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The Greenwich Weekly Newspaper, Local, local, local.
January 29, 2021
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Camillo, Greenwich Public Schools '21-'22 Budgets
By Richard Kaufman
O n Tu e s d a y n i g h t v i a Z o o m , Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo unveiled his $450.6 million municipal budget for fiscal year 2021-2022, followed by Board of Education Chair Peter Bernstein and Greenwich Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones, who presented their spending plan. Camillo's proposed spending plan weig hs i n at $ 4 50,6 49, 5 8 5 w it h a $51 million capital budget and would represent a 0.51 percent increase over the current budget of $448.3 million. It would also represent a 1.75% increase in the town's mill rate, which is used to calculate property and vehicle tax. The Greenwich Board of Estimate and Taxation had set guidelines last fall calling for a budget of $460 million, with at most a $55 million capital budget.
"The town and the Board of Education must continue to offer services that make Greenwich the best place to live, raise a family, start a business and/or retire," First Selectman Fred Camillo said. Fo l l o w i n g C a m i l l o , B o a r d o f E du c at i o n C h a i r Pe te r B e r n s te i n and Greenwich Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones presented the school district's operating budget of $169,846,597, along with a $32 million capital budget. The operating budget, wh ich is seperate f rom add itiona l school employee benefits, represents an increase of almost 4 percent over the
current budget. Capital Projects Camillo has said recently that the hardest part in crafting a budget is prioritizing and allotting money for capital projects. "Capital improvements substantially affect the fiscal vitality and quality of life in Greenwich. Capital improvements
Vaccination Clinics Open Greenwich residents who are 75 and older are eligible in Phase 1B to sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine which will be available – by appointment only – at four locations in Town. Greenwich Hospital is operating a daily clinic at the Brunswick School King Street campus in addition to its Northeast Medical Group location at 500 W. Putnam Avenue. Family Centers is operating a clinic at the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center in Old Greenwich. And the Greenwich Health Department will have a clinic open 3 days a week at Town Hall. Details on hours of operation for those two sites will be announced. For those who do not have Internet access, information and reservations may be obtained by calling the Yale New Haven Health COVID hotline at 833-2759644; Commission on Aging at 203-862-6710 or Health Department: 203-622-7703, 203-622-7842, 203-6227836, 203-622-7865 or 203-622-7614. If you do have Internet access, you may use the Yale New Haven Health web site: y n h h s.org /cov idvacc i ne
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Missing Teen Greenwich Police are attempting to locate Sydney Renee Roswess, 15, who was last seen at Kids in Crisis on January 24. Sydney is approximately 5'5" with blond braids. She was last seen wearing a burgundy sweatshirt and white shorts. Anyone who may know Sydney's where a b outs is aske d to c a l l t he Greenwich Police Department at 203622-8004.
Concerns Over Tree Removals, Noise Pollution Along I-95 There is growing public concern over the removal of trees as well as noise pollution issues along I-95 in Greenwich. On Jan. 21 The CT Department of Transportation conducted a public i n for m at ion m e e t i n g c on c e r n i n g prop ose d St ate P roje c t i nvolv i ng resurfacing, bridge rehabilitation and Please turn to page 9
STORY IDEAS Publisher@ GreenwichSentinel.com COLUMNISTS Columnists and community impact. Jenny at CommunityImpact@ GreenwichSentinel.com JIM KNOX info@beardsleyzoo.org LETTERS Editor@GreenwichSentinel. com CORRESPONDENCE PO Box 279 Greenwich, CT 06836
By Kris Herndon Five new recruits joined the Greenwich Fire Department on Monday. Fire Chief Joseph O. McHug h welcomed Joseph Battinelli, Jennifer Osher, Tim Lew is, Ryan Crook and
family, friends and well-wishers, as well uniformed firefighters, first responders and members of the press -- was enthusiastic, cheering and applauding each new recruit in turn. After welcoming those in attendance,
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AMAZING news: Valentine’s Day flower arrangements are back this year at Abilis Gifts in Glenville. Shop local and support a good cause. Order roses, petite arrangements, and Abilis gift sets for Valentine’s day arranged by Flowers by René - Abilis’ own talented floral designer! Visit the Abilis website https://www.abilis.us/ or call 203 531-4438 to order your valentine's flowers by February 3rd. Abilis Gardens & Gifts 50 Glenville Street, Greenwich.
