Jo Conboy and Eric Brower stand in front of the Thomas Lyon House.
They would like to move and renovate the 17th century house.
When former First Selectman James Lash threatened to knock down the historic town-owned Thomas Lyon House more than two years ago because it was abandoned and in disrepair, a group of Byram Neighborhood Association members banded together with other town agencies to save it.
Now the group is trying to save other historic homes in danger of being demolished by forming a new organization called the Greenwich Preservation Trust.
The group's mission is to raise money to purchase historic homes or offer incentives to new owners to maintain them, according to Jo Conboy, one of the group's founders.
"We're very excited about this," she said. "Hopefully we will attract individuals dedicated to keeping the historic buildings in Greenwich."
The town has seen historic buildings demolished recently due to high renovation costs or new owners' plans to replace them. A trust could provide alternatives not currently available, Conboy said.
"I think it's going to be exciting for the town of Greenwich," said Mike Bocchino, president of the Byram Neighborhood Association and a trust founder.
Trust founders were inspired to organize their group following their efforts to maintain the Thomas Lyon House, he said.
"We really took to heart the challenge, and got together all that was needed to help save it," he said. "And we thought, 'Why not do this throughout the community?' .....
The trust approached First Selectman Peter Tesei about the idea and he said it sounded good, Bocchino said. .......
..... "It is such an important historic home," she said.
The Greenwich Preservation Trust temporary executive board has filed the paperwork for its new organization, but is still working on the bylaws and forming a board of directors, Bocchino said.
By Lisa Chamoff
Staff Writer
Connecticut and Fairfield County have high levels of adult literacy compared with other parts of the country, according to a national report released Thursday, but officials say there is still room for improvement.
Zoning board weighs location for Aquarion expansionIt's not a question of what, but where. That's how Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Donald Heller said he will evaluate Aquarion Water Company of Connecticut's longstanding proposal to expand its treatment facility at 10 Dekraft Road.
There's no place like it, said Cos Cob Postmaster Jeffrey Salamon.
"The carriers seem to enjoy this," said Salamon Thursday, framed by mail hampers in the Cos Cob mailroom, "and I'm happy for the people of Cos Cob. I think it just gives them the sense of their own post office again."
Ten years ago, following damage to their mail dock, Cos Cob carriers were temporarily transferred from 152 E. Putnam Ave. to the post office on Greenwich Avenue. Cos Cob window and post office box service remained uninterrupted, but Cos Cob residents had to adjust to picking up held mail and attempted deliveries on the Avenue.
Though the dock was repaired within a month, Cos Cob mail carriers continued to work out of Greenwich Avenue for a decade.
The reason, Salamon said, is that by the time the United States Postal Service thought about moving the carriers back, Cos Cob's mail volume and the number of mail routes had grown too much for the relatively small mailroom to handle.
Over the years, however, electronic sorting was introduced and that, together with this summer's soaring gas prices, led the newly appointed postmaster and his superiors to bring their 11 mail carriers back home......
.....Mail carriers like the change.
"For me, it's great," said Cos Cob carrier of five years Byron Hernandez, 34. "There's less traffic."
Even mail carrier Gary Walker, who enjoyed Greenwich Avenue due to its proximity to express trains, said being in Cos Cob again makes sense.
"It's for the good of the masses," Walker said, adding that mail trucks should last longer now with less mileage per day - and they need the help.....
More than seven years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the town is just now beginning the task of deciding which victims to honor on a new memorial, a process that is fueling a debate.
Some say the memorial, which is being incorporated in a lighthouse renovation project on Great Captains Island that is nearing its completion, should be reserved for Greenwich residents who were killed in the attacks and those victims who grew up in town.
The head of the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce, which helped organize a fundraising campaign for the lighthouse renovation, said the town needs to draw the line on whose name is listed on the memorial.
"As soon as we start putting names on, then you have to set criteria because people will come forth and say, 'I want my son, daughter, close relative I lost in the attack also on that plaque.
That person may have had no connection other than through this relative," said Mary Ann Morrison, the chamber's president and CEO. "If you put one (name) on and someone else gets missed, then you have a whole other issue to deal with."
Others contend that the town should allow for exceptions, listing the names of victims born at Greenwich Hospital or who have relatives that live here.
"I definitely think it should be inclusive and not exclusive," said Susan Wohlforth, a town resident whose husband, Martin, was killed in the attacks.
A 51-year-old Greenwich man faces multiple weapons charges following his arrest in Mount Laurel, N.J.
