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Saturday, April 12, 2008

04/12/08 - Stamford-based Building With Books sent 14 students from Fairfield County - including 3 teens from Greenwich high schools went to Africa


School work

If you asked most students about building a foundation for education, they might talk about teachers who inspired them or parents who shared a love of education. However, most students likely
would not talk about the actual foundation - the bricks and mortar that go into making the building where children come to learn.

But some area students received a lesson in just how important those foundations can be during a trip to the west African country of Mali...


...
Before Laura Moriarty, 16, a sophomore at Greenwich High School, left for Mali she said she suspected that when she came back, she would be a "completely different person." Indeed, her experience turned out to be eye-opening.

"I realize now what is really important," she says. "Some of the stuff we have here is completely unnecessary."

Moriarty says she was pleased to see the walls of the three-room schoolhouse starting to rise as the group departed. During her stay, she says she came to appreciate what education represents to the villagers - a way to broaden their horizons beyond village life. "In some ways, they value education so much more than here (in the U.S.), because they want their children to have a better life."

Other Trek team members included Abby and Zoe Karp, both sophomores at Greenwich High School. Prior to departure, Abby and Zoe said they wanted to go on the trip to learn more about other cultures....

04/12/08 - Chris Shays Is Allways Saying Something Ignorant About How We Should Stay In Iraq And Spend Billions Every Month

Yep, Neocon Chris Shays (R, CT) at a town hall meeting this morning in Greenwich, Connecticut actually said that General Petraeus is "our Peace Corps general." Now Shays is so whacky to begin with, and his reasoning so goofy that I couldn't possibly explain to you why he made that statement. But as a former Peace Corps volunteer myself, I'm offended. And although Shays was also a Peace Corps volunteer in Fiji in the late '60's, he should be ashamed of himself.

It is unfathomable to me what sort of mentality could possibly conflate the killing, bombing and destruction of the Iraq War with the efforts of Peace Corps volunteers in developing countries around the world to improve the lives of ordinary people. Does Republican Chris Shays even understand the irony of calling a general of the United States Army the "Peace Corps" general? I suppose that if Ronald Reagan can name an intercontinental nuclear missile "The Peacemaker", then I suppose another Republican conservative like Shays can make an equally idiotic statement like calling the top military commander in the Iraqi theater of war the "Peace Corps general". But to decent, dedicated, hard-working Peace Corps volunteers around the world, past and present, his expression is inexplicable and reprehensible.

I think that was the dumbest thing Chris Shays said today. He said lots of other stupid things, though. For example, he said, "the Iraqis are beginning to like us." That reminded me of the joke about General Custer: Do you know what Custer's last words were? "I think they're friendly."

But one can be humorous about Shays for only a brief moment. Let's remember that April is on pace to be the deadliest month for American troops in seven months. The number of attacks on American forces in Baghdad has reached a six-month high. In the week after Chris Shays returned from his twentieth trip to Iraq, 125 American troops were wounded. But, hey, "the Iraqis are beginning to like us."

Right, Chris. Got it.

Let's hope that Returned Peace Corps volunteers in Connecticut and around the country give Shays an earful for his idiotic and offensive characterization.

(Let's also hope that Connecticut's Returned Peace Corps volunteer organization comes to its senses and doesn't hold its annual picnic at Shays' house this summer).

04/12/08 - Reposted With Comments - Greenwich man jailed in Indiana over child support


Greenwich man jailed in Indiana over child support

A Connecticut man has been sentenced to a year in jail in Indiana for failing to pay $127,000 in child support to an Indiana woman who is the mother of two of his children.

Porter County Superior Court Judge Mary Harper also ordered three years of probation for Andrew Givens.

The 48-year-old man from the Riverside section of Greenwich apologized before his sentencing yesterday.

Givens pleaded guilty in October to a felony charge of failing to pay child support for becoming delinquent on payments to Jennifer Donohue, a woman who is mother to his 11- and 13-year-old children.

