Last week, the Board of Aldermen unanimously approved a pair of ordinances that supporters say will help bring in new businesses while also supporting those already in town. The first is a graduated tax incentive program for businesses to start up, relocate to town or expand in town. The second is an interest-free loan program that would allow downtown merchants to upgrade the exterior of their businesses.

Alderman Peter Marcinko, D-1st Ward, said he hoped to see the programs take off.

“I’m hoping it’ll be a fantastic success,” he said. “It’s another useful tool in doing whatever we need to to support our businesses.”

Under the tax incentive plan, business owners may apply for tax abatements of up to 100% for the value increase of their relocation or expansion. The incentive would last for up to seven years. Other potential benefits to relocation or expansion in Ansonia could include having building permit and sewer hookup fees waived.

“It allows us to reward businesses for the money and time they invest in our community,” said Alderman John Marini, R-7th Ward. “It’s only through economic development that we can reverse the trend of a declining Grand List and increasing property taxes.”

The incentive plan allows Ansonia to be pro-active in landing businesses, Marini said.

The other economic development incentive, the Storefront Loan Program, will be administered through the Economic Development Commission. It allows business owners to apply for 0% interest loans of up to $2,000 to rehabilitate their exterior facades, anything from awnings and signs to brickwork, windows or doors.

Marcinko said the program could show results sooner than people might expect.
“I’ve spoken to three businesses downtown that are interested in making some improvements,” he said. “I wish we could make $20,000 loans, but hopefully people use the program and we can expand it.”

The best part of the program, Marini said, is that Ansonia residents would receive a spruced up city at a bare minimum of expense.

“Remember these are loans, so once the company pays back the loan, all the program costs the taxpayer is the interest in $2,000,” he said. But since the business owner still has to pay permit fees for the proposed improvements, the program should have a net cost of zero, he said. Plus the program could spur more business development, he said.

“The more businesses that make improvements, the more others will want to,” he said. “And the nicer the downtown area looks, the more attractive it becomes to new businesses.

“We already have some nice restaurants, now we need business and shopping options that don’t exist anywhere else,” he said.

Voters finally approved a reduced $30.9-million budget at a third referendum June 6. The new budget is $544, 958, or 1.8%, more than the 2012-13 budget.
With the one-time savings of $158,514 in health insurance, the board cut just one new initiative from its budget in order to meet its lower bottom line. That casualty was a new teaching position proposed for Seymour Middle School, at a cost of about $63,000.

Superintendent of Schools Christine Syriac made the recommendation to eliminate the position, but said she will definitely request it again next year, because it’s that important.

The majority of Syriac’s new initiatives were spared from the chopping block, and include an additional teacher to keep middle school classroom sizes from ballooning upwards of 30 students; $18,564 to hire four paraprofessional monitors; $50,746 for an additional school bus; $5,000 for student clubs at the high school and middle school; and $2,388 for creation of a middle school cross country team.

Parent Melissa Chambal and her daughter, Jessica, 13, an eighth grader at SMS, were thrilled to see the additional bus was spared. Chambal said Jessica “missed out” on numerous after-school activities, like student council and a homework help club, because there was no late bus offered. Chambal said since both she and her husband work out of town, they were unable to pick Jessica up. But now with a late bus in the line-up, Jessica will be able to partake in many of the after-school activities she missed out on, and perhaps even participate in some new ones, now that she has a ride home.

The health insurance savings was thanks to a higher than anticipated number of school employees signing up for a new plan with a higher deductible, according to Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Rick Belden.

Belden initially anticipated about 10% of the staff signing up, but was pleased to report that 66%, or about 93 teachers, enrolled. The higher enrollment enabled the district to realize bigger savings.

There were also some additional expenses the board had to contend with, including a $34,000 increase in Social Security/Medicare costs; nearly $20,000 increase in property insurance; $26,000 increase in out-of-district tuition; $43,000 spike in heating fuel; $14,000 increase in custodial supplies; and $6,668 in bus fuel. Most of those expenses were offset, as well, due to the health insurance savings.

Board Vice Chairman Fred Stanek thanked voters for approving the budget, even though he wished it could’ve passed on the first try, since he believed the request was “very reasonable.” But in the end, with the savings found to offset major cuts, Stanek was glad how things turned out.

“This is a very viable budget for the next school year,” he said.

Topics include questions such as  How does Social Security fit into your retirement income plan?  When should you start taking benefits?  What about taxes?

For further information about this program call the Library Director, Joyce Ceccarelli, at (203) 734-6728.

Instruction will be given by the Derby and Ansonia High girls basketball staffs.

The camp will be held from Monday, July 22 through Friday, July 26 at the Derby High gym from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Price is $25 and includes a shirt. Girls must wear sneakers to participate.

For further information, contact Dave Chevarella at dchevarella@derbyps.org.

Members of Assumption’s 100th class received their diplomas Monday.

Assumption School looks much the same as it did when the first class of students graduated in 1913. Most of the non-air conditioned classrooms retain dark wood cabinets and swing-out windows. Even the digital whiteboards in many cases have actual slate blackboards behind them.

But if the building remains in the early 20th Century, the instruction — and the students — are every bit up to date, according to students and staff.

The Ansonia school graduated its 100th class Monday evening, and Principal Kathleen Molner, who has been associated with the school as a student, parent, teacher and principal since the 1960s, said the school created a bond between faculty, parents and students.

