12/24/08 Obituary

SARICA, JOHN A. SR., 75, of Greenwich, Conn., a winter resident of St. Petersburg, died Monday (Dec. 22, 2004) at Greenwich Hospital. He was born in Port Chester, N.Y. He retired in 1973 as a police officer for Greenwhich after 20 years of service. He also was the owner of A-1 Limousine in Greenwich for 20 years. He was an Army corporal in the Korean War. He was past president and a founding member of the Silver Shield Association. He was a member of the Sons of Italy in St. Petersburg and the Pasadena Yacht Club. He was an avid golfer. Survivors include his wife, Dee Dolly Sarica; a son, John A. Jr., Greenwich; two daughters, Roseann Sarica Benedict and Angela Carino, both of Riverside, Conn.; a sister, Rosemarie Angi, Somer, N.Y.; and seven grandchildren. Castiglione Funeral Home, Greenwich, Conn.

===============================================================
Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

12/12/04 - News Clips - Town riders are back in the saddle

Source: Greenwich Time - Greenwich, Conn.

Author:

Hoa Nguyen; Staff Writer

..."It's something I've become passionate about," said Andrew M. Kissel, a Greenwich resident who has a daughter who rides. The real estate developer is the newest investor in Epona Stables...

...A rink is handy during the winter, when inclement weather makes it harder to give riding lessons and work out horses. Lack of a covered rink hurt Epona in the past because it limited the days when the stable could operate, [Paul Quirk] said...

...Though there is a need for more stables in town, horse owners are finding ways to get by, said Jennifer Freedman, head of the 90-year- old Greenwich Riding and Trails Asso-ciation. She bought her house because it had a barn and a paddock...

11/06/04 - Havenmeyer Building Costs

In a five-page report, Andrew Ashforth, co-chief executive officer of the real estate firm The Ashforth Co., examined occupancy costs over a 10-year period and then subtracted the properties' residual value from those costs. Constructing a new building on the Havemeyer site would cost $4.4 million, while purchasing an existing 30,000-square-foot building in town would cost $5.5 million to $6.2 million, his report said. Ashforth estimated renovation costs for the Havemeyer Building at $8.9 million and calculated the cost of renting office space at $9 million over 10 years.

Full Story Greenwich Time

==============================================
Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

10/30/04 - Police Blotter - Child Safety Alert

Occupants of the vehicle pulled alongside a soccer field at the Greenwich Civic Center at 90 Harding Road around 5 p.m. on a yesterday and asked a player to get in the vehicle, according to Lt. Daniel Allen, department spokesman.

10/28/04 - Happy Halloween - Water Prices Are Going Down

Water prices for residents of Greenwich and Darien will drop, while bills for other Fairfield County residents will stay the same after a rate increase by Aquarion Water Co. was rejected.

In a final decision issued yesterday afternoon, the state Department of Public Utility Control ordered Bridgeport-based Aquarion Water Co. to cut rates for the Greenwich division, which also serves Darien.

10/23/04 - There Should Be Enough Flu Shots For Staff And Patients

According to press reports

All the homes expect to have enough doses for both patients and staff.

The Nathaniel Witherell is waiting for the CDC to distribute scarce doses to the state Department of Public Health, which will supply municipal health departments.

Greenwich Woods and Haven Health both said their supplier has assured them the doses they need will be available by December.

10/22/04 - According To Town Records - Antares Moorland LLC Recieved A Stop Work Order

Officials discovered the alleged violations and issued stop work orders to the Greenwich firm,

Antares Mooreland LLC. The firm received wetlands permission in the spring to build backcountry residences at vacant lots No. 9 Mooreland Road and No. 7 Langhorne Lane, and to rebuild a larger house at 44 Mooreland Road.