Givens is being held in the Porter County Jail

Full Story: WTNH

Comments:

People make comments about dead beat dads....
But the system only chases fathers down for the money.
When i won full custody of my daughter i was only awarded a whole $1 per week.
The system kisses the @sses of women and puts the screws to men.

I would like at this time to thank all of the people that SCREAM that women are always the victim in divorces and child custody issues.

Mad Max

***********

Why is this guy in jail wasting our tax dollars? Jail isn't going to fix the fact that he owes his children over $100,000. Like all people who owe back child support, they should have to pay it! My ex owes my son $18,000 and the courts aren't chasing him down. The system doesn't work!

shoreliner

**********

People make comments about dead beat dads....

But the system only chases fathers down for the money.
When i won full custody of my daughter i was only awarded a whole $1 per week.

The system kisses the @sses of women and puts the screws to men.
I agree with you 110% I have a 6 yr old and a 3 yr old, I was given custody and awarded $72.00 a week for the 6 yr old and $86.00 a week for the 3 yr old... Havent seen a penny of it... its been 2 1/2 years since it was ordered and all the state says is there really isnt anything " I " can do right now... What the F%#k !!!

If the shoe was on the other foot I would be living off penny's a week so "she" would be payed!!! Talk about a DOUBLE STANDARD state... " CT by the way "

A Dad with support owed

**********

As a woman who is remarried to a man who has children with an ex wife, I can tell you this, the men are correct in that they only go after the men. The women can pretty much do what they want and get sympathy but the men better pay up or else!! She has physical custody and he pays a pretty penny. Tell me how it is fair that he has to work his butt off to make ends meet to pay that support and his own bills but she can sit home all day and do nothing? She works a couple hours a week instead of getting a full time job to help out. But do they make her get a real job, oh no, they let her work for next to nothing and collect collect collect from him. I mean, why should she work a real job if she can sponge off of him???? Way to go CT, way to be fair and equal!!

Tracy

**********

If you lay down to "CUT" be prepared to pay out the "BUTT"!

Greenwich Upper Class

**********

I have two kids now there 18 & 14 and there father doesnt pay a penny and goes to court every 6 weeks and walks out of there owing 43,540.23 and no payment. I believe they focus more on people that are collecting assistance not people that work.

China

**********

There are a lot of things to consider in these cases. Women are not always the victim, but I can assure you that the child is and will always be the victim.

Don't Judge

**********

$127,000.00!!!!!! How does that happen?? At one time I had to pay $450.00/week!! Never missed a payment. Make him work, attach his pay, then jail him!!It's guys like this that don't deserve to be FATHERS!!!

GMan

**********

Jail is way too far. why do we have to pay for him? Granted he should be paying something towards his children, i think child support has been taken way out of hand. I see everyday many men that are forced to pay 100's of dollars a WEEK for one ro more children which in return usually force them to live in poverty. Sometimes the amount of money rewarded is adequite, others its just over the top. Most of these woman feel they should "get em for all they got." that's a poor attitude. The woman don't give a rats ass about the children's welfare but only that they get money. If they did, they still wouldnt be requesting support when they are remarried and the father is actively in these children's lives!! I don't know the situation here, but in most cases I feel woman are greedy and although i am a woman i must side with the men.

Nicole

04/12/08 - Greenwich Time Sports Headlines


Greenwich Time RSS Sports Feed



One inning can be the difference between winning and losing. A harsh lesson the Greenwich softball team was on the receiving end of yesterday as two errors in the fifth inning took a one-run game and blew it wide open as the Cardinals suffered a 6-2 defeat at the hands of visiting Darien. Full Story

GHS finding ways to win
Year after year the Greenwich High School boys tennis team has been the model of balance and unity from top to bottom. Full Story

Winners of two titles in the last three years, Greenwich Academy has established itself as the team to beat in the Fairchester Athletic Association. Full Story

