The Plainville
Cit itiz ize en Plainville’s Only Weekly Newspaper
Volume 9, Number 24
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Parade celebrates 125th year of fire company
ered Saturday at Plainville Fire Headquarters, 77 W. Main St., for a memorial ceremony held during the parade celebrating the 125th anBy Robin Lee Michel niversary of the Plainville Fire ComThe Plainville Citizen pany. Also present were members of the Dominick N. Moschini III is 13, the family of Herbert R. Ewald, who was same age his father was when he the first Plainville firefighter to die learned that his own father, Dowhile working a fire; it was Dec. 22, minick N. Moschini 1943, at the ElectroSr. had been killed Plating Company. while fighting a house Grandson Tom Ewald, fire on Timber Hill his wife, Lynda, and Road. The family children, Jake and Nahome was already talie Ewald, and somber the morning granddaughter, Karen of May 25, 1975, after Ewald, said they were everyone learned that surprised to be invita longtime firefighter ed to the memorial and friend, Bruce Bull, A memorial wreath is ceremony for a man had died. “This was draped on the front they never knew. devastating,” recalled bumper of a Plainville Several weeks ago, Dominick N. Moschini fire vehicle. Lynda Ewald, of VerJr., who now is the non, received a teletown’s superintendent of the Roadphone call from a woman who asked, ways Department. “Are you related to Herbert R. More than 30 members of the Mos- Ewald?” chini family — including Rita Moschini, widow of Moschini Sr. — gathSee Parade, page 17
Solemn ceremony honors those killed on duty
Citizen photos by Robin Lee Michel
Plainville Fire Chief Raymond Swanson, left, and Plainville Fire Company Capt. Thomas Moschini Sr., present a memorial flag to Rita Moschini, widow of Dominick M. Moschini Sr. who was killed while fighting a fire in 1975. The fire company parade to commemorate the organization’s 125th year was held June 12.
Rate the ride for bike trail in town By Dan Brechlin Special to The Citizen
For Jim Cassidy, the process has been slow, but he is determined to one day complete his goal of creating a bicycle trail through Plainville. Sunday was just one more step in the right direction, Cassidy said, as he, the Bicycle Friendly Community Committee and the Plainville Greenway Alliance set up Rate the Ride. The event, attended by about 100 people, Cassidy said, was an attempt to determine the best route of two in deciding where the trail will pass through Plainville. “We’re trying to figure out how to get a (bicycle) trail
through town,” he said. “This is done in a lot of places like San Francisco, Chicago and New York so it can be done in Plainville.” Cassidy said the proposed trail is already five years in the making and he is not sure when it will finally be completed — if it even is — but he said the goal is to continue to take the appropriate steps. Cassidy said the event was set up to decide which route would be better and to offer any suggestions as to what could be done to improve the trail, which is on local streets. “We want to know what people liked or didn’t like, if there were too many cars or
traffic or too many left or right turns,” he said. The issues he listed are common complaints from bicycle riders, Cassidy said, and something Plainville riders would come across no matter what. He said he wants to eliminate as much of it as possible by choosing the best route. The routes were suggested by Milone and MacBroom, a Cheshire-based engineering consultant, and put onto a map for riders to follow June 13. Cassidy said hiring the consultant cost $45,000, which was paid for by the state. Right now, Cassidy said, See Rate, page 34
Plainville Board of ed wittles away at budget By Robin Lee Michel The Plainville Citizen Middle-schoolers taking art next school year will see smaller class sizes because Principal Matthew Guarino will forgo having an assistant principal until at least November. Guarino told board of education members at Monday night’s meeting that he would “make it work” if an assistant principal is not immediately hired to replace Assistant Principal Beth Strathy. She is leaving Plainville Community
Schools to take a position as associate dean of the School of Education at Quinnipiac University in Hamden. Earlier in the year, the board of education had approved the 2010-11 budget at $34,409,948, an increase of 2.4 percent over this year’s level. The Plainville Town Council knocked that budget back to $32,689,795, an increase of .75 percent. In subsequent meetings, the school board proposed See Meeting, page 19