Plainville Citizen 6-4-2009

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The Plainville

Cit itiz ize en Plainville’s Only Weekly Newspaper

Volume 8, Number 23

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Officials seeking bike-friendly town

Ready, set, go!

By Ken DiMauro The Plainville Citizen

Photo courtesy of Shaun Wyman

Gearing up for the Relay For Life of Plainville 2009 are Jennifer Shorette, assistant chairwoman of the local Relay, left, with her daughter, Alexandra Shorette, 5. The two were preparing to march in the Memorial Day parade to promote the 24-hour event planned for Saturday, June 13 to Sunday, June 14 at Norton Park. See page 13 for more Relay information.

Inside Calendar. . . . . . . . . 18-19 Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Marketplace . . . . . . 29-35 Mini Page . . . . . . . . . . 27 Obituaries . . . . . 10-11, 26 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . 12-13 Relay For Life . . . . . . . 13 Schools . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . 21-24

Readers’ Poll: Death penalty or life without parole? Total votes: 77 Death Penalty: 50 (65%) Death penalty depending on circumstances: 17 (22%) Life without parole: 8 (10%) Neither: 2 (3%) No opinion: 0 (0%) Visit www.plainvillecitizen.com for this week’s poll!

James Cassidy, head of the temporary committee that officials hope will put Plainville on a fast track for becoming the first bicyclefriendly town in the state, told the Town Council on Monday that one thing stopped him from riding his bike to the Municipal Center for the meeting. There are no bicycle racks anywhere near the Municipal Center. Cassidy said that is one thing he hopes will change as the group moves forward in its trek to be a bicycle-friendly community. That designation is made by the League of American Bicyclists based on specific criteria. And while the committee has started the long process to achieve that goal, Cassidy and fellow member Julie

Sanders have asked the council to increase the group’s numbers from three to five Cassidy said while the committee has discovered some of the work involved is as easy as riding a bike, other tasks no doubt will be compared to a bumpy road. Cassidy said the $45,000 state grant that is being used to fund a trails study that will be done by the end of September will help in the situation, but he added the town has several goals to ride through, including creating designated bike trails or lanes, promote bike safety, name a project coordinator and commit to enforcement of bike and traffic-related laws. Engineering, encouragement, education, evaluation and enforcement are the main points of the proposed project.

See Bicycle, page 26

State competitor hopes to inspire other women By Robin Lee Michel The Plainville Citizen Meghan Mitchell, who was named Mrs. Plainville in late April, is competing for the title of Mrs. Connecticut America 2009 on Sunday, June 7 in Milford. This is the first step on her journey, which may lead to the nationally televised Mrs. America Pageant. She grew up in Plainville and Bristol, the daughter of Dan Hurley and Nancy Gennett, both who live in Plainville. Her father serves on the Town Council and her maternal grandfather, Robert Irving, was also active in community service through the Lions Club and other organizations. She and her husband, Christopher Mitchell, live in Plainville with their blended family, McKenna Rita, 12, Wyatt Rita, 9, and Erin Mitchell, 8. The Mrs. Connecticut America Pageant is the official preliminary pageant to the Mrs. America and Mrs. World pageants. Participants must be married. The pageant includes

a formal wear portion, swimsuit segment and interviews with five judges. There is no talent component. Mitchell said her talents are relating to people and guiding them in improving their physical and mental outlook, helping them believe in themselves. There is no platform for her to promote. But if there was, one of the causes near and dear to her heart is substance abuse prevention, she said. The Mrs. Connecticut competition recognizes outstanding married women who manage family, home, career, volunteerism and future goals. This pageant system offers opportunities of a lifetime, officials said, including a network telecast seen by millions of people worldwide and a fabulous prize package. Mitchell, 36, said when she was younger she was “an ugly duckling in my own head.” Now, she is confident with herself and is proud to be involved with the Mrs. Connecticut America Pageant, which builds self-esteem, pro-

Photo courtesy of EMR Photography

See Pageant, page 20

Meghan Mitchell


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