Judge Taggert Adams ruled that the Y had met the standard established under the Americans with Disabilities Act and reasonably showed that it was trying to eliminate barriers to access with its $40 million renovation and expansion project.
"The real loser here today is the town of Greenwich," he said, "Now, nobody in a wheelchair can have access to that facility and that's too bad." .....
"We're not talking about a lot of money here," he said.
Under the ADA, there is a 20 percent rule, which holds that if the cost to provide access to a handicapped person is less than 20 percent of the overall cost of the renovation, then it must be implemented, said Peluso. The renovation costs $40 million.
Taggert said that the Y is meeting the 20 percent standard. The Y said that it would likely have to build two ramps, install a security system and put in a new door - all of which were not included in Sarnelli's cost analysis......
"I felt our position was the correct position. I was trying to help everyone else that is in a wheelchair gain access," he said.
Discriminate Against The Handicapped
Shame, Shame, Shame On
Judge Taggert Adams
Who Turns His Back On The Crippled Of Greenwich
At Stamford Superior Court
Judge Taggert Is Going To Look Like Even More Of A Fool When The Perpetually Mismanaged YMCA Building Project Fails To Complete The Ramp In June Of 2009
Breaking News
By Meredith Blake/Staff Writer
Posted: 12/10/2008 12:28:34 PM EST
A State Superior Court Judge today denied a Greenwich man's request for an injunction to force the Greenwich Family YMCA to put in a temporary ramp to provide wheelchair access.....
Both islands are about two miles off the shore of Greenwich and are owned by the town.
First Selectman Peter Tesei called the proposal, which will be taken up by the selectmen at 10 a.m. in the Town Hall Meeting Room, equitable and balanced......
"It seems to me just another tactic or attempt to discourage out-of-towners. You can't just show up on the weekend and say, 'Hey, we're here,' " said Mingalone, who is hoping to attend today's selectmen meeting......
Mingalone, the Stamford resident, said he enjoyed his experience going out to the islands so much that he is willing to plan ahead to ride the ferries if the plan is adopted.
"It's not going to stop me," Mingalone said. "Honestly, I have such a passion and great love for those two gems, the islands. I guess I'll just have to stock up on my day passes." .....
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)
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......
Actually, Mr. Greco gave us this story eight days ago, 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 three days later you hit the ball out of the park with a front page Greenwich Time news story.
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
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 !!!!!!
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.
Court battle resolved as elderly woman returns home
After a hard fought probate court battle that fractured a family, 85-year-old Marilyn Plank returned home to Michigan last weekend where her former conservator said she is happy to be. Full Story
New kiosks let Greenwich parkers use credit cards.
Fuel cell gets a test drive
If there is any promise for the future of the American auto industry, Greenwich mother Jeanine Getz believes she's driving it.
The smiling faces, high fives and hugs following Wednesday night's season-opener against Brien McMahon illustrated what the Greenwich High School girls basketball team has been feeling entering the new season.
Postal worker suspended after arrest
A Greenwich postal carrier has been suspended from his position after his arrest on a charge of driving under the influence, postal authorities said.
A creditor owed $41.5 million by Equity Media Holdings Corp. says in bankruptcy court papers that it wants the Little Rock-based company liquidated.Equity Media has filed for Chapter 11 restructuring in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Silver Point Finance argues in a Wednesday filing that Equity Media can't administer its finances with its present management. Silver Point says that if there is a reorganization, a trustee should be appointed by the court.
10/10/08 The Raw Greenwich Business News Feed For Wednesday
UPDATED: Creditor Files to Liquidate Equity Media, Claims Company Cannot Meet Payroll Obligations
ArkansasBusiness.com
...repeatedly acted in their own self-interest rather than in the interest of creditors. Silver Point Finance LLC of Greenwich, Conn., filed the foreclosure suit and conversion motion, seeking to recoup about $41.5 million the private equity firm ...
Greenwich Time's "LOCAL" And "Hard Hitting" Editorial: "Stay committed to energy change"
The idea was an easy sell when gasoline was $4.50 a gallon: Things need to change, we all agreed, and responding to energy concerns must be high on the agenda.
Things have changed, but in a way most of us probably didn't expect. Gasoline prices have slipped back dramatically to levels not seen in years, even dropping below the $2 mark in many places. After growing accustomed to shelling out $50, $60 or more at every fill-up, drivers are instead wondering how far prices can sink.
It's a pleasing turn of events, especially in a troubled economy - though in truth it was the economy that in part caused it by discouraging demand. But it also raises the specter of backsliding on those consumption reductions achieved because of higher energy prices. As driving grew more expensive, people started doing less of it. Ridership on public transit shot up around the country, and people found ways to combine errands to reduce car trips or determined some errands were unnecessary.
At the peak of the price spike, talk was rampant about the need to diversify our energy sources. Wind, solar, geothermal, biomass ..... Blah .... Blah ..... Blah..... Blah ..... Blah ..... Blah ..... Blah ..... Blah ......
Holiday display lights up Belle Haven
Within the exclusive gated community of Belle Haven, billionaire hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones has once again outfitted his multimillion dollar mansion with an extravagant holiday lights display.
The display, designed by Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Eclectic Precision, was completed Saturday and will be open to the public from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily through Dec. 20, police said.
Cars lined up outside the waterfront home on Harbor Drive on Tuesday to catch a glimpse of the display, which is synchronized with holiday music that onlookers can hear by tuning into 90.5 FM.
The 15,000 lights change to the music, which is on a four-minute loop, according to Sepp Spenlinhauer of Eclectic Precision, who put up the display......
Creative Accounting To
Ordinary People?
Congress continues to pass laws that make taxes ever more complex while giving speeches about simplification.
An individual taxpayer's effective tax rate is often inversely proportional to his ability to hire tax lawyers.
Our political leaders, however, cannot expect such ready compliance to go on forever. And it is not an exaggeration to say that tax provisions that blatantly favor those with high incomes over the middle class now threaten to bring down the confidence needed to sustain our experiment of self-government.
One such provision that has garnered a lot of attention lately has to do with what is known as "carried interest." Highly paid tax lawyers discovered a provision in current law that allows the managers of special investment partnerships to pay a much lower rate of tax on the preponderance of their income than other type managers pay on all of theirs.
Much of the performance-based management income earned by these few thousand private equity and hedge fund managers -- which income is called "carried interest" -- is taxed as capital gains, when by form, substance and logic it should be taxed as ordinary in come, just like the management in come and bonuses of all other managers.
And because the 15 percent capital gains tax rate is less than half the 35 percent maximum ordinary income tax rate, the cost of this loophole to the Treasury is huge.
We believe this has to change, and we believe that it would be desirable to convert carried interest into public interest by redirecting this annual $12 billion tax break to people who actually need it, namely America's K-12 teachers.
That $12 billion is just about enough to waive all the income taxes on those who choose our most important profession, which is the teaching of our children.
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