Southington Chamber Celebrates 75 Years

Friday, April 19, 2013 | 1New Britain Herald | The Bristol Press

A celebration of growth

friday, april 19, 2013

Art Secondo, president of the Southington Chamber of Commerce, looks at how a small-town chamber grew to nearly 600 members.

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The corner of Center Street and Apple Alley decades ago, now the site of a travel agency.

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Community. Commitment. Constancy. It’s Good to Have a Friend with Shared Values. Congratulations to the Southington Chamber on 75 Years of Service

Serving Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington. Find your cause at www.cfgnb.org

2 | Friday, April 19, 2013 New Britain Herald | The Bristol Press

Seven decades and five years ago a group of about 80 Southington business-men gathered in the American Legion Hall to vote on changing the organiza-tional name from Southington Business Group to the Southington Chamber of Commerce. There was some opposition since no one really knew exactly what a Chamber of Commerce really did but the

majority was willing to take a chance that there would be substantial benefits.

Now 75 years later, the Greater Southington Chamber of Commerce net-work here has enjoyed consistent growth in membership and accomplishments. Throughout Connecticut in the past decade, numerous small town chambers have merged in order to survive. These mergers saved many chambers from fold-ing but also diminished the small-town

atmosphere of communicating and net-working.

Southington also had a slow growth since it only had 10,000 residents in 1942. The chamber managed to survive with all part-time volunteers until the 1960s when it became managed by a full-time director, now known as president/CEO.

The chamber took on one of its earliest and biggest challenges in the mid-1960s when it started the Apple Harvest Festival in partnership with the Southington Jaycees. For several decades later, the chamber fostered itself as a lobbyist for downtown while managing to spend most of the year planning for the festival, a major fundraiser at the time. The chamber relinquished management of the festival in 2004 to the town.

Presently, we’ve just about doubled our numbers since 2003 and today the cham-ber focuses on representing over 580 members, a formidable task that involves utilizing the volunteers who are the back-bone of any non-profit. Our 20 directors are volunteers along with our members who serve on seven committees.

As I near my 10th year as chamber president, I have witnessed a dramatic change in the value and appreciation of

the organization. Citizens are realizing that we do more than lobby for our mem-bers because the chamber is a major player with the town and its citizenry.

Art Secondo, president of the Southington Chamber of Commerce.

75 years ago: Local business group grew intoBy ART SECONDOPRESIDENT, SOUTHINGTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

SOUTHINGTON CHAMBER – 75 YEARS

CongratulationsSouthington Chamber

on 75 years of growth

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a Chamber of CommerceFor those who may believe the chamber exists

only to promote business members and raise funds throughout the year to promote itself, here are investments programs the chamber has and continues to contribute for the community and its citizens:∎ The Chamber awards

$1,500 in high school scholar-ships each year.∎ The Chamber Women

awards a $500 scholarship each year.∎ The Chamber has members

who donate supplies and materi-als for local victims of disasters.∎ The Chamber has mem-

bers who welcome high school juniors and seniors as interns in our “Training for Tomorrow, Today” program.∎ The Chamber erected signs to direct motorists

to the downtown business district.∎ The Chamber paid for lighting on all vintage

street poles downtown.∎ The Chamber Women sponsor ‘Girls Night

Out’ to promote individual women business own-ers.∎ The Chamber donates annually to a non-

profit from its Lake Compounce outing.∎ The Chamber honors business owners each

year who renovate their buildings.

∎ The Chamber honors outstanding citizens each year.∎ The Chamber works with the town to keep

downtown infrastructure up-to-date.∎ The Chamber supplied materials and erected a

billboard on Queen St. promoting economic devel-opment.∎ The Chamber erected IT

directional signs in the local busi-ness district.∎ The Chamber provides free

town maps each year at no charge.∎ The Chamber Women col-

lect toys for the needy each year at our Wing Fest event.∎ Two Chamber committees

work closely with the Town to promote economic development∎ The Chamber Women purchase toys and

clothing each year during the holiday for selected local needy families.∎ The Chamber joins with Cheshire Chamber

to honor football coaches and captains from Southington and Cheshire High schools to pro-mote sportsmanship before each Thanksgiving Day game.

Our events attract over 2,300 citizens each year for education, fun and business!

This is a community Chamber of Commerce … more now than ever!

Our events attract over 2,300 citizens each year for education, fun and business!

Southington’s Curtis Robinson was selected last month by Hartford Magazine as one of the state’s 50 most influential persons. Robinson has received numerous accolades for his generosity in assisting non-profits and his contributions to St. Francis Hospital where the Curtis Robinson Men’s Health Center was established. The magazine touted Robinson’s business expertise and his years of helping his fellow citizens. He was honored by the chamber last year for his community service.

