Deadline extended to enter Coventry photo contest

The deadline to enter the photo contest sponsored by the Coventry Tercentenary Committee has been extended to Sept. 30, 2012.

There’s still time! The Coventry 300th Anniversary Committee is sponsoring a photo contest as part of the commemoration of the town’s Tercentenary celebration in 2012.

The theme of the contest is “Coventry through the Seasons,” and the deadline for mailing your entries has been extended to Sep. 30.

Entries from amateur photographers [you do not have to be a Coventry resident] will be judged in two categories: Youth Amateur, grade 1 through high school senior and Adult Amateur.

In addition, there are five categories of competition within each age category:

• Best Springtime View of Coventry

• Best Summertime View of Coventry

• Best Autumn View of Coventry

• Best Wintertime View of Coventry

• Best Overall Seasonal View of Coventry

The rules

You may send only one photo per seasonal category.

Photographs cannot be larger than 8×10 inches. Please do not submit slides or negatives or framed photographs.

All photos become the property of the town committee and will be used as it sees fit; they will not be returned.

Also important, please affix the following information to the back of each photo:

• Your full name, address, and phone number (whether youth or adult photographer);

• The season of the photo and the location in Coventry where it was taken.

Note: Do not print directly on the photograph because this will damage the image.

Photos received without this information – or if the committee cannot read it, so please type it or print it clearly – will be disqualified.

Send your photo entries to 300th Anniversary Committee, Coventry Town Hall, 1712 Main St., Coventry, CT 06238 by Sept. 30.

Please send your photos in a protective envelope with a “Do Not Bend” written on it.

Posted July 29, 2012, based on a press release, with links added by HTNP.com Editor Brenda Sullivan

Related link: A Tercentenary Commemorative Booklet on the Town of Coventry web site – chock full of historic facts, interesting photos, a list of the Tercentenary events, and much more in PDF format (note: you will need Adobe Reader, which can be downloaded for free, to open the documents) http://www.coventryct.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={6E63457A-FDA7-4049-AD97-8DAD263DE9C8}

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In Coventry, Siting Council gives AT&T and Verizon OK for 4G upgrade

Both AT&T and Verizon Wireless have notified the town of Coventry they have permits from the Connecticut Siting Council for upgrades of cell towers to 4G LTE capabilities in that town.

Faster wireless capabilities in Coventry and surrounding areas are on the horizon.

Both AT&T and Verizon Wireless have notified the town of Coventry they have permits from the Connecticut Siting Council for upgrades of cell towers to 4G LTE capabilities in that town.

Coventry’s towers are located at the town hall, on Riley Mountain Road, and on Bread and Milk Street.

“AT&T customers in surrounding towns have access to our 4G HSPA+ network right now,” said AT&T Public Relations Executive Katie Goudey.

4G, a wireless technology term meaning “Fourth Generation,” follows 3G as the “ latest addition” to the mobile broadband network, Goudey said.

High Speed Packet Access or HSPA+ provides extended and improved network speeds, Goudey said.

“AT&T’s already fast mobile broadband network delivers even faster 4G speeds. It’s fast and it’s only getting faster as we expand our 4G LTE network across the country,” she said.

AT&T’s 4G network in Connecticut is four times faster than any 3G network offered by any other service, Goudey said.

Goudey said AT& T is “building out” its 4G network with LTE or “long term evolution” – which refers to the ongoing process of improving wireless standards – for its customers.

Goudey said AT&T expects to have LTE upgrades to be completed nationwide by 2013.

AT& T and Verizon Wireless LTE customers often see download speeds (how long it takes a user to retrieve something from the Internet) that exceed 15 megabytes per second, and upload speeds (how long it takes to send something on the Internet) in the 10 Mbps range.

The Connecticut Siting Council is made up of nine members from various state departments. It reviews applications for siting (location) of cell towers, power plants, power lines and other energy and telecommunications infrastructure.

Council staff attorney Melanie Bachman said the approved upgrades require “no significant change to the site(s)” physically.

Goudey said there is a huge demand from customers today for faster services.

“Wireless data usage has risen nearly 10,000 percent in the past four years,” Goudey said. “ It’s clear that folks are using their smart-phones for more than just phone calls; they want to watch mobile video, play online mobile games, download presentations, stream music and more.”

