Issuu

ECRWSS

February 28, 2020

NOT receiving the Sentinel every week? Subscribe today for home delivery! www.GreenwichSentinel.com/subscribe

PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit #2475 Providence, RI Postal Customer

May 3, 2020 – Conservation Commission is hosting lecture at First Sunday Science Series on World Fish Migration Day and Mianus River fish ladder. May 16, 2020 – World Fish Migration Day and Mianus River fish ladder Open House event. On March 4 the Greenwich Conservation Commission, Wa s t e F r e e G r e e n w i c h , GRAB, and CT DEEP will hold a lecture at Central Middle School titled, “Is Greenwich top of the garbage pile in global waste crisis: Pay-As-You-Throw Program Explained.” The event will run 7:00 – 8:30 pm. Sp e a ke r s w i l l i n c lude Kristen Brown, of WasteZero Inc, a consultant for the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and Julie DesChamps of GRAB & Waste Free Greenwich. I f approved, t he PAY T program would begin on Oct 1, 2020.

DARKHOUSE PROGRAM Homeowners in the Town of Greenwich can notify the Greenwich Police Department when leaving their homes vacant. Officers are informed and make periodic checks of the house until the homeowner returns. The ser v ice can not guarantee checks of the residence. Call volume for the post car on a given day may prevent the officer from checking the house. All efforts will be made, however, to check the home. The service is designed for when homes are vacant for three days or more. To app l y for t h e D a rk House Service follow the link: Greenwich Police Dark House Service

GREENWICH RANKED 7TH SAFEST CITY IN CONNECTICUT The Town of Greenwich was ranked the 7th safest place to live in the State of Connecticut by Alarms.org for 2020. This 7th place ranking is impressive because of the size of Greenwich. Greenwich is double the size of all of the towns in the top ten. To see the full report on where the other towns and cities compare follow the link: https://www.alarms.org/ safest-cities-in-connecticut/

HAPPINESS IS 1067 NORTH ST. Dinner at the Market "POP UP RESTAURANT" on March 19th. A Pop up dinner with a complete gourmet four course meal for just $69.00. BYOW [bring your own wine]. A nd A N OPEN HOUSE is in the works at their new space on Thursday, March 29th from 6:00-9:00 pm. They are calling it their "Spring Fling". They will be featuring sample bites from their spring menu along with introducing you to some of their vendors. Live music, wine tasting, floral arrangements....plus much more! Mark your calendars.

By Richard Kaufman Katie DeLuca, the town's director of Planning & Zoning, stopped by the Retired Men's Association last week to discuss the 2019 Plan of Conservation and Development, and how it will be implemented. The POCD is essentially a blueprint for the future. It's a com munit y v ision that guides Greenwich both physically and economically, and sets new policies that direct future growth and development. It also helps aide town leaders in coming up with strategies to make thoughtful decisions for the community. The plan is written by residents, and after months of workshops and meetings, it was approved last December. DeLuca talked about the importance of the plan, which is put together every 10 years. "People don't tolerate change well in this town. So what do you do when you go to the public and say, 'We

have this great town, what should we do about it,' and the answer is, 'Nothing, it's great, just keep it the same,'" she told the crowd. "That's great, but you can't keep things the same by doing nothing. You do have to recognize that we have to have some turnover, some growth, and we have to keep things moving in order to stay a top community." The vision statement of the plan is, "To preserve Greenw ich as a premier residential community by enhancing our exceptional neighborhoods, schools, environment, culture and recreational amenities while focusing investment in the town's infrastructure, school facilities, storm resiliency measures, and the downtown core as the means to increasing the town's value." The structure of the plan is based around six guiding p r i n c ip l e s: to p r e s e r ve community character and sense of place; to develop housing opportunities for

Doors Open at Townhouse After serving the community as an Italian steakhouse for the past decade, the historic Church Street manor formerly known as Gabriele's has re-opened as Townhouse, bringing new cuisine and a redesigned space to downtown Greenwich.

longtime friend and colleague Drew Nieporent of Myriad Restaurant Group, a restaurant advisor. Nieporent is best known for his ventures Nobu, Tribeca Grill, and Bâtard. Cifone is formerly of Starr Restaurants, The One Group,

The new venture features the cuisine of Executive Chef Stephen Lewandowski, restauranteur Drew Nieporent, and the operational experience of Dana Cifone. L e w a n dow sk i i s fo r m e rl y o f H a rl a n Restaurants and Tribeca Grill where he continued on page 6 was the Executive Chef and a partner of his

and Douro of Greenwich. L ewa ndowsk i's New A mer ica n menu combines local ingredients with Mediterranean and Asian flavors and cooking techniques. Dishes like Tuna Tataki Crudo

the future; to provide top quality educational facilities; to su st a i n a nd i mprove the natural environment and landscape; to maintain economic vitality and thriving commercial centers; a nd to prov ide the best q u a l it y i n f r a s t r u c t u r e , municipal facilities, cultural i n s t it ut ion s a nd he a lt h services. "With any good p l a n , i t 's o n l y a s g o o d as the implementation," DeLuca added, noting that i mple me nt at ion h a s it s cha llenges because of a decentralized government with a lot of moving parts.

