Attorney Tim Quinn said the Y has already spent more than $20,000 creating temporary spaces for its current members, including a temporary fitness room.
Why would the cost of a temporary ramp be prohibitive?????????
YMCA battles discrimination claim
A temporary handicapped access ramp can be built at the Greenwich Family YMCA, but the cost of it could delay renovations and hurt finances at the non-profit, according to an officer at the organization.
....since construction started membership has declined more than 10 percent. The facility must stay open to generate revenue......
....."I don't see why I have to be discriminated against in a place that without my disability, I would be allowed to use," said Gonzalez-Bunster.......
..... expert witness Jerry Sarnelli, owner of Sarnelli Construction in Stamford, who testified that a temporary ramp could be built where there is currently a deck, next to the new aquatics facility at the Y. He said it would cost $15,000 to $20,000 and take 30 days to complete.
Although Robert Brunetti, director of construction services for Pecora Brothers, inc., who is overseeing the Y project, agreed that the ramp could be built there, he testified it would take 60 to 90 days, cost more than $20,000 and ultimately delay the overall renovation, set to be complete by July 2009.
"It would be a distraction," he said.....
Full Story
COMMENT:
Wasting YMCA funds on an expensive and unnesssry lawsuit that they are going to loose is a distraction.
Maybe the YMCA should change contractors and get a bigger bang for their donor's buck.
Library close to naming director
After six months of searching, the Greenwich Library could name a new director by Friday. "The search committee has a recommended candidate," said Board of Trustees President David Brownwood, Monday.
Full Story
AND AN UPDATED STORY:
Library homes in on new director
A female candidate will travel to Greenwich this week for a final interview for the job of director of the Greenwich Library.
Full Story
Record 12 students picked for regional choir
Most high-school choir directors would be happy to have just three or four of their students selected for an elite regional choir, said Greenwich High School music teacher Patrick Taylor. Full Story
Tesei calls for spending cuts
By Neil Vigdor
Staff Writer
Posted: 12/09/2008 02:31:22 AM EST
Greenwich is going on a diet and it has nothing to do with New Year's resolutions.
Bracing for a second consecutive quarter of shrinking revenues from tax receipts, building permit fees and bank interest, the town is looking at a broad regimen of belt-tightening measures prescribed by First Selectman Peter Tesei.
In a Nov. 26 memo to all municipal department heads and appointing authorities, Tesei called for a 10-percent minimum reduction in nonsalary expenditures across-the-board by the town.
Tesei also wants to limit overtime, saying it should be reserved for when public safety warrants it or a potential liability emerges. All overtime requests are to be vetted by Tesei's office.
"We want to keep a lid on that," Tesei said. "It's another layer of approval aside from your typical, 'It's budgeted for, therefore we'll use it.' "
The town budgeted $4.5 million this fiscal year for overtime, an increase of 0.7 percent from the fiscal year that ended June 30.
Tesei said some overtime is unavoidable, including the recent decision to give public works employees additional hours to help with leaf collection.
"We want to get the leaves collected because of the potential hazard those pose once snow and ice materialize," Tesei said.
Members of the Board of Estimate and Taxation and the Representative Town Meeting, to whom copies of the Nov. 26 memo were sent, commended Tesei for his efforts to rein in spending during difficult ......
.....Michael Mason, chairman of the BET Budget Committee, said he wouldn't be surprised if Tesei looked to cut back hours of nonessential municipal programs and on the town's utility usage.
Despite the mantle of being one of Connecticut's most prosperous towns and one of the wealthiest in the nation, Mason said Greenwich has also been hit by the weak economy.
"We're not different than any other community," Mason said.
According to preliminary budget documents prepared for the BET, the town needs to shed about $10.5 million in spending from the projected $364 million budget to avoid an estimated 7.4 percent spike in property taxes for the 2009-10 fiscal year.
Cutting $10.5 million from next year's overall budget would put the town on pace to match the previous nine years, when taxes increased at a rate of 2 to 4 percent annually as prescribed by the bipartisan finance board.
"Obviously, the first order of priority is to be reduction of expenses, and I want that to be crystal clear," Tesei said.
To help the town close the budget gap, the BET has called for the elimination through attrition of 15 positions from the town's work force of 1,024 non-school employees.....
