Vendor Fair for the Train Station

WL Parent and Teen Night

Help Bring the Train Station to Main Street

Greetings,

The Environmental Assessment (EA) for the relocation of the Train Platform to the center of Town is available on the link below. The link takes you directly to the comment page and if your really bored, there is a link to the entire Environmental Assessment for your reading pleasure. As most of you already know, I believe that with the Platform move to the center of Town the business sector on Main Street will undergo a transformation from a desolate area to one of vitality. To prove my point, in the last month, the Town has received two inquiries, about the Montgomery Building status, from developers who renovate mill buidings, Wehave had a new restaraunt (CJ's Ranch) open in the center of town(because he read about the relocation efforts), We have heard from a business owner seeking to buy the commercial front of the Waterside business condo units with possible tenants in hand and A developer is looking into the property on the peninsula(Chuck's) for restoration purposes with multi storefronts. I don't recall this much activity in the last seven years, yet in the last month there seems to be a surge in inquiries.

It doesn't matter where your from, your comments will be entered into the formal record.

So without further comment from me, if you can click on the link below and write some positive comments in regards to the relocation of the platform(to the center of town) it will  further the effort. DOT will make the final decision based on the number of comments supporting the location the residents want.

Oh, if you could pass the link to others who share the same view it would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Steve Wawruck

First Selectman

Submit comments on the EA/EIE: http://www.nhhsrail.com/stay_informed/

A Message to Windsor Locks Parents...

Dear Parents and Community Members,

The staff members of Windsor Locks Public Schools have recently become aware of an alarming new trend of potentially dangerous behavior among our youth. We are reaching out to parents in the hopes that we can come together as a community to address this situation before any of our children are seriously or permanently injured.

Three specific new trends (promoted on the internet through popular web sites) have created alarm and concern among our staff. The first is the “cinnamon challenge” in which people try to swallow a spoonful of ground cinnamon without drinking water. The results are both predictable and dangerous. The cinnamon becomes stuck in the throat triggering the gag reflex and causing most people to gasp and inhale cinnamon directly into their lungs. Though no deaths have been reported to date as a result of the cinnamon challenge, the health risks are significant and real. According to the Vice Chairman of Pediatrics at Winthrop University Hospital (Long Island, New York), the effects of inhaling cinnamon include dangerous spikes in blood sugar levels, burns to the throat and lung tissue, and long-term lung damage including scarring. For children with asthma the effects are more dangerous because they have the potential to trigger an asthma attack or pneumonia.

The second dangerous trend is called “The Salt and Ice Challenge”. Students put salt on their skin then press ice into it until it melts or becomes too painful to stand. According to national news sources, the challenge can result in first degree burns, second degree burns, and even severe frost bite depending on how long the student plays the game.  

The third is synthetic marijuana, better known as K-2 or Spice. Experts agree that use of this substance (banned in many states already) poses serious health risks. Please take the time to check out the following website for more information. http://news.yahoo.com/synthetic-marijuana-rise-looks-pot-far-worse-224953961.html

In direct response to these alarming trends, Windsor Locks Public Schools are taking every possible precaution, locking up cinnamon, limiting access to ice and salt and sending educational information to parents on K-2 or Spice.  Any students found with the telltale burn marks from the ice challenge or suspected of having participated in the cinnamon challenge or any of a number of other dangerous trends will be sent to the school nurse to be educated about the risks of these activities.

Though I’m sure you are as concerned as we are, it’s important to remember that “limit testing” behaviors such as the ones described above are in some ways, an expected part of childhood as children test the boundaries and limits set by trusted authority figures like teachers and parents. Reacting negatively or with punishments can accidently have the wrong effect for some teens, causing them to withdraw from adults and increase risk taking behaviors. The most effective approach is to become aware of what your children are watching on the internet. Go to www.youtube.com. Watch the most popular videos and trending topics. Remember that children are doing this as a way of proving themselves to their peers. Stay calm and talk to your children about it. You want to be the kind of parent that a teen can bring their troubles to.

There is no doubt that if we work together as a community we can make a positive difference in the lives of our children. If, after reading this letter, you have questions or concerns, please call your school nurse or guidance department. We are happy to assist in any way possible

WLPS Staff

WL Farmers Market Organizational Meeting

SHATTERED DREAMS PROGRAM TO BE HELD AT WINDSOR LOCKS HIGH SCHOOL

The Windsor Locks Youth Services Bureau, Windsor Locks High School, Windsor Locks Wellness Coalition, Windsor Locks Fire Department, Windsor Locks Police Department, Windsor Locks Lions Ambulance, Windsor Locks Funeral Home, and Hartford Hospital are conducting an event to give high school students a sobering look at what can happen if they drink and drive.  The event, “SHATTERED DREAMS”, is based on the Chico, California “Every Fifteen Minutes” prevention program, so named to show the number of alcohol-related fatalities in the United States during the mid nineties.  This year’s program is being supported by generous donations from Traveler’s Insurance through the Charles S. Carillo Agency; Bearingstar Insurance, a member of the Arbella Insurance Group; the Windsor Locks Police Officers Union, and a Local Prevention Council grant through the Capital Area Substance Abuse Council.

Students from the Windsor Locks High School will “role play” the participants in a mock driving-while-intoxicated accident on Thursday, April 26th, 2012.  The event will take place at Windsor Locks High School beginning at 9:30 a.m. and the entire school community will have the opportunity to view the results of the mock accident.  Students will get a realistic view of what it takes to extract a person from a totaled car, the type of life-saving procedures emergency medical personnel use, and the consequences of failing a field sobriety test. 

This is a very intense program that will challenge students to think about drinking, personal safety, the responsibility of making mature decisions, the shattered dreams of those who drive after drinking, the innocent victims, and their friends and families.  The program coincides with “prom season,” a time of year when teenagers need to be reminded of the importance of responsible decision-making, the dangers of underage drinking and the risks of impaired driving (or riding with a drinking driver).  All of the participating students and organizations are hopeful that students will take the exercise seriously and plan their own prom season activities with safety, as well as, fun in mind. 

The program also coincides with the Windsor Locks Wellness Coalition’s Underage Drinking and Prescription Drug Prevention Campaign.  The message aimed at parents and community members is that they are the key to keeping kids alcohol and drug free. The campaign promotes three simple points: 1.) Lock It Up!-If you have alcohol and/or prescription drugs in your home, please lock it up and limit youth access; 2.) Talk It Up! - Have conversations often with youth about the dangers and consequences of underage drinking and prescription drug abuse; and 3.) Set the Rules! - Make sure youth know your expectations and potential consequences for underage drinking and/or prescription drug abuse.

As part of its prevention campaign, the Windsor Locks Wellness Coalition will sponsor the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) “Power of Parents” Presentation. This powerful new initiative gives parents the tools and skills to facilitate open dialog between parents and children about underage drinking and safe teen driving.  All parents will receive a handbook and resources.  This presentation will be on Wednesday, April 25th at 6 p.m. at the Windsor Locks High School Auditorium.