continued on page 6

Town Expands Merchant Parking Downtown By Richard Kaufman The Town of Greenwich is currently in the process of ex pa nd i ng mer cha nt parking downtown, specifically for the Lafayette Place parking lot. Earlier this week, Park ing Ser v ices began to accept applications for the expanded Merchant Permit Parking Program. During this initial rollout, 2 0 a n nua l p er m it s w i l l be offered for 2020 at the annual cost of $720. This cost, which includes the required Connecticut sales tax (6.35%), will be prorated to the first day of the month in which the permit is sold. The purpose and goal of the Merchant Per m it Parking Program is to offer business owners and their employees a long term daily parking option at a reduced rate. In turn, this will free

u p s h o r t-t e r m p a r k i n g locations for those shopping and dining along Greenwich Avenue. The deadline to submit applications will close at 4 p.m. on March 10. A ll approved applications will then be given a number and a random drawing will take place. The first 20 numbers drawn will determine which applicants will be offered a permit. A ll remaining applicants will be placed on a wait list, based on the sequential order in which the remaining numbers are drawn. The Board of Selectmen u n a n i mou sl y app r ove d the program last month. Deputy Police Chief Mark Marino of the Greenwich Police Department, who oversees Parking Services for the town, presented the agenda item to the Board.

"We're not looking to generate more revenue," Marino told First Selectman Fred Camillo, and Selectwomen Lauren Rabin and Jill Oberlander last month. "We're actually looking to offer a parking alternative for long term parkers and kind of make better use of that parking lot." Marino noted that t h e L a f aye t te Pl a c e l o t gets especially full on We d nesdays due to t he Retired Men's Association of Gr e enw ich me et i ng s at the First Presbyterian Church. G r e e nw i c h Ho s p it a l also uses it for overf low parking when their staff lot is full, but Marino said he would reach out to the hospital to work out special a r ra ngements a nd ease congestion, particularly on

Wednesdays. Marino added that h e h a s g o t t e n p o s i t i ve feedback and support for the program from Planning & Zoning Director, Katie DeLuca, as well as area business and landowners. Merchant Permit parking is also offered at the West End parking lot in Old Greenwich, at the William Street and Henry Street park ing lots in Byram and at the Sound View parking lot and the Town Hall Garage in central Greenwich. The application form can be obtained a t g r e e nw i c h c t . g ov, o r in person at Parking S e r v i c e s b e t we e n 8: 3 0 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information, contact Parking Services at 203618-3060.

Racoon Illness Concern

Avoiding Triangles

Facts and Rumors

ILLUSTRATED BY WAJIH CHAUDHRY

Earth Day, April 22, 2020 – 50th Anniversary of Earth Day

Six Guiding Principals

By Mia DaSilva Police, Animal Control, and and health off icials have been investigating cases of dead or sick raccoons found in Greenwich since the beginning of February. On Saturday, February 22, t he tow n close d Tod's Poi nt (Greenwich Point Park) to all dogs, causing a delay to get into t he pa rk a s A n i ma l Cont r ol Off icers stopped cars, turning back those containing dogs. Since then, more than four a dd it i o n a l s i c k o r d i s e a s e d raccoons have been reported in the area. These four most recent animals have not yet been tested for a specific disease. Greenwich Animal Control reports that although the raccoons have been reported near the area where those infected were originally found, until they are tested, there are several possibilities to explain the behavior. All confirmed instances of these reports thus far have been located in or near Tod’s Point. They have not occured in other areas of Greenwich, despite rumors on the internet picked up by blogs, including unverified claims of a sick raccoon in Cos Cob and one in Backcountry.

Last weekend at Tod's Point, a disoriented raccoon wanders on the beach during the day. It was quickly handled by an Animal Control officer. Thankfully the disease is not rabies, rather, after extensive testing, health authorities have conf irmed that the deceased raccoons have tested positive for distemper. Distemper is a viral disease that is contagious in many animal species, especially dogs. Animals can become infected from saliva or direct contact with an infected animal. While distemper does have some similar symptoms to rabies (both exhibit neurological

JOHN FERRIS ROBBEN

CONSERVATION COMMISSION

sy mptoms, such as partial p a r a l y s i s a n d s e i z u r e s) , distemper is considered an upper respiratory disease, meaning fever a nd a r u n ny no s e a r e common symptoms not found in rabies-infected animals. The key visual sympton found in animals infected with rabies is foaming at the mouth. Un l i ke ra bie s, d istemp er cannot transfer to humans, so

1067

By Jill S. Woolworth, LMFT Amanda and Casey argue. Amanda calls Beth to complain about Casey. Beth’s best bet is to duck the triangle and avoid being sucked into a “helper role.” When she suggests that Amanda work it out directly with Casey, everyone benefits. Exceptions would be if Amanda is truly powerless to help herself, or if Beth has a professional responsibility to manage the relationship between Amanda and Casey. Triangles are unhealthy in most relationships, but they are especially dangerous in nuclear families with siblings and adult children. When you need advice or a place to vent, it’s helpful to limit sharing to the smallest possible number of trustworthy friends. This limited sharing can help calm your mind and reboot your perspective. Then your work is best done directly with the offending party. After years of feeling obligated to help, Anthony, the eldest in a family of six, realized that he was not helping and refused to participate when his siblings called to complain about each other. His siblings continued to try to bring him in, but he was firm. When he avoided family triangles, his life became more peaceful. Nadia believed she had to be the go-between for disputes between her adult daughter and her ex-husband. When she gave up this role, her daughter grew stronger.

continued on page 5 Greenwich resident Jill Woolworth is the author of the book, The

Waterwheel available locally at Diane's Books and Dogwood or at Amazon.

North ST.

dinner? Greenwich,CT 203-861-4020

WED THURS FRI

Visit us!