Town Council officially opposes CL&P expansion plan

Council suggests Connecticut Siting Council promote responsible development and not encourage energy gluttons at the expense of other parts of the state.

Mansfield may be the lone voice in this region opposing plans by CL&P to build new power transmission lines that would cut through several towns in northeast Connecticut.

At its Nov. 24 meeting, the Town Council voted to put its objections in writing, to be forwarded to the decision-making body, the Connecticut Citing Council – but the council also learned that 12 other towns affected by the project either are unconcerned or have yet to take a position for or against.

Council member Carl Schaefer suggested that Mansfield might inspire some of these towns to think differently. “Maybe we take the initiative here,” he said, “and pull these towns along.”

At its Nov. 10 meeting, the Town Council asked Town Manager Matt Hart to contact other towns that will be affected by what’s known as the Interstate Reliability Project, to explore whether they might join in a collective effort to respond to the plan, possibly even to pool resources to hire specialized legal counsel.

Hart reported that except for Lebanon – whose residents recently fended off CL&P’s plans to expand the Card Street substation – none of the other towns seem to feel the same concerns as Mansfield.

“Based on responses received from other affected towns, there currently is no regional consensus about the proposal. Brooklyn, Coventry, Killingly, Pomfret and Windham have indicated that the current plan is acceptable as proposed,” Hart said.

Chaplin, Columbia, Hampton, Putnam, Scotland and Thompson, “have either not taken a position… or not yet responded,” Hart said.

He also noted that the Mansfield Planning and Zoning Commission has now gone on record as opposed to the project because of its “expected detrimental impacts to neighboring schools, residences, parks (Mansfield Hollow) and farmland, and its overall impact on the rural character in this part of the state.

The Town Council’s objections include many of these same concerns outlined in a letter sent Northeast Utilities/CL&P, to be included in documents submitted by in an application submitted to the Connecticut Siting Council by the end of November.

Instead of adding more transmission lines and more capacity, the letter states, CL&P and the Connecticut Siting Council should focus on:

• promoting energy conservation
• promoting energy storage within the existing systems
• promoting alternative sources of generating energy, and
• making decisions that encourage new development – especially those with high energy demands – to locate in areas where there already is sufficient infrastructure and capacity.

The letter also stresses that the proposed transmission lines’ route passes through areas that state statutes and long-range planning documents list as important to the region, such as preservation and conservation areas and rural lands.

And it references the fact that these lines are not intended to enhance service in northeast Connecticut ; instead, they are in response to energy demands generated in the Stamford area.

“Many area towns and public agencies are working to preserve the rural and historic character of eastern Connecticut and a need for more transmission capacity is not anticipated in this area,” the letter states.

Should the Siting Council approve the currently proposed route, however, the letter asks that CL&P work with Mansfield officials and property owners to mitigate the impact – for example buying the Mount Hope Montessori School property, installing underground lines, relocating some structures and/or using alternative structures in order minimize tree-cutting, and paying for damage to farmlands.

Posted Nov. 30, 2008

[Editor's Note: also see "Strength in numbers: Town Council to explore joining with other towns to put brakes on CL&P project," "CL&P may be asked to buy Mount Hope Montessori School," and "NU plans Mansfield meeting on $251M transmission project," published in Mansfield Today. ]

For more information see : http://mansfield.htnp.com/news/mansfield_council_officially_opposes_cl_p_project.html

UConn downs Brown for first time in series history 4-1

The Huskies are back in action Tuesday, Dec. 2 at Sacred Heart. The puck will drop at 7:05.

The University of Connecticut men’s hockey team traveled to Providence, R.I. for their eighth away game in 13 matches of the 2008-09 season and went on to defeat Brown University for the first time in the history of the program.

Going into the game, Brown held a 4-0-1 series lead, but at the end of the 60 minutes of regulation, UConn would win and end the Bears’ undefeated streak.

For the fourth game in a row, the Huskies scored at least two goals during the first period.

The Huskies scored their first goal of the game at 6:18, when freshman Bobby Reiners fired in a rocket shot, and his first goal of his college career, on a pass from sophomore Jason Krispel.

Krispel added to his team-leading assists total with his 10th assist of the year.

After the UConn goal, Brown had two good opportunities to tie the game when, at 13:49, Jarred Smith had a point blank opportunity at the goal, but junior Beau Erickson nabbed the shot and saved the 1-0 lead.