Coventry Town Manager John Elsesser said the upgrades will not involve any cost to the town.

Posted July 8, 2012 as edited by HTNP.com Editor Brenda Sullivan

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Coventry police score free Humvee

Coventry CT Police Sgt. Christopher Fiore sits in the department’s new Humvee, acquired as surplus from the U.S. military, which the department plans to use under weather and/or terrain conditions where regular police vehicles cannot operate. Photo by Al Malpa.

Coventry Police have a new vehicle that should make short work of any kind of weather New England cares to throw our way.

It’s a military surplus Humvee or High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV).

And the town got it for free.

Town officials say they have been trying to get one for a while.

“It will be a nice supplemental vehicle,” said Coventry Town Manager John Elsesser.

Coventry took advantage of Section 1033 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 1997, which authorizes the Department of Defense to transfer excess military property to state and local law enforcement agencies.

Government agencies whose primary function is the enforcement of federal, state and local laws, and whose compensated full-time law enforcement officers have powers of arrest and apprehension are eligible to receive this property.

The vehicle, which Coventry Police Chief Mark Palmer said won’t be used often, came from a military base in Pennsylvania.

Chief Palmer said the vehicle has a little more than 17,000 miles on it and appears to be ready to put on the road as is.

When the town saw a couple feet of snow in the winter of 2010, Chief Palmer recalled that there were a number of times police cruisers couldn’t get through the town’s roadways and driveways.

The department’s 4-wheel drive Ford Expedition also had “severe difficulties,” during that period of heavy snow, he said.

“We ended up having to borrow a heavy-duty truck from the fire department,” Chief Palmer said.

All Humvee’s have an automatic transmission and a 6.5-liter diesel engine.

The Humvee has been in production since 1985; it was designed to meet military requirements to replace many types of aged vehicles and keep up with swift moving tanks.

The Humvee was designed for durability, mobility and reliability.

With the wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq winding down, Humvees are becoming more and more available, Chief Palmer said.

He noted the town needed approval from the state coordinator of the National Guard before picking it up.

“It’s a very utilitarian vehicle and it is great for off-road activities,” Chief Palmer said. “We might have to go out in the middle of a cornfield or wooded area. This can do anything and go anywhere.”

The Humvee is only 6-feet tall, 7-feet wide and is 15-feet long, which helps make it difficult to roll over.

Chief Palmer and Elsesser said they want to quell any residents’ concerns regarding the cost to the town. “We believe that it won’t cost us that much,” Elsesser said. The vehicle will not be used on a daily basis by the police department, he said.

Chief Palmer confirmed the Humvee will only be used for “extreme” weather and other unusual circumstances.

Plans are to give it a new coat of paint, so the Humvee is currently at the new public works facility, he said. It’s currently a sandy brown. Chief Palmer said he hopes to have the work donated to the department.

Coventry Police Sgt. Christopher Fiore said his hope for the Humvee is to have it done in time for the town’s 300th Anniversary Parade on Sept. 29, 2012

“That’s a nice timeline,” said Sgt. Fiore, a 15- year veteran with the department.

“This will be crucial to have for hurricane season,” he added.

Posted July 8, 2012 as edited by HTNP.com Editor Brenda Sullivan

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Neighbor’s call alerts Coventry Police to burglary

Police say a neighbor to a home on School Street reported hearing a “crash” and saw a man walking away… With a good description from the neighbor, police were able to locate Langley walking on Mason Street off of Main Street (Route 31), within a half mile of the burglarized home, Chief Palmer said.

A Coventry man has been arrested for allegedly burglarizing a home.

Police say a neighbor reported the crime to police after seeing the suspect leave the scene.

Coventry Chief Mark Palmer said Matthew Langley, 20, of 35 Lamotte Road, was arrested within 10 minutes of the neighbor’s call to dispatch on Thursday (July 5).

Langley has been charged with third-degree burglary and fifth-degree larceny. Langley was held overnight. His bond was set at $50,000 and he was schedule to be arraigned at Rockville Superior Court.

