Portland...  On the Move |
Issue 78 ~ News from your Town Hall ~ July 2000
Tour Of Indian Hill Ave., Dead birds? and more |
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Independence Day 
In June of 1776, the United States Continental Congress appointed a committee of five men to compose a statement declaring the 13 colonies independent from England. But the draft was actually written by only one of the committee members, Thomas Jefferson. After some revisions, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Members of the Congress began signing the document on August 2, 1776, with the president of the Congress, John Hancock, the first to sign with his now famous signature. Incidentally, the 4th of July is also the anniversary of the deaths of three of our presidents: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe. History of the Pledge of Allegiance 
Francis Bellamy , editor of a children’s magazine, wrote the original pledge of allegiance in September 1892 in connection with a celebration of Columbus Day. It soon became a popular ritual and a part of the daily school routine. The original words were: "I pledge allegiance to my flag and the republic for which it stands – one nation indivisible – with liberty and justice for all."In 1923, the U.S. Flag Association successfully lobbied to change "my flag" to "the flag of the United States of America." In 1954, Congress inserted the phrase "under God" after "one nation." |
Portland Fireworks
will be held on Sunday, July 9th World Population Day 
July 11 Eleven years ago, the United Nations named this day to focus on population problems, particularly in developing countries. In 1987, the world’s population reached five billion; it now stands at more than six billion. We have to ask ourselves is it wise to add a billion people to this planet every 10 or so years? |
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Safety First! 
Lightning Safety Tips Don’t think you’re safe from lightning just because you’re inside your home or a building. The National Lightning Safety Institute of Louisville, Colorado, urges you to take these precautions during severe summer storms: Avoid water. Don’t bathe or shower during a lightning storm and don’t do dishes or run water at the sink.
"Lightning may strike exterior electric and phone lines, inducing shock to inside equipment," the institute says, adding these last two warings:
West Nile Virus and Dead Bird Reporting 
by: Don Mitchell, R.S., Town Sanitarian As part of the Statewide surveillance program for West Nile Virus, Portland residents are requested to report dead bird sightings to Don Mitchell at the Portland Environmental Health Department. Residents should report the date of sighting, number of dead birds and species (if known) as well as the location of the sighting. Of particular intertest are crows and raptors, but all reports will be recorded and investigated as necessary. A name and phone number of the reporter would be greatly appreciated. To date, all birds sampled Statewide have tested negative for WNV (West Nile Virus). Mosquito sampling is being conducted as close by as Cromwell. The results thus far are all negative for WNV and EEE (Eastern Equine Encephalitis). In an effort to minimize mosquito populations, the State Health Department suggests the following source reduction activities:
Since mid to late June is when the mosquito species of principal concern (culex pipiens) appears, it is an excellent time to work on source reduction of breeding areas. |
Permits for Temporary Structures The Town of Portland Development Division wants to let the Public know that non-camping tents, hoop storage buildings, carports and the like, require building and zoning permits before they are erected. Many people claim that these structures are temporary, and therefore exempt from needing permits. This is not true! In fact, these structures are rarely taken down until they deteriorate beyond usefulness. In any case, there is no provision in zoning allowing temporary structures. Similarly, roll-off storage containers also require zoning and building permits and must comply with zoning, building and health codes. For specific information regarding property line setbacks and clearance from septic systems, please contact Don Mitchell at 342-6718. As a reminder, the Development Division is open Tuesday nights until 7 PM for the public’s convenience. Environmental Health Update Owners of homes and businesses that are served by on-site sewage disposal systems should be aware of some new Public Health Code requirements for septic tanks that will take effect on July 1st. The requirements are part of the Regulations and Technical Standards for Subsurface Sewage Disposal Systems that were updated by the State Department of Public Health on January 1st, 2000. All new tanks installed after July 1, 2000 will be equipped with a filter at the outlet end of the tank. Septic tanks traditionally have had a vertical pipe (called a baffle) that extends down into