Our Greenwich

Living without electricity for a week made me realize I am not grateful enough.

The conveniences of modern life at the push of a button or flip of a switch we take for granted until we don’t have them. One blessing I try never to take for granted are the women and men who put their lives on the line for us — the military, police, firefighters, EMS.

Well, on this Sunday, the 10^th anniversary of the tragedy of 9/11 when some many first-responders made the ultimate sacrifice there is a way to show the Greenwich Police, Greenwich Firefighters and GEMS how much we appreciate them.  You can go to the Inaugural First Responders B-B-Q Benefit & “Touch a Truck” Event, the brainchild of retired police officer Frank Kelly and others.

The event, starting at 1 p.m. at the Greenwich Polo Club on North Street at Hurlingham Drive, includes food and a Polo Match which starts at 3 p.m.   (There is a cash wine and beer bar.)  According to the announcement, the proceeds benefit the Greenwich Police and Fire Departments and Greenwich Emergency Services.

People are urged to buy their tickets in advance because only a limited number of tickets will be available at the door.  Tickets ($50 for adults; $20 children 6-12 and free children 5 and under) can be purchased at the Greenwich Police Department (11 Bruce Pl.); the Greenwich Fire Department (75 Holly Hill Lane); GEMS Headquarters (1111 East Putnam Ave.) or any of the three CORBOS Delis (138 E. Putnam Ave., 59 E. Putnam Ave., 470 W. Putnam Ave.)

I hope to see you there.

FROM THE GREENWICH POLICE

Some concerns have arose concerning the Dam behind Direct Media. Emergency Management Director Warzoha informed this office that a request has been made for The State of Connecticut Dam Inspection Team to respond to evaluate the current state of this Dam. The State has acknowledged that they have received this request and will hopefully be able to respond in an reasonable amount of time. Their office has received numerous requests to inspect Dams throughout the state due to the high volume of rain recently.

Important to realize that this Dam was constructed with “Weep holes” built into the wall of the dam. These holes are designed to alleviate the water pressure during times such as these, so what some might think is cracking in the dam could in fact be the “weep hole” releasing water to alleviate the pressure.

The Dam will continue to be monitored by town officials and if its condition becomes a major concern, Director Warzoha will activate the reverse 911 system to inform area residents of any possible emergency.

Americans love to have opinions and they sure love to express them.

I will always remember getting angry at my English teacher, Mr. Karl Ames, at Christopher Columbus High School in the Bronx who said, “People are not ‘entitled’ to have an opinion”.  I am just now beginning to understand what he meant.

I’ve been watching and comparing seven television stations. Some from cable, MSNBC, FOX, CNN, as well as the regular channels, NBC, FOX, CBS, and ABC.  Some of the programming succeeds at eliciting emotional responses, particularly anger and ridicule. Even the comedy shows present situations of opinion that make you laugh as they poke fun at someone or something.

 If you are a “one-stop” shopper for your information you will wind up with a lop-sided view of reality.  Namely, you will have a rigid view of the world, and you will be a victim of propaganda and brainwashing. You will be filled with opinions you are not entitled to.

 Some television shows broadcast authentic videos and offer opinions based on facts. If they make a mistake, they will let you know.  Other shows broadcast their personal opinions or the opinions of their superiors, much of which have no basis in fact. Some of them purposely lie. It is mind-boggling and distressing how we get sucked-in by these shows, blogs and print articles. Information has tremendous power to make opinion, whether it is true or false. We are not entitled to our opinion if that opinion is based on false information.

 This phenomenon is not new.  We have always been affected by the opinions of others. But…..I am now standing at the side of my high school teacher, may his soul rest in peace, in saying that we are not entitled to our opinion unless it is based on the truth.

 One other important thing! It is not only the opinion that is disturbing and destructive, especially if it is false, but it is the hostile emotion that is expressed during a discussion of the opinion. The body pays a toll.

 You have seen it. You have felt it. When you are getting all emotional, the blood pressure rising, all red-faced, cussing, heart palpitating and ready to fight, you know you are defending an opinion one way or another.  It doesn’t feel good. And it doesn’t do any good. It is making enemies within your family and friends.

 So, I offer a solution. Take a pencil and paper, and make a record of some of the television, print, and internet statements you watch and read. 

