Home Care In Winsted, CT

WINSTED — Steve Rulli stood behind the lacquered bar at his new watering hole, the Main Spot, and said, “I’m not a bar person, but I made this a bar that I like.”

Bottles of whiskey, rum and vodka stood on tiered shelves in front of a mirrored wall. Branded tap handles lined up just behind the bar. A cooler displayed bottles of lagers and IPAs. A jukebox and a soft-tip dart board stood side by side at the end of the bar.

“I swear, it’s one of the smallest bars in Connecticut,” he said with a note of pride in his voice. “We fit 43 people in here.”

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He said it is not intended to be fancy; he's not licensed to have live entertainment, food or happy hours. But he has a large customer base, with patrons ranging in age from 21 to 97, he said.

Growing up, he thought of becoming a professional athlete or an architect. “My goal was to never bartend,” he said.

A series of unsuccessful career attempts — he won’t call them failures — finally culminated in the June opening of Main Spot. As a teen in the late 1980s, he lived as “a guy on a couch” with friends at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, attending classes and hoping for a student loan. He couldn’t get one.

“They called me up and said, ‘Yeah, you owe 18 grand by the end of the semester.’ I said, ‘No, I don’t, I’m not going to college now.’”

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He decided to go to work and buy a house. He delivered pizzas in Winsted for several years, saved $15,000 and bought a three-family house in 2008. He was 19 years old, and it was the eve of the Great Recession.

“When the market crashed, all my tenants lost their homes,” he said. “And during that time, I was also trying to open up a bar in Torrington. I renovated it all and made it all pretty, because they make you make it pretty before you can apply for the liquor permit. They denied my liquor permit.”

He said he lost everything, including his house, and gave up on the bar. But by 2013, the Clover Café opened at 444 Main St. in Winsted, at what would eventually be home to Main Spot. Rulli worked there as a manager, then part owner, until the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to close in 2020.

“COVID. You know all that, those amazing two weeks that lasted three-and-a-half years,” he said. “We tried to hold on as long as we could. We did a GoFundMe. And then around October, we realized it’s not getting better.”

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He gutted the place, stored fixtures at his father’s house, hoping someday to reopen. The opportunity arose in 2022. His former partner, Jonathan Consolini, called and said, “'Let’s do it.'” Rulli said.

During a recent work day, Rulli stood proudly behind the bar, smiling.

“I can be miserable and bitter,” he admitted. “It was there for a little bit. But when the opportunity arose to reopen, I couldn’t resist. So this time, we did it the right way.”

What may or may not be the smallest bar in Connecticut feels like a pretty big accomplishment for a man who used to deliver pizzas to buy a house and two other bars that he couldn’t hold onto. In spite of the bar's limitations, he has four dedicated employees and a schedule of popular activities.

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“Sundays, we have football and Bloody Marys,” he said. “Tuesdays, we have darts. We have leagues. And Thursday is Thirsty Thursday, with Dan Wilcox, owner of the Colebrook Store. He bartends every Thursday night and he comes up with tons of different concoctions for drinks, specialty drinks, you know, espresso martinis, jalapeno margaritas. Normal Budweiser drinkers will come in and have his drinks.”

He looked around at his little empire of barstools and dartboards. “I decided to do it, because I’m like, man, Winsted needs a bar. And I love this place. I know every nook and cranny, even in the basement," he said. "I made it a bar where I can see my friends. ... It just makes me happy, and just seeing those people. That’s why I love it.”

The Main Spot is open daily from 1 p.m to 1 a.m. at 444 Main St., Winsted. The bar is also on Facebook.

WINSTED — A second referendum on the town's 2023-24 budget, along with outreach and public information meetings, was what was needed to get it passed this year, with residents approving the spending plan by a vote 757-694.

Voters at the first referendum May 27 rejected the budget 522-378.

Town Manager Josh Kelly and Superintendent of Schools Melony Brady-Shanley spent Tuesday outside Pearson School, seated at a table under a tent, with a sign that read "Ask me about the proposed budget" taped to Kelly's laptop. Brady-Shanley, who also brought her laptop, sat near a lawn sign that simply read "Vote Yes."

