Greetings Greenwich friends and neighbors.
It was a privilege to gather with staff, volunteers and donors of the Red Cross Metro New York North Chapter yesterday and present them with the proclamation of American Red Cross Month proclamation.
The late morning warm spring sun and blue skies were a fitting backdrop for the flat-raising ceremony that followed. Our local chapter provides essential assistance to those in need around the clock. In the past year alone, they have responded to nearly 150 local disasters, installed 369 free smoke alarms and educated nearly 700 adults and children in emergency preparedness.
I hope you’ll join me in supporting their efforts. For information on how you can help – including by donating blood – please use this link.
Irish flag raising
Speaking of a flag-raising ceremony … please join me and members of the Greenwich Hibernian Association next Thursday, March 17. At 9 a.m. we’ll be raising the Irish flag for St. Patrick’s day and to mark the countdown to the annual St. Patrick Parade.
Former Selectman John Toner will finally get the opportunity to be the grand marshal of this terrific Town event which will start at Town Hall at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 20. John was initially selected to be Grand Marshal of the 2020 parade. The COVID pandemic forced the cancellation of the parade for the past two years.
More information on the parade can be found here.
COVID Update
With the continued diminution of COVID cases, this week marked the last of the bi-weekly press updates that we reinstituted when the omicron variant exploded the number of cases.
As of yesterday, Greenwich Hospital was treating 2 COVID-19 patients. Our public schools had 7 active cases - 6 students and 1 teacher, as of March 8.
As of March 8, the total number of resident COVID cases among Town residents (since the pandemic began in March 2020) increased to 11,467. The Greenwich Health Department is monitoring 55 active cases – an increase of 16 from last week. Unfortunately, we recorded another COVID-attributed death for a total of 119 residents.
Vaccine info
Log onto the Yale New Haven Health website to find a booster vaccine site.
Family Centers is offering weekday vaccine and testing clinics at 111 Wilbur Peck Court. Details can be found here.
The Connecticut Department of Public Health is offering mobile vaccine clinics. Information on locations can be found here.
A scouting success
There’s a lot to be proud of for the Greenwich Council of Boy Scouts of America who teamed up with the Knights of Columbus and Greenwich Police for the annual food drive last weekend. They collected 3,900 pounds of food and pantry items and $900 in donations from our generous residents to benefit our local food pantry Neighbor to Neighbor. Since the pandemic, Neighbor to Neighbor has been serving more than 500 families who face food challenges every week.
Spring ahead
As the daffodils and hyacinths continue their push to bloom, don’t forget it’s time to spring ahead to Daylight Saving Time this weekend. I’m sure you’re like me - looking forward to the growing number of daylight hours.
And with the longer daylight hours, it means that we will be able to enjoy outdoor dining at the wonderful restaurants around Town. The Board of Selectmen at its meeting yesterday, approved the 2022 outdoor dining guidelines for the central business district.
The Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to hold a meeting March 24 for restaurants seeking outdoor dining permits for the 2002 season. The season is scheduled to open April 15 and continue through November 20, the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Details on the plan can be found in the Board of Selectmen’s agenda packet here.
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Stay safe and wishing you the best,
Fred