Complex
steams along
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — Saying the project has “progressed quite rapidly,” Downes Construction project manager Tom Sheard set a target date of Aug. 18 for completion of the new Municipal Complex. Not only is it on time, but it is still under budget.
Mayor Barney Seney said of Sheard “he really saved the town a hell of a lot of money” on the project. He went on to thank Sheard, who is retiring next week. It was Sheard’s last tour of the project with town officials and building committee members.
As far as on time, Sheard said that two sub-contractors who were lagging “really stepped up to the plate” and got back on track. The contractor responsible for the grand staircase at the entrance of the Town Hall portion of the complex now has the steel in place. Sheard said the HVAC contractor “doubled its crew” and caught up.
The brickwork for the Town Hall section of the building is complete, replete with dots and dashes of black brick against the red brick base. Sheard said the brickwork on the library section should be done by the end of next week.
In the library section the two-story glass outer wall will be going in shortly.
Ceilings are being closed in and some finish painting is already started. “It’s been a fabulous couple of weeks,” Sheard said.
In the long main hallway on the first floor a rail is being added to hang artwork. Karen Osbrey, chair of the building committee and the Putnam Arts Council, said she has already told council members the display wall is in need of local artists’ work.
A couple speed bumps are being addressed: One small section of the windows was incorrect and there is plywood in that section, waiting for the replacement glass. In addition, rainwater drained underground into some “voids” left by long-gone structures. As a result, the lawn in front of the main entrance sank a bit. Sheard said they dug out the dirt, stabilized the area, and “while we were at it” regraded the area.
The Aspinock House has been demolished and the cellar hole is being filled. Sheard said there is a bit more filling and compacting to do there and then the two entrances and one exit off School Street will be created. He said that probably won’t be until closer to summer; however, they may put a “binder coat” there in the interim. In mid-summer, he added, the entrances/exit will be finished with striping, etc.
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There is definitely something different about Aidan Muller this school year.
It’s hard to quantify exactly what’s different. But something definitely is.
Then you notice the actions and you hear the words. Teachers, administrators, fellow students, even Muller himself, all say the same thing: He is so much more mature than he was in the past.
“I don’t want to say that I turned 18 last year and all of a sudden it’s different,” said Muller, who is in his third season as a member of the Putnam Science Academy soccer team. “But I’ve definitely grown a lot as a person in general. I’ve definitely become more mature in the way I think and see things. Even the small things. I used to be the one getting into bad situations but now I find myself trying to prevent people from getting into them. I think past experiences have made me more mature. I see the role of being a leader on this team and I have no choice but to be mature.”
Very likely, Muller would have never said those words last year. The self-reflection, the attention to details, the fact that he paused his answer to a question for this story because there was too much background noise. He is absolutely more aware.
The center midfielder, a native of Cape Town, South Africa, will wear the captain’s armband this season. His coach, Ryan Dunnigan, said part of the reason for that is because Muller has so much experience and is tactically well-versed. He can organize the players on the pitch and be an extension of the coach.
For Muller, it goes even deeper.
“I feel like I’ve always been a natural leader but at the same time I haven’t been good at it,” he said with more than a hint of that self-reflection. “But looking back at it, I really feel like I’ve been growing toward this over the years. And to be honest, I think whether I was the captain or not, I was going to be the same either way. I don’t need the captain armband to start being mature or taking responsibility.”
That said, this honor means a lot to him. Especially this year, when the fall season was cancelled by COVID, when there weren’t enough guys on campus to play anyway, when no one has played together very much, leading to a lack of on-field chemistry, and when there are a whole lot of younger guys in the program who are here for the first time.
“It’s definitely a bigger role and I enjoy it,” Muller said. “I enjoy taking on the job and giving my past experiences to help them understand what to do, not to do. And why. That’s important too.
“I’ve been in places that I shouldn’t have been and it’s an example for them that nothing good has come out of it and how they can do it better than I did. Being a captain on this team is not just on the field. It’s everywhere. I’ve enjoyed it. I’m honored.”
Dunnigan has worked hard this year to change some of the culture of the program, including the perception from last year that they weren’t always the most respectful group on campus.
“Aidan has taken that to heart,” Dunnigan said. “He’s been here the longest so he’s seen the most. He can see the change in the culture that we want to have. There are bigger lessons to be learned and Aidan is the extension of me on and off the pitch.
“There are learning moments, when he gets frustrated with training or with people on the team – which is completely normal and common to happen – and how he responds in those moments. The initial want to just snap isn’t the most logical or helpful response. He’s been great, he really has. He was someone as a coach you’re kind of worried about in the sense that he’s already committed to college, he’s in his third year, how do I get through to and motivate him? But he has been great. He has taken on what I have wanted to see from him.”
Muller will play next year at Division III Gettysburg College (along with former PSA teammate Leandro Ribeiro and a former teammate from his academy in South Africa), though Dunnigan believes he could easily play at the Division I level.
“I hadn’t really talked to them much, but they obviously came through with their actions and not their words,” Muller said. “With the circumstances with COVID, my family and I didn’t want to take any risks. But I’m so happy that I’m going there. It’s a good school, and I’m excited because of how I feel about myself and knowing I am putting myself in a good situation in a good program. It really wasn’t a difficult decision. I am so happy for it.”