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Also outside Pearson, members of the boards of selectmen and education waved to voters entering the parking lot and encouraged them to approve the proposal.

"It's been busy, and people have been asking questions," Brady-Shanley said.

"I think it looks good," said former Winsted Town Clerk Sheila Sedlak, who was there with her husband, longtime Selectman Steve Sedlak.

Selectmen and school board members met after the May 27 vote and cut the budget by more than $400,000. Selectmen cut their proposal for the town by $284,855; Brady-Shanley cut hers by $155.450. The cuts included salary increases, among other spending.

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The $39,134,003 budget approved Tuesday reflects a 4.7 percent increase over current spending.

In the weeks between the two referendums, Kelly held three public information meetings to provide taxpayers with a snapshot of the budget and answer questions. A town meeting was held in early June.

The original budget totaled $39,574,308, with a 6 percent increase, and a resulting tax rate of 26.83. Winsted's tax rate is 33.54. Selectmen said in May that Winsted's 2022 property revaluation raised property values for many taxpayers, and the reduced tax rate was a way to ease the burden of increased assessments.

"The mill rate is down, accounting for people's property values going up, to make those taxes more affordable," Kelly said recently. "Our grand list grew more than 30 percent this year. That's how the mill rate dropped."

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Before the referendum in May, resident David LaPointe spoke against the budget and increased taxes at several Board of Selectmen's meetings. He put signs up around town that read "Vote No to more taxes." Those signs were back up for the June 27 vote.

June 29, 2023

Emily M. Olson is the community editor for the Torrington Register Citizen, the New Haven Register and the Middletown Press.

She is a 1997 graduate of Western Connecticut State University with a degree in English and a minor in journalism.

She started her career at the Patent Trader newspaper in Westchester County in 1998. After a brief period as a reporter with the Register Citizen in 1999, she joined the former Housatonic Publications group as a reporter. She was managing editor of the former Litchfield Enquirer and helped run the weekly newspapers at Housatonic and the Litchfield County Times. She returned to the Register Citizen in 2009.

WINSTED — Land that can be used for development around Highland Lake is becoming more scarce, and the local land trust is making sure some of it is permanently preserved and protected.

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The Winchester Land Trust, with support from the Highland Lake Watershed Association, hopes to purchase 508 acres of land between Route 800 and East Wakefield Boulevard using a grant from the Open Space and Watershed Acquisition fund of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The acreage offers many benefits for residents as well as for wildlife, trees and plants, and provides an aquifer for the lake, officials said.

The land trust applied for the grant the week of June 12. Members said they plan to call the property the Laurel Ridge Paganelli Preserve, after the former owners' family.

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The Board of Selectmen recently approved the land trust's request for a letter of support as it applies for the funding. Selectman Candy Perez, who also is president of the lake association, said the trust in the past has tried to find funding to buy the property, using a state open space grant. This DEEP program, she said, requires that the property's appraisal matches the grant amount.

"We still have to finalize a contract with the owner, but we're applying for $2 million or so," Perez said. "We tried to buy it in the past, but the appraisal level has to match the cost of the parcel. So we took the first step (on June 20)."

Perez, a longtime lake resident, abstained from voting for the letter of support because she's president of the association, she said.

She and other members said the land is a critical part of the Highland Lake and Still River watersheds, which include more than 4,000 acres. "We are a very clean lake," Perez said. "That's something we have to protect."

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Land trust members said good water quality keeps property values high for the homes around the lake, which contributes roughly one-third of the town's grand list. The 508 acres also protects the Still River.

"Keeping land forested in the river's watershed reduces polluted runoff and enables the system to recover," members of the land trust said. The Still River runs along old Route 8, or Winsted Road, home of the Sue Grossman Still River Greenway, a walking trail that continues into Torrington.

