II - Southington Library and Museum

Tramluillo. . ....
(continued from page !) "In order to obtain thee $3.5
tant's position.
"Then cost to hire an assistant
for a two-year period at a
base salary of $45,000 pins
$1S,000 f benefits isSt20,O00,"
he said. "rl e town can realize a
savings ofa. ,us $80,000 over that
pea'ied by hiring an assistant."
Tranquillo said, "Obvionsly
the assistant town engineer can also
provide additional design services
on minor proiects as well as
bettor efficiency of existing per-
Tranqnillo fu her sought to
sofidify his argument by pointing
out that a $1 million pump station
needs to be constructed this year
million grants for both Laning
Street and South End Road, we
need to do the necessary design,"
Tranquillo said in his report. "If
the design in done in-house, we
are able to save significant monies
as well as have better control of
the design process."
The vice chairman of the Finance
Board, Philip Pomposi,
said the panel had discussed the
request at a lengthy meeting recendy
but, that no action was
taken.
Pomposi said if the town hires
an assistant engineer, it will not be
able to release him after the projeers
are enmpleted. There
should be more accountability at
could be designed by his office departments in Town Hall and
cost the town about $100,000 time is counter to the message
which can be saved with an assis- we've sent the taxpayers this bud-
. ]he Observer, July 4, 199_6
as the group handed over its sugastions
for several new zones
ong the thoroughfare to the
Planning and Zoning Commission.
The two.hour meeting,and
public hearing sought to "gain
some last-minute opinions from
residents and business owners, but
only three residents tendered
some advice to the study group.
Joe palfini, of 95 West Pines
Drive, said that although he apprec/ated
the several months the committee
has ut into the study, he
hoped the group would consider the
needs of,the people whoop.re trying
to make their home near West
Street, and not st those who aro
_n / g to property.
Fred Serafino, chairman of
the study group, said the report
would be turned over tu the PZC
W Oe8. of committee the enm hashed , outno many g dif- the
* • ferent ideas and some he thought
-- - - would make a difference in the fo-
(continued from page I)
•
be cut. Town Manager John Weieb_
..! advL'- d the fibrary boa
Just Murphy's opened in May on Ouee, Street where Conti's Res auran! hod been Iocaled. #.. , L c tare of the street from the Bristol
line toJude Lane.
the summer as in previous years,
Howe-€ -, :n vm.r - -dfied
that u i,'on people could not be
d-offwhile noo-unmn employ- R .
. k " --a a,wa. ,
g g*gg
,-
"
A _ , ,e-
[] g E-
,-
. ,
- w = .
rg' ' ' ' ' ba
Serafmo and two other mem-
Michad Riecio and Franas
still have m come in to work even The Lthrary Board and the
when the fibrary L% dosed. "The
behind the scenes work still needs
to get done," Brown said.
The director said that the
real cost savings from the layoffs
and reduced hours has not been
determi_ned yet. Employees and
the pubhc wiff feel the impact
from the toss of the pagm, she
stud, while patrons will be the
most deeply effected by the reduced
hours.
%Ve will know the impact
betm" in a couple of weeks,
Brown said.
Library officials had announced
that redncuons in hours
and personnel were inevitable because
budget funding was not restored
by the Finance Board or
Town Council. Seven union employeea
had received notification
last month that their hours would
Mistake...
(continued from pagn I)
The malor adjustment was ordered
by the state Depamnent of
Environment ProteeUon last year.
John DtGioia, water pollution
control plant supervisor, told The
Observer that when the foundation
was poured, it was for the
wrong system. If the 4000 system
had been |nsmiled, the ulttavtolet
bulbs would have been underwater,"
he said.
Town Council members are expected
to reee/ve a report from the
town manager at Monday evaning's
meenng about the suuanon.
Town Manager John Welchsel
said he did not want to comment on
specifics until he met w th DiGiola
and engineers from Weston-Sampson
of Massachusetts, the firm
which des|gned the roustruction.
However, DiGioia pointed
out that plant furcman, Rick
Golf ran__ e
(continued from page I)
stream which allows for fishing
and drinking. With 120 cars in a
parking lot adjacent to the wetlands,
the runoff could impact the
river, he said.
Others were concerned about
the |mpact the 45-foot hghts
would have on the surrounding
areas. Rosemary Silkman said the
area would also be disrupted by
the building process.
Denorfia told comm|ssioners
that the land wall eventually be
developed and thin will be the a
good use of the area. The attorney
explained other uses of the I-2
zone could be umd for storage,
drilhng equipment, blasting business,
a power or sewage plant,
garbage facility, asphalt business,
or drop forges. Denorfia said the
golf range would be "environmentally
sensitive" and the most
ompatible use."
The traffic study which was
,ubmitted to the town will be re-
the next meeting. It was s ggested
that an appraisal of the effect on
he.by property values be cotopleted
and submitted as well. The
town manager met m execunve seasion
to discuss the issue and budget
during a meeUng in june. They
then handed down the de" on that
the non-ninon employees would not
be cut but redueaons would be
made m other areas.
q' n approved 1996--97 lib ;-y
budget is about $37,500 less than
the 1995-96 budget which ended
on June 30. Library board members
have requested a meeting
with the finance board to discuss
emergency appropnanons but no
date has been set.
