Home Care In South Windsor, CT

SOUTH WINDSOR — A local physician is proposing to move his practice to the historic Collins House on Sullivan Avenue, but plans to maintain much of the exterior of the historic home.

Dr. Vasanth Kainkaryam, of 4 Elements Vitality Institute in South Windsor, purchased the 1300 Sullivan Ave. property, formerly known as 8 Collins Lane, for $427,750 in December, town records show.

He has since filed an application with the Planning and Zoning Commission, seeking a special zoning exception to convert the existing residence into a medical office in the rural residential zone district between Sand Hill and Pierce roads. A tentative commission meeting date is scheduled for April 23.

Kainkaryam intends to relocate and expand his medical practice a short distance from his current 1199 Sullivan Ave. location to the historic Collins House, which was built in 1896.

His proposal for the 4.8-acre property is to preserve and convert the historic home.

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“The exterior of the iconic structure will remain substantially unchanged while the interior of the building will be renovated to the allowed professional office use,” 4 Elements' application states.

The office would be home to a variety of wellness services, including massage therapy, clinical hypnosis, aesthetics, and educational opportunities.

Kainkaryam has hired a team to design changes to transform the home to a modern medical practice, including civil engineers, land planners, traffic engineers, and ecologists for soils and wetlands related issues.

The development would be built in three phases, the first of which would place 20 parking spaces behind the building to serve patients and staff in the existing 3,800-square-foot structure.

The second phase would be to build an 1,800-square-foot expansion off the left rear corner of the building with the same architectural style, and the third would be the construction of a 1,000-square-foot single-story barn for patient therapies just off the north side of the parking lot.

With all the additions, there would ultimately be a total of 28 parking spaces, including two specifically for electric vehicles.

Design Professionals Inc. of South Windsor, which 4 Elements hired as civil engineers, determined that roughly one acre of the site would be disturbed for development to accommodate the widened driveway, parking lot, sidewalks, building expansions, and to connect the historic house to public water.

A traffic impact study conducted by REAL Engineering Inc. shows “a modest amount” of new vehicles coming to the property during the peak morning and afternoon periods, according to the application.

While ecologists hired by 4 Elements determined there are no wetlands on the property, an application has been submitted to the Inland Wetlands Agency with respect to erosion and sedimentation controls.

Landscape architects are proposing to keep most trees within the designated buffer between neighboring properties and to plant new vegetation.

“Nearly all of the numerous existing trees on the property will remain and provide additional screening,” including a “fully-screened” proposed dumpster, the application states.

The development’s exterior lighting would be LED. “The entire lighting system will be dark-sky compliant, and no light will be emitted onto adjoining properties,” according to the application.

Expected hours of operation would be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, but could be extended to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.

4 Elements provides a unique model of care to provide affordable and accessible primary care, serving people of all socioeconomic and geographic demographics, with patients coming from throughout the southern part of New England.

“They are excited to make South Windsor a known entity for health innovation in the state. At 4 Elements, over the past four years, they have also cared for over 2,600 immigrants as they go on their journey to becoming American citizens, and are excited to celebrate the diversity of their patients and of the state," the application states.

SOUTH WINDSOR — Golf is not known as a four-season sport in New England. Golfers who can't travel to warmer climates during the winter usually have to put away their clubs until spring arrives.

But now a new venue at the Shops at Evergreen Walk gives players a chance to practice their swings and putts year round, even during a snowstorm.

Golf Lounge 18, an indoor golf simulation facility, allows players to experience golfing at more than 300 courses around the world, including the PGA National Resort in Florida, St. Andrews in Scotland, and Pebble Beach in California. The company's South Windsor location held its grand opening Saturday.

Along with the 11 state-of-the-art bays for the simulators, the facility has a full restaurant and bar.

“We are so excited to be able to bring experiential entertainment to Evergreen Walk with the opening of Golf Lounge 18, where people of all ages can come to play golf on some of the world’s best courses with their friends and family, regardless of what season it is,” Golf Lounge 18 Marketing Director Paul Wilson said.