Robinson among magazine’s 50 Most influential People


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Friday, April 19, 2013 | 5New Britain Herald | The Bristol Press SOUTHINGTON CHAMBER – 75 YEARS

Chamber news & notes‘Adopt-A-Family’ kept Chamber Women busy

Thanks to the generosity of numerous chamber members, at least three local families will enjoy a much nicer Christmas this year.

As part of its annual ‘Adopt-A-Family’ project, the Chamber Women raised nearly $3,000 to purchase specific items for three families whose names and needs were pro-vided by the town’s Community Services Department.

Chamber Women went shopping and wrapped all the nearly 200 items. “Chamber members are to be thanked once again for their kind donations that make

this project so worthwhile each year,” said Rachel Potter, chairperson of the Chamber Womens group.

Avon Corp. to move into former Hartford buildingIt’s been a long time coming and town officials are happy that at least one of The

Hartford’s buildings on West Street will soon be occupied. It was announced just before Christmas that Avon Financial Services (COCC-

Connecticut Online Computer Center) has purchased the 71,000-square foot complex and will place about 100 employees to fill half the building along with corporate offices. COCC paid about $2 million and was picked for expansion because of the I-84 access.

The company plans to refurbish the interior. Having the building occupied means more business for local outlets and a steady tax flow. C0CC is a Connecticut company founded in 1967.

It provides software for financial institutions including core processing systems and customer relation management tools and has reported revenue of $75 million. Reportedly, our town officials are working with the company CEO Richard Leone to provide some incentives for potential expansion.

By ART SECONDOPRESIDENT, SOUTHINGTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

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6 | Friday, April 19, 2013 New Britain Herald | The Bristol PressSOUTHINGTON CHAMBER – 75 YEARS

Chamber news & notesSouthington High football now 4th winningest school in state

When the high school team completed a 10-0 undefeated season recently, it also marked the 24th win in the last three seasons pushing Southington ahead of Derby for the fourth winningest football record in Connecticut.

New Britain sits atop of present day records with 745 wins and has been playing scholastic football since 1892. In second is Ansonia with 738 wins with football being started in 1900. Hillhouse of New Haven sits in third place with nearly 600 wins with a football birth date of 1885.

Southington got a relatively late start not recording football until 1938 when the Blue & Gold of Lewis High School began. The locals have recorded 518 vic-tories since 1938.

Ironically, 1938 is the same year the Chamber was

officially organized, is the year Lewis High officially began its football teams playing home games behind the school where the Apple Festival carnival is located each fall and even at Recreation Park.

Chamber selling Kopec’s ‘War Years’ book at discount

The highly anticipated book, “Southington-The War Years” is now available at the Chamber of Commerce office. Published by Arcadia Publishing and written and produced by Liz Campbell Kopec, a local attorney, the book offers a collection of prized old photos and information. The book has intrigued those who got a sneak peek. “The photos are perhaps the best collec-tion I’ve seen,” said Chamber President Art Secondo. Chamber members can purchase the book at a dis-counted price.

The corner of Center Street and Apple Alley, the site of a travel agency now.

A glance at yesteryear

030123 The Southington Education Foundation Congratulates the Southington Chamber of Commerce on its Milestone 75th Anniversary!

Best wishes to incoming Chairman Tony Sheffy, a founding member and former chairman of the Southington Education Foundation. The Southington Education Foundation is committed to instilling a love of learning in our children through innovative and creative initiatives that expand existing educational opportunities. Since forming in 2009, the SEF has funded nearly $100,000 in grants to our Southington school system.

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Those ‘A’ Frame signs may survive — but on limited basisHere’s how all the fuss over “A” frame

(portable signs) began. Unbeknownst to retail merchants, placement of these signs on side-walks and roadways, is technically illegal in Southington. Over the past several years, the local Zoning Enforcement Officer responded to individual complaints and issued a cita-tion to specific businesses even though others were able to continue displaying their signs. The officer could never visit all those display-ing signs so over the years nothing was done to enforce the town’s regulation.

The chapter continues when the Chamber began receiving emotional com-plaints from merchants who claimed the signs were necessary and the citations were unfair. The Chamber then proceeded to inquire about the signs and whether or not, a fair compromise could be had. Obviously, many assumed the signs were a nuisance and there were too many of them. When the Chamber approached the Planning and Zoning Commission for some mercy, it was realized that there was little sympathy for

these signs. Why? Some businesses never remove them. Many place them too close to the road interfering with pedestrians or motorists. Others never change the message.