Rouundup: At 5-0, Cardinals playing up to par
Brian Czarnecki and Sean Massi helped the Greenwich High School golf team run its record to a perfect 5-0 yesterday. Full Story

Yuta Okazaki's second varsity pitching line was identical to his first -- five innings, three strikeouts and no earned runs. Full Story

Youthful CSH says it will learn from tough loss to Hotchkiss
In sports, and in life, it is not how many times or how hard you fall, but how many times you pick yourself up that matters. Full Story

04/12/08 - State Of The Town Turns Into A Rock And Roll Event (Updated)


"Oh, Mommy, Everything is great in town, but those Hamilton Avenue School blues are bringing me down. Yeah, yeah yeah."

The Latest



Reporter:

Hoa Nguyen

Quote:

"Simply stated, the state of the town is terrific," First Selectman Peter Tesei said. "At the end of the day, we are a strong and vibrant community."

Story:

With 133 days in office under his belt, First Selectman Peter Tesei took to the podium this afternoon to deliver his first State of Town address at the Milbrook Club...

...Before taking office, Tesei was a banker and member of the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce who was in the audience as prior first selectmen delivered their State of the Town addresses. Today, he was relishing in his new role in front of the microphone. "Mary Ann Morrison asked me to hold this microphone like a rock star," he said of the chamber's executive director. "I'll try my best." Tesei shared the podium with Town Planner Diane Fox, who is heading the effort to create a new Plan of Conservation and Development....


....Tesei also credited himself with helping the Board of Education in its land-use process, setting up meetings and asking town regulatory officials to cooperate with educators as they explore options for relocating students from Hamilton Avenue and Glenville schools.

"I need to intervene and take leadership," he said....


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04/12/08 - Mitchells/Richards/Marshs has been wildly successful. In 2002, they were named Menswear Retailer of the Year.



The Mitchells’ Mission: Conquer the World One Hug at a Time


Michael Lee Stallard

The year was 1958. Ed Mitchell, a 54-year old marketing and advertising executive, got off the commuter train from New York City and announced he was leaving the awful work culture he had put up with for years. Ed realized that being nice to people and caring about them were in his DNA and the work environments on Madison Avenue that he had experienced were indifferent to those values or viewed them as a weakness. Those toxic environments were literally giving him ulcers....

....
Now the hugging philosophy has gone global. And why not? It’s inspiring. It’s simple. It works. Jack Mitchell, chairman and CEO of Mitchells/Richards/Marshs, has written Hug Your Customers(available in several languages) and Hug Your People. I highly recommend both books. They will give you an up-close look at a thriving example of the Connection Culture I’ve written about that increases employee and customer engagement.

Ed and Norma Mitchell are no longer alive but their dream lives on and so does their example of how to treat employees like family and customers like friends. They started something great. You can find the inspiring story of how it all began on
Jack Mitchell’s website under videos (it’s entitled “The Ed Mitchell Story”). To the casual observer, it may look like these unassuming merchants are mere purveyors of exceptional clothing and jewelry. In reality, it’s so much more. They’re philosophers in Armani and Zegna, spreading their beliefs one hug at a time.

Michael Lee Stallard - http://www.michaelleestallard.com



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Michael Lee Stallard is a blogger who lives in Greenwich.

Michael Lee Stallard is the President of E Pluribus Partners.

If you know of other Greenwich Bloggers please let us know by sending an email to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

04/12/09 - Last Minute Post For Last Minute Tax Filers


VITA Volunteers

When: Saturday April 12th, 2008 - 09:00 AM

Where: Greenwich Library at Cole Auditorium

Free Tax Assistance.

Greenwich Library | Today's Events - http://www.greenwichlibrary.org

04/12/08 - Awards go to the five members of the police department's Neighborhood Resource section.


