NEIGHBORHOODS

What’s going on in your part of Greenwich

Western Greenwich

The town is continuing to battle safety problems and traffic congestion along West Putnam Avenue and its side streets in the area where many auto dealerships are located.

Town Director of Planning and Zoning

Katie DeLuca updated the

Board of Selectmen on Thursday on efforts to work with auto dealerships about safe loading and unloading of vehicles from large car carriers.

“Even though the car carriers have designated spaces to off load, it’s not managed,” DeLuca said. “As a result, it causes serious traffic concerns. We’ve had zoning enforcement out there trying to control it, and it’s literally a full-time job. We asked the police to help, and they don’t have the resources to sit there and manage the space.”

Currently, there is one designated loading and unloading zone used by the Porsche dealership, and the other dealerships have space on their properties.

A plan for a possible second zone on Edgewood Avenue was abandoned, DeLuca said, because the town could not provide the needed management.

“It could potentially cause more problems and issues there,” DeLuca told the board. Instead, the town has told the car dealerships to only use the designated areas on their own properties for loading and unloading vehicles.

The problem stopped temporarily after a dealership paid a security guard to enforce the rules. But the dealer stopped using a security guard and neighbors have told the town that the problem has returned to a smaller degree.

The problem will “continue to creep back” until a permanent solution is found, DeLuca said.

Some blame the third-parties that operate the car carriers, saying they don’t know where to go, she said. But DeLuca said she was “not sure that was the case” based on her department’s site visits.

DeLuca has been working for a solution with the Greenwich Police Department and the Department of Public Works as well as some of the dealerships. The Porsche dealer submitted a proposal, she said, but she has not had time to fully review it.

“We are working on it still, and the ultimate goal is to eliminate the loading zone but still have Porsche have a dedicated space to load and unload,” DeLuca said.

Downtown

Greenwich residents can get a jump on the latest spring fashions while helping the residents of Parsonage Cottage.

From March 5 through March 7, the J.McLaughlin clothier shop at 55 E. Putnam Ave. will donate 15 percent of all sales to the independent senior living residence on Parsonage Road.

Shoppers must mention Parsonage Cottage when the cashier rings up their purchases.

“We are highly appreciative of the continued support of J.McLaughlin,” Parsonage Cottage’s Executive Director Penny Lore said. “Our staff is focused on always giving our residents a variety of experiences that will enjoy and enable them to thrive and flourish. We are extremely grateful for the community support for Parsonage Cottage, enabling us to deliver first-class amenities and attention to our residents.”

Kristin Kidder, store manager at J.McLaughlin’s Greenwich location said, “The culture of J.McLaughlin as a company is one of being good neighbors by giving back to the community. It’s at the core of our corporate mission. We are happy to be part of supporting such a treasured community asset as Parsonage Cottage.”

Residents can hop in person at J.McLaughlin or call their orders into the store. The store is providing curbside pickup, home delivery and complimentary shipping. The store can be reached via email at stctgreenwich@ jmclaughlin.com or by phone at 203-862-9777.

The store is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

Old Greenwich

Want to cook more and waste less? The Perrot Memorial Library in Old Greenwich is teaming up with Waste Free Greenwich for a free virtual class that will “teach participants how to transform often discarded food scraps into delicious and surprising culinary creations.”

On Wednesday, March 3, at 7 p.m. they will present a Zoom book discussion and cooking demonstration with Lindsay-Jean Hard, author of “Cooking with Scraps: Turn Your Peels, Cores, Rinds, and Stems into Delicious Meals.”

Waste Free Greenwich founder Julie DesChamps said, “40 percent of food in the U.S. is wasted from farm to fork, which has huge impacts on climate change, biodiversity and natural resources. But each of us can take easy, actionable steps to cut our food waste at home, which is, surprisingly, the main source of this waste. Prevention through smarter food planning, shopping and storage is key.”

The presentation will include an opportunity to cook along with Hand as she makes carrot top pesto.

The recipe can be found at www.fullcircle.com/recipes/ 1766/carrot-top-pesto.

The program can be found online at perrotlibrary.org/ events.html.

The program will also include waste-reducing tips for storing and preparing meals, which Waste Free Greenwich said it fits perfectly with its new “Save the Food Challenge.” Its goal is to empower residents to reduce household food waste by 25 percent through prevention, donation and composting.

Glenville

Abilis, a Glenville-based nonprofit that provides services for individuals with special needs and their families, will hold a free virtual information session on “Maximizing Government Benefits for Young Adults with Special Needs Entering the Workforce.”

The presenters will be Michael Beloff, a wealth adviser at Stratos Wealth Management, and Jennifer Tenney, a program manager at West Virginia University.

“The virtual webinar is designed to help parents, caregivers and young adults with special needs to learn to maintain their government benefits while having a job,” Abilis said. A job is important for young adults with a disability, for money, a sense of purpose, and responsibility.

But “entering the workforce can prompt many questions and concerns about how earnings from working may affect their government benefits such as with Medicaid (HUSKY), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and SNAP,” Abilis said.

Beloff, who has a son with autism, has more than 15 years of financial services experience. He is a chartered special needs consultant and has extensive training on the “complex topics and particular challenges of caring for a dependent with special needs.”

A town resident, he is a member of the First Selectman’s Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities.

Tenney has worked in the field of employment for people with disabilities for more than 17 years and is an expert in the area of working while receiving Social Security benefits.

The Zoom webinar will take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 4, and is open to the public. Registration is required at www.abilis.us/calendar.