Developer abandons Stop & Shop/VFW project

A proposal for $1 million in intersection improvements, a new Friendly’s Restaurant and lease payments that would have funded the renovation of the local VFW has been scrapped, the project developer said Wednesday.

Mario DiLoreto, president of READCO of Old Lyme, the developer for the Stop & Shop/VFW proposal, said a number of factors went into the decision, including difficult economic conditions and increasing project costs.

The development proposal involved grocery giant Stop & Shop, located at 1391 Main St., and the neighboring VFW.

It  included road improvements on routes 66 and 32, moving the Friendly’s restaurant to the front half of the VFW parcel, revamping parking and adding a new commercial development site.

The VFW would have collected revenue from a land lease that would have helped it to renovate its existing building, while the town would have gotten additional tax revenue with a renovated Stop & Shop store, a new Friendly’s restaurant and the additional commercial site.

DiLoreto said more than five years went into planning the project, but with the size and scope of the project and escalating costs, “it didn’t make sense, anymore.”

According to DiLoreto, making the intersection improvements alone would be “too costly.”

Posted March 18, 2010, edited by HTNP.com Editor Brenda Sullivan

[update] Police issue warning about children offered rides at MMS

Mansfield Middle School Principal Jeff Cryan sent a warning email to parents at about 2 p.m. today that two students were offered a ride by an unidentified driver waiting in a van at an intersection near the school.

He writes:

“We have learned today from the State Police that two middle school students were offered a ride on Wednesday afternoon by an unidentified driver near the intersection of Spring Hill Road and Clover Mill Road.  This is within a quarter mile of Mansfield Middle School.  The students were walking home from school at the time.”

The driver was described as a white male, 50-60 years old, average build, wearing a straw hat with a dark string.

He was driving a white van with no windows on the driver’s side.  The van had windows in the rear door and white patches on the body that didn’t match the color of the rest of the vehicle.  There were also dark scuff marks on the body of the vehicle.

The driver asked the students, “Where are you going?  Do you want a ride?”

Anyone with information that might be helpful to police should call the Resident Trooper’s office in Mansfield at 860-429-6024 or State Police Troop C at 860-896-3200.

“We reviewed this information with students in small groups this afternoon at school,” Cryan says.

“We reminded them never to accept a ride or to have a conversation with someone who tries to get them into a vehicle.  We have also reminded them to shout loudly for help if they ever feel endangered.”

“We ask that you have similar conversations with your children, encouraging them to share information with you or with us about any incident like this.”

Police have promised increased police patrols around the middle school in the afternoon after dismissal.

UPDATE

At about 5 p.m. , Mansfield Middle School Principal Jeff Cryan said police have found the man they believe was identified by the school children.

“After we notified the students about the incident that occurred on Wednesday afternoon, some students and staff members provided further information about the vehicle and driver.  This information was provided to the police,” he said.

And Resident Trooper Sgt. James Kodzis provided this update at 4:30 this afternoon:

“State Police have identified and located the vehicle and individual involved in this incident.  This individual has been cooperative with police questioning. No arrests are anticipated regarding this incident, however should any further leads of suspects be developed, they will be investigated.  Residents are encouraged to be vigilant and notify State Police of any suspicious activity at 860-429-6024.”

Parents should still encourage their children to stay safe, Cryan said. “Please review safety strategies with your children should they be approached by a stranger offering a ride.  Making lots of noise and putting distance between themselves and a stranger are recommended strategies.

We are grateful for the quick response today from the Resident Trooper’s office, and we will pass along to you any further information related to safety concerns.”

Posted March 18, 2010; updated 5:30 p.m.

UConn women's path to San Antonio begins in Norfolk

UConn's Tina Charles. Photo by Al Malpa

As the NCAA tournament brackets were announced Monday night on ESPN, loud cheers were heard inside the University of Connecticut women’s basketball locker room at Gampel Pavilion.

Cheers for the six other Big East Conference teams selected for the NCAA tournament – DePaul, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Rutgers, St. John’s and West Virginia.

All but one – St. John’s – was not in UConn’s region.

Cheers also were heard when the match-up everyone has been clamoring about has the potential to happen at the Final Four in San Antonio between UConn and Tennessee.

And there were the cheers when the players watched the ESPN-produced segment they had taped, with junior Maya Moore playing the drums, surrounded by the rest of the starting lineup dancing to the beat.

Six games remaining and a chance to make history

The road to San Antonio begins on Sunday afternoon at 12:16 p.m. (ESPN2, WILI 1400-AM, WTIC 1080-AM) when No. 1 nationally-ranked UConn (33-0), the top seed in the Dayton Regional, meets No. 16 Southern University (23-8) in the first round of the NCAA tournament at the Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Virginia.

“It’s tough this year,” senior Kalana Greene said. “A lot of teams are evenly matched, from what I can tell. It is fun to see who is going to play who and which bracket seems the most difficult.”

Initially, it was thought that the Huskies – who will be making their 22nd consecutive NCAA tournament appearance – would be headed to Pittsburgh for the opening two rounds. But about15 minutes before the Selection Show aired on ESPN, murmurs were rumbling that UConn would take its road show south to Norfolk.

“I was excited that we get to play our first game in Norfolk,” Greene said. “It’s closer for my family [South Carolina] to come up there and, hopefully, we get a little bit more sun than we have had here in Connecticut.”

And Coach Geno Auriemma likes the fact that UConn will be playing in Norfolk.

“I’m actually happy,” Auriemma said. “We’re in a tournament atmosphere. Sometimes when you’re home you’re still going to class, you’re still doing the same things. So this is a real tournament feeling. I love the fact that we’re not home. Now, it’s bad for our fans that we’re not home.”

Six victories would put UConn into the history books as the first women’s team ever to win back-to-back national championships while going unbeaten.

The only other time that has happened was on the men’s side, when the Wizard of Westwood, John Wooden, guided UCLA to back-to-back titles in 1972 and 1973.

Opponents are riding 7-game streak

The Huskies’ first-round opponent, Southern University, hails from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The Jaguars – who received the automatic bid from the Southwestern Athletic Conference with a 60-47 victory in the tournament final over Alabama State last Saturday – are riding a 7-game winning streak and are making their first NCAA appearance since 2006.

In the second game on Sunday, eighth-seeded Temple (24-8), coached by former UConn assistant coach Tanya Cardoza, meets Colonial Athletic Association tournament champion and No. 9 James Madison (26-6).

Last year, Temple and UConn were in the same bracket as well, in Storrs. Florida played the role of spoiler by defeating Temple in the first round.

“I just hope Tonya’s team wins, because I always root for my assistants to play,” UConn Coach Geno Auriemma said. “I also know James Madison’s really good. And there are teams I think you’ve got to worry about a little bit. Teams from conferences that people don’t always give the respect that they probably deserve.”

Ohio State, Florida State, Iowa State and Virginia would be potential opponents for UConn when the tournament reaches the Regional semifinal stage in Dayton, Ohio.

And UConn has advanced to the Sweet 16 every year since 1994.

Second-ranked Stanford (Sacramento), No. 3 Tennessee (Memphis) and No. 4 Nebraska (Kansas City) also received No. 1 seeds

And if things hold to form, the match-up everyone is savoring to see – UConn vs. Tennessee – would occur at the Final Four in San Antonio in the NCAA national semifinals.

Posted March 17, 2010