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The Greenwich Weekly Newspaper, Local, local, local.
March 5, 2021
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By Richard Kaufman
Forum on Board of Education Budget
The Leag ue of Women Voters of Greenwich and the PTA Council sponsored a forum last week with Town and school officials to discuss the proposed 2021-2022 school budget, currently under review by the Board of Estimate and Taxation. The panel featured First Selectman Fred Camillo, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Toni Jones, Board of Education Chair Peter Bernstein, BET Chair Michael Mason, BET member and Democratic Caucus leader Leslie Moriarty, and Kimberly Blank, who chairs the RTM Education Committee. The event was moderated by Brian Peldunas who is the head of the PTA Council, and Nancy Weissler. The proposed Board of Education operating budget is $169.8 million, with a $32 million capital spending plan. In that capital budget is $17.3 million for major projects, and $12 million for annual infrastructure and improvements. The panelists were asked questions on a variety of topics. In the 2017 master facilities plan from KG&D Architects, the firm said school buildings in the district are adequately
maintained, but roofs, ceilings, f loors, windows and ventilation systems have reached their expected life-span. Bernstein was asked how the district will address "historic underspending" on maintenance. "We all want safe schools, and we all want schools that are effective for 21st century learning," Bernstein said, noting that the average of school buildings in town dates back to the 1950s. "What we did learn from that master facilities plan, is you should be spending 2-5% of the asset value of your buildings in terms of annual maintenance. We, on average, spend $10 million a year, and it's been lower in recent years, when the minimum of that 2-5% would be $20 million. You'll see our requests are starting to ratchet up," he said. Major projects, he said, are difficult because they can be expensive. "Our challenge is, we have a lot of needs and a lot of wants, as does the town side, and we're all competing for the same dollars that we want to get work done," he said. "We basically kick the can down the road every year. We can't put all of the projects we want on the list because we know they won't get funded. Projects don't
"We all want safe schools, and we all want schools that are effective for 21st century learning," Board of Education Chair Peter Bernstein go away, they just get pushed into the next year and the next year...if we want to get to the point where we can do things like know our buildings are where we want them for 21st century learning, it's a real investment, it's a real commitment, and it's a real discussion that needs to happen." When asked if the Board of Education has prioritized other projects which caused maintenance to be deferred, Bernstein pushed back. The question also suggested that perhaps BOE members blame BET members for a lack of maintenance at school buildings. "We actually do maintain and prioritize our projects. We've done that for a couple of years now thanks to the master facilities plan, requested by and funded by the BET. That is actually driving the requests that we're doing. This false narrative that we don't actually prioritize doesn't sit well with me," Bernstein said. "Our facilities team,
our administrative team, they take the list of projects they know are up for that year, they walk the buildings, they look at things, they use our external experts, and we've got HVAC people that come in and inspect...[our team] makes the request based on the actual needs. That's how we prioritize." Bernstein said the "blame game" isn’t fair and needs to stop. "We're prioritizing, we're working with the BET to prioritize, we work with the First Selectman to prioritize. Stop putting this false narrative out and stop trying to blame everybody. This isn't about blame, this is about people collectively working together, rolling their sleeves up, and finding solutions to problems," Bernstein said. BET members were asked about the Cardinal Stadium Phase 2 project and how much certainty about timing and cost they
would need to approve the request for this budget year, as opposed to pushing it forward next year. Phase 2 would include another point of access from Greenwich High School to the Post Road. Mason laid out the current capital model for Greenwich High School going into the future, which includes several projects such as Phase 1A and 1B of the Stadium improvement project, construction of a new secure entryway, the remediation of fields 2, 3 and 4, and the state of Connecticut's plans for the reconstruction of a bridge on Hillside Road near the Post Road. "I don't know how much we can throw at GHS and what the impacts will be to the staff, the neighbors, and the kids on that project. As far as the timing, we know that Phase 2 has got some lengthy hurdles for timing. I just question all of the logistics and the ability to commit to all of this and what Please turn to page 7
Local News Briefs You Need to Know CAMILLO PROVIDES TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF ACT CONCERNING PROPERTY OWNERS’ LIABILITY
First Selectman Fred Camillo issued his support of the improved version of a bill concerning property owners’ liability for the expenses of removing fallen trees or limbs. The bill was originally introduced in 2014, but was vetoed due to an omission. The omission was later corrected, but was never called on for a vote. The bill details that “a licensed arborist must be hired by the party seeking action on the owner of the property where the diseased, dead, or hazardous tree is located”, with certain exceptions. Camillo hopes that this bill will protect property owners from damage caused by trees not belonging to them.
COVID/GPS UPDATE
According to the school districts online tracker, as of Tuesday, 6 new coronavirus cases had been reported. There are 11 active cases. Of those, 8 are students and 3 are teachers, according to the
SENTINEL
ACCESS TO COVID-19 VACCINE INCREASES
As of March 1st, access to the COVID-19 vaccine has been expanded to include residents over the age of 55, teachers and other school personnel, and daycare workers. Individuals in these categories will now be eligible to schedule vaccination appointments through the CT Vaccine Portal. Additional eligibility has been announced for three age groups; on March 22nd, eligibility will expand to residents aged 45-54, on April 12th, to residents aged 35-44, and on May 3rd, to residents aged 16-34.
Superintendent
Dr.
