August 23, 2019

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B ack Cou nt r y | B a n k sv ille | B elle Haven | By ra m| Ch icka hom iny | Cos Cob | Glenv ille | Old Gr e enw ich | Pem b er w ick | R iverside | B e d for d, N Y

Swimmers Beware By Richard Kaufman

S The State of Connecticut Mosquito Management Program announced that mosquitoes trapped near the Eastern Civic Center in Old Greenwich have tested positive for West Nile Virus (W N V). These a re t he first positive mosquitoes identified by the Connecticut Agriculture Experiment Station (CAES) in Greenwich this year. In addition to Greenwich, WNV positive mosquito pools have been found in Chester, East Haven, Hartford, Stamford and Volu ntow n . For more information on this story, go to greenwichsentinel. com S A draft plan of Greenwich’s 2019 Plan of Conservation is complete, and is available for review at Town Hall and online at greenwichct.gov. The POCD, which is completed every 10 years, is used to establish land use policies to guide individual projects and studies, as well as to better coordinate and prioritize future projects or improvements. For an expanded stor y on t he POCD, be sure to check out next week’s Greenwich Sentinel. S A few hundred backpacks were distributed on Thursday to members of Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich who live at lowincome levels, as defined by HUD. The backpacks and school supplies were donated by Diamond Hill United Methodist Church, First United Methodist C hu rch, L it t le P ub i n Greenwich, and PepsiCo’s Adelante Employee Resource Group. For more on this story, check out next week’s Greenwich Sentinel. S Capt. Kraig Gray of t he G re e nw ic h Pol ic e Depa r t ment presented a Div i siona l L et ter of Recognition to Master Police Officer Carl Johnson earlier this week. In early July, Johnson encountered a subject who had overdosed. He immediately began life saving measures and administered Narcan to the patient. Due to Johnson’s quick actions, the patient recovered. S Lt. Martin O’Reilly, Shif t Commander in t he G re e nw ic h Pol ic e Department, apprehended several suspects engaged in mail theft by a means of mailbox fishing; a term used to describe a process where a glue-covered device is lowered down the chute of a blue sidewalk mailbox. This device is “reeled ” out and mail containing money orders, check s, and persona l f inancia l information can be stolen. S Greenwich Academy is undergoing major renovations building a new lower school and a greenspace. The projects are part of a multi-year plan. S Great Captain’s Island was closed for swimming this week due to elevated bacteria levels. Tod's Point, Byram Beach and Island beach remained open.

Last week, the Greenwich Department of Health announced that there have been episodes involving "Swimmer's Itch" at Greenwich Point and the island beaches. Signs have been posted at beaches warning residents of the potential risk. Swimmer's Itch, also called cercarial dermatitis, appears as a sk i n rash caused by a n allergic reaction to microscopic parasites that are released from snails into fresh and salt water, such as lakes, ponds and oceans. A lthoug h hu ma ns a ren't the parasite's preferred host, they can come into contact with a swimmer and cause an allergic reaction and rash. "Typically this shows up in late summer. It doesn't show up every summer, but once we start hearing of complaints we have Parks & Rec post signs at the beaches so folks know about it," said Michael Long, Director of Environmental Services for the Greenwich Health Department. Since there are many factors that change and can't be tested for, it's difficult to know how long water will be affected.

"There's no testing for it. For Swimmer's Itch, we see what people are experiencing, and if they're no longer experiencing it after a while, we'll probably take the signs down. We just want folks to know that there's a possibility of getting it, and to towel off after swimming," Long added, noting that it might be hard for some residents to avo i d t h e w ate r c o mp l e te l y because of recent hot and humid temperatures. If the problem intensif ies, the Department of Health will consider closing a beach location to swimming. Sw im mer's Itch is not contagious and cannot be spread f rom one person to another. Although not everyone w h o c o m e s i n c o nt a c t w i t h the parasite develops a rash, prolonged contact with affected waters increase a person's risk. Children are more susceptible since they wade in recreational waters for long periods of time, and don't often towel dry themselves afterwards. Symptoms include: tingling, burning or itching of the

