By James Tinley
Register Staff
MILFORD — Seeing a mutual benefit in retaining Milford businesses, the city and United Illuminating Co. are teaming up to reach out and start a dialogue with business owners with the goal of keeping them in the city.
“We want businesses to stay in our service area and you want businesses to stay in your town,” Tom Cariglio, economic development specialist for UI, told the city’s Economic Development Commission Wednesday.
“This is not just about getting better electric rates; it’s about how their businesses are doing.”
Cariglio has led similar programs in the area, including in Hamden and West Haven, and said business owners are usually happy to talk about the business issues they are facing.
Economic Director Robert Gregory is compiling a list of companies that are new to the city or have typically shied away from involvement with the city.
The program costs $1,000 annually, but UI will pick up the city’s tab, Cariglio said.
Gregory said he targeted a broad spectrum of companies, including manufacturing, retail, service and distribution.
“One of the good things about Milford is there is a wide variety of businesses,” he said. He said he will focus on smaller to mid-sized businesses.
The pilot program will include only a relatively small sampling of about 50 businesses that will receive letters from the city expressing interest in setting up a meeting.
Gregory hopes the 50 letters will yield 20 to 25 meetings. The meetings are expected to begin a dialogue with businesses, allowing the city to be aware of the issues businesses are facing.
UI and the city plan on helping businesses take advantage of state and regional programs they may not be aware of.
Economic Development Commissioner Tessa Marquis said she supported the idea as long as it “will do no harm, and not be a stress on businesses and the economic development office.”
“It might actually do some good,” Gregory responded.
James Tinley can be reached at jtinley@nhregister.com or 401-3530.

Milford graduates 1st ‘ambassadors’

By James Tinley
Register Staff
MILFORD — Contrary to popular belief, cops really don’t spend their day wolfing down doughnuts; red cars aren’t targeted for speeding tickets; and, no, police don’t dole out traffic tickets to fill quotas.
That is according to Police Chief Keith Mello, who debunked common myths surrounding police for the friends and families attending the city’s first Citizen Police Academy graduation ceremony.
Mello said the 28 citizens who completed the 11-week course and came up with the list of common police myths will now serve as “ambassadors” for the Police Department.
“The goal of the program was to give citizens a better understanding of what we do,” Mello said.
The program allowed civilians to get out on the firing range for a gun safety program, learn the basics of how police conduct criminal investigations and take part in simulated arrests.
In addition, officers taught citizens cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the basics of the criminal justice system and how different specialized units work. The Citizen Police Academy was a logical extension of the department’s community policing program, he said.
With similar programs finding success in Orange, Bridgeport and Hamden, as well as in other communities throughout the country, Officer Vaughan Dumas and Mello decided to bring an academy to Milford.
The Police Department serves as a regional police academy, helping to train police recruits from 12 communities, making the citizens program a logical fit, Mello said.
Ron Suhanosky, owner of Val’s Deli, which is about a block from the police station, said with each new class he sees a fresh set of faces stopping by his Boston Post Road store.
Suhanosky said he decided to sign up for the course to get a sense of what the cadets go through in the police academy. Even through simulated situations of pulling a car over and having to decide whether to fire on a suspect wielding a gun got his heart racing, Suhanosky said.
“If I was out there, I’d call for backup like you wouldn’t believe,” he said. “I tell you, it takes somebody special to be a police officer.”

By Pamela McLoughlin
Register Staff
MILFORD — Decades ago at age 7, Jay Cimbak lost his best friend in a car accident, and to this day he feels the pain.
So when Cimbak’s son, Brian Cimbak, 17, lost three friends and fellow Jonathan Law High School schoolmates as a result of a Feb. 11 accident near the Westfield Connecticut Post mall, Jay Cimbak was there to encourage his son to share his feelings and help him understand the grieving process.
Jay Cimbak was one of a handful of parents Wednesday who attended a powerful forum on grieving and teenage children presented by Cynthia Dodd and Cathy Fisher, grief clinicians from BRIDGES, A Community Support System of Milford.
Brian Cimbak, a senior, said when he realized how the deaths affected him, he knew he needed to talk and sought comfort through his priest.
Over the past six weeks, five teenagers from Milford and Orange have lost their lives in car accidents. The pain and difficulty of dealing with that loss led parents in Milford and the Amity communities of Bethany, Orange and Woodbridge to seek answers about how to talk with their children concerning the deaths. It has also led parents and teens to seek answers on driving safety.
Milford and the Amity Regional school district are holding two events, the first of which was Wednesday’s forum, “Handling Loss and Going Forward.”
The second event, at 7 p.m. April 9 at Amity Regional High School in Woodbridge, will include Amity Superintendent of Schools John Brady and Milford Superintendent of Schools Harvey B. Polansky presiding over a legislative forum on teen driving.
School officials said Wednesday’s topic was sparked by phone calls from parents wanting advice on how to read and measure grief in their children.
Fisher said it can be hard to read grieving in adolescents such as the accident victims’ peers, because they tend to be moody and sullen. But grief likely intensifies those feelings, she said.
A school official asked the grief experts what can be done to help the anger many students seem to be feeling just below the surface. Fisher said it’s important to confront the anger rather than pushing it away. She said adults can help by getting the teen to open up over and over again even about the same thoughts.
Fisher said teens should know it’s OK to continue to laugh, have fun and be kids, despite the loss.

The following is a letter from the Literacy Center of Milford, reprinted for the benefit of All About Milford readers

On March 8, Walnut Beach was the setting for the 4th Annual Leprechaun Leap to benefit The Literacy Center of Milford. More than $11,000 was raised for our work, and we are grateful to all of our Leapers, young and old and in-between, for braving the cold waters of Long Island Sound to raise such a significant amount of money. Our own tutor trainer, Betty Gerner, raised over $1400!
We thank The Milford Bank for underwriting the event, and our Gold and Platinum Sponsors: Carolyn Auger, Re-Max; Judy Primavera, James Hulley Art Foundation; Mager & Mager; Mallico Construction; Meehan, Meehan & Gavin; Edward Petrucci; Stratton Faxon; Sullivan & Laliberte; R.F. Austin, LLC; BIC Corporation; Edmund Q. Collier, Trial Lawyer, LLC; Law Office of Attorney Laurel Ellson; Tara Galbo, Attorney at Law; Seal-Tite Roofing; Richard Forzano, Independent Financial Consulting; Monica & John Judge; Gerald H. Kahn, Esquire; Kerin & Canty, P.C.; Michael McCabe, Esquire; Mary Treat, Robert Treat Farm; Tom Bataille, Walt’s Home Repair; and Law Offices of Attorney Erica Wikstrom. Community support is essential for our success, and our work could not be done without you.
Last, but certainly NOT least, we thank Kim Freda and Tami Jackson of Milford Bank and Patricia Raffauf, Board member, for their fantastic organization and promotion of the event; the Conines for the use of Daniel Street and for the delicious food for our Leapers and supporters; Jeff Neilson of the Milford Police Department; and Bill Laslett and Tom Conners from the Fire Department for their helpfulness with tables and chairs; the City of Milford for its dedication to and support of non-profit organizations; The Literacy Center volunteers for running registration; and David Raffauf, for always being willing to lend that helping hand. If we have forgotten anyone here, please know that you have our gratitude.
The Literacy Center could not further its cause without your dedication of time and your donation of funds. Thank you for helping us help those in pursuit of literacy.
Joy Stonier, Executive Director
Monica A. Foran, Board President

