube width="580" height="360"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtxMc1oLI-s[/youtube]

The Salisbury Winter Sports Association in Salisbury held its 85th annual Jumpfest Weekend this past weekend – a weekend packed with winter fun including several ski jumping events, an ice carving contest, food, and more. New Hartford photographer Neil Tolhurst photographed Saturday’s festivities, including the ice Salisbury Invitational Championships.

To see Neil’s complete album please visit CTPhotoJunkie.com, part of CTNewsJunkie.com, one of our partners in the Independent Media Network.

18-year-old Zach Daniels from Lake Placid, New York and Andover, New Hampshire flies high above the crowd during Salisbury's Jumpfest Weekend. Photo: Neil Tolhurst

By: Maria Moore

The Mallory Brook Plaza in Barkhamsted was open for business as usual yesterday, Saturday, February 12, after having been closed from this past Wednesday afternoon through Friday afternoon due to concerns from the snow accumulated on the roof.

The plaza was closed when employees at various businesses reported hearing creaking and cracking sounds from the roof. The Barkhamsted Building Inspector ordered the building to be evacuated until the snow was removed from the flat roof. On Friday afternoon, the snow removal had been completed and the shopping center was allowed to reopen.

On Saturday all the stores were open again for business. The NewHartfordPlus crew went to the plaza on a regular shopping trip and found the parking lot full and the businesses filled with customers, with only the large piles of snow at the building’s corners as reminders of the last several days of unusual activity.

Our reporter called Dr. Leon Reich, the New York-based owner of the plaza and left a message on his home telephone. Any additional information we may obtain in the next several days will be added to this report.

News about the closing of Mallory Brook Plaza and its reopening was first reported by the Republican American. To read Saturday’s Republican American report, see Barkhamsted shopping plaza, movies reopened after snow scare.

Mallory Brook Plaza open for business again on Saturday, February 12. Photo: Maria Moore

Another view of Mallory Brook Plaza looking towards the Tractor Supply store. Photo: Maria

Update on Town Buildings From Barkhamsted First Selectman

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Following is information we received this past Monday, February 7, from Don Stein, First Selectman of Barkhamsted, giving an update on the status of his town’s buildings:

Many of you may have heard that the Town’s salt storage building collapsed Friday afternoon. The building, which is a Quonset hut design, was constructed over 16 years ago and was nearing the end of its useful life. Quonset huts were originally developed by the U.S. Navy for storage in remote locations and have the capability to withstand harsh environments. Despite careful monitoring of the snow depth on the Town’s buildings, the snow on this aluminum structure was apparently beyond its limit. The collapse was likely due to the fact that it was corroded from its years of service.

Most importantly, no one was inside the building at the time and no one was injured. After the collapse, we immediately demolished the building for safety reasons. Regional Refuse Disposal District #1 will sell the scrap metal on behalf of the Town. The building was insured, as is all town property, and we are working with our insurance carrier to determine the replacement value. Fortunately, we were able to relocate the salt in the building to the other Quonset hut.

School Superintendent Jeff Linton and I worked together throughout the weekend to review the other buildings in town. Even though we did not believe there was any additional danger, we are using town employees and a hired contractor to remove ice and snow from the Barkhamsted School, the Town Hall, the Town Garage, the old Town Garage, the second Quonset hut, and the Senior Center.

We felt that we needed to move quickly, rather than risk any other problems with town-owned buildings.

Jeff Linton sent a note to the school community regarding the Barkhamsted School. That note, as well as this one, is posted on the Barkhamsted town website.

Please call me if you have any questions,

Don Stein,
First Selectman, Barkhamsted

By: Maria Moore

Bullying is an age-old problem, and the effects that bullies have on their victims can be devastating as they live under the threat of psychological and sometimes physical abuse. A difficult cycle of behavior to break, but one which the Rec Department is eager to take on. “You see bullying behavior even in young kids at camp.” Rec Director Dennis Minor told our reporter. And so he has developed a two-step program for children from Kindergarten through 6th grade to take on this difficult topic.

The first step, a discussion panel, “A Conversation About Bullying,” is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. this coming Thursday, February 10 in Berkshire Hall at Brodie Park. The panel, moderated by Rec Director Dennis Minor, brings together community members with a wide range of expertise on the topic including Christine Sloman, School Nurse, New Hartford Elementary, Jen Zenuh, New Hartford Board of Education, Roger Pearl, Hartford Police Officer, Sam Hartzell, Canton High School Student, and Recreational Therapist Lee Ann Taylor. Panel members will discuss bullying – how it occurs, why it occurs and how to effectively deal with it. They will also answer questions and consider input from the members of the public present. The panel discussion is free and all are welcome to attend.

Following up on the discussion panel, the Rec Department will offer a 6-week site based Mentoring program at Berkshire Hall. The program will provide students with an individual mentor/mentee match as well as group activities. Both adult and peer mentoring opportunities will be available. Matches will spend time playing board games or computer games, playing in the playground, working on homework, or just talking. The mentoring program is not a tutoring program; research has shown that children matched with a mentor in a site based setting show academic improvement over time, as well as exhibiting higher levels of self-confidence and a better attitude towards school. These are all factors that are important in nurturing resilience and reducing the risk and impact of bullying. The on site mentoring program costs $50 for the 6-week session (on going until end of school) and includes snacks. The sessions will be on Wednesday afternoons, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. A limited number of scholarships are available – please ask for details.

For more information about either the “Conversation About Bullying” discussion panel or the 6-week on site mentoring program, please call the Rec Office at 860-379-3877. Or better still, plan to attend the discussion panel at 6:00 p.m. this Thursday, February 10 and speak with the Rec staff directly. There will also be information available about the mentoring program.

Take the first step to end bullying: Attend the discussion panel and learn about this important topic.