The Assumption Class of 1913, the school’s first graduating class.

“It’s like a second family,” she said. “I’ve gotten to see the children and grandchildren of the kids I went to school with come here for their education.”
Jason Abate, class of 2009, agreed that the school was both learning environment and family. Abate, who was valedictorian of Assumption, maintained the tradition of school valedictorians addressing the graduating class four years later. Abate was also recently named valedictorian of Notre Dame High School of West Haven.

“The school just feels like home to me. I was there 11 years between pre-K and graduation,” he said.

Abate credited the school’s academics with preparing him for Notre Dame.

“The biggest thing the school stressed is that we need to become writers,” he said. “We were writing at a high school level while still in grammar school, and when we got to high school, it was like we were already doing what we needed to do.”

Academically, Abate maintained a grade average of over 98% for every marking period for four years at Notre Dame. He also credited that consistency to Assumption.

“It’s not that I’m any smarter, it was the insistence on work ethic and the lesson that it is a moral responsibility to do your best,” he said.

One of the teachers Abate credited is Virginia DeGennaro, a 24-year teacher who has taught eighth grade for four years. DeGennaro took advantage of her last chance to address the students to reinforce the message of hard work and moral responsibility.

“I hope you have learned that hard work might sometimes seem painful, but it is never fatal,” she said. “Set your goals high. Challenge yourself. Challenges make you a better person.”

Assumption’s graduating class of 30 students, led by Valedictorian Samantha Cretella, is on the large side, Molner said. Enrollment at many Catholic schools has declined in recent years, but Assumption is growing.

“This year we had 242 students and next year we are projecting 248,” she said.
DeGennaro said the school’s success was the result of leadership, support from the community and loyalty from the parents and students. She said parents appreciated having their religious values reinforced on a daily basis.

“When parents make the decision to spend the money and send their students here, they want more than reading, writing and math, they want their values reinforced and woven into every aspect of learning,” she said.

In response to the issues expressed at the public hearings about the new Community Water Tank (CWT) to be located in Derby, the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (RWA) has significantly redesigned its plans for the CWT.  RWA and its consultants have worked to address the safety and community issues expressed during the hearings.  The redesign includes moving the proposed CWT to a location further south on the same parcel of land and away from neighbors along Mountain Street, Emmett Avenue and Fall Street.

The most important aspect of the redesign is safety.  The new location on the southern portion of the property eliminates construction traffic from Summit Street and the surrounding neighborhoods. The new CWT location also eliminates the need to construct a water main along narrow residential streets including Fall Street, Emmett Avenue and Eleventh Street and other utility work on Mountain Street.

“We believe the new design addresses the concerns presented by the community and our customers,” Kate Powell, RWA Communications & Outreach Manager, said.  “Over the next several months, we look forward to working closely with the city of Derby as we finalize the plans for the CWT. We continue to be ever mindful of the safety and public health needs of our customers in Ansonia, Derby, and Seymour.”

As part of its continued investment in the community, RWA plans to purchase nearly 18 acres of land around the tank site and hopes to conserve approximately 12 acres of that land as open space.  This action will ensure that there is no further development of this property and help protect its natural beauty.

RWA will mail letters to the neighbors to inform them of its new plans and will host an informational meeting with the neighborhood.  In order to provide the community with up-to-date information throughout the process, the RWA has developed a website specifically dedicated to the CWT project.  This website can be viewed at www.communitywatertank.com.

South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority

The South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority supplies water and related services to 430,000 consumers in 15 communities in the region. It owns and protects over 27,000 acres of watershed land and provides a wide array of educational and recreational opportunities to the community. For more information, visit www.rwater.com.

Ms. D’Ascoli is an award-winning journalist and the publisher of Connecticut Muse. All approaches to getting published will be discussed, including self-publishing, e-publishing, and using social media to enhance your presence in the literary market.  Registration is not required.  For more information, call the library at 203-734-1492.

Other volunteers are also welcome. For information visit the group’s website.

Seymour High graduate John Murphy, a shortstop, has been drafted by the New York Yankees. (Sacred Heart photo)

Seymour High graduate John Murphy has been assigned to the Staten Island Yankees, Class A New York-Penn League affiliate of the New York Yankees. Murphy, a left-handed batter, is one of two shortstops listed on the club’s roster.

The team opens its season tonight against the Brooklyn Cyclones, the Class A affiliate of the New York Mets at Richmond County Bank Ballpark. Other teams in the league include the Aberdeen Ironbirds (Baltimore Orioles affiliate), Hudson Valley Renegades (Tampa), Auburn Doubledays (Washington), Batavia Muckdogs (Miami), Jamestown Jammers (Pittsburgh), Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Cleveland), State College Spikes (St. Louis), Williamsport Crosscutters (Philadelphia), Connecticut Tigers (Detroit), Lowell Spinners (Boston), Tri-City Valleycats (Houston) and Vermont Lake Monsters (Oakland).

The National Weather Service is also tracking a line of storms that extends from Mt. Kisco, New York to Newtown, Conn. The storm system is moving east along the shore, though lower Valley towns could still feel its effects.

Gusty winds up to 50 miles per hour along with deadly cloud-to-ground lightning are possible with this storm.