Crocodile Club, One Of The Missing Pieces

I wrote two stories about the Crocodile Club for today's edition of The Bristol Press, but I guess there wasn't room for everyone's comments, so in case you're the kind of reader who wants the whole enchilada, here goes:


First-timers joined old “crocodilians” at the Crocodile Club dinner at Lake Compounce Tuesday, rubbing elbows with many of the state’s candidates and reconnecting with old friends.

“It think it’s a grand event,” said Jill Fitzgerald of Bristol, who is the Republican candidate for the state House in the 77th district and attending the dinner for the first time. “I really like it.”

Many of the people there, both candidates and non-candidates, said they enjoyed the friendly, social aspect of the dinner that left serious politics at the door.

“It’s bringing back a lot of memories,” said Bristol City Councilor Ken Cockayne, who said he used to come to the park to watch his late grandfather, Patsy Cistulli, help longtime organizer Stretch Norton with the cooking.

“So far, it’s great,” said Republican Ann Brickley, who is hoping to unseat Congressman John Larson in November and was attending her first dinner.

“This is an excellent crowd,” said state Rep. Betty Boukus, a Plainville Democrat. She said she’s happy that the carousel museum has taken over the dinner and will benefit from it.

Wallace Barnes of Bristol, whose attendance at the Crocodile Club goes back to the 1950s, said he came back early this week from an out of town trip and came to the dinner because he “didn’t want to miss it.”

Thomas Morrow, executive director of the Bristol Community Organization who has attended many Crocodile Club dinners in the past, brought his friend James Gatling of Southington.

“It’s got a rich history,” said Morrow, who said he’s glad that the Crocodile Club dinner now benefits a non-profit agency.

Gatling, who runs a similar agency in Waterbury called New Opportunities, said he didn’t know quite what to expect but was wowed by the number of people there and the fact that politicians from both parties came together in one place.

“I’m really impressed,” Gatling said.

George Sobestanovich of Bristol, who wore a Crocodile Club shirt and hat he bought at the last dinner in 2002, said it was a good afternoon.

"I'm glad they resurrected it," Sobestanovich said. "I hate to see these old traditions fade away."

John Lodovico of Bristol also said he’s glad the club is back, adding that the ballroom at Lake Compounce provided a “very comfortable setting” for the event.

State Sen. Tom Colapietro, a Bristol Democrat, said he saw a lot of friends he hadn’t seen in years. He said he was happy to support the dinner, which was a benefit for the New England Carousel Museum.

“This is non-political,” said Colapietro.

“It’s entertaining,” said Tunxis Community College President Cathryn Addy, who attended the dinner for several years before it ended with the last one in 2002. “I’m happy to see it back.”

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who had a reputation of arriving late and leaving early at the dinner each year, vowed to stay “for the duration” this time, and did.

“It’s a great tradition,” Blumenthal said. “I’m just delighted to be here again.”

Crocodile Club President and host Ray Dunaway pronounced the dinner a success.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever been at an event when Dick Blumenthal stayed till the end,” Dunaway said.

The Crocodile Club was videotaped for later broadcast on CTN.

Gratitude and Understanding

After Bill Hamzy dropped the bombshell that he wouldn't run again, I spoke with some of the people around town who have worked with him and whose organizations have benefited from his efforts over the years. I wrote it for Wednesday's paper, but for reasons unknown to me, it didn't run that day or Thursday. So, here it is:



BRISTOL – Though sad to lose a friend in Hartford, leaders of area organizations that relied on state Rep. Bill Hamzy said they appreciated his work and understood his decision not to run again so he can spend more time with his children.

“We truly appreciate his service and sacrifice, but totally understand his decision,” said Thomas Morrow, executive director of the Bristol Community Organization.

“We also believe that families should come first.”Patricia White, co-chair of the Hoppers-Birge Pond Committee, said she was “stunned” to learn that Hamzy wouldn’t seek re-election.

“While I understand Rep. Hamzy’s reasons for not running again, his voice in Hartford on behalf of Bristol will be missed,” said White.

“This is a good move for him and his family,” said Jean Letourneau, White’s co-chair on the Hoppers committee.

White said Hamzy lobbied in the mid-1990s for funding that was used for the dredging and restoration of Birge Pond and Pine Lake, making him “instrumental” to the success of the Hoppers-Birge Pond Nature Preserve project.

“Rep. Hamzy has been an outstanding representative of our area during his time in the legislature,” said Tunxis Community College President Cathryn Addy. “He is knowledgeable, has been a good communicator back to his constituents, and he has been honest and straightforward.”

Addy said she’s sorry that Hamzy won’t seek reelection.

“I have a great deal of respect for him,” Addy said.

Bristol Hospital President Kurt Barwis said he’s disappointed to lose Hamzy.

“He has been an absolute asset to me and the hospital,” said Barwis. “I’m going to miss that connection.”

Barwis said he hopes Hamzy will run for office again in the future.

Though Hamzy lives in Plymouth and represents both towns, Barwis said, “He really did care a lot about Bristol.”

Al Fermeglia, who is the principal of the Bristol Technical Education Center, said Hamzy has been one of the tech school’s strongest supporters.