If necessary, the Library
Board could go m the Town
Counc|l and appeal fur additional
funding. Several councd members
have .toted that they would support
re,ca ,ng some funds to the
library so that it can retain its normal
houri.
leronimo, spotted the mistake.
The supenntendent added that
the fuundanon will have to be
torn down and rebuilt at least 5feet
higher
Welchsel said the town s
Iookang to have the engineers pay
the $90,000 because of incorrect
design and mod|ficanons. I expect
them to pay fur those th|ngs
wfuch were prec|pltated by the
engineer's error," We|chsel sa d
No matter what happens later,
the town is responsible fur the
work to the R. H. White Contractors.
Town Attorney David Kelley
sent a letter on behalf of the town
to Weston-Sampson stanng they
are holding the engineers responsible
for the error
Welchsel said DiGIma wdl be
at Monday's meenng to explain
the sttuanon However, the manager
said. the town may have to
share most of the cost.
project would have to receive wetlands
commission approval before
the site plan could be passed.
Town Planner Robert Nerney
and Verderame said several snpolanous
could be placed upon the
speoal perrmt use approval to
limit the development to a golf
driving range
Bnsinessmen Lawrence
Kwiat and Thomas Brown
stud they will be closing on the
property m two weeks. "It's an
improvement," said Brown, explaining
v th the zomng they
would be able to introduce indnstry
to the area.
Kwlat, who Is from Westchester
County in New York sa d he
and his partner are retiring from
the|r investment careers and are
seeking to start a business.
The land offers multiple nses,"
Kwtat and. "I like golf a lot."
He said the facf ts, would be developed
to be a f,m €recreauonal
center. Though there Is m|n|ature
golf, a driving range and golf
courses in the area, Kwlat said,
the Jude Lane fadlity would offer
golf lessons within a practice setring,
a feature not offered by the
other businesses.
fin" The Observer
as a rounder of the F rst Bank of
West Hartfurd, Bill McDougall
hked the dea of being in the
restaurant briskness.
"It's land of m the blood," he
laughed. "My wife's famdy
Greek and owned a restaurant In
New York for 50 years. And we'd
wanted a restaurant/pub for
years."
Come, dentally, McDougall
added, he and his wife, Diana, had
been fans of the Farnungton
restaurant and pub, Murphy ard
Scarletu's
"In fact, ff you had asked me
what hnd of restaurant I was going
to open, I'd have said 'have
you heard of Murphy and Scarletn's
n Farmmgton?' Then we got
the opportumty to buy It."
Since tahng over the operauon
In 199L McDougait sa d, his
team -- mcluthng general manager
Bryan Moffett and execuuve
chef Saul Brown -- have conunued
the restaurant's record of success
Almost mnnedlately, he
added, he started thlnkang of
opening a second restaurant m the
town where he has lived for more
than 20 years.
On May 28. that dream came
true when McDougall and company
opened Just Murphy's at 196
Q cen St What he has there is
far from a carbon copy of the
otagmal restaurant, McDougall
said
We've set forth to estabhsh a
first coustn of Murphy and Scarfeto's
I've always wanted to have a
restaurant that had all fresh food,
ample quantity; the kind of food
that you get at more expensive,
DePaolo
(continued from page 1)
• • •
cluthng Deun Moore, Bruce
Wilhs, and Arnold Schwarzenegger,
DePanfu said his star-struck
atutude has vamshed. "A lot of
these people are nice," he said.
IRRESISTIBLE OFFER
Last year, DePaolo was
wooed away by Fashion World
Co. w th an offer he couldn't
Fashion Care, which had been
the site of a former bank in Rockefeller
Center, opened m April
1995 and is owned by three of the
world's most prestigious fashion
models, Elle MacPherson, Naomi
Campbell, and Claudia Schiffer.
lt doesn't hurt to have gorgeons
besses," he laughed.
More than 85 people work in
the kJtchen alone to create as
many as 2,500 meals each day at
250 tables during the 14 hours of
operaUon. Several theme rooms
make up the restaurant, including
the blonde room, the Pans room,
the runway room, and styling
room. Once each week, fashion
shows are conducted m the runway
romn feamnng such events as
grilled sandw|ches in addition to a
variety of entrees, the menu features
some of the best of Murphy
and Scarlem's with a twist of tts
own, McDougsll stud.
"The salads are particularly
popular, and we have eight different
vaneue of the pub burger,"
he said. "We actually have a children's
menu w th some of these
d|shes too. So you can come tn
and have a full dinner -- and
there's not too many places you
can get a full turkey dinner for
$1095 "
However, he said, mnst popular
so far is the special recipe ribs.
Key to the flavor o 0ae '
ts the effort of Brown, execunve
chef at both restaurants, Mc-
Dougall said.
