Week in Review: Fire, Softball Field Dedication, Town Budget and Projects

An early morning fire on South Glenwoods devastated the home of Mark and Dana Patterson but luckily all the occupants, including the family dog, made it out safely. The cause is under investigation but good working smoke detectors  alerted the family that there was something wrong.

Ledyard residents will see some big ticket items on the ballot this spring. Voters will have the opportunity to cast a Yay or Nay vote for the town’s budget, which includes a tax increase, the renovation of the middle school and the new police station.

On Wednesday, the Town Council approved the appropriation of $45,000,000 for the design and renovation of the Ledyard Middle School and the appropriation of $6,750,00 for the proposed police station. Plus, the  council adopted fiscal year 2013-14 budget in the amount of $50,136,531, which is comprised of a general government budget of $20,442,567 and a Board of Education budget of $29,693,964. The $50.1 million budget will increase the tax rate by a little less than three-tenths of a mill.

Ledyard Public Schools announced that they will be naming the high school softball complex after long time standout coach Ellen Mahoney. The dedication ceremony will take place on Sat. May 4 at 3:00 p.m. before the Colonels take on Griswold High School.

Mahoney started the softball program at Ledyard in 1976. Over the course of her illustrious career, she recorded 355 wins, 7 state championships, and 12 Eastern Connecticut Conference Championships. At one point, her teams held a 105 game win streak.

State Sen. Cathy Osten (D-Sprague) made a special guest appearance at Wednesday’s Town Council meeting to speak about a number of issues. She spoke on behalf of SB-902, an act to reduce newspaper public notice requirements for municipalities. If passed, you’ll find a brief description of the meetings in the newspaper and you’ll see the full details Ledyard’s public notices on the Town’s website.