Resource officers honored

Reporter:

Hoa Nguyen
Greenwich Time - Staff Writer


Quote:

"All they told me was 'You're going to be at a conference and answering questions,' " Rivera said moments after learning he and the other officers were to be honored for outstanding police work as part of the Dr. John A. Clarke award luncheon.

Story:

Antonio Rivera and fellow neighborhood resource officers arrived at Luca's Steakhouse Thursday afternoon unclear about what they were doing there...

...
students and educators and assist in investigations where neighborhood tips can play an important role.

"They do a lot of community outreach," Police Chief David Ridberg said. "I get nothing but very positive feedback."

Several of the officers -- Rivera, Hirsch and Reynolds -- also are natives of the town, which gives them an insider perspective of Greenwich in addition to their vast knowledge of the law, police procedures and emergency response techniques.

For instance, Hirsch, 34, a 10-year veteran of the force, was born and raised in Glenville and now is assigned to work that western sector of town. Rivera, 43, a 19-year-veteran, lived in Banksville as a child before moving to Adams Garden in Old Greenwich. He is responsible for covering the northern sector of town,...

...One of the unique parts of being a neighborhood officer is the certain level of freedom officers have to initiate programs, said McKiernan, 37, an 11-year veteran of the force. For instance, he and Hirsch were lamenting one day about the lack of recruiting brochures the department had for students, so they created one and then attended college job fairs where they talked to students about the benefits of becoming a police officer.

"The freedom and the level of trust we had was what we enjoyed," McKiernan said....

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04/12/09 - In Rush for Empty Lots - Buyers Demolish Homes - The Passing of Greyledge


GREENWICH, Conn. -- Col. Raynal Bolling, an architect of American air power in World War I, died of a German bullet in 1918. The aviator's Greenwich mansion, featuring 13 fireplaces and a shooting gallery, survived until 2007.

Hedge-fund manager Spencer Lampert spent $7.6 million to buy the home, designed by the same firm that created the New York Public Library. Then, last year, Mr. Lampert razed it to the ground. Asked to describe what he has in mind for the now-vacant six-acre lot, he said in an e-mail: "Planning on building a house."

While much of the nation is mired in a housing slump, this Connecticut enclave is keeping alive one tradition of the late, great U.S. home boom -- the teardown. In the first three months of this year, 19 homes in this wealthy coastal town of 64,000 were demolished to make way for new ones. That keeps pace with the rate over the past three years, when more than 70 homes in the town were demolished annually, according to the city government's Historic District Commission...

...Preservationists say that since 2004, at least 13 homes with recognized historical significance have gone under the wrecking ball. "We are seeing destruction of the fabric of the community year after year," says Susan Richardson, former chairman of the historic district commission. "I'm not sure where it will end."

Many of the teardowns are done by developers who use the lots for new homes. Developer Steve Hatch says he bought an old farmhouse in 2004 for $1.5 million. Local preservation activists told him it had historical value. "I'm just personally not into that stuff," he says.

Still, he says, he offered to sell it back to them at cost. "They laughed at me and said they don't have that kind of money," he recalls. Mr. Hatch razed the house, built a bigger one and sold it to a family last year for $3.2 million....

....At a town meeting last month, the commission proposed doubling the length of demolition stays to 180 days. Opponents argued the measure would interfere with property rights. The extension was voted down 96 to 81.

Preservation battles have turned some prospective residents away from Greenwich. Kenneth Buckfire, a founder of the New York restructuring firm Miller Buckfire & Co., purchased a late-18th-century property, known as the Solomon Mead Homestead, several years ago. He planned to tear it down.

Preservationists objected. Mr. Buckfire says he offered to move the farmhouse, which he calls "dilapidated and not habitable," if the Greenwich Historical Society provided a place to put it. The offer wasn't taken up.

So he tore down the farmhouse in 2004 and spent $1 million on plans for a new home for the site, he says. He kept a smaller historical structure on the property. But criticism and an angry letter from local preservation activists led him to abandon his plans to live in Greenwich. "I said, 'To hell with it,' and sold the property," he says....

