Please Login with your Pelcro account using the login button on the home page Click on the flag next to a comment to report it Got something to say? Submit a Letter to the Editor. 142 years of history at your fingertips. Search for FREE here. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page 2023 at 4:31 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Taken in 2012 the Congregational Church in Montville Center circa 1722. (Ellyn Santiago/Patch)MONTVILLE CENTER James Hillhouse would immigrate to America landing first in Boston and then traveling to in what was then known as North Parish now Montville Center Hillhouse became the first pastor of the Congregational Church whose steeple rises above Raymond Hill Road He and his wife Mary (née Fitch) are buried in the ancient burying ground atop Raymond Hill would become a respected New London judge and William married Sarah Griswold around 1750 (all the names sound familiar?) and the couple had three children son of Montville named for his grandfather would go on to become a significant political cultural and academic force in the state and most specifically Revolutionary War soldier and "captain of the foot guards," was a Continental Congress delegate and he was an American elm tree aficionado The city's first elms were planted at Temple and Elm streets in 1686 with hundreds more planted decades later But it would be Hillhouse's "Great Planting" project at the end of the 18th century that led to the city being so named statewide and nationally was born of one of the most significant of Montville families Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Chelsea Players will present the drama "At the Still Point" at the Norwich Arts Center (NAC) the play explores themes of life and memory Written by Chelsea Player Emily Dykes and directed by her brother Daniel Dykes who is nearing the end of her life in Norwich as Ruth discovers beauty in her current life Tickets are $18 for general admission, $16 for seniors, military and students, and $15 for NAC members. They can be reserved by emailing stillpoint25@yahoo.com or purchased online at www.norwicharts.org An accessible entrance is available on Church Street Visit Chelsea Players - Norwich Community Theater on Facebook for more information © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices MONTVILLE - Before the NJSIAA Northwest C boys soccer final, Spencer Carus had a statistician write his grandparents' initials and dates of death on the white tape wrapped around his left wrist It's a ritual the Montville senior adopted for comfort in this odd season but I want to enjoy this moment," said Carus whose long throw-ins helped propel Montville's offense. there's nothing better than to go out with the 20 guys on my team." Sophomore Patrick Ferrare had a goal and an assist on Saturday giving him at least one goal in each of the Mustangs' three playoff matches Montville junior Andres Lazo had opened the scoring with a rising rocket 13 minutes into the match Senior Ken Shimabuku put the top-seeded Mustangs up But Wayne Hills (10-3) only pushed the pace and senior Giancarlo Turelli finally found an opening off a free kick with 11:34 left noting the Patriots went undefeated in the Big North Independence "Making it all the way to the state final means a lot." More: NJSIAA boys soccer regional tournament brackets More: Bergen Catholic-Delbarton game postponed after positive COVID test minutes before kickoff What it meansMontville (13-1-2) earned its second straight championship after beating Ramapo in overtime to claim North 2 Group III a year ago whose lone loss cost them the NJAC Southern Red title, added another milestone to the COVID season after handing Delbarton its first loss to a Morris County opponent since 2015 back on Nov which made its first appearance in a final since 2013, has not won a sectional or regional title. After Wayne Hills scored off a free kick to pull within a goal Ferrare tipped Carus' throw into the corner of the net to give Montville a 3-1 lead with 10:08 to play Both goals were scored in less than 90 seconds. Montville center back Colin Hennigan cleared a Wayne Hills shot off the goal line Mustangs goalkeeper Connor Ziolkowski dove to make the first of five saves and end the threat ► The Mustangs scored three goals in each of their three postseason games Ferrare finished with three goals and two assists in the NJSIAA Tournament and led Montville with eight goals and two assists but that's all that matters." — Carus We're still proud of what we did." — Turelli Jane Havsy is a sports reporter for DailyRecord.com. For full access to live scores, breaking news and analysis, subscribe today Email: JHavsy@gannettnj.com Twitter: @dailyrecordspts MONTVILLE — Work steadily continues to transform a historic church in the old town center of Montville into a usable public space again Monday was the town's deadline to receive bids on some minor work to the Montville Center Congregational Church at the corner of Raymond Hill Road and Meetinghouse Lane The town signed a quitclaim deed in 2011 to gain ownership of the chapel which has existed since the 1840s and was added