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Business & Tech

Warm-Up, Shower, and Log-On at Star Hill Family Athletic Center

The Star Hill Family Athletic Center is offering local and area residents a place to go for free showers, Wi-Fi service, and beating the doldrums.

As Tolland residents wait as patiently as possible for restoration of electrical power, one of the lesser discussed storm-related problems is what to do with the kids who have been home from school for the past week.

Without access to the usual electronics, the excitement of camping at home has waned, and boredom and frustration have officially set in.

That's where the Star Hill Family Athletic Center has stepped in. Business partners Mike Smida and Bill MacLean have opened their doors to Tolland residents and all others in their catchment area, such as Vernon, Coventry, Ellington, and Stafford, as a place to take free showers, use their Wi-Fi service to communicate and connect with work, and to provide their children with a warm and safe place to play.

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"We were out of power for about 48 hours, and with just a little engine that holds up the dome, things got a little scary," said MacLean. "We'll need to take a closer look at that for future outages," he said.

Smida said the town had reported on Thursday that there were over twenty roads in town that were still inaccessible due to downed limbs and power lines, so a lot of people have been coming to the athletic center to get out of the cold and get some work done, stave off the boredom, or to simply hang out. With operating hours from 4:30 a.m. to 10 or 11 p.m., there has been a lot of opportunity for people to come in and use their resources as well as to check out the facilities.

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"There are people that have been here a few days working, setting up their laptops in some of the birthday party rooms, the cafe, or just sitting on the floor in hallways," said Smida, adding that while they have tried to stick to their normal programs during the week, they have also reopened their summer day camp program for school children for the week. At the same time, the facility has also been giving out complimentary guest passes for people to try out first hand all the amenities they have to offer.

One of the people taking advantage of the wifi service on Thursday was Marie Shonyo of Tolland.

"I was at the Senior Center earlier but they lost power and were having heating problems and no internet," said Shonyo. "Then someone there told me I should try coming here, and things worked out. I'm very appreciative of their offering this to us."

Amy Buongiorno, also of Tolland, was similarly appreciative.

"[My husband and I are] members here and it was a saving grace for us last year with the winter storms," said Buongiorno. "This is our third day here. I can log into work and pay bills on line and the kids can have fun playing in the bubble. Now if they just had a washer and dryer, things would be perfect!"

"We like to think of ourselves as part of the community, so this was such an easy way to give back," said Smida. "It's been an interesting week."

The Star Hill Family Athletic Center is located at 100 Gerber Drive in the Tolland Business Park.

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