Police say a neighbor to a home on School Street reported hearing a “crash” and saw a man walking away, Palmer said.

With a good description from the neighbor, police were able to locate Langley walking on Mason Street off of Main Street (Route 31), within a half mile of the burglarized home, Chief Palmer said.

Langley was found with “numerous jewelry items” and a computer tablet in his backpack, Chief Palmer said.  He added that a resident of the burglarized home identified the items.

According to police, Langley currently has several pending charges for possession of narcotics from an arrest in November 2010.

Langley’s court date for the felony charges related to the narcotics possession is set for July 23 at Rockville Superior Court.

Posted July 6, 2012 as edited by HTNP.com Editor Brenda Sullivan

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Coventry will have to pick up some of the tab for new sidewalks

Head Start students on Walk and Roll to School Day (International Walk to School Day 2011). Photo by Cornell Magdalena, http://www.iwalktoschool.org – Used by Permission.

The town of Coventry has been awarded $492,000 by the state, which will fund a project linking existing sidewalks on Main Street to the high school and middle school complex.

Town Manager John Elsesser told the Town Council $41,000 of that grant will go back to the Connecticut Department of Transportation for “the cost of the DOT’s incidentals to construction.”

Therefore, the town will have to pay any difference between the total cost – including design work – and the grant amount.

The DOT gave the project its stamp of approval in June 2012.

The sidewalk project will be coordinated through the Safe Routes to School Program, a national program administered locally by the DOT.

Safe Routes to School, established in 2006, supports efforts to create safe transportation routes to and from school, as well as to educate students about transportation options. The idea is to address the problem of childhood obesity by increasing opportunities for physical activity — such as walking or riding bikes to school.

Coventry officials say the project will create safer walking/biking routes to the high school and middle school.

Now moving to the design phase, the town had anticipated the project’s construction cost of approximately $500,000 would be fully funded by the Federal Highway Administration.

However, a letter from the DOT addressed to Elsesser states the town is responsible for any costs associated with the design of the improvements and any right-of-way acquisitions.

The letter also states the town is responsible for any construction costs over the award amount.

Coventry Director of Planning and Development Eric Trott said all of the sidewalks would be in the town’s right-of-way, so no easements would be needed.

The sidewalk project will be coordinated through the Safe Routes to School Program, administered locally by the DOT.

Elsesser said construction should begin next summer. He said he hopes the DOT “can move quickly.”

Safe Routes To School (SRTS) Coordinator Sharon Okoye said a more likely timeline is sometime within the next two years. “The entire process takes awhile,” Okoye said. “It all depends on how long the design phase takes.”

The design phase will be administered by the DOT’s Local Roads office.

Okoye also said the town needs to schedule a meeting with the DOT on project details, schedule, and design process.

Besides providing a safer route for students, Coventry Board of Education Chair Jennifer Beausoleil has said she believes adding sidewalks will increase foot traffic to businesses in the village area.

Beausoleil said there also could be some bus transportation savings – some bus stops along Main Street might be eliminated.

Posted July 5, 2012 as edited and link added by HTNP.com Editor Brenda Sullivan

Related link: http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/about-us/newsroom/walk-school-day-2012-registration-opens Registration opens for (16th annual) 2012 Walk to School Day: “Registering a Walk to School Day event provides organizers access to free, downloadable materials on the newly redesigned web site, including stickers, certificates and customizable fliers. They can also easily create and share a walking or bicycling to school route via the new Map-a-Route tool. Registrants can also subscribe to a weekly e-newsletter for six weeks in September and October 2012 with tips and resources for organizing a Walk to School Day event.” 

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Hebron man accused of nearly drowning canoeists on Coventry Lake

Paddling on Coventry Lake in Connecticut. File photo 2009 by HTNP.com

The Courant is reporting that 25-year-old Peter Zmigrodski of Hebron, CT has been arrested in relation to an incident in May 2012 on Coventry Lake that police say sent two canoeists to the hospital.

Police say witnesses saw Zmigrodski, who was operating a power boat, cause a canoe with two men in it to capsize.

For the full story, click here.

Posted July 3, 2012

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Coventry High makes the grade in national rankings

Coventry High School Principal Michele Mullaly said students who take AP courses and earn college credits are less likely to drop out from college and tend to finish college quicker.

