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The Daily Voice Recaps Somers' Top Stories Of 2012

SOMERS, N.Y. – As 2012 draws to a close, The Somers Daily Voice is recapping some of the biggest stories of the year. In case you missed them, here is a summary:

The Somers Daily Voice recaps Somers' top stories of 2012.

The Somers Daily Voice recaps Somers' top stories of 2012.

Photo Credit: Composite by Mike Lubchenko

Somers resident Alexander Bergman, 23, drowned during a pool party at the home of a Ridgefield friend. He had been attending Boston College and was working as a pharmacy technician when the accident occurred in July.

The federal Office of Refugee Resettlement annexed a section of the Lincoln Hall School for Boys to house unaccompanied minors who were apprehended after illegally entering the country. The purpose is to provide sanctuary and guidance until the youngsters can be resettled with local relatives. It usually takes a few months.

Funding for the new Primrose Playground took lots of energy, planning and time, but after the committee spent nearly a year and raised about $90,000, the new equipment was in place in little more than a day, thanks to the more than 100 volunteers and businesses that pitched in before school began in the fall.

Longtime Somers High School Principal Irene Perrella retired and passed the baton to Mark Bayer, who came to Somers after several years as assistant principal of Chappaqua’s Horace Greeley High School.

In other school news, the 2012-13 school budget squeaked in under the state’s mandated 2 percent tax levy cap. Sarena Meyer was re-elected to the school board and Michael D’Anna won election to an empty seat.

Somers residents Suzy Moravick and Linda Simpson led the way for the establishment of a Litter Task Force, devoted to keeping Somers tidy. Somers High School senior Anna Gemo designed an anti-litter sign, now on display throughout the town.

The dogs of Somers won the day when the Dog Park Committee received approvals and raised enough money to build a fenced area for canine (and human) companionship on Route 100. Construction will start in the spring.

Hurricane Sandy did its best to devastate the area, toppling trees, downing wires, interrupting train and Internet service, and leaving most Somers residents without power for up to a week, and in a few cases even longer. After 2011’s surprise storms, Somers was prepared this year to better deal with various problems, including the establishment of a shelter at Heritage Hills and the introduction of an emergency preparedness program.

Update: An earlier version of this story misstated that Alex Bergman was a graduate of Somers High School. Bergman was a Somers resident who graduated from North Salem High School.

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