June 5, 2020

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June 5, 2020

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The Greenwich Weekly Newspaper, where we celebrate our hometown. Exclusively Greenwich news and events.

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YOUR NEWS BRIEF The trails at the Audubon are open for all to enjoy! Eli Schaffer, Director of the Audubon Center in Greenwich, informed us that the trails are open and this is a wonderful time to see the end of the spring migration and other wildlife. He also said the center’s store is open for curbside pickup. Birding, or ornithology, has become very popular this year the Audubon’s store has all you need for back ya rd bi rd i ng. They can be reached at 203-869-5272 or www. greenwich.audubon.org -In light of recent crimes involving mail in town, police remind residents to be on the lookout for any packages delivered to their house that they did not order.

Some Big Changes on Greenwich Avenue Pedestrian Outdoor Mall Taking Shape

By Richard Kaufman First Selectman Fred Camillo and State Rep. Livvy Floren (R149) welcomed Connecticut Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz to town on Monday af ternoon to tour Greenwich Avenue, which was preparing to partially close as part of a plan to turn the entire .65 mile stretch into a pedestrian mall. Last week , the Board of Selectmen unanimously approved plans to close down the Avenue from Havemeyer Place to Railroad Avenue as part of Phase 1, from June 2 through September 2. On Monday morning, physical barriers were placed at intersections on Greenwich Avenue to stop traffic from entering between Havemeyer Place and Railroad Avenue. An emergency lane for fire, police and EMS was constructed with controlled access by authorities at Havemeyer Place. By the afternoon, residents began trickling in and taking advantage of outdoor dining. Camillo said the reaction to the closure has been positive, especially from the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce. "There's excitement and anticipation. I think little by little you'll see more

--Greenwich Public Schools are planning for multiple scenarios regarding the new academic year, including the possible r et u r n of st udent s to classrooms in the fall. --Just under 100 protesters, largely high school students and young adults from Greenwich, gathered in front of the local police station on June 1 in response to the death of George Floyd, an unarmed, black man, at the hands of four white police off icers in Minneapolis last week. --Plans for the pedestrian mall on Greenwich Avenue are underway. Phase 1 of the plan closed from Havemeyer Place to Railroad Avenue, from June 2 through September 2. Phase 2 will close the Avenue to vehicular traffic from Putnam Avenue to Lewis Street, and Phase 3 will include Lewis to Havemeyer Place. The closures will be in effect all day. --The Board of Directors of Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich announced the appointment of Cristina Vittoria as Chief Executive Off icer, effective July 1, 2020. She currently serves as the organization’s Vice President of Development and will succeed Bobby Walker, Jr. whose decision to accept an opportunity at Greenwich Academy was announced earlier this year. -Just as Connecticut a nd Gr e enw ich b e g i n to reopen for business, several national chain s t o r e s o n G r e e nw i c h Avenue have b oa rde d u p t h e i r w i n d ow s . A drive down Greenwich Av e n u e a n d y o u s e e Hermes, Baccarat, Apple and others have a new look. Apple went so far as to paint their boarded windows white. Local, non-chain stores remain open and we encourage you to support our local economy.

people out here after a few months of being inside,” he said. Bysiewicz believes the p e d e s t r i a n m a l l w i l l h ave a positive impact on businesses as they look to get back on their feet as reopening in Connecticut continues. There are 27 restaurants along Greenw ich Avenue, and 17 in Phase 1 alone. “Since May 20, I have traveled to different parts of our state to see how businesses are preparing to we l c o m e b a c k c u s to m e r s under phase 1. One thing is clear: municipal leaders and business State Rep. Livvy Floren and First Selectman Fred Camillo on Greenwich Avenue. ow n e r s a r e c o m i n g up w it h (John Ferris Robben photo) innovative and creative ways to help expand outdoor dining or create a safe shopping experience for consumers,” she said. “By closing down parts of a roadway to vehicular traffic or installing concrete barriers, local restaurants will be able to add more tables that are six feet apart and cater to more customers.” Vicente Siguenza, owner of Harvest Wine Bar & Restaurant and South Bay Mediterranean Kitchen, both located in Phase 1, is happy about the pedestrian mall three months and did not have and customers were enjoying best thing they could do. It's going and what it could mean for the takeout services. On Monday, lunch. to be amazing for the businesses merchants on Greenwich Avenue. several tables were set up outside "I'm very excited. This is the See AVENUE page 5 South Bay had been closed for

"The town acted swiftly to close schools, and now during phase 1 of reopening, Greenwich and its health department are finding ways to help boost local restaurants and businesses."​ Lt Gov. Susan Bysiewicz