Coventry High School was recently designated as a top high school in the state via the Washington Post’s annual rankings of the nation’s high schools.

Coventry placed 19 out of the 25 ranked schools in Connecticut and 1,429 out of 2,000 for schools ranked nationwide.

Only 9 percent of the country’s 22,000 public high schools are ranked in the Post’s survey — with a total of 2,000 qualifying schools accounted for.

Originated by education columnist Jay Mathews in 1998, the High School Challenge compares schools by a Challenge Index Score.

The score is calculated by dividing the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Advanced International Certificate Education exams at each school by the number of graduating seniors.

The exams require teachers to spend more time teaching critical thinking and analytical writing and are much longer than high school finals.

CHS Principal Michele Mullaly said, with the help of a Project Opening Doors grant, the school “opens the door to students” looking for a challenge.

Project Opening Doors (POD) is a partnership between the public and private sectors whose goal is to increase Connecticut students’ participation and achievement in AP courses and better ensure their success in college.

The high school also has many partnerships that allow students to take advantage of college courses while still in high school.

Through the UConn Early College Experience (ECE) program, the high school is able to offer 26 college credits — credits that are transferable to other colleges.

Through the Manchester Community College High School Partnership Program, the school offers nine courses, or 27 college credits, that also can be transferred from MCC to other colleges.

The school also maintains partnerships with Goodwin College, University of Saint Joseph and the University of Hartford, through which students may earn college credits.

Currently, the high school offers 10 AP classes ranging from European history to calculus.

Lead guidance counselor and AP coordinator Heather Mackintosh noted, “Participation is increasing even though enrollment is down.”

“I couldn’t be more proud of the kids,” Mullaly said.

Mullaly said students who take AP courses and earn college credits are less likely to drop out from college and tend to finish college quicker.

“This is not only rewarding for the kids, but for us as well,” Mullaly said.

Posted June 25, 2012 as edited by HTNP.com Editor Brenda Sullivan

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Coventry Class of 2012 showered with advice

Although Coventry isn’t terribly large, salutatorian Samantha Kozlowski needed a large dose of courage in giving her address to the family and friends of the 138 members of Coventry High School Class of 2012. “Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would be giving a speech at my graduation, as public speaking is one of my biggest fears,” Kozlowski admitted. Photo by Al Malpa

Much of the town may have lost power during Friday’s severe thunderstorms, but graduates of Coventry High School were all charged up for the future at graduation on Saturday (June 23).

Early morning rain gave way to sunny skies, just in time for the 10 a.m. ceremonies.

“It’s such a beautiful day after the rain,” said Nancy Saul, aunt of graduate Cheryl Dickerson, who came down from Maine for the ceremony.

With Saul were Dickerson’s parents, Wendy and Jerry Dickerson, and younger sister Allyson Dickerson, a freshman at Coventry High.

Dickerson’s mother said that after graduation, Cheryl Dickerson will likely go on to Manchester Community College.

“And in three more years we’ll be back here for Allyson,” said Jerry Dickerson, who is a maintenance technician at the school.

Coventry Board of Education Chair Jennifer Beausolei thanked parents for the trust placed in the administration of the school system, and said the entire town contributes to the raising of its children.

She quoted Benjamin Franklin by saying “an investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.”

New Superintendent of Schools David Petrone also addressed parents of the graduates, and recalled highlights of a parent’s life as a child progresses through grades and milestones.

“I believe, wholeheartedly, that these students are prepared to begin the new chapter of their lives,” because good parents like those in Coventry had given their children both roots and wings, Petrone said.

Valedictorian Marina Zoghbi also told her fellow classmates they should be proud of both their accomplishments and the community that had helped shape them.

“We cannot forget the community,” Zoghbi said. “This small town we grew up in and will always support us.”

Although Coventry isn’t terribly large, salutatorian Samantha Kozlowski needed a large dose of courage in giving her address to the family and friends of the 138 graduates.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would be giving a speech at my graduation, as public speaking is one of my biggest fears,” Kozlowski admitted.

She overcame her fears and received inspiration, literally, from her father, who told her to focus on inspiring things.

