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Category: Current Issue

Legal Notice
West Putnam District
Meeting Date:
Thursday, May 23, 2024

The Electors of the West Putnam District and those citizens qualified to vote in said District meetings, are hereby notified and warned that the Annual Meeting of said District will be held on Thursday, May 23, 2024, at 7:00 p.m., at the Municipal Complex Town Hall, Community Room 112, 200 School Street, Putnam, Connecticut.

The meeting is being held for the following purposes:

1. Treasurer’s Report
2. To adopt a budget for the coming fiscal year
3. To elect officers and directors for the coming fiscal year
4. To do any other business proper to come before said meeting

Michele Giorgianni,
President, West Putnam District
Roxanne Sheldon,
Clerk, West Putnam District

May 9, 2024
May 16, 2024

Town of Putnam
Zoning Board of Appeals
Legal Notice

The Town of Putnam Zoning Board of Appeals will hold a hybrid meeting on May 21, 2024 at 7:00 P. M. in Room 201 at the Putnam Municipal Complex, located at 200 School Street, Putnam, CT.  A public hearing will be held on the following:

Appeal # 2024-003  David Perron request for variance for rear yard, front yard and side yard setbacks for the keeping of livestock in accordance with Section 414 of the Town of Putnam Zoning Regulations.   Property located at 59 Sunnyside Avenue, Town Assessors Map 011, Lot 188, Zoned R-7.

Zoom meeting information will be available on the Town of Putnam website prior to the meeting date.   

Joseph Nash, Chairperson

May 2, 2024
May 9, 2024
May 16, 2024

Town of Putnam
Planning Commission
Legal Notice

The Town of Putnam Planning Commission will hold a Special Planning Commission meeting on May 28, 2024, at 6:00 P.M. at the Municipal Complex located at 200 School Street, Putnam, CT.  A public hearing will take place on the following:

Application 2024-01 Judy M. and Justin C. White request for a 1-lot re-subdivision for property located at 271 Elmwood Hill Road, Town Assessors Map 030, Lot 005, Zoned Agricultural-2.

Edward Briere, Chairman.

Meeting information will be available on the Town of Putnam Website prior to the meeting.

May 16, 2024
May 23, 2024

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Details

Category: Current Issue

A chance
to protect
the land
In 1975, Virginia “Jimmie” Booth, the owner of Hillandale Farm and the Golden Lamb restaurant in Brooklyn, looked across the iconic stone walls and hay fields of her farm to the woods that lined the property. She was struck by the beauty of the landscape and thought to herself: “We should start a land trust.”
Today, the Wyndham Land Trust has an extraordinary opportunity to protect much of the woods that inspired Booth almost 50 years ago. In April The Conservation Fund, based in Arlington, Vir., acquired 320 acres of woodlands on the old Hillandale Farm. The Conservation Fund has given the Land Trust until March 2025 to purchase the property from them.
In response to this challenge, the Land Trust is kicking off a 10-month fund-raising drive to raise $635,000 to acquire what it has christened “The Hillandale Woods.”
“The property sits at the historic core of the Wyndham Land Trust,” said President Mike St Lawrence, “and we knew we wanted to protect it from development. However, we already have two big projects moving forward in 2024, and we just didn’t have the financial resources to close the deal this year.
“We are grateful to The Conservation Fund for stepping in and providing us this opportunity to acquire the property. Unfortunately, we have a relatively short timeline to raise the necessary funds.  This substantial property is ideally suited for high-end housing development, and The Conservation Fund’s mission does not include long-term ownership and management of property.
“We’re working hard to raise the money. Because State and Federal grant programs take more than one year to complete, we’re applying for grants from a number of private foundations. However, we will need the financial support of the people in the Quiet Corner to reach our goal.”
“It’s an ecologically important piece of property to preserve,” said Andy Rzeznikiewicz, the land manager for the Land Trust and Connecticut Audubon. “It has extensive wetlands that feed into Bush Hill Pond, but the frontage along Bush Hill Road makes it vulnerable to development.
“It’s adjacent to our Booth Preserve, a Wolf Den Land Trust preserve, and several properties that are protected by conservation easements. They all link up to connect with Natchaug State Forest and create a large forested block that supports nesting birds like Scarlet Tanagers, Pileated Woodpeckers, and Ovenbirds.
“It’s been on our radar for years, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to protect this land in perpetuity. There are already trails on the property, and once we own the land, the trails will be open to the public.”
Land Trust members are invited to support Virginia Booth’s vision and help protect Hillandale Woods by donating to the fund-raising drive at wyndhamlandtrust.org.
The Wyndham Land Trust now protects 51 preserves covering more than 6,000 acres in the Quiet Corner and will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025. What better way to celebrate the formation of the Land Trust than to acquire the property that inspired its founders.

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Details

Category: Current Issue

caption:
Gabrielle Baker and Rotary Fishing Derby Chair Doug Porter. More photos on page 4 and an expanded array of photos Wed. night on the paper's FB page: Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger. Linda Lemmon photo.



captions, page 4:

Riley Fortin won several prizes. At left is Rotary Fishing  Derby Chair Doug Porter.
Rylee Hachey won the "Most Unique" prize for the sun turtle he caught.
Andrew Gamache, asleep, won the Largest Fish award from the Baker family. At left is Rotarian Doug Porter with Gabrielle Baker.
Farrah Robinson won for the largest fish and the drawing in the 10-12 age group.
bottom left: Alex Wilcox won the drawing in the Under 5 division.
bottom right: Clayton Pike won in the 13-15 division.

By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
The Putnam Rotary Club Noe Poulin Fishing Derby was special all around.
The May 11 derby celebrated its 50th year.
And two special awards were given to two of the youngsters in honor of a man who had longed to be a professional bass fisherman.
Derby Chair Doug Porter said the family of the late Andrew Baker and his daughter Elizabeth Baker asked Barbara Kenyon, co-owner and operator of New England Awards in South Woodstock about making two plaques honoring the pair. They were killed in an accident Nov. 7, 2022. Kenyon created the plaques and then connected Porter with Gabrielle Baker’s mother, Tammy Mihm.
The 2024 Andrew Shane and Elizabeth Largest Bass Caught Award, says: “Andrew Shane Baker was an avid fisherman with dreams of one day being a Bass Master Pro and having his own line of lures. He had plans to open his own bait and tackle shop.
“A resident of Dayville, CT who grew up in Danielson, Andrew was a loving and devoted husband and soon to be father who was excited for the day he could teach his daughter, Elizabeth Emilee, how to fish and bring her to the derby.
"Both Andrew and Elizabeth tragically lost their lives in an automobile accident on November 7, 2022. This award is presented in their memory.”
The two beautiful plaques were presented at the end of the derby.
Gabrielle Baker, still struggling with the effects of the accident, beamed as she presented the two plaques. The largest bass plaque went to Andrew Gamache and the other, for the most fish caught, went to Riley Fortin.
Winners included:
Under 5: Largest Fish, a tie between Andrew Gamache and Landon Peltier. The drawing winner was Alex Wilcox.
6-9: Largest Fish (7-inch catfish), Riley Fortin. Drawing winner was Rydee Johnson.
10-12: Largest Fish (10-inch rainbow), Farrah Robinson. She also won the drawing.
13-15: Largest Fish (9-inch perch), Clayton Pike. Drawing winner: Dylan Warren.
Award for Most Fish Caught: Riley Fortin (4)
Award for Most Unique: Ryler Hachey (a sun turtle).

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Category: Current Issue

Skyward Wonders
First a near total eclipse and now an Aurora Borealis. Wonderful. Linda Lemmon photo.

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