 Keep a check list – 1. Opinion factual or 2. Opinion non-factual. 3. Opinion positive or 4. Opinion negative. There are several fact-checking web sites which will help you along. Namely,

 www.FactCheck.org     www.snopes.com    www.PolitiFact.com   www.OpenSecrets.org   www.TruthOrFiction.com    www.Hoax-Slayer.com    

 It is MY opinion, based on observation over time, analysis, and checking the facts that you will find out for yourself whether you have been victimized and/or brainwashed. Record your opinion before and after doing your research. See if there is any change in your opinion. Ask yourself if you are more flexible now and open to what the facts are telling you.

 Good luck and happy fact-finding.

 May you be entitled to your opinion in the future!

P R E S S R E L E A S E

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 2, 2011
4:00 p.m.

First Selectman Peter Tesei convened a meeting of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) today to review the status of the restoration effort and to discuss our plan for the next twenty four hours. As of 1:00 p.m. today 2,358 CL&P customers (8% of all customers) in the Town of Greenwich are without power. Yesterday at 2:00 p.m. the number was 4,865. CL&P has deployed 22 power crews towards the restoration of power and 15 tree crews to remove trees and limbs that are obstructing their work. The Town has also deployed its tree crews and personnel and equipment from the Department of Public Works to remove trees that block roads or partially obstruct traffic or pedestrian movement. The State of Connecticut has also supplied equipment and personnel to assist in this effort CL&P continues to report that they expect to restore 99% of all electric service in Greenwich by Saturday at 11:30 p.m.

The Town has consistently followed a priority list that addressed life/safety issues as the most important area of concern. Other priorities include road closures, safe routing for traffic and pedestrians, and the resumption of electric service for the largest number of residents. As of this afternoon 10 roads are partially blocked. At the height of the storm the Town had 381 road blockages. See the list of existing (as of 1:00 Friday) blockages at the end of this release.

For those residents who have found Connecticut Light and Power’s (CL&P) response to be insufficient complaints can be made to the Public Utility Regulatory Agency (PURA) of the State of Connecticut. PURA complains may be lodged via a toll free phone call at 800-382-4586 or on-line at http://www.ct.gov/dupc/cwp/viw.asp?a=3352&q=404030.

The EOC continues to receive reports of citizens who are utilizing generators for electric purposes or are operating their personal vehicles to charge electronic devices in such a fashion that carbon monoxide gas is entering their living quarters. Please operate all such equipment in a well ventilated area and exercise extreme caution that you do not poison yourself and your family.

The Greenwich Main Library will be open for extended hours on Saturday, September 3rd from 9:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m.

School will be open on Tuesday, September 6th for sixth and ninth grade orientation. Greenwich High School and Western Middle School will also hold orientation for students new to the District on that same day. School will be open for all students on Wednesday, September 7th, 2011. Please monitor the Board of Education website for up-to-the-moment school news at www.greenwichschools.org.

As the Town moves from restoration to clean up please refrain from placing your yard waste and storm debris in the right of way. Public Works Department will not remove debris from private property.

The Holly Hill Transfer Station will continue to remain open through Saturday from 7:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. to permit homeowners and their contractors to dispose of yard waste that has been created by the storm.

The Red Cross has prepared a Cleanup Kit for homeowners with damage. The kit may be picked up at the Red Cross office at 99 Indian Field Road on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Their phone number is 203-869-8444.

Important Service Phone Numbers

CL&P 203-286-2000

Verizon 800-922-0204

AT&T 611 or 800-288-2020

Cablevision 800-868-9040

For additional information please contact Caroline Baisley, Director of Heath at 622-7836 (cbaisley@greenwichct.org) or Dan Warzoha, Emergency Management Director at 622-2222 (emoc@greenwichct.org).

Blocked or Partially Roads

View Street Field Road Sunset Road

Lake Ave. (upper) Husted Lane Dublin Hill

Park Ave. (downtown) Lang Horn lane

Butler Street Walwyn Road

There are also a number of other minor roadway obstructions that are being tracked and will be remedied as time permits.

Hurricane Recovery Update

As of September 1, 2011 at 4:00 pm

Roadway obstructions reported:         381

Roadway obstructions remaining:      71

CL&P Power Crews Working:           15

CL&P Tree Crews Working:              15

Town Tree Crews Working:                2

Current percentage of Greenwich CL&P customers without power: 15%

31 Towns/Cities across Connecticut have 61% or more of their population without power.

New Canaan is 63% without power.

Darien is 25% without power.

Ridgefield is 62% without power.

