PUTNAM --- The Putnam Business Association, the Town of Putnam and The Last Green Valley teamed up for another Putnam Beautification Day on April 30. A $500 grant from TGV helped with expenses and 140 volunteers took part.
Five municipal dump trucks were filled with trash.
A few years ago nip bottles were identified as a specific trash issue. Each year nip bottles are separated from the other trash and counted. This year, 1,167 nip bottles were collected. This year’s trophy winner for the most nips collected went to Team PHS (Putnam High School).
Other awards:
Most Unusual Item Found (perfectly sundried fish in Union Square)… Beckett Family of Putnam
Most Spirited Volunteer …Nate Sudol
Most Collected …Team Young Marines
Youngest Volunteer Antonio St. Jean of the Young Marines
caption:
Speaker
The Last Green Valley ranger Marcy Dawley spoke at the recent GPIC Earth Day event. Courtesy photo.
Earth Day
celebration
held April 17
PUTNAM - “We are the stewards of the earth” was the theme of a recent Earth Day celebration held April 17 at the Putnam Middle School.
Pam Rosenlund of the sponsoring Greater Putnam Interfaith Council opened with a prayer thanking God for the blessings of the earth.
GPIC members John Etheridge and Anthony Foronda played music, leading the audience in song.
Andy Rzeznikiewisicz spoke about programs at the Connecticut Audubon Society in Pomfret and Hampton.
He also answered questions on birds and animals in the area, as well as on bird feeding.
Larry Ouillette shared information gained from 30 years’ experience keeping bees. In his talk he stressed the importance of not spraying blooming trees and plants with pesticide as the bees bring it back to the hive.
He also brought a video on the process along with beekeeping equipment and honey trays.
Last Green Valley ranger Marcy Dawley spoke about water pollution. She gave a demonstration of how water from homes and businesses runs off into our rivers and spoke about ways to be more environmentally responsible.
Sue and Cliff Moon talked with people about the Heifer project which provides animals to farmers in poor areas. Ashley Auger and Joe Salonia, energy consultants with Sunrun, discussed solar power options with residents.
Michelle Foronda and Cher Kapelner-Champ provided Earth Day children’s activities.
The next GPIC event will celebrate Peace Day in September.
Then
This is the Gertrude Warner Boxcar Museum boxcar being lowered into place in April 2003. Putnam Town Crier file photos.
& Now
This is the museum today.
caption:
Romeo Blackmar of PRIDE, left, and Douglas Cutler, Putnam Town Administrator, at Drug Take Back Day collection. Photo courtesy of Marcy Dawley.
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM --- Since the Prescription Drug Take Back Days began in 2010, the town of Putnam has pulled in more than 2,200 pounds of medications.
The event, held twice a year, hosts a drive-through drug dropoff at Riverview Marketplace on Kennedy Drive.
Romeo Blackmar, coordinator for the Partnership to Reduce the Influence of Drugs for Everyone (PRIDE), said the lock box at the Putnam Police Station has collected more than 2,000 pounds of dropped-off drugs also.
One-hundred fifteen pounds were collected April 29 and 91 vehicles went through the drive-through, Blackmar said. Blackmar said last weekend's collection exceeded the Take Back numbers from September by about 15 pounds.
Last weekend's drive through was the 12th time the collection of meds has been done at the farmers marketplace.
He added that the amount collected at Take Back Day has almost been cut in half since citizens started using the Police Lock Box. "Normally we were averaging 200 pounds on Take Back Days," he said.
The total amount of drugs collected on Take Back Days since September 2010 is 2,235.