Derby Neck Library to host Makerspace fun, show movie Wednesday

DERBY - Come check out our Makerspace in the Children’s Room at Derby Neck Library! 

Every Wednesday between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., Miss Sarah will be on hand to assist you with any project you’d like to complete. We have a LEGO wall, a programmable robot, snap circuits, origami, pixel art, ingredients for slime – you name it, we can make it happen!

*On the third Wednesday of the month, we show a movie in the Makerspace and make a related project. This month, design your own monster while we watch the animated classic, "Monster's, Inc."

Please note that the Makerspace is flooded with small parts, so we do not recommend it for very young children. 

The Library is at 307 Hawthorne Ave.

No registration required, but sign up for our Youth Services mailing list to stay in the loop on cancellations by clicking here:

https://derbynecklibrary.us15.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=e136f428fc8f5cd821569090e&id=4e864c7b19

Makerspace at Derby Neck Library offers craft fun for children

DERBY - Look what we make during Makerspace at Derby Neck Library! Come check out our brand new Makerspace in the Children’s Room! 

Every Wednesday between 3 and 6 p.m., Miss Sarah will be on hand to assist you with any project you’d like to complete. 

We have a LEGO wall, a programmable robot, snap circuits, origami, pixel art, ingredients for slime–you name it, we can make it happen!

Please note that the Makerspace is flooded with small parts, so we do not recommend it for very young children. 

No registration required, but sign up for our Youth Services mailing list to stay in the loop on cancellations by clicking here. 

The Library is at 307 Hawthorne Ave.

This is shared from the Library's Facebook page and website. 

Derby Neck Library offers Makerspace fun on Wednesdays

DERBY - Come check out Derby Neck Library's brand new Makerspace between 3 and 6 p.m. on Wednesday in the Children’s Room.

Every Wednesday Miss Krissy and Miss Sarah will be on hand from 3-6 p.m. to assist you with any project you’d like to complete. 

We have a LEGO wall, a 3D printer, a programmable robot, snap circuits, origami, pixel art, ingredients for slime–you name it, we can make it happen!

Please note that the Makerspace is flooded with small parts, so we do not recommend it for very young children. 

No registration required, but sign up for our Youth Services mailing list to stay in the loop on cancellations by clicking here. The Library is at 307 Hawthorne Ave.

This is shared from the Library's Facebook page.

Derby Public Library offers Build-It! activity Tuesday for all ages

DERBY - Derby Public Library will hold BUILD-IT! on Tuesday, Sept. 20 from 3:30-5 p.m. The program is for all ages.

The Library is introducing a monthly, drop-in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) activity to create your own structure masterpiece using an array of materials including building bricks, craft sticks, straws, clay, spaghetti, marshmallows and more. 

Individuals of all ages are welcome to get creative and invited to display their finished projects in the Children’s Room.

The Library is at 313 Elizabeth St.

This is shared from the Library's Facebook page.

Derby Public Library slates Take & Make Fall Series for tweens, teens

Tween/Teen Take & Make Fall Series

Derby Public Library

Vestibule Pick-Up - Elizabeth Street entrance
Oct. 21 and 22, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.

Calling all tweens and teens! 

Tap into your creative talents with these bi-weekly packets featuring DIY activities and STEM projects. 

Register here: https://bit.ly/3AW8fTo

This is shared from the Library's Facebook page.

Derby Neck Library hosts Gadgets and Gizmos via Zoom

DERBY - Join [Derby Neck Library's] Zoom program at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20 to see Miss Krissy demonstrate basic, everyday STEAM projects you can do at home with thingamabobs you have lying around! 

Supply packs will be available via curbside pickup every week beginning on Saturdays. 

Links will be provided for more info, and a chat will be available for questions. Let’s see what WE can create!

This event is hosted on our Google Classroom!
Classroom Code: auxndrb

*For safety reasons, the Google Classroom is only open to students and teachers in the Derby Public School System at this time. 