Just two minutes later, there was another point blank opportunity for the Bears ,when Bobby Famham got off another point blank shot that he thought he got past Erickson, but Erickson trapped the puck underneath him and saved the goal.

UConn gained an even bigger lead when it took control off the offens,e and freshman Marcello Ranallo scored his fourth goal of the year to lead among the freshmen.

Ranallo got some help on the goal from Michael Coppola and Krispel – who kept adding to his assist total, which now stands at 11. Coppola nabbed his third assist of the season.

Brown looked like it had scored its first goal of the game at 3:21 in the second when they got the puck in the net but according to the referees, before the puck was in the net, the net came off, and negated what would have cut the Huskies lead in half.

Less than 30 seconds later, UConn tacked on another goal when Krispel tallied his first goal of the year.

Ranallo returned the favor, and helped Krispel on the goal, to give the Huskies the three-goal lead, their first three-goal lead since they went 3-0 against Army on Oct. 24.

Erickson held Brown to 50 scoreless minutes before giving up the first Brown goal of the day to Aaron Volpatti.

After freshman Brad Cooper was tripped up when he was trying to clear the puck, Michael Friggin took control of the loose puck and sent a pass across to Volpatti for the score. Erickson finished with 27 saves on the day for the Huskies.

With the score 3-1 and a minute remaining in the game, the Bears pulled their goalie and at 19:35, Coppola would tap in a late empty-net goal to put the Huskies back up by three. The goal was the third of the year by Coppola and his first open net goal.

UConn went on to win the game 4-1.

The Huskies took the victory in two of their last three games and and this game is their first win on the road this year.

The Huskies are back in action Tuesday, Dec. 2 at Sacred Heart. The puck will drop at 7:05.

Posted Nov. 30, 2008

For more information see: http://mansfield.htnp.com/sports/uconn_men_s_hockey_beats_brown_nov_29_2008.html

UConn Women's Hockey team advances to Nutmeg title game with 5-4 win against Wayne State

UConn will face Yale for the second-straight season in the Nutmeg Classic Championship game at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Freitas Ice Forum.

The University of Connecticut women’s ice hockey team (8-6-2, 3-4-0) prevailed to a 5-4 victory in the first game of this season’s Nutmeg Classic on Friday [Nov. 28] at Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum.

The Huskies defeated No. 10 Wayne State to secure their spot in the championship game for the second-straight season, on Saturday [Nov. 29].

Monique Weber scored her third goal of the year on the power play at 14:58 in the second period to give the Huskies a 4-2 advantage that would hold until the second intermission.

Cristin Allen tallied her 10th assist of the season on the goal, while Nicole Tritter also had an assist for her third point of the night.

Tritter scored four minutes earlier in the second period with an assist from Jennifer Chaisson. The UConn co-captain’s fifth of the season countered Wayne State’s Chelsea Burnett’s mark at 10:40.

Tritter scored a mere 17 seconds later to regain the Husky lead (3-2).

Weber added to the margin with her power play goal, giving UConn a 4-2 edge over Wayne State.

Less than a minute into the third period, Melissa Boal scored a power-play goal to bring Wayne State to within one goal (4-3) of tying the game.

Nineteen minutes remained in regulation and in that time,e the Warriors peppered Jennie Bellonio (Guilford, Conn./Pomfret School) with 13 of their 29 shots in the game.

Dominique Thibault returned UConn to a two-goal lead with her second goal of the game at 4:17 in the third period.

Thibault scored her 16th of the season with an assist from Amy Hollstein.

That goal would be the deciding factor because the Warriors got another past Bellonio at 12:08 in the third.

Alyssa Baldin scored, cutting Wayne State’s deficit to a single goal for the remaining eight minutes of regulation. But Baldin’s goal was the final Warrior goal scored.

Bellonio finished the game with 25 saves for her third win of the season and second this week.

The game began with Sam Poyton netting her 14th goal of the season, capitalizing on a breakaway opportunity just under three and half minutes into the game.

Thibault had her own one-on-one opportunity with Delayne Brian, but was stopped by the Warrior net minder. Thibault would take Hollstein’s cross-net pass and put in the top half of the net to tie the game, 1-1, at 15:01 in the first period.

Jody Sydor foiled Lindsay DiPietro’s plan to regain the Warrior lead, and the score remained 1-1 until Chaisson scored her first of the season, just over eight minutes into the second period, giving the Huskies a 2-1 lead.

