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Closing
The Taft Pond Road will be closed Friday, March 12 because the bridge has deteriorated more since the state's last inspection last year. Courtesy photo.
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
POMFRET — The state is closing Taft Pond Road to through traffic March 12, according to First Selectman Maureen Nicholson.
She said the closure would be for an undetermined period of time. The State DOT recently said the bridge must be closed because of “deterioration of the substructure.”
She added the Town of Pomfret is “aggressively pursuing remediation to minimize closure time and a contractor is expected to be on site within a month.”
She said the state had done a light inspection of the 25-foot bridge in January 2020 and had told the town it was in bad shape, adding that the town had years to repair/replace it.
The town began looking into different repair options. In the meantime the bridge was posted to a 3-ton limit and reduced to one lane.
The state recently conducted another inspection and said the bridge had deteriorated since its last inspection and ordered it closed, Nicholson said.
The recent town meeting approved the expenditure of $200,000 for repairs. Nicholson said they intend to repair it for the short term and “we’re hoping it will get us several years” to work through the state bridge program.
The bridge (No. 05664) is approximately 1 mile north of Route 97. Crossing the Mashamoquet Brook, the bridge was last rebuilt in 1993.
An alternative route is Chase Hill to Fire Tower Road.
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The following charges were listed in the Putnam Police Department logs. The people charged are innocent until proven guilty in court. The Town Crier will publish dispositions of cases at the request of the accused. The dispositions must be accompanied by the proper documentation. The Putnam Police Department confidential Tip Line is 860-963-0000.
March 3
Joshua Choinierre, 39, Putnam Pike, Dayville; two counts of sixth-degree larceny, sixth-degree criminal attempt at larceny.
Joshua Choinierre, 39, Putnam Pike, Dayville; possession of controlled substance (fentanyl), possession of less than ½ ounce marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia.
March 5
Adam Eldib, 39, Kennedy Drive, Putnam; second-degree threatening, disorderly conduct.
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Great Day for Play
Two girls try out the playground equipment at Roseland Park. Linda Lemmon photo.
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Dean’s list
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The following local students were named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at Springfield College: Darren Jenks, Pascoag, environmental science; Luke Bourque, Pomfret Center, health science; Arielle Johnson, Pomfret Center, health science/occupational therapy; Alexa Sendley, Chepachet, health science/occupational therapy; Jordyn Staveski, Woodstock, health science/occupational therapy; Chelsey Castle, Pomfret Center, health science/pre-physician assistant; Haley Fettig, Thompson, health science and pre-physical therapy; Sidney Ratliff, N. Grosvenordale, mathematics; Derek Griffiths, Killingly, sports management.
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