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.

ANSONIA — Complaints from neighbors in the Howard Avenue area prompted an investigation by police into criminal activity which resulted in the recent arrest of two people on drug charges.
Joseph Vasquez and Kayla Schlemmer, both of 88 Howard Ave., were arrested Friday afternoon, according to Lt. Andrew Cota.
Vasquez, 18, was charged with sale of cocaine, possession within 1,500 feet of a school (Ansonia High School) with intent to sell and tampering with evidence.
He was held on $250,000 and is due in Derby Superior Court on Feb. 14.
Schlemmer, 18, was charged with sale of cocaine and possession within 1,500 feet of a school with intent to sell. She was held on a $5,000 bond and is due in Derby Superior Court on Feb. 17.
Vasquez and Schlemmer were arrested after the Ansonia Police Anti-Crime Unit, along with the Ansonia patrol and detective divisions, Derby Police and the DEA, served a search and seizure warrant at the Howard Avenue residence Friday around 4:30 p.m., said Cota.
He said that, during the search, approximately two ounces of crack cocaine and more than $1,300 in cash was seized from the residence.
“The investigation was in direct response to complaints from neighbors about drug dealing in the area,” Cota said.

BRIDGEPORT — A city man has won tickets to this weekend’s Super Bowl XLVI.

Bridgeporter Conrad Balagtas was randomly selected from more than 40,000 subscribers to the Patriot Place Advantage Newsletter, as the winner of two tickets to this Sunday’s big game against the New York Giants and the New England Patriots in Indianapolis.

Patriot Place, the retail and entertainment development located in Foxborough, Mass.adjacent to Gillette Stadium, launched the ticket promotion on Jan. 24. Balagtas and his wife, Karen, attended the Patriots’ Super Bowl Send-Off at Patriot Place on Sunday and received their tickets from Patriot Place General Manager Brian Earley, according to a news release.

“Patriot Place Advantage subscribers receive rewards that go far beyond the ordinary,” said Earley. “From Gillette Stadium concert pre-sales to Super Bowl tickets, the newsletter subscribers have access to truly unique and exclusive opportunities. Congratulations to Conrad and I hope he and Karen enjoy the game in Indianapolis.”

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.

Police Saturday afternoon closed down Grovers Avenue after neighbors reported gas leaking through a crack in the street.

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.”

SEYMOUR — The town’s police chief has apologized for using profanity in front of fellow officers last month.
The apology was part of discipline Chief Michael Metzler received from the Board of Police Commission earlier this month.
In a letter dated Jan. 17 that was addressed to “all employees,” Metzler wrote: “I wish to extend my apology to any employee who felt offended by the inappropriate comment that I made in December.”
Following a closed door session Jan. 12, commissioners found that Metzler “used poor judgments” in statements he made Dec. 19.
The commissioners’ decision to discipline the chief was unanimous. He was given five days to apologize and also has to forfeit two vacation days.