....In Greenwich, his sprawling estate with five stone chimneys was sometimes open to the public for teas and concerts hosted by his widow, Anna. By the 1960s, the colonel's offspring sold Greyledge, as the estate is known. "It was too big for continued use. There was an entire servants' wing," recalls Trish Twining, the colonel's granddaughter. "In the '60s, people didn't live that way."

In 2001, Greyledge was bought by Mr. Lampert, managing director of Tudor Investment Corp. (The hedge fund was founded by Paul Tudor Jones, who himself stunned many Greenwich residents in the 1990s by tearing down a waterfront home and building a 13,000-square-foot, dome-topped mansion it its place.)

Mr. Lampert -- no relation to hedge-fund manager Edward Lampert, another Greenwich resident -- says he initially wanted to preserve Col. Bolling's manor. "I designed a renovated Greyledge with a well-known architect," says Mr. Lampert, who currently lives down the street. "The cost [of renovating] was materially the same as or insignificantly different from building from scratch."

Last year, Greyledge disappeared.

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04/12/08 - News Links From The Greenwich Time

The Greenwich Time RSS Feed



With 133 days in office under his belt, First Selectman Peter Tesei took to the podium yesterday afternoon to deliver his first State of the Town address at the Milbrook Club. Full Story

Sick day bill moves to Senate
A proposal requiring paid sick days for part-time workers is heading for the state Senate. The Judiciary Committee passed the legislation yesterday evening Democrats say offering employees one hour of sick time for every 40 hours worked would allow people juggling several jobs to take better care of their health as well as their family's health. Full Story

Gina Norman, 33, and Stan Woodman, 34, owners of Greenwich Yoga, a studio on Pemberwick Road, just started a food co-op online, where people can shop for local organic foods that can be picked up at their store and juice bar. Full Story

In town
ARC annual benefit at Hyatt Regency ARC of Greenwich's annual benefit event is themed "On The Boardwalk" this year and will be held April 25 at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich, 1800 E. Full Story

Gov. M. Jodi Rell's efforts to provide affordable health care to adult residents moved a step closer to reality yesterday. Full Story

Publisher inducted into hall of fame
Considered a pioneer in the medical publishing industry, the late Richard "Dick" Cliggott Sr., a longtime Greenwich resident, was recently inducted into the Medical Advertising Hall of Fame during a ceremony in New York City. Full Story

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04/12/09 - The Byram RTM Chairman Has Major Problems With Lin Lavery's Pool Donation Proposal (Updated)


Quote:

"The RTM ussually doesn't accept money that isn't there,"said Robert McKnight,"You are asking us to accept donations that have only been pledged."

Headline:

Robert McKnight Says "Where's The Beef" Lin

Story:


Last night the Byram Neighbourhood Association members started approaching the the District RTM meetings about the the Board of Selectmen authorizing the town yesterday to accept up to $100,000 in private donations for the design and engineering of a new community pool in Byram.

Monday the full RTM will vote on the proposal supported by Selectman Lin Lavery.

RTM District 4 (Byram) Chairman Robert McKnight asked the Byram Neighbourhood Association President,"Where's the money?"

The Byram RTM Chairman and other Byram RTM members went on to explain that the town has been put in awkward positions before. One of the examples mentioned was the sundial that was suposed to be a gift, but ended up being a taxpayer expense. The Byram RTM Chairman said did not think that the full RTM would accept pool committee's "gift of pledged money". McKnight said,"You have to have the cash if you want to get this thing passed."

"We don't even know who these people are!" remarked Mr. McKnight, referring to the six families who town officials said wish to remain anonymous.

Byram RTM Chairman McKnight strongly stated that group should "write a check and put it in an escrow account otherwise I predict that you will have serious trouble at Monday's night's meeting."

The project could cost between $5 million and $7 million, with private donors funding the pool and the town maintaining ownership and control.