Guests can join a league, get a private lesson, or play 18 leisurely holes with friends and family. Those with clubs can bring their own, but for guests who are just trying it out, clubs are available for both right- and left-handed players.

And just like a typical golf course, tee times can be booked in advance, though walk-ins are sometimes available.

Golf Lounge 18 has four other Connecticut locations in Canton, Danbury, Fairfield, and Orange, and the company is currently looking to expand with two or three more locations in the state, Wilson said.

At 12,000 square feet, the Evergreen Walk facility is the second-largest indoor golf facility in the Hartford area, according to the company.

Wilson said he has seen children as young as 6 years old playing in the lounge, with several games available geared toward the younger golfers, from mini golf and dinosaur driving ranges to target-practice games.

"The tech is suited for the novice to the average golfer," Wilson said, adding that no golf experience is needed to play there.

"It's a great environment," Wilson said. "Non-intimidating if you wanted to pick up a game without public embarrassment or scrutiny."

The facility's opening comes at a time of change for the outdoor shopping mall. Other retailers that have just recently opened their doors include Whole Foods, Sunglass Hut, Kung Fu Tea, and Deka Lash.

“The addition of Golf Lounge 18 is just the latest in our transformational plans to bring the best in entertainment and dining options to the Shops at Evergreen Walk,” said Paul Brandes, principal of Brand Street Properties, which oversees Evergreen Walk.

Bluemercury, a luxury beauty shop, is scheduled to have its grand opening on Saturday.

SOUTH WINDSOR — The public library will now operate as a town department instead of a separate grant-funded agency, following concerns brought to the Town Council about a lack of transparency with its use of funding.

Some residents and stakeholders said they believe the library's governing structure works and are concerned that the move would put too much power in elected officials to ban books or topics, a problem that sparked debates in nearby Suffield and led to the resignation of that town's library director. Others stressed the need for a change at the library, and the fact that remaining independent would not stop officials from possibly manipulating the library.

The South Windsor Public Library was established in 1898, and its Board of Directors defined in 1963 as part of ordinance revisions. The six-member Board of Directors served as the sole governing body of the library, were appointed by the Town Council and funded by municipal and state grants.

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Under the town's new regulations, the library will operate through a Library Department that employs the library director and other staff members. The town manager's office will oversee operations of the library as a proper town department, and the Board of Directors will instead "recommend to the town reasonable rules and regulations" for the library.

Library Director Kevin Sullivan told the Town Council on Monday night that he was "of two minds" about the decision, as he felt the library was working well as-is but that he had no issue working in libraries that operated as a town department.

"Either way that it goes, we're going to do our best to provide library services for our town in the best way possible," Sullivan said.

Sullivan, who recently replaced longtime director Mary Etter, said he has worked with the Board of Directors and library staff to fix issues expressed by the Town Council and the community.

"I see the current governing board as a very effective board," Sullivan said. "By and large, they get positive feedback from our library users."

Librarian Audrey Breen said that she fully supports the move to make the library a town department, in part because the confusion created by its status as a grant-funded agency was used to "isolate" library employees.

"This isolation led to employee policies that differed from those of other town employees and frequently seem to be inconsistently applied," Breen said.

The move would not change the ability for the town to remove books from the library, Breen said, as the Town Council and town manager could influence the library board regardless of its governance.

"I will not say that book challenges and book banning are not an increasing problem all over the country," Breen said. "I will say that all librarians, myself included, are diametrically opposed to such interference."

Members of the Board of Directors spoke against the decision before the Town Council's vote Monday night, including Vice Chairwoman Betty Asplund.

Asplund said the library has been forthcoming with the town, despite dissatisfaction and a lack of direct communication from the Town Council.

"The Board of Directors has never withheld info from town government, we have been entirely transparent about library activities and spending," Asplund said. "If there is additional information needed or a better way of disseminating information, we'd be happy to address them."

