Flags back on Mianus River bridge
Greenwich Citizen
Members of the Byram-based Masons Acacia Lodge 85 and the Cos Cob Volunteer Fire Company paid for the flags and installed them on Veterans Day, ...
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Temple Sholom Weekly E-Bulletin
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Congregational Shabbat Kiddish
An Interfaith Broadway Concert
| Temple Sholom | 300 East Putnam Avenue | Greenwich | CT | 06830 |
The Raw Byram Blog Feed
BOB HORTON: Money finally flowing to Byram River project
By Byram Roundup
Greenwich has now joined the federal government, New York state and Westchester County as co-funders of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineer study that it is hoped will lead to a restored and revitalizedByram River. ...
Byram Roundup - http://byramroundup.blogspot.com/
By Byram Roundup
Greenwich has now joined the federal government, New York state and Westchester County as co-funders of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineer study that it is hoped will lead to a restored and revitalizedByram River. ...
Byram Roundup - http://byramroundup.blogspot.com/
Rabbi's Weekly Teaching
| | | | | | | |
|  | ||||
| |||||
| |||||
| |||||
| Temple Sholom | 300 East Putnam Avenue | Greenwich | CT | 06830 |
Thursday, December 9, 2010
The Raw Byram News Feed
| Police blotter: Arrested NY resident claims to be another man Greenwich Time A Yonkers, NY, man, was arrested after allegedly producing a false Mexican driver's license when he was stopped by police early Wednesday in Byram after ... | ||
| Lost highway: Valuation of homes abutting I-95 criticized Greenwich Citizen Byram Neighborhood Association President Michael Bocchino, was floored to find out that real estate taxes on his Tingue Street property will be going up ... | ||
| Laundromat as social hub: It all comes out in the wash Greenwich Citizen Just when I was thinking that all laundromats looked drearily the same, I walked into The Laundry Room in Byram. When Stravos Karipides graduated from the ... |
==================================
Please send your comments, news tips and press releases to Byram Roundup@gmail.com
Flags Back On Mianus River Bridge - Greenwich Time
A group of 20 American flags that were installed on the Post Road bridge over the Mianus River last month and then were taken down due to weather have been re-installed. Members of the Byram-based Masons Acacia Lodge 85 and the Cos Cob Volunteer Fire Company paid for the flags and installed them on Veterans Day, but they were temporarily taken down due to torrential rains several weeks ago. The flags are now back on the bridge after volunteers installed sturdier brackets on Wednesday. The flags are expected to remain on display until late December to welcome home a local servicemen currently deployed overseas.
The flag display came together after a constituent brought up the idea to Selectman Dave Theis. The selectman then obtained permission from the town'sDepartment of Public Works, funding from members of the lodge and installation assistance from the volunteer firefighters, to make it happen.
Other towns, including Westport, have decorated their town bridges in a similar fashion, which was part of the inspiration behind the idea, organizers said.
The flag display came together after a constituent brought up the idea to Selectman Dave Theis. The selectman then obtained permission from the town'sDepartment of Public Works, funding from members of the lodge and installation assistance from the volunteer firefighters, to make it happen.
Other towns, including Westport, have decorated their town bridges in a similar fashion, which was part of the inspiration behind the idea, organizers said.
BOB HORTON: Money finally flowing to Byram River project
Greenwich has now joined the federal government, New York state and Westchester County as co-funders of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineer study that it is hoped will lead to a restored and revitalized Byram River.
First Selectman Peter Tesei signed a contract just before Thanksgiving that promises the town will provide up to $200,000 in matching funds for an initial study of how best to clean up the river, according to an e-mail he sent Jo Conboy, chairperson of the Save our Shores environmental organization.
"We pushed and pushed for the town to sign this contract, and now it's finally been signed," Ms. Conboy said earlier this week. The local environmentalist said the first selectman indicated the matching fund would come from the town Department of Public Works budget.
While it is good news that the town finally came forward with funding, people who have been pushing for years to address Byram River environmental and flooding issues have learned to ratchet down their expectations. After all, the Corps of Engineers completed a study 10 years ago; yet Greenwich and other government entities never acted or funded the engineer's recommendations. The final price tag for river restoration is expected to be in the millions of dollars.
However tempered expectations may be, real progress in cleaning up the river is on the horizon. Port Chester just received $750,000 from New York state to repair its aging and suspect sewer system, which for years has leaked raw sewage into Byram River, Port Chester Harbor and Long Island Sound.
Greenwich residents have complained about Port Chester's sewage problems for years, but Ms. Conboy says Greenwich has some work to do in Byram as well. "Our side has not replaced main sewer lines right at the Mill Street bridge, and these leak right into the river," she said.
Storm and sanitary sewer pipes upstream of the South Water Street pump station, which feeds the town's wastewater treatment hub on Grass Island in Greenwich Harbor, often overflow during rainstorms, dumping raw sewage into the tidal waters. The same overflow situation exists at the Pemberwick pumping station on the banks of the Byram River.
Mr. Tesei did not respond earlier this week to e-mailed questions about the Corps of Engineers contract or the Byram sewer problems. A call to his office Thursday morning served as my introduction to the town's recently installed voice mail system. I left a message.
Assuming the Army Corps comes back with recommendations similar to those it developed 10 years ago, it will set up an interesting political battle over sewer and flooding priorities in town. Over the last several years Greenwich government has developed a penchant for studying water problems, not addressing them. It's tough to argue that "study" is not needed, but each year we study is another year lost to real work, and another year the overall price tag grows.
