Celebrate Earth Day in Seymour

Group to show film, host river cleanup in Ansonia

ANSONIA - The Naugatuck River Revival Group will be at the Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center at 7 p.m. today to show a wildlife documentary, "Welcome to the New Age."

Join Kevin Zak and Sondra Harman from the Naugatuck River Revival Group for their new documentary, featuring beautiful and inspiring footage about the Naugatuck River.
Admission is free; register by calling 203-736-1053.

And from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday join forces with the Ansonia Nature Center and Naugatuck River Revival Group to help clean up Ansonia’s treasure, the Naugatuck River.

A group will meet at the  Ansonia Riverwalk for a morning of rewarding hard work.  Call 203-736-1053 for more information and to register.


This information is taken from the Ansonia Nature Center's calendar.

Help clean up Ansonia Nature Center Saturday

ANSONIA - Spring cleanup and planting day will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center, 10 Deerfield Road.

The center will supply the gloves, plants, and pizza.

Attention: Scouts, youth groups, and student interns - this is a great community service opportunity!
Help beautify the park and get ready for spring.
If possible bring your own garden tools.

Advance registration requested. Call 203-736-1053.


Learn about amphibians
Also on Saturday the nature center will host an Amphibian Spring Sing from 1-2:30 p.m.

Did you ever wonder what makes those beautiful sounds in our woodlands at dusk?

Participate in this free program suitable for the whole family and discover some of Connecticut's fascinating and mysterious amphibians.

Be prepared to get your feet wet as we explore the nature center's vernal pools and get a firsthand look at these slimy critters.


This information is taken from the nature center's spring calendar.

Ansonia mayor expresses thanks for Healey property cleanup

Mitchell J. Levine, Esq.
Nair & Levin, P.C.
707 Bloomfield Avenue
Bloomfield, CT 06002

RE: Healey Ford Property
520 Main Street
Ansonia, CT 06401

Dear Attorney Levine,

I am writing to gratefully thank you for your response in cleaning the property under the control of your client, Ford Motor Credit Company, located on Main Street, Ansonia. Despite transpicuous offers of volunteer clean-ups, you are solely responsible for this clean-up effort.

I have enclosed a photo of the site after the recent clean-up (along with a before photo from local media, The Valley Independent Sentinel). Your client’s work will enhance the entry-way into Ansonia’s downtown City Center providing a higher level of esthetics to residents and businesses alike.

I am confident that this property will become a viable business opportunity within the very near future as interested parties have already provided a Letter of Intent to purchase this site. 
The City of Ansonia will gladly assist any way possible with this transition.

Thanking you for your cooperation and assistance in solving our concerns over this matter.

Respectfully yours,

James T. Della Volpe
City of Ansonia

Below are the before and after photos provided by Della Volpe's office today:
 

This is the before photo taken in August, courtesy of Valley Independent Sentinel.
 

This photo shows the site after it was cleaned up.


This is a press release from the mayor's office.

Seymour Lions promote green initiative, mark Earth Day

Seymour Lions' clean-up crew members pause to pose at Exit 22 off Route 8. /Contributed photo

SEYMOUR - The Seymour Lions Club recently took part in a Lions Green Team initiative to help the environment by celebrating Earth Day at its Adopt-A-Spot located at the bottom of Exit 22 off Route 8 North.
The club’s efforts resulted in a welcoming entrance into Seymour.

According to Yvonne Lorincz, Seymour Lions Club president, “This Lions Green Team project improved the environment and our community at the same time. It exemplifies our ongoing commitment to provide a healthier and safer place to live, work and play.
"Lions thank everyone who contributed to and supported this important effort. You are truly helping Lions make a difference.”

The Seymour Lions Club meets on the second Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. at Molto Bene Italian American Kitchen, 557 Wakelee Ave., Ansonia.
In addition to environmental projects, the club also is having a Meet & Greet Book Swap on May 19 and is starting its Summer Cruise Season May 5.
Lions clubs are a group of men and women who identify needs within the community and work together to fulfill those needs.
For information or to get involved with the Seymour Lions Club, contact Melissa A. Smith Poynton at 203-430- 9356, seymourlions52@att.net or visit “The Seymour Lions Club” on Facebook.

Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest service club organization with more than 1.3 million members in approximately 45,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas around the world.
Since 1917, Lions clubs have aided the blind and visually impaired and made a strong commitment to community service and serving youth throughout the world.
For information about Lions Clubs International, visit www.lionsclubs.org.

This post is taken from a press release from the Seymour Lions Club.

Cleanup scenes from Derby

Mounds of snow block entrances Tuesday to Derby High School, left, and Derby Middle School, right. 