Asplund said the library provides a wide variety of programs and materials to all residents under a tight budget, with circulation increasing by 10 percent from last year, even with a budget-mandated reduction of purchases of new items.

"Our library is dynamic and sensitive to the needs of our patrons," Asplund said. "In my opinion, we have done very well managing the South Windsor Public Library and want to continue to do so."

The Town Council ultimately voted 7-2 to approve the changes to the library's governance, with members Carolyn Carey and Richard Balboni opposed.

Former Town Council member Erica Evans, who resigned the day after the meeting, said Monday night that the library's current government has faced challenges in handling budgets and hiring for major vacancies, including the heads of the children's and reference departments, and both readers and employees have suffered.

"There were line items moved within the library budget for large amounts of money," Evans said. "It would make you think that your budgeting needs to be changed for future years ... that was a consistent issue."

Carey said that she hoped to delay the decision to ensure she and her fellow elected officials fully understood what they were voting on.

"I thought there was a lot of information shared tonight that I hadn't heard before," Carey said. "I really feel the way this is written, it doesn't necessarily take everything into consideration."

Deputy Mayor Matthew Siracusa said he hoped the Board of Directors and Town Council would have a "symbiotic" relationship going forward, despite their opposition to the move.

"We have to listen to the moms, the dads, anyone in town that has an issue beyond six people that sit in the room with the (library) director," Siracusa said.

SOUTH WINDSOR — School officials have submitted detailed plans for the proposed athletic field improvements at South Windsor High School ahead of a public hearing scheduled in March.

Though the Town Council decided in January not to set a date for a $7.5 million referendum to fund the plan, the school district is moving forward with an application to the Planning and Zoning Commission. The PZC's public hearing is tentatively scheduled for March 12, the same date that the Board of Education originally requested that the Town Council set the referendum for.

The centerpiece of the plan is a synthetic turf field with field lighting, a request from both educators and athletes that has yet gone unfulfilled.

Chris Hulk, director of design and construction for New England at turf contractor FieldTurf, wrote in a memo dated Jan. 22 that South Windsor is the only high school in its District Reference Group without a lit field.

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"This requires students to be dismissed from school early and miss class time at both South Windsor and for visiting schools so that they can have adequate daylight for events," Hulk said.

The new multipurpose field would be placed in the area adjacent to the Wapping Annex, where the high school's tennis courts are currently located, in order to facilitate an increase in the number fields on campus and comply with local zoning regulations for athletic field lighting setbacks.

Hulk said in addition to a new playing surface and lighting fixtures, the new field would come with bleachers, a press box, accessibility improvements, and space for more buildings to support the field in the future, such as a concession stand.

"The new field will address the need for additional playing space with a lit field, and provide opportunity for the existing, heavily dated tennis courts to be relocated and replaced," Hulk said.

Hulk said the high school's six tennis courts, built in the 1960s, are in need of "extensive" repairs and are located at the bottom of a slope far away from parking, limiting accessibility for potential players.

The seven new tennis courts would be located where the high school's field currently sits, joined by four new pickleball courts, Hulk said.

"These new tennis courts will meet the number of courts needed for tennis matches, provide parking adjacent to the courts, accommodate the growing desire for pickleball courts in the community, and will be fully installed within the existing developed area of the site," Hulk said.

Hulk said the proposal includes an extra tennis court in part because the high school's tennis team has seven matches for each event, meaning that having only six courts forces one match to wait for another to finish before it can start.

Hulk said in addition to providing more flexible fields, the project hopes to provide more flexibility in accessing the high school itself. He said the plan proposes a new driveway from the Wapping Annex parking lot to the student parking lot to improve emergency vehicle access, increase parking on campus near the tennis courts, and allow the school more options for student pickup and drop-off.

Before the referendum date was put on hold, construction of the project would have begun this spring and into the fall if approved and funded, though the funding is up in the air. Work would have started with the synthetic turf and driveway improvements, with lighting work projected during September and early October.