to the State Register of Historic Places in 2012 The work to be done will complete efforts to seal up the building's exterior "The work will seal the remainder of the building for winter completing window repair and replacement and maybe the doors," Vlaun said there will be no further work until spring The town will then do further work on the interior of the building The building's previous caretaker was the now-defunct North Parish of New London a pre-Colonial village that comprised part of Salem and what is now Montville Preservationists hope the church becomes a piece of living history pictures and other memorabilia highlighting Montville's past They'd also like to create reading or meeting space to take strain off the 130-year-old Raymond Library The town's 2010 plan of conservation and development recommended the church building be preserved and it and the Raymond Library serve as the center of a new historic district Montville spent about $20,000 last year to replace the church's roof The town budgeted about $50,000 for work to the church over the last two years and the Montville Historical Society also has contributed funds for the work After Montville’s two-year battle with the state to keep a sexual offender treatment center from being built on the grounds of the Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Center, the controversial facility will open next month. The facility is the first of its kind in the state and is being run by The Connection Inc., a Connecticut-based nonprofit human services and community development agency. The program will house and provide intensive treatment for up to 24 men for three months to a year, depending on individual cases, said Jake Villeneuve, the senior director of community justice for The Connection. Clients will be referred to the facility by the Department of Correction and the state’s Court Support Services Division. The state passed a law in 2008 requiring the Department of Correction and the judicial branch to establish such a facility to help offenders as they prepare to re-enter society. The brand-new building, which is on a hill adjacent to the prison, will be staffed around the clock and monitored with security cameras. The facility is completely fenced in. The building includes staff offices and a visitor’s lounge for clients. Two residential wings house communal bathrooms and six bedrooms each that will serve two clients per room. Bedrooms that are not occupied will be locked, said Todd Mercier, the on-site case manager. The facility also has a full kitchen, a laundry room, a recreation area and a group lounge/TV room. “They’ll be cooking their own meals and doing their own laundry,” he said. Mercier said staff will help clients learn to do chores and take care of themselves. In free time, residents will be able to participate in group therapy, yoga, card games and will be able to go outside within the fenced area with supervision. Staff also will provide mental health, substance abuse and counseling services. Even though the facility will be ready for clients the first week of February, it will be a while before clients are brought in, Villeneuve said. He said the facility’s main purpose is public safety. The program will help individuals make the transition to a more stable environment by teaching them to live independently. Most sexual offenders released from prison go straight to homeless shelters because they have difficulty finding housing or don’t have the resources to do so, Villeneuve said. A transitional facility will reduce the likelihood of a re-offense, he said. The state provides outpatient treatment for offenders, but releasing someone without guidance and case management puts them and the public at risk, said Lisa DeMatteis-Lepore, the senior director of women, children and housing services at The Connection. “The additional levels of care are extremely needed,” she said. Town Council Chairwoman Candy Buebendorf said the town worked hard to secure a memorandum of understanding between the town and the state to ensure a high level of security at the facility to protect Montville residents. “We knew it was coming,” she said. “We did everything we did to ensure the safety of the people here, and that’s it.” Resident Ellen Hillman said she thinks the facility is a waste of taxpayers’ money. She said programs for sexual predators don’t work. “There’s no guarantees that they won’t get away,” Hillman said. “There’s no guarantees that they won’t be roaming the community. There’s no guarantees there won’t be more than 24 people.” Hillman said her biggest concern is that clients who complete the program might come back to the area, even though they will be taken to their hometowns. “The Department of Correction can drive them back, but if they have no family or friends or relatives, they’ll come back to Montville, Norwich and New London. It’s an area they’re familiar with.” The new joint venture plans to begin construction in September on a three-story, 98,000-square-foot, climate-controlled self-storage facility at 352 Main Road. The new joint venture plans to begin construction in September on a three-story, 