Graffiti artists kept portfolio of damage, cops say

By James Tinley
Register Staff
MILFORD — Police say they found a veritable graffiti portfolio in a book, complete with photos detailing acts of vandalism, after arresting two youths for allegedly hitting downtown Milford with spray paint Saturday night.
The book is expected to lead to more charges against the two, said Officer Vaughan Dumas, police spokesman.
A 16-year-old from Bridgeport and a 17-year-old from Fairfield were stopped and found with spray paint and markers at about 10:50 p.m. after police received a call from a witness who saw two males spray-painting a sign on River Street.
Police believe the duo they arrested are responsible for the fresh spray paint they found on a sign at the courthouse and the front of City Hall, both on River Street.
The two, whose names were not released because of their ages, were also charged with criminal mischief for allegedly spray-painting the High Street railroad overpass and the Metro-North train station Saturday night.
The spray paint on city property was cleaned up and painted over early Monday morning, said Mayor James L. Richetelli Jr. The city will seek restitution from the perpetrators and recommend to the court that they perform community service, Richetelli said.
“Graffiti isn’t just a nuisance crime; it’s an assault on the quality of life of the citizens of this city,” Richetelli said.
The car the two were riding in was impounded and a search led to the discovery of a book full of photos of acts of vandalism, police said.
Police were able to match the photos to locations around Milford and surrounding towns and more warrants are being applied for, Dumas said.
“The issue has diminished since the arrests we made last summer,” Dumas said. “I hope the quick arrest will serve as a deterrent for future incidents.”
Last summer police arrested 17 youths for vandalism. The city has been cracking down on graffiti, which residents and officials said had grown rampant. The Board of Aldermen approved an anti-graffiti ordinance last summer that includes Milford among other communities that allow the city to go on to private property to remove graffiti, and appears to be the first to fine owners for failing to clean it up.
The ordinance requires an owner to remove graffiti within 10 days of receiving a notice; noncompliance is punishable by up to $90 per day.
Richetelli credited raised awareness from the anti-graffiti campaign with the quick arrests of the two suspects in this case.
James Tinley can be reached at jtinley@nhregister.com or 401-3530.

By James Tinley
Register Staff
MILFORD — Several months after a Bridgeport woman filed a complaint claiming she was pulled over by a phony police officer, she was arrested by a real one for allegedly making a false statement.
Police said Nicole Quiles, 28, of 681 Stratford Ave., who claimed in November to have been pulled over by someone posing as a police officer, concocted the story. She was arrested Friday on a warrant charging second-degree falsely reporting an incident and interfering with police.
The incident Quiles described in her Nov. 7 complaint was reconstructed by police, who determined that what she said happened wasn’t possible, said Officer Vaughan Dumas, police spokesman.
Quiles originally claimed she was pulled over at Bridgeport and Kerema avenues and the “officer” asked Quiles for her phone number.
After a review of surveillance video and information from an officer who was directing traffic nearby yielded no evidence of a car being pulled over, police determined her story was fabricated, Dumas said. When pressed to explain these inconsistencies, she stopped talking to police and hired a lawyer, Dumas said.
This was the second such case in Milford in recent months.
Kimberly M. Hueffman was sentenced to an accelerated rehabilitation program after she admitted fabricating a story about being pulled over and sexually assaulted by someone impersonating an officer in September. and that she was sexually assaulted.
Hueffman later gave two statements acknowledging that she concocted the entire story.Police Chief Keith Mello said police investigators worked around the clock to solve the Hueffman case, which added up to $15,000 in resources that could have been put to use elsewhere.
There was no word on the cost of the most recent case.
James Tinley can be reached at jtinley@nhregister.com, or 401-3530.

The Career Coach is back!


STRATFORD —


Due to popular demand, the CTWorks Career Coach, a career center on wheels designed to deliver career services and training opportunities at a variety of locations throughout the state, will return to the Stratford Library on a monthly basis beginning at 1:30 p.m., April 4. The Career Coach delivers free services to low-wage workers and job seekers in Southwestern Connecticut who are unable to obtain the services at local career centers due to lack of transportation, lack of childcare or employment schedules.
Visitors to the coach will find computer workshops, 10 computer workstations, high speed access to the Internet (via onboard satellite), 42 inch plasma TV with Smartboard overlay (for training use by the instructor), 10 wireless laptops and exterior plasma TV, interview room and an ADA-compliant lift and workstation for job seekers with disabilities. All sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Special sessions, as noted below in parenthesis, require advance registration in the Adult Services Department of the Stratford Library:
May 2, 10 a.m. -3 p.m. (PC Basics Session, 10 a.m. to noon)
June 6, 10 a.m. -3 p.m. (Word 1 Session, 1-3 p.m.)
July 2, 10 a.m. -3 p.m. (Resume Prep Session, 1-3 p.m.)
Aug. 7, 10 a.m. -3 p.m. (Word 1 Session, 10 a.m. to noon)

The CTWorks Career Coach will be on site at the Stratford Library, 2203 Main Street in Stratford, CT. It is free and open to patrons 16 years of age and older. For further information call the library’s Teen Department at (203) 385-4167 or visit www.stratfordlibrary.org.

Elliott Storm, the Milford author who penned a novel on the Vietnam War and the ravages of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, has a number of appearances, book signings and lectures coming up as part of his Winter Tour. Here are some of them and please stay tuned as the list will be updated as events are added.
On March 28: 6 p.m.- 10 p.m., With lecture at 7 p.m., Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and VFW of Norwich, 30 Connecticut Ave.
March 29: 2 p.m., Borders Bookstore in Waterford Ct. 915 Hartford Turnpike, Waterford, (860) 442-3366
April 6: 1 p.m., K5 co-signing with John Labarca, 962 Boston Post Road, Milford (203) 876-9981
April 11-19: Detroit and Ann Arbor Mich., full week of lectures and booksignings, TV appearances and radio shows
April 26: 2 p.m., Borders Book Store, lecture and book signing, 1600 South East Road., Farmington, Ct. (860) 674-8110
May 2: OPERATION HOPE, Veterans Hospital, New Jersey
May 3: 2 p.m., Borders Bookstore, 1499 Post Road Fairfield, (203) 256-1619
May 10: 2 p.m., Borders Bookstore, 142 Providence Place, Providence R.I. (401) 270-4801
May 17: 2 p.m., Borders Bookstore, with John Labarca, 1201 Boston Post Road, Milford, (203) 878-3333
May 22: noon, ABC Affiliate WTNH Ch. 8 Live at Noon.
May 23: Hamden Veterans Awareness Day.
May 24: 1 p.m. Mohegan Sun Spin Street, also with Labarca, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd., C-118, Uncasville, (860) 862-7664
May 24: Fleet Week. U.S. Navy, New York City, Melisa Forrester (860) 651-1223.
In July, Storm will tour California, with numerous stops at Borders bookstores there, including in Sunnyvale, Modesto, San Jose, Turlock, Milpitas, Fresno and Fremont.
American Legion Post 196 and the American Legion Second District have endorsed Storm’s book, which he wrote to help readers understand the causes of PTSD and to help in the healing process. Recently Storm, held a lecture and seminar for the Naval War College of Newport, and received fantastic greeting and great reviews. He also has lectured at Yale University.
Storm has served as Judge Advocate for American Legion Post 196 since 2003. He has noted many women have commented after reading “These Scars Are Sacred,” that they can now trace back actions of spouses and loved ones to better understand them. For more information about the book, visit www.amazon.com.