If you are not part of the Derby Public School System and wish to take part, register for our Youth Services mailing list here https://forms.gle/EUp2yRBLFNJVMnz17 or call the library at 203-734-1492!

This is shared from the Library's Facebook page.

Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center offers fiber arts program via Zoom

ANSONIA - Get together with Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center's Ranger Dawn and others to work on your fiber art projects! 

This is an ongoing program and is entirely FREE. Participants meet weekly on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. The program is currently virtual via Zoom. 

Email to DawnSotir@gmail.com for more details and the link!

This is a press release from Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center.

Derby Public Library offers Tween/Teen Take & Make fall projects

DERBY -  Derby Public Library, 313 Elizabeth St., is holding Tween/Teen Take & Make Fall Series Vestibule Pick-Up (pre-registrants only) from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. today and Friday.

Calling all tweens and teens! 

Tap into your creative talents with these bi-weekly packets featuring DIY activities and STEM projects.

This is shared from the Library's Facebook page.

Huntington Branch Library offers Sponge Water Bomb projects for kids in June

SHELTON - This month's Take and Make project at Huntington Branch Library is a Sponge Water Bomb!

We will provide the materials and directions needed to create 1 sponge water bomb that can be used to keep cool as summer begins!

PLEASE NOTE: Each child needs to sign up individually to get their own project. Take and Make Projects can be picked up at the HUNTINGTON BRANCH LIBRARY ONLY in the Children's Department beginning Tuesday, 6/1 until Wednesday, 6/30.

The library is at 41Church St., Shelton.

Curbside pickup is not available at HBL.

Register here: http://engagedpatrons.org/events.cfm?siteid=2661

This is shared from the Shelton Library System Facebook page.

Derby Historical Society seeks volunteers for projects, events

ANSONIA - Are you interested in volunteering for a good cause? Email info@derbyhistorical.org to find out how you can help!

Derby Historical Society's volunteer group is a fun social circle where we learn from one another and work collectively on fun projects, such as basket making, calligraphy/quill writing, organization of our museum store, event help, and more!

This is a press release from the Derby Historical Society.

Ansonia planning 3 beautification 'Clean & Green' projects this spring

Colony Pond at Abe Stone Park.

ANSONIA - With spring just around the corner, the timing is ripe to begin planning 2019 Ansonia beautification projects.

Mayor David S. Cassetti’s ongoing “Clean & Green” initiatives for Ansonia continue with the announcement of three beautification efforts he expects will move forward this spring and summer. 

And if all goes as planned, most of the cost will be paid in full or part by business sponsorships and net proceeds from sales to date of Wakelee Ave trolley track collectibles.

“We’re getting positive feedback from businesses in town who have offered sponsor support to pay in full or greatly subsidize three important low cost, high impact projects my administration is targeting for completion this year,” said Cassetti.

VOLUNTEER REQUEST & ANSONIA BEAUTIFICATION FUND

The City will soon announce an Open Request For Resident Volunteers to participate in upcoming plantings around town including the Mayor’s annual Earth Day litter cleanup. 
Also, an Ansonia Beautification Fund will be started that will accept private and business donations in any denomination, and used exclusively for defined beautification projects.

One of the first city resident in-kind donations received was last week by the Eaton Family of Ansonia who donated eight assorted trees for planting at Abe Stone Park.

The 2019 improvements and beautification projects include: 

ARMORY GROUNDS: Phase II Landscaping

A canopy of assorted varieties of wild flower, daffodils, shrubs, and evergreen plantings will be added to the highly visible Armory hillside. 

This follows last year’s extensive Phase I invasive vegetation removal and planting of 15 trees, rose bushes, and wild grass/clovers ground cover on the hill. 

