Hartford Courant from Hartford, Connecticut • 18

5 INSIDE CONNECTICUT PAGE B3 SATURDAY APRIL 27, 1985 West Hartford Farmington Valley Edition Avon Mountaintop Residents Prepare for Fight TOWN BRIEFS nautics Administration and the Federal Communications Commission, for approval of plans to more than double the height of the 300-foot tower, which would increase the station's broadcast radius. Association member Frank Baker saidthere are about 20 towers along Talcott Ridge, which extends from the Avon, Simsbury and West Hartford lines to Rattlesnake Mountain in Farmington. "There's never been an orderly plan for towers on that ridge," Baker said. He said the association has sent letters to about 600 area homeowners inviting them to join the The Avon residents have met with Astroline officials on about 20 occasions to discuss their concerns and ask for future guarantees, including a promise not to increase the tower's height again. The residents' attorney, Mark Brans, of Glastonbury, said they are asking Astroline for certain concessions.

"We're not against progress. But if Astroline doesn't settle on our terms they're going to find an extremely determined neighborhood," he said. Baker said residents also have asked Astroline to limit the new tower to 592 feet, rather than the 796-foot one it has planned. By TERRY BARTLETT Courant Correspondent AVON Twenty Deercliff Road residents say they are not going to fight WHCT-TVs proposal to build a higher tower atop Tafcott Mountain, but they are not sitting by passively. They formed the Talcott Mountain Association and have hired attorneys and consultants to plan guidelines for modifications to the existing tower and plans for a new tower.

Astroline Communications of Massachusetts purchased WHCT, Channel 18, in January from the Faith Center Church of California and has applied to the Federal Aero ation standards have been disputed, Brans said. WHCT attorney Mark Oland said he thinks Astroline's site plan application "represents a genuine effort to improve the tower site and treat the concerns of the town and the neighborhood and also to allow my client to run a viable television station." The residents also hired a site plan consultant and a Washington, D.C., lawyer to represent them if they decide to fight WHCT's plan before the FCC. The Avon Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a hearing on the proposal Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the town offices. Panel Considers Rule On Outdoor Dining By KARL SCHOENBERGER Courant Staff Writer WEST HARTFORD The Town Council Tuesday is expected to take final action on an ordinance that would allow some restaurants to open outdoor dining areas where they could serve food and drink until 10 p.m.

this summer. The council also is scheduled to vote on a proposal by the West Hartford Housing Authority to move its general offices into the housing complex for seniors it is building at Plant School. Both issues are to be discussed during a 7 p.m. hearing, followed by a special meeting of the council at 8 p.m. The outdoor dining ordinance is a revised version of a proposal that 'drew heavy criticism from restaurant owners during a hearing March 5.

In its original form, the ordinance would have restricted hours of outdoor operation to 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and allowed tables only in front of the restaurant. Restaurant owners said the 4 p.m. limit would ignore the lucrative dinner hour and offer little incentive to make the necessary investment to extend their service outdoors.

Councilman Charles H. Felson, Sponsor of the measure, later revised the ordinance to give the Town Plan and Zoning Commission greater leeway in setting restrictions as each restaurant applies for an out TT Lighting and the tower's visual effect are two other issues. The FAA required WTIC-TV Channel 61 to use strobe lights atop its tower on Rattlesnake Mountain in Farmington and the Avon association does not want more strobes. "Pretty soon living on this ridge is going to be like living on Broadway," Baker said. The residents don't want a "gigantic thing towering over their back yards a huge hunk of steel rising above the trees," he said.

The association also hired a consultant to measure the amount of radiation that would be emitted from the tower's transmitter. Radi about $10,000 for a consultant to audit the town's insurance package and rebid the contracts. Metcalf said he thought it was a good idea to have the town's property, causalty and health insurance examined. "It could definitely be a benefit because the review is a double-check on insurance that is quite extensive when it comes to insuring a town of this size," he said. "There are a lot of areas of liability that may never come up, but it's safety of this town," Lattizori said.

