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Observer - Southington Library and Museum

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PAGE 6<br />

The. <strong>Observer</strong><br />

An imkpendmt newspap open to Mlparties, influenced by none.<br />

Published by The Step Saver, Inc.<br />

Aatheoy L. Urillo, pre=dent Jennie M. Uril[o, secretmy/tr asurer<br />

Amho J. Ut llo, executive vice president<br />

garcn . Avitabile, cdimr-in-chid<br />

A hur Se ndo, associate editor Kenneth DiMauro, family living editor<br />

News & Editorial Advertising & Circulation<br />

P-O. Box 648, 213 Sl ng S --e P.O. Box 548; 213 Spring Sueet<br />

S,xahmgro CT O6489 <strong>Southington</strong>, CT O6489<br />

CAC AuDrTED CIRCIYI T1ON • pUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY OF THE YEAR<br />

NdT'IONM. NEW APER/I$ gCJATION " NBW ENGL4ND PR 5d.. OCIA'ITON<br />

EDITOI IA $<br />

A big surprise-<br />

Guess what happened while you were sleeping?<br />

The Boston-based office of the U.S. Environmental Protection<br />

Agency r leased it's original media report that a parcel of l<strong>and</strong> off Buckl<strong>and</strong><br />

S --eet is contaminated.<br />

Surprised?<br />

-ifiie We can't say we are totafiy taken back by this latest news of<br />

things that cupid cause us health problems, we must confide that<br />

. .z , never warned the public, the media, nor town offcials that a former<br />

scrap dealer's operation had polluted some l<strong>and</strong>.<br />

Budd<strong>and</strong> Street runs parallel to Old Turnpike Road ... you've heard<br />

_ . -"---- - , uc ,uu u arteries suppuscuty<br />

carried mains from the old l<strong>and</strong>fill to residential water wells m ¥have<br />

also-exttnded beyundto -#here oh er con - nts ."--<br />

Street.<br />

The EPA, however, has sought to calm an already nervous<br />

<strong>Southington</strong> public. It states that the cleanup cost, estimated m probably<br />

be around $850,000, will be paid for by the federal government.<br />

Since nobody has filed a claim to the estate of the now deceased scrap<br />

dealer, the EPA has no other choice.<br />

But how about the dozens of nearby homes <strong>and</strong> the residents, who<br />

for years worried about their health from the l<strong>and</strong>fill? Now, they must<br />

concern tEemselves about a piece of l<strong>and</strong> that a scrap dealer allegedly<br />

used to dump pollutants in order to retrieve valuable scrap metals.<br />

What are the residents of a fairly new residential area off Bucld<strong>and</strong><br />

Street thinking about their water?<br />

There are nun e rous questions that .the EPA has yet to answer<br />

lil why did it'tak¢ s6 lOng'to-discover this prohlemg. VC F w ren't town<br />

officials alerted a long time ago? What's the official health status report?<br />

Is it a sealed conclusion that residents in PlantsvHle are free from worry?<br />

We can't appredate being hit with this surprise after nearly I0 years<br />

of health scares about Old Turnpike Road,<br />

Town officials should dem<strong>and</strong> the answers.<br />

Showcasing <strong>Southington</strong><br />

We endorse <strong>and</strong> applaud the expansion of Briarwood College to a<br />

four-year institution. Besides the obvious benefits to the college, the expansion<br />

will be an asset to the community as well <strong>and</strong> a good way to<br />

showcase what we offer.<br />

A bigger college would attract more students from around the country<br />

which would be a plus to the local economy. Most likely, more students,<br />

who would live in,campus dormitories <strong>and</strong> off-campus housing,<br />

would be spending more money <strong>and</strong> ume in <strong>Southington</strong>, thus getting<br />

to know the community very well <strong>and</strong> becoming a part of it.<br />

In fact, after graduation, many students might get jobs in town or<br />

the area <strong>and</strong> make <strong>Southington</strong> their home in the future.<br />

Briarwood already has plans to build a new library on its campus <strong>and</strong><br />

a maintenance facility-bookstore which could become a resource fur the<br />

whole town. Additional buildings which might be of use to the community<br />

also would be built in the future to accommodate the expected enrollment<br />

increase from the expansion.<br />

Furthermore, residents who may not have seen the Briarwood campus<br />

or attended classes there might become regular visitors if college<br />

sports teams become part of the school's makeup.<br />

How nice it would be to drive down the road <strong>and</strong> see college sports<br />

teams play here. Maybe the college might build a stadium!<br />

The community should be excated about Briarwood's proposed expansion.<br />

It's a win-win for the college, students, <strong>and</strong> the community.<br />

