Intent upon adding the right artistic touches to attract hummingbirds, Emma Steed, 3 (almost 4), was a serious participant in the Amenia Free Library’s crafting event held on Wednesday, May 29, to create hummingbird feeders from recyclable materials.
AMENIA — Ensuring that local hummingbirds will spend the summer fat and happy, the Amenia Free Library held an event for patrons of all ages to assemble charming hummingbird feeders from recyclable materials on Wednesday, May 29.
Leading the event was the library’s new programming assistant, Hope Bruzzi, completing her first month of being on the job.
“I made it to look like a little garden,” Bruzzi said, showing her model finished product made of a small plastic water bottle, cutouts of flowers from plastic plates, and short lengths of orange plastic straws. Hangers were made from twine. Colored markers would add artistic touches, like green stems for the flower cutouts.
During the 90-minute crafting period, patrons of all ages came along and set about making their feeders under Bruzzi’s guidance. Little Emma Steed, 3 (almost 4), of Amenia, was the youngest, and intent upon coloring her feeder effectively to catch the eye of hummingbirds.
“We are working toward passing the torch,” said Beth Hale of the library’s programming staff who, after serving the library for almost three years, will move soon to Vermont. She said that during her time at the library, she has learned a lot, particularly about how to reach out and bring people in to experience the library and all it offers.
During the transition, Bruzzi is assuming Hale’s responsibilities. Hale noted that the library is actively seeking a program assistant to work with Bruzzi.
The Millbrook Library on Franklin Avenue is accepting personal care items for a drive until the end of January.
MILLBROOK — Throughout the month of January, the Millbrook Library is collecting personal care items as part of a donation drive sponsored by the United Way in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Service Week.
Among items suggested for donation are hair care products including shampoo and hairbrushes, soap, alcohol-free mouthwash, dental care products, women’s products, deodorant and shaving needs.
On Sunday, Jan. 26, the Millerton Fire Company will be hosting a pancake breakfast at the fire house on Century Boulevard in the Village of Millerton.
MILLERTON — On Sunday, Jan. 26, the Millerton Fire Company will be hosting a pancake breakfast at the firehouse. Breakfast will be served starting at 7 a.m. Guests can indulge in eggs made to order, home fries, bacon and sausage, toast and — of course — pancakes. Breakfast is served until 11 a.m., and tickets cost $12 for adults and $8 for seniors. Children 12 and under will dine for free.
Pancakes will be available in blueberry and chocolate varieties.
The trailhead for the newly opened preserve.
SALISBURY — Another 47 acres of pristine Salisbury woodland are now open to the public, thanks to the completion of a hiking trail on the Hecht Preserve located on Route 112.
The Salisbury Association Land Trust acquired the land from John and Mary Belter and Helen Belter Hill in late 2023, aided by funding from the Connecticut Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Program, U.S. Fish & Wildlife’s Highlands Act, and a generous donation from the Anne and Rollin Bates Foundation.
A little over a year after purchase, the parcel is now available for public use via a 1.3 mile loop trail, which the Trust rates as moderately difficult. Parking for the trail is located at the entrance to Wack Forest along Route 112 about a half mile west of the intersection with Wells Hill Road.
The trail was originally meant to be opened by summer 2024, though the process was delayed as the parking is along a state highway, meaning the Trust had to apply for approval from the Department of Transportation, Trust Co-chair John Landon said.
As it abuts the town-owned Wack Forest, the opening of the Hecht Preserve has created a much larger publicly accessible protected area. The terrain comprises a wooded hillside and ridgeline, and is dissected by a clean, cold-water stream that provides valuable habitat for native fish and other aquatic species. The rest of the property is ecologically rich with a mixture of younger and older forest and several key habitat types.
“There’s definitely a lot of wildlife in that area,” Landon said, noting that he’s seen bears several times nearby.
The preserve was named to honor Lou and Elaine Hecht, longtime contributors to the Trust. Lou was co-chair of the Trust for 17 years and remains an emeritus trustee.
“Lou and Elaine have been huge supporters of the Land Trust for many years,” Landon said. “They’ve just contributed so much to the town and have educated people about the importance of the environment.”
Becton Dickinson’s North Canaan plant opened in 1961 with eight employees and a 25,000 square foot facility. Today the operation employs more than 540 people and encompasses 385,000 square feet.
NORTH CANAAN — New production lines installed in 2024 at Becton, Dickinson and Company’s Connecticut and Nebraska plants are now pumping out critical medical devices — including syringes, needles and IV catheters — to meet the burgeoning needs of the nation’s health care system.
One syringe production line is already fully operational at the vaccine manufacturer’s 385,000 square foot North Canaan plant, with additional lines expected to start up in the coming months, the leading global medical technology company announced on Jan. 15.
The new production lines will boost BD’s capacity for safety-engineered injection devices by more than 40% and conventional syringes by more than 50%, adding millions of units annually to support hospital procedures, vaccinations, medication preparation and drug delivery to patients, company officials said.
The Connecticut plant manufactures small-size syringes and syringe and needle combination products. Operations take place around the clock and are sold in every region worldwide.
“Domestic manufacturing is crucial for ensuring a resilient supply of essential healthcare devices,” said Eric Borin, president of Medication Delivery Solutions at BD.
“By expanding our production capacity, we are not only meeting the critical needs of patients and providers, but we also are reinforcing our commitment to the nation’s health care infrastructure,” Borin said.
To support this production, the vaccine manufacturer has hired more than 215 full-time employees at its facilities in Nebraska and Connecticut, with more than 145 of those jobs based in North Canaan, boosting that plant’s employee roster to more than 540.
The North Canaan plant, which opened in 1961 with eight employees and a 25,000 square foot facility, is Northwest Connecticut’s largest employer.
In 2024, the company invested more than $10 million to expand its manufacturing capacity at its Connecticut and Nebraska facilities in response to quality issues with plastic syringes imported from China that were uncovered in late 2023 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
In late November 2023, the FDA announced its probe into reports of leaks, breakages and other quality problems with China-made plastic syringes not cleared by the FDA, and in August 2024 recommended that healthcare providers “use syringes not manufactured in China, if possible.”
At that time, Fallon McLoughlin, director of public relations and corporate communications for the Franklin Lakes, New Jersey-based company, announced that production lines and production staff were being relocated to North Canaan from other BD plants as part of the expansion.
Becton, Dickinson and Company, which operates more than 30 manufacturing and distribution facilities around the country, announced plans last week to invest more than $30 million in 2025 to expand manufacturing capacity for IV lines at its plant in Utah. That facility, said officials, is the largest producer of IV catheter lines in the world.
The company’s Connecticut, Nebraska and Utah plants alone have collectively 200 years of experience in manufacturing critical medical devices, company officials said, and are the only remaining large-scale manufacturing sites in the country.