"I talked to DEP Commissioner Stanley Pac," O'Neill said. "Mike Fox, Cammy Lattizori, if you contact him after the election, some arrangement can be worked out" to lease the town the 1-acre parcel and two-story house on West River Road. Lattizori and Fox came up with the idea in March, when it was apparent the elementary school auditorium was inadequate for meetings of jthe town's various organizations. Special Volleyball Program Planned The Simsbury Culture, Parks and Recreation Department and the Farmington Valley Association for the Retarded and Handicapped are co-sponsoring an adult Special Olympics volleyball program beginning Wednesday. The outdoor program will meet at 6:45 p.m.

on the first and third Wednesdays of the month at the Simsbury Farms volleyball court. Participants must be 18 or older. More information can be obtained from the Recreation Department, 651-3751. SIMSBURY Commission Varies Meeting Sites The Charter Revision Commission will conduct its next three meetings at different locations to encourage residents to attend. The commission's meeting Thursday will be held at the Tariff ville School on Winthrop Road, in the town's fourth voting district.

On May 9, the session will be at the Latimer Lane School on Mountain View Road, in the second district, and the May 16 meeting will be at the Tootin' Hills School on Nimrod Road, in the third district. The rest of the meetings will be held in Eno Memorial Hall. The sessions will continue Thursdays through June 27. All are at 7:30 p.m. "The commission is hoping that, by going out to the neighborhoods, we would get responses from residents," commission Chairman Charles Drummey said.

At its May 2 meeting, the commission will consider the advantages and disadvantages of hiring a town manager. WEST HARTFORD Tribute Performers To Discuss Event A panel discussion on the townwide "Tribute to Anne v( Frank" will air next week on West Hartford's cable access station, WHC-TV, Channel 26. The program is based on a performance in February by members of the Hartford Jewish Community Center, the First Church of Christ Congregational and the art department at Conard High School. In a videotaped discussion, which will be shown Monday through Friday at 8 p.m., performers recall how they felt during the tribute, Soumerai said. Slides of Museum To Be Shown A free public slide presentation about the Jewish Museum of New York will be shown Monday at 8 p.m.

at Congregation Agudas Achim. The synagogue is at 1244 N. Main St. 'Powercize' To Aid Charity The Elaine Powers fitness salon at Bishops Corner will sponsor a "Powercize" session Sunday to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The event will run from noon to 4 p.m.

at the Hall High School gymnasium. A $10 minimum donation is requested. The Muscular Dystrophy Association, 289-1521, or the salon, 236-5881, has more information. CANTON Safe Rides Plans Open House Canton Safe Rides will hold an introductory night for new members and adults Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the Canton Fellowship Hall on Dowd Avenue.

Fire Chief Lowell Humphrey will be the guest speaker. College Admission Is Program Topic The Canton High School guidance department will present a college admissions workshop for the parents of juniors. Counselors will discuss the steps in college planning, admissions procedures and deadlines, entrance examinations, college visits, financial aid and scholarships, and other subjects. The session will be Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the high school cafeteria.

rreoares nvuraiu nan -Hiv If 1 t-iiv tj )i mv fc. I v-- 1 door dining permit. The West Hartford Housing Authority applied for an amendment for the special development district for Plant School, at Whiting Lane and Farmington Avenue, where the authority is building a 100-unit housing complex for the elderly. Dennis P. Phelan, the authority's director, said he hopes to move his four-member office staff to the complex when it is completed next year.

The new location would be convenient for the tenants, who could pay rent and visit the office without leaving the building, Phelan said. The authority now pays about $5,600 a year for its office space at 630 Oakwood he said. The plan to move into the Plant complex threatened to force out a local day-care center, which the authority had promised would be accommodated when the authority proposed the housing project two years ago. But a compromise was reached that will allow the Whiting Lane Extended Day Care Inc. to occupy 1,500 square feet of space in the complex's community room.

The authority's offices will occupy 900 square feet of adjacent space. The council Tuesday also is expected to decide how it plans to absolve a $17,000 debt that the authority owes the town. The authority was required to pay the money in lieu of taxes on the 40-unit Elm Grove senior housing project since 1979., 1 TYI Tharau said town money should not be the only way to pay for the hydrants and suggested that the Planning and Zoning Commission could mandate that developers install them. Tharau said he requested an allotment for two dry hydrants in the department's budget, but the Board of Finance approved installing only one, at a cost of about $1,000. He said he did not know where it will be placed.