Jeffrey Richards, of 638 North St., was taken into custody by Mount Laurel police Sunday after he was stopped while traveling on Century Parkway, police said. Police did not specify why Richards was pulled over.
Police said during the motor-vehicle stop they found Richards to be in possession of a semi-automatic handgun loaded with hollow-point bullets and a folding knife.
Police said they also found a .25-caliber pistol in Richards' hotel room later while conducting an investigation.
Richards was charged with unlawful possession of a handgun, unlawful possession of a weapon and unlawful possession of hollow-point bullets.
It's not a question of what, but where. That's how Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Donald Heller said he will evaluate Aquarion Water Company of Connecticut's longstanding proposal to expand its treatment facility at 10 Dekraft Road.
Towns face sharp cutsNORWALK - Leaders of lower Fairfield County towns said yesterday they anticipate significant cuts in state aid for transportation planning, affordable housing and other initiatives as Connecticut wrangles with a multibillion-dollar budget deficit.
Horseneck Tavern says goodbyeCheers and tears flowed at a packed house at Horseneck Tavern Wednesday night, as the neighborhood staple celebrated the final night of its nearly 16-year history.
Greenwich High School boys swimmingUntil Danbury came to town Thursday the Greenwich High School boys swimming team hadn't competed in a meet since it opened its season against Trumbull and Fairfield on Dec.
MORE SPORTS NEWS:
FillingAs he works from room to room, Gene Burch looks for the usual suspects, the small, and sometimes not-so-small, cracks and crevices that allow cold air to sneak into, or, hot air to rush out of, the Stamford home of Michael and Regina Kirshbaum.
Market to worsen before recoveryDon't expect emergency federal spending to immediately kick-start the region's commercial real estate market, said Kenneth McCarthy, managing director of research for the New York region of Cushman & Wakefield
Wednesday morning's ice storm provided an omen for members of the 2009 General Assembly that opened its session later that day: Proceed with caution.
Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell reinforced Mother Nature's message in her "State of the State" address welcoming the lawmakers when, as expected, she sketched a grim general picture of the fiscal realities facing Connecticut and warned that the effects of the budget she will propose on Feb. 4 will be painful.
"The cuts that must be made will be deep and they will affect every agency, every program and every service provided by state government," Ms. Rell said. She also called for "a time of shared sacrifice."
The governor's somber speech set a proper tone for the 21-week legislative session. However, like all State of the State gubernatorial messages during the General Assembly's full sessions that take place in odd-numbered years, the speech focused on general themes and the governor did not tip her hand at just what her February budget recommendations will look like.
Not that any lawmaker - longtime incumbents or freshmen - has to be told just how dismal the state budget outlook is at this point in time. The shortfall for the current fiscal year's budget is estimated at $343 million despite several rounds of cost-cutting, and legislative fiscal experts project a shortfall during the next two fiscal years, beginning July 1, that could total a mind-boggling $6 billion, based on this year's $18.2 billion spending ...... BLAH ...... BLAH ....... Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell Is Doing A Great Job .......BLAH ..... BLAH ....... BLAH ....... BLAH ......BLAH ....... BLAH ....... BLAH ...... Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell Is Doing A Great Job ....... BLAH ....... BLAH .......
To the editor:
For 25 years, my husband and I have been taking a walk around Greenwich Point every Sunday, rain, snow, wind, cold or hot. The weather never bothers me; I can dress for that. What does turn our otherwise peaceful, happy walk into a nightmare in the winter are the dogs. I know it comes as a shock to most dog lovers, but everyone does not like dogs. And in my case, I am extremely afraid of them.
I think it is unfair that, even after the town created a dog park at Grass Island, dogs have been allowed to take over Greenwich Point for four months of the year.
If anyone thinks I am exaggerating, just try walking around Greenwich Point and along the beach on any Sunday from Dec. 1 through March 31. Last Sunday, I must have seen 200 dogs within one hour. Even if I avoid the beach, which I do, dogs are everywhere, on and off the leash. It is simply impossible to enjoy Greenwich Point during the winter unless you're a dog lover or a dog.
Although I think itwould be difficult to close the Point to dogs all year long, I have a solution. Designate one day a week, preferably Saturday or Sunday, "dog free." This compromise would allow me and other people who feel the same as I do about dogs to peacefully walk around Greenwich Point without the fear of being jumped on, splashed with icy water, barked at and bit.
Patricia Kantorski
Greenwich
This Post Was Updated At 8:11 AM
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