Selectman Lin Lavery and the project's supporters want to replace a cramped residential-size pool at Byram Park with a larger 25-meter pool and better restroom facilities through a public-private partnership.

Some Byram RTM member's complained that the Greenwich High School swimming pool was originally to be a school / community pool when it came to the RTM for funding years ago, but the school district did not live up to the funding deal.

Byram RTM members said that when residents went for the Friday night community swim at the High School they were repeatedly not allowed to swim, because pool maintenance or competitions were scheduled during the community swim time.

Eventually, the community swim time was cancelled all together.

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04/12/08 - The Raw Greenwich News Feed


The Raw Feed For Saturday Morning

  1. Xerox puts Mulcahy '07 salary at $13 million

    Democrat & Chronicle

    ... much of it personal use of the company jet. At the company's annual shareholders meeting on May 22 in Greenwich, Conn., shareholders will vote on the following: The election of 10 board members. The hiring of PricewaterhouseCoopers as its outside ...

  2. Robert D. Novak: Why no hard questions at hearing in Room G-50?

    Houston Chronicle

    ... year) as an adviser to Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. The Treasury's Steel, a Dodd constituent as a Greenwich, Conn., resident, is a political switch-hitter contributing to both parties. His Democratic recipients include John Edwards, ...

  3. N.Y. Boosts Filmmaker Tax Break

    Hartford Courant

    ... industry to sink roots here, as Blue Sky Studios, a New York digital animation studio, is doing in planning a Greenwich headquarters. Blue Sky is expected to bring 300 permanent jobs, held mostly by young people, a shrinking demographic in the ...

  4. Norwalk Takes on Greenwich in Season Opener

    Norwalk Citizen News

    ... let the status of the team they were playing affect them on April 2 in their first regular season game against Greenwich High School. The Bears lost in a 16-8 decision, but never gave up and defended their home turf the best they could. Sophomore ...

  5. Nymex Gas Declines on U.S. Economic Slowdown, Forecasts for Mild Weather

    Bloomberg

    ... because it's a litmus test for the broader economy,'' said Tom Orr , director of research at Weeden & Co. in Greenwich, Connecticut. ``I can't remember the last time they missed a quarter.'' Natural gas for May delivery fell 19.7 cents, or 2 ...

  6. Equipment rental firm gets ZBA's OK

    Connecticut Post

    ... property, received a new set of approvals from the Zoning Board of Appeals this week. United Rentals, based in Greenwich, was granted zoning approval last May to construct two commercial buildings at 552 Housatonic Ave., bordering the Pequonnock ...

  7. Chile to Intervene in Currency Market to Build Up Reserves, Shield Economy

    Bloomberg

    ... positions in Latin American currencies, especially in the Chilean peso,'' Benito Berber , senior economist at RBS Greenwich Capital in Greenwich, Connecticut, said in an interview. The U.S. was the biggest buyer of Chilean fruit and vegetables last ...

  8. Deep End of the Talent Pool

    Greenwich Citizen

    If USA Water Polo is to make the big splash it covets at the 2008 Olympics in Bejing this summer, then last weekend's Premier League event at the Greenwich Family YMCA was a step into the wading pool.

  9. Ruderman's One Shining NCAA Moment

    Greenwich Citizen

    ... Final Four in San Antonio, Texas. Hello Basket Weaving 100. Umm, goodbye basket weaving 100. Ruderman, a 2005 Greenwich High graduate, certainly had experiences working at the Final Four which concluded Monday with Kanas defeating Memphis in ...

  10. So far, GHS in there Pitching

    Greenwich Citizen

    ... Ricky Riscica, center, and catcher Jeff DeVico have a conference on the mound in Monday s win over Bassick. (GREENWICH CITIZEN photo / Amy Mortensen)

    Opening day was a revelation of sorts for the Greenwich High baseball team. With the pitching staff ...

