The meeting will be held Feb. 9 5:30 p.m. at Addona’s Banquet Room, 72 Waterbury Road, Prospect, and feature two guest speakers.

Kristen Cicchetti, a nationally certified school psychologist who has worked in the Bristol public schools for the past 11 years, will address parents’ concerns about behavior and describe how to establish a behavior plan. Cicchetti has developed and coached a Positive Behavior Intervention and Support program in her pre-kindergarten through fifth grade building for the past three years. Take-home materials regarding practical problem solving strategies to manage tantrums, defiance, and other childhood transgressions will be available at the meeting.

Peter MacDonald, a second-grade teacher at Algonquin School and reading specialist, will discuss early literacy and comprehension. MacDonald will provide information for guiding parents who want to help prepare their children for reading success and present an overview of the Readers’-Writers’ Workshop Project implemented by the Region 16 school district.
The event will include dinner. This event is free, however, a $5 donation would be appreciated. All preschool parents, teachers and community providers are encouraged to attend.

To register for the meeting, visit www.region16ct.org. For more information about the collaborative and upcoming events, e-mail Annette Shelbrack at r16prek@region16ct.org.

Len Greene

SEYMOUR — State Rep. Len Greene (R-105) hosted a Small Business Forum Wednesday morning showcasing the details of the bipartisan “jobs” bill approved in the special legislative session last October.

More than four dozen people came to the Seymour Town Hall, where state Rep. Themis Klardies (R-114), along with representatives from the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development and Department of Labor, joined Greene to present the “Small Business Express” package approved by the legislature last fall. Greene and Klarides also discussed the details of a variety of other grant and loan programs.

“For the residents of Connecticut there’s no more important issue than this state’s economy and the availability of quality jobs that can support families,” said Greene, who represents Ansonia, Beacon Falls and Seymour, in a news release. “It’s our job as legislators to make sure businesses of all varieties know about these great programs legislators on both sides of the aisle worked to create.”

Slashing red tape that bogs down business creation and expansion was among the goals sought as Klarides, Greene and their colleagues drafted the legislation late last year. For one, agency officials described a new emphasis on expedited permitting process for businesses.

“Legislators can’t create jobs, but we can do our best to create an environment where companies view our state as a place to put down roots,” said Klarides, who represents Derby, Orange and Woodbridge, in a news release. “We took a step toward doing that back in October, but there’s a lot more work to be done.”

For more information about the new state’s new business programs, visit www.ct.gov/ecd or call the Department of Economic and Community Development at (860) 270-8000.

State Sen. Joesph Crisco (D-17)

State Sen. Joesph Crisco (D-17)

• Encourage economic development.
• Improve education with a focus on early childhood development. Crisco said he wanted to create more opportunities for communities to invest in education without imposing a larger financial burden. “You don’t want to mandate impositions upon local communities that they can’t afford, so you have to find some balance,” Crisco said.
• Review child sex abuse reporting laws in light of the child molestation case at Penn State University. “I believe that’s going to be an important issue this year,” Crisco said.
• Continue to crusade to bring insurance to the residents of Connecticut as chair of the Insurance and Real Estate Committee. Crisco said he hopes to continue improving the diagnoses and coverage of breast cancer and put the final pieces in place for the federally-mandated insurance exchange to go into effect in 2014.
• Make sure there is full disclosure for remediation sites. “We want to make sure all the Is are dotted for full disclosure,” Crisco said.

State Rep. Len Greene (R-105)

State Rep. Len Greene (R-105)

• Get the budget under control
• Increase penalties for vandalism and theft of public memorials. Perpetrators would have to pay for the repair or replacement of the item in question. “I really think that we need to do a better job protecting those,” Greene said.
• Improve storm preparation and response to mitigate damage and decrease impact. Greene said he would listen to testimony at public hearings before backing a specific play, but would be more inclined to support an incentives package for completing restoration on time rather than fines. “The basic premise of setting specific goals is important for the state,” Greene said. “There are a lot of different moving parts to this.”

