Photo credit: Angie Kaether.
Congratulations to Executive Assistant Barb Heins for being named Employee of the Month for November. First Selectman Fred Camillo presented her with a certificate on November 3. He also issued a proclamation designating November 3 as Barbara Heins Day in recognition of her 6 ½ years of Town service and pending retirement.
Greetings Greenwich friends and neighbors.
Veterans Day
Next Friday, November 11, is Veterans Day. I hope that you will help us celebrate our veterans and their contributions to our country when we hold the annual Veterans Day walk down Greenwich Avenue. We’ll gather on The Avenue at Amogerone Crossway and step off at 10:30 a.m. There will be a ceremony at 11 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial in front of the Havemeyer Building.
Other ceremonies planned for next Friday include the annual walk and wreath presentation by the Byram Veterans Club. Line-up for the short walk is at 6:30 p.m. November 11 in front of the Club house, 300 Delavan Ave. Step-off is at 7 p.m. and will proceed to the Byram Fire House where the wreath presentation and ceremony will take place. Refreshments will be served at the Club house afterwards.
In observance of Veterans Day, Town Hall and our libraries will be closed.
Town Hall elevator update
Due to supply issues, the necessary elevator replacement parts are unfortunately expected to take a few weeks to arrive. We are actively working to expedite their delivery. At this time, we are anticipating that repairs could be completed around early December.
Thank you all again for your continued patience as we work to complete these repairs. We will continue to provide updates as we progress.
Congratulations!
Congratulations to Stephanie Paulmeno of the Health Department who has been selected for the Connecticut Nurses 2022 President’s Award on November 10.
The Diamond Jubilee Awards were established by the Connecticut Nurses Association "to honor individuals or organizations that have made outstanding contributions to nursing in the areas of practice, education, administration, political action, and service to nurses and nursing.” More information may be found here.
Food recycling update
Last spring, Waste Free Greenwich and the Center for EcoTechnology (CET), in partnership with the Town of Greenwich, helped local businesses reduce their food waste through the Greenwich Food Matters Challenge. The participating restaurants received technical support at no cost through CET's contract with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and implemented measures to prevent, rescue and recycle wasted food over an 8- to-10-week period.
Collectively, the participants diverted tons of food waste from disposal, reducing the carbon footprint of our town. Through food donation efforts via Food Rescue US Fairfield Country, businesses directed meals to food-insecure community members, and reducing food waste at the source had positive effects on both operations and waste. Over a year-long period, the impact of their actions will include 5.6 tons of food waste reduced, 1.6 tons of food donated and 13 tons of food scraps composted. Their accomplishments are celebrated in a new video and case study. Congratulations to the challengers - Little Pub, Greenwich Cheese Company, Nit Noi, Ruby & Bella's, Something Natural and Upper Crust Bagel.
2023 fireworks dates are set
There’s some great news on the fireworks front. The Department of Parks & Recreation is expanding our fireworks entertainment for next summer. It has booked two shows for Saturday, July 1 at both Binney and Greenwich Point parks There also will be an end-of-summer blast with two – one at each park on Saturday, September 2. More details will be forthcoming in the months ahead.
Updates – COVID vaccine clinics, stats
Greenwich Hospital reported that as of today, November 4, there are 11 COVID-positive patients being treated. A total of 123 patients are being treated in the Yale New Haven Health system. According to the state, as of November 3, the total number of Greenwich COVID cases (since the pandemic began in March 2020) is 16,215. The number of resident deaths attributed to COVID is 127.
Family Centers also offers weekly vaccine and testing at Wilbur Peck Court, and the Connecticut Department of Health provides public mobile vaccine clinics.
Upcoming events
The Friends of Greenwich Point is seeking volunteers to help plant, seed and weed the group’s new wildflower meadow on Saturday, November 5, from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Meet at the Cow Barn parking lot near the Old Greenwich Yacht Club at Greenwich Point, just above the Chimes Building. Wear long sleeves, long pants and work gloves. Metal rakes, hoes and trowels are welcome, but not required. (The rain date is November 12.) For more information, click here.
Help the Friends of Pomerance Park
The Friends of Pomerance/Pinetum/Tuchman need volunteers to help plant native trees and shrubs at Pomerance Park on Saturday, November 5, from 10 a.m. to noon. Meet at the Orchard Street entrance. Bring gloves (there will also be some on hand) and a water bottle. Tools will be provided. For more information, call 718-541-1383 or email: SustainGreenwich@gmail.com.
Coming Monday: Leaf collection
The Town’s annual leaf collection program is scheduled to begin Monday, November 7. Pick up is limited to half-acre or less residential properties (building zone R-20) on public streets. Weather permitting, the program will include two pickups from November to mid-December. To find out when your street is scheduled for pickup, call the 24-hour leaf collection hotline at 203-618-7698 or use this link.