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Scam/Fake Calls

By Richard Kaufman

With technology constantly changing and evolving, phone scams have become more prevalent. Recently, the Greenwich Police Department warned residents about Social Security scams in which fraudsters claim a social security number will be shut down, or has been compromised in some way. Fake calls from the Internal Revenue S er v ice dema nd i ng pay ment on ta x-l ia bi l it y a nd threatening arrest have also been reported. Criminals pretending to be employees of utility companies will also call threatening to stop service if they don't receive a payment. Some calls will mention that a family member was involved in an accident or was arrested, and money needs to be sent quickly in order to get them medical help or bail. Email ransomware scams will threaten to publish a user's data or lock access to a computer unless a payment is made. Phone calls or emails aw a r d i n g p r i z e m on e y f r om sweepstakes or a lottery are also

common. Many of the ca lls req uest payment in the form of iTunes or Amazon gift cards, or through services like Green Dot or MoneyPak. Ploys like this are designed to elicit an emotional response from victims "We've seen them all," said Lt. John Slusarz of the GPD. "They're all confidence scams. They have a little bit of information, and they're trying to get more information from you so they can steal your identity." While elderly people have been targets, Slusarz said that the scams can impact everyone. "A lot of people fall victim to this through their ow n good will, unfortunately. The scammers sound so official and so professional. A lot of people -doctors, lawyers, other business people -- have all fallen victim to this," he said. Fraudsters ask for anywhere between several hundred dollars to tens of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Residents should know that companies will never call and demand immediate payment, especially through the form of phone apps or gift cards. Slusarz said it's important to

be aware at all times whenever you receive a strange phone call, and to not always trust the name or number on the Caller ID. There are programs and apps that people can use to input any name, number or business name on to a caller ID display. Scammers also use phone numbers that look familiar in order to lure someone to pick up. In the event of a suspicious call, hang up and research the number to see if it's legitimate. For exa mple, If you th in k you're bei ng sca m med by someone pretending to be from your bank, hang up, do some research on the phone number, and call your bank to see if they're trying to get in touch with you. Fo r mo r e i n fo r m at i o n o n scams and how to protect yourself, go to ftc.gov/imposters. The website also lists the newest scams that are being used. The most recent alerts warn people to be on the lookout for fake settlement websites related to the Equifax breach, and for scammers pretending to be a pastor, rabbi, priest, imam, or bishop, asking worshippers for gift card contributions for a worthy cause.

Connecting Volunteers with Nonprofits By Susie Moore If you’ve spent time in Greenwich, you’ve experienced Greenwich’s enthusiasm for volunteerism and community development. Even w ith hundreds of nonprof it organizations and community members committed to giving back, connecting the members of our community with the many service organizations has been an issue. Friends Debra A McLaughlin, Hadley Mongell, Anne Silvey Franscioni, and Heather Woodbridge quickly realized there was no consolidated place to connect volunteers with opportunities. “We were being asked by so many people, where do you volunteer? How do you get

involved? Which organizations would be a good fit for me?” Woodbridge said. Four women discovered a need in the community that was not being met. They teamed up and in less than 8 months, gave us a solution. Last week, McLaughlin, Mongell, Franscioni, and Woodbridge revolutionized the business of doing good with the launch of The Volunteer Service (TVS.) TVS is an online service that allows members to search for upcoming volunteer opportunities, sign up, and manage your service hours. “We really want people to get involved in their community and not have any hurdles in the way. We want to make sure that people can volunteer when they want to volunteer, that organizations get the right exposure they

need, and that everybody works to make this town and this community a better place,” Franscioni said. TVS is tool for both local organizations and volunteers. It allows nonprofits to recruit quality volunteers and connects community members to countless opportunities. The women behind TVS met through volunteering and on the boards of charitable organizations. They understood the ins and outs of the nonprofit sector and how to help people navigate the connections. Franscioni describes her partnership with McLaughlin, Mongell, and Woodbridge as a dynamic relationship where everyone brings something different to the table. “Each of us fills a different age group,