State Rep. David Labriola (R-131)

State Rep. David Labriola (R-131)

• Establish an enterprise zone around the Oxford airport. Businesses would get special tax breaks from the state as an incentive to move to the area around the airport. “That enterprise zone at the airport will create jobs and be a tremendous boon to our region’s economy by attracting businesses to the area around the airport,” Labriola said. “We’re hopeful that we can do it this year.”
• Oppose Election Day voter registration. “I believe it’s a recipe for fraud and corruption,” Labriola said. If voters could register on Election Day, Labriola said nothing would prevent them from going to several towns the same day or say they’re somebody that they really aren’t. “History has shown that elections are tainted when you have these Election Day registration,” Labriola said.
• “When it comes to the budget, I’m going to be advocating on behalf of spending cuts and fighting any tax increases,” Labriola said.
• Oppose the movement for a national popular vote. Labriola said the movement is ill-conceived. “It would dilute the impact that a small state like Connecticut would have in the Electoral College and the presidential election system,” Labriola said.

State Rep. Vickie Nardello (D-89)

State Rep. vickie Narello (R-89)

• Improving the utility’s storm response and implementation of benchmarks for utility performance.
• Look at the accountability of utilities and the possibility of reimbursing individuals when there is lost revenues because of extended outages. Nardello said she is waiting for Connecticut utility’s response to preliminary suggestions by Feb. 1.  Under consideration are changes to staffing, tree trimming, accountability, and how utilities communicate with municipalities. As chair of the Energy and Technology Committee, Nardello said storm preparedness and utility issues will take up most of her time next session.

State Sen. Joan Hartley (D-15) and state Rep. Rosa Rebimbas (R-70) could not be reached for comment as of press time.

Construction has started on a new medical office at 127 Pinesbridge Road.

BEACON FALLS — The town’s only medical practice is moving.

The husband-and-wife medical team of Sudipta and Bindu Dey are planning to relocate into a brand new building down the street from their current practice at 45 Pinesbridge Road to 127 Pinesbridge Road.

The new building, which is currently under construction, will more than double the space for the medical practice. Their current building is about 2,000 square feet, while the new building will be 5,000 square feet on a 1.77 acre lot.

The doctors plan to move to the new building in late spring or early summer, according to Dr. Sudipta Dey.

Sudipta Dey said his practice has grown since he came to Beacon Falls almost 10 years ago. Since then, his wife, who was working in Shelton at the time, has joined him.

Sudipta Dey said he sees a few thousand patients at his family practice, from all of the Valley towns.

Dey and his wife are originally from India, but they came to the United States via England, where they were licensed in internal medicine. They had to go through training and licensing again in the United States.

Griffin Hospital helped Sudipta Dey get on his feet in Beacon Falls, funding renovations to his current building and paying his salary until his practice was up and running.

Now, Sudipta Dey runs his practice independently, but he said he still admits patients to Griffin Hospital.

He is paying for the new building on his own.

Once the new building is complete, Sudipta Dey said it will have office space for specialists and a new lab and he would add more services to his practice as time goes by.

First Selectman Gerard Smith said the move shows that Dr. Dey has a firm base of business in Beacon Falls.

“We welcome him and hope he stays for a good long time,” Smith said.

Smith said he hoped the doctors’ success will attract other medical businesses to the town.

To the editor,

By virtue of their determined hands and eloquent tongues, the founding fathers of our nation set forth to construct, in will and in word, the greatest nation thus far known to man. Not a nation of tyrannical rule, or of self-satisfying gluttony, but one requiring the dedication of its citizens, the honor of its civil and governing servants, and the sweat all of living under its banner, to sever any and all bonds that may limit this nation and the freedom of its people.

Since the declaration of our founding fathers, many generations have fought, bled, and sweat to maintain these ideals. Unfortunately, it seems we are now at an impasse. We are currently writing the future history of America, and this period will not be known as the technological revolution, or social renaissance, or even the time of great calm. This time will be known as the Era of American Apathetic Atrophy.

