Town of Putnam
Planning & Zoning Commission 
Legal Notice

The Town of Putnam Planning & Zoning Commission will hold a hybrid meeting on June 18, 2025 at 7:00 P. M. in Room 201 at the Putnam Municipal Complex, located at 200 School Street, Putnam, CT.  A public hearing will take place on the following:

Docket # 2025-03 Strategic Commercial Realty request for a site plan modification for the expansion of a previously approved gravel excavation to include 5.8+/- acres of land as part of Phase 4A-1. The total proposed Phase 4 excavation area will increase from 5.2 +/- acres to 11 +/-acres and the amount of material removed will increase from 84,000 +/- cubic yards to 173,500 +/- cubic yards.  The total excavation quantities for the subject property, including Phase 4A, are 32.0 +/- acres and 697,500 +/- cubic yards.  Property located at 300 River Road, Town Assessors Map 44, Lot 23,  Zoned AG-2.    

Patricia Hedenberg, Chairperson

June 5, 2025
June 12, 2025

Town of Putnam
Zoning Board of Appeals
Legal Notice
The Town of Putnam Zoning Board of Appeals will hold a hybrid meeting on June 17, 2025, at 7:00 P.M. in Room 201 at the Putnam Municipal Complex, located at 200 School Street, Putnam, CT.  A public hearing will take place on the following:

Appeal #2025-002  Bruce & Kathleen Elliot request for a side yard variance of 12 feet from the required 20 feet to 8 feet for the installation of a solar panel array.  The property is located at 281 Liberty Highway, Town Assessors Map 32, Lot 56, Zoned Ag-2.  

Joseph Nash, Chairperson

June 5, 2025
June 12, 2025

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Hometown Heroes
Technical Sgt. Oakley J. Ragland, USAF
On October 20th 1944, a U.S. Air Force cargo plane was on a secret mission to Sweden, a neutral country during the war. The plane was a 4-engine bomber, converted to a cargo plane. This aircraft came from a Scottish airbase, RAF Leuchars, and was in-bound to a Swedish airfield near Bromma. This plane never made it.
The Crash Report indicated that upon arriving at Bromma, the station was closed due to low ceiling and bad weather. On proceeding to the alternate field the plane crashed into a 450-foot hill, cutting a wide and long passage through a densely wooded area. The weather was foggy and visibility was not too good. There were six crewmen killed in the crash including T/Sgt Oakley J Ragland who was their radio operator and gunner. 
Oakley Ragland was born March 1, 1923, in Fort Screven in Georgia, a son to Oakley Ragland Sr. and his wife Maria. His parents divorced when he was young, and his mother was remarried to Clarence H. Wetherbee in Thompson. Oakley had two half-brothers; Kenneth and Arthur. Oakley Ragland grew up in North Grosvenordale and graduated from Tourtellotte Memorial High School. He studied at the De Forest Institute for Radio and Communications in Chicago. He joined the Army Air Corps Nov. 25, 1941, in Hartford. He was trained in radio technology at the U.S. Air Force Radio School, Scott Field, Illinois and was trained in aerial gunnery at Kingman, Ariz. He got his wings in November 1942.
He left the USA in April 1943, but returned to marry Rosalie Juanita Burgess from Wellesville, Mo., on Sept. 12, 1943. While serving with the 8th Air Force, Oakley flew 32 combat missions as a radio operator and gunner on B-17 bombers. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters. His last assignment was with the 1409th Army Air Force Base Unit of ED-ATC, the European Division of Air Transport Command, United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe (USSTAF). According to Swedish officials, Oakley Raglund survived initially but died shortly after the crash. He is buried in Malmö, Sweden. 
Article published in the Windham County Observer on November 8th 1944: “Sgt Oakley Raglund Is Reported Killed While Over Sweden. Holder Of Distinguished Flying Cross Makes Supreme Sacrifice, According To Grim Word Received By Relatives. T-Sgt. Oakley Raglund, son of Mrs. Clarence Wetherbee of Thompson, was killed Sept 21st over Sweden, according to a telegram received from the War Department. T-Sgt. Raglund received the distinguished flying cross when the flying fortress in which he was chief radio specialist and gunner was engaged in battle with a large number of enemy planes. He had completed 25 missions when his parents last heard from him and he expected to be home within a few weeks on leave. He was married a year ago to Rosalie J. Burgess of St. Louis, He was graduated from Tourtellotte Memorial High School in 1940 and enlisted in the Air Corps in November, 1941. He was sent overseas last April. In addition to his widow and mother, he is survived by two brothers, Kenneth E. and Arthur Wetherbee of Thompson. 
AUTHOR’S NOTE: I would like to thank Stefan Knutsson who is a caretaker of the Flygmonumenet Vid Anten (the Monument at the Crash Site) near Alingsas Sweden. The crash site is in a densely wooded area just west of the Anten Lake. The monument is a rectangular granite stone surrounded by, and set atop, a sturdy stone wall base. The monument is inscribed with the names of the six airmen who were killed in this plane crash. In front of the stone monument there is a 3-bladed Hamilton Standard propeller from one of the Pratt & Whitney Wasp engines, salvaged from the wreckage of the crashed C-87 (B-24 bomber). Stefan Knutsson also maintains a beautiful website that is a tribute to the six men who were killed in this plane crash. https://www.flygmonumentet.se. I would also like to acknowledge the generosity of the Swedish people who maintain a beautiful monument and grave site at the East Cemetery in Malmo Sweden for the pilot Captain Thomas Campbell and T/Sgt Oakley Raglund. The grave site can be viewed at this web link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/xZNVekafi7d96ZmF7
Hometown Heroes is a series published in the Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger with this mission: We owe it to our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines to make sure that they are never forgotten, and that the memory of their service and sacrifice will forever live on in the hearts and minds of the grateful people of Putnam.

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Putnam wins $1M grant 
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — The state of Connecticut awarded the town of Putnam $1 million for rehabilitation of the town’s St. Marie Greenhalgh sports complex.
It is to be matched by $200,000 by the town.
Recreation Department Director James Callaghan said in April that the town applied for a $1 million state Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) grant. If the town is successful in getting the grant, it would kick in $200,000, Callaghan said. A good bit of the funds would be used to replace or refinish the track there. 
Callaghan said “An engineering firm has been out and they took borings from the track to see how extensive of a replacement or refurbishment we need.”
He added there are some side projects they would also like to do including, fencing, seating (the stands). Down the road, he said the announcer’s booth, concession stand and the scoreboard as well could use an update.
He said the grant application was supported with letters of support from WPTP, the football program, the school district and the American Red Cross since the Relay for Life is held at the complex. 
In his announcement May 28, Governor Ned Lamont said: “Our small towns are an important part of what makes Connecticut such a special place to live and work. By partnering with each town, we can help get these infrastructure projects completed so these towns can continue to thrive, remain competitive, attract businesses, and improve the quality of life for our residents.”
STEAP grants are provided through a program managed by the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management (OPM) that delivers grants to small towns for economic development, community conservation, and quality-of-life capital projects.