RIDGEFIELD - Kevin Regan and Ryan McGrath each had a double-double performance to lead the Newtown Blue Devils 6th-grade travel basketball team to a 47-27 win over Danbury in the championship final of the Ridgefield Tournament.

By KIM HARMON

Published: Mar 27, 2001 12:00 am

RIDGEFIELD â Kevin Regan and Ryan McGrath each had a double-double performance to lead the Newtown Blue Devils 6th-grade travel basketball team to a 47-27 win over Danbury in the championship final of the Ridgefield Tournament.

Regan â who scored 14 points and pulled down 20 rebounds in the final â was named tournament MVP.

âHe played with a high level of intensity,â said coach John Sandison, âand he proved too much for the Danbury squad.â

McGrath added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Blue Devils, who finished their remarkable season at 25-4. In the final, Joe Bowen and Joey DeVellis chipped in with six points apiece while Tad Pierson contributed four.

The Blue Devils reached the final by way of a 35-30 win over Brookfield in the semi-finals. Regan and DeVellis combined for 17 points while Mike Kennedy and McGrath had six points each. Brian Conroy, Tucker Kass, and Regan had strong games off the glass while Justin Miller and Jack Quinn anchored the defense.

In other travel team action, the 7th-grade boys travel team was nipped, 38-37, by New Milford in the South-West Conference Travel League title game. Drew Adamek â who scored 13 points â canned a pair of three-pointers in the final three minutes to help lead Newtown back from a nine-point deficit.

Newtownâs final shot rolled off the rim at the buzzer.

Drew Harmata added 10 points while Marc Ingerman had five points and seven rebounds.

The 5th-grade boys travel team was eliminated from the John Keegan Tournament by Monroe, 44-37, despite a 15-point effort from Danny Smith. Jason Smith, Greg Rodden, Michael Maher, and Kevin Troy all combined for 19 points. John Modzelewski had a fine floor game while Danny Giorno, Ben Gersten and Bobby Lapple led the defense.

The fifth-graders had beaten Southbury, 35-26, last Friday to advance. Maher scored seven points while Danny Smith, Jason Smith, Troy and Rodden all combined for 18 points. Lapple, PJ Cochrane, Gerset and Modzelewski all combined for eight points. Giorno was the defensive stopper.

Newtown ended its season with a 21-13 record.

The 7th-8th grade girls travel team ended its season even up at 14-14 with a 38-27 win over Easton. Vicky Thomas canned 12 points while Sarah Holroyd and Melissa Russell added six points apiece. Christy Caruso, Erica Helsel and Kimberly Solheim played well on defense.

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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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RIDGEFIELD - Kevin Regan and Ryan McGrath each had a double-double performance to lead the Newtown Blue Devils 6th-grade travel basketball team to a 47-27 win over Danbury in the championship final of the Ridgefield Tournament.

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