the liquid in the tank. The purpose of the baffle is to prevent solids and scum from flowing out to the leaching trenches. The new filter will be placed in the outlet baffle and will further clean the effluent before it flows to the leaching system. One of the main factors contributing to premature septic system failure is clogging of the leaching system by solids and scum. The goal of the outlet baffle is to help property owners keep their leaching systems functioning as efficiently as possible for as long as possible by sending a cleaner effluent to the leachfield. One very important fact to know about the new outlet baffle filters is that the require regular cleaning and maintenance. Because the filters are removing solids from your sewage effluent, they will become clogged over time and must be cleaned routinely. The frequency of required cleaning will depend, in large part, on the quality of waste that you send into the septic tank. Conditions that may cause the filters to clog more quickly include the use of garbage disposals, washing of large amounts of laundry, and grease and food waste, such as from restaurants. Septic tank pumpers will be required to clean the filters by washing the filter waste into the septic tank at the time of tank pumping. Your septic tank cleaner should be able to give you information about the condition of the outlet baffle at the time of cleaning, and recommend how frequently it should be cleaned. It is important that septic tanks be cleaned on a regular basis. Septic tanks must be accessible in order to be cleaned. Many older tanks were placed deep into the ground or were covered over with fill during site grading, and the tops of these tanks are now several feet below the ground surface. Uncovering these tanks for cleaning is an additional expense and an impediment to frequent cleaning. The new Public Health Code rules require that any tanks located more than twelve inches below grade must be fitted, at the time of cleaning, with risers that will bring the clean-out openings to within a foot of the ground surface. This one-time installation by your septic tank cleaner will provide many years of convenient access and will avoid the expense of digging the tank up for each cleaning. This information has been provided to make you aware that cleaning the outlet baffle filter and installing risers are requirements, not recommendation of the Public Health Code. If you have any questions, please contact Don Mitchell at 342-6718.
The 1st Selectman's Office, along with the Planning Department, Building Department, Environmental Health Department, Finance Office and Public Works will stay open on Tuesday evenings until 7 PM. They will close on Fridays at noon. Other offices at the Town Hall will remain open at their usual time. |
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By: Doris Sherrow Do-It-Yourself Walking Tour Indian Hill Avenue, 2.1 miles up Main Street from the Arrigoni Bridge, was created in 1754, when several settlers petitioned for a road from William Schellenx’s--643 Main Street--to the Connecticut River near Sampson Howe’s--approximately the vicinity of Petzold’s Marina. They wanted legal access in order to ship lumber out from Howe’s and to use the warehouse nearby. The new road went through the smaller parcel of the Wangunk reservation, which was used for ceremonial functions, the residential area being on the larger parcel near Penny Corner Road. Toward the west end near the river was the Hot House--the sweat lodge. There had been burials in that area, as well. Shipbuilding began here in the 1750s under the direction of George Lewis, and continued under his sons until Sylvester Gildersleeve bought the shipyard lot in 1828. Gildersleeve also set up several other businesses on the street, including a carriage factory, a mattress shop, and an ice house. Here is a list of the properties as you will encounter them walking from Main Street toward the river: 644 & 646 Main -- Samuel Buckingham’s & Gildersleeve Stores, both general stores built in the 1850s. An earlier wooden store building occupied the site of 646, and a house was built in the 1740s on the site of 644. From 1872 to 1952 the Gildersleeve Post Office occupied part of the Gildersleeve Store. 3 Indian Hill -- the Job Bates house, a single-story colonial, built about 1747. Bates was a squatter on the Wangunk reservation, coming here from Wareham, Massachusetts. In a 1760 petition to the General Assembly to buy the reservation from the Wangunk, he wrote "through mistake, I have set my house on the same…" 5 Indian Hill -- the David Bates house, a two-story colonial built in 1779 for Job’s oldest son. It was raised about 1850 to accommodate the barroom of the Union Hotel in the basement. This tavern continued more or less uninterrupted until shut down by Prohibition in 1920. A bottling plant stood on the hill west of this house in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Left, opposite 5 -- Airex Rubber Products Corporation. This was a 3-story tobacco warehouse until 1943, when James Hetrick bought it, took off the top two stories, and began using it for the war effort, creating rubber parts for aircraft. Left, opposite 15 -- the former FCV Tool & Engineering, now part of Airex. 