Police undergo virtual training

Southington’s police officers tested their mettle in several dangerous, highpressure simulations, all safely within the confines of their headquarters on Lazy Lane.

The department spent two days training with an advanced law enforcement simulator, thanks to a free demonstration from Grey Wolf training specialists.

“This is fantastic training,” said Sergeant Bob Wilson. “It gives officers a chance to react to real situations in a controlled environment.”

The simulator uses live-action footage to present scenarios to officers, who are given modified guns which are meant to work within the program. The guns use an invisible laser to interact with the footage and the computer is able to know exactly what (or who) the officer shoots.

A technician at the computer quietly manages

See POLICE, page 17

The Town Council examined designs for the Plantsville Renaissance Project during a special meeting Monday, and will have to make key decisions soon in order to move forward and potentially find grants for the initiative.

Engineers Eugene Bolinger and Frank Dawidowicz of Weston and Sampson gave the presentation. The company was chosen for the design work last year.

With design and engineering costs combined, the project could cost approximately $1.4 million. However, depending on decisions the council makes, the total cost may be reduced. Some money, $60,000 for design costs, had already been placed in Southington’s 2008-09 budget.

The selected color of the sidewalks is “terracotta,” a hue that blends red and gray. The Weston and Sampson design suggests

See PLANTSVILLE, page 17

*Editor’s note-The following is the second article in a special five part series that outlines the economic development history of five key locations throughout Southington.

West Street is home to businesses, houses, churches and even an antique schoolhouse, but officials see it as full of potential for boosting Southington’s tax base.

The street is one of Southington’s longest, stretching from Plantsville to the Bristol border. The southern half is still almost entirely residential, while the northern end has undergone rapid development over the last several years.

The center of the activity has been the Northstar plaza, the current home of Target and Lowe’s, both of which had their grand openings within the last year.

The tax revenue from Target was given some of the credit for the net increase in Southington’s 2009 grand list despite a tough economy. Economic Development Coordinator Lou Perillo said eight more new businesses were slated to join Target and Lowe’s in that plaza, but the economic downtown had slowed the process.

“Once the economy comes around, it will spur even more development,” Perillo said. “I see huge possibilities there. 74,000 cars day drive on I-84 and go past Exit 31.”

As the development in

There is a new queen of Connecticut and she calls Southington home. Twenty-two year old Sharalynn Kuziak, who was competing as Miss Constitution, was crowned as Miss Connecticut 2009 on Saturday. She was selected from a pool of 19 girls at the Garde Arts Center in New London in a scholarship pageant held from Thursday to Saturday.

Kuziak, a former Miss Southington, is a recent graduate of Quinnipiac University, where she majored in legal studies and minored in music. To win the crown, Kuziak competed in a private interview, on-stage interview, evening gown, talent, and lifestyle/ fitness swimsuits). Kuziak won the preliminary competition on Saturday for lifestyle and fitness. For her talent, Kuziak performed a tap dance routine to a Bette Midler song.

As the winner of the pageant, Kuziak receives an $8,000 scholarship. She goes now to Las Vegas to compete for honors as Miss America. Kuziak’s platform as Miss Constitution is Walking on Sunshine: The Healing Power of Music.” During her onstage interview Friday night, she explained music has its therapeutic benefits. “I have seen the proof myself,” said Kuziak. She explained she recently was brought into a local hospital to sing for the patients in the pre-operative section of the hospital. The stress before an operation, she explained, often raises a patient’s blood pressure.

The hospital brought her in to help relieve that. And the effort worked. “Research continues to prove (music’s) healing qualities,” she said. Kuziak wasn’t the only Southington woman or girl in the Miss Connecticut Scholarship pageant, although she was the only local to reach the semifinals on Saturday night.

During her on-stage interview on the first night of preliminaries, Miss Southington Shannon Erickson, spoke about her platform, which is raising awareness of autism. As she spoke to the reigning Miss Connecticut, Ashley Glenn, on Thursday night, Erickson spoke about some of the warning signs indicating a child may have autism.

Miss Fairfield County, Taylor Hira, of Southington, is touting volunteerism for her platform. During her on-stage interview at Friday night’s preliminary competition, she was asked how she would encourage people to volunteer. Hira, a2009 graduate of Southington High School, said she would tell people how important it is to volunteer.

She also said she would tell them volunteering is a good way for people to learn about their communities.

In the Outstanding Teen competition, held concurrently with the Miss Connecticut pageant, Miss Plantsville’s Outstanding Teen Lynze Khan, a Southington High School student, spoke about the importance of reaching out to the elderly.

Miss Southington’s Outstanding Teen Alyssa Blanchette, another SHS student, spoke about how she is organizing a book drive with Borders at the Westfield Shopping Center in Meriden. The books will be donated to the less fortunate, through Youth Services Departments in the community.

Caitlyn Flynn of Southington, who competed as Miss Greater Waterbury’s Outstanding Teen and also is an SHS student, spoke about her platform, “Ready… Set… Read.”

The new Miss Connecticut’s Outstanding Teen is Acacia Courtney of Hamden.