Portland... On the Move

Issue 80 ~ News from your Town Hall ~ September 2000  

"Sneaking-in" Exercise Many of us do not have time to devote one uninterrupted hour each day to exercise. Here are some tips for sneaking more physical activity into your life, helping you meet the hour-a-day goal of moderate exercise recommended by the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR). Sneaking exercise into your daily routine may just give you a whole new attitude toward the subject. You may not even realize you're exercising! At Work: ·Forgo elevators and escalators take the stairs between floors. ·Take a refreshing walk outside during your lunch break. Walk with a co-worker and talk about things other than work. ·Deliver a memo instead of sending it via inter-office mail. Walk to a co-worker’s office instead of dialing an extension. Use a copier on a different floor. At Home: ·Add an active twist to your usual routines. Instead of a Saturday drive to the farmer’s market, ride a bike there (and fill your basket with fruits and vegetables). ·Return to the ways of old - wash your car yourself. ·Give a deep-massaging back rub. Great for your arms, chest and back muscles, and you might get one in return. ·Weed the garden. If you don’t have one, plant one. A garden provides physical activity throughout the growing season as well as fresh fruits and veggies. ·Bake bread - all that kneading and punching tones the arms. In the Community: ·Partner with a friend for daily walks or bike rides around the neighborhood. ·Head to a museum on a rainy afternoon. Seeing inspiring artwork may make you forget you’ve been walking around all day. ·Take part in physical activity fund-raisers, such as walk-a-thons for disease prevention. You can exercise, meet new friends and help others all at once. ·Park your car in the far reaches of the parking lot. The time you spend looking for a spot closer to the door is better spent walking there. ·Walk or bike to the corner store for that quick shopping trip, instead of driving across town to your usual grocery store. ·Rediscover sports such as bowling, archery or roller skating. Have fun sneaking exercise into your daily life. Remember, small steps can make a big difference to your health, so take the stairs next time, and the next time, and the next time...

Girl Scout Sign-up Girls, grades K-12, interested in joining the Girl Scouts, can sign-up on September 14, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at the Portland Senior Center. Current Girl Scout leaders will be available to answer any questions concerning Girl Scouts. Adults interested in leading or assisting with a troop are welcome to come as well to find out how they can become leaders. There is a $7.00 registration fee payable when the girl is placed in a troop. Financial assistance is available through Girl Scouts. Besides their regular troop meetings, Portland Girl Scouts participate in many town-wide activities throughout the year, including the Yule Log Hunt in the fall, Girl Scout Sunday in the spring, and their annual Camporee. For more information, call Brenda Rossignol at 342-4791. There's Always Something New at the Portland Library Registration for preschool Story Time will begin at the Portland Library Thursday, September 14 at 6:30 PM. In person only. No phone registrations will be accepted on September 14. Phone registrations begin Friday, September 15. Story Time is offered to two-, three- and four-year-old children. The eight week programs for twos and threes begin the week of September 25. The fours program begins Thursday, October 5. Two-year-olds and their parents have a choice of two groups: Monday evening at 6:30 or Tuesday morning at 10:30. Parents must accompany their children. Siblings may not attend. Three-year-olds may join either the Tuesday evening group at 6:30 or Wednesday morning group at 10:30. The program for four-year-olds is Thursday at 10:30 AM. Portland residents have preferred registration. Out-of-town families may begin to register Thursday, September 21. For more information, please call 342-6770.

Attention all Seniors! from: Beth Morrissette New Estimates for Retirement Needs Financial experts once told their clients that they could live on smaller incomes when they retired, with most estimating the amount at about 75% of pre-retirement income. But recent studies suggest that this may no longer be true, if it ever was. Bruce Jentner, president of Jentner Financial Group of Bath Township, Ohio, says many retirees spend more money after they pack it in than they did while working. According to Jentner, most people go through three stages in retirement: First Stage (up to 70) - Most retirees are still in good health and want to travel and indulge their hobbies. They may need 20 percent more than their pre-retirement income. Second Stage (mid-70s to early 80s) - Most tend to slow down during this phase and spend less. They may be able to get by with their pre-retirement level or somewhat less. Third Stage (upper 80s and older) - Costs rise again as retirees have higher health expenses and may need long term care. Something to think about... by: Dean Jacques, Social Services Kids in Space! (cyber-space, that is) For those of you unaware of the Town Tech Educational Partnership, I would like to call your attention to this incredible Portland asset. The Town Tech program is a joint effort between Portland High School and the Town Hall. Through this program, a number of high school students, under the leadership of Ed Yush and Dave Kuzminski, learn valuable skills while serving the interests of the town in many different capacities. Their most notable capacity has to do with computer technology. They are responsible for the design, creation and maintenance of the town’s web-site, an impressive accomplishment by anyone’s standards.

