09/28/10 Eco Java Cafe Grand Opening

Quite the crowd showed up last Saturday to enjoy the festivities at Eco Java Cafe, the new chic little coffee shop on Mill Street in Byram and its new neighboring store, Perspectives Clothing. The owners of both establishments, Dana Zimmerman of Eco Java (ecojavacafe.com) and Stacy Young of Perspectives Clothing (perspectivesclothing.com), joined forces for an open house to introduce their shops to the neighborhood.

Business owners get 'taste of Byram'
Lisa Chamoff, Staff Writer
Published: 09:17 p.m., Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Despite living in Greenwich for more than 20 years, Eva Gardoa never spent much time in downtown Byram.

However, after taking a sip of coffee and munching on a scone from the eight week-old Eco Java Cafe on Mill Street, and sampling food from a number of other Byram restaurants at a Greenwich Chamber of Commerce event Tuesday night, Gardoa decided that was going to change.

"I was very surprised," said Gardoa, who formerly worked for a Greenwich financial company, and now owns a year-old franchise of Synergy Home Care, a home health agency. "I think you really have to expand your horizons."

Gardoa's reaction was precisely what Mary Ann Morrison, president and CEO of the Greenwich chamber, was hoping for.

The gathering was one of the regular monthly networking events for chamber members, which are held throughout the town. This month, it was renamed "A Taste of Byram," and held in the recently renovated home of Interstate Lumber, which has been in the neighborhood since 1922.

"It's a great way for us to bring members of the business community into Byram, which is not always the first place that people think about going," Morrison said.

The neighborhood has become somewhat of a culinary destination, with eatery Burgers, Shakes & Fries getting a mention in New York magazine, and word of mouth bringing people to the four-year-old Greenwich Lobster House.

As Greenwich Lobster House assistant manager Chris D'Onofrio dished out Swedish meatballs in a cream-based demi-glaze, he spoke of how customers come to the restaurant from as far away as the Bronx, N.Y. and New Haven.

http://www.greenwichtime.com/default/article/Business-owners-get-taste-of-Byram-678551.php

09/21/10 Byram History

The town-operated Island Beach ferry ran aground off the coast of Byram during an afternoon sightseeing cruise. Nearly 150 passengers, many of them senior citizens, had to be evacuated from the boat, which hit a rock outcropping about 1,000 yards offshore from Byram Beach in late September 2002. There were no major injuries and the ferry was repaired and put back in service.

09/21/10 Motorists face daily dance in high-traffic section of town

By Frank MacEachern, Staff Writer - Greenwich Time

The intersection of Byram Road and West Putnam Avenue is an accident waiting to happen, according to Mary Ann Mullen.

"It's terrible. The traffic coming up from Port Chester is moving up very, very quickly," the Byram Road resident said. "A lot of people try to jump out and you hear a lot of brakes squealing."

The eastbound lanes of West Putnam Avenue near Byram Road are some of the most heavily traveled in town. The section of roadway is the scene of many accidents, including the death of a Virginia woman who was struck by a truck as she was trying to cross the roadway Sept. 3.

Mullen said more must be done to make the area safer.

"What we really need down here is a "T" intersection or a regular intersection," she said. "Maybe reconfigure the intersection and put in a traffic light."

She and other residents may have to wait a long time for that, according to a spokesman for the state's Department of Transportation.

The department studied the area in the 1990s, according to Kevin Nursick. Even relatively minor changes like installing traffic signals were rejected because they would cause traffic congestion in Greenwich and New York state, he said.

"We had been, for lack of a better term, eyeballing this area for improvement for a period of time," Nursick said. "It is not probably an ideal design. It's a little bit convoluted, and you have two jurisdictions involved."

The major challenge motorists face is coming out of Byram Road, said two men who have a front seat to the traffic mayhem....

http://www.greenwichtime.com/default/article/Motorists-face-daily-dance-in-high-traffic-33146.php

09/14/10 Veteran restaurateur opens Red Lulu

Jody Pennette is bringing his own version of Mexican cuisine to Washington Street in South Norwalk.

The owner of cb5 Restaurant Group has opened Red Lulu, sister restaurant to Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar in the Byram section of Greenwich, at 128 Washington St., the former site of Ocean Drive.

Pennette was attracted to the district that has become a vibrant center of nightlife and fine dining, saying that he was seeking added exposure north and east of greater Stamford and he acted quickly.

"Lolita just worked. Sure, some of it may have been perceived as over the top, but they kept coming. Requests to open another Lolita soon followed. I enjoy the challenge of changing the environment. This (5,000-square-foot space) had really good bones. The project was a total of seven weeks from getting the building permit," said Pennette, no stranger to opening restaurants. He has created 130 of them.

With seating for 120, the restaurant, open seven days a week starting at 5 p.m., offers an alternative to the typical fare at area Mexican restaurants, he said.