SECOND LOOK "<br />

1HE ERVER,<br />

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 19 6<br />

Superfun d Armageddon is fast approae hing/<br />

The municipal leaders of<br />

our town government are<br />

getting edgy. .<br />

For every elected'o cial<br />

there are moments of gratification<br />

that come with the job<br />

-- like ribbon-cutting ceremonies,<br />

groundbreaHng<br />

emouies, <strong>and</strong> riding in a parade<br />

waving to mi|ing-<br />

But there are also the<br />

other times when municipal<br />

leaders have to face the bullet <strong>and</strong> make<br />

unpopular choices <strong>and</strong> decisions. One of<br />

the most pubhcizcd <strong>and</strong> agonizing time<br />

for councilors is the annual budget<br />

process. Some ta. a ._t .<br />

-with eir vote <strong>and</strong> o - "c ' €<br />

for months.<br />

Now, the nin ;otmcilors <strong>and</strong> the<br />

town manager are faced with<br />

mn s most expensive decision a decision<br />

that cannot be negotiated, compromised,<br />

<strong>and</strong> leveled with any con tious.<br />

this thin called Sdl rfond. I literally<br />

took yea s for the p Elic to comprchend<br />

what aft the f ss was about. Many drove<br />

past the old l<strong>and</strong>fill to ee e=actly the<br />

site that brought the federal government<br />

bn_reaue to tMs s:n ll communi:y.<br />

at they s w did no-:<br />

site didn't alarm them.<br />

them. The<br />

ArtSecondo<br />

Hundreds of newspaper<br />

articles have attempted to<br />

inform the ,taxpayers of the<br />

impending day when the<br />

piper would have m be paid.<br />

Those ex-councilurs know<br />

quite well tha when the day<br />

finally arrived, very few people<br />

would be smiling.<br />

_J _o._b_Q.dy is smiling at<br />

wn Hall today nor Will<br />

they in several weeks when<br />

the EP. s b;I.!!l<br />

It will be an unhappy day for Town<br />

Manager John Weichsei, who in all his<br />

wisdom, could not explain the logic of<br />

the government punishing innocent citi-<br />

Wdichsel knew from the beginning<br />

that once the EPA got its grip on the old<br />

l<strong>and</strong>fill, it would make the Solvents Recovery<br />

Superfitnd site look like a church<br />

carnival negt toqRiverside Park. Furthermore,<br />

it was So]vents Recovery that con-<br />

For almost •dee ,de .-' F¢- -of/bu<br />

ted he ly r.o pn ng th l<strong>and</strong>fill<br />

on the EPA target.<br />

Council Chairman Andrew J.<br />

Meade, a veteran politico <strong>and</strong> town usfive,<br />

lived less than o foot l cld<br />

ftom the l<strong>and</strong>fill when he was a youth.<br />

Meade knows the unfairness of the Su-<br />

r/, manufacturers of yea ago had no<br />

specific place m dump excessive waste<br />

" Cita zeus expe see someh g--- fi m their goads.<br />

horrible. Instead, they visibly were con- No government agency in the 1950s<br />

fronted with normal buildings sitting on addressed the problems of how big <strong>and</strong><br />

l<strong>and</strong> that looks pretty docile. The trees small companies would deal with the<br />

look normal, the grass <strong>and</strong> weeds con- scrap of their success. Products were befinue<br />

to grow, <strong>and</strong> birds inhabit the lOginning m be made with ingredients<br />

acre site.<br />

But the U.S. Environmental Protec-<br />

body could even pronounce. Factories<br />

routinely dumped things in places that<br />

tion Agency sees it differently. The EPA things didn't belong. People changed<br />

was unleashed by the President Carter their car oil <strong>and</strong> left it floating on the<br />

administration in 1980 m seek <strong>and</strong> find ground. People innocently assumed that<br />

sections of l<strong>and</strong> across the United States chemicals dissolved into the ground <strong>and</strong><br />

that are no longer virgin in substance. In went somewhere.<br />

other words, find the l<strong>and</strong> that man has Now, after years of national atten-<br />

saw fit to use as a dumping ground <strong>and</strong> tion, the air we breathe <strong>and</strong> the other<br />

