Officials to break ground on Cardinal Stadium
Work unlikely to be complete in time for graduation
GREENWICH — A groundbreaking is set for this week as construction begins at Cardinal Stadium, but it is looking unlikely that all of the work will be completed in time for Greenwich High School’s graduation.
Officials had hoped that Phases 1a and 1b would be far enough along in time for the June graduation at GHS. But on Friday, Superintendent of Schools Toni Jones said in an email that the goal is to have those phases “ready for late September.”
First Selectman Fred Camillo and GHS Director of Athletics Gus Lindine will join Board of Education member Joe Kelly and GHS PTA copresident Stephanie Cowie for the groundbreaking event at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
In the project’s Phase 1a, the old bleachers on the stadium’s home side were demolished and new ones were fabricated off site. The work
also includes adding a new press box in the bleachers, new team room, new bathrooms and new snack bar.
Last month, the Board of Estimate and Taxation authorized the release of $1.7 million for the remaining work in Phase 1b, which will add a new ticket kiosk and handicap accessible parking spaces. The BET pushed back consideration of releasing that funding from January to February.
It now appears that work to install the bleachers might not be done by the original target date of the June graduation.
At the time of the delay, Greenwich Public Schools COO Sean O’Keefe warned the BET that pushing back authorization could delay signing the contracts, which could push the work off schedule.
That authorization was given in February, and the Board of Education has not given up hope on a June completion.
Kelly, who has been overseeing the project for the board, said it would be a “real stretch” to have the bleachers done in time. But he said, “I am not someone who takes no for an answer” and said he would continue to hope for an on-time completion.
“I’m going to be pushing forward 1,000 mph,” Kelly said.
Jones said that the project’s architect “is currently working to reset the schedule since the funding was slightly delayed.”
In a related move, the BET’s Budget Committee voted on Friday to defer the $4.8 million allocation in the 2021-22 budget for Phase 2 of the stadium project.
That phase would include replacing the visiting side bleachers as well as a new connecting road from East Putnam Avenue to the stadium. The BET has expressed concerns that the project is not ready for the funding since it will need many approvals for the road, including from the town and the state Department of Transportation.
Friday’s delay was not a surprise; the Budget Committee had indicated to the Board of Education and district officials that it was coming.
“You probably don’t know a lot of the details about what you’re ultimately going to need to build this project,” Budget Committee member Leslie Moriarty told the district and school board officials during a budget hearing last month.
“I’m wondering about the capital approach of asking for all the funds in one sum, and not asking for more planning money at this point and deferring the request right now for implementation,” she said at the time.
Sitting in our car in the parking lot of the now-defunct Lord and Taylor in Stamford, we shared celebratory doughnuts. With a thumbs-up, the National Guardsman cleared us to go.
Marsha and I had our first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and were surprised at the sense of optimism that came with the jab. Hoping that it would be an occasion for celebration, we had stopped on the way at the Lakeside Diner on Long Ridge Road to pick up some doughnuts.
The famous pastries (cinnamon sugar or plain) were a rare morning indulgence in our pandemic routine. Eating at home all day, every day, we’ve had to watch out for dietary excess.
We like to cook and have established a system of both familiar and new dishes that are reasonably healthy and lean. The emphasis is on chicken and fish while trying to steer clear of too many pizzas and burgers.
The problem is baking. We both like to bake and enjoy the results, but if you bake a pan of brownies or a Meyer lemon pound cake, somebody has to eat it.
It has been almost a year of baking experimentation: Hot cross buns, Boston cream pie, homemade fruit preserves, election cake and gingerbread houses. That’s in addition to the family standards: Ooatmeal cookies, banana cake, fudge, muffins and all the Christmas baking.
If that isn’t bad enough, some of the easiest and most successful pandemic takeaway foods come from bakeries.
Cakes from SoNo Baking, monkey bread from Wave Hill, cinnamon rolls from Cafe Dolce, and croissants from all of them are irresistible.
Our pandemic baking kicked off, like so many, with a sourdough starter. When yeast was scarce, we brewed up a successful starter and felt quite proud about it. Sadly, the bread is hard to make while biscuits, pancakes and the like are easy and quite delicious. But what good is a biscuit without butter and jam? And who would have pancakes without syrup? You can see the problem.
This spring, generous gifts of
Meyer lemons from down South led to muffins, cakes, bars and cookies. The sweet treats never end.
After some initial alarming calorie consumption, we’ve settled on a strategy of afternoon tea. As the day is winding down, the kettle heats up. A sweet treat and a few minutes of chat help to settle the day. It doesn’t always limit me to one goody per day, but knowing that there’s at least one sets some structure.
With this routine and some careful meal planning, we’ve been able to maintain our waistlines and even shrink them a little. We’re also exercising those willpower and discipline muscles. So far, so good.
Now, with the vaccination, we’re eager to get back to restaurants sometime soon. As vaccinations increase and the weather warms, eating outside or even inside becomes a tantalizing light at the end of the tunnel. We can’t wait.
All this home cooking has been fun, but restaurants need us, and I’m surprised to realize how much we need them.
The sense that our parking lot shot was the beginning of a return to normal (even if it’s a new normal) was unexpectedly strong. I know that with the slow rollout of the vaccinations, we’re not all on the same time line. And I know that it will never be the same for loved ones of those tragically taken by the virus.
I also know that for restaurant owners, workers and suppliers, the pandemic has been a miserable experience — one they hope never to repeat. Surely by summer or maybe even by Mother’s Day (the busiest day of the year for many restaurants) they’ll be able to welcome patrons inside and still use their newly found outdoor dining space. I’m hoping that they’ll soon be able to rehire servers, cooks, bartenders, and dishwashers; get back to their normal ecosystem of food, liquor, beer, laundry, and other suppliers; and be able to catch up on some overdue bills.