Full Story
We Hate To Say We Told You So,
But We Told Yo So .....
Posted by Greenwich Roundup at 12/08/2008 01:44:00 AM
Town Hall Insider Tom Greco Reports That Town Reserves Have All Been Spent Over The Last Year Or So. There Is No More Rainy Day Fund In Greenwich.
Quotes:
"The town has just realized that it is not going to meet next years budget."
"The mill rate will probably be held under 3% next year, because it is an election year. But who knows how high it will go after that if things don't improve."
- Thomas J. Greco (Greenwich Town Management Employee and RTM Member)
Deep cuts loom across the board in the town of Greenwich. They will affect us all.
Connecticut's richest town is cutting back on education for its children, services for those in need, and infrastructure.
Connecticut's richest town is cutting back on education for its children, services for those in need, and infrastructure.
Town employee Thomas J. Greco says Greenwich First Selectman Peter Tesei has ordered a non-salary budget reduction of 10% on the current budget which still has 7 months to go.
Part -time, temporary and seasonal positions have all been cut.
Travel must now be pre-approved by the first selectman's office.
All Over Time must also be pre-approved by the First Selectman's office.
CIP projects are going to be reviewed and possibly delayed by First Selectman Tesei. CIP requests currently exceed requests by 6 - 7 Million according to Greco.
There will be an increase in fees at Parks and recreation. Parking will be charged at Tod's point.
There will be a new process for the town ferry and beaches.No more day passes are going to be sold at the town dock. Parking Meters are going up at Horseneck lane. Plus two new parking enforcement officers will be hired on the weekend.
Greco also says the December First Selectman's meeting Will have even more draconian changes, because building permits have dried up as well as other sources of revenue.
Plus, Greco says the Nathaniel Witherall Board will be taken out of the town budget and set up with a revolving fund in the 2009 - 2010 budget much like the towns public golf coarse is set up. So it will be up to the Nathaniel Witherall Board to determine if the nursing home sinks or swims on it's own. There will be no town subsidy........
COMMENT:
Actually, Mr. Greco gave us this story last Wednesday, but we were almost as inefficient as Ex-Greenwich Time Editor Joe Pisani, who was known for sitting on news stories for years. It took us 5 days to confirm and post Mr. Greco's claims.
But with in 25 hours of our post about what Mr. Greco knew. Greenwich Time reporter Niel Vidgor is interviewing First Selectman Peter Tesei and getting copies of the the town memos that were the basis of Mr. Greco's claims......
WOW, Way to go Niel. Greenwich Roundup tosses up a breaking news story and the next day you hit the ball out of the park with a front page Greenwich Time news story.
Hey Maybe, the corporate suits at Hearst Media should have us team up to cover Greenwich Town Hall like it has never been covered before.
What do you think Neil ?
Or Maybe Neil Should Just Go Directly To The Horses Mouth And Speak Thomas Greco Directly:
Work: 622-6480
Home: 531-8201
Or Neil Could Send Mr. Greco An Email at tjgreco@optonline.net
Because Tom Greco is ready to spill the beans about what is going wrong in the Town in general and at the Parks and Recreation Department in particular.
For Example:
Mr. Greco was disgusted that an Old United States flag that was in shreds was being taken down and disrepectfully put up everyday at Byram Shore.
Further, Mr. Greco is an RTM member who go to the local district meeting at the Byram Library. But for nearly two years he has had to leave his district to go to a middle school to have his meeting. Since early summer he has been asking Greenwich Library borad members when will the Byram Library be finished so that his meeting can return where it belongs.
Right now, he says he can't get a straight answer on if next months district RTM meeting will be at the Byram Library or not !!!!!! It's Time For The Greenwich Library Board Of Directors To Stop Pussy Footing Around And Get The Byram Library Built And Open Already !!!!!! Otherwise, Mr. Greco will spill the beans on all of the screw ups at the Byram Library Building Project. Including the second floor window fiasco.
Moreover, Mr. Greco is upset that Town positions will not be filled, because the Park's Department Director Joe Silisano wont charge the correct about to ride the Town ferry.
