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Plainville's new sweet shop, Lacroix's Homemade Ice Cream, is named for a grandpa in Rhode Island who's a fanatic about the frozen dessert. Specifically, co-owner Lauren Minty's maternal grandfather.

"He is just obsessed, obsessed with ice cream," Minty said. "Any memories I have of him, he's just an ice cream lover. Every time we go to visit him, he's always going to the local shop and getting quarts and pints to bring back for us."

Minty said her grandfather is "ecstatic" about the central Connecticut ice cream shop that now bears his last name, which she opened with her partner, Sean Williston, in early July. The two have "countless" summers of ice cream scooping experience that they wanted to parlay into their own small business, and they began talking about opening a shop about six years ago, Minty said.

They went to an ice cream training course shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, but decided to wait out the period of uncertainty, Minty said. And later after their plans to buy a home fell through unexpectedly, the couple reconsidered their business plan, after Minty's father found the Plainville space available on a real estate website.

"We sat on it for a little while, and then we decided, it's now or never. We didn't find a house, we don't have a mortgage, we don't have kids yet," she said. "So, now's the time if we're actually going to do this."

The Woodford Avenue space had been home to The Creamery, and owner Roger Leardi helped train Minty and Williston ahead of their opening, she said. They had hoped to open by Memorial Day, but debuted the first week of July — and business hasn't slowed down since.

"Plainville, after opening a week and a half ago it has been beyond our wildest dreams to have met so many amazing people and sell out twice," they posted on Instagram July 13, informing guests that they would remain closed on Mondays and Thursdays to make ice cream.

Each day, Lacroix's offers about 20 flavors, the couple said, with staples like vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, cookies and cream, cookie dough, coconut and mint chip. Other popular varieties include coffee Heath bar and peanut butter cup, they said, and the menu has featured options like brownie batter, birthday cake, Butterfinger and cotton candy. A banana ice cream is made with whole blended bananas, Minty said, as she wanted as natural of a flavor as possible.

Dairy-free options are available, including fruit sorbets and creamy flavors made with coconut. The couple plans seasonal flavors heading into fall, like maple walnut and apple pie, but they haven't yet decided if Lacroix's will be a year-round operation.

Ice cream is available in cups and cones (including freshly made waffle cones), along with milkshakes, floats, sundaes and banana splits. Lacroix's also offers chocolate sprinkles made from real, high-quality chocolate, Minty said, a topping she loved when going out for ice cream with her grandparents in Rhode Island.

The owners have transformed the outdoor patio into a gathering space, with picnic tables, benches, planters with bright flowers and string lights that illuminate the seating area at night. A brick wall is painted with a small pink and white mural, featuring a peace sign, a pink heart and an ice cream cone.

"We wanted to make it fun and hip...a place where you can hang out," Minty said, adding that they play music outside as well. "[It's a] place for the community."

Lacroix's Homemade Ice Cream is at 161 Woodford Ave. in Plainville. It's open Tuesday and Wednesday and Friday through Sunday from noon to 9 p.m. Closed Monday and Thursday. instagram.com/lacroixshomemade.

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PLAINVILLE — The club is small but it's growing, and members believe that will continue.

In this case the club is towns in Connecticut that are piloting or committed to four-day workweeks for municipal employees.

Plainville started its pilot program on Monday and will decide in February whether to make the switch to longer days with Town Hall closed on the weekend and Fridays permanent.

"It's about retention and recruitment and the concept of a work-life balance," Plainville Town Manager Michael Paulhus said Monday.

Paulhus said the town will take the time between now and February to gather input from residents and employees to see if they should make adjustments and the move permanent.

In Vernon the town began its pilot program a year ago and doesn't have a date set for declaring the change permanent, as it implements tweaks that town officials believe will make the move better for residents and employees.

But Town Administrator Michael Purcaro is very happy with the results for both sides of the equation so far, as residents have extended hours during the day to visit most town departments, and the town has a leg up on attracting and retaining quality workers.

Purcaro said that what works for one department might not work for another, so the town is taking its time to try and get it right for everyone involved.

"This is an opportunity to to make adjustments and make sure it works for the residents. It has to be organic so that it can evolve," Purcaro said, adding that residents should rest assured that no one is getting paid to work fewer hours.

But the issue of work-life balance in a "fiercely competitive" job market is also at play, and Purcaro believes other towns will have to follow suit or risk losing employees.

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"When one town does this others have to consider it automatically," he said. Neighboring Ellington has already implemented a pilot program.

For Purcaro, that's because for the first time in American workforce history five generations of people — from Boomers to Millennials — are in the work force and while they have differing needs, they all agree on one thing: quality of work-life balance.

"That's why municipalities need to be creative in hiring," he said.

