LAKE WEED REMOVAL

Frustrated with all those lake/pond weeds around your beach, dock, pond or river area?

Do you feel that the weeds are getting free rent?

Or do you simply just want to swim, without fear of being pulled under the surface?

We are professional divers and weed removal experts!

Call and ask about plans starting at $350

CALL RICK: 203-837-7080

Myself, or a member of our team, will gladly stop by and discuss your weed issue, and present a reasonable and affordable plan to remove the weeds so you can enjoy your water activities.

"NEW" PERMANENT BUILDING COMMITTEE NOT SO PERMANENT

It was less than a year ago that John Hodge unilaterally decided to do away with the Permanent Building Committee ... well not all of it.  Mr. Steve Merullo a town employee was saved in the process of throwing the baby out with the bath water.  Mr. Merullo, Director of Parks and Rec quit before the blessed or-castration  took place, only to rise like the Phoenix on the "NEW" Permanent Building Committee.

Actually about 5 months later the composition of the "NEW" Permanent Building Committee was reconstituted into a "NEW" "NEW" Permanent Building Committee.

The "NEW" Permanent Building Committee of August 2008 was:

Name                           Party                          
Antonio Iadaraola           U         Left [resigned]
Raymond C. Lubus         D         Left [resigned]
Allen Mardis                   R         Left [resigned]
Steven G. Merullo           D        Still Needed
Dominic D. Ricci             U        Still Needed

The "NEW" "NEW" Permanent Building Committee ...

Peter Viola                     R
Paul Bruno                     R
James Cunha                  ?
Steve G. Merullo            D
Dominic D. Ricci            U

The PBC is the sole building committee for the town and acts as the agent of the town for all construction related projects upon approval by a town [pizza party] meeting.

Rumor has it that the Board of Finance is heading down the same path.  A Petition for Town Meeting has been received over an issue of "its my town and I'll do what I please" as John Hodge likes to think.  How does he do it?  CAN YOU SAY APATHY!  VOTER APATHY!  Well that's not entirely correct.  There is the liberal use of 'spin' on issues.  Stay tuned for the next blog on the Weevils coming shortly.

YOU CAN COME BUT YOU CAN NOT PARK.

The New Fairfield upper grade educational campus [middle and high school] has over the last several years seen an incredible growth to due the scarcity of available public [town owned land] suitable for recreation.  The sporting event fields, basketball courts, playground, boccie court, and now the dog park has overwhelmed the parking.  Must recently while attending a meeting the traffic was backed up out of the school driveway down the hill toward Consolidated School. The congestion was the direct result of lack of parking.

However there is a simple solution which can temporarily relieve the problem.  Temporary because the use of this property I understand is slated for another building purpose.  This leads us to the problem of where on the school campus can parking be relocated?  Or perhaps we can run a shuttle bus from Consolidated School to accommodate the parking, something like Disneyland in Florida.

NF COMMUNITY THRIFT SHOP DONATES $1,500 TO DOG PARK

Here's to worthy dreams,

the excellence to realize them

and the courage to risk failure

in their pursuits.

Good things happen when people of diverse opinion come together to do something that enhances the general value to the community.  The real value of 'community' is to achieve the balance and realization of value over special interest.  Not all people are dog lovers a fact that was a consideration in planning the Dog Park. The realization of the New Fairfield Dog Park speaks volumes for private enterprise of a few residents and their ability to navigate the many obstacles and opinions in executing their plan for a Dog Park.  

This group of residents early on DID NOT anticipate or require any town funds in achieving the goal of a Dog Park for our community.  They reached out involving a broad cross section of the community soliciting assistance and funds from the young and old of the community at large.  The only assistance from the town was cooperation, understanding and appreciation of the passion of community involvement.  In essence the town officials listened and acted without prejudice or personal agenda.   

MHHS BUILDING PROJECT ...

MHHS BLDG. PROJECT 

   On May 16^th the taxpayers of New Fairfield will be voting to authorize spending $32 million dollars for improvements to MHHS campus.  This will be the FIRST of THREE school building projects that will need to be done in the next few years.  The original project, when first announced in February 2007 which included all three school campuses, had a total price tag of $109 million, WOW! since then it has been broken up into three separate projects. 

   I was told by a few members of the BOE on conditions of Anonymity, they felt the taxpayers wouldn’t vote for the larger project at the High School/ Middle School that has a price tag of $70 to $80 million due to the current economy and opted for the smaller project at this time and possibly within two years to present the High School/Middle School project citing the deficiencies from the NEAS&C report and possible loss of accreditation as their ploy to push the larger project through then. 

   We all should be asking why the BOE, School Administrators, Permanent Building Committee and the Bd. of Selectman allowed our buildings to get into such disrepair over these last eight years. Where were the parents’ voicing their outrage these last eight years about these serious conditions? Where was Tom Edwards and his Political Action Committee, CUENF, these last eight years voicing their concerns, nowhere to be found? 

   The very same people who are responsible in providing a safe environment for our students and the general public that have been negligent in their duties are now asking the taxpayers to, once again, ‘trust them’ to do what’s right starting with the spending of $32 million that, no doubt, will increase to the $109 million in the next few years. I, for one, have absolutely no confidence in any of them to do what’s right as long as politics and one’s personal agendas are placed ahead of common sense and the taxpayers of New Fairfield. Maintenance of buildings is a 24/7 issue that must be addressed continuously not in the haphazard way they have been doing. 

   Everyone should be very concerned that the BOE isn’t addressing the problems at the High School / Middle School campus NOW, as this certainly will impact the children’s academic needs today and in the years to come. If the town follows the 10 year time schedule that 1^st Selectman Hodge suggested at the recent town meeting, Kindergarteners at Consolidated will be graduating from High School before most of the work is completed at that campus. Can you image the disruption to both the students and faculty? I doubt any work performed under this scenario would even be eligible for reimbursable funds. THIS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE and FOOLHARDY to even suggest!

   If you feel the children are being short-changed by the short-sightedness of our BOE, School Administrators and the Bd. of Selectman by not addressing these long overdue improvements at the High School FIRST send them a message by VOTING NO for this spending package, as I will be doing.

Russ Strilowich

e-mail: rstrilowich@charter.net