Hyper Local News Pages

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

07/08/08 - Hamilton Avenue Project Manager Gerard Adam: “Let’s not keep repeating the same mistakes”


Hamilton Avenue School's completion date is still uncertain.
(Ken Borsuk photo)

Completion date for school still cloudy


Breaking news
Posted 7:35 p.m., July 8, 2008

With a deadline looming for the Board of Education to make a decision, uncertainty over the completion date of Hamilton Avenue School continues to cloud the picture.

At a meeting of the project’s building committee Tuesday morning, town building official William Marr said some of last week’s final inspections of the building’s west wing passed, but other parts still weren’t complete to town requirements, and other areas needed corrections.

“We’re going to have to re-inspect some of the areas in that wing,” Mr. Marr said. “We’re hoping [project contractor Worth Construction] learned what we are looking for, what needs to be completed, at which stage it needs to be, and the violations that were pointed out last week in the west wing are corrected ahead of time in the east wing.”

The east wing inspections were scheduled for Tuesday. Mr. Marr spoke to the Post Tuesday afternoon and reported that not all the inspections for the east wing could go as planned because “some of the items that needed to be completed weren’t completed.” An inspection of the north wing is scheduled to take place next week. It is up to Worth to reschedule inspections for the areas that weren’t ready or had issues.

Project manager Gerard Adam said if the issues were not addressed, the committee would have to sit down with Worth and discuss it....

....The inspections are needed for the project to receive a temporary certificate of occupancy (TCO), which means children could occupy it. In order to get one, it must pass electric, plumbing, heating and cooling systems, and overall building inspections from the town. The project must also pass muster with the town’s fire department, health department and highway department, as well as with special inspectors hired by the building committee.

“We’re at the mercy of the contractor here,” Mr. Marr told the committee. “We can only inspect what’s completed. How long it takes them to do that is really beyond our control.”

“It’s very clear what they need to do,” committee member Thomas Heagney said at the meeting. “They just need to do it.”......

....The committee is still awaiting the delivery of steel panels for the construction, which might not arrive until early August. However, Mr. Mazza said, that wouldn’t have any impact on whether the building is open at the start of the school year since the building has already been “aired out” of all toxic residue from paint and construction and it will be safe for children as soon as the TCO is in order. Mr. Maher indicated the delivery delay wouldn’t impact the inspections negatively as long as the building is watertight.

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07/08/08 Palazzo Pilfers Portchester Pocketbook


By Leslie Korngold
Journal News

PORT CHESTER - She comes from well-to-do Old Greenwich, Conn., but police said the 21-year-old carried a stolen pocketbook while she strolled through Port Chester's Fourth of July celebration.

Port Chester police said Bridget Palazzo of 27 Richmond Drive was seen walking with the pocketbook that was stolen from people setting up on Neuton Avenue to watch fireworks at the Port Chester High School football field at 9:10 p.m. The bag contained credit cards and cash, police said.

The victim saw a woman disappearing into the crowd carrying the pocketbook and ran after her screaming "my pocketbook," police said.

Police in the area caught Palazzo with the bag, police said. She was charged with felony fourth-degree criminal possesson of stolen property.

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07/08/08 An Injured Rev. Bercovici says, "I was hearing things, and seeing monsters and goblins. I was pretty crazy."

Rye vacationer recounts cruise-ship rescue

By Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy
Journal News


RYE - Cliff Jaeger, a longtime city resident, had just finished lunch on his second day aboard the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship to Bermuda when he heard the news.

The 965-foot cruise ship was diverting course after receiving a distress call from the U.S. Coast Guard to align itself alongside a 40-foot sailboat and rescue an ill sailor....

...Within 12 hours of rescuing Giglia, the cruise ship was notified of another, potentially more serious, injury on the sailboat Misty, approximately 260 miles south of Montauk.

The Rev. Hillary Bercovici, 55, of Greenwich, Conn., a crew member aboard the Misty, which also was coming back from the Bermuda race, sustained a head injury and was losing consciousness. The Norwegian Dawn, 32 miles away, was the closest to the ship.

