easter pg 1 4-14-22
- Details
- Category: Current Issue
Easter Fun
A Putnam boy is dwarfed by the painted Easter Bunny at the Putnam Public Library April 9. The town of Putnam held an Easter event, full of crafts, chocolate, crafts, a giveaway bag, an Easter tree, and of course, the Easter bunny. More photos on page 6. Linda Lemmon photo.
.
state pg 1 4-14-22
- Details
- Category: Current Issue
caption, page 7:
Crane at work at site of fuel oil spill in E. Putnam. Linda Lemmon photo.
Fuel spill work
State
officials:
‘This is
far from
over’
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
E. PUTNAM — Intense work on the March 21 fuel oil spill on Mary Crest Drive continues with an enormous crane added to the equation last week.
The state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) estimated that 25,000 gallons of No. 2 fuel oil leaked from one of the above-ground tanks at the DDC Propane LLC. A very large percentage of the leaked fuel was recovered. While some of the oil was contained within an older containment area with a clay floor, some escaped from the containment area and released to the environment. The total amount of oil that has moved into and through the ground is the subject of ongoing environmental investigations.
Richard C. Swan Jr., assistant division director, Emergency Response Unit of the Emergency Response & Spill Prevention Division of the DEEP, said: “Yes, the cranes have been brought in to remove a group of tanks where the site had the tank failure. This old containment area was made up of cement walls with a packed clay floor. The company is removing the tanks within this area so that the contractor can now get into the floor of the containment area. They will start removing the clay base and any contaminated soils.”
Last week the Northeast District Department of Health (NDDH) said that tests taken the water from private wells in that area have shown “no contamination detected.”
Swan said it appears that the cause of the leak was in the area of the drain plug at the bottom of the tank in question. “It appears at this point that corrosion might have played a part as the plug is what let go.” He said the age of the tanks is still being investigated.
He added that once the tanks are removed, the contractor will be removing the soils from the bottom of the containment area, as well as the sides. “The contractor will dig as deep and as wide as they need to in order to remove the contaminated soil,” Swan said. “There has been what we refer to as an ‘interception trench’ installed between the tank area and the wetlands so as to capture any fuel oils leaching out, before they reach the wetlands. We have done extensive ‘geo probe” work to identify the areas on the property that have contaminated soil. These areas will also be excavated in every direction until we find clean soils.”
Asked what the time frame would be, Swan said it would be “premature to even guess how long this will be going on.”
He said the “current property owners have been cooperative, and want this site clean, as well does our department(s). We (DEEP and federal Environmental Protection Agency) will not be leaving this site until we feel comfortable with the results. We take pride in the fact that when we leave the site, it will be clean as humanly possible.”
He added: “It should be noted that has been a significant event involving a wide range of stake holders that worked together nonstop from the beginning. The property owner, the mayor, the town offices such as the fire marshal, wetlands officer, plus the NDDH, not to mention the members of our DEEP Emergency Response Unit, Kropp Environmental and even the State Emergency Management Division, never took their eye off the ball. This was a ‘team’ effort from day one. The skills and expertise that are still working on this spill are second to none. Everyone continues to work very hard to keep an open line of communication with the public in an effort to be as transparent as possible. This is far from over. I know the NDDH will continue to work with their state partners, in conjunction with the site Licensed Environmental Professional, to ensure those with wells in the immediate area in good hands.”
..
woodstock pg 1 4-14-22
- Details
- Category: Current Issue
Griswold put the Woodstock Academy girls’ lacrosse team in an early hole, a three-goal deficit. Centaurs senior Shannon Gagnon made quick work of that.
Her three-goal flurry in only three minutes in the first half pulled her team back to even at six and the Centaurs responded with a 13-8 win April 9.
The game had to be called with 9 minutes, 47 seconds left to play because of lightning in the area.
The win was the third in four matches for Woodstock.
“There was a lot going on but I’m happy they were able to pull it out,” said coach Mikayla Jones. “This was a great win. We need seven wins to go to States and this is No. 3. We’re making moves this year.”
One thing she would like to see is her team play better earlier in games.
The Wolverines broke out to a 4-1 lead early. Caroline Harris made it closer with two goals for the Centaurs but Griswold upped the score to 6-3.
Gagnon scored with 11:18 left in the first half, added another 1:36 later and a third just 1:23 after that to tie the match at six.
“We didn’t start as strong as we needed to and really needed to pick up the momentum. I really think those three goals in a row really boosted our confidence and we played really well at the end of the first half and in the second half,” Gagnon said.
Sydney Haskins scored the first of her three goals just 40 seconds after Gagnon had tied the game. Griswold equaled it by the half. But Harris scored three goals, Haskins two and Gagnon added her fourth in the second half to give Woodstock the win.
“(Harris and Haskins) picked it up, the whole team did. They knew we had to win this one, that we have no wiggle room. That was the mantra this week, we have no wiggle room,” Jones said.
The Centaurs played two games prior to the win over the Wolverines.
