PSA player
Robinson
commits to
Albany
PUTNAM —The 2019 class for the Putnam Science Academy Prep Lady Mustangs have had quite the year. Seven different ladies accepted scholarships to play college basketball in the programs second year under Head Coach Derek Marchione.
The anchor in the middle for the Mustangs would increase that number to 8 after this past week.
Abby Robinson, a 6-foot, 1-inch forward from Mount Vernon, N.Y., elected to stay near her hometown by committing to Division 1 University of Albany in New York.
Robinson didn’t play too much last season on a team that saw multiple D1 forwards go on to the next level, but she would earn her playing time this year holding down the paint for the Lady Mustangs grabbing a team-high 6.6 rebounds per game.
She also saw her offensive game gradually progress throughout the season tallying seven games in which she scored in double figures. She averaged 6.8 points per game but was very capable of carrying the offense starting the season with 3 consecutive games of double digit points and even collecting a season-high 17 points in a win over St. Andrews in late February.
When coming to a decision on where to commit to play college basketball, Robinson acknowledged that “home is where the heart is.” “I chose the University of Albany because they offered many qualities that I aspire to find in college and being close to home was important” Robinson said. “The community is supportive and they have a strong basketball team that I hope to one-day lead.” While starting for the Lady Mustangs this past season, Robinson found her new established role on the team by being a force in the paint and on the glass where she shot 51 percent from the field.
So how did Robinson, who went from playing few minutes the year prior, develop into a crafty forward who could change the outcome of any ball game on both ends of the floor? You didn’t have to look much further than the Head Coach Marchione. “Playing under coach Derek helped me drastically” said Robinson. “Coach pushed me every day to get better and he knew I had potential so that drove me to work even harder to get where I ultimately wanted to be.”
Robinson made it eight Lady Mustangs from this year’s team to commit to play basketball in college under scholarship. The program is just in its second year. Marchione has now helped more than a dozen female athletes reach their goal of playing basketball at the next level all while coaching a Mustang team that placed third nationally in Prep girls’ basketball. Rhode Island, Providence, Canisius, Southern New Hampshire, New Hampshire, Becker, Marist and now Albany will not only have a former Mustang at their program next year but will also have hard-working and passionate women stepping onto campus bringing with them the Mustang Way.
Josh Sanchas
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy

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caption, page 5:

On its Way
Work has begun already on the municipal parking lot downtown. Linda Lemmon photo.



Projects
galore
in Putnam
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — Town crews will be hard at work for the upcoming construction season, starting April 8.
Weather permitting, two projects kick off the construction downtown.
Travis Sirrine, highway superintendent, said the sidewalks on both sides of Canal Street, from Nikki’s to Rt. 44 will be redone.
The Main Street parking lot, next to the Congregational Church of Putnam, will be redone. Town crews have already removed the scrub trees and bushes from Main Street to Livery Street. He said the lot was squared off at the church’s rear parking lot. Sirrine said that the paving will be ground up and repaved. The lot will be recurbed and replanted. New stripes will be added. He expects that the lot will gain three to five parking spaces. Sirrine added that from what they saw digging it out, it “sure looked like it’d been a long time” since the lot had been done.
He anticipates that it will take seven to 10 days to complete the work on Canal Street and the Main Street parking lot, weather permitting. Canal Street and the parking lot will be closed while the work is done.
Sirrine said that they could have kept parts open during the work but it will take “much less time” if the lot and the street are closed during the work.
The idea, he said, is to complete the work on Canal Street and the Main Street parking lot before the first First Fridays on May 3.
What follows is a repaving project for the whole downtown block. Starting on May 6 — and weather permitting — the following streets will be milled down and paved: Main Street, Bundy Street, Livery Street, Lee Street and Canal Street.
He said crews will be grinding at night and paving during the day. “The whole square will be done,” he said.
Any drainage issues will be addressed, for example replacing catch basins as needed.
He said the water and sewer department have no plans to be doing any work in that area (i.e. no new waterlines, etc.).
He said because the area will be closed, it should take “probably (only) a week” (weather permitting) to do the work.
The projects around downtown total $300,000 to $350,000 and the money comes from the town budget.
Near Murphy Park, on the other hand, the bridge replacement project is 80 percent funded by a federal program.
The replacement of the Recreation Park Bridge will begin April 8. The bridge will be closed for the entire project, which may stretch to the end of the construction season, November.
He said there would be detour signs. The total cost of the bridge project is $2.5 million and it is through the Federal Local Bridge Program. It will be administered through the State Department of Transportation. The federal government pays 80 percent and the town picks up 20 percent.
Sirrine said that the bridge is “quite old” and an inspection said it is due for replacement.
He said 6 or 7 miles of road are slated for “crack/sealing” this spring. When the new town budget kicks in in July more roads will be slated for work.
The town, he said, is keeping the good roads good with maintenance and replacing roads as the budget allows.

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Mitchell
commits
to UMass
Coach Bergeron, too?
WOODSTOCK — The University of Massachusetts gained more members of The Woodstock Academy Gold Prep basketball team last week.
Tre Mitchell, the cornerstone of the team, committed to the University of Massachusetts March 29.
The Massachusetts Daily Collegian also said that fellow Centaur T.J. Weeks, a 6-foot, 5-inch wing, committed to UMass March 28. They both join Preston Santos with the Minutemen.
They may also see a familiar face at UMass as Woodstock Academy Gold Prep basketball coach Tony Bergeron is said to have unofficially agreed to join the UMass coaching staff.
Mitchell played for The Woodstock Academy Gold prep basketball team in its inaugural two seasons. The team finished in the top five of the prep basketball rankings nationally in each of those two years.
Mitchell scored more than 1,000 points and grabbed more than 700 rebounds in a Woodstock Academy uniform.
Mitchell,  a 6-9 senior center ,was also recently named the Gatorade Connecticut Boys Basketball Player of the Year. He was also named Power 5 Conference Player of the Year and tournament Most Valuable Player in each of the last two years. He is also a McDonald’s All-American nominee.

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