The cruise ship found the vessel, lowered a rescue boat with the same three crew members manning it, and took Bercovici onto the ship, where he received immediate medical attention, including five stitches to the forehead.

"I was hearing things, and seeing monsters and goblins," said Bercovici, an Episcopal priest and a psychotherapist in private practice. "I was pretty crazy. I had a big gash on my forehead, and I was hallucinating."....

Hillary Bercovici is the Scholar-in-Residence at Trinity Church

Hillary is a native New Yorker and former NYC-EMS Paramedic who worked in Harlem and the South Bronx before entering seminary and graduate school. An Episcopal priest in parish ministry since 1984, he holds an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Psychology & Theology and maintains a part-time private practice of pastoral psychotherapy here in Greenwich.

Hillary and his family live in Greenwich, where his wife, Cilla, teaches math, and they have two daughters, Caitlin & Elizabeth. An avid sailor and scuba diver, Hillary also enjoys fresh and saltwater fly-fishing.

Click here to learn more about Hillary's work with Trinity Institute.

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07/08/08 - Steven Cohen Of Greenwich Has No Class, He Wastes His Money On Dictator Style


L-R: Palazzo Chupi (Brown Harris Stevens), Jeffrey Epstein's townhouse (Scott Wiseman/The New York Times/Redux) Kanye's compound (Newscom), and Damian Hirst's shark (Getty Images).

Rush Limbaugh's House, and Other Egomaniacal Estates

New York Magazine

Like probably many of you, we were absolutely entranced by the description of Rush Limbaugh's home in the New York Times this past weekend. It reminded us of this great book we have called Dictator Style, which showcases the flamboyant interior-decorating styles of some of the world's biggest despots. Limbaugh is, ironically, a member of the Saddam Hussein school of interior design. Like Saddam, he likes things opulent and luxurious— crystal chandeliers, lush carpets—and favors an oversized heirloom look...

... 3. Steven A. Cohen, chairman, SAC Capital
Location:
Greenwich, Connecticut
The layout: A Georgian "colossus" that contains its own beauty salon, theater, ice rink tended by its own Zamboni, and art gallery, which contains pieces by DeKooning, Manet, Degas, Warhol, Lichtenstein and Pollack, to name but a few.
Dictatorial flourish: A glass tank containing a tiger shark injected with formaldehyde, a work by the artist Damien Hirst. ...

07/08/08 The Daily Real Estate Report From Chris Fountain


June Inventory

Courtesy of my friend John Cooke, here are the latest numbers for our June inventory of single family homes (click on the image and it should enlarge for easy reading - hope you're as impressed as i am that I figured out how to upload this as a jpeg).

Look at the homes between $7,000,000 - $8,000,000. Up 128%. If I were a mansion seller, new or old, I'd be nervous. In fact, anything priced over $4,000,000 would have me checking my bank's lending policies.

Please also see:
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07/08/08 Greenwich Time Newslinks For Tuesday

John Marullo and Scott Atkinson head to the Wiffle ball field yesterday
in Riverside. The neighbors with the white picket fence have
complained about the field.
(Helen Neafsey/Staff photo)

A major league dustup over a Wiffle ball field built by a group of teens on a vacant town lot in Riverside appears headed toward extra innings, with the town backing off its threat to evict the youths tomorrow.

Grads ready for college
When Bridget Bauer starts the College of Charleston this fall, she is looking forward to a whole new set of classmates and a totally different way of life.

More than four years have passed since Ray Little was forced to jump from a fiery attic window, breaking six ribs, four vertebrae, his hip and his forearm.

Town to charge boats ashore
To think that other boaters still have not put their vessels in the water yet for the summer is unfathomable to Chris Antonik, who took his 35-footer No Bru out of dry-dock in April.

Solid fielding, masterful pitching and timely hitting led the Greenwich Babe Ruth All-Stars to a 10-1 victory over Darien yesterday in the opening round of the District 1 Babe Ruth 13-year-old All-Star tournament being hosted at Greenwich High School this week.