"The traditional Mexican model in Fairfield County is blurred with Tex-Mex and a lot of cheese," said Pennette, adding that executive chef Juan Reyes, who led the kitchen at Lolita and is from Mexico City, offers selections such as barbequed pork ribs with spicy Mexican coffee bean, chocolate, sesame and orange glaze; garlic shrimp or spicy chicken flautas; tacos with blackened grouper, adobo chicken, pulled pork, baja shrimp, rib-eye and brisket; and swordfish campechana with lump crab salsa and smoked chiles.

Although Red Lulu is in the middle of one of coastal Fairfield County's nightlife districts, Pennette said it is first and foremost a restaurant.

http://www.greenwichtime.com/default/article/Veteran-restaurateur-opens-Red-Lulu-662028.php

09/10/10 Byram Residents: Tree overhanging Western Junior Highway poses threat

The leaning tree of Western Junior Highway in Byram is a deadly threat to motorists, walkers and students at nearby Western Middle School, say a pair of Henry Street residents.

John Zmarzlak and Giulio Zarra say the oak tree near the roadway and at the corner of Western Middle School property should be cut down.

Zarra, 76, said the tree is starting to rot, and he stuck his right index finger into its base Friday afternoon to back up his contention.

"When this tree goes, it's going to create some major damage," Zmarzlak, 77, said. That damage would include a major power outage, he predicted.

The tree is about 40 inches in diameter, said Zmarzlak, who used a tape measure to make that determination. Zarra estimated the tree is about 50 feet tall.

Two branches hang over Western Junior Highway, spreading out to Henry Street on the other side of the roadway.

"It would be good if they took it out of here. It is awfully dangerous," Zarra said.

Bruce Spaman, the town's superintendent of trees, said the arbor is not considered a high-risk tree, although the Parks and Recreation Department is aware of it.

"It's a leaning tree; it's been leaning that way forever, but it is on our list," he said, referring to a record of trees the town has noted may pose a risk to people or structures.

About two years ago, the department conducted a tree survey and recorded about 450 trees on town property that were classified Priority 1, deemed the highest risk to fall.

http://www.greenwichtime.com/default/article/Residents-Tree-overhanging-Western-Junior-653542.php

09/10/10 Pauline Belick

Pauline Belick passed away on Aug. 29, 2010 at Nathaniel Witherell Home, where she had been a longtime resident.

Belick was born to John and Anna Kosik of Greenwich. She was an active member of the Mary-Martha Guild at St. Paul's Evangical Lutheran Church, a longtime member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Eastport Chester Fire Department and an active supporter of the Volunteer Fire Services.

She was also a member of the Byram Garden Club, and took great pride in her vegetable garden and her spring bulb garden, her family said.

She and her husband spent many summer days enjoying the local waters in their boat they built together. She also enjoyed Island beach and Byram beach in her later years.

She is survived by her son John Belicka Jr., and his wife Susan of Greenwich and Stonington; A daughter, Arline and her husband Lucius M.Whitaker Jr. of Farmington and Mystic; a grandson, Lucius M. Whitaker III of Unionville; and a granddaughter, Lindsey, her husband, Daniel Brennwald, and their daughter, Mckenna Whitaker Brennwald, all of Farmington. She was predeceased by her two sisters, Susan Berndt and Ann Hotoph. She is survived by her brother John Kosik of Lutz Florida. She was predeceased by her husband, John Belicka.

Funeral services and interment are private and will be at the convenience the family.

Memorial donations may be made to Nathaniel Witherell Home, 70 Parsonage Rd., Greenwich, CT 06830.

09/08/10 Frustrated Pemberwick residents question officials over flooding

By the banks of the Byram River Wednesday morning, U.S. Rep. Jim Himes faced about 20 Pemberwick residents skeptical that anything will ever be done to alleviate flooding of their homes.

"I just want you to know that before anything is done I will be dead and buried," said John Stein, 79, who has lived at 101 Monica Road since 1955.

During a meeting with residents and town and federal officials, Himes told residents about the progress of a funding proposal in Congress that would provide the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with as much as $200,000 for a study on how to control flooding along the Byram River.

After the meeting, Stein said he wanted action, not a paper trail.

"How many damn studies do we have to have? Just come along and dig the river deeper and get the silt out of there," he said.

Himes was joined by First Selectman Peter Tesei, state Rep. Livvy Floren, R-149th District, and Eugene Brickman, deputy chief, planning division for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' New York District.

At one point in his comments to the group, which included members of the town's Flood and Erosion Control Board among about 20 officials, Brickman said that during floods water has risen to six inches above ground level and inundated homes.

That drew some heckling from Lee Frenz.

"Six inches? It was five feet high coming into my home," she said, interrupting Brickman.

Frenz lives at 32 Hollow Wood Lane, a street that runs parallel to the Byram River. Frenz said repeated promises of action have brought no help to residents.......

http://www.greenwichtime.com/default/article/Frustrated-Pemberwick-residents-question-650251.php

09/08/10 Police searching for Byram robbery suspect

Police are asking for the public's help in finding a robber who attempted to steal numerous bottles of prescription drugs Saturday by threatening pharmacy employees in Byram with a large knife.