Senior Stella Brin had a stellar match for the Centaurs in a 9-6 win over St. Bernard on April 7. Brin scored five goals, added an assist and recorded seven draw controls. Gagnon added four goals. Senior Sofia Murray made seven saves in goal for the Centaurs.
Earlier in the week, the Centaurs played hard but suffered a loss to Waterford.
Brin and Haskins had the goals in the loss.
Boys’ Lacrosse
A magic number for Woodstock — they’ve won three matches this season.
In each case, it finished with 18 goals.
Such was the case in the Centaurs latest adventure; an 18-12 win over the St. Bernard-Wheeler cooperative team April 9.
The Centaurs (3-1) opened the season with an 18-2 win over Norwich Tech and posted an 18-7 win over Ledyard-Griswold just two days before the win over the Saints.
“I guess 18 is our magic number; the third game with 18-that’s absolutely incredible,” said coach Jason Tata. “The game of lacrosse is high-scoring and if 18 is what we need to get a win, 18 is what we’re going to have to get.”
The key to the offense has been the attack line of Jonah Libby, Zach Gessner and Jared Neilsen. Libby scored six goals in the opener and added five each in the last two wins.
“I know that if we need a goal, we give it to No. 9 and let him go out and do his thing. Jonah is the go-to guy and will be the difference maker. But if we hit a point where an (opponent) is locking up on (Libby), here comes (Zach) Girard or (Jacob) Jurnovoy coming out of the midfield and they have to worry about Gessner and Neilsen too,” Tata said.
Woodstock jumped out early against the 0-3 Saints. Libby scored three goals in the first 12 minutes as the Centaurs built an early 7-2 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Gessner added two goals in the second quarter to help Woodstock extend its lead to seven, 13-6, by half.
The big lead was important as rain began to fall in the first half and conditions on the grass field quickly deteriorated.
“There was no weather when we first got there but the first pocket of rain hit us midway through the first quarter and it poured on us a little. You could see the field immediately turn into a mud bowl; guys were slipping left and right,” Tata said. “We had to adjust on the faceoffs. Every single face off, we were losing points because the X was deteriorating. (Goalie) John (Pokorny) came off the field one time and said the goal mouths were like playing on ice.”
But St. Bernard-Wheeler wasn’t ready to give up. “They made some runs and there was a point that I thought they might be able to take a lead. They did not give in or give up,” Tata said. “Luckily for us, we were able to stave off the onslaught.”
The Saints cut it to four, 16-12, with 3 minutes, 6 seconds to play but the Centaurs put the final two balls in the net for the six-goal victory. Gessner and Neilsen finished with four goals each in the win while Jurnovoy added three.
It may have rained on the Centaurs April 9, but it was a virtual monsoon when they traveled to play Ledyard-Griswold April 7. Fortunately, the game was played on turf.
Jurnovoy joined Libby in scoring five goals in the game at Ledyard while Gessner and Neilsen added three each.
The Centaurs did suffer their first loss of the season April 5 when they fell under the lights to Waterford, 10-7.
It was also the first ECC Div. I match for the Centaurs. “It was nice to see Waterford early in the season. We knew we battled them last season just like we did with NFA, Fitch and East Lyme. We know they’re going to be tough and they will all be challenges,” Tata said.
Gessner and Libby (2 assists) each scored two goals for the Centaurs in the loss. Will Basiliere, Neilsen and Girard also scored.
Boys’ Tennis
The boys’ tennis team went in to the regular season about as cold as the weather was outside. Of course, the Centaurs wouldn’t have known much about that, either, as they practice indoors at the Pomfret School. But there was no chance to get tested under pressure.
“We usually have a scrimmage or two to help us figure out our doubles situation,” said coach Siana Green. The Centaurs didn’t have that chance this season.
Woodstock is scheduled to play only 14 matches this season.
“It’s the least amount of matches we have ever played so the momentum is different, we are used to having two or three matches a week. But I think this is a good thing as it gives us a chance to work on issues we saw in the opening match, continue to work on having the strongest doubles teams possible and it will also give the weather a chance to get a little nicer,” Green said.
The Centaurs opened their season on the second day of the regular season with a 5-2 victory over St. Bernard/Wheeler.
Their next match doesn’t happen until April 13 at Ledyard.
The Centaurs opened with two former doubles players as their top two singles.
Gabriel Viau had a battle with Matt Bottaro of the Saints but persevered and posted a 6-3, 7-6 victory. Viau was down 0-4 in the second set.
Viau has been a player who puts a lot of pressure on himself and normally, wouldn’t function as well facing that kind of adversity. “That was the old Gabriel,” Green said. “I’ve seen a lot of growth. He is able to shake things off, have some fun, learn from his mistakes and persevere.” Viau tied the set and then won the tiebreaker, 7-0.
Joe Zhou, who hasn’t played for two years at the Academy due to the pandemic, returned and posted a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Liam Peters.
