Hartford Courant from Hartford, Connecticut • Page 102

2: 2nd ed. SECTION BIO OBITUARIES B12 WEATHER THURSDAY NOVEMBER 2,1995 TOWN NEWS Candidates debate issues one last time iSifij BERLIN Third-graders put on parade A month of studying about China culminated Wednesday in a on Meriden-Waterbury Road were addressed by candidates running for the planning and zoning commission. While plans have yet to be formally presented to the commission, Democratic incumbent Dolores Longo said they will be reviewed when and if the time comes. "We will be looking to make sure they meet local and state criteria," Longo told the audience. The simmering rift on the board of education provided the most emotional exchange at the forum.

Audience members questioned incumbents about the value of a controversial second-grade computer program. volved." Recent news about a change in management at Lake Compounce prompted discussion about the future of the amusement park, which straddles the Bristol town line, and what it will mean in terms of collecting $800,000 in back taxes. Republican council member James Wallace assured the audience that the amusement park owners are honoring an agreement with the town and paying the back taxes on the park. He said the owners of the park remain the same, and the only change is in the management firm. Rumors that Wal-Mart is eyeing a site the usual campaign issues of taxes and development, candidates also touched on several other topics.

Those Included the future of the Lake Compounce amusement park, the possibility of a Wal-Mart store in town, the powers of the town council and the priorities of the board of education. Democratic council member Kevin Daly said he wants to see a stronger town council and a weaker town manager. "We have moved away from a strong town council, Daly said, citing some decisions he thought should have been discussed first with the council. "The council has to be more actively in By MARYELLEN FILLO Courant Correspondent SOUTHINGTON Candidates turned out in force Wednesday night to give a handful of voters one last opportunity to question them before Tuesday's municipal election. Democrats and Republicans running for the town council, board of education, planning and zoning commission, board of finance and town clerk fielded questions from about 35 residents who attended the forum.

The event was sponsored by the Spring Lake Village residents association. While much of the forum focused on 1 i H. parade of third-graders carrying a paper dragon along the corridors at Hubbard School. This page BRISTOL Good hews for Lake Compounce? A co-owner of Lake Compounce Amusement Park said Wednesday that he is confident that the planned $35 million park expansion will proceed, even though one of the partners Funtime Inc. is no longer involved.

This page NEW BRITAIN Mayor leads in fund-raising Republican Mayor Linda A. Blogoslawski's campaign has raised $56,820 going into next Tuesday's election, a finance report filed Wednesday shows. This page PLAIN VILLE Residents meet the candidates With few private citizens in attendance, a meet-the-candidates forum Wednesday became more of a pre-election cocktail party. This page SOUTHINGTON Candidates woo voters Democratic and Republican candidates woo voters at forum. This page CROMWELL Wal-Mart win permit The wetlands agency Wednesday granted a permit for a controversial Wal-Mart development on Route 372, disappointing local critics of the store.

Page B7 LOCAL EDITORIAL A key ingredient: the parent New Britain's parents are getting involved in the city schools through a program that has immediate and long-term benefits for the students and community. Editorial, Page A18 INDEX .13 i I V-' ir' I I I I Thomatton B6 Berlin Bl, B6 Bristol Bl, BS, B6 New Britain Plainville Bl, B9 Plymouth B7 Southington Bl, B8 Coming events B2 Legal notices D2 Letters B2 Local deaths B2 Tim Rasmusssn Special to The Courant Blogoslawski has found her voice and has hit her stride Third-graders at Hubbard Elementary School in Berlin wrap up their the gong as second-graders Brad on Di Pinto, 7, front, and Nicholas monthlong lesson on China with a bang of the gong. Justin Cote, 8, whacks Roeder, 7, watch. Behind Justin is a paper dragon. Paper dragon parade caps a lesson on China By LISA CHEDEKEL Courant Staff Writer NEW BRITAIN In 1989, when Linda A.

Blogoslawski won a seat on the common council, she had to overcome some initial qualms about speaking publicly. But within her first term, she became an outspoken alderwoman, especially on finance and budget matters. "We learn that yin and yang are two forces," said Ashley Rochette, 7, as she played Chinese checkers with her classmates. "Yin is masculine and yang is feminine." Tom Mooney, 8, who was making a kite, said "the Great Wall of China winds through Bejing into inner Man-, golia." The wall ex- tends from Kansu in the west to the Yellow Sea in the east. In a comparison of the school sys-terns, Marissa Shaw, 9, said she found out that children in China begin school at age 7, compared to 5 in the United States.

signs of the sheep and rooster. The event was the first of its kind at Hubbard and marked the first time several departments had teamed up on a project. School officials said they are planning more multicultural projects involving other countries. "We wanted to expose the children to different cultures on different continents," said Pat Baiera, the library media specialist, sporting a black robe with dragons depicted on it. For the third-graders, it was a journey they will not soon forget.

On Wednesday afternoon, the information they picked up during their studies came easily to them. nese landmarks as the Garden of Harmonious Interest and the Jade-Belt Bridge. There was also a multicolored Chinese dress. Since October, the students have been taking a closer look at China. They wrote reports on its schools, music, inventions, festivals, food, religion, dynasties, transportation and flowers.