October 17, 2004 - Survey: Town cops could do better - Greenwich Time

The results of a wide-ranging survey of residents gives high marks to police officers for responding to day-to-day problems, but shows respondents feel the department could do better solving law-enforcement problems in specific neighborhoods."Police officers received high ratings in performance when there is contact made by residents but in contrast received lower ratings in being proactive in dealing with neighborhood issues or topics of crime prevention," the survey concluded.The survey confirmed the department's perception that residents want better communication with police to reduce quality-of-life problems such as traffic and noise, as well as more substantial issues regarding drugs, youth crime and other offenses, according to Chief James Walters and Capt. Michael Pacewicz, director of strategic planning for the department."The survey indicates the community feels there is not enough specific contact with the officers in neighborhoods," Walters said. "We want to work on getting officers to make the contacts with residents and fold the community policing concept into what we're doing."The department's community policing initiative, which Walters launched in mid-2003, is an attempt to solve quality-of-life problems and address the root causes of crime by seeking resident input to help target enforcement and better understand the intricacies of each neighborhood.Pacewicz said 600 of the multiple choice surveys were mailed to randomly chosen addresses in the town's five ZIP codes, yielding 158 anonymous responses between May and July. Police analyzed the responses to 95 questions to calculate average ratings for quality of life, crime and neighborhood concerns, and the effectiveness of the police department's response to crimes both townwide and by ZIP code. The five ZIP codes submitted similar numbers or replies: 32, 35, 31, 32, and 28.Patrol officers are being given greater autonomy to solve problems, officials said, and most recently the department divided the town into three sectors -- north, east, and west -- and assigned individual officers to work those beats permanently in hopes of establishing stronger ties and communication with residents. Police have also begun organizing an advisory council of residents to air concerns throughout the town."In Greenwich we have a very limited amount of street crime so we really want to know what the major quality-of-life issues are," Pacewicz said.Asked to rate their approval of the police department on a scale of 1 to 5, residents townwide gave the department a rating of 4 and rated traffic (4.25) as the most pressing threat to their quality of life. But evaluations of the department's handling of perennial law-enforcement challenges such as juvenile crime, school incidents, enforcement of drug laws and several other categories ranged between average and unsatisfactory."I am confident in GPD," one backcountry resident wrote. "However the Department needs more (officers). I reside in the backcountry where few if any officers patrol the area in the mornings when people speed on North Street."On a scale of 1 to 5, police officers and dispatchers responding to calls for service received an overall rating of 4.01, with various criteria including helpfulness, knowledge, interest, courtesy and attitude factored in."Our officers got very high marks for performance and demeanor," Pacewicz said.Most residents untouched by crime contend with less sensational issues such as traffic and development, Michael Tedesco, president of the King Street Homeowners Association said. Tedesco said he considers bad and inattentive drivers the big-gest threat to his safety."I really think the Greenwich Police Department does a really good job," Tedesco said. "Anything they can do to make it better would be great but I have no real requests."Respondents townwide gave police average ratings for presence in neighborhoods, (2.94) and for enforcing traffic laws (2.93) and a below average rating for preventing juvenile crime (2.29) and enforcing drug laws (2.05).Concerning police performance for enforcing drug laws, residents in different ZIP codes gave the department ratings from 1.81 in Old Greenwich to 2.21 in the 06830 area code, which encompasses Byram, Belle Haven and central Greenwich.In written comments on the most important issues facing the town today, many respondents cited alcohol and drug abuse and delinquency among youth."Young kids hanging out on Greenwich Avenue in packs," one respondent wrote."Underage drinking, drugs," another respondent wrote. "Kids hanging out on the Avenue at night are asking for trouble."After traffic, residents rated the five most important law-enforcement issues affecting them as drugs, residential burglary, white-collar crime, hate crime, and violent crime.Pacewicz said that white-collar crime such as identity theft and credit card fraud have become more common in town in the past five years."I think many more residents have become victims of those crimes," Pacewicz said.Pacewicz said that drug investigations are difficult for town officers because few transactions are actually conducted in public, unlike more urban areas."In terms of narcotics sales, a lot of it goes on behind closed doors in this town," Pacewicz said.Asked to rate a list of suburban blights including vandalism, loud music and parties, theft, and poor street repair, all were categorized as minor or negligible problems."The survey has to be taken in the context that most respondents rated the town as being a very safe place to live in," Pacewicz said.The survey also asked respondents if they would support assigning a school resource officer to help school security staff establish a safe school environment, and develop relationships with teenagers, parents,and school officials, and if they support community policing. The majority of respondents said they were unfamiliar with both initiatives.Walters said this fall the department has added two training programs to spur officers to be more community oriented.Lieutenants will take courses in public speaking to help them make better presentations to community groups, Walters said.To teach officers to act more independently, Walters said the department's field training officers will be taught how to teach new officers problem-solving techniques. The field training program is a 12-week period in which experienced officers work alongside rookies."We want to empower our patrol officers to work with members of the community," Walters said. "I want them to be creative and give them more freedom and confidence."

10/16/04 - Police Blotter - Child Safety Alert

Yesterday around 3 p.m. a man in a green minivan stopped two young girls on Lockwood Road and asked them to get in, police said.