This will soon include a Community Calendar as well (and not just a listing of events either; the calendar is almost alive; check it out). Best of all (hold on to your hat) you can even read back issues of Portland On the Move! The web address is: www.portlandct.org As web-master for town hall related E-mail, I am constantly receiving compliments for their web-site savvy (one even came from Canada). Assisting the program with various projects, I get to see first hand some of their amazing expertise. Six high tech computers whizzing at the hands of students and staffers, producing quality effects, such as a video documentary of Portland’s fireworks display! They even produce the Portland On the Move public access television show! (Catchy name, huh?) They are located in Room 104 at the new Town Hall. Please stop by. We are fortunate to have such talented young people sharing their energies for the benefit of the town. I’m sure that the invaluable experience they get will help them in their future careers. Thanks Ed and Dave, for a job well done! Little League Directors Needed The Portland Little League is currently undergoing an exciting and much needed transformation. It is forming a Board of Directors who will govern the many divisions of youth baseball within the town. The Board will include the positions of President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer along with numerous committee heads and coaches. Coaches, managers and umpires cannot hold an officer’s position except for Vice President and they cannot be a majority on the Board. Therefore, those civic-minded volunteers in the community who are not involved with Little League but would like to be, are encouraged to step forward and "pitch" in! There are many different roles that are available and this is the opportunity for those who would like to offer their time, expertise and leadership in guiding the youth and future of Little League baseball in this town. Those who have been involved with any sport and retirees are especially encouraged to consider this opportunity to make a difference. If you are interested, or would like more information, please call Tom Ladny at 342-4724. Your participation does count and it can mean a lot to Portland’s youth!

Words of Wisdom "Seven blunders of the world that lead to violence: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice, politics without principle." Mahatma Gandi "Everything has been said before, but since nobody listens we have to keep going back and beginning all over again." Andre Gide "The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously." Hubert H. Humphrey "Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living; the other helps you make a life." Sandra Carey "Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?" Abraham Lincoln Tips From the Dog House brought to you by: Charlie Jarzabek Broiled Chicken Deluxe As I’m sure everyone knows, September is National Chicken Month! My favorite time of year! Time to stop by your local agricultural fair and express your appreciation to our feathery friends! Another way to celebrate the month (less preferred by chickens) is to try this contest-winning recipe published by Gold Kist Farms: Broiled Chicken Deluxe 1 3 lb. Broiler-fryer chicken, halved ½ lemon ¼ pound butter, melted 2 teaspoons salt ¼ teaspoon pepper ½ teaspoon paprika 2 teaspoons sugar

Rub surface of chicken with lemon, continually squeezing out some juice. Place chicken in broiler pan with a rack, skin side up. Pour butter on chicken and sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika, and sugar. Place under broiler as far from heat as possible for 10 minutes to allow seasonings to penetrate chicken. Move pan up so top surface of chicken is 4 inches from heat and continue broiling. Baste occasionally with melted butter and turn each piece to ensure even browning for about 35 minutes or until done. Makes 2 servings. Charlie PRESS RELEASE June 30, 2000 The Portland Building Department issued 87 permits for the month of July, including 53 Building, 20 Electrical, 8 Mechanical and 6 Plumbing permits. Estimated cost of construction totaled $1,602,113. Permit fees collected totaled $13,961. Types of construction: ·New Single Family Dwelling - 5 est. cost: $734,000 ·Residential Renovations/Alterations/Additions-32 est. cost: $121,213 ·Commercial/Non-Residential - 1 est. $100 ·Town Owned Projects - 1 est. cost: $196,300 Demolition - 2 est. cost $435,500 New Single Family, foundations only - 23 (Grandview Farms) est. cost $115,000 Cooking with Microwaves There are traits unique to microwave cooking that can affect how evenly and safely food is cooked. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Meat and Poultry Hotline offers the following tips to safer microwaving: De-bone large pieces of meat. (Bones can shield meat around them from thorough cooking.) Arrange food items uniformly in a covered dish and add a little liquid to produce bacteria-killing steam. Cook large pieces of meat on medium power for longer times to allow heat to conduct deeper into the meat. Stir or rotate food once or twice during cooking to cook more evenly. If partially cooking food in the microwave, transfer immediately to another heat source. Use a meat thermometer to verify that the food has reached a safe temperature.

