30-plus

workers

out of jobs

at Kmart

By Linda Lemmon

Town Crier Editor

E. PUTNAM --- More than 30 employees will now be looking for other jobs as the Kmart in the Putnam Parkade will be closing by July.

The Putnam Kmart was one of the 68 Kmart stores and 10 Sears stores to be closed in the latest announcement of closing by Sears Holdings Corp. Earlier this year, Sears announced the closure of 140 stores.  The chain's same-store sales dropped 6.9 percent in the most recent quarter. Sears Holdings hopes to return the company to profitability with the closings.

A May 12 liquidation sale will begin May 12, according to local Kmart staff.

Thirty-two full- and part-time employees at the Putnam Kmart are welcome to apply for open slots at other Kmarts.  The communications department at Sears Holdings Corp in Illinois did  not return calls for comment on the fate of local employees.

Originally Kmart in Putnam was in the shopping plaza next to downtown. 

In 1995 Kmart built the 100,000-plus square foot store on 15.07 acres it owns at the Putnam Parkade on Rt. 44. It began as a Kmart, was for a time a Sears Essentials store and reverted back to a Kmart store in its time on Rt. 44. 

In a statement Sears CEO Edward S. Lampert said, "The decision to close stores is a difficult but necessary step as we take aggressive actions to strengthen our company, fund our transformation and restore Sears Holdings to profitability. We are focusing on our best members, our best categories and our best stores as we work to accelerate our transformation."

 

 

Simonzi Spring

A beautiful weekend at Simonzi Park in Putnam. Linda Lemmon photo.

 

 

New football

coach at WA

WOODSTOCK— Woodstock Academy announced Daryl Daleen will be the new head football coach.

Daleen will be leaving his position as the assistant football coach and Special Teams coordinator at Division I (DI) Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) to join The Woodstock Academy Football program. “I could not be more excited about my new position,” Daleen said. “Very few times in your life are you blindsided by an opportunity such as this; my family and I are very grateful. There are so many opportunities to make The Academy into a football program that reflects the school’s beauty and stellar academic reputation. I am excited to take this program into championship caliber.”

Daleen started his coaching career in 2004 as a position coach at DII Newberry College in South Carolina where the team went from 5 wins to 11 wins and won their first South Atlantic Conference Championship in a three-year span. Daleen also worked with DII schools Pikeville College and University of New Haven prior to heading to CCSU. He has been the number one recruiter for the Blue Devils and has a strong background in alumni relations and fund-raising.

“We are fortunate to have Daryl join our Athletics department and know his talent and experience will take our Football team to the next level,” said Headmaster Chris Sandford. “The Woodstock Academy Board of Trustees and Administration are committed to our football program as it’s a vital component of our athletic department and mirrors our mission of developing leaders who demonstrate outstanding character and integrity. Daryl joining our coaching staff will provide our surrounding community members with new opportunities, including summer clinics and camps. Additionally, we are excited that Daryl will represent The Academy while working with many of our community partners.”

“We are thrilled to have found someone with the background and experience as that of Daryl Daleen,” said Director of Athletics Aaron Patterson. “Daryl is an enthusiastic and passionate coach who has a proven track record of success. His background in DI and DII college athletics will help our players, who aspire to play football at that level. Daryl has been a critical part in transforming several struggling programs into winning teams; we are looking forward to him doing the same here. He will be a tremendous asset to our players, our program, and our community. We are very excited to welcome him to The Woodstock Academy family.”

Daleen will relocate his family from Central Connecticut this spring and will begin practice for return players in June. Additional information on the tryout and pre-season schedules will be provided by The Academy’s Athletic department prior to summer break.