Wrestlers Pin Weston, Face Test In Southington

By CURT CLARK

Published: Jan 11, 2008 12:00 am

By Steve Bigham

The Newtown High School wrestling team got a bit of a scare last Thursday in a SWC face-off with visiting Weston. The Nighthawks, considered to be one of the leagueâs top teams, had to pull it together late to win, 44-30.

Coach Alan Potter said his team might have taken the Weston club a little lightly.

âIt was closer than the coach would like. They were tougher than we thought, but we managed to come away with the win,â Potter said.

Newtown (1-1 in the SWC) actually trailed 21-5 early on before rallying.

From there it was off to the highly competitive Southington Duels this past Saturday. Battling some of the best competition around, Newtown showed it has what it takes to compete with most anyone. Four wrestlers finished the grueling day undefeated, including Mark Bonamici who had a standout week.Â

Newtown 44, Weston 30

The Trojans are proving to be better than expected, having already beaten Masuk. And after capturing pins at 160, 171 and 189 pounds, Weston looked like it was about to do the same to Newtown.

But Newtown captain Joel Minalgo won by forfeit at 215 pounds, Thad Adams followed by pinning his heavyweight opponent. Freshmen Ian McEvoy (103 pounds) and Joe Pieretti (112 pounds) also captured key pins and Dana Van Buskirk was victorious at 119 pounds.Â John Gouveia won by forfeit at 125 pounds and Mark Bonamici sealed the deal at 130 pounds with an exciting 7-6 win over Westonâs Brian Turicel, who happens to be ranked in the top ten in the state.

Southington Duels

This eight-team round robin features some of the toughest, deepest CIAC class LL schools around. This event is not for the faint of heart and Potter brought his wrestlers there to gain valuable experience.

The Nighthawks lost hard-fought matches against powerhouses Amity and Pine Bush, N.Y., before winning a thriller against Cheshire. Trailing by three, Bonamici won a 3-1 decision against his Cheshire opponent, lifting Newtown to a 39-36 win.

The Nighthawks then went toe-to-toe with a strong Greenwich team in the final event, eventually losing by just three points.

âThis is the toughest thing we have on our schedule. Each guy wrestled four times. The real story is that we were wrestled some top LL schools and we held our own,â Potter said.

Gouveia, Adams, Bonamici and Jagi Gyamcho each finished 4-0 for the day.

Southington, Ridgefield and Windham also competed in last Saturdayâs event. Host Southington was the overall winner.

The Nighthawks were slated to host New Fairfield Wednesday and then welcome Thomaston, Brien McMahon, and Immaculate for a quad event Saturday on the NHS mat.

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It’s important to clarify the tone and context of Derek Pisani’s remarks, particularly the satirical line about suing Newtown for "Gross Stupidity." This was clearly a tongue-in-cheek jab at the exhausting culture of legal threats that’s become a staple on the local Facebook Group forums. It was a reflection of frustration over endless regulatory hurdles and obstructionism, and the desire to avoid common sense solutions not an insult aimed at residents. Satire, is meant to provoke thought and highlight the absurdities. If we are unable to distinguish between satire and literal threats, perhaps the comment hit closer to the truth than we’d like to admit. Rather than focusing on Pisanis style, we should be discussing the substance of what he’s pointing out: that Newtown’s progress is being routinely blocked by a small but vocal contingent who seem intent on saying “no” at every turn. They are saying no to any development, no to common sense solutions to crowd control, etc. Newtown deserves leaders who are willing to call things as they see them, even if their language ruffles feathers. That doesn’t mean they lack respect for constituents—it means they care enough to challenge the Mob and push for solutions. Isn't that what we elect people to do? I applaud Pisani's dedication, he certainly has earned my vote. Regardless, let’s not reduce conversation to tone-policing and outrage. Let’s focus on the issues that matter.

Who is Calling Newtowners Stupid?

