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2 To advertise, call (860) 628-9645 The Step Saver/ The Observer Friday, October 4, 2013 Bobcats sighted around Southington By ED HARRIS Editor Several residents have reported seeing a bobcat prowling around town the last few weeks. Michelle Allaire was on the phone with her sister when she noticed the animal sitting in the garden at her Lazy Lane home. “The bobcat was just sitting there, blending right in as if it belonged there,” Allaire said. “It looked like some African jungle safari. I told my sister on the phone that I had a lion in my yard because it looked so big. It just didn’t look real.” Allaire said the bobcat sat in the garden for about ten minutes before it walked off into the nearby woods. Allaire said this was not the first time she has seen a bobcat in her backyard, but the animal was never as big as the present sighting. A week or so prior to the sighting at the Allaire residence, Greg Godston and his family came across one on their way home from church. The family stopped the car and watched the large cat stalk a woodchuck. The woodchuck escaped into a nearby hole, while the bobcat waited about ten minutes in front of the hole before leaving. It is not clear if the two families spotted the same bobcat. Southington Animal Control Officer Dave Ireland believes there are multiple bobcats in town. He said that he has seen a couple of them himself. Ireland said that bobcats generally eat smaller animals, though noting that it is more likely that a coyote would attack and kill small household pets, like cats. “They’re not known to go after people,” Ireland said of the bobcat. Comments? Email eharris@southingtonobserver.com. New names set for Wall of Honor A-PLUS POWER WASHING & WAXING • Houses • Mobile Homes • Decks • Deck Staining Licensed & Insured $ 50 OFF OR FREE WAX WITH COMPLETE HOUSE WASH Cannot be combined. One coupon per customer. 582-1158 By LISA CAPOBIANCO STAFF WRITER Southington High School will soon induct four local individuals from different walks of life into its Wall of Honor. Two of the honorees are Rosemary and James Champagne, who remain active in local community service projects including Relay for Life. When the Champagnes found out that the Wall of Honor chose them this year, the honorees said they felt surprised and honored at the same time. “Once we learned more about the wall, we were more proud to be a part of it,” Jim said. “I am extremely honored,” Rosemary said. As organizers of Relay for Life, the Champagnes said the event is always “close” to their hearts. Rosemary said she has been a cancer survivor for over 20 years, and she finds joy in bringing the community together during the event. “My goal was to teach people that you can live with cancer,” she said. Rosemary also recalls that as a student, she had no idea how she would make a positive impact on the community in the future. “When you are in school, you never know what you will accomplish as an adult,” she said. Other honorees include Christopher Jones, a biomedical research chemist and Karl Pytlik, an environmental activist who works in the U.S. Virgin Islands. “The Champagnes Fall Specials! SNOW BLOWER $ 70 SERVICE Oil • Plug • Grease • Clean Carb • Adjust Belts•Gearbox Lube•Lube Cables •Lube Friction Disk Slide Southington’s Most Dependable Small Engine Repair Center! Factory Trained • 30 Years in the field have had a huge impact on this community, especially in helping organize our enormously successful Relay for Life every year,” said Bob Brown, the Wall of Honor chairman at the high school. “Both Chris and Karl have an impact that goes far beyond our community.” He also said the ceremony marks a special moment for the town that reminds students how they can make a difference in the future. “Many significant and well-known townspeople have been put on our wall, from veterans to famous people to professors to inventors to scientists,” he said. “Often LOCAL ELECTRICIAN FREE ESTIMATES COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL NO JOB TOO SMALL , LIC # E1-0195696 LEAF BLOWER $ 50 PUSH MOWER $ 45 RIDER $ 125 860-628-1342 Always Free Pickup & Delivery! 1247 Queen Street, Southington 860-518-6335 FULLY INSURED they do not see the future in what they do, but this shows them bright, positive possibilities,” he said. The ceremony will take place Monday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. in front of the high school auditorium. Michelle Allaire snapped this photo of a bobcat in her garden last month. Another resident has also reported seeing a bobcat in town a few weeks earlier. Southington The Observer, USPS# 025-218, is Published weekly by The Step Saver, Inc., 213 Spring St., Southington, CT 06489. Phone: 860-628-9438 Fax: 860-621-1841 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means, mechanical or electronic, without the expressed consent of the publisher. Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, staff or advertisers of The Observer. The return of unsolicited manuscripts or other material cannot be guaranteed. Periodicals postage paid at Southington, CT and additional offices. Free by request to local residents. Postmaster: Send changes of address to Southington The Observer: 213 Spring St, Southington, CT 06489 SUBMITTED