"I knew Saul when I was in
banlang and he was the head chef
at Wampanoag Country Club in
West Hartford," he said. "As soon
as you walked in the door, you saw
Saul'S spec|als. And they're grnwmg
to be very popular here too.
He has specials that fit the season
"
Seasonal produce is one of his
loves as a chef, Brown said. "We
have here at Just Murphy's a fresh
food concept." he stud "I thrive
on that. And when the fresh produce
comes m, we wdl be buying
from local farms "
"An expert|se of Saul's which
we haven't even ntroduced yet Is
his buffets," McDougall added.
"We're starUng after Labor Day
w th a Sunday brunch buffet from
I 1 a.m. to p.m."
Brown said the bus ness always
wall have flesh fruits and
the finals for Teen Magazine as
well as charity funcUons.
"I don't do as much cooking
as I nsed to, DePanlo said, explaunng
he primarily plans the
meals and creates the recipes. The
culinary selections are updated on
the average of every six months
though some favorite standbys are
ma|nta|ned. Each dlsh is named
for some aspect or person in the
fashion industry, such as "couture
catch of the day and "super model
sorbet."
"We serve a consistent, decent
product," DePaolo said. "We
want to give gnests a good expert-
As corporate chef, he oversees
all kitchen operations, including
purchasing, for all the Fashion
C.afe and Mezzaiuna reslanrants
worldwide. He will be leaving
New York City In August for
three weeks In London where he
will oversee the opening of one of
the newest Fashmn Cafes.
"It's incredible," DePaulo
said, refet ng to the popularity of
theme rest turants. Visitors love to
visit the restaurants becanse they
enjoy the fantasy and excitement,
he said, as well as viewing the
With the atmosphere set, Just
Murphy's s setting its physical atmosphere
to become a community
gathering place. Finding the
spot on Queen Street was a matter
of luck, McDougall said. The
former Midway restaurant and
Conu's had been located there but
Mrs Conu was looking to retire,
McDougall said.
He added that he is particularly
happy with the space. "I
think we're fortunate because this
is on the Southington side of
Queen Street," he said.
Now, wit a 'Complete fadlift
' ' 'ifichiding a'new'bar aril]
hardware floor in it the addltion
of booths to the dining
room, and photos of historic
Southmgton lining the walls,
J.ust M,u,rphy's is r dy to becbme
Southington s meeting
p ace," McDougall said.
"People love fresh food," he
noted, "and I think that we attract
diverse people. We have seniors
who come in early, families who
come m after church, and we're
snll serving thnner at 11 at night.
We have a little bit of something
for everyone "
The pub at Jnst Murphy's features
entertainment Thursday
through Satu'tday evenings. Dining
room hours are from 4 to 10
p.m. Sunday, Tuesday, and
Wednesday, and 4 to 11 p.m.,
Thursday through Saturday.
Pub hours are from 3 p.m. to
1 a.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, and
Sunday; and 3 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Thursday through Saturday. Just
Murphy's is dosed on Monday.
memorabilia such as clothes worn
by Elton John or Jacqueline
Kennedy Onassis. Pcople want
to be entertained."
DePaulo said he loves to travel,
an experience he will be able to
enjoy during the upcoming year.
Restaurants proposed to open
during the next year include locations
in London, Barcelona, Indonesia,
and Manila, with additional
sites being considered in
Paris, Australia, Tokyo, Singepore,
Hong Kong, and Egypt. "I
really want to see these places," he
said.
The Southington native said
he tries to visit his parents as often
as he can, and attended a local
Democratic fond-raiser recendy
held.
"I think it's great my Dad is
on the Town Council," DePanlo
said. "He's doing a .fine job. Heb
not afraid to speak his mind. He's
very far, consistent, and makes
good decisionsY
In the future, the y ..unger
DePzolo said he would like to
open his own concept restaurant
focosing on virtual reality teehnulogy.
color-coded maps showing suggested
zones.
The group has offered the
following changes for West
• Bnsiness zones near the Bristol
line and Welch Road become
Bnsiness Limited Zones.
• Indnstrial I zones off West
Queen and Spring Street be
tended to border West Street. In
addition, the enterprise zone
that allows tax breaks to businesses
would be expanded as
well.
•.Bminem erlay Zones .set,up.
on portiom.of the L,uhastrla t
zone land fltat could be devdoped
as support businesses for
mdnstry, such as dry cleaners,
fine restaurants, and the like.
Bnsiness entities locating would
be asked to be set further back
on their lots to allow for more
green space along West Street.
• The Executive Park and vimnity
would be rezoned and expanded
to Indnstrial 2. No longer allowed
would be tire storage fecilities.
Encouraged would be
research facilities, trade and
computer schools, as well as
tel and conference centers.
• A large area of R-40 (residential
lot with a minimum of 40,000
square feet) would be left near
Churchill Street.
• A-R-12 limited zone would be
established south of Hart Street.
The properties, which would be
developed to 12,000 square feet,
would be for single and two.
family homes, but no condo-
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