No one can blame us. We currently have a governing body which is no longer of, for, and by the people, a large percentage of our population is too busy breaking its back to barely remain just slightly in debt, while the rest of the population works to either take advantage of the hard workers, or to take advantage of the system of civil benefits that come from those who earn an honest day’s pay. All the while, we refuse to invest in our future, and in an attempt to appear to be a global power we teach our children to copy and paste their way to a future where technology has plateaued and math, science, art, proper English, and physical ability no longer matter.

In reality, everyone should blame us. Not just the top 1 percent, not just those supposedly serving us on the Hill, and not just big business. We, the people, each and every one of us, are to blame. How we live, how we are governed, how our neighbor lives, and more is on the shoulders of each citizen. The responsibility is shared by all, and here are some words of advice for those willing to listen, but more importantly willing to act. Peaceful protest is a powerful tool, but value cannot be gained from the soil unless dirt stained hands have removed the rock, tilled the soil and planted the seed.

For the big business:

Employees are not just tools to be used, bent, and replaced. They form a symbiotic relationship with the company, each depending on the other to provide what is needed for survival. If a company’s employees prosper, so shall the company. This also holds true for the employee. If you dedicate yourself to your job, not just your paycheck, you may find the rewards to be far more fruitful.

A key function of business is investment. Companies invest in land, buildings, technology, and tools among other necessities. Recently, however, it seems that one critical component is overlooked by American companies; America herself. What many major companies forget, or rather choose to ignore to increase the bulge in the wallets of their corporate leaders, is that by investing in American personnel, buildings, and equipment, they are directly investing in the economy that will purchase their goods or services. Again, if these employees prosper, they will have more money to spend, and if the company does business correctly, and makes a quality item, the people will provide a proportional return on investment. This investment might appear to only provide long term gains, but don’t let it fool you, this method will not only provide returns, it will provide strong long term stability that will maintain those profits. In order for this to be a true success the American people must dedicate themselves to buying American goods. Remember that symbiotic relationship?

For the government:

No one should ever claim a government position in order to receive personal gain. These are positions of honor, meant to serve the people of this nation.

Always be accountable. Base your votes and decisions on what is best for the people, not necessarily what is best for your party. Unfortunately we have a two party system, this means it is all the more important that the parties work as a team of balanced forces, not as roadblocks on the path to our nation’s future.

Taxpayers’ money is not your money. Just like a bank, or any other loaning entity, there exists an expectation of return on investment. Be certain of the return before spending.

The people of this nation must also serve the government. Voting isn’t a right, or a privilege, it is an obligation. However, the obligation is not just in the act of voting, the obligation comes from casting an informed and decisive vote. Inform yourself, read a newspaper, then read ten more. Search online, then converse with friends, neighbors, and even childhood bullies. Information is above all the most important tool to ever be wielded by mankind.

In conjunction with voting, you should be attending your town/city meetings, as well as, taking part in your community. The more we volunteer in our community and serve our neighbors, the more we will reduce the financial burden on our government.

In regards to financial burden, pay your taxes. No questions here. We are all obliged to do our part including this one. Taxes provide necessary services that allow us to live our lives with comforts that the majority of the world’s population can barely imagine. If you are concerned about how the government will spend your money, put your mind at ease, you made an informed vote and your candidate will wisely allocate your money to serve your needs in the best possible fashion.

For the people:

The grandparents of Generation X have said that “things need to change; the state of our nation is not what it once was, or what it has the potential to be.” The parents of Generation X have grown up in this world, and they have repeated the words of their mothers and fathers. Now, Generation X is hurtling through adulthood, buying houses, developing careers, and genuinely pursuing happiness. They too repeat the words of the generations before them. Besides this feeling of unease, these generations share another common misconception. They believe that our nation’s state of affairs is entirely generated by our government and big business, and that the people of this nation are powerless to make any significant change. These ideas could not be further from the truth, if anyone had the power and ability to make the necessary changes that our nation needs, it would be the people. After at least three generations of people noticing the need for change, don’t you think it is time to make it happen?

