The Plainville
Cit itiz ize en
Volume 12, Number 28 Plainville’s Only Weekly Newspaper
www.plainvillecitizen.com
The day the Blue Devils got the best of Matt Harvey By Sam Dostaler Special to The Citizen
Plainville High School baseball has a long and storied history. The program has made the postseason 37 straight years and has won eight state championships. For a school to display that sort of dominance over such an extended period of time, it has to beat some good pitchers. Without a doubt the Blue Devils have done that. One win over one pitcher stands out from the rest, however. On May 21, 2007, Fitch High School, led by 6-foot-4 undefeated right-handed pitcher Matt Harvey, came to Alumni Field for a late-season non-conference game. Harvey was the top rated high school pitcher in the country at the time, accord-
www.nypost.com
The New York Mets’ Matt Harvey is one of the top pitchers in Major League Baseball. On May 21, 2007, Harvey, then a senior at Fitch High School, came to Alumni Field to pitch against Plainville High School. The Blue Devils would hand the future Met a 4-1 defeat.
After five and a half years as Plainville’s director of planning and economic development, Mark DeVoe will try his hand as director of planning and community development for Southington. DeVoe began working DeVoe for the Town of Plainville in 1986 as a housing rehab specialist. In 1993, he went to school and got his degree. Before return-
ing to Plainville, he took on economic development roles in East Windsor, Woodbury, and Wallingford, while also working in the private sector. Working in the private sector has its perks, DeVoe said, but he would prefer working with municipalities, because of the transparency, and his ability to represent the public in a positive way. Doing public work, he said, is all black and white, with no messy gray areas. “You know what your duties and responsibilities are,” DeVoe said. “You know you have to be very transparent and really represent the public interest. It’s a lot easier to
Canal ‘monsters’
ing to Baseball America. Most sports fans probably have heard of Harvey, as he is currently breezing through Major League Baseball lineups as a member of the New York Mets. At the time of this writing, Harvey was 7-1 and leading the National League in earned-run average (2.00) and strikeouts (132) in 117 innings, and it is believed he may start in the All-Star game, July 16, at his home ballpark. Harvey came to Plainville just 17 days before the 2007 MLB Draft, where he was pegged as a likely first-round pick. Scouts descended on Alumni Field to get one last look at the high school prodigy before draft day. See Harvey, page 19
DeVoe departs Plainville post, takes job in Southington By Julie Sopchak The Plainville Citizen
Thursday, July 11, 2013
go to sleep knowing that I’ve represented the public interest and that I’ve done it well. And that’s saying a lot.” DeVoe will work with Southington’s economic development director, Louis Perillo, as he takes on his new role. Perillo said DeVoe comes to Southington with a valuable skillset. “What Southington has going on right now is perfect timing with the expertise Mark brings with him,” Perillo said. In Southington, DeVoe’s responsibilities will primarily focus on overseeing land use development in town with direction over the plan-
Photo courtesy of Dan Spisak
Plainville resident Dan Spisak pulled these snapping turtles from the Norton Park canal July 2. Spisak said the turtles, which weighed in at 40 and 55 pounds, were attempting to eat ducks. Spisak returned to the canal July 4 and caught a glimpse of the “granddad of all snappers,” a turtle he estimated to be in the range of 75 pounds. “I have seen the damage that these monsters can do to animals, let alone a small child possibly playing along the bank catching frogs or just goofing around,” said Spisak. “That is why I relocated all three to an undisclosed farm pond 25 miles from Norton Park, away from civilization and preventing something horrible from possibly occurring.” ning and zoning and building departments. Plainville Town Manager Robert E. Lee said DeVoe has left a positive impact on the town and had a great relationship with everyone.
“He’s not just an employee here; he’s a resident as well. So I think he took extra effort to be as helpful as possible to anyone who walked in the
See DeVoe, page 8