Tolland initially made the switch to a four-day, 40-hour workweek in 2009 to save on energy costs and increase access for residents before- and after-work. But Town Manager Brian Foley agreed that it gives them an edge, too.

"It's also become a competitive advantage in hiring quality candidates, as many more towns are offering the 40 hour, four day week," he said. "Most candidates find that desirable."

Plans are also in the works for a possible pilot program in Simsbury, where departments are now collecting data on the number of visits. Interim Town Manager Lee Erdmann said that the data collection will continue until February.

But not everyone is on board yet.

In Hebron, Town Manager Andrew Tierney said there are no plans for any changes.

"We're a pretty busy town so we're open five days a week," Tierney said. "I don't think we're going to consider going to four days a week."

PLAINVILLE, CT (WFSB) - We know this is the time of year that bears hibernate, but imagine finding one camping out right in your own backyard.

A family in Plainville discovered a black bear taking refuge under their deck.

The bear, nicknamed Marty, has been there for several weeks.

The family is following guidance from state environmental officials and he’s welcome to stay for a while.

It was a walk outside that turned into a crazy encounter about two weeks ago.

“My dog started growling that’s when my girlfriend got scared and ran to the house and I turned my head and saw the bear and we were staring right at each other, it’s pretty crazy,” said Vincent Dashukewich.

A black bear is hanging out underneath Dashukewich’s deck!

“He’s massive but he’s super chill, he hasn’t done much so far,” Dashukewich said.

His family contacted the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).

“They said to just leave him alone, let him be as long as he’s not creating a disturbance or bothering anybody,” said Dashukewich.

“It’s a common occurrence in Connecticut. We get about 15 to 20 calls a year about bears denning under decks and porches,” said Jason Hawley, Wildlife Biologist on Black Bear Program.

Hawley with DEEP said there are measures you can take in this situation.

“The most important thing is to just leave it alone so not go over and continuously be looking underneath stay out of the area and keep your dogs and kids away from the area,” Hawley said. “We encourage people to call us if they spot a bear underneath their deck, it could be a bear we’re looking for.”

Meanwhile, Dashukewich says it’s barely been an issue and they’ve named him Marty.

“The reach has been crazy, the first TikTok videos blew up that’s when I created the socials for Marty,” Dashukewich said.

They want to make his stay as comfortable as possible.

“They’re essentially sleeping so you can think of it as a 5-month long nap,” said Dashukewich. “My parents are a little worried they don’t want any problems happening especially with the dog so we’re just going to let him be and keep to himself.”

DEEP officials said Marty could be there until early March or longer.

The family has made Marty his own account on TikTok and Instagram under the username “marty.the.bear”.

Copyright 2023 WFSB. All rights reserved.

Aquarion Water says hard water in a known problem in Plainville and a fix is in the works

PLAINVILLE, Conn. — Water woes continue for Connecticut residents. Following the story FOX61 brought you about brown water in Bristol, now there are reports of black sludge in Plainville.

FOX61 got a call from a condo owner at the Sheltering Ponds Condominiums in Plainville. A unit owner says she has had water quality issues since 2017.

“The black sludge is taking over everything,” explained Tracy Yopp.

Tracy says the main problem with her water is this grayish-black buildup. “It looks like something from a horror movie,” described Yopp. She says the sludge is clogging her pipes, corroding her fixtures and chewing up her appliances. She can’t even use one of her showers and was forced to buy a new washing machine. “I’m on a fixed income. I am on SSI. I can only do so much. So I’m at a dead end. They are passing the buck. Somebody take responsibility and fix the water,” said Yopp.

In addition to the financial burden, Yopp believes her health issues are connected. “Now I have to get a prescription from the dermatologist. And my hair used to be thick. It’s not anymore. It’s thin, paper thin.”

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An outside company tested her water and found a “large amount of manganese” and a water hardness level of “20 grains per gallon.” Anything over 10 is considered extreme hardness caused by too much calcium and magnesium. “I pay a water bill. I pay Aquarion for this,” exclaimed Yopp.

Credit: FOX61

Aquarion Water told FOX61 water hardness isn’t regulated and says hard water doesn’t mean unsafe water.

“Without a doubt we are doing water samples in Plainville multiple times a month,” said Peter Fazekas, the Director of Corporate Communications for Aquarion Water.

Aquarion said they are currently building a massive water-softening plant on nearby Woodford Avenue that will use salt to treat the problem. “Normally you would find a water softening system installed in the home. But this is a large system that’s designed to treat the whole system. Probably one of the largest in New England,” explained Fazekas.

Supply chain issues have proved challenging, but they are on track to open the treatment plant in July, Aquarion told FOX61. Until then, FOX61 put Aquarion in touch with Tracy Yopp.

Peter Fazekas assured FOX61 they would follow up and see if flushing her water main might help. As for any reimbursements of her damaged and destroyed appliances and fixtures, Aquarion would only say they would look into her case.