These needed changes must first come from the home. If we expect any changes to happen outside of our house we must first breed them within our walls and in our families. Then, like a pebble cast into the lake, these ideals will spread through our towns, and propagate through our states. Then the government officials and big business leaders will be left with one of two options, either listening to the demands of the people, or ideally, they too have changed and will act in the same accord as the rest of the people.

To get there we must realize our potential. We must be better than our current selves in every way possible. Every way, whether it is through flossing our teeth or recycling or starting a neighborhood watch, no task is too small or large to improve. Then we must teach our children to be respectful and to respect themselves and their abilities. It is essential that we demonstrate proper values and show them the difference between right and wrong, and that they understand the importance of  helping others as often as possible (these lessons need to be taught at home, this is not a task for school teachers, they are there to educate on verse not vice). We must work together to improve our homes, our neighbor’s homes, as well as the towns we live in. The responsibility of a village does not only lie in raising a child, but also in caring for the village, its people and its future.

In closing, the United States of America is a beautiful land, with amber fields, purple mountains, and gorgeous waterways. As a land it has many astounding resources, however, these are not the elements that make America so great, her true greatness comes from her people. The ideal defining characteristics are of calloused hands, kind hearts and a desire for a better future.

This ideal no longer fits, some now may even claim us to be idle handed, afraid of our shadows, and self-centered. We must remember who we are, we must have pride in ourselves and in what we do, and we must no longer fear the world around us. To do this we must realize that there are no shortcuts.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Michael Opuszynski

Beacon Falls

Registration dates are Jan. 25 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Laurel Ledge Elementary School gym lobby. This night is the “early bird” registration with $10 off each registration.

Other registration dates are Jan. 31, and Feb. 2 also from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Laurel Ledge Elementary School gym lobby. The final registration night is Feb. 13 from 6 pm – 8 pm in the Laurel Ledge Elementary School gym lobby. There will be a late fee of $25 for any signups on Feb. 13. No more registrations will be after Feb. 13. Any child wishing to signup following Feb. 13 will be put on a waiting list.

The Majors division is for children ages 11 and 12 and costs $80. The Minors division is for children ages 9 and 10 and costs $80. Coach Pitch division is for children ages 7 and 8 and costs $60. TBall Division is for children ages 5 and 6 and costs $60.

All age groups are determined by child’s age on May 1, 2012.

For more information and registration forms, e-mail President Scott Szturma at szt23bon@sbcglobal.net or visit www.racbl.org.

Registration dates are Jan. 25 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Laurel Ledge Elementary School gym lobby.  This night is the “early bird” registration with $10 off each registration.

Other registration dates are Jan. 31, and Feb. 2 also from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Laurel Ledge Elementary School gym lobby. The final registration night is Feb. 13 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Laurel Ledge Elementary School gym lobby.  There will be a late fee of $25 for any signups on Feb. 13. No more registrations will be after Feb. 13. Any child wishing to signup following Feb. 13 will be put on a waiting list.

The Majors division is for children ages 11 and 12 and costs $80. The Minors division is for children ages 9 and 10 and costs $80. Coach Pitch division is for children ages 7 and 8 and costs $60. TBall Division is for children ages 5 and 6 and costs $60.

All age groups are determined by child’s age on May 1, 2012.

For more information and registration forms, e-mail President Scott Szturma at szt23bon@sbcglobal.net or visit www.racbl.org.

Beacon Falls resident Bill Giglio recently installed solar panels and a wind turbine at his home on Bethany Road to take advantage of renewable energy. -LARAINE WESCHLER

BEACON FALLS — When Bill Giglio’s home was built in 1773, the original owners probably left a tiny carbon footprint. Today, Giglio hopes to do the same.

Giglio is retrofitting one of the oldest buildings in Beacon Falls with some of the latest in sustainable technology.