ABE STONE PARK & COLONY POND:

A bevy of improvements is planned for the 25-acre Abe Stone Park and Colony Pond. 
Included will be restoration of the children’s playground, basketball court repair; installation of a volleyball area; adding more than a mile of hiking trails through hillside park woods and around colony pond including installation of nearly 200 feet of boardwalk; adding a pond boat launch to allow kayaks/canoes/row boats; creating a picnic grounds with picnic tables and cooking grills. 
Also opening this spring will be the Colony Snack Shack. Shuttered for more than 50 years, it has been completely refurbished.

FIREHOUSE/FARREL BELL RESTORATION:

Historic bell

Professional restoration of the large historic 1877 firehouse bell formerly located atop Farrel Manufacturing on Main Street. 

When restored, the bell will be moved from storage in Public Works to a new home at Webster Hose Memorial Park on Central Street for public viewing.

Webster Hose
Memorial Park

For more details on each beautification proposal, please visit: www.cityofansonia.com

Business or private donation interest to any of these or future beautification projects should contact Cassetti’s office, 203-736-5900 or gmartin@ansoniact.org.


Photos and press release from the Mayor's Office.

Buy a trolley track, support Ansonia beautification projects

They will be available for purchase Wednesday in the mayor's office at Ansonia City Hall, 253 Main St.

Ansonia to sell pieces of trolley track to support beautification projects

*Information shared from the City of Ansonia Facebook page.

Church to host Derby's B.E.S.T. 5K Run, Mile Walk in May

DERBY - Walnut Hill Community Church, at the corner of Smith and Ninth streets, is hosting Derby’s B.E.S.T. 5K Run/Mile Walk May 5.

Since its inception four years ago, this event has raised nearly $20,000 in funding for projects requested by teachers and administrators, that enriched, enhanced, and improved the educational experience of more than 1,500 students in the Derby Public Schools helping to Better Empower the Students and Teachers in Derby Public Schools to succeed.

Walt Mayhew, Pastor, Walnut Hill Community Church’s Valley Campus, explained the church’s involvement.
“Jesus told us to love God and love our neighbor," he said. "We also know the special place children had in Jesus' heart. So this event is a wonderful way for us to live out our faith and look to make our community a better place to live, work, and play.”

The race committee is promoting the event district-wide encouraging students and their families to register to participate in support of the event.
Committee members are also asking businesses in the community to join in the cause as sponsors to help defray the cost of the event in order to maximize the money that can be used to impact the education of Derby students. “Over the past years, we’ve made a difference, but there is still much to be done in order to maximize the impact for the students. throughout the district,” Mayhew said.

The Derby’s B.E.S.T. 5K Run/Walk will step off May 5 on the Derby Greenway starting on the industrial park access road behind BJs, at 20 Division St.
Check in on race day begins at 8 a.m.

The Fun Run begins for younger children begins at 8:30 a.m., while the 5K Run & Mile Walk start at 9 a.m.

Awards with be presented to the top finishers overall and by age group.

A free post-race raffle will be held and post-race refreshments will be served.

To register, sponsor, or for more information, visit www.derbysbest.org.

This is a press release from Walt Mayhew, Pastor, Walnut Hill Community Church.

Dugatto: Derby's sewage treatment system upgrade moving ahead

DERBY – A significant milestone has been reached in Derby’s effort to upgrade its wastewater treatment system.

Last month, Mayor Anita Dugatto signed off on key contracts to rebuild two of the City’s four pumping stations: South Division Street and Burtville Avenue.

Both pumping stations were constructed in the mid-1960s; no notable upgrades have been performed at either facility in nearly 50 years.
The contracts were awarded through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process. 
The winning bids were within the approved budget for that part of the overall project.
“Derby has been struggling for years to maintain the operational efficiency of both of these pumping stations, often resorting to a ‘spit and rubber bands’ approach to critical repairs,” Dugatto said.