Chelsea Burnett scored an unassisted goal midway through the second, before Tritter and Weber each scored for the Huskies en route to the 5-4 victory.

UConn will now face Yale for the second-straight season in the Nutmeg Classic Championship game at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Freitas Ice Forum.

No. 10 Wayne State and Quinnipiac will face-off in the consolation game at 4 p.m.

Yale defeated Quinnipiac 2-0 to secure its spot in the championship game for the second-consecutive year.

Game Notes

• The Huskies have won the Nutmeg Classic twice since the event’s inception and each time, UConn has defeated Yale to do it.
• Dominique Thibault has recorded two consecutive two-goal games, after scoring twice against Brown (Nov. 25) and adding a pair to her team-best total (15) against the Warriors.
• UConn is undefeated this season – scoring five or more goals in a single game.
• Wayne State scored twice on the power play, while Monique Weber’s power-play goal was the only one for the Huskies. This is the first time that UConn has been outscored by an opponent on the power play this season

Posted Nov. 28, 2008

For more information see : http://mansfield.htnp.com/sports/
uconn_womens_ice_hockey_advances_to_nutmeg_game.html

2009 BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Championship tickets on sale Dec. 1

The BIG EAST unveils a new tournament format for its women’s basketball championship in 2009, with all 16 teams invited to battle for the conference’s automatic NCAA tournament bid.

Full-session tickets for the 2009 BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Championship go on sale Monday, Dec. 1, at 10 a.m. via all Ticketmaster outlets.

The championship returns to Hartford and the XL Center for the sixth straight year, on March 6-10, 2009.

The BIG EAST unveils a new tournament format for its women’s basketball championship in 2009, with all 16 teams invited to battle for the conference’s automatic NCAA tournament bid.

With the addition of two sessions, including four games, package tickets to all 15 games of the championship will remain priced at $99 each, which is discounted by nearly one half of the face value

Ticket offices at all 16 BIG EAST institutions have had all-session packages on sale for several weeks.

To charge tickets by phone, call Ticketmaster at (860) 525-4500.

Tickets can be purchased online by logging on to the XL Center website at www.xlcenter.com or the Ticketmaster website at www.ticketmaster.com.

Tickets can be purchased through all Ticketmaster outlets, including Macy’s at Buckland Hills Mall in Manchester and West Farms Mall in West Hartford.

Tickets can also be purchased at the XL Center box office beginning on Tuesday, Dec. 2.

Weekday box office hours are noon to 5 p.m. For weekend events, the box office will open four hours prior to the start of an event. All ticket purchases are subject to additional convenience fees.

For group sales (10 or more) information and discounts, contact the XL Center at (860) 548-2000.

The City of Hartford has embraced the annual event, and the first five years resulted in unparalleled success for the Conference; it leading all leagues nationally in average attendance.

The Greater Hartford Convention & Visitors Bureau and its members are hard at work to offer fans special rates and discounts on hotels, restaurants and complimentary shuttle services to tourist attractions. For more information please visit www.enjoyhartford.com/bigeast.

The 2008 BIG EAST Championship brought plenty of excitement to the XL Center. Top-ranked UConn held off seventh-seeded Louisville 65-59 to win the 2008 crown.

It was Connecticut’s 14th title, including three of the last four.

It was Louisville’s first trip to the championship game. Louisville had won 10 of its previous 11 games, including upsets over No. 2 seed Rutgers and No. 3 seed West Virginia.

The top-seed in the championship, UConn defeated DePaul and Pittsburgh en route to the championship game.

The 2009 second-round games on March 7 will be aired as part of the BIG EAST Regional Television Package, which is broadcast via Regional Sports Networks (RSN) in BIG EAST markets.

SportsNet New York (SNY) is the flagship station for the BIG EAST RSN Game of the Week during the regular season and will carry all four first-round tournament games, as well.

The quarterfinals on March 8 and semifinals on March 9 will be shown live on ESPNU, while the championship game on March 10 will appear on ESPN as the only women’s conference championship on the network’s primary platform.

The BIG EAST is the largest and most diverse Division I conference in the country. It was formed in 1979 and represents the athletic interests of 16 member institutions including: the University of Cincinnati, University of Connecticut, DePaul University, Georgetown University, University of Louisville, Marquette University, University of Notre Dame, University of Pittsburgh, Providence College, Rutgers University, St. John’s University, Seton Hall University, University of South Florida, Syracuse University, Villanova University and West Virginia University.