“This house was a house before this country was a country,” Giglio said.

Giglio suspects the building was originally a barn. It has a walk-in, dirt-floored cellar that might have once been stalls, and Giglio found a horseshoe and a stirrup in the house during renovations.

When he bought the home at 274 Bethany Road in 2003, Giglio said it needed a lot of work. As the owner of a construction company, Giglio had no problem converting the attic into a second story or remodeling the kitchen.

While traveling in China in 2008, Giglio noticed many roofs all over Beijing were covered in solar arrays.

“They are so conscious of not wasting anything,” Giglio said.

When he got back to the states, Giglio went back to school to get certification in renewable energy construction. His first project – his own home.

Giglio installed solar panels on the roof of his garage, a wind turbine in his backyard, and a solar hot water heater on the side of his home.

For the first time since they were installed, Giglio turned on the solar panels and a wind tower last week.

Although Beacon Falls doesn’t have any specific regulations regarding wind generators, Giglio said the 40-foot tower is within town code for setbacks and height.

“That’s just common sense,” Giglio said.

On a recent Friday afternoon, the wind was blowing hard and the blades were spinning faster than the eye could follow. As the wind died off, the blades slowed, making a deep humming sound as the poll rattled. Giglio said he had to fix that by putting rubber in a space where to parts of the poll meet. Giglio said his neighbors can barely hear the noise, and haven’t complained.

“All my neighbors have been great,” he said.

Giglio expects the solar array to provide most of the power, about 2,000 kilowatt hours per year, while the wind turbine should generate about 1,100 kilowatt hours per year. Giglio estimates that he uses between 3,800 and 4,200 kilowatt hours of electricity per year.

“In theory, this should be enough to cover me for the year,” Giglio said.

The system feeds excess electricity back into the grid. At the end of the year, if Giglio produces more energy than he consumes, Connecticut Light and Power will pay him a wholesale rate for the extra energy. However, Giglio said he’s just trying to break even.

“That’s good enough for me,” said Giglio, who added his main goal is to be carbon-neutral.

After state and federal rebates, Giglio said he invested about $3,500 in the solar panels. He expects to make that amount back in energy savings in three to three-and-a-half years.

Of course, Giglio installed the solar panels himself, with the help of an electrical engineer just to hook the setup into the grid. Most people would probably hire someone to install the panels, which can cost more money, Giglio said.

Despite the popularity of solar panels, Giglio said the unsung hero of the solar industry is solar water heaters. He said his solar water heater saves him one tank of oil per year.  He said solar water heaters retail for about $6,000 to $7,000.

Between February 2009 and December 2011, the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund handed out nearly $3.8 million in residential rebates for solar heaters, according to the fund’s website. Rebates are based on annual thermal output. A new solar thermal program with even higher rebates is expected to be announced in February.

To the editor,

Our first December in office was busy and productive, filled with meetings, appointments, and visits with the many citizens who stopped by Town Hall. As we settled into our new routine, getting to know all of the town employees, we also made it a priority to acquaint ourselves with each town board and commission, attending as many of those meetings as physically possible. A new website, a CERT program, and a town-wide clean-up were all addressed.

The town of Beacon Falls’ website has been without a webmaster since its inception. Under my direction, Ed Groth has been named to fill that position, and the website is targeted to be updated and fully operational by the end of January. Please visit the site often, because the site is intended to foster communication and ensure transparency.

The unprecedented natural events of the past year have made clear the urgency of preparation training. Hurricane Irene was manageable because town staff was available to respond to residents’ needs, but Storm Albert was another matter; emergency personnel had their hands full tending to their own homes and families. Therefore, I will institute a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) program in Beacon Falls. Training will begin during the last week of January, and the program should be up and running by the beginning of February. Please contact Town Hall for more information or to volunteer.