10/13/04 - First Selectman jim lash Swears In New Police Officer

Brian R. Perusse, 21, became a police officer at a swearing-in ceremony this morning at Town Hall.

With his parents and sister looking on, Perusse took an oath to uphold state and local laws and the U.S. Constitution, administered by First Selectman Jim Lash.

Perusse's hiring brings the department to its maximum force of 157 sworn officers, said Sgt. Jeffrey Moran of the Greenwich Police Training Division. The starting salary is $45,723.

10/10/04 - Greenwich Roundup For The Week Of 10/04/04 Thru 10/10/04

According to press reports:

Flanked by James Walters and Selectman Penny Monahan yesterday, Jim Lash said town payroll accountants' recent conclusion that the town had overpaid Gray and other activated reservists was wrong. Lash said Gray would be reimbursed the $500 and future paychecks would be issued for the regular amount.

#######

About 75 people attended the open house, including First Selectman Jim Lash, Selectmen Peter Crumbine and Penny Monahan, state Reps. Claudia "Dolly" Powers, Livvy Floren and Lile Gibbons, and dozens of town employees.

Floren, a Republican, is seeking a third term representing the 149th District in the state House of Representatives, which includes eastern Greenwich and parts of Stamford. She is being challenged by Kim Hynes, a Stamford Democrat.

10/10/04 - Is It Time To Start Organizing A Group To Stop Parents From Allowing Underage Drinking In Thier Homes?

A Greenwich High School student was hospitalized last night due to heavy alcohol consumption.

Many parents do allow underage drinking in their homes, and it is particularly time the community had a discussion about this problem.

10/02/04 - A community college for greenwich ?

David Levinson, who became president of the state's largest community college six weeks ago, said last week he would like to see the school open locations in Ridgefield and Greenwich. Levinson said he has already discussed his vision with Ridgefield officials, but has not had talks in Greenwich or sought a location.

"We're thinking perhaps in Greenwich, but this is very exploratory," he said. "We need to reach out more to the southern part of Fairfield County. One of the interesting things I foresee there is not only offering educational programs but some of the cultural events that I think pull people in Greenwich. And the other thing there too, strategically, is to bring people from Westchester County and New York."

10/01/03 - GT News Clip - "It's certainly not our intention for us to advertise for people from Greenwich to come walk their dogs in Stamford,"

Dannel Malloy, who recalled having a general conversation on the subject of a dog park with former Greenwich First Selectman Richard Bergstressser more than a year ago, but nothing since.

09/25/04 Margolies Murder Inquiry Resumes: GPD Detectives Finally Get off Their Ass And Again Fly Down To Texas To See Former PCPD Officer Roger Bates

By Martin B. Cassidy - Greenwich Time

Two Greenwich detectives interviewed former Port Chester, N.Y., police officer Roger Bates this week as part of their investigation of the 1984 murder of Greenwich teen Matthew Margolies, the police chief said yesterday.

The detectives flew to Dallas over the weekend and returned earlier this week after talking to Bates, who was recently convicted in Texas of child molestation, Greenwich Police Chief James Walters said.

"The only thing I can say is that they went out and spoke to Roger Bates about the case and we will be following up on any information he provided," Walters said.

Detectives Timothy Duff and Gary Hoffkins, along with an investigator from the Chief State's Attorney's Office, spoke to Bates, who moved to Garland, Texas, from Port Chester in 1998. Bates, 60, was convicted earlier this month of two counts of sexual assault of a child and sentenced to two consecutive 11-year prison terms for molesting a 14-year-old Garland boy.

Walters declined yesterday to say whether Bates is a suspect in the Margolies murder or what information Greenwich police sought from him.

John Read, Bates' attorney, said he had no problem with his client talking to Greenwich detectives again about the unsolved murder. Greenwich police interviewed Bates in the past, and there was no new information to uncover, said Read, who practices law in Dallas.

"This Greenwich thing is weird," Read said. "He's been through this before and has nothing to hide."

During Bates' sentencing, a friend of Matthew Margolies testified that Bates had molested him in 1984. The man, who is now 36, said he, Bates and Margolies fished together on one occasion that year, Shelley Hallman, a Dallas County assistant district attorney who prosecuted Bates, said last week.

Hallman also said last week that Bates would be required to submit a DNA sample to a centralized database kept by the FBI.

Walters has not said whether police are seeking samples of Bates' DNA.