Great Pumpkin rescue
Let's squash food waste at "The Great Pumpkin Rescue" on November 12, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Cos Cob train station parking lot. Drop off your pumpkins and gourds and stay for the fun at this free, family friendly event organized by the Greenwich Conservation Commission and Waste Free Greenwich. Activities include lawn games, pumpkin smash and a compost demonstration. Painted pumpkins will NOT be accepted, and it’s BYO bat and eyewear for the pumpkin smash.
Can't attend? Don't trash your pumpkins. Drop them off near the yard waste area at Holly Hill transfer station. Remove seeds and add them to your backyard compost. Or put them in your yard as a treat for animals. For more details, see www.wastefreegreenwich/events
Greenwich Symphony returns next weekend
In the second concert of the 2022-23 season, American pianist Rachel Naomi Kudo will perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 with the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra. Under the baton of Maestro Stuart Malina, the 78-member orchestra also will perform Fantasia on a Theme and Brahms’ Symphony No. 2 at 7:30 p.m. November 12 and again at 3 p.m. November 13. There is an informal Q & A session following each concert. More information and tickets ($40 for adults; $10 for students) can be found here.
Silver Shield Foundation Greenwich Walk
The Silver Shield Foundation will hold its third Annual Greenwich Walk, in honor of the families of our fallen heroes and in memory of Bristol Police Lt. Dustin DeMonte and Sgt. Alex Hamzy, on Saturday, November 12, at Greenwich Point Park. Walkers will raise funds to support the organization’s mission of providing scholarships for children and surviving spouses of police officers, firefighters and EMS members killed in the line of duty.
The 2022 Walk will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the founding of The Silver Shield Foundation. More than 125 walkers participated in last year’s event, raising $103,000 to advance Silver Shield’s mission.
Walkers are requested to donate or raise a minimum of $100 and can register, donate, or sponsor on the Silver Shield Foundation website. The rain date is Sunday, November 13.
Turkey Trot time
Lace up the running shoes for the 12th annual Turkey Trot on Saturday, November 26. The Greenwich Alliance for Education, organizer of the fundraising event for Greenwich Public School programs, expects nearly 2,000 participants and spectators for the largest community event of the Thanksgiving weekend. For the first time, the First Selectman’s Youth Commission will be involved – as both volunteers and fundraisers – for the event. The Commission will be raising money to expand its scholarship program.
Registrants can choose from either a 5K race or a non-competitive 1-mile run/walk. Both races begin and end at the Arch Street Teen Center at 100 Arch St., and pace through the flat roads of Bruce Park. The 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk sponsored by Cadillac of Greenwich starts at 9:30 a.m., followed by the 5K at 10 a.m. Performance material t-shirts and goody bags are guaranteed to runners who register by November 11. More information can be found here.
Adoptable pets of the week
Sweet Potato is a dilute tortoiseshell kitten who is almost 4 months old. She is semi-feral but is coming out of her shell more each day with the care of the shelter staff. Sweet Potato is smart and curious and will be a BFF to a person or family. Please call Greenwich Animal Control at 203-622-8299 to meet this cute kitty.
Meet Junior
Meet Junior! He was found alone in an empty field as a puppy and is now approximately 2 years old. Junior was recently attacked by another dog, and Adopt-A-Dog stepped in and took over his care and medical expenses. Because of his past, Junior is slow to warm up to new people, and he takes some time to trust. He needs an understanding and patient family willing to give him the time he needs to feel comfortable and not push him until he's ready to become your best buddy. For more information about Junior, please use this link.
Condolences to the family of Lt. Lou Pannone
With deep regret, Chief James Heavey announced the recent death of Greenwich Police Lieutenant Louis Pannone.
Lt. Pannone began his career as a sworn officer on July 6, 1992. He began his service to the Department and the Town of Greenwich more than a decade earlier as Special Police Officer and Police Dispatcher from 1980 to 1992. Lt. Pannone also served as a Police Explorer and a volunteer firefighter with the Amogerone Volunteer Fire Company. He was 63 years old.
Lt. Pannone served in the Patrol Division before being promoted to Computer Systems Technician in 1995. In 2004 he was promoted to Sergeant and then to Lieutenant in 2016. His entire tenure as a supervisor was spent in the Patrol Division.
Lt. Pannone is survived by his father, his four siblings, and his three children, one of whom is a current Greenwich dispatcher.
We join all members of the Department in extending our sincere sympathy to the Pannone family. Services will be announced at a later date.
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And one final reminder, it’s time to fall back to Eastern Standard Time. Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, November 6, at 2 a.m. So please remember to set your clocks back one hour on Saturday night.
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Stay safe and all the best,
Fred