98,000-square-foot, climate-controlled self-storage facility at 352 Main Road. The 2.5-acre site, previously approved for an office building, is s located with access via Route 202, just off the I-287 exit ramp, with visibility and signage adjacent to I-287. The facility will be professionally managed by CubeSmart Self Storage. All entitlements for the ground-up project are in hand. Diversified Properties, LLC is a full-service real estate company founded in 2000 and headed by founder and principal, Nicholas Minoia. With core strengths in residential and commercial development and construction, the company is primarily focused on acquisitions, architectural and engineering design entitlements, construction, leasing, sales, management, and strategic repositioning of multifamily properties. 1026 Real Estate Investors is headed by principal Douglas Oliver. SHARE ON FACEBOOK John Jordan John Jordan is a veteran journalist with 36 years of print and digital media experience teams and firms that continually drive the sector’s performance as the 2025 Influencers in Industrial Nominate a candidate before the May 14th deadline team and/or company that helps shape the multifamily real estate sector before the nomination deadline on June 17th Samsung Electronics and Bank of America led the way in producing vacant space in the market Dive into the data to explore domestic migration patterns over the past four years -- and uncover states and metro areas emerging as relocation hotspots in 2025 Picking the right renters insurance can be a headache This guide will help you find the perfect partner for your multifamily properties so you can boost resident participation and lower your risk Are you noticing unexpected shifts in office occupancy and commuter behavior This report reveals how evolving work patterns are challenging CRE brokers and offers crucial Discover a detailed analysis of office visit fluctuations real-world examples to inform strategic decisions and actionable metrics to guide client advising / For questions about GlobeSt.com, please call 800-458-1734 (9:00am-5:30pm ET, Monday through Friday, except holidays), or send an email to [email protected] MONTVILLE – Montville High School’s newly renovated Media Center’s doors was officially opened last week after more than four years of planning and research which showcased the room’s multi-media resources 21st Century white board technology and dynamic wireless projection “Few districts can boast that they have the innovative programs that we have here,” said Board of Education President Matthew Kayne Inspired four years ago by two parent volunteers the Media Center Action Committee was formed the committee surveyed the student body and faculty for suggestions regarding a Media Center renovation The committee also visited and researched media centers throughout the northeast and around the globe Together they worked with SSP Architectural Group of Bridgewater SSDS Soyka Smith Design Studios in Montclair and education construction specialists Vanas Construction Co. Director of Facilities Steven Toth and the Information Technology Services Manager for the district played an integral role in the project’s completion according to a press release from the District “I believe that this library will help students become more enthusiastic about learning and I am truly proud of how it turned out,” said Student Activities Council President and Media Center Action Committee member Tasneem Amer “The only problem I have is that this project started my senior year I am going to have to visit from college just to spend more time in this library.” The $1 million project was funded by capital reserve deposits that the Montville Township Board of Education budgeted over the past four years Officials from Mohegan Sun and the indoor go-kart and trampoline center on Sachatello Industrial Drive announced a partnership between the two organizations Tuesday which saw the 110,000-square-foot facility christened with a new name: Supercharged Powered by Mohegan Sun will allow members of Mohegan Sun’s Loyalty Rewards program to use their Momentum Dollars earned at the casino toward experiences at Supercharged resulting in a discount of between 10 and 25 percent on go-kart and trampoline tickets which has been in the works since the go-kart facility opened last January according to Supercharged partner David Litner is a way to expand the entertainment center’s customer base while also allowing the casino to offer Supercharged activities to large groups and convention guests in anticipation of Mohegan Sun’s expanded expo center "With such a close geographic proximity to each other this partnership really made sense for a number of reasons," Litner said "It offers expanded value for loyal members and guests of both organizations and we’re very excited about where this is going to go." said more partnerships between the casino and area businesses are forthcoming "Expanding Mohegan Sun’s presence in our region with productive business relationships .. has been something that we’ve been focused on," he said "We’re looking forward to working with our groups to bring group outings