Said Dunnigan: “I think he has the ability and can be on the track to be an All-American at the D-III level, start right away, and be one of the best players in the program.”
Muller had an assist in the Mustangs’ season-opening 5-1 win over Bridgeport Premier on April 3. Kaone Kolagano and Christian Kapanda both scored twice, Nathan Tau once, and Rafael Calvano added two assists in that one.
Sunday against Revolution United out of Stratford, Kolagano recorded a hat trick, leading the Mustangs to another 5-1 win. Tau and Godwin Asore added one goal apiece and Kapanda assisted on three goals. Muller and Landon Pettigrew had one assist each for PSA.
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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Preview
Centaurs
feeling pretty
good about '21
There was some concern going into the 2020 high school softball season for Woodstock Academy coach Jason Gerum. He had lost starting catcher Julianna Nuttall to graduation and wasn’t sure who was going to replace her. But the pandemic washed the season away.
A year later, Gerum has a totally different problem. He has six catchers in camp, all of whom play outside the high school softball season and all have been able to catch his starting pitchers.
If that’s the only problem the veteran coach has to work out this season, 2021 is going to be a pretty good year.
“We’re really excited,” senior Meg Preston said. “It was a lot for the seniors from last year to miss so we’re just excited to be back out here with our friends. We’re definitely a little rusty, but I know myself and a couple of other seniors spent a lot of time this winter getting ready and getting everyone else excited.”
The players weren’t the only ones who came in a bit out-of-practice.
“I’m somewhere in the mid-40’s (as to the number of seasons he has coached a high school team), but it’s amazing how one year ends up being a two-year stretch since I’m only doing one sport now and I was a little rusty speaking on the first day,” Gerum said with a smile. “I found myself going ‘That didn’t sound right. I used to be a lot better explaining that.’ It took me a couple of days to get the rust out.”
Fortunately, Caitlyn Hitchcock, who played at Trinity College, has been there to help him a bit in that regard as his new assistant coach has brought “a wealth of knowledge and a wealth of drills” to the program, according to Gerum.
He returns not only a wealth of talent behind the plate but in the circle with three pitchers, seniors Mackenzie Leveille and Preston and sophomore Lexi Thompson.
“Mackenzie has been our number 1 pitcher for four years now and Meg has been her back up for the last four years. Meg won’t have to pitch much this season, which she is OK with because it’s not her No. 1 position, but she will be on standby. The reason for that will be because Lexi is already clocking numbers (on the radar gun) that matches Riley Hehir who had the highest numbers we’ve ever had here and Lexi is only a sophomore,” Gerum said.
Preston, Amanda Bond and Leveille will anchor the infield.
Gerum said he also has some new athletes that he can tell have played a lot of softball who are ready to step in.
The biggest thing is, he is confident about the team’s play up the middle at second and short and he thinks the Centaurs will be able to capably field the infield corners.
The Centaurs did lose Hannah Burgess and her .569 batting average and 22 stolen bases at the top of the lineup from 2019.
But Leveille (.395, 8 RBIs, 3 doubles and a triple and home run in 2019), Preston (.265, 10 RBIs) and Bond (5 RBIs) return.
The Centaurs did add Norwich Free Academy and Waterford to the schedule since Woodstock Academy was only supposed to play a regional schedule this season.
In most seasons, the Centaurs would welcome that as Division I has been difficult and they will be very competitive in what is considered to be Division II this season.
“It’s going to be nice to have a real good shot at our region’s title but in the big picture, I like playing tough competition, too,” said Gerum.
Woodstock Academy 2021 softball schedule
Schedule: Sat., Apr. 10: NFA (2) Home 11 a.m.; Tues., Apr. 13: Tourte., Away, 4 p.m.; Sat., Apr. 17: Putnam, Home, 11; Mon., Apr. 19: Waterford, Away, 4:15; Tues., Apr. 20: Windham, Away, 4; Sat., Apr. 24: St. Bernard (2), Home, 11; Tues., Apr. 27: Lyman, Away, 4; Sat., May 1: Griswold (2), Home, 11; Tues., May 4: Plainfield, Away, 4; Sat., May 8: Killingly (2), Home, 11; Mon., May 10: Bacon, Away, 4; Wed., May 12: Wheeler, Away, 4; Sat., May 15: Tourtellotte, Home, 11; Tues., May 18: Putnam, Away, 3:45; Sat., May 22: Windham, Home, 11. * = doubleheader.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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Social media video
brings charges to 2
PUTNAM — Two Putnam residents were charged after a video surfaced on social media of a woman on the hood of a car while the car was moving
Feb. 26 the Putnam Police Department began an investigation into the video showing a female on the hood of a vehicle while yelling at the operator, while being operated on Providence St. in Putnam.
The involved parties were identified as Melissa Messier on the hood of the vehicle and Andrew Veltheim as the vehicle operator.
Charged March 28 were:
Melissa Messier, 31, 102 Powhattan St. Putnam; breach of peace; and Andrew Veltheim, 36, 71 Vandale St., Putnam; second-degree reckless endangerment and breach of peace.
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