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Signs removed days before election

 Democratic incumbent First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker was found taking down an opponent's sign Tuesday that he said was on town property, setting off another political sparing match days before the municipal election.

The sign puts another focus on the beleaguered Walnut Hill Road bridge, which Knickerbocker's challengers have used against him.

Knickerbocker said he was driving on Plumtrees and Rockwell roads Tuesday morning and saw the sign, which read "Fix the bridge, Vote Will Duff."

The sign of his Republican challenger shines a light on delays to the reconstruction of the bridge.

Paul Improta, Republican Town Committeechairman, said he was driving by, saw a car with the trunk open and stopped to block the person in.

He recognized the first selectman. "I said, `You aren't stealing our signs are you?'" Improta said.

Knickerbocker insisted the sign was on town land near a construction zone and took down the Duff sign, as well as two of his own put there by his volunteers.

He returned Duff's sign to Republican headquarters.

Improta said he believes the signs were on private property.

"He shouldn't be touching someone else's signs, especially his competition's," Improta said. "I was shocked it was him.

"People want me to report it to the police but I'm not bringing criminal charges. People knowing about it is enough for me."

Both parties claim large numbers of signs have disappeared in the election.

Improta said about 80 percent of the bridge signs have been taken down, although other campaign signs have stayed in place.

Peter Olson, Democratic Town Committee chairman, said his party has lost dozens and dozens of signs.

"It happens every year. We are conscious of not making an issue out of it. Matt felt this sign was in the construction zone on town property and also took two of our signs down for the same reason."

When Valerie Principi saw the photos of a playground in Uganda dedicated to the children of Sandy Hook Elementary School, the Newtown mother cried.

"I was stunned," said Principi, who lives in Sandy Hook. "Here these children are on the other side of the world -- you couldn't compare their lives to children here, but they're in need, and one of their needs was met in our Sandy Hook children's names."

Principi's nephew, Michael Principi, of Ridgefield, was one of the volunteers who built the playground in January at Amani Baby Cottage, an orphanage in Uganda.

He took part in the Tilt-A-World Ministry trip from Bethel. Pastor Dan Kelly, of Second Chance Bible Church in Bethel, started the ministry in 2006. Volunteers through Tilt-A-World Ministry have built 12 playgrounds at orphanages around the world.

"This trip had been planned since October," Kelly said. "Then the tragedy happened in Sandy Hook, and dedicating this playground to the children of Sandy Hook just seemed like the thing to do."

Kelly said all future playgrounds built through Tilt-A-World Ministry will also be dedicated to the Sandy Hook children.

"It's a win-win situation," Kelly said. "The kids in these third-world countries get playgrounds and the children from Sandy Hook are remembered forever."

Michael Principi agreed.

"The special thing was working with these wonderful orphans," he said. "They were 1 month to 6 years old -- precious. They just wanted to be held and loved.

"It wasn't lost on any of us that they were the same age as, or just a little younger than, the children of Sandy Hook," he added.

The playground in Uganda was built in collaboration with Burnsville Church in Burnsville, Minn. Tilt-A-World always builds in collaboration with other churches from around the country, Kelly said.

The Uganda playground has: 16 swings; a rock wall, a rope ladder; a hand-over-hand climbing bar; and two towers connected by a 20-foot-long deck. Overall, the playground's dimensions are 50 feet by 25 feet.

"It was amazing. The people there knew about Sandy Hook," said Kayla Kelly, 15, who went to Uganda with her father.

"The kids would stare out of the (orphanage) windows and watch, asking when the playground would be done. Once it was done, they swang and swang. They couldn't stop smiling,"

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Bethel park to require permits




There will be no fees for out-of-towners to use Meckauer Park, but permits will be required, according to action Tuesday night by the Board of Selectmen.

The board voted unanimously to require both residents and nonresidents apply for permits that would go on their cars to use the park on Shelter Rock Road.

But the selectmen decided not to charge fees as proposed by the Parks and Recreation Commission.

First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker said the parks commission wanted to issue permits to monitor the use of the park, and permits for residents and nonresidents will accomplish that goal without charging a fee.

One resident at the meeting, Anna Rood, urged the selectmen not to charge a fee. She thought it was unneighborly and that towns should share their resources.

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Bank buildings offer options to retailers, restaurateurs

Since the early 19th century, banks were positioned in prime locations -- the centers of commerce along some of heaviest-traveled thoroughfares in nearly every community.

As banking industry and demographics changed, those halcyon days of many financial centers have passed.

Impressive structures have been razed, making room for modern glass-and-steel office buildings. Others have survived -- some still as banks, though in most instances their names bear no resemblance to their original identities.

Though currency still may be exchanged inside the four walls, the days when staff handled customers' deposits or decided on loan applications have been replaced by the sound of waitstaff taking food orders, patients consulting with their doctors or customers making a purchase.

Waterbury-based Webster Bank is offering two banking centers for sale in New Milford at 19-23 Main St., and 291 Danbury Road. Represented by Jones Lang LaSalle, the bank put them on the market Feb. 1.

"This is part of our long-term optimization plan," said spokeswoman Sarah Barr. "Customer banking habits are changing, so we need less space. Customers are banking more online, on their mobile devices and using ATMs. However, we do want to be in highly visible places to never lose that human interaction and to work with customers to do everything from open accounts to more complex transactions."

Iconic building

Webster opened a 3,400-square-foot banking center in February at 169 Danbury Road and is renovating its New Milford banking center at 53 Main St.

Built in 1903 and listed at $1.3 million, the two-story masonry building with its arched entrance at 19-23 Main St., was acquired in 2006 when Webster took over NewMil Bank. It closed in January.

The building is an iconic structure in a prime location at Main and Bank streets in the village center, said New Milford Mayor Pat Murphy, who said she has reminded the bank of its architectural importance and the need to maintain the property.

The property at 291 Danbury Road also is well situated and prime for a buyer, Murphy said.

"It's at the corner of Still River Drive and Route 7," she said. "It's a great location with a (stop) light. It's a good spot for a drive-by business."

Modern bank branch locations along busy thoroughfares often attract restaurateurs, retailers or medical offices, said Garett Palmer, a broker with Danbury-based Goodfellow Ashmore.

`Best parcel'

"Usually, bank pads are on a corner lot at a signalized intersection and have good visibility. It's most likely the best parcel on that corridor," he said.

Michael Gold, president of the Greater New Milford Chamber of Commerce, said he hopes the bank finds a buyer soon for both locations, concerned that long-term vacancies can lead to blighted buildings and affect nearby properties.

"When you see an empty building, you wonder what's going in next. We want a vibrant downtown around the green. It's going to take someone with deep pockets to improve the building (19-23 Main)," he said. "Parking is at a premium there."

Because of the changing needs of the banking industry, it seems unlikely the downtown building will house another bank, as branches have decreased across the region.

`Not just transactional'

"The bottom line is that while the number of banks have held steady at around 30 institutions, the number of branches rose from around 328 in 2004, peaked at 416 in 2010 and has recently declined to 399 as of 2013," said John Carusone, president of the Bank Analysis Center in East Hartford. "Some of the bank M&A (mergers and acquisitions) activity has also been a factor in the reduction in branch numbers as banks seek to eliminate duplicative facilities post-merger."

Banks are paying strict attention to redundancies when they conduct audits, he said, adding earnings are of utmost importance to investors.

"The frequency of branch use is decreasing because of popularity of electronic banking. Banks are much more judicious about the size and scale and placement of brick-and-mortar facilities," he said. "Remaining branches are designed to be enhanced facilities offering insurance and investment advice -- not just transactional facilities."