“I was very happy to see how controlled Joe was. It’s something he has been working hard on, his consistency, during practice. He has been working on strategy, ball placement, and different strokes. It’s one thing to do it at practice, but it’s exciting to see it happen in a match as you know it has clicked,” Green said.
Jai Abrams also won his singles opener, 6-2, 6-2 over St. Bernard/Wheeler sophomore Zach Kobyluck.
The Centaurs did fall in fourth singles and first doubles but some of the freshmen group helped them in second and third doubles.
The all-freshman duo of Tyler Chamberlin and Ari Abrams posted a 6-3, 6-0 win at second doubles. Freshman Owen Rigney joined sophomore Kyle Pazienza to win third doubles, 6-1, 6-0.
“It’s, sometimes, nerve wracking to see how freshmen do in the starting lineup with the pressure of getting points for the team. They handled it like old pros,” Green said.
Girls’ Tennis: Centaurs singles players spark win
It always makes life easier when the first four players on a tennis court in a high school match walk off with wins.
It means the team, as a whole, has won.
Such was the case for the Woodstock girls’ tennis team when it opened the season at St. Bernard.
The Centaurs four singles players posted victories and, as a result, the team posted a season-opening, 6-1.
“It’s nice when you get a singles sweep. We have that depth and I think the singles should be pretty good,” said coach Keith Atchinson.
Addy Smith won at first singles, 6-1, 6-0; Jackie Trudeau posted a 6-0, 6-4 victory; Sydney Schuler was the inverse of that winning, 6-4, 6-0 and Alexa Fernandez was also a straight set winner, 6-2,6-2.
“There were definitely some nerves,” Atchinson said. “It was the first match of the year and some of them haven’t played competitively since last year. For all of them to get out, hit some live balls against some real competition was good. They were able to work through some mishits, some timing issues and got the rust out in the first sets and they were must stronger in the second sets.”
The team was missing half of its first doubles team so Atchinson had to shuffle the lineup a bit.
Logan Reynolds and Morgan Bentley teamed up at first doubles and posted a win as did Alecia Qu and Peyton Bentley at third doubles.
Woodstock’s match with Stonington was rained out.
The Centaurs do have a match with Killingly scheduled for Wednesday and will then have to play two matches over spring break where they will be missing some players.
One thing working in the Centaurs’ favor has been the ability to practice at Pomfret School. With the weather not willing to warm up, it’s been good to be able to practice indoors.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
captions:
Ready
Woodstock Academy senior Addy Smith readies to return a volley against St. Bernard in the Centaurs season-opening match last week. Photo by Keith Atchinson/Woodstock Academy.
Lacrosse
Woodstock Academy senior Stella Brin (11) wields her way through the Waterford defense in a match last week. Photo by Woodstock Academy senior Bryson Gould.
.
because pg 2 4-14-22
- Details
- Category: Current Issue
The other day I opened the shower door and successfully tossed my empty bottle of shampoo across the bathroom into the small garbage can. Yet, just yesterday, I dropped a paper towel onto the floor, completely missing the wide-mouthed trash bin I was standing over. Aside from feeling frustrated that my aim was so poor, this got me thinking about the frequency with which this occurs. Why is it that I usually hit my target when it is more of a challenge versus missing when the target is very close? As I kept thinking about it, the answer became clear: We hit the targets we aim for and often miss the ones we take for granted!
The shampoo example is a simplified version but, I feel, subtly appropriate. For example, if I aim to complete all of my schoolwork by a certain time so that I can enjoy a weekend away, I do it. If I consider that I will enjoy my weekend away regardless of whether or not I fully complete my schoolwork, chances are that I won’t. Even if I complete nearly all of it, if I have to edit an ‘almost finished’ paper when I return home, I will not fully enjoy my weekend away.
In considering this concept further, I realized that this is also true for our social and personal relationships. When we aim our focus on creating and fostering a healthy relationship, we usually end up with one. Conversely, when we take a relationship for granted, chances are that we miss our goal. A young child never takes for granted that their parent is always there, always behaving in ways, such as crying, which attract and/or require attention. When children get older, especially teenagers, they take for granted that their parents will always be there. Here is when the relationship is most likely to suffer. That is, of course, until the teenager wants something…
And so, this morning, with my newly discovered epiphany, I took an egg, cracked it gently on the edge of the counter and aimed for the hot spot directly in the middle of the pan. Despite my focused efforts, the raw egg spilled out to one side of the pan, leaving a long and quickly crackling streak of white across the entire rim. In my attempt to gently flip the egg over onto its other side while still keeping the egg yolk soft, I aimed my spatula carefully under the widest part of the cooking egg and promptly broke the yoke sac. What the #*#*! Why was this happening? After all, I was focusing my attention and trying not to take my egg-cooking skills for granted by carefully aiming my egg cracking and spatula flipping to the exact middle of the pan and the egg, respectively. And that’s when I realized that I was aiming too high… In order for my theory to work, I needed to remain realistic about what my limitations are ;-)
Score! Score!
Kathy Naumann, possessor of NATURALLY curly hair and the understanding that you can’t control everything!
.