F o r I m m ediate Deli very
*****************ECRWSS**** Local Postal Customer
The Granby
Your hometown volunteer newspaper
Volume XLIV, No. 7 • April 2014
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
AVON, CT PERMIT NO. 466
Published by Citizens for a Better Granby
www.granbydrummer.com
FREE
Football scores financial windfall By Kim Becker
Members of Girl Scout Troop 66174 remind voters it is their civic duty to vote April 28. Submitted photo
Vote…because we can’t!!
The Board of Education commended the administration for a thoughtful and goal-oriented budget that comes just under the 2.0 percent increase imposed by the Board of Finance. However, strong disagreement arose about Superintendent Alan Addley’s proposed line item for the Granby football team. The Granby High School Football Supporters Board has been vocal in its insistence on financial equity for the team, asking for $420 per player or $18,900 in the 2014-15 budget. Addley proposed $2,500 for transportation and waiving the $75 pay-to-play fee for the 45-member team for a total of $5,875. In response, the Football Supporters released a statement saying they “disagree with the budget and do not support the same.” Several members of the board agreed with them that too little was allocated. Jenny Emery, Melissa Migliaccio, Mark Fiorentino and Rosemary Weber strongly supported more money for the football program. Emery stated that football “is a
Football cont’d. on p. 6
By Girl Scout Troop 66174 Registered voters of Granby—there is a vote coming up on Monday, April 28 on the town budget. Voters can come between 12 and 8 p.m. to the town hall to vote on the budget. Note that this vote is at the town hall, not the high school where many votes are held. The budget affects everyone. Everyone should vote so you have a say in how the town spends your money. The result of the vote will show how most of the residents really feel about the budget. You can find more information about the budget on the town website, www.granby-ct.gov. So put a reminder on your calendar to vote on April 28—because kids can’t!
Heminway named Granby Republican of the Year Cal Heminway is congratulated by Ed Ohannessian at the 7th Senatorial District Lincoln Day Celebration. Cal was Granby’s Republican of the Year in recognition of his 30-plus years as a member and chair of the Granby Board of Education. Photo by Paula Johnson
Alcohol use in Salmon Brook Park remains an issue for residents By Shirley Murtha In response to the application by the Granby Memorial High School Class of 1964 Reunion Committee for alcohol use in the new Recreation Community Center at Salmon Brook Park, resident Carolyn Flint addressed the Board of Selectmen during the public session of its March 3 meeting. Safety concerns prompted her to ask if there would be more of a police presence in the park during the event, whether the public would be made aware that there was alcohol being consumed by the party-goers, and if the guests would be allowed to drink outside of the building. Selectman Sally King assured Flint that all conditions had been met regarding the application and that it had been examined by the police chief and the town manager. She assured Flint that drinking alcohol is allowed only within the lodge.
Inside:
Granby program and should be funded.” Additionally, she asked the board to consider raising the total increase from 1.9 to 2.0, giving football $14,000. While that idea was rejected, the board redistributed money from the small capital budget to the operating budget to give the program an additional $3,867 next year. Therefore, the overall education budget was amended to give football a total of $9,742 or approximately $216 per player. The $3,867 was reallocated from a failed administration proposal to install cameras and editing equipment in the Central Office to broadcast public meetings at a cost of $35,000 over several years. The administration then wanted to keep the money in the technology area of the budget and use it to lease technology carts with 25 Chromebooks each at the high school, Wells Road and Kelly Lane schools as well as replace aging servers and network switches. The lease for FY 2014-15 would have been $3,867. Ben Perron and Ron Walther disagreed. They felt that in a tight budget year
Later in the meeting, the BOS approved the application, with one opposing vote coming from Ron Desrosiers, citing his continuing safety concerns. The event will take place October 18 from 5—11 p.m. Continuation of long-standing grant applications Director of Human Services KerryAnn Kielbasa requested that two longstanding matching grant applications be continued. The first request is for $28,641, the amount needed to match the State of Connecticut Department of Transportation grant to provide for a full-time senior van driver. The van takes residents age 60 and over to doctor’s appointments, shopping and community activities. The second request was for $3,850 to continue the Older Americans Act grant for the grandparents support group. Meeting BOS cont’d. on p. 5
Beman Hardware expansion
Page 4
Board of Education approves 1.9 percent increase By Kim Becker The Board of Education overwhelmingly supported the administration’s proposed 2014-15 budget. They lauded the document as fiscally responsible and responsive to Board goals developed over the summer. Superintendent Alan Addley faced a difficult task. The Board of Finance de-
manded an education budget with only a 2.0 percent increase while the District had obligations that increased the budget 2.1 percent without any new programming. Through anticipated reduced enrollment, retirements, and job sharing between the middle and high schools, Addley developed a budget that allowed some new programming while meeting salary and benefit obligations.
Granby education cont’d. on p. 6
Sharing to Learn Page 7
Green Eggs and Ham Page 21