Tori
Jones
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
NORTH MIANUS SCHOOL’S RETURN
North Mianus has reinstated in-person learning at the NMS building for certain grade levels following a ceiling collapse on February 13th that caused extensive flooding damage. Grades two, three, and kindergarten will remain at North Mianus; students in grades one and four have been relocated to Cos Cob School, students in grade five have been relocated to Old Greenwich School, and Advanced Level Placement students have been relocated to Please turn to page 7
Calls to Action Illustrated by Wajih Chaudhry
EVENTS Editor@GreenwichSentinel. com
STORY IDEAS Publisher@ GreenwichSentinel.com
The tree warden has announced that the oak tree at 235 Greenwich Avenue will be cut down.
has
This decision comes as part of the effort to make Greenwich Ave intersections safer given the absence of traffic direction by town police, and to add green space. The town also announced that seven new willow oak trees will be planted on Greenwich Avenue, and is in discussion of other intersection construction improvements following this intersection pilot. According to Jim Michel, DPW deputy commissioner, the intersection project will begin this month and be completed by the end of May.
By Kate Noonan
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ADVERTISING Peter@GreenwichSentinel. com; call 203-4850226; or buy online at GreenwichSentinel.com/ Advertise
IMPROVEMENTS TO BE MADE ON GREENWICH AVE INTERSECTIONS
Health & Safety
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RED CROSS MONTH
First Selectman Fred Camillo has officially announced March to be Red Cross month in Greenwich. Camillo’s proclamation detailed the success of the Metropolitan New York chapter of the Red Cross in its commitment of time and resources to aid community members.
GHS PLANS TO REMOVE WEDNESDAY CLEANING DAY
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ANNOUNCEMENTS Weddings & engagements; promotions, achievements; births; letters to the editor; obituaries. These are free. Beth@GreenwichSentinel. com
announced that starting March 17th, Greenwich High School will return to in-person learning on Wednesdays, eliminating the previously implemented “cleaning day”. This change comes in accordance with guidance from the CDC which states that touching common surfaces is not the leading cause of spread. As per GHS’s hybrid model, the ‘Greenwich Cohort’ will return to the building on March 17, and will continue to alternate Wednesdays with the ‘Cardinal Cohort’ until further notice.
tracker. Three of those cases are from Greenwich High, two are from Central Middle School, and one each are from Eastern Middle, Western Middle, Hamilton Ave, North Mianus, Parkway, and Riverside schools.
By Jill S. Woolworth, LMFT Many decisions that our children make are a matter of taste or preference. Studying on the floor or showering at midnight may be unusual, but neither is lifethreatening. The same is true for wearing all-black clothing in high school. Howeve r, i f t he i s sue is a matter of health or safety, we parents make the decisions. They are not negotiable. Of course, setting l i m it s w i l l a n noy ou r children. Our toddlers and teens become angry when we enforce boundaries. We are both doing our jobs—theirs to push the limits, and ours to keep t h e m a l i v e . We b o t h get A’s. This conflict starts at age 2 and ends at age 18, or when our kids no longer live under our roof. It’s tiring and com- plicated. This simple mantra of
health and safety helps us determine when to hold the line and when to acquiesce to generational differences of style. Stacy prepared different food and studied different subjects than her parents would have chosen for her. Her parents adjusted because neither decision was a matter of health and safety. Jesse’s friend , Cody, stopped by to give Jesse a ride to a party. Jesse’s mom could tell that Cody had been drinking alcohol. She refused to let Jesse drive with him on health and safety grounds. Jesse was annoyed. She was firm. It was simple. 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.
S ip a n d S h o p t h i s F r i d ay t h r o u g h S u n d ay at J. McLaughlin’s Spring Styling Event. The store is Baseball season is around the corner. Let’s help the located at 55 East Putnam Avenue. 15% of all sales will Friends of Banksville Field make kids' dreams come support the Parsonage Cottage Senior Residence. true with a donation of any size for the final stages of the Banksville Field renovation. The next steps to get It’s Girl Scout Cookie Time! Support the largest girl-led the field ready for the spring season are re-sodding and entrepreneurial program in the world: buy directly from a light installation. Checks can be made out to Friends troop, buy from a scout or pick up a few boxes of cookies of Banksville Field (a 501c3), c/o Mike Bennett, 12 at a cookie booth. Even if you don’t eat cookies, donate to Carpenters Brook Road, Greenwich CT 06831. the Cookies for Heroes program instead! Calling all High School Students: are you passionate about a unique subject? Teach a class of your choosing at the Fairfield Chapter of the Youth Passion Project. Our local chapter's president is a junior at GHS. YPP, a nonprofit student-run organization, gives high schoolers the opportunity to teach free online classes for elementary and middle school children while earning service hours. Teach existing or new class topics like origami, coding, ethics, and more! To apply go to: https://www. youthpassionproject.org/ and click on join us.
Give joy AND support our local stores by donating to the Community Centers Inc (CCI) Easter basket drive. The need: 30 baskets for children, 30 for special needs, 86 for Seniors. These baskets can be filled with crafts, candy, stuffed animals, games, plants, books, etc. We suggest Smart Kids and Diane's Books just off Greenwich Ave. as our local stores. Dogwood at Christ Church is also a great resource! Don't forget to grab some small potted plants from McArdle's or Sam Bridge: our local Senior’s love azaleas, tulips, hyacinths and hydrangeas. Drop off address: 2 St Roch Avenue, Greenwich CT 06830. Reach Here are two ways to shop and support great local out to Vanessa at vanessa.cardinal@ccigreenwich.org for causes this weekend! more details. Head to Lilly Pulitzer located at 92 Greenwich Avenue, Have a CALL TO ACTION? E-mail Kate Noonan this Saturday March 6 from 10-6:00. 10% of all sales this Saturday will be donated to the YWCA. Bring your at the Greenwich Sentinel Foundation with the details: kate@greenwichsentinelfoundation.org friends and check out the new Spring 2021 arrivals!
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Astrology, Puzzles for Kids & Adults: Crosswords, Suduko, Anagrams and more
New Columns
Pages 16 & 17
Page 9
Sports & GCDS Feature
Page 15