The following are press releases provided as a public service

MILFORD - Family Chiropractor Victoria Rothenhausen, shown at right, will present a “Trigger Point Massage & Natural Pain Relief Workshop” at 6:30 p.m. April 16 at her office, 67 Turnpike Square. Space is limited and reservations are recommended. For more information call (203) 877-4655.

Rothenhausen is a founding member of the Milford Chamber’s Health & Wellness Council. “I offer these free workshops as a service to the community. Past attendees have discovered a simple – yet amazing - process to relieve stress and pain naturally through Trigger point therapy," she said.


Also, Betsy Ratner, a Milford resident and owner of "Success With Less Stress" was recently appointed as co-Chairwoman of the Milford Chamber's "Health & Wellness Council." The next monthly meeting of the "Health & Wellness Council" will be held at 8:30 a.m. April 10, at the Milford Chamber Board Room, 50 Broad St. For more information call (203) 878-0681 or email HWC Founding Chairperson Priscilla Lynn at prisco@priscopr.com.

By Pamela McLoughlin
Register Staff
MILFORD — There are many words that could be used to describe the Holocaust, but Platt Technical High School English teacher Jeffrey Levinson isn’t about to put those words in his students’ mouths.
Levinson doesn’t teach them facts, such as Hitler came to power in 1933 or that Heinrich Himmler was the second most powerful Nazi behind Hitler.
And unless asked, he doesn’t pull out the figures, like that Nazis killed six million Jews and five million non-Jews.
Instead, Levinson sets up a poster exhibit in the classroom showing the face of the Holocaust through everyday images of the time — the worried faces of adults, the blankness of children, a town where folks are waving Nazi flags.
The graphic images of dead bodies, including of babies, are in a folder on a desk if students choose to look at them.
And a poster bearing the classic shot of thin bodies in a heap is on a desk to the side.
The assignment in this ninth-grade class is to view the exhibit, then for students to choose a word or phrase conjured by the experience, then use it in a poem, essay, acrostic or other vehicle.
“I’m not here to shock them,” he said. “I want to know what they’re feeling. Right now, I’m training them to be thinkers.”
The words students in one class came up with recently shows they are indeed thinking.
Hate, genocide, pain, cruel, sad, terrible, alone, hatred, murder, lost childhoods, scared, heartless, nightmare, tortured, anguish and one of Levinson’s favorites, “Why?’
It was Sarah Garofalo, 15, of Milford, who thought of, “Why?”
She thought Levinson’s lesson technique was powerful.
“I liked it because I think it helped us learn for ourselves,” Garofalo said. “Usually, we’re told everything.”
Posters around the room were donated years ago by the Anti-Defamation League and previously used by another teacher.
Levinson, a Jew who grew up hearing the stories of three aunts who survived the Holocaust, for many years taught Jewish education for the Jewish Federation of New Haven.
Levinson said he got an earful around the table because his aunts thought of him as both curious and really into his Judaism.
He said learning about the Holocaust is so important, because similar atrocities are still happening in places like Darfur and Tibet, and he wants students to know and feel how important it is to rise to eradicate such acts.
Platt is also a great place to apply such lessons, he said, because there are students of many ethnicities and from 22 towns and cities.
“I hope it teaches them tolerance,” he said.
Part of the required reading for ninth-grade is Elie Wiesel’s “Night,” a work based on his experience as a young Orthodox Jew being sent with his family to the German concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald during World War II.
The poster images that really got to the students run the gamut.
For Kyle Healey, 14, of Milford, it was seeing a poster of children smiling and then a couple of posters down, children with blank expressions.
Levinson said the poster display has a set order and he purposely didn’t follow that pattern.
Massimo Izzo, 15, of West Haven, was bowled over by a poster depicting a town with the words “The Rise of Nazi Germany” across the top.
He found it scary seeing an entire town of people carrying Nazi flags where no one hated Hitler. Rather, they loved him.
Sebastian Arcos, 16, of New Haven, was struck like many of his peers by the children. “What they did to the children. I didn’t know they killed the babies,” he said.
One student did an acrostic of “Hitler,” with the word H for Holocaust; I for In World War II; T for tortured many people; L for lives lost; E for everyone was scared and R for Remember those who died.
Aja Scott, 14, of West Haven, was most moved by a poster of the famous poem that ends: “When they came for the Jews, I remained silent; I wasn’t a Jew. When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out.”

By James Tinley
Register Staff
MILFORD — After almost 70 years of standing up to Long Island Sound, the newly-repaired Oyster River sea wall is ready to withstand the rolling waves and tides.
Rep. Richard Roy, D-Milford, said Friday that the three-year, $300,000 project to restore the sea wall in Woodmont near the West Haven line is nearly complete.
Large chunks of concrete that had been washed away over the years were replaced.
“The sea wall itself is in much better condition and will hold back more water than it has in the recent past,” Roy said.
A rusted guardrail with exposed jagged pieces of metal has also been replaced, he said.
“I was worried an elderly person might lean up against it and fall right into the water,” Woodmont Borough Warden Dick Austin said. “It just wasn’t safe before.”
Austin said he originally raised concerns about the wall, but a dispute with the state resulted in a three-year stalemate.
“I had to prove that the state owned the wall and not the borough,” Austin said. “We went back and forth for a while, but they finally admitted it was theirs and paid to fix it.”
A walkway still needs to be paved, and benches need to be put back on the wall before people can sit and enjoy the views of the beach, Long Island Sound and the Oyster River.
The Oyster River sea wall was built one year after the hurricane of 1938 ravaged the coast of New England, killing 600 and causing severe flooding.
During the hurricane, a portion of New Haven Avenue was swept into the sea.
The wall was built to protect the integrity of the road and prevent further erosion.
James Tinley can be reached at jtinley@nhregister.com or 401-3530.

By Pamela McLoughlin
Register Staff
MILFORD — Just when you thought the simplest toys must be safe, a local environmentalist and member of the Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Connecticut has announced it’s time to scoop those rubber duckies out of the bathtub and make them go bye-bye, along with most other nonwood toys and plastic baby bottles.
While Rubber Ducky may be “the one,” as Ernie is known to croon on “Sesame Street,” the “little fella who’s cute and yellow and chubby” should be admired from afar for now because phthalates, chemical compounds used to make him and most other soft toys soft, can cause liver, kidney and other problems, say leaders of the coalition.
The group is lobbying for passage of a bill in the General Assembly to phase out sale of toys in Connecticut containing lead, phthalates and bisphenol-A.
“The children are the victims; they’re being poisoned slowly by those important objects called toys,” said Joyce Acebo-Raguskus of Milford. “We want Connecticut to be a leader.”
Acebo-Raguskus, a member of the Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Connecticut, which is lobbying for the bill that passed through committee and could be passed in a few weeks, is bringing the message to Milford by holding an informational session and rally of sorts from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday to the Green.
Accompanying her will be a 25-foot duck made of safe materials. The event is intended to raise awareness and give visitors ways to reach their legislators.
A similar, larger event in Hartford two weeks ago got attention for the bill that is being fought hard by out-of-state chemical companies and the toy industry, environmental leaders and legislators say.
The coalition is a group of 30 organizations pushing the legislature to pass this bill, which has strong support in Milford’s legislative delegation, including Speaker of the House James A. Amann, state Rep. Richard Roy, co-chairman of the Environment Committee, and Sen. Gayle Slossberg, both D-Milford, and Rep. Paul Davis, D-Orange.
Roy said there’s heavy pressure against the bill by the toy and chemical industries who argue there’s no scientific p“roof t”he chemicals pose a danger in the amounts found in toys.
But Roy said the warnings can’t be ignored because the toys are for the most vulnerable members of society: children.
Sarah Uhl, coordinator of the Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Connecticut, said there are safer alternatives for the chemicals they are trying to ban, and Wal-Mart and Toys R Us in Connecticut have already voluntarily agreed to ban sale of toys containing phthalates.
Acebo-Raguskus said safe toys are being made, but mostly shipped to Europe where use of 1,400 chemicals in toys has been banned.
Acebo-Raguskus, who does not have young children anymore, advises parents to gather up their children’s toys, put them in paper bags and “hide them” until a site is established for disposal of toxic toys.
She maintains parents for now should have their children play with wooden toys.

