James Stanley Romanow July 14 1950 – May 08 2011

James S. Romanow

James S. Romanow, 60, of Storrs-Mansfield CT, passed away on May 8, 2011, following a brief illness. He was the beloved husband of Robin Lubatkin. They had been together for over 30 years.

He was born in the Utica, NY area, and his family eventually settled in Unionville, CT.

Jim had been employed for over 30 years (having retired recently) by the University of Connecticut’s Physiology and Neurobiology Electron Microscopy Lab in Storrs, initially under the direction of the late Dr. Alan Wachtel, and subsequently under the direction of Dr. Marie Cantino.

Jim was a shining star, a man who gave his all with the utmost generosity of spirit and he did so much for so many people. He leaves behind a large community of cherished friends and family who enriched his life in immeasurable ways, and are now offering their loving support.

He was a talented musician, a true Mr. Fix-it, and an inspiring life long learner, always energized by new and exciting projects.

Over the years he belonged to many bands. Most recently, he was a member of The Kingpins and over the past year had become involved with helping Bruce John with his Breadbox series, both as musician and as a sound man. He was beloved by his family and by so many people. He will be dearly missed.

We would like to think that his spirit is making heavenly music. Farewell dear Jim, we will meet again.

In addition to his wife Robin, he is survived by their daughter Dahlia Romanow of Storrs-Mansfield, CT.

He is also survived by his children from his first marriage to Elisabeth King (Austin King, Martin Romanow of Simsbury and Stephanie Brennan, her husband Steven Brennan, of Farmington CT, and their wonderful boys Patrick, Dylan and Timothy. He loved being a grandfather.

He is also survived by his mother-in-law Rita who adored him, as well as his sister-in-law and brother-in-law Andrea and Fred Richman of Gaithersburg, MD and their children David and Lisa.

Jim’s brother Donald resides in the Utica, NY area and Jim is also survived by his beloved Aunts Bertha Romanow and Mary Remizowksi, as well as his Uncle Joseph Romanow and his wife Joan of Syracuse, NY and numerous cousins.

Jim was predeceased by his mother and father Jean and Stanley Romanow.

Jim’s legacy will continue on in others by the gift of tissue donation.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jim’s memory to the Covenant Soup Kitchen, 220 Valley Street, Willimantic, CT 06226-2332.

Calling hours will be from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 15 at the Potter Funeral Home, 456 Jackson St./Route. 195, Willimantic.

A celebration of Jim’s life will be planned for a later date this summer. He would have wanted a party with lots of music, good food and stories to share, and we will make his wish come true.

Posted May 11, 2011

Originally published in the Chronicle, edited and posted here by HTNP.com Editor Brenda Sullivan. Obituaries for HTNP news sites may be sent to editor@htnp.com

Mansfield, UConn seek water solutions

With the University of Connecticut meeting a state requirement on updating its water plan, university and town officials see it as an opportunity to rein­force their efforts to work together on the issue.

UConn officials are currently working on revisions to the 2006 water plan as the state requires UConn to do so every five years.

UConn Vice President of Ad­ministration and Operations Tho­mas Callahan said the university has submitted a draft of the revised plan to the state Department of Public Health, which will review the document along with other state agencies.

Mansfield has also submitted comments to the DPH as part of the process and town officials said they see it as a chance for the two entities to work together to find new water sources.

“Securing additional sources of water is particularly important to both the Town of Mansfield and the university, as a number of important recommendations in our land-use plans are directly linked with a need for public water and sewer services,” UConn’s draft let­ter reads.

The letter, dated April 2 and signed by Mayor Elizabeth “Bet­sy” Paterson and Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Rudy Favretti, is a combination of comments from multiple town boards.

Callahan said UConn also wants the revised plan to show the increased relationship with Mansfield on water issues, say­ing officials from both sides “talk regularly.”

“There’s been a strength of un­derstanding” on how UConn’s water usage impacts Mansfield, Callahan said.

Callahan also said the new plan incorporates a lot of upgrades and new information at UConn since the 2006 plan was completed.

He noted UConn has “spent an awful lot of money” to upgrade the existing system and has also done a number of studies and plans in the last five years.

UConn has also brought in Connecticut Water to manage the university’s system and Callahan said the company has “added a level of professionalism and ex­pertise” to the process.

He also noted UConn devel­oped a water management plan in 2007 after excess water use by the university resulted in massive fish kills in a dried-up section of the Fenton River during a drought period in 2005.

Mansfield officials agreed on the importance to include recent studies and other UConn plans, specifically naming the 2006 Fenton River Aquatic Habitat and 2010 Willimantic River studies.

Mansfield is also urging UConn to take additional steps to pre­serve the land currently used for UConn’s water supply.

Town officials said UConn does currently own the undeveloped land, but most of it is not pre­served or protected by conserva­tion efforts or state statutes.

Callahan said the DPH, state Department of Environmental Pro­tection and other state agencies will take a “number of months” to review the document before deciding if UConn needs to make further revisions.

He said the DPH will examine whether UConn has accurately determined its supply needs for the near future, while the DEP will review the plan’s potential impact on the surrounding area.

Posted 5-11-2011

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Mansfield residents OK budget

Donna Becotte drops her vote in the ballot box during Mansfield’s budget town meeting at the Mansfield Middle School on Tuesday. Photo by Al Malpa

After two motions to re­duce portions of the budget failed, residents at the Annual town Meeting easily approved the town council’s $44.1 mil­lion town/school spending plan Tuesday (May 10).

Residents approved the general govern­ment budget, as well as capital and capital and nonrecurring funds, with 163 “yes” votes and 77 “no” votes.

Now, local officials must wait and see if residents petition the budget to a referen­dum.