Stamford is 6% without power

The Town of Greenwich continues to aggressively remediating roadway closures and partial obstructions.  The State of Connecticut has provided a front end loader and four dump trucks (all with crews) to assist Town recovery operations.

CL&P has announced that they expect 99% of Greenwich power customers to have their power restored by 11:30 pm on September 3, 2011 (Saturday night).

The Town of Greenwich is focused on returning normalcy to the community as rapidly as possible.

FROM BOARD OF EDUCATION:

Due to inaccessibility of roads for bus transportation to school and concern with safe passage for walkers to school and to bus stops due to downed wires and debris that still remain after the hurricane, all schools will be closed tomorrow, Thursday September 1st, and Friday, September 2nd for teachers and students.

All student activities planned for Thursday and Friday are canceled with the exception of Greenwich High School athletic practices, since the athletic practices do not require bus transportation.

School will be open on Tuesday, September 6th for sixth and ninth grade orientation. Greenwich High School and Western Middle School will also hold orientations for students new to the school district on Tuesday (9/6). School will be open for all students on Wednesday, September 7, 2011.

This information is also available on the Greenwich Public Schools’ web site. Please continue to check the web site and all other forms of communication at your disposal for further updates.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation through this extraordinary week.

You are receiving this email from the Greenwich Public Schools Central Office. If you would like to make any changes to your contact information, please contact your school office directly. The schools maintain the student and family databases. Thank you.

First Selectman Peter J. Tesei is declaring a state of emergency effective at 8:00 a.m. Saturday August 27th, 2011. This state of emergency will be in effect until further notice. The Town recommends that residents in low-lying areas evacuate and seek shelter on higher ground. Evacuation should be complete by no later than 7:00 p.m. on Saturday August 27th. To determine if your home will likely be affected please review the street list and maps included in this briefing.
The following list includes street names in all the affected neighborhoods of Greenwich. To determine if a particular property or location on a designated will be impacted by storm the surge that will accompany Hurricane Irene, find that street on one of the included maps and confirm that it is shaded in green or yellow. This color coding corresponds with hurricane categories 1 -3. If the property is highlighted, there is a very strong chance that it will experience significant flooding.

Residents should make arrangements with family, friends or other accommodations immediately. If none of those options are available, the Town of Greenwich is opening shelters at the Bendheim Western Greenwich Civic Center at 499 Pemberwick Road and Eastern Middle School at 51 Hendrie Avenue at 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., respectively.  The Bendheim Western Greenwich Civic Center is ADA accessible. Residents with special needs should call the Transportation Association of Greenwich (TAG) at 203 637 4345 for pick up.  Shelters are not pet-friendly, though residents may drop of their pet at the North Street Animal Shelter located at 393 North Street.
The First Selectman has temporarily suspended all parking meter rules beginning at 12:00 p.m. tomorrow so that residents in low-lying areas with multiple vehicles can move their vehicles to higher ground.
Please routinely check you local news outlets for up to date information. The Town of Greenwich will issue further information as it becomes available.  Residents are encouraged to visit websites including the Town’s website (www.greenwichct.org) to view the booklet on hurricane preparedness, The American Red Cross (www.redcross.org), and the federal government (www.ready.gov) for pointers on personal readiness and listen to local news radio and TV stations (WGCH 1490 AM, WLNK 1350 AM and Cablevision Channel 12) for up to date information. During an emergency the Town may opt to use the Reverse 911 system to send a recorded message to each resident that has a published number. All residents with nonpublished numbers must sign on through the Town’s website. Cell phone numbers can also be
programmed for contact.
EMERGENCY HELPLINES – UTILITIES
Aquarion Water Company 1-800-732-9678
Northeast Utilities (203) 386-2000
Connecticut Natural Gas company (203) 869-6900
LOCAL NON-EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Town of Greenwich – www.greenwichct.org (203) 622-7700
Greenwich Department of Health, Division of Environmental Services (203)-622-7838
Greenwich Fire Department non-emergency (203)-622-3950
Greenwich Police Department non-emergency (203)-622-8003
Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Service
– American Medical Response (AMR) 1-800-379-7700
Department of Parks and Recreation Tree Division (203)-622-7824
Greenwich Chapter, American Red Cross (203)-869-8444
Greenwich Department of Social Service (203-622-3800
Greenwich Hospital (203) 863-3000
Connecticut Poison Control 1-800-222-1222
For additional information please contact Caroline Baisley, Director of Heath at 622 7836
(cbaisley@greenwichct.org) or Dan Warzoha, Emergency Management Director at 622 2222
(emoc@greenwichct.org).