Next chapter. The PZC nearly voted recently after its sub-committee apparently was ready to outlaw ‘A’ frame signs outside of the Renaissance district downtown and in Plantsville center. The vote was tabled after

Chamber officials made an emotional plea to re-consider. In the meantime, a survey of all business streets in town revealed less than 40 signs from Route 322, West Street, Meriden Avenue, South Main, North Main to Queen Street to the Plainville line. A meeting was set for PZC sub-committee chairman Steve Kalkowski, Atty. Mark Sciota, PZC

Chairman Mike DelSanto, Chamber President Art Secondo, Al Monbaron of the Chamber’s Central Business Alliance and Chamber Board Chairman Charlie Cocuzza.

Fast forward. It’s not official yet but the PZC is considering altering its initial decision about abolishing the signs. Several stipulations

include making the signs more temporary. A proposal would allow business owners to display the signs six times a year but 14-day periods with at least 14 days between those periods. These signs would be allowed on the sidewalks in front of businesses in all business zones. he PZC may institute yearly adminis-trative fees for registration of these signs, like $25 to $50. Signs would need to advertise special events, such as a temporary sale and no signs would be allowed to merely advertise the existence of a business.

Conclusion: Businesses who have dis-

played these signs forever in the past will need to register with the town and conform to about 84 days of display. We have to wait for the PZC to hold a public hearing.

“In summary, it was either this or abolishing these signs everywhere in town except downtown Southington and Plantsville that total less than 10,” remarked Secondo. ‘We can work with the Town departments but we cannot force them to accept our recommendations all the time,” he added.

By ART SECONDOPRESIDENT, SOUTHINGTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Businesses who have displayed these signs forever in the past will need to register with the town.


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A brief history of the Andrews/Olney House(The following article details the

history of one of the town’s oldest home and the persons who resided there. Due to the recent controversy about ownership and status of the North Main Street home, the information is being made exclusively to Chamber members.)

In 1640 the Andrews and sev-eral other families set forth from Hartford to settle at Tunxis, later known as Farmington. The Andrews family established a large farm about two miles north of the village. By 1722 Samuel Andrews, grandson of the first settler, had married Mary Scott and moved to Southington. He built a house in the Flanders district of town. He became clerk of the Southington Ecclesiastical Society and held the rank of lieutenant in the local mili-tia. His son Amos was born here on May 27, 1722. When Samuel died, Amos as the oldest son inherited all his father’s landholdings including the house in the Flanders District. Amos’ oldest son, Samuel, was born here on October 26, 1753.

Samuel Andrews was 21 years old when he heard about the outbreak of the American Revolution. He joined the militia and immediately headed for Massachusetts. He was at the Battle of Bunker Hill under the leadership of Israel Putnam. Samuel and his fellow Connecticut militia men were the only ones to hold their line until they were overrun by the British with their bayonets. Although 330 men lost their lives, Samuel survived and par-ticipated in the siege of Boston. While home on furlough his father, Amos, accidently shot him in the arm with a pistol. The arm was amputated and Samuel was unable to rejoin the fighting.

As the eldest surviving son, Samuel inherited much of his father’s estate. He built the brick house on North Main Street and married Elizabeth Barnes on November 18, 1778. The couple had twelve children. Interestingly, Elizabeth Barnes was a descendant of Mary Barnes who on January 25, 1663 was the last woman hung as a witch in Connecticut.

Andrews had a reputation for being eccentric. In Timlow’s History of Southington he is described as being “active, energetic, and quick of body and mind and withal eccen-tric.” He was a prominent citizen of the town. It was reported that during the War of 1812 he donned his Revolutionary War Uniform and traveled to New London. Here he met with besieged American Commodore Decatur and requested that he be allowed to board a British vessel and singlehandedly negotiate the peace.

Andrews died in his home on North Main Street on August 6, 1833 at the age of 78. After his death his home was sold to Jesse Olney.

Olney was born in Union, Connecticut on October 12, 1798. He was a leading educator before he came to Southington. During his long tenure in this home he wrote many educational books including his geography and atlas that passed through 95 editions and outsold every American book except for Noah Webster’s spelling text. Olney

served as a State Representative for twenty years and later was appoint-ed the Comptroller of the State of Connecticut. He labored his whole life for improvements in public edu-cation.

After Olney left Southington the

home was purchased by Roswell Neale who was president of Peck, Stowe & Wilcox, and the larg-est manufacturing facility in Southington. Neale was also the president of Southington Cutlery and later Southington Hardware.

By ATTY. LIZ CAMPBELL KOPEC

Main Street looking north with the Green on left, Congregational Church and the old town hall on the right.

A look at the past


Documents

Southington Chamber Celebrates 75 Years