At right, Greenwich High School band members Palmer Foote and Leah Tagliarino kept perfect time during Thursday morning’s Thanksgiving football match-up between the Cardinals and Staples High School of Westport. Those who did come out for the game watched a blowout match with Greenwich beating Staples 27-0. — David Ames photo
Citing current economic conditions and a lack of progress, the Greenwich Center for the Arts (GCA) announced this week it was winding down nearly five years of efforts to renovate the Havemeyer Building into an arts center.
For about 8,000 to 10,000 Greenwich residents, now is the time to save some money or confirm that what you already have is good enough.
With completion seemingly more in sight than ever, the Board of Education is proceeding as though the new Hamilton Avenue School will be ready for students to enter on Jan. 5.
Though issues still have to be resolved and a temporary certificate of occupancy (TCO) has not yet been granted by the town’s building department, Board of Education Chairwoman Nancy Weissler said Wednesday morning that steps, including environmental testing, will go forward on the assumption the building will be ready. Building Committee Chairman Frank Mazza said the committee could seek a TCO this week, and even if it wasn’t granted this week, it likely could be soon after.
“We’re very close,” Mr. Mazza said at the meeting.
Originally Ms. Weissler had set a “drop dead date” of Dec. 5 to have a TCO because the board would need a month to get the building ready for occupancy and school resumes after the holiday break on Jan. 5. If the building wasn’t going to be ready by then, the board had been prepared to wait until April to make the move, but despite Mr. Mazza saying that the TCO would “probably not” be granted by Friday, Ms. Weissler said enough progress had been made to proceed.
“We’re assuming, based on what we heard today, that if we don’t have it by Friday, we will have it shortly thereafter,” Ms. Weissler told the Post after the meeting. “That will allow us to get the kids in over the Christmas break.”
The oft-delayed construction is more than two years behind schedule, and there have been many moments when a TCO seemed to be within the committee’s grasp before another issue emerged. But committee members were optimistic Wednesday morning that the project could finally be coming to an end.
“We feel more comfortable now than we’ve ever been,” committee member Syl Pecora said as the committee reviewed outstanding issues related to occupancy of the building at a meeting Tuesday afternoon between the architect, contractor and project manager.
The main issue remains air flow testing in the building, to be sure the right amount of air is getting to all the rooms. According to PinnacleOne, which serves as the project manager, exhaust fans for the bathrooms on the first floor adjacent to the administrative offices and on the second floor are not meeting the minimum requirements for ventilation. However, the project architect, Swanke Hayden Connel, believes that simply changing the ventilation grills will fix that problem because there is adequate air flow in the ducts. That work was scheduled to be done yesterday, and Mr. Mazza said he believed it could be resolved this week......
......Mr. Mazza and committee member Thomas Heagney have been meeting regularly with the town Building Department to resolve the outstanding issues. Mr. Heagney said at the meeting that if the TCO wasn’t granted by Friday, the committee could at least get a short list of what still has to be resolved to get it, so action may be taken quickly.
Cracks in the garage and an ineffective garage fan are also still unresolved, but are not thought to be obstacles to a TCO. It may result in teachers having to park off site temporarily, since the lower level of the parking garage might not be ready, but several nearby solutions, including using the field, an unoccupied lot controlled by Greenwich Hospital and nearby St. Roch’s Church, were all suggested as possible options.
“We’ll figure out a way to make it work,” Assistant Superintendent of Schools Susan Wallerstein said at the meeting, adding that the district would just need adequate time and notice to get an alternate parking plan in place......
Written by Ken Borsuk, Staff Reporter
Concerns about equal funding for all schools at a time of tightening budgets could result in cuts to the magnet program at Hamilton Avenue School.
Board of Education member Marianna Ponns Cohen indicated at Tuesday’s board budget meeting that she would be requesting a cut in the school’s Suzuki music program so the money could be used elsewhere in the district. Board members also questioned the need for Hamilton Avenue students to continue offering ice skating at the Dorothy Hamill Rink and swimming at the Boys & Girls Club once the new building is complete. Cuts could be proposed at the board’s Dec. 11 meeting.
The 2009-10 school budget is currently proposed at $127 million. Current economic conditions have resulted in a call for belt tightening and for First Selectman Peter Tesei to ask for 10% reductions in non-salary accounts for all town departments. The board’s budget is within Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET) guidelines.
Hamilton Avenue School will have a Vanguard magnet program including such features as Suzuki music and a theater program to try to attract students from outside the Hamilton Avenue neighborhood to attend the school. Ms. Ponns Cohen said she worried the magnet programs were “too rich” and “... the rest of the district’s children were suffering as a consequence.”
“We have a set pool of resources, and we need to understand very clearly that by giving to A, what are we taking away from B,” Ms. Ponns Cohen said. “Based on what I have seen over the past year in terms of the academic performance across the district, we need to put our money in programs like reading and math. Programs like these [Suzuki music and theater] are a luxury.”
No price tags were attached to the features in the magnet program, and board members asked district staff for clarification on that before the Dec. 11 meeting.....
.....The board’s discussion came after a short public hearing about the budget, when the plan to have staff members cut again came under fire.
Calls to restore school social workers and high school guidance counselors to the budget were heard, as was the concern from parent Anna Saras that when it comes to money, not all the schools in the district were being treated equally. She said that because of the economic downturn, resources had to be distributed on a “need to have” and not a “would like to have” basis.
Ms. Saras has been a critic of the creation of new district magnet schools, which try to draw students from all over town, saying they receive preferential treatment over traditional neighborhood schools. She said her analysis of the budget showed there were, again, instances of inequality.
“Certain schools are funded and operated like boutiques, and others are stretching their dollars to try and offer supplemental programs to their student body,” Ms. Saras said.
“Many times they are not able to do so effectively. Many students do not receive the resources they need to succeed and must do so with the best they have. The consequences of inequitable funding have been evidenced by recent disappointing test scores and the results of the Harris Survey.”
The Harris Survey recently showed decreased satisfaction with schools among parents, teachers and students.
The Dec. 11 budget meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. at Cos Cob School, will include a public hearing, and any proposed budget changes will be discussed. The board is tentatively set to vote on the budget Dec. 18.
The planned expansion of Whitby School on Lake Avenue is on hold, pending approval by the town’s fire marshal, who the school’s attorney, Bruce Cohen, said is looking to add sprinklers to the proposal.
The following are Dec. 4’s released arrests:
APPEAR
Edward Denson, 42, of Stamford was arrested Dec. 2 and charged with second degree failure to appear. Denson had been taken into custody by Stamford police who then turned him over to Greenwich on the outstanding warrant. Denson had allegedly failed to appear in court Nov. 21 for misuse of plates, driving while under suspension, operating an unregistered motor vehicle and not having any insurance. Denson was released on a $500 surety bond and is due in court Dec. 10.
EVADING
Nicholas Blatsiotis, 43, of 389 Farms Road was arrested Dec. 3 and charged with evading responsibility. Police investigated an accident in which the driver reportedly fled once he learned police were being called. Witness descriptions allowed police to track the license plate number, which led the police to Blatsiotis. He eventually turned himself in at the suggestion of his attorney. Blatsiotis was also cited for unsafe backing. He was released on a $1,000 cash bond and is due in court Dec. 10.
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