Town Council Advances Agenda, But New Procedures Trigger Debate

First Congregational Church in Southington was the recent site of an interfaith service, with members of the Christian, Jewish and Sikh communities in attendance, per Council Chair Chaplinsky. PETER PROHASKA PHOTOS

Questions of procedure and legality divided the Southington Town Council during much of its December 8 meeting, as Democrat minority leader Christopher Palmieri and Republican Chairman Paul Chaplinsky, Jr. sparred over a set of proposed changes to Council rules, as well as whether there would be sufficient minority party representation on some Town boards.

Palmieri and his fellow Democrats, Council members Kristen Guida and David Zoni, primarily objected to a provision that would allow the entire Council to nominate and approve a minority leader. A motion for Palmieri to serve in that role this term had passed without controversy at the last meeting. But the Democrats were worried that, in principle, a majority party could install its own minority-party leader over the objections of the minority.

Palmieri cited a rule from the State Assembly that suggests minority leaders should be nominated on the basis of seniority or popular vote counts, with the minority party firmly in charge of naming its own leadership.

“The minority should be picking who leads them,” commented Zoni. “It’s quite simple actually.”

Chaplinsky and Council member Tony Morrison pointed out that the minority party had failed to nominate a leader as recently as 2017, a situation that led to confusion and prompted the new provision for filling the role if needed.

Other proposed changes include a new policy that limits communications between council members and the Town Attorney, in a bid to lower legal costs, as well as restricting the use of official Town letterhead for communications from the whole Council, rather than parties.

Self-Insurance Committee Controversy

A proposal to eliminate the Self-Insurance Committee became social media fodder during the week and led to some vigorous discussion during the meeting. On Monday, the Southington Democratic Town Committee posted a video on Facebook that included screen shots from Board of Finance Chair John Leary stating he was not “part of the decision” to do away with the entity.

“I don’t know if it was intentional to mislead us, but you said you had spoken to John Leary,” Palmieri said to Chaplinsky.

Chaplinsky replied that Leary had indeed been consulted on the change, along with other key stakeholders. Chaplinsky also reported having multiple conversations with Joseph Labieniec, the most recent Chair of that committee, at Leary’s suggestion. Chaplinsky quoted Labieniec as saying “I 110% agree with you that Self-Insurance would be more efficient, and more streamlined, if we conducted the business of the Self-Insurance Committee at the Board of Finance where the decisions are made.”

A motion to adopt the rules passed 6-3, along party lines.

Constable Zoni?

Differing opinions as to the legality of an appointment also roiled the meeting when Town Manager Alex Ricciardone put forth Zoni for one of the seven Town Constable positions – an old and largely symbolic office that many Connecticut towns are required by their charters to fill.

Chaplinsky objected to Zoni’s appointment, reading from the Town Charter that “No person serving on an elected board shall serve on any other board, elected or appointed, unless it is a subcommittee of the board he serves on or a subcommittee of the Town Council where the members of another board's presence is required by the Town Council on that subcommittee.”

Palmieri disputed that interpretation, saying that the Town Attorney had opined that being elected to one board and being appointed to another was permissible.

Ricciardone temporarily withdrew Zoni’s name, pending a formal opinion from the Town Attorney.

Areas of Consensus

Despite the disagreements, the Council did unanimously endorse a bid for new solar panels for Southington High School’s roof submitted by All-Electric Construction and Communications of West Haven. The project is not cheap, at just over $1.3 million, but Palmieri said there were several likely benefits to buying the panels outright, rather than leasing them. These included a projected savings in electrical costs, a full warranty for the roof, and associated “green” benefits.

A new contract between the Town and the Firefighters’ union, IAFF Local 2033, was also unanimously approved by the Council.

Town Manager Ricciardone and Union representative Ed Crandall both characterized the negotiations in a positive way overall, with both sides giving up a little in exchange for a new deal, and neither being entirely happy with the results.

“It’s a solid agreement that’s fair to everybody,” Ricciardone said.

The Council also welcomed Brian Antigiovanni to the role of Deputy Emergency Services Director. Antigiovanni is a longtime Southington resident who serves as a Captain in the West Hartford Fire Department and holds a Master’s degree in Homeland Security.

Canal Trail Update

Ricciardone mentioned in his Town Manager’s report an ongoing initiative to install new mile markers along the Farmington Canal Heritage trail. That volunteer work is being carried out by the Greenway Alliance, an organization whose overarching goal is a bike path stretching from Maine to the Florida Keys.

A small stretch of the trail in Southington, about .7 mile, requires bikers to divert onto roads. One of those spots is on Aircraft Road. The previous owners, a railway, were willing to sell a small segment to allow for connection but were recently acquired by another entity, Chaplinsky said. The new owners are holding onto the overgrown rail for now, with possible future use envisioned, he added, while the state Department of Transportation is looking for alternate routes.