By Jill S. Woolworth, LMFT In moments of marital stress, humor defuses tension. When your partner acts defensively or d isplays what you consider to be a “character defect,” it can be helpful to reframe what you see: consider that your spouse has put on a costume i n sel f- defen se . L o ok for the fearful person underneath your spouse’s costume. Each of us puts on a costume when we feel t h r e atene d, t y pic a l ly an aggressive one or a prote c t ive one . W hat costume do you put on? Do you become a ferocious grizzly bear, a jaguar, a dictator, or King Kong? Or do you put on a suit of armor, a turtle shell, a rock, or an ostrich costume? Costumes are removable, not part of our character.
Scott Lanahan in a brief ceremony at the Greenwich Fire Station. To facilitate social distancing, chairs were set several feet apart, and masks were required for those in attendance. Though limited in size due to the ongoing pandemic, the audience -- composed of
Calls to Action Illustrated by Wajih Chaudhry
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Ryan Crook, Tim Lewis, Scott Lanahan , Joseph Batinelli, Jennifer Osher. Photo by Kris Herndon.
Costumes
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for donors to contribute, whether it's for naming rights for the building, the gymnasium, outdoor space, or even brick s which would be on display. Camillo hopes to reveal a "chip chart" soon to outline how the town can chip away at the $18 million price tag through donations. The enhancement of Roger Sherman Baldwin Park has always been a favorite for Camillo, he said. In his proposed budget, there is $1.25 million put aside for design work and improvement. For fiscal year '23, $11.2 million would be needed for construction. The entire plan calls for the demolition and relocation of the Parks and Recreation building, which Camillo said obstructs sightlines and views of the waterfront. Walking paths near the
GFD's Five New Recruits
News You Need to Know By Caroll Melgar
require careful, long-term planning a nd budgeti ng so that u n foreseen f inancial emergencies do not curtail planned maintenance and necessary replacement," Camillo said. “But no matter how worthwhile these projects are, we can’t do them all at once. These are hard choices that are made. We can’t do everything.” On Tuesday night, Camillo outlined several projects included in his proposed budget. For the new Eastern Greenwich Civic Center, $18 million is being budgeted for construction with a bid expected to go out by Oct. 1, 2021. Camillo said the project is a good example for what a public/private partnership should look like, and he added that he hopes to announce an "anchor donor" for the project shortly. There will be a few other ways
K now ing th is ca n change stressful moments i nto opp or t u n it ie s to help each other (and our children) with costume changes. Louise shouted at her partner, “You’re an iceberg. I can only get to 10 percent of you!” Connor parried, “And you’re a giant sponge. I can never fill you up!” The visual was so powerful and funny that they both laughed. The iceberg and the sponge became their singleword ways of letting each other know when they felt abandoned or overwhelmed. This comical visual allowed them to give one another what was helpful. Greenwich resident, Jill Woolworth is author of the book, The Waterwheel, which is available locally at Diane's Books (203-8691515) or info@dianesbooks. com) or at Amazon.
Fill The Van! St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Riverside hosts a food collection for Neighbor-to-Neighbor every Thursday from 10-11:30AM (weather permitting) in their parking lot for a "contactless" drop off. Hit the grocery store and grab some protein staples: including beans, canned tuna and chicken, peanut butter, oatmeal etc. All you need to do is bring your non perishable foods for donation and the folks at St. Paul’s will do the rest!. Reach out for more information: email hello@stpaulsriverside.org or call: 203 637-2447. Volunteer at the Greenwich Audubon Center: Become a part of the solution to create a better, more sustainable world. Opportunities are available for volunteers 14 years of age or older. If you are under 14 years old, you can still volunteer as long as an adult accompanies and works with you. If you are interested in an internship for school credit, or would like to discuss a special project, other opportun or volunteer questions, please contact Elyssa Scheck at 203-869-5272 x346 or escheck@audubon.org. Greenwich Audubon Center 613 Riversville Road Greenwich, CT 06831. Support Pathways Inc. and the OG Social Club by purchasing a restaurant gift card this weekend. Dine local and help your neighbor: 20% of all gift card revenue will go to Pathways Inc. Visit the OG Social Club website to purchase a gift card by Sunday January 31: https://www.ogsocialclub.com/ Community Centers Inc (CCI) is sweetening Valentine’s Day for 87 local seniors and they need your help! Pitch in and grab one of the following items: small sized Valentine's Day baskets, tea bags, heart shaped cookies, chocolate kisses, a single red/pink rose for each basket and don’t forget a Valentine’s Day card with a lovely note. Come help with Valentine basket delivery on Friday February 12th between 12pm-2pm. Reach out to Vanessa Cardinal at vanessa.cardinal@ccigreenwich.org or call 203 869-1276.
Local New Briefs Continued Anne Semmes Gets the Vaccine Community Calendar
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Local Student Achievements
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Puzzles for Kids and Adults
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Astrology for Week of Jan. 31, 2021
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The coolest local breweries
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