Date: Fri 20-Feb-1998

By ANDY GOROSKO

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

business-Big-Y-opening

Full Text:

Big Y Slates Opening For Feb. 26

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Big Y Foods, Inc, of Springfield, Mass., will hold the grand opening

ceremonies for its new Big Y supermarket at Newtown Shopping Center on Queen

Street at 10 am on Thursday, February 26.

Rather than a traditional ribbon-cutting, the grand opening of the

54,000-square-foot supermarket will be marked by a cake-cutting ceremony.

More than 200 part-time and full-time employees have been hired for the

Newtown market so far, according to Donald D'Amour, Big Y's chief executive

officer. Applications are still being accepted, he said.

The supermarket will contain a food court, plus an eating area.

Rick Bossie will manage the new Big Y, which will be open Mondays through

Saturdays from 7 am to 11 pm, and Sundays from 7 am to 9 pm.

Big Y operates 42 supermarkets in Connecticut and central and western

Massachusetts. The local store will be the 20th store in the chain's "world

class market" format. The privately-owned chain was founded 62 years ago by

brothers Paul and Gerald D'Amour.

The long-awaited grand opening of the supermarket completes the main element

of Newtown Shopping Center's redevelopment. The shopping center had fallen on

hard times after the closing of the former A&P supermarket. The former A&P

building is being renovated for use as a CVS discount store and pharmacy. The

Big Y will be almost six times the size of the former A&P supermarket it

replaces.

Big Y joins the Grand Union and the Super Stop & Shop as supermarkets in

Newtown. Unlike Grand Union and Super Stop & Shop, Big Y's labor force is not

unionized.

Brian Petronella, a spokesman for the United Food and Commercial Workers labor

union, AFL-CIO, Local 371, said the union will stage an informational picket

on public property near Big Y to make its concerns about the non-unionized Big

Y chain known. Mr Petronella said it is unclear when that public protest will

take place.

Big Y officials dismiss the union's criticisms of the firm, saying their

stores are good places to work.

The Kasper Group, which owns the Big Y building, received Borough Zoning

Commission approval for the redevelopment project in January 1996. The project

encountered various delays. The Big Y initially was to have opened in December

1996. Construction started in April 1997.

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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 20-Feb-1998

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