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04/12/08 - Greenwich Spotlight: Greenwich School District's Facilities Director Anthony "Tony Two Face" Byrne And The Ham Ave School Coverup (Updated)


Is Tony "Two Face" Byrne A Hippo - Crite

Tony "Two Face" Byrne had no public comments or complaints when the Greenwich Public Schools removed contaminated ceiling tiles over one year ago.

Please see:

03/09/08 - Town Employees: Sternberg's Crew Knew - Mold Covered Tiles Replaced Over One Year Ago.


Tony "Two Face" Byrne had no public complaints about having the teamsters filling up dumpsters with contaminated construction debri as Hamilton Avenue School parents were preparing to protest in front of the school administration building.

Please see:

03/12/08 - Why Was It Ok To Remove Dumpsters Of Contaminated Plywood, But Not OK To Remove School Desks And Chairs?


And:

03/05/08 - The Unionized (Teamstewrs) School District Custodial Staff Are Suggesting That There Might Be A School District Coverup At Ham Ave School.


Tony "Two Face" Byrne had no public complaints about letting Greenwich School Architect John Brice to get behind the walls and examine what he thought might be left of the vapor barrier.

Please see:

03/17/08 - "It's not just one classroom, it's the whole school," Tom Hardman of the Modular Building Institute said, "It's a bad situation all around.


Tony "Two Face" Byrne had no public complaints about Greenwich School District hygienist Charles Schwarts testing where ever he wanted.

Please see:

03/14/08 - Sternberg Received A Report On Air Quality Of The Modular Classrooms That Showed A Higher Level Of Mold Spores Than Previosly Released

But...

Tony "Two Face" Byrne really started complaining when the supposedly "independent" Navigant Consulting was hired by the Greenwich Public School System/

Please see:

04/03/08 - Independent? - Word Is That Fairfield Based Architect John Brice Recommended Navigant Consulting, formerly known as The Metzler Group

Just look at the fear uncertainty and doubt that Greenwich Schools Facilities Director, Tony "Two Face" Byrne is spreading as he complains about Navigant Consulting taking a look at the contaminated Hamilton Avenue School Modular Classrooms....

Anthony Byrne, the district's facilities director, warned the costs may escalate because as the firm investigates the building, their work may help spread the mold spores inside the classrooms. He said once that happens, the district will have a harder time cleaning mold spores from the classrooms if it ever decides to reuse the modular building.

But things only got worse when the Hamilton Avenue School parents wanted to independently test to see what had happened to their children.

The word around Greenwich is that Tony "Two Face" Byrne has been working over time putting up road blocks designed to scuttle the agreed upon tests.

Please see:

Parents' expert to run mold tests

04/06/2008 - Greenwich Time

Reversing a decision that earned them much criticism, school officials have agreed to allow a parent-hired expert to run environmental tests on the Hamilton Avenue School modular buildings.

The Board of Education, which has hired its own environmental hygienist, recently told Hamilton Avenue School parents that their own expert would be allowed to run tests in the modular building. But their hygienist will be restricted to certain areas, a condition that does not sit well with some parents.

"If they are going to limit our tester to places that we need to have tested, we have a concern with that," said Laura DiBella, a Hamilton Avenue School parent who had lobbied for an independently hired expert to perform the tests. "Our tester should be allowed to test where their tester tested."

Leslie Moriarty, a Board of Education member, said that disturbing mold-infested areas, such as in the roof eaves or inside the walls, in order to perform tests could help to spread the mold. Officials don't want the mold spores to spread to other parts of the modular building because they want to leave open the possibility of remediating the situation and reusing the structure.

"The concern is that when you open the wall and disturb the space, it comes into the building," Moriarty said. "An option is to reuse the building and so we don't want to make that job more difficult."

Wow.

Let's all stand up and applaud the almost amazing and semi-incredible Tony "Two Face" Byrne for giving the Greenwich Board Of Education a way to use smoke and mirror tactics to cover up school administration screw ups and make the Hamilton Avenue Parents look like a bunch of unreasonably hysterical banshees.