STRATFORD — New England historian Diane Rapaport is the guest for a special “Meet-the-Author” program at 2 p.m. April 6 in the Lovell Room at the Stratford Library 2203 Main St.
Rapaport, shown at right, is the author of "The Naked Quaker," an historical and humorous collection of true stories about life in Colonial New England, organizers said. The program is free and open to the public.
The Naked Quaker, organizers said, takes readers into the lives of their ancestors, revealing how they truly behaved and spoke. The word “Puritan” conjures up dour images of 17th century New Englanders, people who didn’t have any fun or – heaven forbid - intimacy. But while our ancestors used different words, human nature was not so different 350 years ago, event organizer said.
Rapaport, a former trial attorney and historian, drew on court records to create an award-winning column for New England Ancestors, the journal of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Some of the 25 true stories in The Naked Quaker were previously published there, while others are new and include: “Witches and Wild Women,” “Coupling,” “Tavern Tales,” and “Sunday Meeting,” organizers said.
Autographed copies of The Naked Quaker will be available for purchase at the event. For more information, call the library’s Public Relations & Programming Office at (203) 385- 4162 or visit www.stratfordlibrary.org.

By Brian McCready
Milford Bureau Chief
Over the past six weeks, five teenagers from Milford and Orange lost their lives in traffic accidents.
The pain and difficulty of dealing with that loss has led parents in Milford and the Amity communities of Bethany, Orange and Woodbridge to seek answers about how to talk with their children concerning the deaths. It has also led parents and teens to seek answers on teen driving safety.
Over the next few weeks, Milford and the Amity Regional School District will partner for two events, which administrators in both communities hope will help with the healing, and also lead to solutions.
The first event, at 7 p.m. March 26 at Jonathan Law High School in Milford, will be the open seminar, “Handling Loss and Going Forward,” for teens and parents.
Law Principal Janet Garagliano, who spearheaded the event, said in light of the recent deaths of the five teenagers in car accidents, including three students from Law, (one of the three students had transferred to Eli Whitney Technical School in Hamden) many parents are unsure about how to move through the grieving process with their teenaged children.
She said some parents, for instance, are not sure what to look for in their child’s behavior that may trigger the need for additional help. Garagliano said the forum will benefit anyone who may not know how to open a discussion with their children on the issue, or how to handle their own grief as a parent.
The second event, at 7 p.m. April 9 at Amity High School in Woodbridge, will include Amity Superintendent of Schools John Brady and Milford Superintendent of Schools Harvey B. Polansky presiding over a legislative forum on teen driving.
State Sen. Joseph Crisco, D-Woodbridge, pitched the idea as an effort to get information to the public concerning how the General Assembly plans to make changes to help make teen driving safer. Also, there will be a presentation on what other states are doing on the issue.
Brady said it made sense to reach out to Polansky and for the school leaders to come together on teen driving.
“We’ve lost five kids in the last month and...let’s us try and do something about this,” Brady said. “We’re allies in the struggle to see what we can do about this.”
All of the state lawmakers from Milford and the Amity towns have been invited to attend, as were residents of Milford and Amity.
The March 26 Milford forum will feature presentations by Cynthia Dodd and Cathy Fisher, grief clinicians from BRIDGES, A Community Support System of Milford. Milford school administrators will attend and the forum also will feature a question and answer period.
Milford schools spokeswoman Kathryn Bonetti said Garagliano has received numerous calls from concerned parents who are still struggling with the grief of losing three students from Law. She said the grief has trickled down to the middle schools students there have siblings are in the high schools.
“It’s the shock of losing someone in their own age bracket. It has certainly resonated throughout the district,” Bonetti said. “I’ve seen it in my own children included. Kids think they are invincible and when they lose someone in their own peer group they are in shock.” Bonetti also said her children are asking questions about how the accidents occurred and what the laws are on teen driving.
Brady said he believes the key step towards making teens safer drivers is to increase the amount of time they are required to spend in driving school.
Jonathan Dolceacqua, 18, was the back-seat passenger in 17-year-old Shawn Foley’s 1990 Nissan 240SX Feb. 11 when Foley lost control of his car, sending it skidding into a utility pole on the ring road that loops around the Westfield Connecticut Post mall. Foley and Dolceacqua were killed.
Front-seat passenger Michael Vicino, 16, remained in critical condition at Bridgeport Hospital for 33 days after the accident until he succumbed to his injuries last Friday. Police said speed was a factor, and they are investigating witness reports that Foley may have been racing with another car.
Two Amity students Salvatore Semmonella, 17, and Francesk Zefi, 18, were killed when the car Zefi was driving on the Wilbur Cross Parkway veered off the road earlier this month.
Recently, Gov. M. Jodi Rell highlighted several proposed changes in the teen driving laws including more training for teen drivers. Currently, the law mandates 20 hours before a teen can drive alone, and a task force created to study the issue is recommending an increase to 50 hours.
Also Rell wants the curfew for teen drivers to decrease from midnight to 11 p.m.
DMV Commissioner Robert Ward has said a major recommendation is to double the passenger restrictions for teen drivers. Currently, for the first three months after teens earn their license they can only ride with their parents, then for the next three months teens can only ride with parents and/or siblings. Ward said the proposal is to double both of those restrictions.

Ban on sweet treats would cost $60k
By Brian McCready
Milford Bureau Chief
MILFORD — Cookies and ice cream will remain on the menu at city schools.
In order to protect the revenue generated by the sale of sweets, the Board of Education has again voted to reject participating in the state’s healthy choice program.
Board of Education Chairman David Hourigan, D-4, said the school cafeteria already offers a healthy selection of foods.
The state program would give the town 10 cents per meal, which could result in about $60,000 in revenue for the food services division. The catch is that the school system would have to pledge not to sell cookies or ice cream in school cafeterias. Those items are sold al la carte at a higher price, and provide revenue for the self-sustaining food services division.
Hourigan said the board believes the district would lose more than $60,000 if cookies and ice cream were banned. There were also concerns that a ban would hurt booster clubs and parent groups that rely on in-school bake sales as fundraisers.
Hourigan noted that the school may soon have no choice but to participate in the state program. The General Assembly may mandate that all schools join the program.
Superintendent of Schools Harvey B. Polansky recently told the PTA Council that there may be legislation banning candy fundraisers during the school day. He advised parents to explore alterative fundraisers.
“While I am not anticipating the legislation to affect the 2008-09 school year, it is my understanding that such legislation is imminent,” Polansky said.
Pre-planned events like football and basketball would be exempt. Polansky said parents and boosters should consider new fundraising activities if candy sales are prohibited.
One hundred out of 169 communities now accept the additional 10 cents per meal from the state.
Polansky joked that if the legislation is approved, students will have to “eat Yodels under the table.”
“Will police dogs come in and sniff for candy?” quipped PTA Council member Michael Taylor.
Amity Superintendent of Schools John Brady said Amity has been participating in the healthy choice initiative for two years now.
“Initially, it was difficult to get rid of the soda and candy,” Brady said. “We’ve worked through it all and have not heard a complaint from the students. The meals are healthier.”