demographic, age of kids, and working versus nonworking. We have such a great diversity among the four of us and that has really benefited us,” Franscioni said. The founders’ broad insight into the world of volunteering helped them create their unique pricing model. The main component of their model is that it is and will always be free for charitable organizations to register with TVS. TVS provides a free service to nonprofits where they’re given exposure for their organizations and access to quality volunteers. “We’re not going to charge the nonprofits. That’s something we were really adamant about from the beginning. We’ve all been

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The Legacy Behind William L. Richter’s Art Wing Gift To The New Bruce h is generous g i f t w i l l be “a stimulant to others, a catalyst to set off a chain reaction. I would really like to see them giving art. There are so many people here who have collections, some grand, some smaller. But in the aggregate, it's an amazing trove!” “This is a chance to put the

Bruce Museum on the map,” says Richter. “Mr. Bruce, who lived here a hundred and more years ago, didn’t envision this New Bruce himself. But, the Museum is being true to him. The name of the new art wing will not change the name of the Museum. It’s still going to be the Bruce.”

Excerpts from The Waterwheel Construction of the New Bruce Museum's William L. Richter art wing is scheduled for spring-summer of 2020. By Anne W. Semmes William L. Richter loves his community of Greenwich. It’s where he built his dream house, thanks to his entrepreneurial success in the financial world. He’s also a fan of what he calls house museums, like the Frick Museum in New York, like those he’s visited in Europe. When the impulse came to give back to his community, he found a fit in Greenwich – Robert M. Bruce’s “house museum,” known as the Bruce, off Steamboat Road. Richter is gifting the Bruce Museum $15 million toward t he planned ar t w ing of t he expanding New Bruce. “Peter Sutton sparked my i ntere st i m med iately,” s ay s Richter of the recently retired d i re c tor of t he Br uc e , now Director Emeritus, who had shared with him the plans for the

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Museum’s ambitious renovation and construction project. “The location is unique – right in the heart of downtown Greenwich. It's a beautiful setting.” The new art wing will be a substantial addition to the Bruce. More than 40,000 square feet in all, with five galleries for art – four permanent and one changing gallery. “So many more people will see the art every year,” Richter shares, “I love art and hope it stimulates other people.” Perhaps a more profound stimulus for Richter is the legacy that he feels comes with his gift. “My father, Joseph Richter, had an antiques business here in Greenwich in the 1920s when he was a very young man,” Richter says. “He would see the antique, buy it, create a visual design, and make it into a lighting fixture

and sell it to decorators only.” A mutual love there, at the very least, of the decorative arts. And in Manhattan, a similar enterprise, Joseph Richter, Inc., carries on the family name, 50 years after the father’s death. “He was very well known in the business,” notes Richter, “and that’s why the brand name still exists.” So, there’s acceptance that Richter’s father would not live to see his son’s William L. Richter art wing of the New Bruce, to rise in 2020, following renovations to the existing building. There are also expectations. “It will be a wonderful place to go and have lunch outside on a nice day, and to take a walk around the grounds. The innovative way they're doing it, to enter the Museum at the park level, is much more user friendly.” Above a l l, R ichter hopes

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By Jill S. Woolworth, LMFT We feed each other anxiety pills when we talk about our “busy” lives. Busy makes our egos puff up and blow harder to fight our common fear of inadequacy. Talking about a “full” life is more positive. A full life is peaceful; it nourishes a sense of abundance, and it offers the option to add or subtract activities from your schedule. When you talk about your full life, your activity level doesn’t change—only your experience of it. A busy life can control you. But a full life, you control. The words we choose influence how we feel about our- selves and others. People who make a habit of substituting “full” for “busy” feel less anxious and more productive.

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August 23, 2019 by Greenwich Sentinel - Issuu