Greenwich Streets in Hurricane SLOSH areas: Category 1 – 3
Neighborhood Street Neighborhood Street

America seems hopeless at times. Many times the feeling of hopelessness is passing and you can count on something hopeful to take its place. But, if you are tuned into the political arena like much of the country now seems to be, it is hard to count on that taking place. The amount of anger, greed, corruption, exploitation, vindictiveness, backroom deals, manipulation and lying going on seems never to end and getting worse by the day.

 This is not a new phenomenon. We have had times like this before. I saw it in the ‘60’s when President, John Kennedy was murdered. Then, his brother, Robert Kennedy, running for President, was murdered. Then, Martin Luther King, the leader of the civil rights community, was murdered. These men were a threat to someone, and that someone killed them. Could this happen now?

Yes, it can!  Look at the signs. Look at the threats. Look at the guns. Look at the politicians and their threatening words. They make these threats to get votes but what they don’t anticipate is that someone will take up the challenge and act out their violent words.

Ben Bernanke is presently the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank. He was selected by President Bush for the job, and President Obama continued to have faith in his expertise and kept him on.  Rick Perry, present Governor of Texas, running for President in 2012, when talking about Ben Bernanke this week, threatened, “If this guy prints more money between now and the election, I don’t know what y’all would do to him inIowa, but we would treat him pretty ugly down inTexas. Printing more money to play politics at this particular time in American history is almost treasonous in my opinion.”

 We all remember when President Kennedy was treated “pretty ugly down inTexas”.

Look what happened to Gabby Giffords in her home state of Arizona. The gun and crosshair political rhetoric was rampant during the time a gun was put to her head and the trigger pulled. All it takes is one crazy “believer” to kill or maim. No one seems to want to take responsibility for contributing to Gabby’s wounds.

There may be some hope, however, in what I see as the strategy of President Obama. I have confidence that, in spite of the continual accusations that he is “not leading” the country, that he is a “weak compromiser”, and he is not being “decisive” and not coming out with his “own plan”. I believe Obama’s strategic plan is both covert and hopeful.

His strategy seems to be a plan backed by his belief that Democracy is a system of government of the people, by the people and for the people and that the majority of the people will do the right thing when they learn what the options are. Instead of pushing his own plan down the throats of Americans, he delays and waits until the American people catch up with the facts and begin to see, hear, and experience for themselves what and how the politicians are making decisions in Congress.

With the majority of the House of Representatives voting against any bill or idea proposed by the White House, there was no option left to Obama except to go to the people. What I am seeing and, hopefully, we will all be seeing soon is that the people will be part of the solution. They will make their opinions heard.  Democracy is not the President. Democracy is the people.

A Democracy at work gets messy at times, and Americans get angry at the length of time it takes working through the democratic process. Many Americans are used to being instantly gratified.  Patiently working through a problem is not an American strong point. Americans would rather let their leaders make decisions for them, and they will only listen when things start going bad.  But, as the weeks and months go by, as we try to solve our many problems, I see people more energized and more understanding and willing to get involved. And that is hopeful.

Lastly, at the same time the President’s “wait and educate” democratic style for the people was going on there was another covert plan taking place that required instant action and guts.  A decision had to be made, having only a 50/50 chance, and backed by years of tracking the enemy, our President, the Commander in Chief Obama of the U.S. Military, had no problem giving the order to take the life of Osama Bin Laden; the master planner of the 9/11 attack in New York City. No fanfare.  Upon completion, the word “Geronimo!” was transmitted to the White House from SEAL Team 6 in Pakistan. Obama stood up and said “We got him!”  And that was that.

the Lion of Greenwich may have seen too many Star Wars movies or is trying to stay out of Media attention.  Photo:  Copyright, John Ferris Robben, 2011.  If you have any ‘real’ stories, sightings or information about a mountain lion in Greenwich, email John at JFRobben@gmail.com.  This is one of two identical statues on a North West Greenwich, Connecticut home’s entrance.  If anyone knows more about this location and the owners please let John know.

The above muddy print was discovered on August 13, 2011, on a trail in Greenwich, Connecticut. (copyright, John Ferris Robben, 2011).

Frank Trotta  reported the following:

Traffic Issue-Glenville Center- 8/6/11 UPDATE-

 # 5 Road  Closed AGAIN

Apparently the repair didn’t hold and the same water main has let go again.