Date: Fri 17-Jan-1997

By KAAREN VALENTA

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

business-People's-bank-branch

Full Text:

w/photos: People's Opens A Branch In Stop & Shop

B Y K AAREN V ALENTA

This week's grocery list: bread, lettuce, mustard and a car loan.

That's not far-fetched now that People's Bank has opened a branch in Newtown's

Super Stop & Shop.

With the advent of supermarket banking, the term "banker's hours" also

requires a new definition. This branch, which opened last week, stays open

weekdays until 7 pm and is open on Saturdays and Sundays, too.

It's the 20th of 45 branches that are planned for Super Stop & Shop stores in

Connecticut.

About two dozen people attended the grand opening last Friday, January 10, at

which People's President and CEO David E.A. Carson and Michael Leone, manager

of the Bridgeport region, presented $350 in donations to food banks in Newtown

and Monroe.

Nancy Taylor, co-chairperson of the Faith Food Pantry located at St John's

Episcopal Church in Sandy Hook, participated in the ceremony along with Irena

Kandybowicz, Monroe's director of social services. The towns of Newtown and

Monroe were represented by Monroe Selectman Karen Burnaska and John

Klopfenstein, member of Newtown's Economic Development Commission.

"We are bringing banking and seven-day-a-week convenience to our customers,"

said James P. Biggs, People's executive vice president for regional banking.

"Our supermarket branches offer customers the convenience of extended hours

and technologies that make banking more user-friendly than ever before."

Besides person-to-person banking with the branch's five-member staff, the

branch offers telephone banking and video banking. Bank by phone to get

up-to-date loan and mortgage rate information or sit at a video console to

talk "face-to-face" with an investment specialist whose live image will be

shown on one side of the display (your image will be there too, although

customers have the option of blocking their own image, if desired).

Video banking "makes it possible for customers to use interactive technology

to consult a financial services specialist in another location," said Group

Manager Debi Beauchemin. Investment counseling is the first service to be

offered; other products such as consumer loans and mortgages will follow soon.

"This is a new type of banking which is a result of listening to customers'

needs," Mr Leone said.

The branch is open Monday through Friday from 10 am to 7 pm, Saturdays from 10

to 4 and Sundays from 11 to 4.

The largest bank headquartered in Connecticut, People's Bank has assets of

more than $7 billion and 90 branches statewide. It offers diversified consumer

and commercial financial services, including trust and life insurance, and has

a discount brokerage subsidiary with satellite offices in 18 locations. It

also is an international issuer of Visa and Mastercard.

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Well that is some spin. The Democrats have a super majority on the LC and passed the Education Budget without serious consideration of if the voters could afford the multi million dollar increase. "Was the request justified?" rather than "is this needed?" and "can the voters shoulder yet another large increase?" The voters rightly sent it back. Then for some reason all the discussion around reductions to the increase seemed to be coming from the classroom, rather than administration and overhead costs. Is this a coercive tactic to manipulate parents into supporting the budget like tacit threat of cutting freshman sports was two years ago? Who believes the Democrats did not caucus privately before the meeting and came in with a number already worked out? This is the Dems budget, they own it.

Education Cuts: Who Voted For What

I think it is important that we do not villainize every black box seen around a home, business, farm, or municipal property. A black exterior station does not always mean rat poison is being used. These stations can hold a number of different products, including monitoring blocks, snap traps, non-toxic bait, anti-tick bait stations, organic salt- or cornmeal-based control products, and newer fertility-control approaches intended to reduce rodent populations without traditional poisons. The better conversation, in my opinion, is not simply “black boxes are bad,” but rather: what is inside them, who is maintaining them, and whether the rodent issue is being managed responsibly. Exclusion, sanitation, trapping, habitat reduction, and careful monitoring should all be part of a responsible IPM strategy. To be fair, on my own property I do use rodenticides, including Bromethalin and Bromadiolone, in secured bait stations. But that is a choice I make for my property, based on my circumstances and the risk I am trying to manage. I also believe property owners should understand the tradeoffs and be encouraged to use the least harmful effective method whenever possible. I support protecting Newtown’s wildlife. I also support giving residents accurate information and not assuming that every black box represents reckless or unsafe pest control. The goal should be responsible rodent management, not fear of the box itself.

Discusses Policy Against Rodenticides

Debora, thank you! I accidentally doubled the project prices by adding the bond to the appropriation. Thank you so much for catching that and pointing it out. With the corrected numbers, the voters approved a combined $1.32 million for a salt shed ($600k) and library pavement ($720k), while rejecting the $1.12 million replacement turf. Regarding the 80s, I truly respect the hurdle of 14% mortgage rates. My point is simply that the math has shifted: in 1980, while the rates were higher, the price of a home relative to earnings was significantly lower. We are facing a different, but equally crushing, financial wall. Ultimately, it is disheartening that voters who recognized safe sidewalks and parking lots as essential, dismissed a playing field in the exact same condition. The turf has passed its life cycle and is just as much of a liability as the library’s pavement, the only difference is that this safety concern affects thousands of children who, coincidentally, cannot vote. These are apples-to-apples needs. I was hopeful our community would agree that all Newtown residents deserve safe conditions, regardless of which facility they utilize. Again, I would be remiss not to mention that when 82% of residents don’t show up, we have to deal with the interests of those who did. Hopefully, the next referendum will have a bigger turnout.

The ‘Me’ Generation

Thanks for the reply. I meant the numbers you presented in your letter. I found one place where other numbers were listed: https://www.newtownbee.com/04232026/get-out-and-vote-on-the-2026-27-proposed-municipal-and-school-budgets/?q=\\\%22advisory%20questions\\\%22. In that article, the numbers were cited as: Treadwell field: $1,125,000 Library: $720,000 Salt Storage: $600,000 As one who started out in the early 80's when inflation was double digits, my 1985 mortgage rate was 14%, and child care costs were comparable (in present value), I shared your grief but never considered the voters ironic or shameful. PS. I agree college tuition is ridiculous. Thankfully, universities are offering (or considering) waiving all or most tuition for middle class families (upwards of $200,000 incomes). Hopefully, they'll also reconsider their need for those funds in the first place.

Sure! Child care costs: https://www.ffyf.org/2022/10/13/data-child-care-prices-continue-to-rise-ahead-of-midterm-elections-outpacing-inflation/ (also from 2021-2025 we had 2 children in a local daycare in Newtown and it cost us $3200 a month, so that's a number I am very familiar with) Home price / median price vs income source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/home-price-income-ratios Tuition increase vs inflation: https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/noting-a-decline-in-middle-class-students-colleges-provide-more-aid/ Hope this helps :)

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Date: Fri 17-Jan-1997

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