Council Member Michael DelSanto pointed out that Plainville’s continuing use of a section of the rail line would also pose an issue, regardless of progress elsewhere.

Legal issues have arisen along some sections of the trail, with the state engaged in eminent domain proceedings against property owners, according to Ricciardone.

Chaplinsky was confident that progress could be made.

“The DOT has said that we still have the funding, it’s just a matter of figuring out the right path,” he stated.

The next Town Council meeting is scheduled to take place January 12, 2026.

The crossing at Aircraft Road in Southington is part of about .7 miles where the Farmington Canal trail is unfinished in town. As discussed at the meeting, the railway's new owners aren't willing to part with the small strip. The Town Manager reported that new mile markers are being installed along the trail by the Greenway Alliance.

Southington Volleyball Starts State Tournament With Straight Set Win

Captain Paige Raines KIERAN SUMMERS PHOTOS

Captain Paige Raines and all six of the Southington girls volleyball seniors entered the Class LL State Tournament knowing their high school careers could end there. But their first-round matchup against Darien didn’t mark the final chapter, as the Blue Knights came away with a straight-set victory, winning 3-0 (26-24, 25-19, 25-23).

“We found the heart, found the drive, found the passion,” Raines said. “We knew this was a season-ending game for one of us. We didn’t want to stop playing. We didn’t want tonight to be the end.”

For Raines and company, the key was keeping their composure. When the Blue Knights found themselves down, they could not take their foot off of the gas. It was that mantra that led Southington to victory.

“Tonight was a big step up from how we’ve been playing,” Raines said. “Usually when we get down, we don’t fight back. But we really brought it today. We played with heart and passion, which is what I’ve been waiting for.”

Laura Esguerra

Blue Knights Don’t Back Down

The first set was all in Southington’s favor until Darien took a 16-15 lead. Coach Rich Heitz took his first timeout a point later, before seeing the Blue Knights fall behind 20-18. Southington dug in and tied the game at 22-22, forcing Darien’s first timeout. The Blue Wave used that to their advantage, taking a 24-22 lead.

The Blue Knights were just one point away from losing the set. But they didn’t lose their focus. Southington rallied off three straight points to force Darien’s second timeout. After the break, the Blue Knights won the next point, securing a crucial set victory.

“It is so important to try and win that first set, especially when you have an even, competitive match,” Heitz said. “We were down a little bit at the end and we were able to pull it out. Now you’ve got momentum.”

Southington was much more in control throughout the second set. They never trailed and forced numerous long rallies. The sixth point in particular saw the Blue Knights take on numerous Blue Wave attacks and still win the rally.

But the third set was a different story. A 4-1 start for the Blue Knights proved misleading, as the Blue Wave came back to take a 15-13 lead. Heitz was forced to take a timeout, only to have to call another when Southington went down 18-13.

At that moment, Heitz sent a message to his team: “‘Guys, your body language right now is not real good.’” The squad rallied, eventually tying the game up at 21. The Blue Knights were in control, rediscovered their focus and earned a State Championship victory.

“We’ve had a lot of success in recent years. I knew if we played the level we could, we would have success tonight,” Heitz said. “It’s the seniors last game here. It was nice to lock up a win at home for them.”

Raines had 16 digs while fellow senior Cameron Wallace had six. Senior Camilla Garcia had nine kills and three aces as senior Laura Esguerra had five assists, four kills and two aces. Senior Alexandra Wagner and junior Lauren Warych each had five kills while junior Lily Eidukaityte had 11 kills, 10 digs and three aces. Freshman Emme Steindl recorded 28 assists and six digs.

Camilla Garcia

Alexandra Wagner

Looking Backward, Looking Forward

Southington, the No. 12 seed, will take on No. 5 Amity next, tonight at 6pm. They will not host another home game unless a higher seed is knocked out. Raines acknowledged that fact, noting how much the program has meant to this group of players, shaping them as people and allowing their work on the court to translate into their lives outside.

The coach said Tuesday’s match was an opportunity for this year’s seniors to leave their mark.

“This is their moment. This is what they’ve been waiting for,” said Heitz. “For a lot of them this is their second year of varsity. They were behind some very impressive players last year. Paige has been here three years, she understands it, has been in State Championship games. It’s nice for them to finish with a win.”

In the 2024 Class LL State Tournament, Southington was the No. 1 seed and reached the semifinals. Darien came in at No. 3 and won the entire tournament. Heitz knows that both programs are held in high esteem.

But for the Blue Knights to be successful in this year's tournament, they must focus on the present. They cannot let the prestige of their jersey cloud their judgement. The 2025 Southington team must be prepared to play at the best of their abilities; nothing less will do.

“One of the things we struggled with this year at times is the fact that you’ve got Southington on your jersey and you’ve had a lot of success. Sometimes it was hard for us to get started because we figured that would make the difference,” Heitz said. “Same thing with Darien this year, the mystique of their program.”