here to the track and especially with the expansion of our expo center and additional convention center we believe this is going to be one aspect that’s going to allow us to really offer something unique to people who are visiting the region and then spending some time here at Supercharged Powered by Mohegan Sun." billed as the world’s largest multi-level indoor go-kart racing track as well as an 8,000-square-foot trampoline park NEW LONDON — A convicted rapist accused of a sexual assault in June while living at a Montville center for sex offenders has been sentenced to nine months in prison was convicted in August 1995 of a September 1994 rape of a Norwich woman and sentenced to 24 years in prison followed by five years’ probation After Brackett’s release from prison in March on the grounds of the Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Center offers treatment helping sex offenders adjust to life outside prison and avoid repeating their crimes Brackett was accused of violating his probation after January Center authorities said he made an unwanted sexual advance to a fellow offender there He also violated program rules by failing to attend a group therapy session entering the kitchen when he wasn’t supposed to and “asking (for) and receiving money from another client,” according to an arrest warrant affidavit Brackett admitted the probation violation and agreed to a plea deal with the nine-month sentence said that after Brackett was “locked up for a quarter-century he didn’t have the skills to take advantage of what’s provided for him.” Brackett has a history of violent sex assaults,” said Assistant State’s Attorney Lawrence Tytla who said he was the prosecutor in the 1995 case Department of Adult Probation officers would watch him more closely than than would some other recently released inmates “We recognize it’s not going to be easy for him to transition back into society (but) it’s incumbent on him to comply with all the rules of probation,” Tytla said “Probation is going to do all it can do to protect society.” Montville's Colin Hennigan (30) clears the ball out of harms way against Delbarton during the soccer game at Montville High School on 10/13/20.Tom Horak | For NJ Advance Media .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Brian Deakyne | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comThis wasn’t the Morris County Tournament championship game with fans packed shoulder to shoulder in a standing-room only crowd at Roxbury High School This wasn’t a Group 3 state title game at Kean University with temperatures dropping below freezing and players layered up to battle the elements No, those moments that Montville had longed for all offseason were taken away when the coronavirus pandemic shortened the 2020 season But on Wednesday afternoon — in front of a sporadic crowd of parents and families in the early afternoon — Montville got its championship moment as the Mustangs spilled on the field to celebrate one of the greatest wins in program history: "This is probably one of the biggest wins in Montville boys soccer history,” Montville coach Kevin Brown said “It’s a pleasure to be a part of it but they deserve every second of it.” This is the first win for Montville over Delbarton (9-1-1) since Brown took over the program in 2015 Montville’s win is the first time a Morris County team has beaten Delbarton since 2015 Morristown was the last team to do it in a 1-0 win on Oct BOX SCORE the bad and the ugly,” Montville center back Colin Hennigan said It’s nice to play with this group of boys.” but couldn’t find a way to break through before Wednesday Delbarton beat Montville in the MCT title game last season and the teams played to a 1-1 draw earlier this season on the road and in a place that is tough to win Ian Kaiser got his head on a long throw-in from Spencer Carus in the 56th minute to account for the game’s only goal and Montville’s sensational back line did the rest keeping a dangerous Delbarton attack off the board for 80 minutes to secure another clean sheet All but one win this season has come by one goal for Montville (9-0-2) Montville never backed down from Delbarton pushing the Green Wave in physical 50/50 challenges a relentless press and a bend-but-don’t-break defense The Mustangs didn’t intend to just play with Delbarton at Ryan Field on Wednesday — they expected to win “I think it comes from being an underdog,” Brown said Maybe people expect us to come up short and they kind of turn that around into a positive thing Why can’t we give this everything we’ve got I think they were just confident overall in the game plan and they executed.” Delbarton had a handful of chances over the final 10 minutes of the first half but Montville owned the run of play in the opening 15 minutes of the second half He played a better ball in and it was just nice to get it in Delbarton had a number of dangerous set pieces including an exceptionally dangerous one in the 75th minute from 20 yards out but keeper Connor Ziolkowski (11 saves) came up big time and time again with help from his steady back line “It’s been a grudge match for as long as I can remember,” Hennigan