They made lanterns, mosaics of rice, fortune cookies, Chinese puzzles, dioramas depicting the Himalayas and a map of China. The students also interviewed their teachers and discovered that, according the Chinese zodiac, the school is dominated by people born under the By SANDRA JAMES Courant Staff Writer BERLIN A month of learning about China culminated Wednesday with a parade of third-graders carrying a paper dragon through the corridors at Hubbard School. Fellow students watched the parade as it wound through the school, accompanied by music from kotos, a kind of Chinese musical instrument, made by the children. Colorful Chinese lanterns decorated the hallways and some classrooms. On display in the library was a Chinese train schedule, pictures of such Chi The tables turned on her in 1993, when she became mayor.

At council meetings, over which she presides, rules bar the mayor from engaging in debate. "That's been one of the hardest things being in that room and not being allowed to talk," she said. Now seeking her second term as mayor, Blogoslawski, a Republican, readily admits that council meetings, which usually are domi ik Campaign squabbling aside, these parties can still party Lake Compounce owner optimistic about expansion 4 nated by the Democratic majority, Blogoslawski are among her least favorite activities. But she said those frustrations are balanced by her interactions with community groups and residents. "I think the great- hhmmhhm est part of the job, for me, has been working with the business com-CflltipBISTI 95 munity and neighbor- hood groups to get projects accomplished," she said.

Blogoslawski, 35, does not consider herself a politician. She describes herself as a "compassionate businesswoman. I can view things from a dollars and cents perspective, but I also know the importance of investing your feelings in the human side of things," she said. Before she became mayor, she was a budget coordinator for the Travelers Corp. for three years, and finance director of the Corporation for Independent Living for three years.

She is a certified public accountant. Blogoslawski is a fourth-generation New Britain resident whose great-grandparents established a funeral home on Broad Street in 1900. She said she never aspired to politics, but her parents had always impressed on her "the importance of giving back to the community." Her decision to run for the council stemmed more from curiosity than ambition. "I figured I'd really like to know where my tax dollars go," she said. That same year, her mother lost the election for town clerk to Democrat Lucian Pawlak.

He is Blogoslawski's opponent in the upcoming election. In the 1991 council election, Blogoslawski gained political prominence by becoming the first Republican in more than a decade to win enough votes to secure an Please see Blogoslawski, Page B2 By JIM SHEA Courant Staff Writer BRISTOL A co-owner of Lake Compounce Amusement Park said Wednesday that he is confident the planned $35-mil-lion park expansion will proceed, even though one of the partners Funtime Inc. is no longer involved. Stephen Barberino who owns the park with J.D. "Chuck" Arute, would not give specifics, but said: "We have most of the pieces in place.

As soon as we have the final financial piece there, we will have an announcement that I think everyone will be happy with. There is no imminent danger that I know of of the park not moving forward." The Ohio-based Funtime which ran Compounce for its 150th season this summer, was supposed to contribute $7 million toward park improvements, with Barberino-Arute contributing $10 million and the state De partment of Economic Development, $18 million. Funtime was purchased by Premier Parks of Oklahoma for $60 million this summer. It is unclear now whether Premier Parks will assume Funtime's commitment. Neither Premier Parks nor the state economic development office could be reached for comment.

Mayor Frank Nicastro said he was not aware of any problems. "I haven't heard anything about it," Nicastro said. "But I'm not going to panic at this point. I don't think anything drastic has happened either way. I'll follow the situation closely, but at this point all I know is that they are up to date with their tax payments, and the next one isn't due until January.

We have collected a half million dollars in back taxes from them since I have been in office." Please see Compounce, Page B5 to challenge the candidates, and no formal speaking program or question-and-answer1' session, the forum became more of a preelection cocktail party. With less than a to go before the vote, candidates have yet to debate the issues. rt On Tuesday, Democratic council incum-' bents issued a statement expressing "serious -f disappointment" over the Republican withi drawal from a debate organized by Nutmeg Public Access Television in September. The Democrats said they issued the statement after learning Republican council and board of education candidates had appeared on edi- tions of an occasional public affairs program .) that aired this week on Nutmeg. Republican Town Chairman Robert Zieg-ler, who had agreed to the debate in August, said three of the five Republican council can? didates were unable to attend the taping.

Candidates said they didn't learn of the de-, bate until days before the taping. Ziegler-challenged the Democrats to a debate "any time, at any place." Republicans said Wednesday they were -planning a newspaper advertisement criticiz? i ing council Democrat James Stuart for using more than $7,000 in taxpayer money to at- tend national conferences in Chicago, Minne-. Please see Candidates, Page B9 By MATTHEW BROWN Courant Correspondent PLAINVILLE On Tuesday, Democratic candidates for the town council said they were disappointed by the withdrawal of Republicans from a planned debate. Republicans, meanwhile, have challenged Democrats to a debate anywhere at any time. But when they gathered in the same room Wednesday, candidates from both parties shared drinks and laughs and few barbs.

"This looks like a social party to me," said a disappointed John Puzzo, an outspoken critic of local government. "I was hoping there would be a panel and questions The Republicans and the Democrats are too close together." The informal forum, sponsored by the Exchange Club, was intended to give residents a chance to meet the Democratic, Republican and petitioning candidates for the council and board of education, said Marliss Kowalc-zyk, the club president and school board chairwoman. It was not intended as a debate, she said. "Everyone is here in one place," Kowalc-zyk said. "This is where the citizens can pigeonhole them and ask them the hard questions." But with few private citizens in attendance at.

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