By James Tinley
Register Staff
MILFORD — The Permanent School Facilities Building Committee recently agreed to add $118,000 to a contract to remodel the Jonathan Law High School science labs after accepting the contractor’s original bid.
Rocky Hill-based Connecticut Carpentry Corp. said it accidentally underbid by $195,000 the $3.1 million contract, and that carrying out the contract as bid would create a financial hardship.
Committee Chairman Matthew Woods said Monday that the committee approved the request after Connecticut Carpentry Corp. reduced the sum to an $118,000 overage. He said even with the additional $118,000, “they’re pretty much breaking even.”
A phone call placed to Connecticut Carpentry Corp. seeking comment Monday was not returned.
Committee member and Alderman Robert Nunno, D-5, was the lone dissenter in the 4-1 vote to approve the additional money. Nunno said Monday that he felt the contractor should have been held to the original bid.
“I felt the contractor could have absorbed that $118,000,” Nunno said. “You can’t tell me they’re not making any money on this. But they were at the meeting, and I guess some people on the committee were won over by what they had to say.”
The error in bidding originated from an electrical subcontractor who accidentally submitted its bid for a Southern Connecticut State University project instead of the bid for the Law project, accounting for about a $100,000 discrepancy, Woods said. The underbid was compounded by a cabinet subcontractor failing to take into account the cost of installation, Woods said.
The contract was not rebid.
Woods, who also serves as the city’s trial counsel, said that after consulting with the city attorney, they decided they didn’t want to rebid the contract.
Even after adding the $118,000, Connecticut Carpentry Corp. was still the lowest bidder by about $300,000. He also believed the error was an “honest mistake,” and the company wasn’t trying to pad its profits after coming in with a low bid.
But Nunno said other committee members shouldn’t have agreed to allocate another $118,000 to the project so easily.
“We got chastised and criticized for not getting $65,000 from the (off-track betting), when we just tabled it; we never said we were going to vote against it,” Nunno said, referring to an earlier Board of Aldermen vote. “Here you have something that represents two years of OTB revenue and everyone is willing to just say ‘OK.’”
A second OTB site was approved after the Board of Aldermen Democrats voted to table a Boston Post Road site. An extra $60,000 of expected revenue was added to the 2008-09 budget by the Board of Finance last week.
James Tinley can be reached at jtinley@nhregister.com or 401-3530.

By Brian McCready
Milford Bureau Chief
MILFORD — The Senior Tax Relief Committee Monday night approved an expanded tax relief plan, which would increase by 50 percent the number of seniors eligible, while adding another $300,000 in tax savings, members said.
The city now offers a $600 property tax break for single or disabled seniors with gross income of $29,800 or less, or married couples earning $36,500 or less. A total of 990 seniors participate in the senior property tax program costing the city $557,000.
The committee voted unanimously to increase the income guidelines for singles and married couples by $10,000 each. So if the Board of Aldermen adopts the recommendation, any single or disabled senior earning $39,800, or married couple earning $46,500 or less, will be eligible for a $600 property tax break.
Alderman Philip Vetro, D-4, said the Ordinance Committee would expedite the process for review and schedule a special meeting to discuss the senior tax proposal.
Committee Chairman George Amato said he was informed by the assessor’s office that increasing the income guidelines by $10,000 would allow 50 percent more seniors to qualify for the tax relief, and it would cost about an additional $300,000.
Altogether, the city would be projected to provide about 1,350 seniors almost $900,000 in tax relief.
Amato said there was talk of increasing the $600 property tax break that eligible seniors receive, but then the tax relief could soar well beyond $1 million.
“You’re in a period of where everyone is looking to cut,” Amato said. “This will be a very difficult budget year.”
In a letter signed by all members of the Senior Tax Relief Committee to aldermanic Chairman Ben Blake, D-5, the members requested he reappoint another committee after the approval of next year’s budget in May. Also, the members ask that the issue of age and residency requirements be debated.
Amato said because people are working longer, the eligibility age for senior tax relief may be pushed from 65 to 70. Also, he said someone is eligible for senior tax relief after residing just one year in Milford, and it might be prudent to amend that to five years.
Amato said Blake and Mayor James L. Richetelli Jr. have expressed a desire to implement additional senior tax relief in the short-term.
Joseph Prisco, a senior tax relief advocate, said this was the “best plan thus far,” and he is all for increasing the age and residency requirements.
“They raised the income guidelines and that’s a start,” Prisco said.
Committee member Kerri Rowland said that it was the “major consideration of this committee to balance the needs of all taxpayers with the needs of some of the most vulnerable seniors.”

By Brian McCready
Milford Bureau Chief
MILFORD — The district’s central office’s phone lines went into overdrive Monday afternoon as 180 nontenured city teachers were given layoff notices, a move that Superintendent of Schools Harvey B. Polansky described as “gut-wrenching.”
According to state law, the Board of Education must notify nontenured teachers whether their contracts will be renewed by April 1, and Polansky said that was not possible after the Board of Finance cut its budget last week by $2.1 million from $82.9 million to $80.8 million. Overall the school system’s budget is still scheduled to increase by 3.7 percent over this fiscal year.
Polansky said the district can rehire the teachers and said there is no way the district would ever cut loose 180 teachers. But since there is the possibility that there will be some layoffs unless the Board of Aldermen reinstates the budget reductions, the notices had to be sent out, the superintendent said.
“There is no assurance of job security due to the budget cuts,” Polansky said. “We would not be doing this if not for the budget cuts. It’s absolutely gut-wrenching.”
He said he hopes the teachers will sit tight until the budget situation is resolved, but he added he understands teachers may have to look elsewhere for work because “people need to make a living.”
School board Chairman David Hourigan, D-4, said he hopes the layoff notices will prompt the teachers and parents to come out and implore the aldermen to restore the budget reductions.
“They are the ones with control over restoring the cuts,” Hourigan said. “The message is not just to the teachers. It is to anyone with concerns about the quality of education in Milford.”
Residents can address the aldermen at a public hearing 7 p.m. April 2 at City Hall.
Typically, only those teachers who are not expected to be brought back for performance issues receive the layoff notification, but the number skyrocketed this year to include all nontenured teachers.
Immediately following the Finance Board’s budget reductions Polansky said if the cuts were not restored then the district would have to reduce staff and programs, and look at even closing a school.
Aldermanic Chairman Ben Blake, D-5, said “obviously” the layoff notices were a direct result of the Finance Board’s reductions. “Do I see 180 teachers being terminated? No,” Blake said. “We look forward to having residents and taxpayers come to explain their positions so we have a better feel for how residents feel about the budget,” Blake said.