Now when the department responds to a fire that is not near a pressurized fire hydrant, it has to drive its water pump truck close to a water source and uses a tank truck to hold some supply. There are only three pressurized fire hydrants in town; two are connected to Bristol's water supply and one to Farmington's water. Tharau would like town officials to recognize the importance of assuring the department's ability to fight fires. "A lot of times you can't drive the truck off the road to reach a pond," he said. directors for the town and the Board of Education explained the increased insurance expenses the town is facing.

The $7.3 million municipal budget includes a $1.3 million request for insurance, which is 20.8 percent higher than the town currently pays. The school board's $16.66 million budget includes $1.8 million for insurance coverage, about 28 percent more than is being paid now. The dramatic increases in costs have been blamed for the failure of told about 100 residents at the rally ai me Log House restaurant. The bridge is at the intersection of routes 181 and 318, and is the town's main route over the west branch of the Farmington River. The governor said it is in the DOT contractors' contract that one lane of the bridge must remain open.

Residents in February had petitioned the DOT seeking a temporary crossing if the bridge were closed. With no alternate route, residents and emer JL By JULIUS FABRINI Courant Correspondent BURLINGTON Fire Chief Erick Tharau Jr. is preparing a proposal that would require developers to install "dry" fire hydrants, underground pipes that he said would make it easier to save lives and property. The pipe would allow firefighters to draw water from a large water source, such as a pond, stream or a substantial underground water supply. Tharau also announced that the town may install its first dry hydrant this summer.

The Lake Garda area already has a few such hydrants, but those were financed by a local homeowners' organization. Tharau said the plan is needed to ensure the availability of water in case of an emergency, particularly because most of Burlington gets its water from wells. He emphasized that the volunteer fire department is capable of handling emergencies but the dry hydrants would make their work easier. SPACIOUS SUIT A space suit from United attention of Precious Hyland, 12, at the science Technologies Hamilton Standard holds the fair at Fred D. Wish School in Hartford Friday.

Simsbury Expected To Vote for Study of Insurance Costs By MARK CHEATHAM Courant Staff Writer SIMSBURY The Board of Finance Monday night is expected to approve an evaluation of the town's spiraling insurance costs. "The consensus among the board is that we'll move to hire a consultant," Board of Finance Chairman James Richmond Jr. said. Before the town's $23.96 million budget for 1985-86 was presented to voters earlier this week, the finance the 1985-86 municipal and education budgets to meet the 7 percent maximum increases the finance board recommended in November. The town's budget is 8.2 percent higher than current spending; the education budget is 8.6 percent higher.

The finance board suggested hiring a consultant to examine insurance costs when the completed budgets first were reviewed April 2. Town Finance Director Robert Metcalf this week said it would cost Dennis Yonan Special to The Courant good to have them reviewed to make sure that, as times change, the coverage changes and that the town is protected." David Holden, the schools' finance director, agreed. "Insurance is such a major component of both the Board of Education and the town budget that it warrants as much attention as possible to assure that we're paying the least amount of dollars for the coverages that are required," he said. "I thought about that empty house," Lattizori said. "A communi-' ty center would be an asset for the town." Clinton F.

Billups Jr. vice chairman of the Democratic Town Committee, said he would contact Pac Monday so that a tour of the building can be conducted this week. A letter O'Neill gave Billups at the rally said the town would have to make repairs to the furnace and the water system of the house. O'Neill Guarantees Town Bridge To Be Open During Repairs By CARLA VAN KAMPEN Courant Correspondent BARKHAMSTED At a Democratic rally Friday, Gov. William A.

O'Neill guaranteed residents that a town bridge will remain open while under repair, and said the town may be able to take over a state-owned house and turn it into a community center. "The Department of Transportation has told me they will definitely keep at least one lane open," O'Neill gency vehicles would have to go as iar as iu mues oui ot ineir way to get around the river. The idea of using a vacant Department of Environmental Protection building as a community center came from Democratic Selectman Michael D. Fox and Carmella Latti-zori, Democratic candidate for first selectman. "Our idea Lattizori and Fox's was to have an access over that bridge during repairs for health and.