A Protest and A Dialogue

Protesters rally to decry police brutality, talk with GPD. By Foster Steinbeck Just under 100 protesters, largely high school students and young adults as well as one or two RTM members, gathered in front of the local police station on June 1 in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week. The protesters held up signs and shouted chants of “No peace, no justice,” “George Floyd,” and “Black Lives Matter” and talked w ith police of f icials as other officers flanked the demonstration. “We're not saying that no other lives matter, but black lives, right now, are at stake, and we're the ones that are being technically hunted dow n. A nd I'm really tired of it,” Taylor Richards said, a protester. “I have a nephew, who's really scared to go outside to play on the playground … because of what's going on in the world right now.” The Greenw ich protest, one of many nationwide which have sparked riots in multiple cities, was peaceful and lasted approximately two hours. “We're not out here looting we're not out here, rampaging in the streets,” another protester, Naq u a n M a s s ey, s a id . “ T h i s

is Gre enw ich, we’re doi ng it peacefully. We're not out here going against the police, we're not breaking their stuff or anything. We just want to talk.” Greenw ich Chief of Police Jim Heavey and First Selectman Fred Camillo came out just past the front doors of the department bu i ld i ng a nd sp oke w it h t he protesters, who raised concerns about overpoliced minorities in Greenwich, the effectiveness of filing complaints to the department and systemic bias at-large in American policing. Police Chief James Heavey and other police officials listen to protestors concerns. For In response, Camillo stressed more photos see page 4, go to the Greenwich Sentinel website or facebook page. the importance of maintaining and (John Ferris Robben photos) increasing dialogue between the police and the community, citing the count y ’s Com munit y and protesting peacefully. I think that's talking and expressing your views. out that nearby police off icers Police Partnership program which a good thing. That's what America But that in no way reflects on this monitoring the demonstration a i m s to i mpr ove com mu n it y is,” Camillo said to the protesters. police department, which goes weren’t tak ing the protesters seriously on multiple occasions, primarily criticizing the lack of input from other officers about the We appreciate people coming out and expressing their views and protest. protesting peacefully. I think that's a good thing. That's what “No one's tak ing any thing as a joke,” Camillo said to the America is,” Camillo said to the protesters. protesters, offering to meet with them in his office after the protest to keep the dialogue going. A lt h ou g h t h e i nte r a c t i o n relations and address its problems. “And when we see an injustice, above and beyond in community like we saw in Minnesota, you relations.” between the police and protesters “We appreciate people coming should be here, and you should be Several protesters shouted See PROTEST page 4 out and expressing their views and

The GAF's Mission By Richard Kaufman Ca rd i na l Stad iu m holds a special place in the hearts of those who live in Greenwich. It's a place where kids can grow athletically, and it's the last scene in the chapter of a Greenwich High School career at graduation. The Stadium has been a h o t top i c a r ou nd tow n , a s improvements and renovations are needed. One particular group, the Greenwich Athletic Foundation (GAF), has long been a supporter of seeing such changes. The GAF is a 501c(3) orga n ization wh ich work s in cooperation with various town departments to improve, maintain and support Greenwich's athletic infrastructure. Beginning in 2016, the GAF became involved as the Greenwich Board of Education (BOE) looked to c o m e up w it h a p l a n a n d

feasibility study on the Stadium. In 2018, the GAF offered to raise private funds to try and help put an improvement plan together. But since then, said GAF board member Rick Kral, the phased pr oj e c t to i mpr ove Ca r d i n a l Stadium has taken a few twists and turns, and it has now stalled. The Municipal Improvement for the bleachers and special permit and site plan for Phase 1 went before the Planning & Zoning Commission on May 19. The Commission said they want to take a look at the project in its entirety, and left the matter open. The bleachers, which were shored up by the GAF through last December after they were deemed unsafe and in violation of safety code, can still be used if sports come back in the fall and proper inspections take place. All throughout the planning process, the GAF has suggested

t h at t he B OE put to ge t he r a building committee, similar to what's been done w ith other projects over the years, to oversee with local knowledge and expertise to make sure plans stay streamlined and on track. The BOE is not required to establish such a group because no state aid is involved, but to date a committee has not been formed, which Kral called "disappointing." He added that the BOE and GAF “would be in a different place today t ha n we a re w it hout a doubt.” GAF President, Rob Burton Jr., believes a building committee would benefit everyone involved. "We'd like to have the building committee to shepherd us through t h i s p r o c e s s . It 's n o t a G A F project, but I think we have some resources and some wherewithal to help out the community and get

See GAF page 5

The Best Graduation Speech Ever By Zilana Lee On June 1, 1997, the Chicago Tribune published online a mockgraduation speech by columnist, Mary Schmich. Age 43 at the time, Schmich felt she had a great deal of advice to give to young people. Inspired by a woman she saw sunbathing during a walk along Lake Michigan, Schmich thought, “I hope she’s wearing sunscreen.” Then in four hours, she wrote the speech which began with the line, “Wear sunscreen.” Immediately upon publication, the speech went viral mostly by email. Lost in a thread of sharing the speech, it became falsely attributed to the commencement speech delivered by American aut hor Ku r t Von neg ut at t he

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Neither were correct – Vonnegut did not write the speech and never gave a commencement speech at the college. Schmich is a Georgia native and previously served as a Tribune national correspondent based in Atlanta for five years, and Tribune Atlanta Bureau Chief. She earned a B.A. at Pomona College and attended journalism school at Stanford. Schmich won a Pulitzer Prize for com ment a r y i n 2 01 2 a nd received awards from various other organizations including the Chicago Journalists Association and the Illinois Press Association. You can find her full speech in place of the regular editorial on page 6.


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June 5, 2020 by Greenwich Sentinel - Issuu