When residents were given the chance to weigh in on financing the long overdue upgrades and repairs in November 2014, they spoke loud and clear by approving $31 million in bond funding.
“Their vote of approval spoke volumes. Residents were no longer satisfied kicking the can down the road – even if that meant assuming the burdensome cost,” Dugatto said.
It is now the responsibility of Derby’s Water Pollution Control Authority board to ensure that the upgrades are implemented in a responsible, cost effective manner with all the appropriate checks and balances in place.

“The overhaul of Derby’s outdated sewage treatment system is a massive undertaking, one that requires due diligence and careful planning. And our actions must be consistent with requirements set forth by Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP),” said Jack Walsh, Chairman of the WPCA board.
DEEP is the authority that licenses all sewage treatment facilities in Connecticut.

“We have to consider Derby’s current needs; but we also have an obligation to plan for the future. We must likewise be mindful of the state’s vision for providing sewage treatment services down the road,” Dugatto said.

To that end, Derby has elected to participate in a study being administered by the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments to examine the feasibility of consolidating wastewater treatment operations in the region. The study is being funded by a $1.35 million grant from the state of Connecticut and includes Derby, Ansonia, Naugatuck, Beacon Falls, and Seymour. 
The grant was awarded in June, 2016.
Dugatto points out that the regionalization of operations would not negate the need for Derby’s pumping station improvements currently underway.
“It’s important for Derby residents to understand that the bond funding they approved includes the modernization of Derby’s pumping stations. We need those pumping stations to be fully operational, even if we elect to consolidate processing functions down the road,” Dugatto said.
“A big reason to pursue the regionalization of any municipal service is cost savings. That being said, we have an obligation to our taxpayers to explore a regionalization scenario for our sewage treatment system,” Dugatto said.
Dugatto also spoke to her concerns over the current location of Derby’s sewage treatment plant, which is situated in Derby’s downtown redevelopment zone at the confluence of the Housatonic and Naugatuck rivers.
Dugatto’s concerns were echoed by residents who attended the 2016 Plan of Conservation and Development public outreach meetings, as well as the most recent Community Voices Workshop for the City’s comprehensive downtown revitalization project Downtown Now!.

“We need to take a hard look at all our options each step of the way to ensure we are best serving the immediate and long-term needs of our taxpayers. So, implementation needs to remain a fluid process,” Dugatto said. 

Derby opens new footbridge at Witek Memorial Park

Lower spillway at Witek Memorial Park was recently repaired. / Contributed photo

DERBY – Just in time for the arrival of the fall hiking season, the new footbridge at Witek Memorial Park is officially opened to the public.

The project was the result of successful collaboration among city staff, Derby aldermen, and community business partners including D’Amico Associates, DiGiovanni & Sons Construction, and A Quick Pick Crane and Rigging Service.

The nine-foot by 22-foot wooden bridge will enable hikers to now safely travel over the spillway and around the lower reservoir without having to traverse the steep hill below the dam and enter Academy Hill Road. 

The bridge includes aprons at either end to allow for wheelchair access.

The footbridge is only one of the projects Derby Public Works recently completed at Witek Memorial Park, a 144-acre park on Derby’s east side. 

The park features two reservoirs, several walking and hiking trails, and two soccer fields.

“Because the bridge was built by DPW employees, labor and materials only cost the city about $8,000,” said DPW Director Anthony DeFala. “If we had outsourced the job, it would have probably cost about $50,000,” DeFala said. Additional improvements recently completed at Witek Park include:

• Replacement of the roof on a small accessory building near the spillway

• Installation of new fencing

• Newly landscaped entry way 

• Repairs to the parking lot and drainage system along Academy Hill Road 

• Improvements to the parking area near the soccer fields

• Repairs to the lower spillway in accordance with mandates by state dam inspector

Mayor Anita Dugatto praised the improvements. “The work done at Witek Park was motivated by a concern for public safety and persistent maintenance needs. By doing as much work as possible in-house, we controlled our costs and were able to maximize our investment in this community asset,” she said.

This is a press release from Mayor Anita Dugatto's office.