Mayor Audrey Delnicki said Friday that the Town Council would likely begin discussing a referendum for the project in June, once budgets are finalized across the board.

Delnicki said the referendum was delayed primarily because "we don't have all the numbers," and due to the new Town Council's unfamiliarity with the plan.

If the town does choose to send the $7.5 million to a public vote, Delnicki said, the question would likely be included on the ballot for the November election. She said a benefit of waiting until then for the referendum is that more people tend to vote on referendum questions during elections, especially presidential elections.

Delnicki said she also hopes that the delay in the referendum means more residents will learn more about the project before voting.

"If there's any groups out there that think this plan is a good plan, they should be advocating for it so the voters have information," Delnicki said.

SOUTH WINDSOR — Superintendent of Schools Kate Carter says that with student enrollment continuing to climb, South Windsor has a reputation to uphold for its school district.

"South Windsor has established itself as a community that champions public education, and one that is committed to investing in its children," Carter told the Board of Education on Tuesday.

"Families are moving to South Windsor for the schools," Carter said. "We know this because families tell us."

Carter presented historical enrollment data collected by the school district that show a nearly 20-percent growth in student population from 4,170 in 2014 to 5,002 in 2023, and enrollment projections from November 2023 that predict a 12.4-percent increase over the next 10 years.

From 2012 to 2022, South Windsor was one of only 14 school districts experiencing increased enrollment, and the only district that grew by more than 10 percent, according to the state Department of Education.

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Carter also referenced a study conducted by the town released in August as part of its most recent Plan of Conservation and Development. She said the top responses for both why families moved to South Windsor and what makes the town a great place to live were the quality of its schools. Residents acknowledged in turn that continued growth is the greatest challenge facing the town.

"Our community is fully aware of the challenges of increasing enrollment, and one could infer that they also understand that more students require more resources," Carter said.

Those "additional resources" come out to a proposed $94.65 million budget for fiscal year 2024-25, a 7.29-percent increase over the district's current $88.2 million budget, itself a 7.95 percent hike over the previous year.

"Our status as an outlier is undeniable, and must be the lens through which the proposed budget is viewed," Carter said.

An overview of the proposed budget shows a roughly $5.2 million increase in contractual obligations and maintenance of operations, including $2.5 million in contractual salary increases. New hires to keep up with enrollment account for $880,000 of the proposed budget, increased special education costs add up to $713,000, and strategic planning and program improvements total $264,000. Retiree savings, energy credits, and fuel costs offset the increase by $600,000.

While the spending plan is $6.4 million higher than last year, the superintendent's proposal also cuts off the use of the district's reserve funds, leading to an additional $1 million in costs.

The Board of Education is scheduled to approve a budget on Feb. 27 with a handful of budget review work sessions scheduled prior to the vote, the first of which will take place on Tuesday.

Some Board of Education members spoke in agreement with Carter's assessment of the district and where her proposed budget lies.

Chairwoman Lisa Maneeley said many items have already been cut from the budget, and Carter only asks the Board of Education for what she thinks she can defend to the Town Council.

"This is what she thinks and knows our district needs to move forward and maintain the same kind of prestige our school system has," Maneeley said.

Vice Chairwoman Beth Esstman said the high proposed budget increase is "not surprising" given enrollment continues to rise, and hopes that money will be spent on keeping the district "at the caliber that we all moved here for."

"I am concerned that with all the resources that we've been using year after year to respond to enrollment that there's little left to invest in moving the district forward," Esstman said.

Secretary Craig Zimmerman said he hopes to convince members of the public that the state's fastest-growing school district needs proper funding to support that growth. He said the superintendent's proposed spending plan is too tight to cut, despite the large percent increase compared to some past budgets.

"I didn't see a lot of optional (spending) there, and that's important," Zimmerman said. "To radically change a budget like this would cause radical change to the school district."