The BIG EAST Conference has captured 25 national championships in six different sports and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series. For more information on the Conference and its membership, please visit www.bigeast.org.

Posted Nov. 29, 2008

For more information see: http://mansfield.htnp.com/news/
2009_womens_basketball_big_east_championship_tickets.html

In your backyard: New regional youth theater-performance group forming

An informational meeting will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 3, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Salvation Army, 262 Main St. in Norwich.

Attention actors, poets, artists, dancers, musicians and singers – if any of these describes you, consider joining the Norwich Teenage Theater Group.

Members will collaborate on script ideas relevant to their interests and concerns, and bring all aspects of art to their performance, such as dance, spoken word, singing, and acting

The group is open to all high school students in the surrounding area. It will serve as a place for aspiring teenage artists to collaborate on projects, network audition information and critique each other’s work.

An informational meeting will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 3, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Salvation Army, 262 Main St. in Norwich.

The Theater Group is being organized by the Bully Busters, a group of young people involved in positive and creative activities in the community.

For more information, call coordinator Debbie Kievits at 859-9136 or visit www.bully-busters.net.tc

Posted Nov. 27, 2008

For more information see : http://mansfield.htnp.com/areawide/1027.html

Auction to benefit Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund

UConn Head Coach Geno Auriemma and Oklahoma Head Coach Sherri Coale will kick off auction to benefit the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund®.

The University of Connecticut tips off against the University of Oklahoma at 8:15 p.m. on Nov. 30 at Gampel Pavilion. Prior to tip-off, UConn Head Coach Geno Auriemma and Oklahoma Head Coach Sherri Coale will kick off auction to benefit the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund®.

The fund is a 501 c(3) charitable organization committed to being a part of finding a cure for women’s cancers by raising money for scientific research, assisting the underserved and unifying people for a common cause.

Coach Auriemma serves on the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund’s Board of Directors and Coach Coale is the current WBCA President.

Coach Auriemma will put up for auction a Brioni tie, while Coach Coale will offer a black Cole Haan handbag. The tie will include a special autographed tag from Coach Auriemma, and the same from Coach Coale for the handbag.

You may place a bid now by visiting Geno’s Cancer Team’s Web site or the WBCA’s website.

The auction officially opens the night of the game at 8 p.m. and closes on Dec. 6 at 8 p.m.

This kicks off a series of auctions that will continue in the month of February – in coordination with the 2009 WBCA Pink Zone®, which runs from February 13-22.

Posted Nov. 28, 2008

For more information see : http://mansfield.htnp.com/sports/
uconn-oklahoma_auction_benefits_cancer_fund.html

No Smoking…anywhere: Windham Hospital is 100 percent smoke free

All Connecticut hospitals will become smoke-free by 2010.

Effective on the date of the Great American Smoke-Out (Nov. 20), Windham Hospital became a 100 percent smoke-free facility.

In fact, smoking is not permitted anywhere on the hospital grounds, including parking lots, sidewalks, gardens and lawns.

CEO and Windham Hospital President Dick Brvenik noted that, “It only makes sense that a place of healthcare and wellness would promote an effort to help people attain better health. We are delighted to declare our facility tobacco-free.”

Windham Hospital is among the first in the state to adopt the non-smoking policy.

All Connecticut hospitals will become smoke-free by 2010, in accordance with an initiative championed by the Connecticut Hospital Association.

Medical Director Dr. Robert Bundy, a pulmonologist, said, “Windham Hospital’s mission is not only to restore health, but to prevent disease and act as an advocate for healthy living. This initiative certainly reflects that mission.”

The November transition to a smoke-free facility creates a “clear-air oasis for patients, visitors and staff,” said Facilities Manager Ed Bussiere, “The smoking shelters that were on the grounds of the hospital have been removed and donated to a non-profit organization.”

Organizer John Flood, who also serves as Windham Hospital’s Director of Cardio-Pulmonary Services added, “We are committed to a healthy hospital and a healthy lifestyle… and we hope many people will take advantage of our programs and quit smoking.”

Staff and community members celebrated the annual Smoke-Out on Nov. 20 with “cold turkey sandwiches” served in the cafeteria, and a community kick-off event held in the Hospital Atrium, where representatives from the American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association, the Connecticut Hospital Association, Windham Hospital’s Cancer and Oncology Departments, and the Hospital Employee Health Office were on hand to answer questions, distribute information and encourage people to “kick the habit.”

