Home Care In Middlebury, CT

The pilot participants will include about 1,500 households that use Middlebury's Transfer Station and is intended to cut trash in half.

MIDDLEBURY, CT — The Town of Middlebury is launching a trash reduction pilot program July 1. The initiative diverts food scraps from the waste stream and limits the number of trash bags used each week.

The pilot participants will include about 1,500 households that use Middlebury’s Transfer Station. This effort is funded through a Sustainable Materials Management grant from the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), as one of many strategies to address the state’s waste disposal crisis, according to a statement.

The pilot program utilizes orange bags for trash and green bags for food scraps. Each participating household will be offered a free year’s supply of orange and green bags at the Transfer Station in the weeks leading up to the launch.

This supply will allow for two 15-gallon trash bags per week and one 8-gallon food bag. Families are encouraged to adjust their habits to limit the amount of trash they produce, such as increasing recycling, donating textiles, and purchasing reusable instead of disposable products, according to a statement.

New containers will be in place at the Transfer Station starting July 1 where residents can deposit the green bags with their food scraps while the orange bags will go into the usual trash dumpster.

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The pilot program is intended to gather data to determine if Middlebury implement a permanent program to save money in the midst of the waste crisis. The town says there is potential for tens of thousands of dollars in savings: sending food waste to a digestor is less expensive than paying for disposal, and reducing waste by limiting the number of bags will result in lower hauling bills.

Residents are encouraged to visit this website to learn more about the program: http://reducethetrashct.com/middlebury/ and to follow @NVCOGReduceTheTrash on Facebook for updates. Questions may be directed to 203-489-0351 or [email protected].

Our mission is to protect and to promote the semi-rural, small town character of Middlebury, CT. We’re a volunteer group of your friends and neighbors who care about the decisions Middlebury town officials make about the future of our town.

We oppose the redevelopment of the Timex Headquarters at 555 Christian Road into a distribution facility. This use is not permitted nor appropriate in the LI-200 zone. Middlebury’s Conservation Commission approved a wetlands permit to allow the developer to fill 15,000+ SF of wetlands for this project in May, and the MSTA filed an appeal of that decision in Superior Court.

In June, CT’s General Assembly passed language in the budget bill that prevents towns with a population of 6,000-8,000 people from the “siting, construction, permitting, operation or use of a warehousing or distribution facility exceeding an area of one hundred thousand square feet if such (1) facility is located on one or more parcels of land that are less than 150 acres in total, (2) parcels contain more than five acres of wetlands in total, and (3) parcel or parcels are located not more than two miles from an elementary school."

This is only a temporary reprieve, because the developer has promised to fight this new state law. Additionally, the developer has recruited two new co-applicants for a proposed zoning text amendment to raise the allowable height in the LI-80 (and thus LI-200) zone from 35 feet to 44 feet. The Planning and Zoning public hearing for that application is September 7th at 7pm at the Shepardson Community Center.

All of the funds collected via GFM to date have been spent on the Conservation Commission fight. As the fight continues over at Planning & Zoning, our current costs are the following:

Legal fees:

$450/hr (the estimated cost for the appeal is $10-$12K)

Advertising:

Signs, mailers, other printing costs, postage, etc.

Moratorium Application:

The MSTA filed a zoning application for a one-year moratorium on distribution facilities of any size and any warehouse use larger than 100,000 SF. The costs for this application included the $760 zoning application fee and a $1400 fee for the town’s consulting planner to look at the application. The purpose of the Moratorium is to allow the Planning and Zoning Commission the necessary time to carefully consider our current zoning regulations and Plan of Conservation and Development, to engage the entire community in a conversation about the suitability of this kind of development in Middlebury, and to make the best possible decision for our town. The public hearing for this application is scheduled for Thursday, August 3rd at 7pm at the Shepardson Community Center.

Thank you to everyone who has donated so far - we couldn’t have gotten this far without your support. Please consider forwarding this link to your friends and neighbors to spread awareness for the cause. THANK YOU!!!

Don't feel like cooking this Turkey Day? There are plenty of local options and chain spots who are open and ready to serve you a meal.

WOODBURY, MIDDLEBURY, CT — For people who don’t want to spend hours or even days cooking and cleaning up from a big turkey dinner, several restaurants in Woodbury-Middlebury are open Thanksgiving Day.

