www.towntimes.com
Volume 23, Number 38
Friday, February 16, 2018
Durham water plan advances
Snow tubing at Powder Ridge By Pete Paguaga Record-Journal staff
Tucked away to the side of the ski trails at Powder Ridge Mountain Park and Resort, hides a six lane snow tubing area.
By Lauren Takores Town Times
“A lot of people say we have one of the fastest and smoothest courses, the kids love it,” said Nick Cugno, snow tube operator. “At first you go down a little slow and then you hit a bump and you get that pit in your stomach and then you just fly, it’s a great feeling.”
The Durham-Middletown water purchase agreement received its final needed approval Monday from the Durham Board of Selectmen.
The snow tube park is open from Wednesday to Sunday throughout the winter. “We test these lanes a lot and now five years in we have a really good idea on how to run it safe,” said Tom Loring, training center director. “The mats are out here to slow it down, we switch it Garetson Curtis, 12, of New Haven runs towards the conveyor belt after going up with hard shell bottoms and soft down the tubing slopes with his friend David Carroll, 12, of Branford. shell bottoms to make sure no one’s Richie Rathsack, Record-Journal going all the way up the return wall.” The course is open to all ages. “There’s no skill required you just have to stay on the tube,” Loring said. “The (only) real requirement is they have to ride alone, we don’t allow two people to ride in the tube. They have to be able to hold on to the tube.” Powder Ridge is shaking up its Friday night snow tubing experience with “Interstellar Friday.” The lanes and
tubes will be laced with lights. “Colored lights in the tubing area,” Loring said. “We’re going to pump up the music to make it a little bit more interesting and a little more fun.” ppaguaga@record-journal.com 203-317-2235 Twitter: @PetePaguaga
Middlefield appoints finance panel members By Lauren Takores Town Times
board, two representing Durham and two representing Middlefield.
Two more members have been appointed to a joint finance committee of Regional School District 13 and its two towns.
Middlefield’s members, recommended by First Selectman Ed Bailey and approved by town meeting on Monday, are Jim Irish and Marie Benedetto.
Durham’s and Middlefield’s selectmen requested in December that the school board form a finance committee to address the impact of the state budget. The committee will have eight members; four from the school
Irish is the Board of Finance chairman. Benedetto is a certified public accountant. Their terms will run through June 2020. Durham selected its members on Jan.
29. The school board was to act on recommendations for appointment on Wednesday. Check myrecordjournal.com for updates. The school board voted 5-3 in favor of the request at its Dec. 13 meeting. The school board has a committee devoted to managing school finances, the Educational Resources Committee. LTakores@record-journal.com 203-317-2212 Twitter: @LCTakores
The conversation will move from planning and design to bidding and construction, First Selectman Laura Francis said. A communication plan is slated to be announced next month, after the water project team meets. A new water main will bring clean water from Middletown to properties in the Durham Meadows Superfund site, plus homes that represent a buffer in an area where the contamination plume would most likely migrate. The plan is to install a water tank in Middletown on Cherry Hill, near Talcott Ridge Road. The water main will run down Route 17 into downtown Durham and connect to the existing water main at the Durham center booster station. The Environmental Protection Agency will fund 90 percent of the project and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will cover the rest as required by the state Superfund contract. Edward Hathaway, of the EPA New England Region and project manager for Durham Meadows Superfund site, said the EPA expects to go out to bid on See Water, A2