The immediate challenge is facing Amity. Southington knows they will be a difficult matchup. Their No. 5 ranking came after a 15-3 season. No matter the competitor though, Heitz has the Blue Knights ready to fight. “They’ve got to do their job inside this 30 x 30 box,” he said. “And I’ve got to do my job by watching some video and getting them the information they need to pass the test.”

He has kept his message simple – one he hopes will carry Southington as far as they can go: “Why not us? Keep it simple. Why not us?” Heitz asked.

Lily Eidutaityte

In Southington, A Shop For The Supernatural

CT DRONE SOURCE PHOTOS

The first clue Southington residents had that something strange was coming to town may have been the unusual black jeep parked in the lot behind Factory Square last year:

PHILIP THIBODEAU PHOTO

The vehicle, it turns out, was owned by Nathan Nuñez, who had recently signed a lease for a space on the first floor of Factory Square adjacent to Escapism Escape Rooms.

Behind a doorway that looked like something from the set of a Harry Potter movie, one could hear the sound of drilling and banging, and the occasional bar of spooky music. Finally, in March of this year, a store opened there. It had an odd name: ‘Curioporium’.

Something To See

 

So what exactly is Curioporium? It depends on who you ask.

“Google or Facebook keeping putting me down as an antique shop – antique shop, haunted house, retail gift shop, museum… The original iteration of Curioporium in 2018 was an antique store. Now it has progressed to something more like what I originally wanted: customers come and say, ‘you just have to see it’. That’s one of my favorite phrases.”

Visually, Curioporium looks rather like a museum devoted to all things odd, rare, and paranormal. Its themes run the gamut from horror and spiritualism to cryptids, Victorian-era crime, and UFO’s.

Yet unlike a museum, almost everything you find inside is for sale. Some of the items are mass-produced, like socks, soaps, hairbands, stickers, and books. But most are unique specimens: works of taxidermy, art-pieces, photographs, and assorted strange antiques.

Asked to describe his ideal customers, Nuñez breaks them down by age.

“We start with the kids of course. There is a lot of kids stuff up front. People are not sure what this place is, but then they see a stuffed animal. Yes, it may be a Cthulhu, but it’s a stuffed animal. For kids, this place is hands-on; touch anything you like.”

“Then it’s for groups that are into the spooky. Then, for people who come in looking for vintage books and items. Then, for older individuals – many over the age of 60 – who are seeing vintage items from when they were a child, like 35mm slides.”

“I wanted to create something for all the stages of life. I’m coming up on 50 myself and the store is a kind of retrospective of all the things I have enjoyed in my life, from childhood to now.”

That said, children may represent the largest and most devoted segment of his customer base.

“This weekend was the ‘Wee Witches’ Cauldron Hunt’. Think of an easter-egg hunt, but with little cauldrons filled with spooky stickers and Slinkies. We do it on Sundays, Lantern Sunday, when the lights are lower. We went through over a 100 cauldrons, one per child, so over a hundred children.”

Southington’s Siren Song

The tale of how Nuñez chose Southington as the site for his curiosity shop has various twists and turns. When he was first looking for a place to build Curioporium, he gave the town serious consideration, eyeing a space on the third floor of Factory Square. He and his wife were familiar with the area as owners of a business in Plainville, and were attracted by the “little streets and little stores” of Southington’s downtown.

Then his brother suggested a location in Hartford in the area of Park Street and Sissan Avenue. It lay near the area where they had grown up, was affordable and possessed some character. For that reason Curioporium first opened in Hartford, where it met with some success.

Yet over time a problem emerged: while the shop was a destination for people driving in from elsewhere, it was not drawing enough customers from casual foot traffic or people in the neighborhood.

So the lure of Factory Square grew again. A 5000-square foot space was available in the basement. Nuñez signed a lease and drew up plans for a large space with areas for retail, performance, antiques, and a café.

But then, in January of 2024, disaster struck: the basement of the building flooded, ruining many of the props and items that were being stored there.

It was time for a choice. One option involved rebuilding the props and forging ahead with plans for a space that would feature a collection of familiar, easy-to-describe entertainments.

The other was to move upstairs to the first floor, and construct a shop that would be much smaller, but also much more strange, and unique.

Nuñez chose the latter option. The result? A topsy-turvy blend of museum, haunted house, and antique store that is both an immersive experience and a popular retail destination.

Curioporium is full of imaginary frights. But for Nuñez, crafting its unique space involved conquering a real fright – fear of failure. “My biggest challenge has been finding my personal voice. When you are really authentic, it becomes a lot easier – but it’s scary, too.”

So far, this step into the unknown has proven to be the right one.

Our full interview with Curioporium owner Nathan Nuñez is available below.

Curioporium Interview - w/ Nathan Nuñez

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