15 Indian Hill -- the John Button house, a two-story colonial, built 1796. Button worked in the nearby shipyards, and, with Sylvester Gildersleeve’s father, was nearly drowned on the river in 1801. (see Carved in Stone, April, 2000). 21 Indian Hill -- the "Swede Tenement," built in 1871 by Sylvester Gildersleeve to accommodate the Swedish immigrants he employed in his shipyard and factories. Right, opposite 32 -- the Lewis Shipyard,1750-1828, then Gildersleeve Shipyard, 1828 to 1932, and since 1945, Petzold’s Marina. George Lewis built boats here in the 1750s, followed by his grandson Abel, who sold the lot to Sylvester Gildersleeve in 1828. Gildersleeve also built a large ice house on the hill overlooking the boat yard for the storage of ice chopped from the river to be shipped to New York hotels. The Gildersleeve yard closed in 1932 and remained closed until it was bought by William Petzold in 1945. 32 Indian Hill -- the Elijah Shepard house, built in 1799. Shepard also worked in the shipyard, alternating between here and Middle Haddam. In the late 1800s, Gildersleeve used this house as an office for his saw mill. 36 Indian Hill -- Theodore F. Lewis’s tailor shop, built 1851. Lewis was descended from the Lewis family who had operated the shipyard, though he chose tailoring over shipbuilding. |
40 Indian Hill -- the Theodore F. Lewis house, built 1846. 42 Indian Hill -- the John Lewis house, built 1889. Lewis found so many Indian bones while attempting to dig a cellar that he decided he didn’t need a cellar! 41 Indian Hill -- this house has the corner posts of a late 1700s or early 1800s building. There were two old houses in the area which disappeared, one to the west of #15 built about 1807 by Samuel Bartlet, and another, west of that, built in 1771 by James Witon. Perhaps this house is one of those two, moved to this location. 46 Indian Hill -- the Abiel Cheney Jr. house, built 1796. Formerly on the right opposite 46 -- the Deacon David Sage house, built about 1770 on land bought from the Wangunk. About 1975, the house was taken down. It was later reassembled in Story City, Iowa. Not long after, developers tried to create a 58-unit condominium complex on this side of the road, wrapping around the Greek Revival-style house at #57, but the land was eventually sold for single family houses, numbers 43, 49, 51, 55, 59, 63, and 67. 52 Indian Hill -- the William Dixon house, a Greek Revival style house built 1849. Dixon was a master carpenter at the shipyards. 57 Indian Hill -- the Richard Concklin house, Greek Revival style, built in 1849. Concklin was David Sage’s great grandson. 58 Indian Hill -- the Philip Gildersleeve house, a two-story colonial built in 1787, 11 years after Gildersleeve and his family had escaped the British attack on Long Island. Gildersleeve was a master carpenter and architect. Sylvester Gildersleeve was born in this house in 1795. 64 Indian Hill -- the John Pelton Jr. house, a two-story colonial built in 1796. However, at the time it was built, it was a single-story gambrel-roofed house like #76. Right, formerly opposite Taylor Drive -- the Henry Concklin house, a Greek Revival house similar to #57, built by Richard’s brother Henry around 1850, and torn down in anticipation of the condominium complex in 1980. 70 Indian Hill -- the Sarah (Norcott) Lincoln house, Victorian domestic style built in 1870. Sarah was the daughter of Elijah Norcott who bought #64 in 1833. Right opposite 70 & 74 -- open field; the Hot House lot probably lay along the riverbank here, or possibly to the east under the hill; shipbuilding probably took place here as well--notice the built-up spot which could have supported a dock. 76 Indian Hill -- Thomas Stevenson, 1766. Stevenson had a wharf on the river. This house was later the home of the William Norcott who ran the ferry here in the early 1800s. Beyond the barrier -- the Wangunk reservation land stopped about where the barrier is. On the site of the Firemen’s Picnic grounds, George Ranney built a house in 1720. It burned in 1910. During the early 20 th century, a rowdy dance hall occupied this site. In the 1950s, plans arose to create a fish cannery here, and alarmed Indian Hill and Main Street residents took up a collection and bought it for the firemen to establish the Fireman’s Picnic Grounds. |
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Ever Healthy, Ever Green 
Sun Safety Steps Most skin cancers are linked to sun exposure, a risk factor that almost all of us can control by heeding a few common-sense precautions. While many of us have seen or heard these "sun safety" tips before, the fact remains that there will be approximately 1 million new cases of skin cancer this year in America. This tells us that not everyone’s listening yet.