“It is crucial that everyone acknowledges who has inspired them, but more importantly, don’t be afraid to act on what inspires you. May your years here inspire your future,” Kozlowski said.

Focusing on the future was the theme of both the class vice president’s and the class president’s addresses.

Class Vice President Jenna Elsesser gave the welcoming address, and quoted Charlie Brown, saying “life doesn’t provide you answers like a math textbook with the answers in the back.”

She said graduates should find meaning all through their journey through life.

Class President Ada Peters gave the farewell address, and reminded graduates that, just as their plans for the future had changed all through their childhood and youth, they will continue to change.

Peters reminded the seniors how their future career goals had shifted from, perhaps, being a princess to being an Olympic runner to being an architect.

She said it was important to remember no hard and fast decisions had to be made for the rest of their lives.

“There is no finite plan for the students sitting on this stage,” Peters said. “We are all nervous about the future. Why are we so worried? We cannot connect the dots looking forward. We can only connect them looking back.”

CHS Principal Michele Mullaly reminded the graduates that they all have talents. “Individually, and as a class, you are wonderful,” she said, and joked that based on the heavy use of cell phones she witnessed, they also place a high value on connections and communications.

She reminded graduates to use communication to bring people together instead of tearing people down. “My advice is to be happy and seek to make others happy,” she said.

Coventry commencement traditions include graduates leaving their seats to bring flowers to loved ones in the audience during the carnation ceremony.

Another one is the singing the school song, which this year was performed by Alexa Jacobs, a distinguished performer in regional and state competitions.

Coventry High School Class of 2012

W. Reid Alosky, Jamie Angelo, Qaniat Anwar, Richard Ashley, Sarah Barnett, Angela Barrette, John Becker, Kathryn Berger, Frank Bishop, Ryan Boutin, Miranda Bragdon, Joseph Branciforte, Katherine Brierley, Michael Brown, Alexa Burger, Douglas Burke, Nicholas Burokas, Ryan Butler, Christopher Butt, Morgan Carver, Kaitlyn Chasse, Catrina Christensen, Frank Corbett, Ryan Corcoran, Edward Crocker, Jeffrey Crosby, Kaitlyn Crosby, Jessica Curtis, Zachary Cushing, Lindsey Daigneault, Carli Dantas, Colin Delaney, Thomas Delaney, Cheryl Dickerson, Christopher Didero-Gonzalez, Morgan Doane, Michael Dolan, Jake Downham.

Jenna Elsesser, Mary Leigh Enders, Zachery Figueiredo, Cole Fleeher, Eric Fleeher, Meghan Fowler, Albert Garcia, Jessica Gardner, Sarah Gokey, Timothy Goodale, Michael Griffith, Ashley Grindal, Shelby Groskritz, Jeremy Haddock, Laura Hayden, Luke Herzog, JoMarie Hofmann, Natasha Hood, Brandon Huestis, Gretta Ingraham, Alexa Jacobs, Ernest Jellinek, Timothy Jennison, Joakim Jensen, Zachary Jensen, Shelley Jones, Ashley Kelly, Ashlee Kendall, Nicole Kenefick, Jaclyn Kocor, Marla Koschinski, Samantha Kozlowski, Matthew Krewalk.

Jonathan Lamb, Nicholas LaPointe, Brent LaVoie, Kayla Lent, Tyler LePage, Justin Lindinger, Crystal Loethscher, Nicole Lupacchino, Stephanie Magno, Alex Mancino, Daniel Marinaro, Spencer Markie, Victoria Martin, Mara Matthias, Devin McDermott, Erin McMahon, Jesse Mercer, Sarah Mills, Tobias Moehrle, Patrick Mohan, Paige Morrison, Tierney Morton, Nicholas Norstrom, Ryan Nye, Taylor Ossolinski, Emily Ouellette, Anthony Pappalardo, Nathan Peck-Rizzo, Chelsea Perrigo, Ada Peters, Levi Petersen, Danielle Piantanida, Samantha Pietro, Kristen Powell, Kathryn Pugh, Brencis Pukinskis.