The land trust's grant request pointed out a number of facts about the property it wants to purchase. Members said that the lake supports a variety of wildlife and plants, such as the Eastern Pod mussel and the rare, state-listed species of the New England sedge plant. They called the lake "a vital stopover" for birds including Mergansers, Gadwalls, Shovelers and Ruddy Shell ducks. In summer, Belted Kingfishers, bald eagles and osprey also are seen at the lake.

The land is an important connector to a large wilderness corridor, according to the land trust. "To the south, across large parcels of undeveloped 490 land, is the extensive Paugnut State Forest and Burr Pond State Park," members said. "To the west, Laurel Ridge connects to many parcels owned by the land trust and the lake association, including the five-acre Stevens Preserve and 25-acre Cannavo Woods. The 508 acres is nearly all forest, including the 'understory' that is filled with mountain laurel.

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"This (purchase) furthers the goals of both the existing and the planned Plans of Conservation and Development," according to the land trust. "The 2011 Plan of Conservation and Development states a primary goal of protecting the town’s natural resources, in particular its water bodies and drinking water. The 2021 draft Plan of Conservation and Development emphasizes the importance of preserving more open space to protect Winchester’s community character and quality of life. It places high value on connecting existing open spaces to form a system of greenways and on preserved open space that is available for the public to enjoy."

June 29, 2023

By Emily M. Olson

Emily M. Olson is the community editor for the Torrington Register Citizen, the New Haven Register and the Middletown Press.

She is a 1997 graduate of Western Connecticut State University with a degree in English and a minor in journalism.

She started her career at the Patent Trader newspaper in Westchester County in 1998. After a brief period as a reporter with the Register Citizen in 1999, she joined the former Housatonic Publications group as a reporter. She was managing editor of the former Litchfield Enquirer and helped run the weekly newspapers at Housatonic and the Litchfield County Times. She returned to the Register Citizen in 2009.

American Business Media LLC, a national magazine publisher based in Simsbury, purchased the Winsted Citizen last week, saving the cash-strapped monthly newspaper from a previously announced closure.

The acquisition, announced by the publisher’s CEO Vincent Valvo in a press release, came less than a week after news that the paper’s non-profit owner, the Connecticut News Consortium, had voted to cease operations due to financial troubles.

“There were news reports earlier this week that the publication is closing. That is not true,” Jedd Gould, a board member and spokesperson for the group, said. “We are very pleased that the work of the Consortium on this publication and all of those involved in creating and producing the Winsted Citizen will continue under new ownership.”

The change in ownership comes near the end of a rocky first year for the nascent paper, which was founded by editor Andy Thibault with funding from Ralph Nader, a consumer advocate and former presidential candidate.

American Business Media publishes seven national and regional magazines like National Mortgage Professional Magazine and Banking Northeast. In a press release, Valvo said he believed in the mission of community journalism and had been cheering the Winsted Citizen since its founding.

Valvo said he expected the monthly paper to evolve with a stronger emphasis on its online and social media presence as well as a broader focus on Litchfield County.

“We believe in the power of print publications,” Valvo said. “But we are wholly aware that people get their news and information from a wide swath of sources. We’re going to expand and strengthen how this publication connects with residents. It’s the only way for modern community journalism to thrive.”

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed and Valvo said the paper’s staff and production would remain unchanged with Thibault continuing to serve as a contributing editor.

It’s an uncommon occurrence these days that a local newspaper is saved.

According to Northwestern’s “State of Local News 2023” report, the rate of newspaper losses in the U.S. ticked upward in 2023 to two-and-a-half a week, an acceleration driven by a handful of large chains and smaller regional companies shuttering multiple papers in one fell swoop.

There are about 6,000 newspapers left in the U.S., down from 8,891 in 2005.

WINSTED — A former church could see new life as a performing arts center and music hall after the developer proposing the renovation was granted a six-year tax abatement.

John Noone, who is also renovating the former Red Men Club building on Case Avenue, is purchasing the former Winsted Methodist Church at 630 Main St., which was vacated by its members in 2022 when they merged with another congregation.