said For perspective: the first time a Brown-coached Montville team played Delbarton But as Montville walked off the turf deep behind Delbarton’s campus on Wednesday taking a team photo and exchanging hugs and fist bumps with each other one thing was abundantly clear: plenty has changed since then we were first rebuilding and I was thrown into a conference with them and everyone talked about Delbarton I had never played them in high school,” Brown said “It was a struggle for the first couple of years but just to be able to play with them and maybe have them look forward to the game with us now Brian Deakyne may be reached at bdeakyne@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrianDeakyne Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) came to Eastern Connecticut about a decade ago In her new state she found a vibrant community at the Montville Senior Center and has recently begun giving back to the organization that made her move out east enjoyable How did you first get hooked up with Montville's senior center?: When we lived in Groton I went out to a few events a couple of times at the senior center in Groton The programs they have and the work they do here is (incredible) I had heard about (Montville Senior and Social Services Director) Kathy Doherty-Peck even before we moved to Montville Why did you get involved with the center's holiday basket program?: My husband and I were both volunteers at our church They had a food pantry there twice a month so we would volunteer there because we thought it was important I didn’t get involved (with the basket program) the first year just because I didn’t know about it When I heard about it for this year I decided to help out What does it mean to you to be able to give back?: I don’t usually talk about my past there were a lot of people who helped our family out There were 10 of us kids growing up in the Midwest and people would help us out during Christmas and the holiday season and I wanted to give back to the families out here MONTVILLE — The new student health center operated by United Community and Family Services at Montville High School is off to a quick start less than a week into the new school year the center's advanced practice registered nurse said Monday 40 of the school's 700 students already had enrolled to use the center which is located next to the school's main office and has a staff of three It's the second school-based health center opened by UCFS The first opened last year at Norwich Technical High School "Right now the big push is for sports physicals," Nelson said I can see a bit of everything in the course of a day." runny nose or earache can be addressed onsite The center can also refer students to the family’s physician or pediatrician such as if a student becomes ill in class and then is examined by the health center The school’s nurse is the "gatekeeper" for student access to the UCFS center The nurse sees the student first and then decides whether to refer the student to the health center The center also can serve as a referral source for mental health care "UCFS is providing behavioral outpatient services here in the school," UCFS licensed professional counselor Julia Cooper said "We're really pleased with the amount of interest since we started," Nelson said School nurse Debbie Piacenza said the center will fill a gap in treatment "Time is a big factor when parents are working and the child has sports and after-school jobs Being able to take care of these needs during the school day is going to be great." "It just allows us another layer of intervention," Principal Jeffrey Theodoss said So if one needs some counseling or a physical believes students will benefit from the new health service "This is a really awesome resource," she said "It'll get a lot of use since the location is so convenient and if you can't schedule one at your doctor's office this will be a great place to go for that." 1/37Ice Hockey: Montville vs Indian Hills at Prudential Center.st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Casey Roland | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comTim Downes scored the game-winning goal on a power play in the third period to give Indian Hills the narrow victory over Montville Adam Moskal and Joseph Amoruso scored in the first period to give Indian Hills a 2-0 lead after one with the team later taking a 3-1 lead before Montville evened things up early in the third Jake Willis scored a second-period goal for Indian Hills which earned its first win of the season after four losses and a tie to start the year Matthew Trifari had a pair of goals while Cole Riley scored once for Montville The NJ High School Sports newsletter is now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now and be among the first to get all the boys and girls sports you care about, straight to your inbox each weekday. To add your name, click here Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription A year ago, in a meeting with officials from Montville and the office of Gov. Malloy, Department of Correction Commissioner Leo Arnone promised that the facility would not house “the worst of the