 

Where did it all come from? And there is more in the forecast for this evening.

Worker clears sidewalk in front of Derby Middle School.

Pay loader being operated in the driveway in front of Derby Middle School.


Officials announced Tuesday afternoon that all Derby Public Schools will be closed until Feb. 19. An unexpected "vacation."



These photos of snow cleanup were taken Tuesday by Derby resident April Pruzinsky.

I thank her for contributing them ~ much appreciated.

Ansonia, Derby, and Seymour continue cleanup efforts

By Jean Falbo-Sosnovich
jean.sos@snet.net / Twitter: @nhrvalley


Mother Nature threw yet another nasty curveball to the lower Naugatuck Valley towns in the form of freezing rain Monday, just as the towns are still struggling to dig out from three feet of snow.

In Seymour, First Selectman Kurt Miller said the change in weather Monday made an already-challenging clean-up effort even tougher.

“Public Works crews, as well as several contractors, are out doing the best that they can to plow,” Miller said via his Facebook page. “The change in weather has made the already difficult spots to plow even harder. We are trying to go as fast as possible, but conditions are very challenging.”

“We are bringing in as much additional equipment as we can. No roads have been forgotten. Again, I understand some folks are becoming very frustrated but this is a very difficult situation we are trying to work through,” Miller added.
Miller said to make matters worse the town is experiencing some equipment break downs, which crews are working to repair. Haynes Construction employees have stepped up, using their big rigs to help bail Seymour out.

Miller said neighboring Beacon Falls’ First Selectman Jerry Smith also lent Seymour a pay loader and a dump truck Sunday night to aid in the continued clean-up effort. He also said private contractors brought in are doing a “great job” working alongside the town crews.

Miller said crews are working their hardest to ensure all roads get plowed, even though many residents said via Facebook, they are going “ a little stir crazy” being stuck in their homes.

Miller took some heat for projecting a 6 p.m. Sunday night deadline to get most of the roads cleared, but when the deadline came and went, and many roads still remained impassable, some residents took to Facebook and left disparaging words for Miller.

“At this point, I will not make any projections as to what will or won’t be accomplished by the end of the day as it is too hard to do with all of the outside factors,” Miller said Monday.

Miller reminded residents all town buildings remain closed, and schools will also be closed again Tuesday.

In the area of Chamberlain Road, it was reported that one elderly resident experiencing a medical issue, had to be rescued from her house, via Seymour firefighters and ambulance personnel on foot, because the emergency vehicles were unable to get up the hill.

Ansonia

In nearby Ansonia, city officials said schools and city buildings will remain closed Tuesday and Wednesday. A CodeRed alert issued Monday said while road crews are working around the clock many roads are still impassible at this point.

“Our goal is to open each road by the end of the day,” according to the message. “An open road may mean only one lane of travel. Once all roads are open, we will begin the process of widening the roadways. This is going to take many days to complete the widening of the roads.”

City officials are also encouraging residents to limit their driving to allow road crews to get the roads cleared quickly. Too many cars can also impede emergency response personnel from doing their jobs, officials said.

Also, residents are being reminded the parking ban on all city streets is being extended until further notice, and no vehicles may be parked on a city street. Residents are also being asked not to throw snow into the streets, or face stiff fines if caught doing that.

Lastly, city officials encouraged residents for their continued patience and understanding while the massive clean-up efforts continue.

“This storm has dumped over 30 inches of snow on the City of Ansonia, which is well over the amount of snow that fell in the Great Blizzard of 1978,” officials said. “The City is employing outside contractors to assist with the plowing, and has requested assistance from the State of Connecticut.”

Derby

Derby Mayor Anthony Staffieri said Monday afternoon "our roads are 99 percent passable. We started our snow removal on Elizabeth Street, getting rid of excess snow in key areas as well as the parking lots for the schools,"

"It’s a ton of work,” Staffieri said.

Staffieri urged residents to stop throwing snow on the roads when they clean off their cars.

“They need to put it on the sidewalk or on the grass, not on the streets,” he said. “Some streets that have been plowed look like they weren’t plowed because they have been covered with snow,” Staffieri said, by residents cleaning off vehicles.

On the other hand, he said, many people are helping their neighbors dig out and “doing the right things.”

Staffieri urged people to check in on elderly neighbors. “Meals on Wheels is not operating,” he said, and elderly clients are not getting their food delivered.

Staffieri said people should call the police or fire departments for assistance if they know of any residents who need food.

He said the roof that collapsed on a house at the corner of Third and Minerva streets was “a temporary roof that blew off of the building. Luckily no cars or people were hit by it,” Staffieri said.

Register reporter Patricia Villers contributed to this story.