Two UConn Men's Hockey players honored

Andrew Olson and Marcello Ranallo have been recognized for outstanding play in the Oct. 24-25 UConn vs Army games.

Two Univer-sity of Connec-ticut Men’s Hockey team members received Atlantic Hockey awards after their outstanding efforts in their sweep of Army on Friday and Saturday night. Sophomore Andrew Olson received Player of the Week status and Freshman Marcello Ranallo received the Rookie of the Week Award after their offensive onslaught on the 2007-08 Atlantic Hockey Champions.

Olson recorded a goal and two assists in the first game of the series on Friday. His lone goal of the night came on the game winner.

On Saturday, he recorded a hat trick, the first of his career, against Army goaltender Josh Kassel, who is the 2007-08 Atlantic Hockey Player and Goaltender of the Year.

Saturday, Olson’s second goal was again the game-winning goal.

Olson currently leads the team in goals (6) and points (8).

In just 41 games, Olson has already recorded twelve multi-point efforts – the most out of any current player on the Husky squad.

Ranallo recorded the second most points on the team this weekend (behind Olson) as he finished with two goals and three assists. During the two games, Ranallo got his first two multi-point efforts of his career.

He scored his first collegiate goal just eight minutes into the second period during the Friday night match-up with Army.

He later added an assist to Olson’s game-winning goal.

On Saturday night, Ranallo added another goal and assist to his totals, as he helped put the finishing touches on Army assisting on the fifth UConn goal of the game at 12:25 in the third – and made the sixth goal of the game less than 30 seconds later.

For More Information

http://mansfield.htnp.com/sports/uconn_men_s_hockey_two_honored.html

Tough match with St. John’s ends In 1-1 tie For UConn Women’s Soccer

UConn travels to Georgetown for the quarter finals of the BIG EAST tournament on Sunday, Nov. 2. Georgetown is the second-ranked team in the National Division.

The University of Connecticut women’s soccer team fought a tough match against St. John’s to secure third place in the BIG EAST American Division and a first round bye in the BIG EAST Tournament.

The two teams tied 1-1 after two overtime periods, putting UConn (6-8-5, 4-3-4 BIG EAST) ahead of St. John’s (8-5-5, 4-4-3) by just one point in their division.

The first half saw a lot of offense by the Huskies.

The ball stayed mainly on the St. John’s side of the field, although not many shots were taken by either team.

UConn’s best opportunity in the half came with just about a minute and a half remaining, when UConn had three forwards in the St. John’s box, with just one defender and a goalie in their way.

Freshman Jessica Shufelt eventually took the only shot on goal,  which was saved by the St. John’s goalie Kristin Russell.

Each team only recorded five shots during the first half, with St. John’s goalie making three saves and senior Stephanie Labbe making two.

UConn came out firing in the beginning of the second half.

On a cross from redshirt sophomore Ashley O’Brien across the box, sophomore Cory Bildstein headed the ball down in front of senior Brittany Tegeler, who kicked the ball past the goalie into the lower middle of the net for the 1-0 lead.

The goal was Tegeler’s second in as many games.

St. John’s tied up the game 67:16 when Jen Leaverton eluded a UConn defender to go one on one with Labbe. A touch to the outside allowed her to score the game-tying goal.

There was some elbowing back and forth between the two teams because the outcome of this game would decide who would take third place in the BIG EAST.

But neither team would be able to score again during regulation, sending the game into overtime.

UConn really took control of the offense during the second half, as they took 14 shots to St. John’s three.

During the 95th minute of play, UConn had two opportunities to score, with Bildstein and sophomore Elise Fugowski each taking a point blank shot at the goal – but Russell was there to make the grabs and keep the game tied and force a second overtime.

After 110 minutes of play, neither team was able to score for a second time, and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

UConn will travel to Georgetown for the quarter finals of the BIG EAST tournament on Sunday, Nov. 2. Georgetown is the second-ranked team in the National Division, after bypassing Rutgers when the Scarlet Knights lost to Notre Dame on Friday.

For More Information

http://mansfield.htnp.com/sports/682.html

Real estate firm hired to help market 'downtown' project

This firm will work cooperatively with the project’s commercial development firm to identify and woo prospective tenants that seem most likely to succeed in this college town.

One of the most frequently asked questions about the Storrs Center/downtown project is if you build it, will they come?

Given the current discouraging economic outlook, the project’s planners have admitted they are looking at a phased approach to building the new downtown over a longer period of time.

In an effort to boost the marketing end of the project, however, the Master Developer for the project LeylandAlliance has hired the real estate firm of Cushman & Wakefield as the commercial leasing representative.

This firm will work cooperatively with the project’s commercial development and marketing consultants, Live Work Learn Play. Together they will identify and woo prospective tenants that seem most likely to succeed in this college town.

Prospective tenants will be drawn from the retail, restaurant, hospitality and commercial office sectors, based on their “match” to a profile for the project and targeted mix of end-users.

Mansfield Downtown Partnership Executive Director Cynthia van Zelm said, “With Cushman & Wakefield on board and working with Live Work Learn Play, the commercial leasing strategy is in place for Storrs Center. With the critically important approval process largely behind us, the focus can now be on attracting the best tenants to the project.”

This new partnership with Cushman & Wakefield brings in UConn graduate Evan O’Brien, with the Retail Brokerage Services group. “This is truly a special opportunity for our firm and for me personally. As a UConn alum, I have a real connection with the university and the town of Mansfield. There is clearly the need for a Main Street/downtown there, and we believe the market will be an excellent one for retailers and commercial businesses.”