Friday, October 4, 2013 •Police Log.........page 5 Our Town •Healthy Living.........page 10 •Good Times........page 16 Chamber hosts Town Council candidate debate By LISA CAPOBIANCO STAFF WRITER Republicans and Democrats running for Town Council came face-to-face last week during the first Q&A session, hosted by the Southington Chamber of Commerce. Both parties addressed key issues of the town, including property taxes, open space and the environmental cleanup of superfund sites. However, Republican and Democratic candidates shared opposing visions on the solutions to these issues. Democrats said the most significant issue of Southington today is the “continuing reliance on property taxes.” “Eighty percent of our general revenue is generated by property tax from homeowners, and that is a major issue that has to be addressed,” said Democratic Town Councilor and running incumbent John Barry. “We are also at a seven-year high in our mill rate, and with a high mill rate, it affects your car taxes.” Chris Kelley, a Southington native and the youngest candidate on the Democratic slate, said his vision of the town in the next two years involves reducing the mill rate “as low as possible.” “What we need to do for Southington is work across party lines, taking the best of both worlds,” Kelley said. “We really need to come together.” Republican candidate Michael Riccio, the current chairman of the Parking Authority who served eight years on the council, said the town should develop more commercial land to take the burden off residential taxpayers. “We can’t keep putting the burden on the residential homeowners,” Riccio said. “We have hundreds and hundreds acres of undeveloped commercial land…[and] we need to focus on getting that land developed, getting the businesses in there…and take a look at how to grow that tax base, so we can continue to provide the services to our residents.” While both parties agreed that Southington’s biggest asset include its centralized location filled with businesses and spirit of volunteerism, they disagreed on the town’s biggest burden. Republicans said the town should examine vacant buildings and improve infrastructure. “When infrastructure collapses, so does the economy,” said Republican candidate Paul Champagne, who currently serves on the Planning and Zoning Commission. “We have to keep up with the economic development team, and raise the tax base of commercial buildings—not put the burden only on residences.” Meanwhile, Democrats expressed their concern about the cleanups of superfund sites in town. “We need to secure money not only from the state but also from the federal government,” said Democratic candidate David Rinaldi, who previously served eight years as an alderman in Waterbury. “We need to get that cleaned up, and once we do that, we will be in much better shape.” Republican and Democratic candidates also shared several goals if their party becomes the majority in November. Cheryl Lounsbury, a running incumbent from the Republican Party, said she would like to see the council continue enhancing economic development in order to downsize taxes and leveraging spending. “In order to do that we need to develop a town-wide strategy,” Lounsbury said. “You do not know where you are going unless you plan for it.” In contrast, Democrats said their goals would involve preserving open J.C. TONNOTTI HOME OWNERS FAST, FREE space and continuing to enhance the education system. “We need to focus on is trying to preserve the community that we have, and promote sustainable development that comes in, so we don’t have abandoned buildings that are taking up valuable real estate here,” Kelley said. “We also need to focus on…bringing foreign language down to the elementary school levels.” Later in the week, Republicans held a press conference to address their list of accomplishments they have achieved in the past four years. Town Committee Chairman Brian Callahan addressed these accomplishments in response to reported “misinformation” about certain Republicans running for office. Although he did not say where this misinformation came from or what it entailed, Callahan said the Republican party will “run an election campaign focused on issues, ideas, plans and strategies based on reliable facts.” The Republican slate also includes running incumbent Stephanie Urillo, along with Victoria Triano and Thomas Lombardi. The Democratic slate also features a mixture of new and old faces, including running incumbents Dawn Miceli and Chris Palmieri, along with Dennis Conroy who served on the Council for a term in the late 1970s. 0% FINANCING FOR 12 MONTHS Subject to Approval WINDOW & SIDING CO. Family Owned & Operated Since 1979 ESTIMATES All done by One Company Call 888-314-3031 that You Can Trust! 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