Definitions of bullying: A bully (noun) = A person who is habitually cruel or overbearing, especially to smaller or weaker people. To bully (verb) = to treat abusively, to affect by means of force or coercion.

By: Maria Moore

With the record amount of snow – 59.8 inches in the state so far this month – the town crew is having a harder time than usual to keep ahead of clearing the snow. One of the things that’s been hindering their work is a number of cars that have been parked behind Town Hall and haven’t been moved in a while. Just such a car is the one pictured here. Officer Lynn Sheffield said that the car is currently unregistered and the owner who lives in Canton hasn’t responded to attempts to contact them so the car is being towed by a truck from Collinsville Auto Parts whose owner, Lynn added, is a New Hartford resident.

The matter of how to handle those types of vehicles that are now hindering snow removal efforts was brought up in a letter to the town’s selectmen at their meeting this past Tuesday, January 25. The selectmen decided to look into existing ordinances before deciding on a course of action.

In the meantime: Please don’t park your vehicle where it will hinder snow removal by the town or state crews. And if you have left your vehicle long-term in a public parking area, please be responsible and remove it. Or it may be removed for you.

If you have a questions regarding parking in town, please call the First Selectman’s Office at 860-379-3389. You may also call the New Hartford Police Office at 860-379-8621 (non-emergency number).

The car was buried in the snow that's fallen so far this season.

One of the cars in the Town Hall parking lot tagged for towing.

Constable Lynn Sheffield looks on while a car that has been parked in the Town Hall parking lot is being readied for towing. Photo: Maria Moore

President Barack Obama gave his 2011 State of the Union address yesterday evening, Tuesday, January 25. Following is the statement released on Tuesday evening, January 25, by Governor Dannel Malloy who attended the State of the Union as a guest of Congressman John Larson. Below Governor Malloy’s statement are links to the text and a video of the President’s address.

“I appreciate President Obama’s frank talk about the challenges that lie ahead and what we need to be willing to do to overcome them. I share his commitment to creating new jobs and keeping the ones we have. There are no easy answers, no quick fixes, and no silver bullet. These are going to be tough choices and our willingness to make them is directly related to our long and short-term recovery prospects.

“But in every situation there is a silver lining. Finding ourselves at this critical juncture after the last few tumultuous years will propel us to find ways in which we can invest in new technology, aging infrastructure and the critical programs and ideas that will help us create new jobs and compete in the global economy.

“Connecticut finds itself in much the same position as our nation does. We need to create new jobs and get our fiscal house in order. I spoke with my commissioners earlier today and made clear to them that solving our budget crisis and creating new jobs starts with them. That means no new spending, no borrowing for operating expenses, no early retirement proposal and we absolutely must meet our pension obligations. Period.

“I’m glad that President Obama agrees that creating and growing new jobs is the biggest, most important challenge we face. I look forward to working with President Obama, the delegation in Washington, the General Assembly in Connecticut and anybody else who wants to get Connecticut back on track again.”

Links To President Obama’s  2011 State of the Union Address

To watch a video of the President’s address, please visit the White House YouTube Channel.

To read the text of the President’s address, please visit the Speeches and Remarks section of the White House website.

John Rathgeber

The CBIA (Connecticut Business & Industry Association), the largest business association in Connecticut issued an open letter to Governor-Elect Malloy yesterday, Monday, January 3, just two days before he officially takes over as our new governor.

The CBIA said about its letter: “As Dan Malloy becomes Connecticut’s new governor this week, we are congratulating him in an Open Letter and wishing him success in tackling the big challenges he and the state now face. We believe Gov.-elect Malloy’s leadership will be crucial to driving renewed economic growth and job creation in the state, as well as in transforming state government. He deserves the help and encouragement of all of us in this difficult time.”  Following is the Open Letter:

Dear Governor-Elect Malloy:

On behalf of our 10,000 members, I want to congratulate you on becoming Connecticut’s 88th Governor and wish you success in addressing the serious economic and policy issues facing our state.

As it was in Stamford, your leadership is critical in convincing leaders of businesses, small and large, to grow their companies in Connecticut, to invest in new products and services, and to create and keep jobs here.

Connecticut’s economic renewal is not just important to the men and women working in our state, the young people seeking employment here, and the 100,000 who have lost their jobs in this recession. It also is critical to our ability to solve our budget problems and provide essential public services.

We applaud your commitment to honest, transparent budgeting. We urge you to take this opportunity to transform state government and encourage municipalities to work together in finding efficiencies and reducing the costs of delivering important public services.

Your commitment to public education is very encouraging, and we ask that you establish goals to close the achievement gap and make Connecticut schools the best in the nation. The Connecticut Commission on Educational Achievement provides a detailed blueprint for action.

And, we urge you to make Connecticut’s economic recovery your administration’s overall priority. Working with employers to solve problems and accomplish regulatory goals will unlock good ideas and improve business confidence in our state.

As you know, when the national recovery strengthens – and it will – Connecticut cannot afford to be passed by. We look forward to working with you, your administration, and Democratic and Republican legislators in making Connecticut a leader again in economic growth and job creation.

Respectfully,

John R. Rathgeber
President and CEO
Connecticut Business & Industry Association

Editor’s Note: As a small business in New Hartford and a member of the Board of Directors of the New Hartford Business Council, NewHartfordPlus fully supports the sentiments expressed by Mr. Rathgeber.  We also urge our local government to adhere to the same principles as outlined in the letter in order to deliver essential services in town in the most cost-effective way by streamlining them and cooperating with our neighboring towns as much as possible, and to actively pursue the economic development which our new wastewater treatment plant has made possible.  With fiscal prudency on one hand and an assertive push for economic development on the other, New Hartford can again position itself as one of the most desirable locations in the state to do business in as well as to live in.