According to Aquarion, water hardness is a known issue in Plainville and they’ve had plans to rectify it since 2021 when the company acquired water distribution from Valley Water.

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Matt Scott is a meteorologist at FOX61 News. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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TOLLAND — Alex Backus had to sweat out the first game of his second tenure as Tolland football coach Thursday, and not just because of the warm and humid weather.

In a one-possession game, Backus' defense came up with three red zone stops in the fourth quarter with Nate Howe knocking away a pass on an untimed play to end it as Tolland held on to defeat Plainville 22-16 in a season-opening CCC Tier IV game.

"I enjoyed it all the way," Backus said with a smile. "But I told the team afterwards that we need wins like this to show that we are battle tested. You can't be a frontrunner. When things don't go your way you can't crumble.

"There will be games that will go back and forth and you have to build that internal grit to come out on top. You build trust and confidence in those tough situations where the next time they come around you know, 'We've got this.' "

Eamon Sheehan had a pair of interceptions for Tolland and his deflection in the end zone stopped a Plainville scoring bid. Jack Fearney was another defensive standout.

The Eagles gave up 302 total yards but didn't break when they needed to stay together.

"The game's on the line and you have to make a stop," Sheehan said. "There's no option but to make a play. If you don't make it, you lose.

"You have to have that toughness inside of you. You become a new person when you're out there. You try harder than you ever thought you could."

Tolland scored first following Sheehan's first interception as Ryan Caminiti connected with Howe on a 40-yard strike with 2:26 gone. Plainville took a lead in the second quarter on Dom Abarno's 24-yard pass to Peter Bocompani and Marcus Kiley's conversion run. Caminiti's seven-yard screen pass to AJ Cady put the Eagles back in front and Matt Tybor's conversion sneak made it 14-8. It stayed that way until Kyle VanDeventer capped a 67-yard drive on the first possession of the third quarter with a 23-yard burst with Cady's conversion making it 22-8.

The Blue Devils got back within eight with 3:22 left in the third quarter on Kiley's nine-yard touchdown run. The rest of the way, Plainville knocked on the door only to see Tolland turn it away.

"Defense is the heart of our team," Backus said. "We're going to do what we do on offense. There's a learning curve on offense, but the defense has been in place for almost a decade. We ran this system when I was the head coach (2016-17), when Scott Cady was head coach (2018-19), and a little bit when Mitch Egazarian was head coach (2020-22). So they're ready to go in these situations."

Kiley was stopped two yards short of a first down at the Tolland 5 on the first play of the fourth quarter. The Eagles were able to get out to midfield but a holding penalty stalled the drive. Joe Vasquez's 61-yard punt return gave the Blue Devils the ball at the Tolland 9. On fourth-and-goal from the 5, Sheehan stepped in front of a Plainville receiver to knock the ball away and give Tolland the ball back with 6:22 left.

But the Eagles went nowhere and a blocked punt went out of the end zone to make it 22-16 with 4:28 to go. Plainville got the ball back and converted a fourth-and-11 and a third-and-nine to get to the Tolland 30. Two sacks of quarterback Abarno and an incompletion brought up fourth-and-23 with 16 seconds remaining. Somehow, Abarno found Vasquez for 25 yards and a first down at the 18 with six seconds to go. The clock stopped on the first down and then restarted and ran out. But after a discussion between the officials Plainville was given one more play. Howe knocked away Abarno's try to end it and deny the Blue Devils a chance at their first win since 2021.

"Hats off to Tolland, they capitalized when they needed to," Plainville coach Tim Shea said. "But this is the most mistakes I've seen my team make in 14 years as a head coach. It's very frustrating. There were a lot of times we were our own worst enemy. We tried to turn it on late but you can't do that.

"It's a new year and the kids have to want it, they have to do it. We'll prepare for next week and E.O. Smith and we'll get it done."

Kiley rushed for 120 yards on 25 carries for Plainville. Abarno was 11-for-23 passing for 169 yards with the two interceptions. Vasques had six catches for 96 yards and Bocompani had four catches for 68 yards.

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VanDeventer finished with 100 yards on the ground on 20 carries while Caminiti was 8-for-15 for 108 yards and two interceptions. Cady had a team-high three catches.

Tolland takes on Platt at Falcon Field in Meriden Sept. 15.

"This is big because we showed we can compete and we can win," Sheehan said. "We showed we can deal with tough situations and get through them."

Player of the Game

Eamon Sheehan, Tolland: Had a pair of interceptions for Tolland and his deflection in the end zone stopped a Plainville scoring bid.

Quotable

"The game's on the line and you have to make a stop," Sheehan said. "There's no option but to make a play. If you don't make it, you lose." -- Sheehan

Tolland 22, Plainville 16