Volume 8, Number 46
Your Town, Your News
www.northhavencitizen.com
Friday, Februar y 13, 2015
School budget presented to Board of Finance By Ken Liebeskind
ditionally grants school budget requests, but last year trimmed a 3.7 percent inSuperintendent of Schools crease to 2.3 percent. This Robert Cronin and director of year the board initially critbusiness and operations Kris- icized transportation intine Carling presented the creases of 8 percent to 2015-16 budget to the Board $1,504,932 that the schools of Finance on Feb. 7, request- may reduce before making a ing a 3.5 percent increase. final budget presentation. Richard Monico, chairThe budget request of $49.7 million represents a $1.6 mil- man of the Board of Finance, lion increase from the current praised school officials. “They budget. The Board of Finance traSee Education / Page 2 The North Haven Citizen
Yaccarino seeks to amend affordable housing statute By Ken Liebeskind The North Haven Citizen
The status of the 8-30g affordable housing statute that has frequently been used to prompt court decisions to amend the denial of North Haven housing applications was the subject of a state Housing Committee meeting Feb. 5 at New Haven city hall. State Rep. Dave Yaccarino spoke out about the need to modify the statute to protect North Haven from lawsuits. “Affordable housing is a noble cause, but most people agree that 10 percent across the board doesn’t work,” he said. “Only 31 out of 169 towns and cities in Connecticut comply and most towns are in the 2 to 4.5 percent range.” North Haven is currently at 4.7 percent. “I think home building is important for the economy
but if we use the rest of the land in North Haven, we won’t meet the 10 percent requirement. We can never get to that point.” Yaccarino suggests a tiered system based on the density of each town that could range from 5 to 12.5 percent. Rural towns would have the lowest requirement, suburban towns like North Haven would be next and large cities would be highest. Cities like New Haven and Hartford already exceed 10 percent so they wouldn’t be impacted but North Haven could take advantage of the new requirement. Many criticize developers for bringing lawsuits under the 8-30g statute against towns like North Haven to have their projects approved, but Yaccarino doesn’t share
Marianne Melucci presents Roxy at the Eukanuba Championship in Orlando.
Roxy’s ready for Westminster dog show By Ken Liebeskind
The breed competition will be held at Pier 92 on the west side of Manhattan at 11 a.m. If she wins the breed conRoxy, the trim Scottish terrier from North Haven, test, she advances to the telewhose official American Ken- vised group competition at nel Club registered name is 8 p.m. against 30 other terriCh. Firehearts Over the Rain- ers. The winner of that event bow, will compete in the 139th competes against six other annual Westminster Kennel group winners for Best in Club Dog Show in New York Show. “The odds aren’t grand, City on Feb. 17. Roxy will be competing but we’re excited she’s been against more than 3,000 dogs invited,” said Roxy’s owner for Best in Show and will Michael Sacchetti. “It amazes make it to the televised event us what she’s done, the wins at Madison Square Garden if she has. She’s almost a grand she can beat 15 other Scot- champion and she’s only ties in the preliminary breed 3-years-old.” Roxy won Owner Handled See Statute / Page 2 competition. The North Haven Citizen
Best of Breed at the AKC/Eukanuba Championship in Orlando in December and was third among all terriers. Roxy also participated in the First Company Governor’s Foot Guard Athletic Association dog show in West Springfield, MA on Feb. 7 and 8. She has also been invited to participate in the Crufts Dog Show in England, which bills itself as “the world’s largest dog show.” When asked how she prepared Roxy for Westminster, Marianne Melucci, the See Roxy / Page 2