Mr. Greco says that it costs well over $32.00 per person to take a person back and forth on the ferry. Plus, Mr. Greco says that 8,000 - 10,000 person's ride the ferry a year and at $32.00 that would be more than enough to save 5 Town positions that are slated to be eliminated.
A plan that Greco has is to charge $25.00 for each Greenwich resident to use the ferry and $40.00 for each out of towner to use the ferry. This would greatly cut back on out of town usage, while saving 5 town hall jobs.
Mr. Greco contends that this is just the tip of the ice berg when it comes to wasteful spending decisions at Greenwich Town Hall. In fact, Greco says he could single handily find a million dollars in lost and uncollected revenue in the town.
For example:
The town is not collecting fines for false alarm tickets that the Greenwich Fire Department writes. In fact, Mr. Greco says that the town of Greenwich has no system in place to collect for unclaimed false alarm fines. Basically, Greenwich property owners and commercial tenants are on the honor system when it comes to paying for false alarms.
According to Mr. Greco is that the "dirty little secret" in Greenwich is that only fools pay for false alarms, because the town has no method of collecting unpaid alarm fines. Greco also contends that the town is owed between $450,000.00 to $550.000.00 in past due alarm fines over the years and that is more than enough to save 10 more town hall jobs.
Greenwich Time Reporter Neil Vidgor Is Probably Calling Or Emailing Tom Grecco Right Now To Find Out About The Town's Inability And Failure To Collect Outstanding False Alarm Fees.
While it is hard to believe Mr. Greco's claim that years of uncollected alarm fees equal hundreds of thousands of dollars, one must admit that Mr. Greco's has not been wrong to date.
Cos Cob resists wider street
Residents of a private lane in Cos Cob do not want the town to widen their road if the number of homes grows from six to seven.
Full Story
Filmmaker finds the merit of the Merritt
After several pleasurable late-night drives on the Merritt Parkway three years ago, documentarian Lisa Seidenberg was inspired to make a film about the historic road.
Full Story
Greenwich girls hockey aiming for retrun trips to FCIAC, state playoffs
The young, new-look Greenwich High School girls ice hockey team doesn't exactly have the luxury of easing into the season.
MORE GREENWICH SPORTS STORIES:
By George!: Brunswick hockey defeats Division II rivals in OT
GA basketball falls to St. Luke's
ROUNDUP: GA hockey blanks Canterbury
Greenwich Academy basketball routs Miss Porter's
ROUNDUP: Brunswick squash routs rival Penn Charter in opener
Hey, Cherie!
Hey, Cherie! This is very embarrassing. I am a 16-year-old girl who has a reputation of not being a good kisser.
They drove this time - the top executives of Chrysler, Ford and General Motors - knowing they better not repeat the embarrassing misstep of flying private jets to Washington to ask for a $34 billion rescue. ...... BLAH ...... BLAH ....... BLAH ....... BLAH ...... BLAH ....... BLAH ........ BLAH ...... BLAH ........ BLAH ........
Nations must fight for their own democracy
To the editor:
We now understand that we are introducing a new strategy in Afghanistan (again) to protect Kabul from the Taliban.
When are we going to stop warring for other people's causes - however justified those causes may be? When will we understand that permanent, lasting freedom, liberty and democracy cannot be secured with other people's blood and treasure? These noble pursuits can only be attained when the people themselves unite and resist with purpose and sacrifice those who choose to deny them these God-given rights, just as our forefathers did in 1776.
At some point we have to decide that our own soldiers and our own resources can only be put at risk when our own safety, security and legitimate interests are directly threatened. We can offer those who resist tyranny our moral example, our political support and perhaps other resources that do not deny our own citizenry their rights, but there we must draw the line.
Ollie James Akel
Cos Cob
COMMENT:
Dear Ollie,
I think part of the problem was that our original "stategy" was that we were going to try and keep a lid on Bin Laden and the Taliban in Afghanistan, while we spent 3 Trillion Dollars locating and destroying "weapons of mass" distruction in Iraq.
Don't get me wrong I was initialy supported President Bush and the war and to destroy weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Now I am not to pleased that my president and those that worked for him lied to me, my family and my nieghbors.
Personally, I wished I had listened to those protestors at the Greenwich Post Office who warned all of us that Iraq was going to be a big mistake that the country would pay dearly for.
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