punisl/those ho consequefftiy divvy"<br />

rifled to the point oF " "" "<br />

other things that d6 imt disslp te--or uieoce arid . Superfemi ee ear.<br />

have chemicals inside them.<br />

m set an example at the expense of corn-<br />

paulus <strong>and</strong> towns like Southln ggm.<br />

The hw is mijust, a travcsty easy<br />

career for lawyers, claimed Weib.hsel,<br />

Meade, <strong>and</strong> every council person who<br />

sat in Town Hall for the p st five elections.<br />

Yet, nobody could promise we<br />

would be immune from all this <strong>and</strong> nobody<br />

could predict the final out:come.<br />

I'm sure many politicians figured<br />

the EPA would ha k off <strong>and</strong>_file the dd<br />

Tan-d'flll-'probiem a ay in some government<br />

archive. There was talk five years<br />

ago that the EPA would eventually force<br />

hundreds of companies to pay thous<strong>and</strong>s<br />

m cleanup the dirt. Not too much was<br />

said about you <strong>and</strong> me paying our share.<br />

Nobody paid attention. spire of a'<br />

€on.sLstent news media that bro 8 t the<br />

text that admitte h , was boring<br />

still nobody really cared ... or worried.<br />

By the end of fall, Snnthington taxpayers<br />

will know what tee biIl will be to<br />

cover the dirt on Old Turnpike Road.<br />

Nobody from the federal government<br />

asked your permission. Nobody will<br />

write you <strong>and</strong> taft you they arc sorry<br />

you're paying for sumcone else's environmental<br />

sins.<br />

.' e w;ll h ve to pay millions.<br />

It may not be the $S0 million mentioned<br />

years ago, or even $20 ill-:o , It could<br />

$ million. Whatever the amount,<br />

keep in mind that with your<br />

have already 0onu-ibuted more than $<br />

m/Ilion in fe filet wmt m<br />

vimnmental testing compam ea, ana administrative<br />

custs. A lot of money for<br />

nothing worth bragging abo-t<br />

Weichsel, Meade, <strong>and</strong> each <strong>and</strong><br />

every councilor isn't happy over this <strong>and</strong><br />

they aren't proud of the fact that they<br />

weren't unsuccessful in fighting the EPA<br />

warlord<br />

The insulting part comes when each<br />

of us will be asked m drive to a polling<br />

place m approve the money.<br />

Remember those cliches? Iz's not<br />

over until the fat lady sings, or it's not<br />

over 'til it's over? Well, the lady is hum-<br />

Maybe we shnnld stay home oa veferendnm<br />

day.<br />

Fusco outlines key goals for new legislative tertn<br />

State Rap. Angelo M.<br />

Fusco oudined his key goals<br />

for the next legishnve term,<br />

saying he will focus his attention<br />

on the serious challenges<br />

acing the state with<br />

specml emphasis on the issues<br />

most important to<br />

<strong>Southington</strong>.<br />

"My job over the next<br />

m accomplish for our<br />

he added. =I believe I<br />

have the experience <strong>and</strong> the<br />

p ability to<br />

If re-elected, Fusco, Ridentified<br />

several key at-<br />

: will focus attention<br />

on in the next legislative<br />

term if elected.<br />

two years will be the same as They are: responsible,<br />

at has been "throughout my resp°nsiyelg° responsibi ity"ver which"e in- dfi udea '/<br />