Vice President of Planning and Development for LeylandAlliance Macon Toledano describes Cushman & Wakefield as, “one of the largest and most respected real estate companies in America [with] an impressive track record for bringing high caliber tenants to mixed-use developments like Storrs Center.”

For More Information

http://mansfield.htnp.com/news/cushman_wakefield_hired_for_storrs_center.html

Town Manager Matt Hart gets vote of confidence from Town Council

His salary increases from $113,859 to $117,844 or 3.5 percent, retro-active to July 1, 2008.

Town Manager Matt Hart got a vote of confidence from the Town Council at its Oct. 27 meeting when members unanimously approved a compensation package, retroactive to July 1, 2008, that includes a 3.5 percent raise.

(Council member Alison Whitham Blair was absent.)

The vote follows the conclusion of the Town Manager’s annual evaluation.

Hart’s salary increases from $113,859 to $117,844, which was included in the budget for this fiscal year.

The Town Council also approved an increase in Hart’s health insurance cost-share, from 13 percent to 14 percent, or from $1,799.46 to $2,405.27.

Mayor Betsy Paterson notes in a memo to the Town Council that Hart’s salary increase and change in co-pay is consistent with what they awarded to nonunion and other town personnel.

Hart was evaluated in the areas of:

• Organization management and leadership,
• Fiscal and business management,
• Communications and relationship with the Mayor and Town Council,
• Community and intergovernmental relations,
• Personal and professional traits,
• Facilitation of council goals and objectives
  

Personnel Committee Chair Gregory Haddad reported that, “Overall, it was agreed that Mr. Hart is intelligent, capable and passionate about his work, accepts suggestions for improvement and willingly accepts responsibility.”

In terms of an overall rating of Hart’s job performance, three council members rated it as “outstanding,” four as “exceeds expectations,” and two as “meets expectations.” Haddad’s report does not specify which council member selected which rating.

As part of the evaluation process, Hart developed a draft set of goals and objectives for the next year, which will be reviewed by the Personnel Committee. The final draft will then be brought to the Town council for its endorsement. These goals and objectives will be used for the next evaluation.

For More Information

http://mansfield.htnp.com/news/matt_hart_gets_raise.html

Change of polling place called a bad idea

Not enough parking, no phone, privacy issues were pointed out as reasons why the Buchanan Center is a poor choice for a poling place.

Why would children be afraid of grown-ups coming to their school to vote?

This question was put to the Town Council at its Oct. 27 meeting, during the time aside for public comments.

Last year, the Voting District 3 polling place was moved from Southeast Elementary School to the meeting hall of the Mansfield Library, known as the Buchanan Center.

Town resident Hal Abramson, who raised the question about the polling place switch, said he’s been told that the school is no longer used for voting because administrators believe children are afraid of lots of “strangers” coming into their school.

“That makes no sense to me… the children are afraid of people voting?” said Abramson, who is also a member of the Friends of the Mansfield Library.

“We’re not strangers… we live here… they don’t make that point to the children,” he said.

And he noted that having the polling place in the school is a wonderful opportunity for students to learn a civics lesson.

He criticized moving the polling place to a spot with much less parking, which will likely become a real problem this year because of the “wonderful madness” that is expected in this year’s Presidential election.

The library has about 50 parking spaces.

Town Manager Matt Hart said the Board of Education “advocated for some years for the change.” And when the town looked for a new polling location, the Buchanan Center seemed the most convenient for people voting in that district.

Town Clerk Mary Stanton said school officials have been concerned about voters driving in and out of Southeast Elementary School’s parking lot while parents are dropping off/picking up children, or when school buses are arriving and departing.

She added that school officials were once asked to consider closing school on election day and that the idea was not received well.

Stanton said that arrangements have been made that will free up parking and hopefully keep traffic snarls to a minimum. All library staff will park offsite, poll workers will be shuttled to the Buchanan Center, and parents involved in the PTO sale will be asked drop off their baked goods and then park at Southeast Elementary School. Police also will be on duty to help direct traffic, she said.

Carol Pellegrine, who has worked as a town election official for many years, said there are many problems with the Buchanan center as a polling place, besides inadequate parking, such as privacy.

The meeting room, “doesn’t accommodate the size of the privacy booths… We will be setting up 10 to 13 privacy booths and you have to allow enough room in between so that people do feel they have privacy,” she said.

And there’s no phone for the election workers. Election officials would have to ask to use the library director’s phone if they need to contact the registrars of voters – for example, if someone claims they should be on the voters’ list.

Likewise, if someone working the polls has an incoming call, a library employee would have to come back to the Buchanan Center to let them know they have a call. And the library closes before the polls do, Pellegrine noted.

In order to avoid this hassle, election workers will use their personal cell phones, she said.

If there are concerns about children’s safety, she added, why not schedule a teachers’ in-service day on Election day so that there are no children in the school.

Council member Leigh Duffy commented that when she voted at Southeast Elementary, she would take her child out of class to come to the voting booth with her, as an educational experience – and teachers not only didn’t mind, they encouraged it.

Mayor Betsy Paterson pointed out that it’s too late to make a change this year.

The council did agree to bring the issue to the table for discussion with the school board and the registrars of voters – who are the ones authorized to make the final decision.

For More Information

http://mansfield.htnp.com/news/buchanan_center_bad_choice_of_polling_place.html