The Week That Was, That Week That Will Be

1. The Week in Review: First thing we learned this week is that Waterford is really good at baseball and softball. On three consecutive days, the 9-10-year-old Waterford South Little League All-Stars won the , the 13-14-year-old softball All-Stars advanced to the and the . Pretty impressive.

And as baseball season came to a close, election season began. Wednesday night, the Republicans held their caucus for the Nov. 8 local election and nominated . The Democrats nominate their candidates Tuesday, and then the races begin.

At the Republican caucus, First Selectman Dan Steward said he had heard the Democrats did not have a candidate to run against him, although he would not be sure until Tuesday. Patch has interviewed several influential town Democrats, who refused to comment either way. , meanwhile, has filed paperwork already and will run for the top post as an independent candidate. Patch also interviewed , if elected. Steward said regionalization would be his biggest priority, and reflected on what he learned in his six years as the town’s leader.

In other news, Borders . The bookstore chain has two stores in Waterford, both slated to close. However, there are new reports that Books-A-Million, another bookstore chain, in Waterford Commons.

The Department of Consumer Protection made headlines this week in a variety of news outlets for conducting a sting at . However, some people questioned why DCP used a sting operation instead of some other method, and wondered if a gardener, for example, would need a home improvement license.

, Superintendent Jerome Belair was reviewed by his nine bosses on the Waterford Board of Education. The group was pleased with the new superintendent, who has been on the job for just six months, and extended his contract another three years.

“I don’t think any of us have any doubts,” education board Chairman Don Blevins said.

Some real positive news came from the animal shelter, when two dogs abandoned by the side of the road have now . Also, the Waterford Shellfish Commission asked , people responded to the and (which apparently is the most controversial issue since the Nixon resignation).

Finally, an article ran on . Patch once interviewed former Clark Lane Principal Michael Lovetere, who had Lyme disease, which he said lasted almost a decade. Lovetere is a former race car driver and an avid bicyclist who keeps himself in top shape, and still found the tick-caused disease to be at times completely debilitating. Deer ticks, which carry Lyme disease, are extremely common in the area, and one bite can have major effects both physically and even psychologically, so be careful.   

2. This week in weather: Big, big news in weather: starting today, the heat wave should end. The highest high of the week is a perfect 83, with the lowest high at 74, so just a beautiful week of weather. Thunderstorms are expected Saturday evening, although other than that the entire week should be clear and warm.

All information used in this report is from the Weather Channel.

3. This week in Government: As mentioned, the Democrats hold their caucus Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Town Hall. The big question will be if they run an opponent for first selectman, or even go to the other end and endorse Steward, a Republican. Additionally, Don Blevins’, Sheri Cote’s and Jessica McLaughlin’s terms are all up on the board of education; and George Peteros’, Roz Dupuis’ and J.W. “Bill” Sheehan’s terms are all up on the board of finance. Peteros has already said he will run for the Representative Town Meeting instead, and Sheehan told Patch that Dupuis is not running again either.  Also, all members of the RTM are up for re-election, as the term is just two years.

On Monday, there is a special meeting by the board of finance to finalize last year’s budget. It appears the town overspent its budget by $180,000, largely because the state gave the town a after the town’s budget had already passed. Additionally, the town budgeted $2.05 per gallon for heating oil, but the town spent over $3 a gallon for heating oil (not to mention gasoline). The board of education helped offset the deficit somewhat, returning more than $200,000 to the general fund, but not enough to avoid going over. So, the board of finance will have to determine how to handle the $180,000 cost, most likely taking the money from the general fund.

4. This week in schools: There is some interesting news coming out of the Waterford High School building project.

Tuesday evening, the school building committee will vote on $509,257 on extra work. , school building committee chairman Alan Wilensky said the architects of the project, JCJ Architecture, did not include several items in the plans that were either “blatantly obvious” or “horrendously embarrassing” if they were not done. JCJ has since gone back and added these items, adding at least another $509,257 to the project.

Originally, because of the down economy, bids on the project came in $5 million under budget. This $500,000 will add to that, but overall project should still remain under the $67 million originally slated it.

5. This Week For Youths: Another free concert will be put on by the Waterford Recreation and Parks Department at Waterford Beach Park on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Last week my sister brought her 2-year-old son, William, who had a great time. People were dancing, singing along and enjoying the breeze off of the water. So, if you need something to do this week with your children, Patch recommends the free concert.

Quote of the Week

“The more you reason the less you create.”

-Raymond Chandler

Trivia of the Day

Does Waterford have more registered Republicans or Democrats?

Friday’s Answer: Waterford’s five fire companies are Quaker Hill Fire Company, Goshen Fire Company, Jordan Fire Company, Cohanzie Fire Company and Oswegatchie Fire Company.