After a town charter change in 2007, residents can now send the budget to ref­erendum if they collect signatures from at least 2 percent of registered voters within 21 days. There are currently 10,349 voters in Mansfield.

Tuesday’s approval also included a capital fund budget of $2,154,000 and a capital and non-recurring fund budget of $1,006,000.

The $44,131,150 spending plan represents an increase of $504,865, or 1.16 percent, from the current fiscal year.

The current proposed mill rate is 26.68 mills, a rise of 0.97 mills, or 3.77 percent, over the current rate of 25.71 mills.

Mansfield Mayor Elizabeth “Betsy” Pater­son said the council will wait to officially set the rate.

At the rate of 26.68 mills, the owner of a home assessed at $168,770 – the medi­an assessment in Mansfield – would pay $4,502 in taxes, an increase of $163.

Councilman William Ryan, chair of the council’s finance committee, said much of the increase in spending was due to factors “beyond (the council’s) control.”

He said state mandates require the town to increase its contribution to the munici­pal employees’ retirement system by $168,500, while non-tax revenues dropped by $341,300.

The non-tax revenues included a combined $221,820 in state aid to general government and education costs, while interest income and build­ing permit fees are also projected to be down.

The general government budget of $13,829,750 is an increase of $709,855, or 5.4 percent, over the current fiscal year.

The Mansfield education bud­get of $20,572,170, meanwhile, is a decrease of $15,990, or 0.1 percent, from the current budget.

The town’s share of the Regional School District 19 education bud­get, approved at referendum May 3, is $9,729,230, a reduction of $194,998, or 2 percent.

Some residents expressed con­cerns that state aid could drop even more if Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and state employees can­not reach an agreement on $2 billion in concessions.

“As we all know, the dust has not nearly settled (on the state budget),” said resident Virginia Raymond, who added she was “gravely concerned” the town could see even less income from the state.

She suggested the council could make a total of $998,000 in reduc­tions in “several areas” to reach a zero mill increase, but her motion was called out of order because motions had to address specific sections of the budget and not the bottom line.

Raymond then motioned to remove $210,000 from the public safety capital fund, but the motion was defeated, as was a similar motion to remove $400,000 from the public works capital fund.

The $210,000 for public safety is slated for the purchase of a new ambulance, while the $400,000 for public works is allocated for a walkway along South Eagleville Road.

Those supporting the removal of each item said the two items could be postponed until the economy improves and questioned the need for either expense to come within the next year.

But those voting against the motions – and keeping the expenses in the budget – said both allocations address public safety issues.

They also said the expenses are in the capital budget, which is funded through bonding, and would not impact the mill rate for this year’s budget.

Raymond said she had other possible reductions, but attendees moved the question after the two motions were defeated, ending discussion and going straight to a vote on the overall budget as proposed.

Paterson said the council will set the mill rate in hopes of a reso­lution on state employee concessions within the next few weeks.

“We think it would be prudent to set the mill rate” after the state budget is set Paterson said, although the council would need to set a mill rate by early June so the tax collector can send out tax bills.

Posted 5-11-2011

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UConn botanist Mehrhoff to be honored posthumously by EPA

The late Dr. Leslie Mehrhoff will be recognized for his extensive contributions to preserving the environment at the 2011 EPA Merit Awards on May 11, 2011. Courtesy photo

Dr. Leslie J. Mehrhoff, a well respected conservationist and well-loved local resident will be honored posthumously on May 11 at ceremonies in Boston as the Environmental Protection Agency presents its 2011 Environmental Merit Awards.

The merit awards recognize valuable contributions to environmental awareness and problem solving by individuals and groups that have a significant impact on environmental quality in distinct ways.

The late Dr. Mehrhoff of Willington, CT was an outstanding botanist well known in Connecticut, New England and the nation, according to the CT Regional EPA announcement.

Dr. Mehrhoff retired from UConn in 2009 and passed away just before Christmas in 2010 at the age of 60.

Dr. Mehrhoff “had a spirited sense of humor, and his sense of wonder about the natural world gave him a childlike innocence,” the announcement states.

He was an “accomplished and enthusiastic naturalist” who received his graduate training at the University of Connecticut and then worked for many years with the CT Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) before becoming the manager of the Torrey Herbarium at the University of Connecticut in Storrs-Mansfield.

“During his career, Les inspired, encouraged, mentored and educated many people, influencing botanists, biologists, legislators, students and gardeners young and old,” the announcement states.

“His innumerable presentations on biodiversity and the importance of protecting species and their natural communities included his renowned high-quality photographs.”

“He worked tirelessly to protect endangered species and to prevent the negative impacts from invasive species.

“Les’ life work made incalculable contributions to the protection of biodiversity and ecosystems throughout Connecticut and New England.”

He was instrumental in gaining passage of Connecticut’s Endangered Species statutes, in  publishing The Connecticut Butterfly Atlas, and in development of The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Connecticut, and The Atlas of Ground Beetles of Connecticut.

Awarded by EPA since 1970, the merit awards honor individuals and groups who have shown particular ingenuity and commitment in their efforts to preserve the region’s environment.

This year’s competition drew 56 nominations from across New England.

Awards are given in several categories including – individuals; business (including professional organizations); local, state or federal government; and environmental, community, academia or nonprofit organization.

Each year, EPA also may present lifetime achievement awards for individuals.

More information on all Environmental Merit Award Winners from this year and past years is available at: http://www.epa.gov/region1/ra/ema/index.html

Posted May 10, 2011

Related Link: A tribute to Dr. Mehrhoff in New England Wild which also includes a link to an NPR interview from 2010 http://www.newenglandwild.org/protect/rare-plants-and-conservation/leslie-j-mehrhoff.html

Another tribute and his obituary and a call for contributions of memories and photos to be compiled in a book, at http://www.invasiveplantcontrol.com/les/

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