Volume 11, Number 14
www.northhavencitizen.com
Friday, July 7, 2017
Summer Life program aids Fire, EMS needs rise special needs students along with Amazon By Ken Liebeskind Citizen staff
Nine new high school graduates with special needs lived on Quinnipiac University’s York Hill campus in Hamden for three days recently to learn independent living skills in preparation for their transition to college or work life. The Summer Life program took place June 27-29.
By Ken Liebeskind Citizen staff
Amazon’s $255 million fulfillment center under construction on Route 5 will pose unique challenges to the fire department, according to the town fire chief.
QU Occupational Therapy professor Karen Majeski oversees the program. She said this is the seventh year for the Summer Life program, a partnership between the QU Transition Collaborative Program and the Cheshire Public School system. “They wake up, make breakfast and learn to manage their time and daily life skills,” Majeski said.
Meanwhile, overall development in town is expected to further increase fire and medical calls. Fire Chief Paul Januszewski said his department has been involved since the inception of the 855,000-square-foot Amazon facility being built on the former Pratt & Whitney complex. Amazon plans to hire 1,800 employees at the outset, but could eventually expand to 3,000 to 3,500. Alex Gordon, a 2017 North Haven High School graduate, participated in the QU Summer Life program June 27-29. | Ken Liebeskind, The North Haven Citizen
See Program, A11
Commission to assist HazWaste cleanup By Ken Liebeskind Citizen staff
Members of the North Haven Conservation Commission will assist the Regional Water Authority staff at its HazWaste Central cleanup effort Saturday, July 8 from 9 a.m. to noon. Simply bring your hazardous waste to the RWA headquarters at 90 Sargent Drive, New Haven, where the waste will be offloaded by professionals.
NHCC member Fran Notaro says, “The organization urges residents to do their part to insure waterways stay clean and unpolluted by safely collecting items for disposal. Look through your kitchen, bathroom, and garage for outdated and unused products that may be corrosive, flammable, toxic or reactive.” Among the items that can be disposed of include aerosols, antifreeze, batteries, latex and oil-based paint, auto repair products, fluorescent bulbs, swimming pool chemicals and
pesticides. A form must be filled out before dropping off items. It can be found at www.rwater.com/products-services/hazwaste-central or is available at the site. Notaro said NHCC members will help the RWA with the paperwork at the event. “The NHCC works for the betterment of the environment in the community in which you live,” she said. HazWaste Central is open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon through Oct. 28.
“We were involved at least 18 months ago in the initial planning phase,” Januszewski said. “We’ve been involved on a weekly basis for a year and a half.” Amazon will install a highly advanced fire protection system. “They took a very proactive approach to safety ... Employees train frequently in the event of a fire alarm and when the alarm is activated, the computers start flashing ‘fire.’ Employees can do no more work and robots in the building go into a safe area. The whole building comes to a complete halt until the situation is rectified,” he said. Even the smallest fire, however, will require dozens of firefighters to respond, said Januszewski. Pratt & Whitney had its own company fire department for medical calls, fires and other hazards, he said. “There are not as many hazards in this building as there were at Pratt & Whitney, which was manufacturing versus a warehouse, but See Amazon, A11