Posted Nov. 27, 2008

For more information see : http://mansfield.htnp.com/areawide/
windham_hospital_100_percent_smoke_free.html

Independent firm says Storrs Center marketing study is sound

Executive Vice President and General Counsel Howard Kaufman gave an update on financing for the Storrs Center project, saying that Citizen’s Bank is “very interested in financing Phase 1A.”

Monday’s Special Town Council meeting – in which new marketing strategies for the Storrs Center project were announced _ also included a review of the project’s marketing study conducted by HR+A, a company hired by Leyland Alliance.

The council heard from Economics Research Associates (ERA), which was hired by the town to conduct an independent evaluation of the accuracy of HR+A’s findings.

ERA reported that the findings were sound – based on the best information available at this time – and reaffirmed projections of revenue that would come to the town once Storrs Center becomes a functioning entity.

ERA examined the study’s projections of potential costs (municipal services, schools, public safety).

The firm then looked at projected revenue from the retail, office and residential rental properties at each phase of build-out, and used the town’s current tax rates to calculate property, business, personal and conveyance taxes.

Long-range view

When the entire project has been developed and is operational, the estimated annual tax revenue would be $4.3 million.

Estimated costs to the town would be $1.7 million.

And so, projected tax revenues coming to the town would be $2.6 million a year.

The bulk of the $4.3 million in taxes would come from real estate taxes ($3.7 m), with about $200,000 coming from business/personal property taxes, $300,000 from motor vehicle taxes, and the remainder from conveyance taxes.

The $1.7 million in estimated costs to the town breaks out into $1.3 for municipal services, and $400,000 for school-related expenditures, minus any grants the town might receive.

ERA Principal Shuprotim Bhaumik noted that his firm and HR+A staff revised some of the information in the original fiscal analysis and that an updated version would be posted on the town’s Web site.

Councilman Carl Schaefer asked whether the study’s calculations allowed for the likelihood that the town will received less state funding for education in coming years, “in fact, less for everything.”

Bhaumik said school revenue/cost estimates were based on the average of the last three years and, because there were some peaks and valleys in those three years, the average was probably a good yardstick for the coming years.

Schaefer also asked for an explanation of the term “pricing premium,” used to describe components of the Storrs Center project.

Bhaumik said this means Storrs Center will be “quite different” from anything else being built in the area, meaning it is “uniquely positioned in the market.”

Citizen’s Bank is ‘very interested’

Executive Vice President and General Counsel Howard Kaufman also gave an update on financing for the Storrs Center project, saying that Citizen’s Bank is “very interested in financing Phase 1A.”

He noted that the residential units in Phase 1A are rentals because the market for condo sales is down, while the rental market “is actually very strong.”

Phase 1A design includes retail shops on the first floor of some buildings, which would bring in more revenues, “but we can build on the strength of the rental properties,” Kaufman said.

He added that while financial news reports have been discouraging, “regional and local banks are actually doing kind of well.”

This is because they didn’t get involved in high-risk speculation but “stuck to what they knew,” he said.

Working on an agreement

Town Manager Matt Hart reported that the town is still working on a development agreement, and one of the key components of that agreement is how the parking garages will be operated. Still under discussion is who will own the garage, and how it will be operated and maintained.

As for financing construction of the second garage, one option being discussed is dedicating a portion of the net tax revenue from the main project, Hart said.

Kaufman also noted that because the first garage is being paid for with a grant – and not with bonds, would be the case with a town building a garage – it is in a better position to generate “positive revenue.”

There will be 690 units of housing, “which means built-in customers,” who will pay a fee to use the garage, said.

Another aspect of the agreement is relocation costs for existing businesses.

Hart said LeylandAlliance has agreed to share that bill with the town, “but we need to codify that.”

The estimated total for relocation costs is $700,000, which would be split 50/50 between the town and LeylandAlliance, Hart said.

Another matter under discussion is who will maintain the project’s “green places” – the parks, town green, and other landscaped areas.

[Editor's Note: This and all other Town Council meetings are now taped and are aired on cable Channel 13 at noon on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, and at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.  Questions and comments concerning the Storrs Center project also may be sent to the Mansfield Downtown Partnership at P.O. Box 513, Mansfield, CT 062268 or e-mailed to mdp@mansfieldct.org Also see previous story, "Developers announce new strategies to make Storrs Center marketable." ]

Posted Nov. 26, 2008

For more information see : http://mansfield.htnp.com/news/
firm_says_storrs_center_marketing_study_sound.html