Written by Ken Borsuk, Staff Reporter
This year, Greenwich voted for change, saw an iconic farm leave town, celebrated the return of a tradition and bickered over Wiffle ball. It was a year of change in many ways, yet some things stayed the same. As we say goodbye to 2008 and look toward 2009, the Post reflects on the top 10 events that dominated Greenwich news this year:
In the voting booth
It was a year of change at the ballot box. Not only did Greenwich elect two new members to its state legislative delegation, but something happened in November that hadn’t happened since Lyndon Johnson was elected president in 1964 — Greenwich turned blue. For the first time in decades, Greenwich voted for a Democrat, favoring United States Sen. Barack Obama over Sen. John McCain for President.
Jim Himes, a former head of the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee and member of the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET), was victorious in his race against incumbent 4th District Congressman Christopher Shays. Mr. Shays once enjoyed the support of both Republicans and Democrats crossing party lines, but Mr. Himes emerged early as a well-funded opponent and defeated the last remaining New England Republican in Congress.....
More delays
No change was bad news for the parents, teachers and students at Hamilton Avenue School. The new school, which is more than two years behind schedule, is still not complete, and an effort to move the students into the building over the holiday break didn’t get far due to concerns about parts used in the boiler system. The project is considered almost finished and with boiler repairs expected to be done in February, a move is expected by the April break at the latest.
The year had already been one of disruption for the school after mold was discovered inside the modular classrooms in March. Parents had been complaining about their children being sick and more susceptible to allergies since going into the modulars, and the discovery of the mold forced the closure of the temporary classrooms and the redistribution of Hamilton Avenue students by grade through spring of 2008. In addition, the Post confirmed the presence of mold in the new building basement after water damage from rainstorms, but the project’s building committee has denied those results......
Wiffle ball battle
This past summer the action on the sports field wasn’t limited to the major leagues as Greenwich found itself caught up in the drama surrounding the construction and use of a “mini-Fenway Park” by Riverside teens playing a pick-up game of Wiffle ball. Surrounded by houses, the field was built on a vacant lot owned by the town but left undeveloped for more than 40 years, and became the focal point of a dispute between the teens, who thought since the property wasn’t being used for anything else, they should be given permission to play there, and the neighbors who claimed the field was a disruption and safety hazard......
Economic downturn
Proving it’s not immune to the economic downturn, Greenwich is facing a tough budget season with revenues down and the Board of Estimate and Taxation looking to keep the mill rate increase in the traditional 2% to 4% range. Mr. Tesei has promised belt-tightening in 2009-10 and he has already called for town departments to reduce their non-salary spending by 10% this fiscal year......
Crimes and time
The town’s police department was kept busy by a number of high profile cases in 2008. Two men were arrested in the 2006 murder of disgraced back country millionaire Andrew Kissel, whose death became the subject of a Lifetime movie this year. Mr. Kissel’s driver, Carlos Trujillo, and Mr. Trujillo’s cousin Leonard Trujillo, were charged in connection with Mr. Kissel’s death. They have pleaded not guilty and trials are expected to begin next year.
A family dispute turned violent on Sept. 4, when police accused Gerardo Lombardi, 75, of shooting and stabbing to death his ex-daughter-in-law Alison McKnight. The two reportedly had been having a dispute over property. Police said they responded to a report of a woman screaming and found Mr. Lombardi with a gun and knife in his hand. Mr. Lombardi was charged with first degree murder and his mental status is being reviewed. This month he was declared unfit to stand trial. He is undergoing a 60-day evaluation at the Whitney Forensic Institute in Hamden......
Salvaging a book store
One of Old Greenwich’s best known businesses got a new lease on life this year when former Greenwich resident Marion Boucher Holmes purchased Just Books, Too from Jenny Lawton after it seemed that the store would have to close. An outpouring of support came once it appeared the store was in danger of closing and Ms. Holmes pledged to keep the store (now known as Just Books) as an integral part of the community.......
Grand tradition
The soapbox derby made its grand return to Greenwich Avenue this year as VivaPop brought the tradition back to benefit the United Way. Miller Motorcars sponsored the race, which featured children racing their homemade carts down Greenwich Avenue, representing local groups such as Greenwich Adult Day Care and the Girl Scouts. There had not been a soapbox derby in Greenwich since 1985. The event kicked off Septemberfest for the United Way.....
School turnover
Greenwich’s schools will be looking for new leadership come the new year. Superintendent of Schools Betty Sternberg announced in October she would not seek a new contract from the Board of Education and would leave June 30. Then, this month Deputy Superintendent Kathy Greider, whom many had pegged as a favorite to succeed Ms. Sternberg, announced her resignation, effective in May, to become superintendent in Farmington. Ms. Greider cited family concerns since the commute in Farmington will be significantly shorter to her home in Berlin than it is to Greenwich......
Arts efforts end
A five-year effort to convert the Havemeyer Building into an arts center with a theater, classrooms and gallery space came to a close this year when the Greenwich Center for the Arts announced it was folding up its tent. While the project enjoyed public support, members of the Representative Town Meeting balked at possibly giving away a town-owned building for a $1 lease during tough economic times and progress could not be made in moving the Board of Education out of the Havemeyer Building. The renovation of the Havemeyer Building would have been privately financed......
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