Patrick Reynolds, Kyle Richard, Victoria Richard, Jasmine Rios, Haley Rosborg, Aaron Rose, Briana St. Germain, Alexandra Salinsky, Christopher Santos, Brianna Schnell, Lauren Semmelroth, Alexander Sime, Lisa Smart, John Steadward, Quinten Stoddard, Matthew Strauss, Olivia Suter, Alec Taylor, John-David Torstenson, Taylor Vann, Zachary Vannais, Joseph Viscuso, Ineke Vromans, Nicole Waite, Zachary Walsh, Jeremy Weeks, Keanu Woodard, Kelly Zikoski, Marina Zoghbi.

Posted June 25, 2012 as edited by HTNP.com Editor Brenda Sullivan

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Jobs, housing topics of forum on Eastern CT

The purpose of the “visioning sessions” is to present current points of the study and to gather feedback and ideas from local residents. Livingston pointed to the difficulty of the task, given eastern Connecticut encompasses 41 towns, the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribal nations, and the fact that region is composed of village, rural and urban areas. Map graphic copyright 2012 by Brenda Sullivan

The comments of community members may result in a more sustainable future for Eastern Connecticut.

At a public “visioning session” last week, a dozen area residents and officials gathered at Windham Town Hall to learn about and weigh in on a planning study that examines the region’s potential for sustainability improvements.

The study looks at three areas of potential growth — mobility, employment and housing — on a regional scale and considers how these areas might be improved in an integrated, practical way.

“It’s looking at gaps in what’s out there. What issues cross boundaries throughout this region?” asked Ken Livingston, vice president and principal associate at the planning firm of Fitzgerald and Halliday.

The session, along with another Wednesday, June 20 in Dayville, and a third held Thursday in Norwich, was hosted by the Eastern Connecticut Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Consortium. Members of the study team presented the findings and guided small group discussions.

The consortium partners with the Windham Region Council of Governments, Northeastern Connecticut Council of Governments, Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments, Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board, and Southeastern Connecticut Housing Alliance.

The study, funded through a $225,000 grant from the state Department of Housing and Urban Development, began in September 2011 and will be completed by December 2013 at the latest, at which time the consortium will have a concise list of specific, doable recommendations for regional improvements.

The purpose of the “visioning sessions” is to present current points of the study and to gather feedback and ideas from local residents.

Livingston pointed to the difficulty of the task, given eastern Connecticut encompasses 41 towns, the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribal nations, and the fact that region is composed of village, rural and urban areas.

“There’s a diversity of issues and concerns,” he explained.

The study’s concentrations include diversified and affordable housing, workforce development and effectiveness of transportation.

Small breakout discussions were organized into these categories, but the interconnectedness of the issues was noted.

Affordable housing and dependable jobs should be located closer together, attendees said, which would lessen the burden on providing transportation.

Meanwhile, public transportation services could be connected between different areas of the region and service could be expanded.

Job training could be improved and coordinated with the needs of area employers, thus bridging the gap between the “supply of labor coming out of local schools” and “what the companies are looking for,” said Todd Poole study team member and managing principal for 4WARD Planning.

State Rep. Susan Johnson, D-Willimantic, attended the visioning session and spoke of the city’s potential. “We have a lot of resources here that could really help to change the economy,” Johnson said. She pointed to the freight rail lines, the airport, mills and other assets that could be harnessed to return Willimantic to its productive days.

She said she sees high-level manufacturing, to which much of the state has already begun to shift, as an exciting opportunity for the city. “If we act together, we can really attract a lot of people to the region,” Johnson said.

Columbia Town Planner Jana Butts, who is also a senior planner at WINCOG, was interested in the concept of “locational efficiency,” which would bring housing and jobs geographically closer.

“People who live close to their work are saving a lot of money, but also living a greener lifestyle,” Butts said. “I think there’s a real need for everyone to examine the environmental costs of their lifestyles and implement ways to make their lifestyles more sustainable.”

Livingston said he was grateful for the feedback. “What is most useful is hearing people’s personal stories and hearing their values,” he said.

It is these stories and values that will inform the consortium’s recommendations.

WINCOG Director Mark Paquette said the consortium will begin to synthesize these ideas this week, with the goal of moving a bit closer to final recommendations.