Read said yesterday that the Connecticut man's accusations against Bates were false and his testimony about fishing irrelevant.

"So what?" Read said. "Roger was always taking someone hunting or fishing. That's what he does."

Read also said he has filed notice of appeal of the Texas conviction.

Calls to Hallman Thursday and yesterday were not returned.

Margolies disappeared Aug. 31, 1984, and his body was found five days later, buried in the woods near his Pilgrim Drive home in Pemberwick. He had been stabbed, strangled and suffocated, according to an autopsy report.

Officers who served with Bates in the Port Chester Police Department characterized him as a solid policeman with good people skills. Bates worked for the department from 1975 to 1985 after transferring from the Mount Pleasant Police Department, said Lt. James Ladeairous of the staff services division.

Port Chester Police Chief Joseph Krezeminski said Bates was quick on his feet and very persuasive with the public and fellow officers.

"Roger was a real smooth operator and he could charm you if he wanted to," Krezeminski said. "He did do a lot of good police work, but apparently he had this dark side."

Ladeairous, who joined the force the same year as Bates, remembered his colleague's neat appearance and that women would occasionally visit the station looking for him.

"He was very good with people," Ladeairous said. "There were times women would come in and ask, 'Is Roger working?' I'm not saying he was a ladies' man, but I guess he was attractive to the opposite sex."

Bates didn't chat about hobbies or other interests, Ladeairous said.

"He had a wife or two kids and he wasn't a gun nut, like some guys that you would remember them for that," Ladeairous said. "He was kind of blah."

Bates left the department with disability pay from a back injury in 1985, he said.

Capt. John Telesca said he never noticed anything strange about Bates' behavior.

"He didn't display any indication of what he's convicted of," Telesca said. "Not like people who wear it like a badge advertising their peculiarities."

Telesca recalled Bates working for a short time as a detective in the Port Chester youth bureau.

"People who worked with him here have called and asked what this is all about," Telesca said. "People are just shaking their heads because life is full of surprises."

PLEASE SEE:

TWO YEARS AGO !!!!!

02/24/02 Forget About The Greenwich Time: Independant Journalist Kevin F. McMurray Says There Is A Possible Break In The Margolis Case?

02/27/02 Forget About The Greenwich Time: Independant Journalist Kevin F. McMurray Says Juvenile Margolies Murder Suspect Has Criminal Record

09/25/04 - Louis C. Lustenberger Reports On Daniel Warzoha

The report prepared by Irvington, N.Y., lawyer Louis C. Lustenberger cites interviews with Daniel Warzoha, 14 career firefighters and others, written statements of four career firefighters, press reports and other sources in reaching its conclusions. The report affirms the union's allegations that Warzoha drank alcohol at the Polish Club of Glenville before taking command at a fire on Davis Avenue on Dec. 5.

Warzoha could not be reached for comment. Emanuel Margolis, an attorney representing the chief, said he advised Warzoha against commenting on the report.

The union called for Warzoha's resignation nine months ago, after alleging that Warzoha had been drinking before assuming command at the Davis Avenue fire.

09/12/04 - School Safety Study Presented To The Board Of Education

The study, presented at last week's Board of Education meeting, was commissioned by Greenwich Public Schools to examine safety issues affecting students who walk to Cos Cob School, Julian Curtiss Magnet School, Central Middle School and Greenwich High School.

09/11/04 - Chris Says Throw The Bum Out

Christopher von Keyserling has led the charge to remove Victor Coudert Jr. from office, accusing Coudert of conducting secret meetings, fudging records and flip-flopping on key issues.

09/10/04 - Andreoni Stands Up For Nathaniel Witherell

"For the life of me, why would I want to spend $46 million and then hand this building over to a private entity?"

Felix Andreoni, a District 4/Byram delegate to the RTM who has worked as housekeeping director at Nathaniel Witherell for the last three years, said during an informational session held at Greenwich High School last night.

09/03/04 - Headmaster Alan Capasso said Greenwich scores should be higher

School News

Greenwich scores were significantly better than the state averages, which were 46.1 percent for the percentage of students testing at or above goal in math, 47.4 percent in science, 48 percent in reading and 53.7 percent in writing. But Greenwich High School interim Headmaster Alan Capasso said Greenwich scores should be higher.

09/01/04 - Matt Carstensen

A private in the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment based in Alaska, Matt Carstensen flew late last year to Afghanistan, where he joined U.S. forces in running counterinsurgency missions, border patrols and other assignments intent on rooting out Taliban forces.