service in the General Assembly,<br />

<strong>and</strong> that is to be a strong advocate<br />

in Hartford for the town of<br />

<strong>Southington</strong> <strong>and</strong> for the people of<br />

<strong>Southington</strong>," said Fusco, who serves as<br />

an assistant leader =n the House of Representatives.<br />

"Make no mtstake about it, I am<br />

running on my record because I am<br />

proud of my record <strong>and</strong> all that I have<br />

preserving programs such as Conn<br />

PACE, welfare reform, <strong>and</strong> continuing<br />

constituent service. •<br />

ff there is one area that I consider<br />

the hallmark of my service in the General<br />

Assembly, it is responding to the<br />

needs <strong>and</strong> concerns of the people who<br />

elected me," Fusco said. =I have done all<br />

that I can to solve every problem <strong>and</strong><br />

answer every question that has been<br />

brought'to me by a €onstimant."<br />

Also, Fusco plans to focus on jobs<br />

<strong>and</strong> education. =As a working man, economic<br />

development has been an ongoing<br />

ptlority of mine <strong>and</strong> it will continue to<br />

be, he sai& '%Ve are seeing signs of recovery<br />

in the Connecticut economy, but<br />

there is" still much more that must be<br />

done. The enterprise zone legislation<br />

that I helped to pass for Southingmn/s<br />

an example of how we have put in place<br />

she tools <strong>and</strong> now must use those tools<br />

m get the iob dnne-<br />

The decisions that will be made in<br />

Hartford in the next term will have<br />

tremendous impact on Somhingmn <strong>and</strong><br />

ira people <strong>and</strong> the town needs a strong<br />

advocate <strong>and</strong> so'ong voice, Fusco said.<br />

=I believe that I have the proven<br />

ability <strong>and</strong> skills m get the job done,= he<br />

added. "<br />

Fraud addressed in legislature; vendor fraud<br />

By STATE SEN. STEPHEN SOMMA<br />

In 1995, Guy John G. Rowl<strong>and</strong><br />

formed a Blue lhbbon Commission on<br />

Welfare m study fraud within Connecticut's<br />

welfare system. The commission<br />

found that vendor fraud (fraud commit*<br />

ted by hospitals, doctors, pharmacists,<br />

year. This first session co-sponsored vendor<br />

fraud legislation in an effort to<br />

We now have a bw on the books that<br />

allows the state to terminate contracts<br />

with doctors, pharmacists, <strong>and</strong> other vendors<br />

convictedof fraud against the state.<br />

The bill, which rook effrct July !,<br />

on rme<br />

sures complement anti-fraud legislation<br />

on the part of recipients by passing legislation<br />

to create a system whereby recilfiants<br />

were fingerprinted <strong>and</strong> were .reqnired<br />

to pick up their chesks in person.<br />

But wo knew welfare fraud went far be-<br />

<strong>and</strong> nursing homes) was more prevalent so increases fines imposed against yen- yond recipiants <strong>and</strong> promised m address<br />

An optimistic future than any other kind. dors who defraad the state <strong>and</strong> creates a vendor fraud in the19961egislative ses-<br />

Welfare fraud committed by vendors special uni within the Chief State's At- sion. We kept our promise <strong>and</strong> now have<br />

who serve the state's pt' blic assistance toroey's Office to investigate <strong>and</strong> prose- a complete welfare reform package which<br />

Kennywood Entertainment has done a good job in making itself program cost the state 12 million last cute welfare fraud. These anti-fraud mea- include all the essentialcomponent<br />

available to community leaders <strong>and</strong> local newspapers in getting the<br />

word out about fi mre plans at Lake Compounce.<br />

Lots of changes are being planned at the 15 l-year-old park which<br />

hopefully will make it flourish once again.<br />

We're glad Lake Compounce opened over the Labor Day weekend<br />

<strong>and</strong> held onto its record of being the oldest continuously-operated<br />

amusement park in America.<br />

Although it was a very brief season <strong>and</strong> limited rides <strong>and</strong> attraction<br />

were offered last weekend, we look forward to an exp<strong>and</strong>ed season<br />

,next year following the upcoming construction of new rides <strong>and</strong><br />

facilities.<br />

But it's nice to see that the new owners are committed to continuing<br />

traditional Compounce rides <strong>and</strong> attractions, such as the carousel,<br />

ballroom, <strong>and</strong> roller coaster, that have become an integral part of the<br />

amusement park. old will be glad when Lake Compounce is once <strong>and</strong><br />

running for longer than a weekend each season.<br />

g the tax issue with <strong>Southington</strong> has<br />

to boost its st<strong>and</strong>ing in the community.<br />

POLITICAL BRIEFS<br />

GOP PIZZA PAR13'<br />

IKIND-IL ISER<br />

The Fusco '96 campaign committee<br />

is having a pizza party fond-raiser at<br />

Teresa Restaurant on Sept. 10from 6 to<br />

8 p.m. Tick. are free for childrun under<br />

12 <strong>and</strong> $10 for aduhs. The theme 0fthe<br />

event is leadership that works. Thlsis the<br />

last evening for a mini va'rati6n raffle to<br />

Washington D..C., sponsored by the Republican<br />

Town Committee.<br />

ANNIE'S<br />

A day of co mty Western entertainment,<br />

called Annie's Ho-Down, spnntared<br />

by the Rep0blican Town Coinmittee,<br />

will take place on Sept. 14 fram 3 to<br />

7 p.m. at the home of Ri.ckanl <strong>and</strong> Margo<br />

Montagoe, 504 Kansington Road.<br />

For tickets, call Ann D<strong>and</strong>row, at<br />

621-5660, Edward Pocock I 276-7916,<br />

or Jo]m T. Nugcot, 621o1550. Th.ere b a<br />

cost to attend. A full buret, mime, <strong>and</strong><br />

beverages will be avai le. Music will be<br />

provided by disc jo 'y Cadillac Seville<br />

from WATR-AMD20 in Waterbmy.<br />

study ofAmetic t lam protecting peo'ple<br />

D<strong>and</strong>row joined other C.onne ti /R<br />

adrocates for the disabled at a lun di n<br />

on July 7, 1995. He has resl omibili .for<br />

DANDROW A .OMES eP.JIISH all disabmty L - s, indn ihe'<br />

OFFICIAL STUDYING DISABIUIY try D nmmauoft Bill.<strong>and</strong>,the<br />

ISSUES tionof/ll Bdtisli __.gp € nm eh p0lld s or<br />

StateRep. Ann P. D<strong>and</strong>row/ lonle- - dlsabled-pcople,-H6 - of<br />

time advocate for the disabled, recenfl-y disahility-related/benefit ' tnff-:llt.¢, n<br />

tar who was in Cunnecticut as pgrt of his be efi ahd homlng im

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