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For the second year in a row Stony Creek residents elected a Stony Creek Association executive board whose primary goal is to find a way to make the Legacy Theatre come to life — with restrictions.
The election produced a heavy turnout at the Willoughby Wallace library in what was clearly a referendum on the theater’s future, a hot topic in this seaside village. Voters arrived outside the library as the polls opened at 5 p.m. Voting closed at 8 p.m. and by 10 p.m. the votes had been counted. The turnout, according to SCA president, Dan Bullard, was the largest in memory.
Emily Patton Photo
In the end, residents returned eight of the 10 incumbents, a clear message that these voters want the Legacy Theatre to work. Board members serve one-year terms. Two incumbents decided not to seek re-election. The vote was counted by (L‑R) Kathy DaRos, Tanya Greenvall and Dale Atkinson.
The vote, which essentially keeps the current board in place, came after these same board members last week approved a proposed tentative agreement between the SCA and the Legacy Theater. The SCA executive board vote was 7 – 2. But the final fate of the former Puppet House and its transformation to a repertory theater has a way to go. The SCA agreement provides a settlement avenue that would end the SCA’s appeal. But there are other parties and all are currently in mediation before a New Haven superior court judge.
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W-W Library
In recent months, the SCA and a separate group of neighbors have each gone their separate legal ways, with the neighbors hiring a new law firm to represent them. A mediation session takes place in Superior Court in New Haven today where a judge will examine the SCA’s tentative agreement with the theatre. It is expected that today’s court mediation session will be discussed at the new executive board’s first meeting to be held tonight at the Willoughby Wallace library at 7:30 p.m.
The Legacy Theatre group purchased the property with the intent of creating a repertory theater in 2013. But the theatre’s plan has virtually been on hold ever since as different groups in Stony Creek, including the SCA, appealed the town’s decision approving a Tenant Fit-Up Permit in 2014. The permit allows the Legacy’s owners to renovate the interior of the former Puppet House building at 128 Thimble Islands Road. The theater’s representatives have now agreed to a specific series of rules. Click here to read our recent story.
Incumbents Win
Those incumbents now winning terms for a second year are: Bob Babcock, founder of the Branford Education Foundation; RTM member Jim Walker; Ted Ells, an attorney and vice-president of the Stony Creek Museum; Jerald (Jake) Greenvall, the former Stony Creek Association tax collector; Sandra Fischer, a retired middle school science teacher; and Christine Chiocchio, the co-owner of Seaside Gift Shop. Also returning to the board are Sam Kirby, an architect and Mark Richter, the owner of the Stony Creek Package store.
We caught up with Kirby after he voted yesterday. He observed it was a “a pretty busy voting season, because of the Legacy Theatre issue.” He said there were the “same amount of people on the ballot as last year, “but some of them are one issue candidates.” Kirby was one of three board members who helped negotiate the proposed agreement.
The two new members are Peter DaRos and Laura Barr. DaRos is an oil company employee, warden for the Branford Parks & Open Space Commission, and a volunteer assistant fire chief in Stony Creek. His brother, Unk DaRos is the former first selectman. Peter DaRos has served previously on the executive board. Barr is an artist who serves on the Arts Council of Greater New Haven and chairs the Art Committee of the Friends of the WWM Library.
Babcock said in an interview after the votes were counted that the major issue before the voters was the transformation of the theater. “We took a reasonable approach,” he said of the recent vote to arrive at an agreement. The vote came before last night’s election and after the board agreed with Attorney Ells, a board member, who sought a decision before a new board was elected.
Other officers re-elected were Greg Ames, the association’s treasurer, Charles Torre, auditor, and Nick Fischer, the village tax collector, who was the top vote getter, Bullard said.
Bullard was re-elected as the SCA’s president. He said in an interview after the election that he hoped this board would work toward restoring “village harmony,” an elusive objective in recent years.
Scott Fertig, one of the voters, did not want to give his choices but said his criteria were based on “intelligent dedicated people who are willing to listen and consider changing their point of view.”
Efforts by a group opposed to the Stony Creek theater to gain seats on the executive board failed. Brian Ameche, who is opposed to the theater, started a group four months ago known as the Friends & Neighbors of Stony Creek, Inc. He sought but did not win a seat on the SCA executive board.
Linda Reed, who previously served on the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals, but was not re-appointed to that board, has tried twice to return to the SCA board. She came in last in the 2015 election and next to last in last night’s election.
Emily Patton contributed reporting and photos for this story.
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