Connecticut Postings

Javier Colon signs autographs during a welcome home celebration at his alma mater, Bunnell High School, in July 2011.

Stratford’s Javier Colon, winner of NBC’s The Voice, will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday at Ridgefield Playhouse.

For information about the show or to purchase tickets, visit ridgefieldplayhouse.com.

The Village Square Condominiums homeowners association will vote Thursday night on whether it will grant a federal agency permission to test the groundwater flowing beneath the property.

The condominium complex borders a 500-acre pool of severely contaminated groundwater that is part of the Raymark Superfund site. The Environmental Protection Agency wants to test the water under the complex to make sure the contaminated water does not extend beyond boundaries originally assigned to it by regulators.

But the EPA needs permission from residents before it can move forward with plans to install two to four groundwater monitoring wells on the property and test the indoor air quality.

“The real objective here is to just be able to better delineate the outer edge of the plume,” Ron Jennings, a longtime EPA project manager, told the Connecticut Post earlier this month. “We think we’ve got it, but it would be nice to have a higher level of confidence.”

The contaminated groundwater here is not used for drinking. But it releases a toxic gas that permeates the soil and disperses into the air. The gas can enter homes through plumbing gaps and cracks in the foundation. When trapped within four walls, the toxins become concentrated and potentially hazardous to breathe.

If the EPA finds contaminated groundwater beneath the condominiums, the property would likely be adopted into the Superfund program, Jennings said.

But, he added, regulators do not think the groundwater under the condo property is contaminated.

If the project wins approval from homeowners, new wells would be installed over the course of about a week. Groundwater test results would be available about one or two months after installation, Jennings said.

Indoor air sampling would take place over a 24-hour period and results would be available in about a week, he said.

Read more about the groundwater testing project here.

Press release:

Helen “Bunnie” McQuilton, a 25-year volunteer with Stratford EMS, has won the 2012 David Felner Caregiver Award.

The Caregiver Award is presented to a person who has show outstanding care and compassion for cancer patients.

The award is named in honor of David Felner, a former Stratford firefighter, who died of cancer in 2002.

“Bunnie” was presented with the award at the St. Vincent’s Swim Across the Sound sports gala to raise funds for first responders and their families dealing with cancer.

At a memorial service for Angel “Tun Tun” Gonzalez, the homeless Bridgeport man who was hacked to death with an ax and cannibalized inside a boarded-up East End apartment last month, the victim’s family criticized Mayor Bill Finch for failing to address the city’s abandoned buildings.

Nereida Gonzalez, the victim’s ex-wife, said boarded up homes like the one where Gonzalez lived and died are hubs of violence.

She said the city should demolish these abandoned structures instead of looking the other way as they become centers for criminal activity.

“I want the mayor in Bridgeport to do something with these houses,” said Nereida Gonzalez. “These houses are dangerous.”

She added, “When I came here with (Gonzalez), this was a place to raise a kid. Not now. Not with these houses bringing in criminals. If I see the mayor I will tell him myself. The houses need to come down.”

Press release:

Are you interested in Stratford’s vibrant theatre and arts community?

If you want to know more about Festival! Stratford 2012, get involved in the early stages and become part of Stratford’s grand cultural legacy, join festival organizers at an informational volunteer meeting on February 9, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers at Stratford’s Town Hall, 2725 Main Street.

Thanks in part to the hard work and dedication of the 2011 volunteers, last year’s great success numbers and audience feedback will be shared at the February 9^th meeting in addition to committee descriptions and needs.

The committee is seeking volunteers for the mid-August event to assist with communications, volunteer coordination, staffing, vending, ushering, parking management, donations/raffle and main stage support.

Based on the success of the 2011 festival, organizers are expecting an increased need for community and volunteer involvement. The 2-week festival will include theatre and music performances, art exhibits, children’s shows and so much more on the grounds of the American Festival (Shakespeare) Theatre.

To volunteer, please contact festivalstratfordct@gmail.com or visit www.festivalstratford.org for more information on the Festival.

Though a long way off, completion of the Moses Wheeler Bridge replacement project is projected to come 14 months ahead of schedule.

“By contract there was a reduction in the schedule from Oct. 31 of 2017 … to Aug. 31 of 2016,” said James Pelletier, the project engineer.

The new bridge is projected to cost about $45 million less that the initial estimate of $430 million.

Questions arose about the project when a crane being used for the bridge reconstruction project fell in the parking lot next to Bossanova restaurant on Ferry Boulevard. About five gallons of fuel leaked out.

Crews were dismantling the crane when it toppled over Wednesday night, Pelletier said. The incident did not slow down progress, he added.

“We’re on track,” Pelletier said.

He added, “This is a big undertaking.”

Track the Moses Wheeler Bridge reconstruction project’s progress here.

From Housatonic Community College:

BRIDGEPORT – The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, which provides free tax preparation for eligible families, will kick off the new tax season with an opening event on Friday, Jan. 27, at Housatonic Community College.

Under the program, volunteers are trained by the Internal Revenue Service to prepare income tax returns for households earning less than $50,000. HCC students typically participate in the program.

Highlighting Friday’s program will be addresses by HCC President Anita T. Gliniecki; Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch; Peter Yazbak, outreach coordinator for Cong. Jim Himes; IRS senior tax specialist Ron Peruzzi and Merle Berke-Schlessel, president and CEO of the United Way of Coastal Fairfield County.

The event begins at 1 p.m. in the Atrium in Lafayette Hall. Free parking is available in the Housatonic Garage, 900 Lafayette Blvd in downtown Bridgeport.

The Stratford Board of Education has yet to name a committee to head the search for the district’s next superintendent.

Irene Cornish, acting chief of schools, announced her intent to retire Jan. 1 of 2013 at an education board meeting Monday night. Cornish was superintendent for six years before she was named acting superintendent after her quasi-retirement in June 2009.

Education Board Chairman Gavin Forrester said a search committee probably won’t be named for another couple months. But he said he hopes to hire a permanent replacement for Cornish before the year’s end.

“I will be looking to have a permanent replacement in place by the end of the year if not sooner and I think we will be able to accomplish that goal within the timeline of the next 6 – 9 months,” he said in an email.