The real sad part of the story is that the fourth estate of Greenwich doesn't have the Journalistic balls to ask...

"Why was it OK for school employees, architects, engineers and enviromental tesers to have a peek behind the walls at the Hamilton Avenue School, but it is NOT OK for the parents of the affected children to get a look see?"

Please See:

Quote #1:

"We think the whole building is loaded with mold," Laura DiBella said

Quote#2:

"I really do think we tried really hard to reach an agreement and we've reached an impasse that we're not going to get past," said Leslie "I Am Full Of Crap" Moriarty, a Board of Education member who has been negotiating with parents.

Headline:

Mold dispute reaches impasse

Reporter:

Hoa Nguyen
Greenwich Time - Staff Writer

Story:

School officials are at an impasse with a group of Hamilton Avenue School parents who want their environmental expert to run a new battery of tests on the mold-infested modular building.

Both sides have been deep in negotiation about how this additional round of testing will be carried out, but talks broke down earlier this week....

...A group of parents were expected to meet last night to discuss their options, which for the moment look grim because the negotiation has been called off, said Laura DiBella, a Hamilton Avenue parent. DiBella lobbied to have a parent-hired expert run a new round of tests because they fear the mold contamination may be worse than what the Board of Education has told parents...

...Tensions have been running high since late Feburary when the modular was evacuated because of mold. Although the town and an environmental expert hired by the Board of Education said tests show the mold was not hazardous to human health, a group of parents want to run their own tests on the modular. After an emotional plea from parents, education officials relented, but....

...DiBella said parents are willing to pay for the testing but that the remediation costs may be unreasonable.

"You're talking about the poorest parents in the district," she said.

School officials may have to remediate the entire modular building or possibly demolish it anyway, DiBella said.

Please see:

04/06/08 - "My son was in the hardest hit classroom," Laura DiBella said. "I want to find out what they found in there."


It is time for Betty "You Can Trust Me" Sternberg, Leslie "I Am Full Of Crap" Moriarty and Tony "Two Face Byrne To Let The Parents Independently Test The Contaminated Hamilton Avenue Modular Classrooms.

Also Please Read:

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04/12/08 - The Greenwich News Wire For Saturday

Featured Greenwich News Reports:

Norwalk Takes on Greenwich in Season Opener
Norwalk Citizen - Norwalk
Greenwich was able to score three more goals before the end of the second period, going into the second half up 8-4 over the Bears. ...

Merger puts firms under one roof
Greenwich Time - Greenwich,CT,USA
By Susan Nova Preferred Properties Inc., with offices at 177 W. Putnam Ave. in Greenwich, last week agreed to merge with Coldwell Banker Residential ...

Greenwich rugby downs Prep. 22-8
Greenwich Post - Greenwich,CT
After rolling over New Rochelle (74-0) and Keio (53-0), the Greenwich High School rugby team traveled to Fairfield Prep Wednesday. Although the Jesuits were ...

Treasurys Rise As Stocks Fall
The Associated Press
"It's a dead, quiet Friday," said David Ader, bond strategist at RBS Greenwich Capital in Greenwich, Conn. He said trading could get more volatile, however, ...

WFHA Celebrates Tenth Anniversary at Annual Dinner Dance
Connecticut Jewish Ledger - West Hartford,CT,USA
GREENWICH, Conn., April 1, 2008 -- More than 400 supporters of Westchester Fairfield Hebrew Academy gathered for a festive evening of dinner and dancing, ...

Featured Greenwich Blog Post:

Rochambeau in Connecticut with John Savage
Where: Greenwich Library at Meeting Room Rochambeau in Connecticut with John Savage. Historian John Savage traces the role of the French Expeditionary Army under Rochambeau during the American Revolution. Free. Open to all.
Greenwich Library | Today's Events - http://www.greenwichlibrary.org


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