In the rarefied atmosphereof Greenwich Avenue real estate, where a square foot rents for $100 and sells for $1,000, it seems strange that the highest and best use of a property is not one that will most fatten the owner's wallet.

Teens' 'stadium' represents a positive activity

To the Greenwich Time Editor:

All too often we open Greenwich Time to read about underage drinking, drug use by teens, assaults by teens, unruly behavior by teens congregating on Greenwich Avenue and teens disrupting schools, etc.

Recently, we opened the newspaper to read that a group of teens is being "evicted" from a vacant lot on which they play Wiffle ball ("Little field of dreams," Greenwich Time, July 3). My entire family is outraged but not surprised. Our society will not permit kids to be kids. One would think the sound of neighborhood kids having legitimate fun is obscene!

The kids should be commended. A bunch of obviously good neighborhood kids found a place to gather with a purpose. They are having good, clean fun, and even leave equipment so that others can avail themselves of the "stadium."

Would the complaining residents of the Riverside Lane area prefer the kids play in the street, or perhaps they would like to see the kids gather clandestinely in the vacant lot at night to drink and/or do drugs?

Charlene Prisinzano

Riverside

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07/08/08 - Today's Blog Spotlight - Fairfield County Child - An Excellent Resource For Parents


It's Always Halloween at Sophia's Costumes in Greenwich

I know it might seem premature to be discussing Halloween on the tails of July 4th, but I must tell you about my recent experience at Sophia's Costumes in Greenwich. When my husband and I were invited to a 70's themed birthday party a few weeks ago, I considered hitting Goodwill or my mom's closet for some good authentic duds. Then my friend told me to head straight to Sophia's to rent costumes. Now I see why.... this place is jam packed with the most amazing costumes for kids and adults. And I'm not talking plastic Party City junk. I'm talking real vintage clothing or beautiful reproductions. In fact, among my choices for my costume party were a few Diane Von Furstenberg dresses and jumpsuits (yes, jumpsuits..more on that later) that were older than I am and in great condition.

I peeked at the kids' costumes and found plenty of rental options for boys and girls. For those of you with kids who take Halloween very seriously, Sophia's should be on your radar because I'd imagine that it must get pretty busy there around that time.

Make sure you ask for Glen when you visit. He deserves a special shout out for outfitting me and my husband and for keeping my daughter entertained while I tried on all my costume options in the dressing room. He's sweet and helpful, but very honest at the same time about what looks good on a person. Think Carson Kressley or Tim Gunn minus the emphasis on good taste - Glen just wants you to have fun! I ended up in a mint green polyester jumpsuit that took some convincing to even try on, but Glen was right. It was a blast to wear.

Thanks to Sophia and Glen for the great customer service and overall fun experience. If you pay them a visit, just note that Sophia's is not easy to find. It's located off a parking lot behind Saks and NY Sports Club, near Smart Toys, not exactly an area where you might just stumble upon it.

Sophia's Costumes
1 Liberty Way, Greenwich
203.869.5990
www.sophiascostumes.com


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by Meg Robustelli
Founder, Fairfield County Child, LLC

Get the FREE Fairfield County Child Newsletter!

Stuff You Should Know About

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07/08/08 Greenwich Post News Links For Tuesday


From left, Richie Nelli, Kyle Christensen and Ryder Stahl are the winners of Brett Hartley’s basketball tournament

Hoops tourney raises money for autistic children

Almost 50 boys 4 to 11 years old, turned out for Brett’s three-on-three basketball tournament, to raise money for the North Star Foundation, a non-profit organization out of Storrs that trains and places assistance dogs with autistic children. The tournament was held in Brett’s driveway, as well as two other driveways on Brett’s street in Riverside. Sponsors for the tournament included Chillybear, Upper Crust Bagels of Old Greenwich, Garden Catering of Old Greenwich, Ed Clarke Trophies, and the Burton Family/University of Connecticut. With the help of his friends, Brett raised about $2,200 for North Star in the name of Seth Whynot, 13, of Maine.

ALSO:

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