The incident occurred around 4 p.m., Saturday when a man entered Greenview Pharmacy at 13 N. Water St. and jumped the counter to get to a safe.

The robber began threatening employees while holding the knife until the safe was opened and the suspect filled a large plastic bag with OxyContin and other narcotics containers, according to police. However, police said before the man left, a male in his 20s struck the suspect in the face several times.

"There was a struggle in which numerous display shelves were knocked down," said Lt. Kraig Gray, spokesman for the Police Department. "The suspect possibly sustained facial injuries during the struggle with the witness." Police said the robber ran through the Henry Street municipal lot and continued south toward Mill Street.

No one in the store was injured during the altercation, police said. Scott Wong, manager of the Greenview Pharmacy, declined to comment further.

Police described the robber as a white male male in his late 20s to early 30s, six-feet tall and 170 pounds, black hair, tan skin and wearing an orange short-sleeve T-shirt and cargo pants. The man also had on a short brim tan hat and sunglasses, but those items fell off in the store during the struggle and were recovered by police.

Police do not believe the robber got away with any items from the pharmacy, items that had a street value worth several thousand dollars.

Gray said it is not uncommon for thieves to steal prescription drugs because of their ability to turn a quick profit....

http://www.greenwichtime.com/default/article/Police-searching-for-Byram-robbery-suspect-650195.php

09/07/10 Car break-in spree in Byram

Byram residents are asking the town for help in ending car break-in spree

There has been a rash of car break-ins continuing to affect Byram.

Byram residents to be more vigilant when it comes to locking their vehicles at night, even though some break ins have involved smashed windows.

This summer and fall there have been over a dozen car break-ins in Byram, resulting in the loss of cash and other valuables like GPS devices.

Car break-ins have been a major problem in Byram for years.

09/02/10 Getting Dorothy Hamill ready for its 40th season

When you go to a hockey game, or a skating rink, and the Zamboni comes out to resurface the ice, what you are witnessing is just the final step in what can sometimes be a long and arduous process. In fact, getting the ice ready for a new season of skating and hockey can take up to a week -- or more. To learn more about the process, the Citizen visited the Dorothy Hamill Skating Rink in Byram last Friday and talked with rink manager Richard Ernye, who was in the midst of preparing the rink for the 2010-11 season. Ernye talked about the ice-building and ice maintenance process and provided some insight into the current state of the rink as it enters its 40th season.

Richard, thanks for the time. I have to say it's interesting to see the ice still in the preparation process. How do you go about getting it ready for the season?

Thanks for the interest. First, at the end of every season, we melt the ice down to the concrete floor. The paint is degradable and just turns into a powder that we vacuum up. At the start of the next season, we begin by putting down a layer of ice between a quarter-inch to a third of an inch as a base. Then, we put three coats of pure-white paint on the ice to give it its color. We seal the paint in with water using pump sprays and watering buckets. Then we measure out the dimensions of the rink and figure out where we put the lines and face-off circles. We then lay down templates and paint everything in. Like with the white paint ,we spend the next stage of the process sealing the lines in with water, which is what we're doing today. Later this afternoon or possibly tomorrow, when we determine that everything is sealed in nicely, we'll take the Zamboni out and begin building up the ice the rest of the way.

How many more layers do you put on and how long does that take?

We put an extra inch-and-a-half to two inches of ice down and it'll probably take us the rest of the week because the layers aren't very thick. The idea is to have it done in time for Labor Day Weekend because we plan on being open for travel hockey teams on Saturday, the fourth.....

Source:

http://www.greenwichtime.com/default/article/Getting-Dorothy-Hamill-ready-for-its-40th-season-642359.php

09/02/10 New Lebanon teacher promoted to assistant principal

A teacher who is helping introduce a new, internationally themed curriculum at his Byram elementary school has been named as its new assistant principal, district officials announced Thursday.

Eugene Matejek, a teacher for 12 years, has been appointed as second-in-command to Principal Gene Nyitray at New Lebanon School, replacing former Assistant Principal Kristina Lawson, who left the district this spring.

New Lebanon is introducing a new International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, part of an effort to make the 212-student elementary school a draw for magnet students from other neighborhoods.

"Mr. Matejek is a skilled teacher and instructional leader, and he has had extensive experience and training" in the I.B. program, the district wrote in a press release.

Matejek began teaching in 1998 at the Meeting House Hill School in New Fairfield. In 2001, he came to Greenwich as a third-grade teacher at the International School at Dundee, a magnet elementary school in Riverside with a popular I.B. program. In 2008, he moved to New Lebanon to work as an I.B. coordinator, helping to train fellow teachers in the specialized curriculum. Matejek has also been on numerous district committees, including one that in 2003 explored the idea of adding an I.B. program to Western Middle School.

Western began developing its own I.B. program this summer.

Matejek received a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1997, a master's in teaching in 1999 and a sixth-year certificate in administration in 2009 from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield.

A message seeking comment was left for Matejek at the school Thursday....

Source:

http://www.greenwichtime.com/default/article/New-Lebanon-teacher-promoted-to-assistant-643133.php