Noone was granted five years of reduced property taxes as part of an agreement with the Board of Selectmen. During its meeting May 1, the board and Town Manager Josh Kelly presented an agreement with a schedule of tax payments, starting with zero the first year and increasing by 20 percent for the next five years. By 2028, according to the agreement, full taxes would be due on the property.

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In addition to the payment schedule, Kelly added a clause saying that if Noone were to sell the building, most recently assessed at $410,000, or if it no longer was to be used as a theater, he would be required to pay the taxes due on the property.

Kelly said the agreement had been reviewed by Town Attorney Kevin Nelligan.

"The abatement is to allow the creation of a performing arts center," Kelly said. "And if that’s not able to happen or is not sustainable, the town will still be paid. (Noone) feels that this puts them at risk, but this is a way to protect the town’s interests."

Noone didn't think the payment schedule was fair and said the clause would limit his plans. "So if I were to sell in two years, I'd pay the taxes I owe for two years? Twenty percent of the assessed value?" he asked.

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"We're voting on whether you should have to pay abated taxes if you sell the building or the entity changes," Kelly said.

The clause requiring payment would be based on the third, fourth and fifth years of taxes, from 2025 to 2028, instead of Noone having to pay all five years' worth of taxes. Noone said he understood the board's position but didn't agree with the payment schedule.

"What I don't like is the five-year payback," Noone said. "I'm going to invest my hard-earned money in this. We've received (American Rescue Plan Act) grants from the town, but I've spent about $80,000 of my own money on Case Avenue."

Pace of projects questioned

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When he first announced his plans for the church in April, the board was troubled by the time it's taking him to complete the Red Men Club — a project he's been working on for three years. Noone is shifting his plan for the Case Avenue property and wants to turn it into a dance hall.

In April, Selectwomen Linda Groppo and Candace Bouchard pointed to several grants Noone and his wife, Alla Kravchenko, have received from Winsted's federal American Rescue Plan Act funding, which was provided to municipalities to help recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In April 2022, Noone received a $10,000 facade improvement grant from those funds, an initiative developed by Town Manager Josh Kelly to help businesses fix up their buildings. The grant was awarded to Laurel City Expressive Performing at 15 Case Ave., site of the former club. Kravchenko also received a $10,000 startup grant to open Greenhouse Bed & Breakfast at 21 Fairview Ave. in Winsted in 2022.

Groppo said recently that she was "very, very concerned" about the pace of Noone's work on Case Avenue and wondered what would happen to that building.

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"We've talked about the Red Men building, and it was supposed to open in the spring (of this year)," she said. "Now it’s another year. It’s another unfinished project in town."

Noone said he has had "a lot going on" during the last few years. He was called to serve in the National Guard during the pandemic. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, he and his wife were helping families from Ukraine. "That took a lot of our time," he said. "I'm sorry for that, but that's what happened."

He said the projects he started are back underway and that he was confident the theater and dance hall plans would be a success.

During the April 17 meeting with the selectmen, Noone's request for the tax abatement drew a number of residents, nearly all of whom spoke in support of allowing the developer to be given the chance to make the Methodist church building into a music hall and theater, which would be occupied by the Laurel City Players, and would welcome musicians and other artists to the building to put on their own shows.

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Steph Burr, executive director of the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council, said Noone's purchase of the Methodist church was an investment opportunity for Winsted.

"We're in support of a tax abatement, so they can get this project off the ground," Burr said. "It will support the arts, restaurants, cultural assets. Winsted’s positioned to become an arts destination."

May 5, 2023|Updated May 5, 2023 6:19 p.m.

Emily M. Olson is the community editor for the Torrington Register Citizen, the New Haven Register and the Middletown Press.

She is a 1997 graduate of Western Connecticut State University with a degree in English and a minor in journalism.

She started her career at the Patent Trader newspaper in Westchester County in 1998. After a brief period as a reporter with the Register Citizen in 1999, she joined the former Housatonic Publications group as a reporter. She was managing editor of the former Litchfield Enquirer and helped run the weekly newspapers at Housatonic and the Litchfield County Times. She returned to the Register Citizen in 2009.