By Brian McCready
Milford Bureau Chief
MILFORD — Residents will have the opportunity to see first-hand Wednesday night conceptual plans to create a $7 million arts colony in Walnut Beach at the Stowe Farm Arts Center.
Mayor James L. Richetelli Jr. said the city, in partnership with the Milford Fine Arts Council, will present the conceptual plan of the Stowe Farms Arts Center at 7 p.m. in the Center for the Arts, 40 Railroad Ave.
The Stowe Farms Arts Center Committee has been working for several years with the architectural firm TLB Associates of Chester to develop uses and a proposal for the facility in Walnut Beach. The purpose of the forum is gain input from the public.
Copies of the report are available through the city’s Web site at www.ci.milford.ct.us at the Community Development Department link and at the Web site of the Fine Arts Council, www.milfordarts.org.
Economic and Community Development Director Robert Gregory said plans call for the creation of office space for the Fine Arts Council, studio space to be leased out to artists, and classroom space for aspiring artists.
“Obviously we’ll concentrate on the visual arts and there will be some space for the performing arts,” Gregory said.
The Center for the Arts building downtown will remain the main performing arts venue, he said. Relocating the Fine Arts Council’s offices from downtown to Stowe will free up additional performing arts space, he added.
Conceptual plans show that an existing barn on the Stowe site will be the mainstay, with a substantial addition to both sides of the barn. Gregory said this will be the main gallery space. He said the bulk of the project costs are tied into the barn addition.
There will be some limited parking at the site, but the city wants the public to also use spaces at the West Shore Recreation Center and Simon Lake Elementary School.
The project can be done in phases with a major focus on the barn additions, Gregory said. Already $500,000 has been allocated from the state for architectural and engineering fees. He said he hopes fundraising will lead to private donations.
Talk of an artists’ colony began to take off in 2002 when the city purchased the 2½ acre Stowe Avenue parcel for $825,000. The city sold the horse barn and cottage for $200,000 to a Tennessee couple, who have already turned it into an art studio and home. The Stowe property is three blocks from the 2-year-old Firehouse Arts Gallery on Naugatuck Avenue.

By Brian McCready
Milford Bureau Chief
MILFORD — The school system has contracted with a private company that broadcasts commercial music radio on school buses, raising concerns among some Board of Education members who said the board was not consulted.
Deputy Superintendent of Operations Philip G. Russell told school board members late Monday the Massachusetts-based firm BusRadio was brought in to help keep students calm while riding the bus.
Russell said Milford has had a “number of school bus incidents,” prompting him to contact BusRadio officials.
The BusRadio broadcasts began after February vacation. The broadcasts are on all buses, from kindergarten through high school. The broadcasts feature commercial advertising targeted to young people.
According to the BusRadio Web site, one hour of broadcasting features 52 minutes of music, four minutes of public service announcements and safety messages and four minutes of commercials.
Russell said a sampling of bus drivers said “kids are much more well behaved.”
“After one week, the overwhelming response was (students) just thought it was phenomenal,” Russell said. “The students loved it. The calmest kids are the ones with iPods in their ears, and this is like having an iPod in their ears,” Russell added.
BusRadio was temporarily pulled from one bus that transports high school students to a New Haven magnet school for the arts after a complaint was filed. But Russell said several students complained that the radio was turned off, and it was restored Tuesday.
BusRadio reports that it serves 1 million students in 23 states. Critics claim the company is exploiting young people for commercial gain.
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, a nonprofit advocacy group, claims BusRadio “undermines parental authority.”
“Parents who wish to shield their children from commercial messages will be unable to do so if their school district signs up for BusRadio,” the group states. “BusRadio undermines education. Products advertised on a school bus carry the school’s implicit endorsement. The products advertised may run counter to lessons a school might want to teach.”
Russell told board members that the installation of the radios did not cost the district anything, since BusRadio earns revenue from its advertisers.
Russell said there is a national content committee reviewing songs that are appropriate for each grade level. Russell is a member of the content committee. Durham School Services, the bus company hired by the school system, praised BusRadio.
Milford General Manager Neal Martino said there is a unique 911 feature. If a bus breaks down, a driver can hit two buttons and emergency service vehicles will be dispatched. A GPS tracker can pinpoint the location of the bus in case the driver cannot speak.
Board member James Santa Barbara, D-5, said “nobody gets something for free.”
Martino said there are some ads for milk, but said no ads for anything like video games.
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, however, claims there are ads for Bratz doll DVDs; the Web site answers.com, which provides “homework assistance,”; Cingular cell phones; and the WB television network.
School board member Pamela Staneski, R-5, said some parents objected several years ago when the board talked about putting display ads on school buses.
Russell said administrators decided the potential revenue wasn’t worth it because the students could mark up the ads and cause a nuisance.
School board members Tracy Casey, D-2, Santa Barbara, and Cindy Kopazna, R-3, said they felt the board should have discussed BusRadio before it was installed on the buses.
“I wish we had discussed this before BusRadio was turned on,” Santa Barbara said. “Now that it’s on, it’s harder for us to decide whether to turn it off.”
Russell said the administration felt it was a safety issue and not a content issue, which is what led them to act. “We’re not trying to usurp any authority on all this,” he said.

By Brian McCready
Milford Bureau Chief
MILFORD — For the first time in 15 years, mentally and physically challenged youths this spring will have an opportunity to play baseball. this spring.
The once-popular program is being brought back in large part due to the efforts by Recreation Department Adaptive Program Coordinator Debra Marchese and the support of Connecticut Little League District 4 Administrator David E. Ruotolo.
Milford National Lou Gehrig Little League co-Presidents Jerry Maher and Shawn Murray, and Milford International Little League President Brian Rowland have pledged to provide fields, the costs of uniforms and equipment for the youths.
Marchese said she first got involved in Challenger Baseball while living in Greenwich. Her son, Joseph, 15, is autistic, and she began organizing a youth sports program for special needs children. Marchese then moved to Milford and became the adaptive program coordinator for the city.
She said it’s a great program in which anyone can participate. For example, a youth in a wheelchair can swing a bat and hit the ball from a tee, and a family member or volunteer can wheel the player around the bases.
Marchese said most participating youths have autism, and the sport helps with socialization and self-esteem.
Ruotolo said the program disbanded because the parents who pushed for the program had their children graduate from high school. Ruotolo said reinstating the Challenger program began with a phone call from Marchese two months ago.
Rowland said once a year, someone would inquire about such a program and he had to refer them to West Haven. He said play will alternate at Clarkson, Fowler and Brewster fields. He said handicapped-accessible improvements were made to the field and it cost $is little league15,000 to accommodate the program.
The Challenger baseball team will join the April opening day ceremonies with the International and Milford National Lou Gehrig Little Leagues. They will play Challenger teams from West Haven, East Haven, Hamden and Cheshire in May and June.
To join, youths should be 5-18 years old or still in high school students. The program is for all abilities. Games will be played on the weekends, and practice is one day. There is no cost.
For more details about the league, call Marchese at 783-3275 or go to the Challenger registration day at the Tri-Beach Community Center at 1:30 p.m. March 22. Volunteers and buddies are encouraged.

