Boneheaded Jurist Helps The Greenwich YMCA
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.
The Y reasonably showed that it was in the process of trying to get rid of barriers to provide access for all through their $40 million renovation and expansion project, a standard established under the Americans with Disabilities Act, said Judge Taggert Adams in Stamford Superior Court.
The Y, which is considered a public entity, is required to provide access to individuals with disabilities, and are in the process of making "reasonable modifications" to their facility through their construction to provide it, he said.
Providing a temporary ramp is "not readily achievable," and would put an undue burden on the YMCA, he said.
Luis Gonzalez-Bunster, who is in a wheelchair, filed a request on Nov. 13 for an immediate injunction ordering the Y to provide temporary access to the new addition that includes a new aquatics center with an Olympic-size pool. The new addition is just one part of renovation and expansion of the 96-year-old building, which has never been wheelchair accessible.
MORE GRENWICH TIME NEWS LINKS:
Sounds of prayer filled the Hilton-Stamford Hotel ballroom Tuesday morning, as some 500 members of the Stamford Islamic Center observed one the faith's most important holidays, Eid al-Adha.
By Neil Vigdor/Staff Writer
Posted: 12/10/2008 02:31:48 AM EST
With the town laboring to close a projected $10.5 million budget gap, a debate is raging among elected officials whether to put the brakes on an estimated $49.2 million in capital projects for which the money has been appropriated but not yet spent.
Joan Caldwell, the second-highest-ranking leader of the Representative Town Meeting and chairman of legislative body's District 10/Northwest delegation, said it only makes sense to take a second look at projects still in the planning stage......
.....Members of Caldwell's RTM delegation unsuccessfully proposed a sense-of-the-meeting resolution Monday night to the full legislative body that would have placed a 90-day moratorium on all capital projects for which contracts have yet to be negotiated.....
.....First Selectman Peter Tesei said all options are on the table in the current economic climate.
"We are certainly looking at capital projects that we can pare back or not do so we can focus on completing the ones that are already in progress," Tesei said.
Among the projects for which funds have been appropriated but not spent are $1.1 million for an evaluation of the Grass Island municipal wastewater treatment plant; $1 million for an imaging and archiving system at Town Hall, $2.7 million toward converting the former Cos Cob Power Plant site into a waterfront park; $238,000 for a new police boat; and $500,000 for a master plan for the town's transfer station.
"That half-million might pay some salaries later in the year if we have a messy situation," Caldwell said of the money for the transfer station master plan.
Another major project on the drawing board that might have been affected by such a moratorium is the renovation of the Greenwich High School auditorium and music instruction rooms, for which the town has appropriated about $2.1 million this year for architectural and engineering work.
Bob Brady, who is a member of the project's building committee, said the town is close to reaching contracts with an architect and a construction manager after six-and-a-half months of work.
"We would hate to have to redo that and start all over," said Brady, who is also an RTM member and chairman of its Education Committee.
Some leaders have questioned the urgency to do the project, for which about $23.1 million has been placed in the 2010-11 budget. .....
.....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.
In previous years, the budgetary gap has been about $5 million, according to town officials, who are predicting a $7 million shortfall in revenues from tax receipts, building permits issued and bank interest......
A 75-year-old Pemberwick man accused of killing his former daughter-in-law was ordered sent to a state mental facility Tuesday for treatment to restore his competency to stand trial.
At a hearing in state Superior Court in Stamford, a frail Gerardo Lombardi listened as a licensed clinical social worker said the defendant did not comprehend the case against him.
"It was determined that he was unable to understand the proceedings against him and he was unable to assist in his defense," said social worker Melissa McShane......
.....Lombardi is accused of shooting and stabbing Alison McKnight Lombardi in the backyard of 36 Nicholas Ave., the property next to his home, Sept. 4. Police believe the incident stemmed from a property dispute. ......
......Public Defender Howard Ehring told the judge it would be difficult to proceed with a probable cause hearing and eventual trial given Lomardi's current mental status.
Ferencek did not contest the evaluation report and felt treatment was a good idea if it could restore Lombardi's competence to stand trial.
"I would agree that based on the report he is not competent," Ferencek said.....
....Comerford committed Lombardi for 60 days of treatment at the Whiting Forensic Institute in Middletown.
The Whiting Forensic Institute is part of a broader Whiting Forensic Division of Connecticut Valley Hospital, a state mental hospital. ....
By Neil Vigdor/Staff Writer
Posted: 12/10/2008 02:31:18 AM EST
With less than a month remaining in his tenure as chairman of Bradley International Airport, state Senator-elect L. Scott Frantz of Greenwich was on cloud nine Wednesday with the announcement that Delta Air Lines subsidiary Northwest Airlines would resume nonstop service from Hartford to Amsterdam.....
....Frantz, 48, who was elected last month to fill the 36th District Senate seat of retiring fellow Republican William Nickerson, said Delta's decision to bring the flight back shows confidence that Bradley is a viable market for the airline industry. ...
....Frantz said he and other business and political leaders have been striving for several months to get the transatlantic flights to return and even promised $800,000 in incentives to Delta to help market the new route.
In addition, the state Department of Transportation sweetened the pot with $325,000 in landing fee and rent reductions to the airline, according to Frantz.....
Godfrey Polistina, 57, of 1363 King St., was arrested and charged with third-degree assault and disorderly conduct Monday night after a dispute at his home, police said.