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Attention all Seniors! from: Beth Morrissette from: Beth Morrissette Here in the State of Connecticut, education is available at little or no cost to seniors. All persons 62 years of age or older can work toward and obtain anything from a certificate of achievement, to a high school diploma, to a bachelors degree, or even a masters degree in college, without paying tuition. This is a list of what is available in this area. High School GED (General Equivalency Diploma) – Courses that are designed to prepare a person for the GED exam are offered free of charge. The final exam and resulting diploma are also offered free of charge. In order to enroll in a GED program, you should contact your town’s local Board of Education. If they don’t have a GED program, they can enroll you in a program offered by an adjacent town. Adult Education Programs – Many towns offer non-credit courses through their adult education program. Courses ranging from basic carpentry or sewing, to computer operation, are typically offered, usually free of charge to seniors. Towns not offering adult education programs usually have agreements with other towns to provide this service. For more information, contact your Board of Education. Middlesex Community Technical College – Middletown, 860-343-5865. Tuition free (space available, undergraduate level course. Limitations: must be 62 years or older, general funds only. Associates degree offered. Special programs include Middlesex Adult Learning Center, 343-5800. State Universities – While community colleges offer only Associate degrees, state universities offer degrees from the Associates level right up to Ph.D. These universities have more varied curriculums and generally have better equipped facilities. Persons 62 years or older can take courses and work toward any degree offered free of tuition. For more information, call the state university of your choice. Elderhostel – 315-637-7921. Elderhostel is designed exclusively for people 55 years or older. There are many programs held throughout the year. Some that are two to three days in length and in your local community to all over the world. Call the above number for more information. For latest catalogue, call: 1-800-895-0727. As a final note, the State of Connecticut Department of Higher Education operates an information center. Staff are available to counsel people on educational opportunities which best fit their needs. For more assistance, contact: Education and Employment Center |
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There's  Always Something New at the Portland Library
Maritime Aquarium and Imax Mystic Aquarium Roger Williams Park and Zoo Cchildren’s Museum of Southeastern Connecticut Dinosaur State Park Florence Griswold Museum Lutz Children’s Museum Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center New Britain Museum of American Art Peabody Museum of Natural History Roaring Brook Nature Center Science Center of Connecticut You may reserve a pass by calling the library at 860-342-6770. Passes may be reserved up to one month in advance. Passes allow for a set number of people to attend the museum for a reduced or free admission. Museum passes are charged out to the patron for 3 days, and must be returned by closing time of the third day. There is a fine of $10 per day if the pass is not returned. These passes are made possible by the Friends of the Portland Library.
Only children’s items, such as books, toys, sports equipment, will be sold. There is no age restriction. Registration for table space begins Monday, July 17. Registration may be by phone or in person. However, participants must pick up fact sheet about the tag sale before July 25. Guidelines for the sales are: Children must bring own supplies for signs or displays. Supplies needed may include tape, glue, pens or markers. Sellers must bring change and money box. All items should be priced before the tag sale begins at 2 PM. Sellers may begin to set up at 1 PM. Adult supervision is required for the very young. There is no charge for participating in the tag sale. Shoppers are also needed.
The workshops will be held Wednesdays, 11 AM until noon: July 12, 19, & 26. The students will have a variety of assignments including essay, letters, tall tales, and tongue twisters. All writing will be done in the class. No supplies are necessary. |
For more information, please call the Portland Library at 342-6770
"A real patriot is the fellow who gets a parking ticket and rejoices that the system works." Bill Vaughan "Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors."African Proverb "The only problems money can solve are money problems."Jay Forrester "Why shouldn’t truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense." Mark Twain "Why is there so much month left at the end of the money?" P.T. Barnum "When all is said and done, more is said than done." Unknown Please Note !Due to budgetary restraints, the Department of Parks and Recreation is canceling all summer concerts. |
Words of Wisdom