worst.” said Monday that there was not necessarily a gulf between what Arnone said then and what has come to pass we are very careful about who is placed there,” Garnett said “A risk assessment is performed on everyone and there are steps in place to make sure the public is protected from the offenders that are in that facility.” IN ADDITION TO THE 12 with first-degree sexual assault convictions six have convictions for second-degree sexual assault One has two convictions for first-degree sexual assault Of the first-degree sexual assault convictions said Monday that “placement in the Montville facility comes only after a screening process to assess offenders for risk of escape or violence Offenders who are deemed at-risk will not be successful at Montville and are not placed there.” Garnett said today that "the Commissioner's comments regarding the worst of the worst were in the context that we would not place the worst of the worst in that facility who would pose a threat to the public safety and that continues to be the case "Offenders placed at the January Center by the Department of Correction the other 12 are placed there by Probation) are carefully vetted and are reaching the end of their sentence "They undergo a thorough clinical evaluation which looks at empirically validated factors to determine not only their risk but also their appropriateness for treatment which will assist in preparing them for reintegration into society "A conviction for a particular crime does not by itself indicate that an offender is a high risk for re-offending as you would suggest the facility is safe and secure and those confined there will not pose a risk to the public safety of Montville.' THE SEX-OFFENDER REHABILITATION center, which opened in January at 984 Norwich-New London Turnpike, and is known as The January Center, is governed in part by a Memorandum of Understanding between the town and the Department of Correction which you can read in the photo box that accompanies this story does not speak to the criminal level of the residents of the facility said that he was surprised by the conviction levels of the residents of the facility The facility has “kind of lived up to everything else that we asked,” Jaskiewicz said Monday “They wanted to make sure that it didn’t fail ,” Jaskiewicz said “So you’re not going send the worst of the worst.” Former Town Council Chairman Donna Jacobson who fought the facility in rallies and in her position on the council “This was our biggest fear from the get-go.” “Arnone is a bold-faced liar,” says Dana McFee who serves on the current town council and was also on the council under Jacobson “I was at the meeting in Hartford when he said those words that was one of the reasons that we felt more comfortable about the fact that it was coming Asked about the fact that none of the offenders has a record of convictions for violent crimes CONNECTICUT'S GENERAL STATUTES describe first-degree sexual assault: A person commits this crime when he (1) uses or threatens to use force to engage in sexual intercourse (the threat must reasonably cause the victim to fear physical injury) (2) engages in sexual intercourse with someone under age 13 and who is more than two years younger than he is (3) commits 2nd degree sexual assault while aided by two or more other people actually present or (4) engages in sexual intercourse with someone mentally incapable of consenting THE SEX-OFFENDER FACILITY, which is on the grounds of the Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Center, came to life in 2008, when the legislature ordered the DOC to establish a 24-bed sex treatment facility. Montville fought the facility on a number of levels, including taking the state to court, a battle which the town ultimately lost. Montville's efforts resulted in the MOU are directly across the Norwich-New London Turnpike from the new Public Safety Building 2013 at 7:16 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;} Montville Union Baptist Church 9:30 a.m Saint John the Evangelist 7:30 a.m Calvary Chapel 10 a.m There is just one Montville-area Saturday night Easter vigil that I could find at Our Lady of Perpetual Help (part of the Divine Community) in Quaker Hill 2013 at 10:33 pm ETWhen the Montville School Board received about 30 persuasive essays from Tammy Minsky’s third grade class asking to honor the former Hilldale Elementary principal by renaming the school after her the board wasn't "prepared to do that at that time," but found a fair alternative Board Member Charles Grau came up with the idea to to dedicate the media center at Hilldale to former principal Marianne Dispenziere, who retired at the end of the 2012-13 school year after 45 years of serving as an educator in the district Dispenziere returned for the dedication and the plaque outside the media center was revealed during the board of education meeting "She did a wonderful job for our children and our staff members throughout her tenure in the district,” said Superintendent Paul Fried “I reached out to Marianne and she is very grateful and very excited to receive this honor." 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