“He helped keep us open when we were slated to be closed,” Fermeglia said. “We are very happy to count Mr. Hamzy as a friend of Bristol TEC.”

Hamzy visited the school for graduations and other occasions over the years, Fermeglia said, and helped when the school was up for accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges in 2008.

Hamzy backs the school’s model of students entering as juniors, Fermeglia said, based on the idea that younger students may not have a defined career path.Hamzy sponsored a bonding bill that brought in $1.5 million towards the construction of the new educational building at Indian Rock Nature Preserve, said Jon Guglietta, executive director of the centers.

“Bill was a strong advocate for the Environmental Learning Centers of Connecticut through his work as a state legislator and as an individual, helping to build relationships with business and individuals in the community,” Guglietta said.

Morrow said Hamzy has always been a strong supporter of BCO and the elderly, low income and handicapped people it serves.

“He has always made himself available to us,” said Morrow.

Letourneau said that while he didn’t always agree with Hamzy on the issues, he appreciated the work he did to get funding to dredge Birge Pond.

“In my opinion Bill was very nice servant to the voters who elected him and he will be remembered for that,” Letourneau said. “Unlike many who hide behind anonymous comments, he always put his name behind the issues he supported.”

Tunxis Expansion Plans Taking Shape

Here's a story I wrote for today's edition of The Bristol Press (http://www.bristolpress.com/) about the expansion plans at Tunxis. If you've been impressed by the school's new look along Route 6, you'll be interested to know that it'll be extended a little further into Farmington. The view is of the new addition, seen from the east side. On the far right side of the picture is the corner of the building, at the junction of Routes 6 and 177.

FARMINGTON – Tunxis Community College is preparing for the next phase of its expansion, with a newly designed classroom building.
Tunxis President Cathryn Addy said they now know what the building will look like and are in the process of selecting the public art that will be part of it.
“It’s quite a ways down the road,” she said. “I’m really excited about it.”
Addy said the school is at capacity.
“We desperately need the space,” she said. “I’m very grateful that we’re even getting to plan a building right now.”
John Lodovico, the director of facilities at the college, said the 50,000-square-foot addition will extend the newest building – the face of the college – further east along Route 6.“It’s a good-sized building,” said Lodovico.
The project will be ready to go out to bid early this summer, said Lodovico.
“Then, it’s out of our hands,” he said, until the State Bond Commission allocates the money for construction.
Under the best possible scenario, Lodovico said, construction could start in the fall. The project will take 600 calendar days, he said, so in theory, it could be occupied by July 2012.
But he said, “I doubt that’ll happen.”
The new structure, which will be known as the 600 building at Tunxis, will have three stories above the ground. The eastern portion will also have a basement, said Lodovico, offering about 11,000 square feet of space.
The mechanics and custodians will have a work area in the new basement, said Lodovico, and there will also be storage space there.
The first, second and third floors will each have about 13,000 square feet each.
The first expansion phase at Tunxis completed two years ago added a new 33,000-square-foot library, student meeting space, labs, an art gallery and a half dozen classrooms. In all, it was a 100,000-square-foot addition.
“We still fell short of classroom space,” said Lodovico.
The second phase is half the size of the first one and is designed by the same architectural firm, Du Bose Associates in Hartford, in a matching style.
The building will have LEED environmental certification, based on design and materials. They’ll have flooring made of recycled rubber tires, he said, more glass and natural light to reduce electrical use. He said they’re looking at the mechanical system to see what can be done to make it more efficient.
Lodovico said the second phase adds nine 40-seat classrooms, six 30-seat classrooms, two laptop-compatible classrooms that accommodate 24 students each and two 20-seat classrooms for the first and second story.
The third floor will be reserved for future expansion, and probably used as office space at some point, according to Lodovico.
“We will wait until we can afford it,” said Addy.
Tunxis has 4,480 students, Lodovico said, which is 9 percent higher than this time last year.
Even after the first phase of the expansion, said Lodovico, the school was too small. He said he hopes the second phase meets the current needs of the school and said he expects it will, unless enrollment spikes again.
Having enough space for parking remains a big problem, Lodovico said, one that will likely require land acquisition to solve.
Originally, the budget for the second phase was set at about $35 million, according to Lodovico. But it has since been scaled back to $12 million, he said, not enough to do the original project.
The project initially had included the renovation or demolition and replacement of two of the original buildings on campus, an early-1960s-era former strip mall and a former grocery store. But that’s been put off indefinitely, Lodovico said, and the third floor of the new building won’t be finished right away, either, to save money.
It’ll be insulated and heated, he said, and pipes will be brought up there and capped.
If the bids come back low enough, Lodovico said, it’s possible that something could be done soon with the third floor. Otherwise, he said, it’ll be ready for expansion later.
If the economy improves or federal stimulus money is available to the school, Lodovico said, the project could move more quickly and more of it could be finished.
“The need is here and it starts with education,” said Lodovico.
Lodovico said a state traffic study showed the college needs a traffic light on Route 177 at the southern end of the property.
When classes let out, it can be difficult to make a left turn out of the parking lot, Lodovico said.
“It’s a busy place,” Lodovico said. “There’s a lot going on here.”
It’s possible the new traffic light may be a caution light, he said.
“That’s still in design development,” he said.