Locknetics Workers Will Get Federal Help

Federal stimulus money will be available to the more than 100 displaced Locknetics workers who will be losing their jobs this year.

The company, bought in 2000 by Ingersoll Rand, is closing the Bristol factory, leaving about 110 people out of work.

Pink slips were supposed to start as early as this month. The place is set to be closed by the end of the year.

Nothing can really make being unemployed a good experience, but hopefully the federal aid will make it at least a little less painful and help people more quickly get back on their feet.

I wrote about this for Friday's edition of The Bristol Press (www.bristolpress.com.)

Bristol Kids are Eating the Stimulus Package!

Ever wonder what happens in BCO's Community Kitchen? Here's a story I wrote for The Bristol Press (http://www.bristolpress.com/) about one program there:

BRISTOL – Instead of just hanging out after school, 15 Bristol middle school students are spending time doing homework, exercising and learning to cook meals for their families.
The after school program, run by the Bristol Community Organization in its community kitchen, started in early January, said Thomas Morrow, executive director of BCO.
Funded by federal stimulus money, the program, which serves seventh grade students from Memorial Boulevard Middle School, employs three adults in part-time positions.
The 15 youth meet every day after school and walk, escorted by program coordinator Christina Welch, the short distance to BCO at 55 South St.
Welch said the walking is part of the exercise component of the program. She said kids use pedometers to measure how fast they’re going and how far.
They’ll do some martial arts as part of the program, too, said Welch, and kids are excited about plans to purchase a Wii for the group, “to make exercise more fun, less painful.”
“I decided to do it because I love cooking a lot,” said Christopher Remillard Jr., who is 12. He said he wanted to take cooking classes in school, but found out there aren’t any in the middle school.
Kyla “Moon” Bruno, 12, said she loves cooking, which she does at home with her mom. Once, she got burned on the stove, she said, and for awhile, she was afraid of it. But now, she enjoys it again, especially in a group of friends.
“When I grow up, I’m going to have to cook on my own,” said Bruno.
Amber “Hoshi” Boyne, also 12, said her sister encouraged her to get into the program.
“I like that you actually get to use real kitchen supplies,” said Boyne. “You actually get to do the stuff yourself and taste it. It’s pretty cool.”
The kids stay at BCO from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m., and each night three of them spend time cooking in the kitchen, preparing a meal for their families, who join them that evening to eat. That way, every family comes once a week for their evening meal at the community kitchen.
In the program, students learn about nutrition and good food handling techniques, have a snack and have the use of computers to do homework when they’re not in the kitchen.
“I learned how to make a banana strawberry smoothie,” said Remillard, “and I learned how to make banana bread.”
Remillard said he’s also perfected ramen noodle soup by adding his own special spices to it.
“It’s kind of fun,” said Gary Belanger, 12. He said he likes to experiment in the kitchen and has learned to improvise, like when they used English muffins for pizza crust.
“So far, my favorite thing that we made was nachos,” Belanger said.
The program also teaches discipline, said Boyne, and gives kids a place to go after school.
“The time seems to melt away whenever I’m here,” Boyne said.
The $57,500 program budget covers the school year, said Morrow, and is federal stimulus money.
“We’re hoping that it can be continued with some other funding,” Morrow said.
An additional $1,500 grant from Bristol Youth Services paid for bus transportation home after the program, said Morrow, and for an occasional field trip.

Connecticut Uses Federal Stimulus Money for Appliance Rebates

If you're thinking of buying a new appliance this winter or spring, here's a way to save a few clams:

BRISTOL -- Now is the time to replace electric appliances with more efficient, energy saving ones -- new federal stimulus rebates of $50 to $500 are available for those who do.

Connecticut is using $3.4 million in federal stimulus funds to offer rebates on Energy Star-rated refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, room air conditioners and central air systems.

Sen. Tom Colapietro announced Connecticut’s new applicance rebate program -- paid with federal stimulus dollars -- Friday at the Bristol Community Organization, a regional non-profit agency that handles energy assistance applications.

“People are hurting,” said Colapietro. He said the rebates should help stimulate the economy by encouraging people to buy appliances.

Those who can afford to replace old appliances, he said, will save themselves some “real money” as the buyers get a rebate and the stores get a sale.

“Everybody wins,” said Colapietro, comparing the deal to the “cash for clunkers” program. “We try to help people as much as we can.”

The rebates are easy to get, Colapietro said. He said the forms are online and simple to fill out, joking that even he was able to manage it.

Rebates are $50 for refrigerators, freezers and room air conditioners, $100 for washers and $500 for central air systems.

The rebate program runs through the end of April and may be extended if funds remain. State residents are eligible for one rebate per appliance but can get as many as three for room air conditioners.

Federal tax credits are already in place for people who make larger investments in energy saving measures in the home, such as new windows.

Colapietro praised BCO for offering many types of assistance, and the expertise to help people find the help they need from other agencies as well.

“The trouble with people today is they don’t know where to go for help,” said Colapietro. “There’s lots of help for people.”

Thomas Morrow, executive director of BCO, said the agency has seen “unprecedented increases” in the number of people seeking help with energy costs.

Compared with two years ago, the number of applicants is up 200 percent, Morrow said.

“It’s a whole new class of client,” said Morrow, many of whom have never sought help before.

Joseph Roy Jr. of Bristol, an artist and illustrator for religious books, said his work slowed in the recession and he found himself struggling. A friend suggested he come to BCO for help, he said.

“It’s a great organization,” said Roy. “There are a lot of people out there who need this. This is a dream come true.”

Roy said it wasn’t hard to get help with his heating bill through BCO. He just had to provide some financial information to qualify, he said.

“I’m so glad that I found out that they were here,” he said.

Another way people can save, Colapietro said, is to shop around for electricity. He said the power companies are required to provide a list of competing electricity suppliers if asked.

Consumers can purchase power from a variety of outlets, Colapietro said, and may be able to save $10 to $15 a month by doing so, if they’re careful shoppers.

“Read the fine print,” he cautioned.

More information on the rebate program is available online at www.ct.gov/opm/ApplianceRebates. Forms will be available in stores after Feb. 1 and forms will be sent in the mail to those who call 1-877-947-3873.