Health & Fitness
Chamber President Lauds Powder Ridge Project
Chamber President Larry McHugh recaps the 7th annual Middletown Motorcycle Mania.
Main Street Middletown was rocking last Wednesday night with over 5,000 bikes at the seventh annual .
Presented by Hunter Limousines, Hunter’s Ambulance and the Hunter Family, the event was a huge success, with over 13,000 people packing the downtown area for our best year yet.
The weather cooperated, our restaurants were very busy, and a great crowd of people enjoyed a fun night. None of this would be possible without the hard work and dedication of a lot of people and the strong support of the business community. Event sponsors included: Liberty Bank, Haymond Law, Charles Computer Services, Home Team Supply, Minuteman Press, Coca-Cola, Gengras Motorcycles, ServPro, Downtown Business District, First & Last Tavern, Fabian Associates and Mezzo Grill.
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I want to personally thank Event Chairman Rich Greco and his committee, Cathy Duncan from the Chamber staff, and all of our volunteers for their effort. A special thank you also goes out to Mayor Dan Drew, all members of the Middletown Common Council, the Police Department, the Fire Department, and the Department of Public Works for their outstanding support of the event. Middletown is a true community, and Motorcycle Mania was a true community event.
The owners of some of the top bikes in attendance were presented with awards at the event.
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The Vern A. Hunter Vintage Bike Award, in Loving Memory of Barbara M. Hunter, presented by Hunter's Ambulance and Hunter Limousines, went to Brett Somers of Bristol, The Dan M. Hunter "Functionality with Style" Award, presented by Hunter’s Ambulance & Hunter Limousines, went to Dan Davis of Meriden, Liberty’s Choice Award, presented by Liberty Bank, went to Dave Rubino of Bristol, The Haymond Law Award, presented by Haymond Law Office, went to Ken Onofreo of Wolcott, The Gengras Elite Award, presented by Gengras Motorcycles, went to Tony Schiavone of Cromwell, The DBD Farkle Award, presented by Downtown Business District, went to Joe Lambo of Bristol, The Best Home Team Motorcycle Award, presented by Home Team Supply, went to Carl Marino of Middletown, and the Mayor’s Choice Award, presented by Mayor Dan Drew, went to Derwin Gamble of Hartford.
Another successful Middletown Motorcycle Mania is in the books, and we are already looking forward to next year.
Monday of last week brought us to Westbrook for a Member Business After Work Networking Event at the Water’s Edge Resort and Spa. More than 200 Chamber members attended the event and enjoyed a delicious spread of food, a great atmosphere, and a lot of networking. I want to thank the Dattilo family, Michael, Joe, and Tina, for their great support of this event and our Chamber, and Karen Robidoux from the Water’s Edge staff for working closely with us to make sure the evening was a success.
On Thursday of last week, our Health Care Council sponsored a breakfast meeting featuring special guest speaker Kevin J. Counihan, the new CEO of Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange. This meeting, hosted by the Community Health Center, focused on the critical role the exchange will play in Connecticut’s path to health reform and implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
Our members found this meeting to be very informative and I would like to once again thank Kevin for visiting with our group, and Mark Masselli, Margaret Flinter, and the for hosting the event.
There was an important public hearing held last Thursday evening at Memorial School in Middlefield. Jeff Pugliese from the chamber staff attended the meeting to offer the chamber’s support for the proposed sale of the Powder Ridge Ski Area property to Powder Ridge Mountain Park & Resort. This is a truly exciting project that has the potential to be a major economic generator in Middlefield and in Middlesex County.
If the sale passes the town-wide referendum Aug. 16, the Powder Ridge property will eventually become a destination for tourists that will work in tandem with the Brownstone Exploration and Discovery Park in Portland, and will complement the great attractions at nearby Lyman Orchards. The project will be a job-creator and an economic driver which will produce tax revenue for the town of Middlefield, bring downhill skiing back to the area and restore a historic property for modern and exciting uses.
On Tuesday, a Sexual Harassment Prevention Training will be presented at the Chamber, 393 Main Street, Middletown. The definition of sexual harassment, personal liability, company liability, and the prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace will be discussed. Attorneys from the law firm Jackson Lewis, LLP will demonstrate how to limit your company's exposure to sexual harassment related issues. The cost is $25 for Chamber members, and $35 for non-members. There are two sessions available, 8 and 10:15 a.m. To register, visit www.middlesexchamber.com.
We are officially five weeks through the Chamber’s Summer Youth Employment Program. It is hard to believe, but we have entered the final week of the program. I will provide a full report once the program is officially completed.
Our next Member Breakfast Meeting will be held on Aug. 23 at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell and will feature guest speaker , head football coach at UConn, who will provide a preview of this year’s season and will stress the importance of community support for the program.
In closing, it is with great sadness that I recognize the passing of Vin Amato. He was a true leader who loved Middletown and played a key role in the resurgence of downtown. He will be missed by all us. I will have more on Vin’s passing in next week’s column.
For information, contact Jeff Pugliese at jpugliese@middlesexchamber.com.