Polistina was released on a $10,000 bond and was scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Stamford on Tuesday
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Milton DeLavera, 48, of 50 South Main St., was arrested and charged with sixth-degree larceny Monday evening at Stop & Shop, 161 West Putnam Ave., police said.
A store manager reported seeing DeLavera stuff numerous store items into his jacket and pant legs, then leave the store, police said. Police then apprehended DeLavera.
DeLavera was released on a $200 bond and is scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Stamford on Dec. 23.
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William McGoldrick, 59, of 63 Indian Harbor Drive, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct Saturday evening following a tenant-landlord dispute, police said.
McGoldrick was released on a $1,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Stamford on Monday.
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Charles Smith, 54, of 415 High St., Milford, was arrested and charged with driving while under the influence Thursday, police said.
Smith, a Greenwich postal worker, was found to be intoxicated in a Greenwich Post Office parking lot at 29 Valley Drive, police said.
Smith was operating a postal vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, according to the police report. Smith had bloodshot eyes and a strong odor of alcohol, police said.
He failed a series of field sobriety tests at the scene, according to police.
Smith was released on a $250 bond and was released to a family member, police said.
He is scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Stamford on Friday.
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Ben Mosley III, 19, of 5 Jamroga Lane, Stamford, was arrested Friday night and charged with second-degree failure to appear, police said.
Mosley turned himself in to police on an outstanding arrest warrant relating to an August arrest in which he was charged with possession of marijuana less than four ounces, police said.
Mosley was released on a $1,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Stamford on Friday.
By Colin Gustafson/Staff Writer
Posted: 12/10/2008 02:31:50 AM EST
Calling for a "sense of urgency," school officials are ramping up pressure on Hamilton Avenue School's building committee to secure the necessary approvals for occupancy for the reconstructed school building this month.
At a meeting in the Havemeyer Building Tuesday, Superintendent of Schools Betty Sternberg asked committee members to give her daily updates on their progress toward achieving a temporary certificate of occupancy. .....
.....However, there are still a few unresolved facilities issues - including a need for more exhaust fans in bathrooms and additional emergency lights - that must be addressed before town building officials will grant the certificate, building committee members said......
....Asked by Sternberg to give a realistic time-frame for receiving the certificate, building committee member Thomas Heagney said it would likely arrive next Thursday or Friday, Dec. 18 or 19, "at the latest,"......
.....The project, which was initially slated to span 18 months when work began in April 2005, has repeatedly missed deadlines, recently when builders failed to finish work in time for an Aug. 27 re-opening; then again when ventilation problems were not resolved by Columbus Day.
School officials had most recently hoped to have a certificate for the school by Dec. 5, so that the environmental testing and move-in process could move forward without having to deal with any outstanding facilities issues.
To date, however, several problems remain unresolved.
For one, while new exhaust fans have been installed in some bathrooms to correct air flow problems, other restrooms facilities have not yet received the equipment upgrade, which inspectors say is a prerequisite for the certificate.
In addition, emergency lights still must be installed on the campus, committee members said, and modifications to the boiler room's flue piping system need to be approved in order for the building to get the certificate.....
It's not easy asking for money ata time like this. Unemployment is up and government bailouts are on many industries' wish lists.
The Mark Twain House & Museum, honoring perhaps Connecticut's most famous resident, has seen brighter days. Facing a financial crisis created by adding a $19.5 million visitors center, the museum needed a recent $500,000 gift from the Annenberg Foundation to stay out of bankruptcy, and is not yet in the clear ...... BLAH .....BLAH ..... BLAH ..... BLAH ..... BLAH ..... BLAH ..... BLAH ...... BLAH ....... BLAH ......
To the editor:
Two years ago, when I had recently moved to Greenwich and begun to establish new roots for Quill Entertainment, a history-musicals nonprofit, Bea Crumbine showed me the Havemeyer Building and shared her and the Greenwich Center for the Arts board's exciting ideas about restoring it as a vibrant community arts center.
As a theater professional for some 30-plus years, I was thrilled to visit the theater space and imagine it filled with laughter, song, dance and applause. In addition, there would be classrooms and galleries - it seemed too good to be true. I immediately signed up Quill Entertainment as a potential tenant.
Alas, it seems it was too good to be true - and all for want of a lease and the willingness of the Board of Education to move. Office space can be found, but where in Greenwich can we find a pre-existing theater? In a beautiful, historic building? Right in the heart of town? With millions of dollars from the private sector already committed?
It boggles the mind to think our elected officials can be so short-sighted as to let this opportunity pass.
One article stated that the school board members wanted the priority to be on "projects impacting children's education." Surely, these members do not think education takes place only in the classroom. Surely, after numerous studies detailed the positive economic impact of the arts on communities, the board members recognize the "win-win-win" for the town.
Surely, after even more studies underscored the importance of the arts in the intellectual and spiritual growth of our children, the members can address other needs without abandoning this unique opportunity for important social gain. Surely . . .
As an artist, I am sick at this decision. As a proud member of the community, I am a little bit ashamed of it. I urge the members of the school board and the Representative Town Meeting to sit down with the GCA and move this project forward.
Greenwich deserves a center for the arts. Let us no longer have to apologize for lacking one.
Granville Burgess
Greenwich
The writer is chief executive officer of Quill Entertainment Co.
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