Thank you for pointing out the trail access provisions included in the BOS motion—it’s an important clarification that deserves more attention in this conversation. If the development is, in fact, required to provide permanent free public access and commit to ongoing maintenance of this section of the Rochambeau Trail, that is a remarkably beneficial outcome for the town. oIt’s not every day that a private project shoulders the long-term burden of preserving and caring for a public historical corridor at no taxpayer cost—especially one that previously had no formal access, upkeep, or visibility. Let’s be honest: the idea that the only way to protect history is by preventing any development nearby is a rigid and unworkable standard. What’s being proposed here appears to strike a rare balance—historic preservation, public access, and smart development all rolled into one. That’s not a loss its a win. So rather than allowing a handful of voices to derail progress under the banner of “historic purity,” maybe it’s time to acknowledge the reality: this trail is better off with structured stewardship and visibility than remaining an overgrown ghost on old maps. Let’s move forward. Bring in the easement, bring in the public access—and yes, bring in the bulldozers!!! Progress and preservation can coexist. Let’s not let the NIMBY use fear or nostalgia keep us stuck in the past.

Discusses Rochambeau Trail And 6 Commerce Road

I've heard that several people are under the impression that the public might be banned from the Rochambeau Trail. Points 2 and 3 from the BOS motion (included in full below) make it clear that public access to the trail is part of the requirements for the developer. From what I understand, it requires free public access to the trail in perpetuity. Technically, this could be argued to be a "payment-in-kind," that attempts to balance public good with overall town growth. We can argue about weather that balance is acceptable and how the trail may be affected, but with the understanding that the trail is expected to be maintained as a publicly accessible trail regardless. July 15, 2024 Board of Selectmen approved motion: Discontinuance of Reservoir Road: Selectman Cruson moved the resolution: Resolved, that the Newtown Board of Selectmen, in accordance with Section 2-115(d)(8) of the Town Charter and Conn. Gen. Stat. §13a-49, and subject to the conditions set forth below, hereby discontinues an unimproved portion of Reservoir Road described as “Portion of Reservoir Road to be Discontinued “on that certain survey map which will be recorded on the Newtown Land Records titled “Map Showing Portion of Reservoir Road to be Discontinued” dated August, 2023 and revised September 15, 2023, and certified substantially correct by Gregory Szyszowski of SLR (the “Survey Map”), said discontinuance contingent and effective only upon the completion of the following: 1. The approval of an application for the development of land in the manner described in a letter from Attorney Thomas W. Beecher to First Selectman A. Jeffrey Capeci and Members of the Board of Selectmen dated May 30, 2024, pursuant to the “Residential Open Space Development” regulations of the Borough of Newtown by the Borough of Newtown Zoning Commission, and construction of that approval project within the timeframes required for special exception approval; 2. The inclusion of the discontinued portion of the road as part of the final Declaration of Conservation Restriction; 3. The conveyance of a mutually agreeable public easement to the Town of Newtown for pedestrian, bicycling, equestrian, and all other passive recreational uses (to exclude the use of motorized vehicles except as may be necessary by the Town or its designee to effectuate the purpose of the easement), and for municipal utility purposes; Be it further resolved, that Castle Hill Real Estate Holdings, LLC., its successors and assigns, shall not use any portion of the discontinued road as a vehicular road or access way to and from any developed portions of the property. Be it further finally resolved, that should any of the foregoing contingencies not occur, then the discontinuance contemplated herein shall not become effective and this resolution will become null and void. From: https://www.newtown-ct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif12216/f/minutes/bos_7-15-24_min-_att_final.pdf

Is this paper road (roads that only exist on paper map but not in reality) even owned by the Town? Many roads that predate the Town's road standards are privately owned and were never accepted by the Town, such as many of the nonconforming roads around the lake communities where the property owners own right to the center line. That is something we had to deal with when working on the Roads Ordinance a few years back. We also had to deal with a private road to run the utilities to the new SHS.

For anyone who wants to know, I cant post a link here, but Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority has an entire website. Look up "HRRA whats in whats out"

I Get It!

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Wrestlers Pin Weston, Face Test In Southington

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