Madison News Roundup

The Jonathan Wilcox House at 370 Boston Post Road in Madison, Connecticut has become the subject of debate: The builder who purchased it wants to raze it and rebuild, local historians want the house saved and renovated. The house, built in 1770, has been purchased by local builder Ronald Freitas, who says it must be demolished because it has “reached the point of no return.” But the Madison Historical Society, the Historic District Commission, and others disagree and are hoping to find a way to save the historic home. Read Marianne Sullivan’s account in The Source.

Although the Connecticut Water Co. has installed a purification system to remove uranium from the water at the Kathleen H. Ryerson Elementary School and Dr. Robert H. Brown Middle School, the schools will continue their bottled water protocol “until we have some reliable testing data,” according to Superintendent of Schools David Klein. Both schools had been on well water. Uranium was detected in November at a level of 110 parts per billion, three times the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standard for residences, in the schools. Similar levels were detected at the nearby Legend Hill condominium complex. Klein wrote in a letter to parents Wednesday that the schools will remain on bottled water for drinking and cooking until further notice, and that results would be shared each time the Connecticut Water Co. conducts tests. Read Amanda Pinto’s story in The Register.

The Madison Historical Society Antiques Fair will the held this Saturday, August 29, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (rain or shine). The theme for this year’s Fair is “Summer Days on the Green,” a celebration of the summer pastimes that have attracted and entertained Madison, Connecticut’s residents and seasonal visitors for generations. With approximately 90 antiques exhibitors from the Northeast, New York State, and Mid-Atlantic states, the Fair offers eighteenth- and nineteenth-century American and European furniture, silver, paintings, porcelains, and fine linens and quilts. Along with these are rugs, wicker, prints, vintage clothing, estate jewelry, clocks, architectural design furnishings, country collectibles, and more. The Fair now features “booth chats,” an innovation started in 2008. These lively and educational 15-minute seminar-style conversations provide visitors with an opportunity to be introduced to or to learn more about a particular category of antiques. The booth chats are scheduled sothat visitors can attend more than one chat. Featured exhibitors this year are Lew Scranton of Killingworth, CT; George C. Neumann of North Attleboro, MA; and Ron J. Wojcik of Lyme, CT. For more information, please call (203) 245-4567 or email antiquesfair@madisoncthistorical.org.

The town of Madison and the owner of the Madison Beach Hotel are considering a swap of land as the hotel prepares to undergo extensive renovations. At the August 24 meeting of the Board of Selectmen, officials talked about swapping an 11,648-square-foot parcel on the east side of West Wharf Road, known locally as the Fish House property and owned by Madison Beach Hotel owner Ric Duques, for a 10,985-square-foot property directly in front of the hotel and owned by the town. The proposal calls for larger parcels to be swapped than was originally discussed (see Marianne Sullivan’s account in The Source). We haven’t seen the drawings, but the deal would seem to make a certain amount of sense, giving the hotel control over the coastal rocks and beach in front of that structure, and giving the town control over a sandy stretch contiguous to the main West Wharf Beach. Read Amanda Pinto’s account in The Register.

Madison Public Schools Superintendent David J. Klein has sent out a message to parents and students for the start of the 2009-2010 school year (Thursday, August 27). Klein’s detailed letter covers a number of subjects, including students and media coverage, release of directory information, pesticide application, asbestos management, school bus schedules, school lunch prices, and more. Read the letter on the Madison Public Schools website.

The Madison Board of Selectmen has approved East Wharf Architects to oversee a project that will see the current Senior Center and ambulance garage swap locations. Of course, this being Madison, the selection process for the $5.5 million project was not without controversy, and one local architect complained that it lacked consistency and transparency. Read Amanda Pinto’s account in the New Haven Register.

Topretirements.com, a burgeoning website run by Madison’s own John Brady, has released a list of the 25 best active adult communities in the United States. Communities in the Sunbelt dominated the list, landing 24 of the 25 spots. The only non-Sunbelt community was The Village at Penn State in State College, PA.

“Most of the communities making up the list are either very large communities, or are from towns that are recognized as best places to retire,” Brady said. “But a few of the communities really surprised us.”

Seven of the top 25 retirement spots were in Florida, and the top rated community was Green Valley, a vast community near the Mexican border in Arizona. Read the full story at Topretirements.com.

When it comes to retirement living, Madison, Connecticut is no slouch. The Wall Street Journal recently gave the thumbs up to both Madison and Guilford as attractive retirement spots. The Journal noted that the towns are conveniently located between New York and Boston and a stone’s throw from New Haven.

“Yet despite the proximity to these cities, both Guilford and Madison have managed to preserve much of their natural beauty and historic character,” the Journal reported. “Here, prim 19th-century wood-shuttered homes overlook salt marshes, blue-gray seas or winding wooded roads. Favorite pastimes are hiking in the woods, all-season strolls along the beach and, of course, for sailors and fishermen, taking out the boat. Locals pick their own apples, pears and peaches at Bishop’s Orchards—one of the area’s few remaining working family farms—as well as hunt, clam and fish for oysters.”

It’s true — the first day of school for the 2009-2010 school year is Thursday, Aug. 27, when Madison’s 3,600 students will start counting the days to the last day of school — Tuesday, June 15, 2010.

You can grab the school calendar on the excellent Madison Public Public Schools website here.

School hours are posted here.

Bus Routes are posted here.