Stanley page 1 8-1-13

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caption, page 1:


Honored
J.P. Bergeron, recipient of the first Stan Lesniewski 10th Player Award, is flanked by coach Paul Faucher, left,) and John Lesniewski, who presented the award in the absence of his father. Courtesy photo.


captions, page 7:

Honored
Mike Thienel, recipient of the Coach Tom Auclair Outstanding Player Award with his coach Paul Faucher. Courtesy photo.


Award Winner
Tim Cutler receives the Rene “Doc” Desaulniers Award from Coach Paul Faucher.  Cutler was TriTown’s leading hitter and ace relief pitcher. Courtesy photo.

Stanley
Lesniewski
10th Player
Award started
By Ron Coderre
A major announcement at the TriTown American Legion Post-Season Banquet July 26 was the unveiling of a new award.  The Stan Lesniewski 10th Player Award is named after the Thompson resident who’s dedicated his life to baseball and the young people involved in the game.
Lesniewski was a coach in the Thompson Little League system for many years, working on both the Little League and Senior League levels.  He later moved on to a career as a baseball umpire on the Eastern Board of Approved Baseball Umpires.  During his time as an umpire he was honored by being selected to officiate CIAC State Tournament and American Legion State Tournament contests.  He is an active member of the TriTown American Legion Baseball Executive Committee.

The recipient of the first award was TriTown catcher J.P. Bergeron who was selected for the job he did in solidifying the catching position for the team.  Bergeron caught every inning of every game in 26 of the team’s 27 games.

According to coach Paul Faucher, “J.P. is very smart and always works hard to improve his game.  He has a great feel for the game.”

The Rene “Doc” Desaulniers Distinguished Player Award went to outfielder/relief pitcher Tim Cutler, who batted .320 this season and led the team in hits and also served as coach Faucher’s closer.  A graduate of Woodstock Academy, Cutler is headed to the United States Navy in early 2014.
Mike Thienel was the recipient, for the second year in a row, of the Coach Tom Auclair Outstanding Player Award.  Thienel, who is headed to Eastern Connecticut State University, was TriTown’s “best all around player” according to Faucher.  He posted a .300 average and an ERA of 2.82.  He led the team in extra base hits and runs-batted-in.
The Executive Committee presented awards to Josh Malboeuf and Garrett Ponte.  Malboeuf, who is going to Keene State University in September, was a mainstay of the pitching staff as well as playing anywhere he was asked by the coaching staff.  He pitched five complete games in his six starts.  Ponte posted a .309 batting average, while emerging as a solid pitcher.  He will be attending Roger Williams College in the fall.

Nicholas Foucault, a product of Putnam High School, was the recipient of the Joe Lindley Most Improved Player Award.  A pitcher/shortstop, Foucault pitched three complete games in his five starts for the Jr. Team.  He posted a .388 batting average.  According to coach Dan Durand, “Foucault has a positive attitude and competitive spirit.”

The Louis Francis Bates Memorial Award, which was endowed to the TriTown Program by Bates’ children, was presented by Shawn Bates to Kyle Tyler.  A Woodstock Academy product, Tyler served as the Jr. Team Captain.  He led the team in batting (.438), slugging percentage (.833) and extra base hits.  Tyler was “nearly perfect on defense at first base.”
Plaques were presented to Posts #13 Putnam, #67 Thompson and #111 Woodstock for their sponsorship of the program.  Team mother CherylAnne Carignan was recognized for her work in coordinating off-field activities for the team throughout the season.

Firehouse pg 1 8-1-13

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Future Home of Firehouse
This is the parcel on Route 44 in East Putnam that will someday be the new home for the East Putnam Fire District's new firehouse. Putnam Town Crier file photo.



By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
E. PUTNAM --- State Senator Donald E. Williams Jr. is stepping in to help the East Putnam Fire District find more state funding to help build the district's badly needed new firehouse.
A request for $500,000 in state funding was turned down.
State Senate Pro Tem Williams, who recently toured the 50-year old inadequate firehouse on Rt. 44, pledged to help the district find more state funding.
Williams, a long time advocate for the new firehouse efforts, said while he is disappointed the town did not win STEAP funding for the project, he is "committed to working with the town and the delegation to identify possible funding sources."
The town last year had submitted a $500,000 request for a Small Town Economic Assistant Program (STEAP) grant on behalf of the East Putnam Fire District.  It was turned down.
Meanwhile U.S. Congressman Joe Courtney, 2nd District, last year garnered a $3.3 million low-interest loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development , for the $4.6 million project.  Town Administrator Douglas M. Cutler said the grant money would come into the town’s coffers and then the town would distribute it to the East Putnam Fire District.
The way USDA low-interest loans work, Cutler said, is that the East Putnam Fire District, using temporary borrowing, builds the fire station and then receives the USDA low-interest loan.  When the town looks for temporary loans, it uses a financial expert to create a request for temporary borrowing, a bond authorization. It could be similar a bid request or a negotiated plan. The district would be looking for the best loan deal, low interest, good terms. That is the funding that would be used for construction. When the construction is finished, the district pays back that loan with the USDA loan and the USDA loan is repaid over a long period of time, perhaps 30 years, at a low-interest rate.
The 13,062-square foot station would be built on 21 acres west of the current fire station built in 1955 on leased land on Rt. 44.  The existing fire station contains 3,132 square feet of space, with major deficiencies that cannot be addressed as it sits on a piece of leased land. The district started saving money for the project — “whenever that day came” — around 2001, Fire District Board President Douglas Cutler said. Thus far, the district has spent about $450,000 on buying the 21 acres further west on Rt. 44, including costs and another $30,000 on an architect’s advice and design work. He said they are finishing working with the architects and engineers on construction documents and that work should come to about $185,000. So between $650,000 and $750,000 will have been spent thus far.

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Then and Then pg 2 8-1-13

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Then
This is the fifth district school in Putnam in the late 1800s. Putnam Town Crier file photos.

& Then
This is the same school a few years later.