By Brian McCready
Milford Bureau Chief
MILFORD — Superintendent of Schools Harvey B. Polansky said Wednesday that the school system would have to reduce both staff and programs and will look at all options, including whether to close a school, in light of the Board of Finance cutting $2.1 million from proposed school spending.
The Finance Board voted Tuesday night to reduce the Board of Education’s proposed budget from $82.9 million, to $80.83 million, which still gives the school system a 3.7 percent increase. Polansky, however, said the district requires a 5.46 percent increase simply to maintain current services in the next fiscal year.
“This puts us in a very difficult situation,” Polansky said Wednesday. “Now we’re cutting staff and programs. We cannot absorb this magnitude of a cut. Every program and staff member is on the table. Staff will be reduced with this magnitude of cuts.”
Polansky said he and school board leaders will sit with aldermen and try to convince that panel to restore money to the proposed budget. If none of the cuts are restored, he said, the administration and school board would have to look at eliminating programs, and even closing buildings.
“Everything will be looked at,” Polansky said.
He said he understands a tough economy makes it hard for municipalities to increase budgets, but without the money, class sizes will increase, which the board opposes.
Aldermanic Chairman Ben Blake, D-5, offered Polansky, school board members and parents some hope that aldermen might look at restoring some money to proposed school spending.
“At first glance, some of the Board of Finance recommendations seem extreme,” Blake said. “We’ll do a review of the Board of Education’s need, and the needs of the entire city.”
Blake also vowed there would be some additional cuts on the city side of the budget.
Board of Finance Chairman Jack Skudlarek said Polansky’s budget presentation was one of the most comprehensive and complete he’s ever seen, and he was sure the board needs every bit of the money requested. But he said he felt something must be done to curb the spiraling cost of education.
But Joanne Rohrig, R-1, the school board’s minority leader, said, “I understand we need to be responsible to the taxpayers. At the same time, this is absolutely detrimental to the school system.”
“This will affect our programs, activities, and affect class size,” she said.
Rohrig said she would remain optimistic that the aldermen will reinstate funds cut by the Finance Board.
Mayor James L. Richetelli Jr. said further cuts to the budget would likely result in a reduction in city services, which he would not support.
“The Board of Aldermen has their work cut out for them,” he said. “I don’t know how we could get (the budget) lower than it is now and still maintain city services.”
The Finance Board approved a $175.42 million budget for the 2008-09 fiscal year, which represents a 3.7 percent increase from the current budget. The proposed budget would set the tax rate at 28.63 mills. The current tax rate is 31.77 mills. On average, a resident can expect his or her taxes to increase by 3.25 percent, but the exact increase is tough to calculate because Milford is phasing in its revaluation.
Register reporter James Tinley contributed to this story.

By James Tinley
Register Staff
MILFORD — Superior Court reopened Wednesday following an hours-long lockdown Tuesday afternoon prompted by the discovery in a woman’s bathroom of a mysterious white powder that turned out to be harmless.
The powder that caused the scare was later determined to be likely nothing more than powdered baby food and bread crumbs, fire Capt. Michael McDaniel said Wednesday.
The state Department of Environmental Protection and state police were called in around 4:30 p.m. after a woman spotted the powder on an eye-level shelf while washing her hands in the women’s bathroom on the second floor, McDaniel said.
“The immediate area where the substance was located was evacuated and proper procedure was followed throughout the incident,” said Trooper Donna Tadiello, state police spokeswoman.
After the powder was found, everyone was forced to wait on the first floor and no one was allowed in or out of the building for more than an hour, McDaniel said. The court usually closes at 5 p.m. and some employees were made to wait until all emergency services personnel cleared the scene at around 7:30 p.m.
The woman who found the powder remained on the second floor with police personnel while the DEP used a portable infrared spectrometer to determine whether the substance was hazardous, authorities said.
“The field test determined the substance was not hazardous and the area was cleaned as a precaution,” DEP spokesman Dwayne Gardner said.
Gardner said the portable device that was used permits authorities to handle a scene in a way in which only a portion of a building needs to be shutdown when a suspicious substance is found. This is because a test can be done on site, rather than having a sample transported from the building for analysis, he said. Portable infrared spectrometers allow DEP inspectors to determine almost instantly whether a powder is a hazardous substance such as anthrax, Gardner said.
“These devices have become popular after anthrax scares following 9/11, and allows us to perform quick field tests,” Gardner said.
Lab results on a sample of the substance that authorities believe is powdered baby food and bread crumbs will be back in two to three days, Gardner said.

By Brian McCready
Milford Bureau Chief
MILFORD — The front doors of all 15 city schools are now locked throughout the school day.
Orchard Hills School PTA President Melissa Wunder recently expressed concerns that doors at her school and Orange Avenue School were unlocked. Superintendent of Schools Harvey B. Polansky and the principals at each school ordered the schools locked.
“All schools’ front doors are now locked,” Polasnky said. “It’s unfortunate in today’s world people are expecting it.”
Wunder publicly raised concerns at last week’s PTA Council meeting that Orchard Hills School did not lock its doors.
Orange Avenue Principal Stephen Madancy sent an e-mail to parents stating that Wednesday, the front doors to the school would be locked at 8:30 a.m. In order to gain access, a person must press a buzzer, which will be answered by a staff member. He asked parents for their patience and understanding with the new practice.
Anyone entering will be asked to sign in at the main office and receive a visitor’s badge. Madancy said in the e-mail that he is looking for volunteers and or a greeting committee to help the office staff with the new policy.
“Your support and time could help ease the impact this new policy will have at Orange Avenue School,” Madancy wrote.
Polansky said having the front door locked puts additional work on the school secretaries and is the reason volunteers are needed.
Former PTA Council President Susan Glennon said she believes whether schools doors are locked is an issue for some and not for others.
For varying reasons, some feel that the doors should be locked and others do not.
“When my children were in elementary school all the buildings could be and were locked down when need be, but not all the time. I was fine with that,” Glennon said.
“School safety goes way beyond whether or not the front doors are locked. It’s not as black and white as that.”

By Brian McCready
Milford Bureau Chief
MILFORD — Republicans led by Mayor James L. Richetelli Jr. are questioning whether politics is the reason aldermanic Chairman Ben Blake, D-5, has “disbanded” the Education Funding Committee.
“It’s funny the old board voted to continue the Education Funding Committee, and Ben Blake voted for it,” Richetelli said. “If Ben was in favor of it in November, why is he not in favor of it now? It’s odd.”
According to minutes of the November Board of Aldermen meeting, the board voted unanimously to adopt a resolution to extend the Education Funding Committee into this year.
Richetelli and other Republicans contend that Blake “disbanded” the committee, but Blake said it’s all a misunderstanding. Blake said “as soon as possible” he will appoint a new committee that will have a broader focus than the Education Funding Committee. He said its sole purpose was state Education Cost Sharing funds, and he’d like to see the new committee focus on an array of legislative issues affecting Milford.
“I’m looking to appoint a committee with similar goals,” Blake said.
Former aldermanic Chairman Thomas Beirne, R-5, appointed the Education Funding Committee last year after former Alderwoman Joan Politi, R-1, sought the task force’s creation, urging the state to undertake tax and revenue redistricting to provide relief for Milford taxpayers. At the time the panel was created, members said the current ECS grant formula has resulted in grossly inadequate funding for Milford.
Richetelli said he is convinced that “politics” has played a role in Blake’s disbanding of the committee because it was initiated by Republicans. He said it’s a foolish move because the “whole purpose of the group was to serve as an advocacy group to bring more money back to Milford from Hartford.
“The goal was to bring more tax dollars. This is very befuddling,” Richetelli said.
BBlake again asserted he did not disband the committee instead he called it a group that “sunsets” once the new board took over.eirne said Thursday that he had hoped the committee in its current form would have continued, but that decision is clearly up to the new chairman.
Beirne said while the former board adopted the resolution at its last meeting, it still is not a binding act, and Blake was under no obligation to keep the committee intact. But he said it’s still interesting that Blake voted for the resolution.
“Ben may have had his fingers crossed when he voted,” Beirne said. “I didn’t sit that close to him.”