The consortium is looking for “a small number of (recommendations) where we can really make a difference,” he said.

The synthesized findings of the sessions will be posted on the consortium’s web site www.sustaineasternct. org, where community members can also learn more about the study and submit their own ideas.

Posted June 25, 2012

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In Coventry, You can use these bathrooms – for a price

Coventry (CT) Regional Farmers Market is one of the most popular and fastest growing in the state; it draws about 75,000 visitors annually. The market also shares the grounds each Sunday of market season with the Nathan Hale Homestead – which plans to charge anyone who wants to use its new bathrooms $25 to become Friends of the Homestead. Photo copyright 2012 by Brenda Sullivan.

Visitors to the Coventry Regional Farmers Market, at the Nathan Hale Homestead, will soon have an alternative to the portable facilities already provided by the market.

Officials with Connecticut Landmarks, which owns the homestead at 2299 South St., announced that market-goers will be able to use homestead’s new bathrooms – if they become “friends” of the homestead.

The offer will not, however, take effect until mid-July and it comes with a price tag.

A new “Friends of the Homestead” program will officially launch in mid-July at a cost of $25. Benefits include a 10 percent discount on items in the new museum store, free access to the homestead and its tours throughout the season – and use of the homestead’s bathrooms.

Connecticut Landmarks Executive Director Sheryl Hack said the new program was slightly delayed while awaiting Friends of the Homestead pins.

Since the market re-opened for the season this month, for the past three Sundays, the bathrooms at the homestead had been open and used by both museum visitors and market attendees.

Last week, Connecticut Landmarks had said it would begin locking its bathrooms for market goers and only open them for museum patrons who pay the museum’s regular admission fee.

“This is our response,” Hack said Friday (June 22).

Hack noted, however, that the homestead will continue to allow access to the restrooms for any handicapped person.

The Nathan Hale Homestead in Coventry, CT – a view of the kitchen garden. The Coventry Regional Farmers Market uses the adjoining fields on Sundays throughout the market season. It also recently built a barn won from Yankee Post & Beam where it will hold programs. Photo copyright 2012 by Brenda Sullivan.

Connecticut Landmarks Education and Historic Sites Operations Manager Cynthia Cormier said the bathrooms were open the first few weeks because the agency didn’t know how many people would use them.

Hack said the new system was designed for only “250 flushes a day.”

Hack estimated with 1,000 to possibly 3,000 flushes each Sunday, the homestead could destroy its new septic tank a month into this year’s season.

She said the homestead could never have afforded a septic tank with the capacity for so many flushes.

Addressing the problem, however, has opened up an opportunity to boost financial support for the homestead. The “Friends of the Homestead” program will be “a vehicle for community members, market-goers and everyone else to support the property,” Hack said.

Hack confirmed each dollar from the new $25 program would go directly back to the homestead site.

The homestead received $500,000 from the state in 2004 for renovations that included bathrooms and a visitors’ center, and another $750,000 for renovation of the two historic Hale barns.

State Rep. Tim Ackert, R-Coventry, called the new “Friends of the Homestead: program “very interesting.”

“I like the overall idea, in terms of discounting prices and helping out Connecticut Landmarks,” Ackert said. On the other hand, he said he’s concerned about people essentially paying to use the new bathrooms.

Ackert said he has reached out to Connecticut Landmarks about the issue but hadn’t received a response as of last Friday.

“This just doesn’t sit well,” Ackert said. “I will continue to look into this to make it the best for everybody.”

Farmers Market Executive Director Winter Caplanson said the market has ordered a handicapped-accessible portable toilet to join the two portable toilets already provided for market visitors.

Caplanson said CT Portables in Chaplin was going to add an addi­tional portable toilet in time for the June 24 market day.

Caplanson said she isn’t worried about more bathroom-related problems for the market.

“I think it will settle down,” she said.

The market, which is overseen by the Bridges Healthy Cooking School, a 501c3 nonprofit, generates sales exceeding $500,000 every year and draws more than 75,000 visitors annually.

The market is open Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Posted June 25, 2012 as edited by HTNP.com Editor Brenda Sullivan

Related link: Coventry Regional Farmers Market http://coventryfarmersmarket.com

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