 

P.R.I.D.E.’s 3rd Annual Auction P.R.I.D.E.’s Auction Committee Co-Chairs Judi Elder and Linda Ginter announced that P.R.I.D.E.’s Third annual Auction will be held Tuesday, October 3 at St. Clement’s Castle, beginning with a silent auction and food at 5:30 and a live auction at 7:00. Ticket prices are still $20 each and may be purchased at Colonial Framing & Design, Connecticut Valley School of Music, Liberty Bank, Tri-Town Foods, the local Farmers’ Market (on Saturday mornings), or from any auction committee member. The ticket includes a meal of salad, various pasta dishes, coffee and dessert, plus beer and wine. A cash bar will be available. Many popular items from last year’s auction will be available again. Many businesses in Portland and Middletown have donated gift certificates and gift baskets. Other auction items are a brownstone bench from our quarry, show tickets, basketball tickets, a weekend getaway, wine, river cruise, Mystic Seaport membership, landscaping consulting, pottery, karate lessons and golf clubs. There are also some fine new donations such as a fishing charter for 6, art work and a chandelier. But it is early yet, and more donations are arriving daily. As with previous auctions, the money raised goes to support projects sponsored by P.R.I.D.E.. Now that the organization is part of the Connecticut Main Street program, P.R.I.D.E. president Brian Gouin said, "We have access to the consulting help that made Main Street so successful around the country. We can get training in the Main Street principles of design, economic restructuring, organization and promotion. And we will help Portland’s businesses prosper." Anyone wishing to donate to the auction should contact Judi Elder at 342-3397, or Linda Ginter at 342-3440. Portland Volunteer Corps Come on, Portland - show us your mettle! As our monthly historical articles by Doris Sherrow prove, the town of Portland has a long and interesting past. From those earliest settlers, to the ship-building industry, to the thousands of workers who mined the quarries - the story of Portland is a story of people. Stanclift, Gildersleeve, Hall, Bartlett - their names are indelibly linked to the growth and well-being of this town.

Unfortunately, we tend to think of history as something linked to the distant past. We forget that history is always in the making as well. What we do today shapes the environment of the future. We steer toward that future with the vision of our intent, and with our everyday efforts. The Portland Volunteer Corps invites you to meaningfully join in that process. We want Portland to enjoy a healthy economic climate and a vibrant Main Street. We want to safeguard the small town beauty and charm that we already hold dear. We want our historic landmarks recognized and appreciated by townsfolk and visitors alike. We need your help to shape the future history of this town. A lot has been accomplished in the last few years that we can be proud of, but that was merely laying down the foundation. Now the exciting part has finally arrived, what we’ve all been waiting for. Portland Volunteer Corps is comprised of Portland residents who will introduce the final phase of development - and make it all happen. If you are interested in joining us, please fill out the form below and send it to P.R.I.D.E., P.O. Box 578, Portland, CT 06480. Portland Volunteer Corps I am interested in helping with the Brownstone and Main Street projects. My area of interest is: __ day; __ evening; __ as a family; __ organization; __ promotion; __ economic development; __ design (streetscape); __ fund raising; __ action projects (please print) Name:________________________________ Address:______________________________ Phone:________________________________ E-Mail:_______________________________ Return to: P.R.I.D.E., P.O. Box 578, Portland, CT 06480 The Future of Portland - is a matter of P.R.I.D.E.

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