Library
shelving
'overdue' but
rest of move
progressing
Town Hall begins move
into Municipal Complex
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — Does moving ever go 100 percent smoothly? Nope.
Just ask the library. Shelving for the new library in the on-the-edge-of-complete Municipal Complex is still delayed. No point moving books if you have nowhere to put them.
The “old” library will close at the end of the day Aug. 25 and they hope to move things in the basement Aug. 26 and 27 to the new library. Then the “old” library will reopen Aug. 30 through Sept. 10. Then “fingers crossed,” according to Putnam Public Library Director Priscilla Colwell, it looks like the library will be moving the week of Sept. 13 through Sept. 17.She said they hope to reopen to the public in the new facility Sept. 20.
On the town side movers will begin moving the Town Hall to its new quarters Monday.
Under the temporary certificate of occupancy, items may be moved in. New furniture for the new Town Hall section of the complex was delivered directly to its new digs.
Town Administrator Elaine Sistare said finishing touches are being done, as is the punch list. “I’m happy, overall, with the process,” she said. Details will still continue to be handled “after we’re in there.” There’s no problem that would keep the town from moving into its new home any later than projected. The old Town Hall is closed for the next couple weeks and they hope to open to the public Sept. 7. An October Open House celebration is being planned.
On the town side, she said, one piece of furniture is not installed yet — a custom-built conference table. The woodworkers are finishing the children’s library desk first — it takes priority. “We can certainly open without the conference table.”
Sistare said some “punch-list items work will continue after we’re in and functioning.” She added that for a period of time if they see something damaged (i.e. a section of rug) they can call for the builder to come replace it.

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caption:

Anonymous Gift
A large hayfield provides nesting habitat for Bobolinks. Photo courtesy of Wyndham Land Trust.


POMFRET CENTER — Threatened grassland birds in the Quiet Corner just got a boost thanks to a donation of farmland property to the Wyndham Land Trust.
An anonymous donor recently gave 112 acres on Cabbage Hill Road in Woodstock to the Wyndham Land Trust. The land is a mixture of hayfields, meadows, and forests that is now protected from development in perpetuity.
“The new ‘Cabbage Hill Preserve’ is a great asset for us,” said Andy Rzeznikiewicz, land manager for the land trust. “Threatened grassland birds, such as Bobolinks, nest in the hayfield. We will let a local farmer continue to cut hay in the field, but the first cut will be taken after July 15 to allow time for the young birds to fledge.
“The hayfield sits on a hill that rises to an elevation of 750 feet,” continued Rzeznikiewicz, “and older maps of Woodstock refer to it as Mathewson Hill. Most of the rest of the property is forested. Bosworth Brook flows through the southern portion, and a beaver impoundment blocks the brook on the western edge. The resulting combination of forested stream and open swamp provides diverse wetland habitats for both plants and animals.”
“The donated property sits in a remote section of Woodstock and Pomfret that we’re actively working to protect,” said land trust President, Mike St. Lawrence. “We’ve christened the project ‘Nightingale Forest’ because it lies in the watershed of Nightingale Brook. Our preserves in the Nightingale Forest, together with open space protected by the town of Woodstock, already cover over 865 acres. It’s big enough to provide a corridor for the movement of wildlife and serve as a buffer to protect water quality.
“We’re very grateful to the generous people that have donated land and funding to make Nightingale Forest possible. Together we are making an important contribution to preserving the ecology of this small piece of the Quiet Corner.”
The public is welcome to visit the new preserve. Parking is available at the end of Cabbage Hill Road, and a set of mowed hiking trails runs through the parcel. One of the trails leads deep into the woods to a cemetery dating back to the end of the 19th century. The lichen-covered headstones of the Mathewson and Hammond families, and the omnipresent stone walls, are a silent witness to the farming community that once worked this land. The forest is also a testament to the stewardship of the native American Nipmuck tribe that lived productive lives on this land for many centuries before European settlers arrived.
The Wyndham Land Trust was formed in 1975, and the work of the all-volunteer group is possible only through the generosity and dedication of its members and donors. To learn more about the Wyndham Land Trust visit wyndhamlandtrust.org. You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram.


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caption, page 2: Members of the Woodstock Academy football team go through drills without a ball during conditioning practice on the South Campus turf last week.

captions, page 7: Members of the Woodstock Academy football team stretch prior to a conditioning practice last week.

Woodstock Academy football coach and athletic director Sean Saucier, left, calls out signals without a ball in a drill during conditioning week practice on the South Campus turf field. Photos by Marc Allard.


After hiatus,
Centaurs
back on
football field
WOODSTOCK — Woodstock Academy football head coach and athletic director Sean Saucier had to catch himself early last week.
It was the first day of practice for the Centaurs football team and he got lost in the moment. It felt normal.
“I was with the offensive line and we were having some fun and they were on point and I lost myself in what we were doing for a while, “Saucier said. “It all has purpose now,”
Last year, that purpose was to have the football players together, to connect and stay positive through a tough time. This year, the purpose is different.
Opposing teams, wins and losses, schedules, it all matters now.
The Woodstock Academy football team will be playing its first game of the season on Sept. 10 in Windham.
In past years, that would not be such a new flash and probably not as eagerly anticipated as it will be in 2021.
But as everyone knows, 2020 was a lost year for high school teams due to the pandemic.
While some teams opted to play a form of touch football with masks on, the Centaurs elected to play intrasquad games where tackling was allowed.
But a football season, it was not.
Football is happily back at Woodstock Academy. The first days of conditioning began last week.
The first preseason scrimmage, against Auburn, Mass., takes place on Aug. 28.
“It’s almost surreal,” Saucier said. “After what we went through last fall with no games, playing ourselves, and now, we have to reboot. We’re on a timeline. Certain things have to happen by certain days and we need to progress at a certain pace. It’s back to normal if you will in terms of the timeline and the pressure that comes along with that of being prepared and having everything installed.”
There were some concerns about high school football this season.
The recent surge of coronavirus cases due to the Covid-19 Delta variant had players, coaches and administrators on edge in regards to the season.
But recently the State’s governing body for high school athletics, the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, announced that the fall season would go on as normal. No masks necessary on the playing field, not even for coaches.
It can easily change.
“We have to be smart, obviously, and do our part to stay healthy,” Saucier said. “Everyone has to be concerned about COVID-19, it’s still here. There are different beliefs and opinions about vaccinations so I think it would be foolish not to be concerned about it. We’re also not trying to dwell on it, just trying to have some fun, play some football and move forward.”
The Centaurs had about 50 student-athletes out for the first official days of practice which is down a little but Saucier expected that.
“The freshmen and sophomore classes, in general, are smaller. I hope to add another five or 10 more players as school gets going. Sixty would be great, 50 is not awful,” Saucier said.
Saucier said his team is physically stronger as most have concentrated on weight training over the summer.
His job will be to get their legs underneath them over the next couple of weeks.
“I think the fitness is what we have to bring up to par with the strength. The last two years the team has really committed to the weight room and it’s clear that they have. Now, we have to concentrate on our fitness,” Saucier said.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

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