My hopes are a little selfish. I long to be in a restaurant, being served, taking in the hustle and bustle of the staff and patrons, and enjoying the ambiance as someone else cooks, serves and cleans up. I want to be relaxed for the experience, confident that I’m not at risk of infecting anyone, and convinced that no one is shedding virus my way.
In the meantime, we’re still baking, savoring afternoon tea, watching our waistlines, and waiting out the virus.
As vaccinations increase and the weather warms, eating outside or even inside becomes a tantalizing light at the end of the tunnel. We can’t wait.
NEW CANAAN — Up until now, nearly all the learning on the New Canaan Museum and Historical Society campus has taken place inside.
Executive Director Nancy Geary wants to change that by installing paths to each of the historic buildings and adding “educational and interpretive signage” to tell visitors about the antique treasures, and a constructing a terrace.
This COVID-inspired plan “will allow people to come and explore the campus and learn what it has, even if they don’t want to come inside, if they can’t come inside, or even if we are closed,” Geary said.
The five-person, three alternate Historic District Commission voted unanimously in favor of the project Thursday, Feb. 25.
“I think it’s a great addition to the campus,” Historic District Commission Chairman Tom Nissley said.
These additions will be “an unintrusive way to make the campus more inviting,” Geary said.
The pathways will connect the Rock School, a one-room school house; the Rogers Studio of the ‘people’s sculptor John Rogers; the Hanford-Silliman house built before 1765, the Cody Drug Store, and the Tool Museum.
The main building is called the Town House, which was New Canaan’s first municipal building.
The 20 by 20-foot terrace on Oenoke Ridge, will be located between the Cody Pharmacy and the Janet Lindstrom Room of the Town House.
The Historic District Commission intends to “promote the education, cultural, economic and
general welfare of the Town of New Canaan through the preservation
and protection of buildings, places and districts of historic interest within
the Town of New Canaan,” according to the town website.
When a hard rain falls in Ridgefield, First Selectman Rudy Marconi knows where the runoff will overflow the gutters and flow across the backyards.
“We all show up,’’ he said of the other town leaders who go from torrent to torrent, checking out the storm water rush.
These rainy day meetings will become more frequent. Climate change means more moisture in the atmosphere and heavier, more frequent downpours across the state.
For the immediate future, the best thing towns can do is prepare to mitigate those changes. New state legislation may help them do that.
Gov. Ned Lamont has proposed House Bill 6441 – An Act Concerning Climate Change Adaptation. There will be a public hearing on the bill Monday.
There are no overarching state mandates in the bill. Instead it contains enabling legislation that will allow towns to create their own climate change mitigation plans — and fund them — if they so choose.
“In Connecticut, if you want to do something, you have to have the legislation to allow you to do something,’’ said Robert LaFrance, policy director for Audubon Connecticut.
“It’s a huge step forward,’’ said Amy Blaymore Paterson, executive director of the Connecticut Land Conservation Council.
The proposed bill would, if passed, allow the state’s Green Bank to expand its portfolio to fund climate mitigation projects.
It would allow towns to create stormwater districts to address the issue of stormwater run-off and how it sends pollution into the state’s waterways and eventually, Long Island Sound. It would allow existing flood and erosion control boards to address the effects of climate change.
Most importantly, it would allow towns to charge a conveyance fee for real estate transactions. The towns would then set up a separate account for the fees they collect and designate a town commission or organization responsible for allocating the money.
This money could only be used to buy open space if the town meets the state’s housing standards of having at least 10 percent of its housing stock deemed affordable. According to a 2019 state report only six municipalities in Fairfield and Litchfield counties meet that standard — Bridgeport, Danbury, North Canaan, Norwalk, Torrington and Winchester.
Bethel First Selectman said he objects to towns being penalized for not meeting the affordable housing standards.
“But aside from that, that, I like it,’’ he said of the bill. “It’s a shame we don’t have stronger action from the federal government on climate change – maybe with the new administration, we will. But for now, the state has to do what it can.’’
Toward that end, LaFrance said the legislation does give towns latitude on spending the money they collect.
Work could include tree planting; urban forestry; wetland restoration; mitigation efforts to control flooding, including construction of swales and other landscaping designs.
“Let’s say you had a town park that gets flooded regularly,’’ LaFrance said. “The town could use the money to mitigate that flooding.’’
It could also provide a town with matching funds to apply for grants that address climate change or to fund long-term resiliency planning.
“It’s pretty broad.’’ said Catherine Rawson, executive director of the Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy — the state’s largest land trust
The legislation addresses this simple fact. Climate change is happening and people have to learn to address it.
“I think that’s happening.’’ LaFrance said. “A lot of town are now studying resiliency.’’
Paterson, of the Land Conservation Council, said the state’s 130 land trusts, like towns, are increasingly concerned with not just acquiring open space but in considering climate change in the stewardship of that land.
“They’re considering issues like wildlife protection preserving grasslands, forest preservation,’ she said.
Ann Astarita, executive director of the Roxbury Land Trust, said all land trusts are now thinking in these terms. She points to six acres of grassland the Roxbury trust is now using to provide wildlife habitat and to promote pollinators.
“I think it’s a mission of land trusts in general,’’ she said.
In Washington, Rory Larson, conservation science manager of the Steep Rock Association, said the association is now paying added attention to preserving intact forests and wildlife corridors within those forests.
“We’re doing a lot of work with invasive species,’’ he said.
In Ridgefield, Marconi said the town is now studying issues like the impact of road salt on wetlands.
“We need to take better
care of our environment,’’ he said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.’’