Among our administration’s first challenges was one shared by every municipality in Connecticut — organizing and carrying out a major clean-up after the October storm. I am pleased to state that we sailed through with minimal pain or expense to the town. I am extremely proud of our Public Works Department and grateful to the citizens who stepped up and took on this challenge.

In the past, Beacon Falls would take estimates, hire a contractor and wait for a 75 percent reimbursement from the federal government through FEMA. The one FEMA-approved, local (but out-of- town) contractor gave me an estimate of $60,000. We would have had to front the entire bill, and then wait for at least one year for FEMA to reimburse us, at which point we would receive only $45,000. The initial cost to Beacon Falls would be $60,000 to address a winter storm, with the entire winter still ahead of us; the final cost to the town, $15,000. (Beacon Falls is yet awaiting FEMA money from past storms.)

Having run on a platform of small government, fiscal conservatism and self-determination, I found this plan to be unacceptable. Conferring with second Selectman Dave D’Amico, whose area of expertise is public works, and Eddie Bea, the director of Public Works, I ascertained that, partnering with a local contractor, our own town’s employees could incorporate the clean-up within a regular work week. An in-town firm was hired to collect the brush for $9,600; this was accomplished within one week, and the town crew disposed of the brush.

As we enter 2012, I acknowledge that each month will undoubtedly bring its own unique challenges, but I am confident that Beacon Falls will meet each situation with a spirit of unity and excellence. I wish everyone a very happy new year.

Gerard F. Smith

First Selectman, Beacon Falls

James Cormier, owner of Finance, Consulting and Marketing Group in Shelton, or FCMG LLC, applied for the expansion of language in the zoning district on behalf of a group of investors.

The investors, whom he has not identified yet, continue to explore the scope and economics of the project at 36 Lancaster and the properties at 3, 5 and 7 Haviland Drive, Cormier said.

Last fall, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to approve a special exception permit for the expanded uses in the industrial park zoning district.

According to the application, the proposed statement of use now allows for indoor commercial recreation businesses to include any or all of the following: bowling alleys; billiard or pool halls; a martial arts training facility; a physical fitness facility/gym with locker, shower and group training rooms; basketball, racquetball, and handball courts; indoor rifle/pistol or archery shooting ranges; and ancillary classrooms that would serve these uses.

A hearing was held in August, and the commission approved the permit with an effective date of Sept. 5.

The commission during the hearing had asked if this would affect the rest of the industrial park zone, and was informed that it would only add new uses, according to meeting minutes. Cormier said at the hearing that the purpose would be to erect an indoor facility for multiple uses, the meeting minutes state.

In a recent interview, Cormier said the investors are still putting together a proposal, and once completed, they would bring it forward for site plan approval.

The project would be in the area of about 2.3 acres at 36 Lancaster Drive, which is owned by Dr. Sudipta and Bindu Dey, and about 10 acres at the 3, 5 and 7 Haviland Drive properties, owned by Pinesbridge Industrial LLC. That company is owned by the family of Monroe developer Chris Bargas Sr., who is the developer of Pond Spring Village, a nearby age-restricted development.

Cormier said the investors have an option to buy the lots. If they want to expand the project, nearby acreage is available, he said.

The property owned by the Deys was to have been the site of a 5,000-square-foot medical office building, but it has since been relocated and approved for property off Pinesbridge Road.

Cormier said the investors have talked about building the sporting facility in phases, but have not decided yet. Initial plans called for a three-story facility, but it all depends on the economics of it, he said.

This project could be similar to the sports complex on River Road in Shelton, Cormier said.

That complex, called Sports Center of Connecticut, is home to an assortment of uses including miniature golf, golf, batting cages, bowling, hockey, ice skating and laser tag, according to its website.

Kevin McDuffie, former chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission, visits that area four times a week. He said it is always booming, and it would be wonderful to have something like that in Beacon Falls as there is nothing like it in the surrounding area.

“I just think it’s going to bring a lot of activity into this town,” said McDuffie, who served on the board when the new uses were approved. “It’s going to be great for the youth, and older people like us to have something to do.”