Greenwich News Roundup 8/2/04 thru 8/8/04

Greenwich resident John Fareri and his real estate development company bought the property for $5.2 million last year after Competition & Sports Cars abandoned plans to build a BMW showroom and service facility there.

The town is negotiating contracts with the Silver Shield Association police union and three other unions, the Greenwich Firefighters Local 1042, Connecticut Public Health Nurses Association Local 1303-222 and Teamsters Local 456, all of whose contracts expired June 30. The terms of the expired contracts remain in effect until new ones are signed, town labor officials said.

A Greenwich woman who was injured in June 2003 when the heel snapped off her shoe, causing her to fall down a flight of stairs at her home, has filed a lawsuit against Grossman Shoes in Greenwich and Prada USA Corp.

The Week Of 7/19/04 thru 7/25/04

Ellen Mello, whose son, Chris DeMeo, sat directly behind the suspected ringleader of the hijackings, Mohamed Atta, on American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane to hit the World Trade Center, lamented the political climate greeting the World Trade Center report's release. Her son, a 25- year-old Greenwich native, Princeton University graduate and telecom analyst, was on a business trip.

Greenwich earmarked nearly $30,000 in its 2004-05 budget for new voting machines, which will be required nationwide in two years under the Help America Vote Act of 2002. But town officials said they recently learned that the secretary of the state's office had yet to develop a uniform set of standards for new voting machines. Some people warned that the office could recommend technology other than optical scanners.

The board voted unanimously to recommend changing the Town Charter to officially give it oversight of construction projects at the nursing home. As it stands, the charter requires that the Board of Health initiate and oversee all such projects. The health board had agreed with the prior Nathaniel Witherell board to make the charter change, board member David Ormsby said, but it never reached the Board of Selectmen or Representative Town Meeting for approval.

7/17/04 - Lucie Labreche Queening Of ARC Wins An Award

Lucie Labreche-Queening, a Stamford resident who has worked since 1999 as health services director at ARC of Greenwich, was named Connecticut's Private Sector Nurse of the Year Monday by the state Department of Mental Retardation.

Formerly known as the Association of Retarded Citizens and largely funded by the United Way of Greenwich, ARC currently oversees 61 people in 11 group homes in Greenwich and Stamford.

========================================

Please your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

July 9, 2004 - School Notes

Phillip Williamson, the assistant principal at Hamilton Avenue School since 1999, will go to North Mianus School, and Carleen Wood, a special education coordinator in Greenwich since 2002, will go to Cos Cob School.

Full Service Greenwich Time

============================================
Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

Friday, July 16, 2004 - Boo boo Hits The Lottery For $100,000

After years of gambling, Donald Smith "Boo-boo" Smith has superstitions about lucky days, weeks, even months, and Friday, July 16, was not supposed to be lucky. But an employee at Greenwich Cigar and Stationery, where the Chickahominy resident buys his lottery tickets nearly every day, persuaded him to buy a one that Friday. Smith scratched it off and saw immediately that he had won $100,000.

At that point, Smith said his heart was pounding so fast that he had to rush over to the Bruce Park Grill, another favorite haunt, to settle down with a drink. A few minutes later, he called a friend who is a taxi driver, offered him $200 to chauffeur him around for the day and the pair took off for New Britain to claim Smith's winnings. They returned in the afternoon and spent the rest of the day celebrating at the Bruce Park Grill.

Paul "Gov" Rachl, a bartender at the Bruce Park Grill who has known Smith for more than 30 years, said patrons were dubious about Smith's good fortune at first.

The week ending 8/15/04

Real Estate - Open Space

"We acquired properties through Mr. van der Stricht's hard work in encouraging people to give land to be preserved as open space for perpetuity," Greenwich Land Trust co-founder Daniel Badger said in a recent interview with Greenwich Time.

Remembering Mr. Rockafeller Accomplishments

Mr. James Stillman Rockefeller attended Yale University, where he rowed for all four years of his college career. He became team captain in his senior year and led his team in beating Harvard University's crew, which was then considered the best in the nation. Yale's victory over Harvard at their annual regatta earned Mr. Rockefeller's crew the right to compete in the Olympics as the United States team.

Family Feud

Lucy Eisenberg and Jessica Matthews wanted to sell their portions of the property; Tuchman wanted to continue living on the property, which includes a house, stables, several small cottages and acres of open space. The sisters were unable to work out an agreement and, in October 2000, Eisenberg and Matthews sued Tuchman.