Tedeschi Community Cultural & resource profile



Tressa TedeschiECE 435/5759/19/12I am student teaching in the Town of Tolland, CT. I am placed in a second grade classroom at Birch Grove Primary School. The school only includes grades Pre-K-2nd Grade. Before researching the town, I was only familiar with Birch Grove, but because the school community was so welcoming, I was expecting the town to be as well. The Town of Tolland, first settled before 1715, covers an area of forty-one square miles and is situated twenty miles northeast of Hartford, CT. Tolland was originally a part of the Town of Windsor, but Windsor soon became overcrowded and their growing families were in need of homesteads. People started to move to the east, to lands that were purchased from the Native Americans. On April 18, 1713, a committee and the General Assembly were petitioned to charter it as a town. In May 1722, the town was incorporated as Connecticut’s 49th town. The population of Tolland is 15,052 at the 2010 census. The town derives its name from being a toll station on the old road between Boston and New York. Tolland contains two state forests and several municipal parks. In September 2006, Tolland opened the new Tolland High School to support the growing number of students. The town has a total area of 40.3 square miles; of which 39.7 square miles is land and 0.6 square miles is water. Tolland was governed by town meetings until November 1973, when it adopted a new charter. The principal governing body of Tolland is the elected Town Council, which is responsible for making policy and major decisions about the town’s future. The day-to-day operations of the town are handled by a Town Manager, a paid professional appointed by the Council and charged with implementing and executing Council policy and decisions. The Council consists of seven unpaid members elected in a general election in the town every two years. Currently, the Council consists of two Republicans and five Democrats, and was elected in November 2009. The council selects their own chair and vice-chairpersons, with the chair traditionally being the highest vote-getter among the four majority-party members and the vice-chair the highest among the minority party members. Meetings are open to the public as well. I did not see a Mayor of the town, so it might mean that they need to use neighboring town’s resources. Tolland’s political board’s concerns include, Energy Task Force, Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission, Planning and Zoning Commission, Water Pollution Control Authority, Zoning Board of Appeals, Conservation Commission, WPCA Regulations, Boards and Commissions, Employment Opportunities, Legal Notices Public Hearings, Non-Discrimination Policies of the Town of Tolland, Regulations, Plans and Ordinances, Town Charter and Town Code, and Town Studies.As of the census of 2000, there were 13,146 people, 4,586 households, and 3,788 families living in the town. The population density was 331 people per square mile. The median income for a household in the town was $77,398 as of Census 2000 and the per capita income for the town was $29,892. In 2009, the median household income was $104,970. About 1.1% of families and 2.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.9% of those under age of 18 and 3.5% of those ages 65 or over. In the year 2012, unemployment was at 5.7%. Tolland is a small town in Connecticut, but there are upsides and opportunities if you build you business in Tolland. Tolland bisects the I-84 interstate, which means over 62,000 vehicles per day pass through it. Route 195 leads to the University of Connecticut, as well. There is an area of Tolland, called Tolland Business Park, which is used for light industry, research, offices, distribution and other suitable uses that allow for flexible site development. The Business Park can provide all the amenities to enhance successful business expansion without creating environmental consequences or residential development conflict. Businesses like, Dari Farms Ice Cream Co., NESSteel, Wilson Woodworking, E&S Gage, are all successful businesses that are in the Business Park. There is also a Commercial and Industrial Zone, which provides for larger scale, more intense commercial/and light industrial uses and is located at the Vernon town line of Tolland’s westerly border. Tolland’s support staff includes 4 fire stations and an administrative office. The Tolland Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency in Tolland Three officers are certified through the reserve intermittent academy and one through the full time academy. All officers are certified. The police chief’s name is Eric Munson. Tolland has one medical center called, Johnson Memorial Medical Center. Tolland has an interesting schooling system, and is much different than what I had grown up with. Tolland has three major schools, Birch Grove Primary School, Tolland Intermediate School and Tolland High School. The school I am working at is called Birch Grove Primary School and includes grades Pre-K-2nd Grade. Tolland School’s mission statement talks about having a positive learning environment with a challenging and engaging curriculum to motivate and encourage application of skills for life-long learning. They foster independence, responsibility and strength of character by promoting respect for self, respect for others, and respect for the environment. They provide a broad spectrum of integrated Programs in Fine Arts, Health Sciences and Technology to nurture and cultivate the creativity of the whole child. Last, they create a family atmosphere, where parental and community involvement enriches the educational opportunities for every learner. There are a couple of museums in Tolland as well. Hicks-Stearns Family Museum was originally a Colonial tavern. There are seasonal events that include, summer lawn concerts, a Victorian Christmas celebration and a fall Victorian lantern tour. There is also the Daniel Benton Homestead. This was a house built in 1720 and was the oldest house remaining in Tolland. Tolland’s location, allows residents to visit many museums that are located in neighboring towns, easily. They have the Tolland Public Library as well. After exploring the Tolland website, I found many different recreational services that Tolland offered. There was Crandall’s Summer Camp, Tolland Tykes Preschool, Ed2go Online courses, Town Parks, Trail Maps, and Celebrate Tolland. They also have sports organizations, which include, Tolland Soccer Club, Tolland Youth Football, Cheerleading, Boys Travel Basketball, Lacrosse, Little League, and Girl’s Travel Basketball. It is fast and easy to sign up for any of these recreational activities through printable forms on the web. Tolland residents also get Fall flyers with all the programs listed, sent to them through the mail. Arts of Tolland, is a club that is devoted to encouraging and supporting artistic endeavors of all kinds in Tolland. The Tolland Arts Center is the center of activity for dramatic, musical and fine art presentations in town. Tolland Junior Women’s club is to encourage civic, social, cultural, and educational development throughout the community. Tolland Lions club also encourages good government and citizenship, to take interest in the civic, cultural, social, and moral welfare of the community, and to create an understanding among the peoples of the world.There is a lot of support for senior citizens in Tolland, Connecticut. That support includes a senior center in Tolland, which provides a support system for residents 60 and older. Some programs include health clinics, fun trips that are planned by the activities committee and monthly out to lunch trips, The Annual Dinner is also a lot of fun. There is also an Elderly outreach, which is in conjunction with the Senior Center. Home visits and entitlements assessments are available to those residents who cannot come to the Senior Center. There is also Tolland’s Care & Share Food Bank is located at the Senior Center and supplements food on a monthly basis as well. In conclusion, I found out a lot about the Town’s historical background and demographics behind the town’s makeup. I also found out a lot about the different schools and recreational services the town provided. Not only is Tolland’s school system providing educational enrichment, but the different activities and museums do too. It is a nice little town close to Connecticut’s capitol, as well as Massachusetts border. ................
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