Restaurants open for Thanksgiving on Thursday, Nov. 23, offer a range of dining experiences, from fine dining to fast casual to fast food. In some cases, you’ll need to make a reservation, so plan as much as possible.

As always, Patch encourages you to call any restaurant on this list in advance to double-check hours on Thanksgiving Day, as many vary by location.

According to lists curated by The Pioneer Woman, delish and Good Housekeeping, national chains that will open Thanksgiving Day include the following in and around Woodbury-Middlebury:

Options include:

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Applebee’sBoston MarketBuffalo Wild WingsBurger KingChart HouseCracker BarrelDel Frisco’s GrilleDenny’sDomino’s Eddie V’sFleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine BarFogo de Chão Golden CorralIHOPKona Grill Maggiano’s Little ItalyMcCormick and Schmick’sMcDonald’s Popeye’sRed LobsterRomano’s Macaroni GrillRuby TuesdayRuth’s Chris Steak HouseSeasons 52 SonicSTK SteakhouseSubwaySullivan’s SteakhouseT.G.I. FridaysWendy’s

Hours and services may vary by location, so be sure to call ahead.

Woodbury-Middlebury area restaurants or eateries not on this list but wanting to be included should send an email with the appropriate link information, including name and hours on Nov. 23, to [email protected]

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Conflict Transformation: A Vital Issue of our Day

In an increasingly fractured world, Middlebury has made a commitment to serve as an incubator for research, teaching, and student experiences to address divisiveness in society. Working with more than 100 partner institutions in the United States and around the world, Middlebury is working to embed principles and practices of conflict transformation in the liberal arts from high school to graduate school.

Conflict is part of the human experience.

Many of us hear the word conflict and think of the stress and harm of “us versus them” dynamics, what Amanda Ripley calls high conflict. This sort of conflict can destroy relationships and communities; other forms of conflict, however, are not just essential but desirable. As John Paul Lederach describes, conflict can be a gift. Conflict helps keep relationships and social structures honest, alive, and responsive to human needs and aspirations.

For scholars, the field of conflict transformation (CT) explores how destructive conflicts can change and become relatively constructive. Importantly, it also involves the study of how people conduct themselves to foster such changes (Kriesberg 2009). The transformations that emerge might happen at the personal level (a change of heart), the structural level (a change in power), or somewhere in between.

As an area of practice, conflict transformation encompasses a wide array of work, from mindfulness and interpersonal relationships to international mediation and peacebuilding. We can each participate in conflict transformation if we start in the places we already inhabit.

The Kathryn Wasserman Davis Collaborative in Conflict Transformation seeks to learn lessons from this vast community that can be adapted to the issues and questions that are most pressing for Middlebury. The work we do—at the College, the Middlebury Institute, Bread Loaf, and Schools Abroad—will help build new networks and expand our ability to transform the world around us.

Our Approach and Areas of Focus

Laying a foundation and building structures for conflict transformation—from high school to undergraduate learning to graduate education and beyond.

Conflict Transformation is a Compass

Conflict Transformation is a compass - it tells us what to tent to as we negotiate conflict. Within this broad approach, various streams of work share a commitment to fostering constructive conflict. The CT Collaborative at Middlebury seeks to expand the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of our students, staff, and partners.

Two Financial Advisors Join Team; "How to Retire" Radio Program Launches on WTIC-AM; Retirement Workshops and Webinars Upcoming

Express Strategies, Community Contributor

Fuchs Financial, a financial services firm with expertise in wealth management, planning and retirement, is in the midst of a milestone month, with the addition of a third Connecticut office, two financial planning professionals, the launch of a weekly radio program on WTIC Newstalk 1080, a series of workshops in Greater Hartford, and a continuing series of webinars highlighting various aspects of retirement planning.

Led by Certi?ed Financial Planner® and Certified Private Wealth Advisor® professional Ben Fuchs, with 20 years of investment experience creating thousands of retirement plans for his clients, Fuchs Financial is focused on helping retirees and people preparing for retirement to maximize their finances, providing a full range of short and long-term retirement planning services, including income planning, investment planning, tax planning, healthcare planning, and estate and legacy planning.

A new office is now open in Middlebury, convenient to clients in the Greater Waterbury area, Litchfield County and upper Fairfield County. The office is located at 751 Straits Tpke., Suite 3002.

