Greetings Greenwich friends and neighbors.
COVID-19 update
As of today, Greenwich Hospital was treating 9 COVID-positive patients, with 1 in
the Intensive Care Unit.
In Greenwich Public Schools, as of today, there is a total of 104 cases among students and staff. Last Friday, there were 41 cases. According to the district’s data tracker, 61 cases originated from outside activities or family, 41 have an undetermined origin and 2 are in-school transmission. There are 91 students, 8 teachers, 1 non-teaching staff, and 4 service providers who are ill. With the exception of the Windrose School, all schools have cases including 43 cases at Greenwich High School.
As of 3 p.m. today, the total number of resident COVID cases confirmed among Town residents (since the pandemic began in March 2020) is 6,471 with 143 active cases being tracked by Health Department staff. Last Friday, December 10, there had been a total of 6,289 cases among residents.
Health Director Caroline Baisley reports that the 143 cases reflect an additional 97 cases confirmed since Tuesday, December 14. Today alone, the Health Department received 51 new reported cases. The cases are predominately diagnosed in residents age 10 to 49 years old.
Given the number of infections, the Town remains a red zone – as are most of our surrounding communities. With the Christmas and New Year’s holidays approaching, please make the time to get vaccinated.
Unfortunately, another resident has died from COVID during the past week. Since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, a total of 99 residents have died of COVID.
Here are the latest full vaccination rates as reported by the state Department of Health and Human Services, as of December 16:
Age 5 – 11: 27.65% of 6,470 residents
Age 12 – 17: 89.17% of 5,449 residents
Age 18 – 24: 81.62% of 4,037 residents
Age 25 – 44: 66.99% of 13,580 residents
Age 45 – 64: 81.65% of 18,950 residents
Age 65 +: 91.37% of 10,466 residents
Yale New Haven Health (YNHHS) is administering booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in Fairfield County. All vaccinations are by appointment only and to find out which booster is available and to make an appointment, log onto the YNHHS website: www.ynhhs.org/covidvaccine.
The Connecticut Department of Public Health is offering mobile vaccine clinics. Information on locations can be found here. Information about the January 5, 2022 Greenwich Health Department vaccine clinic can be found here.
Ida updates
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that it has approved the State of Connecticut’s request to allow extra time for residents to register for assistance for damage caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida. Homeowners and renters who sustained damage to their property, that was not covered by insurance, in Fairfield, New Haven and New London counties now have until Jan. 28, 2022 to register for disaster assistance. More details can be found here.
To begin the process online, please use this link. Assistance also is available by calling the FEMA helpline at 1-800-621-3362, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., seven days a week. The TTY number is 1-800-462-7585. Here is a link with information on how the application process works. For information on the Individuals and Households assistance programs which provide financial help or direct services to people with needs that aren’t met through other means, please use this link.
Here is the link to frequently asked questions. And here is the link to help guide you through the process: Disaster Resource and Recovery Guide.
Byram River flooding forum
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will present a PowerPoint presentation on “Flooding, Risk Management and the Future of the Byram River” at 5 p.m. December 20 at Glenville School, 33 Riversville Road. I will be hosting the forum with Congressman Jim Himes.
I know many residents remain concerned about the flooding that was caused by the overflow from the Lyon Farm neighborhood. This forum is designed to focus on the Byram River dredging and bridge rebuilding, a project that has been on the books for decades. I look forward to working to have this project become a reality.
If you cannot attend, please know that Greenwich Community Television will be taping it for future broadcast on their YouTube channel. (We’ll share the link and post on the Town website when it becomes available.) More information on the forum and documents related to river flooding can be found here.
A reminder for property owners impacted by Ida. If you plan to challenge your 2021 property assessment because of storm-related damage, you must submit photographs or documentation to explain the extent of the damage. The deadline to submit documentation is January 7 and may be emailed to 2021reval@greenwichct.org with the subject line: IDA.
Tax assessor staff have been visiting homes in affected areas to help review damage so assessment adjustments can be made when appropriate.
Holiday closures
Town Hall and most facilities, including the libraries, will be closed Friday, December 24, for the Christmas holiday. Regular business hours will resume Monday, December 27.
The Holly Hill Resource Recovery Facility will be closed on Christmas Day, December 25. The facility will be open for regular operating hours on Christmas Eve, December 24, as well as New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
Recycle Your Textiles
Greenwich High School Outreach Club is holding a Clothing & Textile Drive. Donate clothes, shoes, belts, bags, accessories, towels, linens (in any condition) which will help keep these items out of landfills. The drive will be held through Friday, December 31. Collection bins are available at:
• GHS back parking lot, 10 Hillside Road
• Arch Street Teen Center, 100 Arch Street
• The Nathaniel Witherell, 70 Parsonage Road
A percentage of the proceeds will support The Harris Project’s CODA (Cooccurring Disorders Awareness) prevention programming For more information, click here.
Town of Greenwich Parks & Recreation Holiday Food Drive
The deadline is December 20 to contributed non-perishable foods for the Greenwich Parks & Recreation holiday food drive to benefit Neighbor to Neighbor. Collection bins are at Town Hall, Parks & Recreation Office, Eastern Greenwich Civic Center, Bendheim Western Greenwich Civic Center, Dorothy Hamill Skating Rink, and Greenwich Point. There also is an online fresh fruit and vegetable drive is also available by visiting https://amplify.ampyourgood.com/user/campaigns/3861
Commuter Parking Permit Renewal Time Winding Down
The deadline for the annual Commuter Parking Permit renewal process is approaching. It is being conducted only online (submitting an application, proving/uploading residency documents (if applicable), and rendering payment). It is a multi-step process and emails are sent to the permittee, each step along the way. Please allow 2 to 3 business days for your application to be reviewed. Renew online by visiting https://www.greenwichct.gov/572
The deadline to pay is 4 p.m., December 31, 2021.
You can email questions to parkingpermits@greenwichct.org
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Stay safe and be well.
Best,
Fred