By Brian McCready
Milford Bureau Chief
STRATFORD — Gov. M. Jodi Rell Tuesday renewed her opposition to billboards along highways as she called on the General Assembly to support her proposal to ban billboards on state property.
Rell held a press conference at the Stratford train station, where she stood with her back to a Barrett Outdoor Communications Inc. billboard, which advertised a Subway restaurant, a local truck stop and a Popeye’s restaurant.
“I like using visual aids,” Rell said of her choice of where to stand.
Rell said she got the idea to call for taking down billboards on state property after driving around herself.
“It’s not just their message; it tends to clutter our roadways,” Rell said. “It distracts people from driving.”
Rell is seeking to have 120 billboards taken down when leases on the structures expire in April and June. She also has issued an executive order barring the approval of new billboard applications.
Bruce Barrett could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
But state House Speaker James Amann, D-Milford, responded to Rell’s press conference Tuesday by saying, “We got big issues in Hartford and better things to worry about than the governor standing in front of a billboard in Stratford.”
Amann said the legislature is spending its time focusing on ways to revitalize the economy, create jobs and tackle health care.
“Is she looking to make I-95 attractive?” Amann asked. “Let’s close our eyes and pretend the billboards are not there. We have bigger issues to worry about. The governor needs to be engaged up here.”
The General Assembly’s Transportation Committee will hold a public hearing on Rell’s proposal today. WED
Rell said she is going public because the Transportation Committee wants to “gut” her bill, and change it so the state transportation commissioner must approve all highway sign applications.
Rell urged that residents contact their state legislators to lobby them to take down the billboards.
Rell said the worst offenders are billboards that change the signs’ messages electronically.
“One lady said she slowed down because she wanted to read them and she almost hit the car in front of her,” Rell said.
She also said a businessman told her he picked up someone at Bradley International Airport and was embarrassed to explain all of the signs. She also said some of the signs are suggestive, and it’s not ideal for mothers to have to explain to their young children what some signs mean.
“Do we need to know where Dunkin’ Donuts is? If we want to drink it, we know where one is. I have them all programmed on my GPS,” Rell said.
Rell also acknowledged that her “smiling face” was on some of the billboards she has targeted, but defended it as part of an energy conservation program.
“When those come down we are not renewing any of those,” Rell said.
She said she doesn’t feel her crackdown on billboards will hurt advertising. She said there are many different methods of advertising, including on buses and trains. Advertising officials have said the billboards are necessary to make motorists aware about certain businesses or products, and loss of the signs could lead to loss of business and the chance jobs could be lost.
As for Barrett’s sign, Rell said it could be placed elsewhere, and “I’ll help him take it down.”
But she also said she is seeking a compromise with the legislature, and Amann said the Transportation Committee would look at her proposal objectively.

By James Tinley
Register Staff
MILFORD — The city Police Department is angling to gain formal recognition as “one of the best of the best” local law enforcement agencies in the state, said Lt. Joseph Pietrafesa.
Pietrafesa is organizing the department’s effort to gain state Police Officer Standards and Training Council accreditation. The no-cost, voluntary accreditation is a “highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence” that shows a police department meets stringent state-set standards of excellence, according to a statement by Milford police.
Accreditation is granted in three successive tiers, and less than a dozen police departments have been granted the most prestigious “Tier Three” designation, according to state POST Council records.
POST Council accreditation assessors will begin to examine the Milford Police Department March 18 to see if it meets more than 200 standards to qualify for Tier One liability certification and Tier Two professional certification.
The POST Council should reach a decision about a month after completing the inspection.
The standards can be as simple as providing documentation that an emergency generator has been tested on a weekly basis, and as complex as following the state policies for use of force, Pietrafesa said.
“We’re looking to take care of two tiers at once,” Pietrafesa said. “And we’re confident we will receive Tier One and (Tier) Two certification.”
The ultimate goal is achieving Tier Three accreditation.
“Chief (Keith) Mello wanted to move us to become a better police department and this was one way of showing that,” Pietrafesa said.
Milford police already follow most of the standards set out in the state accreditation process, and it is simply a matter of showing that to the state assessors, Pietrafesa said.
Being granted the state accreditation will provide an added sense of pride to the department and assurance to the public that Milford police hold themselves to the highest standards of professionalism, Pietrafesa said.
James Tinley can be reached at jtinley@nhregister.com or 401-3530.

By Brian McCready
Milford Bureau Chief
MILFORD — The president of the Orchard Hills School PTA is raising safety concerns that her school, along with two others, is not completely secure during the school day.
PTAPresident Melissa Wunder said at a recent PTA Council meeting that she is continually frustrated that the school’s front door is not locked.
“Not all children are treated equally on school security,” Wunder told about 50 parents and Superintendent of Schools Harvey B. Polansky.
Wunder said the city recently spent about $1 million to upgrade security at all city schools, and it should be the policy of the administration that all schools are locked during the day.
But Orchard Hills and at least one other elementary school — Orange Avenue School — does not lock its front door during the day. Most city schools are locked down.
Polansky said he has ordered all buildings to be locked down, but he leaves it up to the discretion of the building principal.
Wunder asked Polansky to issue a blanket policy that all schools be secured during the school day, but Polansky reiterated that he will allow the building principals to make that decision.
He said at a couple of elementary schools, principals have said that keeping the front door open is a “cultural issue.”
“I feel, how can you pick and choose which children are secure?” Wunder questioned. “I feel there should be a policy from (the superintendent’s office) so there is no guesswork.”
“If something happened at my (child’s) school I’d be really upset,” Wunder added.
Polansky, at the end of the conversation, said he’d like Wunder to go back and speak with the school’s administration, and if the response was not satisfactory, he could order all schools to be locked down.
School board member Pamela Staneski, R-5, said at Live Oaks School, a parent volunteer sits in the hallway.
PTA Council member Michael Taylor said just because a school has all its doors locked doesn’t make it completely safe.
In 2005, former Superintendent of Schools Gregory A. Firn requested and received a commitment from Mayor James L. Richetelli Jr. for $1 million to make all 15 schools safer.
A portion of the money was spent on replacing locks on all classroom doors, but funds also went toward new surveillance and video equipment.

By James Tinley
Register Staff
MILFORD — City officials this week continued their crackdown on the illegal parking that has been clogging spaces downtown by raising fines from $10 to $25 for those who park in commuter lots without a sticker.
People using the train station or courthouse have been rampantly violating parking restrictions downtown because they were willing to risk a ticket because the fine was so low, Police Chief Keith Mello said.
“What we are doing is adding an incentive for people to follow the existing law,” Mello said.
In response to a request from the executive director of the Milford Transit District, the Board of Police Commissioners voted Monday to raise fines for parking without the proper permit in the commuter parking lots adjacent to the MetroNorth train station. Annual and semi-annual parking passes for the highly coveted commuter spots are available for $250 and $150, respectively, but there is at least a three-year waiting list for the spots, said Milford Transit District Executive Director Henry Jadach.
“I think (the fine increase) will work out well,” Jadach said. “Before, people were avoiding paying for parking at any cost.”
Last month, the Police Commission voted to raise the fine for exceeding the downtown parking limits from $5 to $10.
“The premise is simple,” police board Chairman Kenneth Fellenbaum said. “If you don’t want to get fined, don’t park illegally.”
Fellenbaum said the increase in fines will help encourage turnover in the downtown parking spots, which will help out the downtown businesses.
Increased fines went into effect immediately following the commission’s decision, Mello said.