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Cal knows retirement is more than just numbers and pie charts; It’s how you’re going to spend the rest of your life doing what is most important to you. Alex’s primary focus when implementing retirement plans is not only to know what moves we’re going to make but also why we’re making them. He believes this helps lead to better financial decisions and a better retirement for you. Alex Cal is a graduate of Central Connecticut State University with a B.S. in Accounting and Finance.

Eddy Agyeman is an Associate Advisor with experience in retirement planning, general investing, and goal planning. Agyeman, in the field for the past year, previously was an advisor at Merrill Lynch, and Financial Coach with Open Doors. He has passed his Series 7 and 66 licensing exams, and earned his bachelor’s degree from Quinnipiac University

Agyeman understands planning for the future can be a daunting task with so many variables, and numbers that may be unknown. That is why with every plan he works on; he will make sure to gather as much detail as he can to mitigate as much risk as possible. With his prior experience and seeing various scenarios, he makes sure to show multiple paths for client success. His goal is for clients to understand their financial plan and be comfortable in executing it. His aim is to help people reach their financial goals through short, mid, and long-term planning.

Workshops at Local Libraries, Online Webinars Upcoming

Fuchs Financial’s upcoming workshops will be in Glastonbury, Berlin and Bristol during the next few weeks, including:

In addition, Fuchs Financial will be offering two webinars, free to tune in, on a number of timely retirement planning topics, including Social Security and minimizing taxes. The webinars will be:

People who register will be sent a replay to watch later at their convenience. To sign up for an online webinar, go to www.fuchsfinancial.com.

Weekly Radio Program on WTIC NewsTalk 1080

How to Retire with Fuchs Financial can now be heard weekly, on Sunday mornings at 8:00 AM, on WTIC NewsTalk 1080, an Audacy radio station. The weekly program delves into an array of retirement planning issues, as Ben Fuchs discusses ways retirees and people preparing for retirement can take steps aimed at maximizing their finances, providing a full range of short and long-term retirement planning services, including income planning, investment planning, tax planning, healthcare planning, and estate and legacy planning.

Eddy Agyeman and Alex Cal join Ben Fuchs and Gina Mazzadra RICP®, ARPS, in leading the Fuchs Financial team in West Hartford, Middletown and Middlebury.

Mazzadra, who joined Fuchs Financial in June 2021, has over 10 years of experience in the financial industry, focusing primarily on client needs. She has passed her Series 6, 66, 7, licensing exams, Life and Health Insurance designation and is an Accredited Retirement Plan Specialist (ARPS). Additionally, in 2022 Gina passed her Retirement Income Certified Professional® licensing exam. Prior to working at Fuchs Financial she was a Client Service Associate at Morgan Stanley and a 401(k) Plan Manager with Voya Financial.

Fuchs Financial has also recently added Brandon Holland as a Marketing Associate. Holland is a Central Connecticut State University graduate with a major in Communication & Media Studies with a minor in Economics. Zach Yost has assumed new responsibilities at Fuchs Financial as a Retirement Healthcare Benefits Analyst, sharing his expertise to assist clients in navigating the healthcare landscape as part of retirement planning. He previously spent many years in the mortgage industry as a loan processor, developing skills in making complex – and at times confusing - data more readily understandable.

Ben Fuchs can be seen regularly in local media, including WTNH Channel 8, where his Financial Tips segments are featured along with appearances on Connecticut’s Morning Buzz, on WFSB Channel 3’s Great Day, and on NBC Connecticut, providing insights to viewers on retirement planning issues on CT LIVE and on Saturday evenings at 7:00 pm with How to Retire with Fuchs Financial. He will also be featured on the Dennis House podcast, “Conversations with…”, produced by Seasons Media.

Fuchs Financial’s proprietary How to Retire Blueprint has been developed and updated specifically to help clients achieve simplicity and security in retirement – and to plan for a “retirement paycheck” that will help to achieve individual financial goals in retirement. Designed by financial advisors, it is focused on providing superior planning experience in the key areas of an individual’s financial life - customized for the specific needs of each person.

“I believe that retirement should start with a plan, and we strive to first understand each client’s individual retirement goals, and then work with them to create that customized plan,” Fuchs explained. “We work with clients to minimize their taxes and maximize their retirement. Understanding where retirement income will come from can offer real peace of mind – and that’s what a tailored financial strategy provides.”