That price tag read $150 million at last glance. And that did not include whatever town funds would be needed for its share of the Byram River cleanup. If you live in a neighborhood with chronic flooding problems, be it Cos Cob, Old Greenwich or along Horseneck Brook, you probably feel that your neighborhood warrants being at the top of the priority list.
And then there's the question of how to pay for it in an environment where everyone seems to think town government spending is out of control. Like I said, this is going to be an interesting political battle.
Bob Horton can be reached by e-mail at bobhorton@yahoo.com.
First Selectman Peter Tesei signed a contract just before Thanksgiving that promises the town will provide up to $200,000 in matching funds for an initial study of how best to clean up the river, according to an e-mail he sent Jo Conboy, chairperson of the Save our Shores environmental organization.
"We pushed and pushed for the town to sign this contract, and now it's finally been signed," Ms. Conboy said earlier this week. The local environmentalist said the first selectman indicated the matching fund would come from the town Department of Public Works budget.
While it is good news that the town finally came forward with funding, people who have been pushing for years to address Byram River environmental and flooding issues have learned to ratchet down their expectations. After all, the Corps of Engineers completed a study 10 years ago; yet Greenwich and other government entities never acted or funded the engineer's recommendations. The final price tag for river restoration is expected to be in the millions of dollars.
However tempered expectations may be, real progress in cleaning up the river is on the horizon. Port Chester just received $750,000 from New York state to repair its aging and suspect sewer system, which for years has leaked raw sewage into Byram River, Port Chester Harbor and Long Island Sound.
Greenwich residents have complained about Port Chester's sewage problems for years, but Ms. Conboy says Greenwich has some work to do in Byram as well. "Our side has not replaced main sewer lines right at the Mill Street bridge, and these leak right into the river," she said.
Storm and sanitary sewer pipes upstream of the South Water Street pump station, which feeds the town's wastewater treatment hub on Grass Island in Greenwich Harbor, often overflow during rainstorms, dumping raw sewage into the tidal waters. The same overflow situation exists at the Pemberwick pumping station on the banks of the Byram River.
Mr. Tesei did not respond earlier this week to e-mailed questions about the Corps of Engineers contract or the Byram sewer problems. A call to his office Thursday morning served as my introduction to the town's recently installed voice mail system. I left a message.
Assuming the Army Corps comes back with recommendations similar to those it developed 10 years ago, it will set up an interesting political battle over sewer and flooding priorities in town. Over the last several years Greenwich government has developed a penchant for studying water problems, not addressing them. It's tough to argue that "study" is not needed, but each year we study is another year lost to real work, and another year the overall price tag grows.
That price tag read $150 million at last glance. And that did not include whatever town funds would be needed for its share of the Byram River cleanup. If you live in a neighborhood with chronic flooding problems, be it Cos Cob, Old Greenwich or along Horseneck Brook, you probably feel that your neighborhood warrants being at the top of the priority list.
And then there's the question of how to pay for it in an environment where everyone seems to think town government spending is out of control. Like I said, this is going to be an interesting political battle.
Bob Horton can be reached by e-mail at bobhorton@yahoo.com.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Lost highway: Valuation of homes abutting I-95 criticized
Owners of homes along Greenwich's bustling Interstate 95 corridor and other major traffic arteries recently learned that it's the town's way or the highway.
The land valuation discounts that they historically received from the town, which vary from location to location and were recently revisited by the assessor's office, are no longer as generous in some cases.
The net result is higher property taxes for an unspecified number of homeowners following a recently completed townwide property revaluation.
Byram Neighborhood Association President Michael Bocchino, was floored to find out that real estate taxes on his Tingue Street property will be going up next year when average assessment in town went down 11.6 percent in the revaluation.
Assessments are 70 percent of full market value.
"I live on the southbound entrance ramp at Exit 2," Bocchino said. "I'm looking at it right now. You want to hear it?"
The sound of rush hour in the background, Bocchino said he is not alone either.
"I've heard from neighbors in the community along 95 that they've had similar situations and similar concerns," said Bocchino, who declined to reveal how much his taxes went up. "There never seems to be any consideration for quality-of-life issues like noise and pollution."
Assessor Ted Gwartney said discounts are determined on a case-by-case basis and not set in stone.
"Each time you do a revaluation, you have to start with fresh eyes and viewpoints." Gwartney said.
Gwartney could not say exactly how many homeowners saw their discount, which his office refers to as a land influence factor, decrease or increase.
"If it impacts land value, you get a downward adjustment," Gwartney said. "It could be 1 or 2 percent (savings) or as much as 10 or 15 percent."
A Leonard Avenue homeowner in Riverside, who asked not to be identified because she just had an informal hearing with an appraiser about her valuation and feared repercussions, said the 35 percent discount she received for abutting I-95 was sliced in half.
Property owners were sent notices with their new assessments in mid-November, with informal hearings to follow in December and January for those who have questions or concerns about their valuation.
Formal hearings by the Board of Assessment Appeals will be held next spring for aggrieved property owners, who can then go to state Superior Court in Stamford if they are still unhappy.
The new assessments will be applied to taxes owed in July 2011.
Gwartney contested the details of the Leonard Avenue property owner's situation, however.
"I would find it hard to believe that the property would lose one third of its value from being near the highway," Gwartney said. "That's probably an error from years ago that was corrected."
The revaluation process also revealed a number of discounts that Gwartney said were inherently flawed and had no justification.
"In some cases, they were removed altogether," Gwartney said.
Among the discounts that Gwartney said was eliminated was a 5 percent land reduction for properties on upper Lake Avenue and North Street, which the assessor said didn't exactly amount to a hardship.
"No one could figure out why," Gwartney said. "Basically, they're basically calm and low traffic-bearing streets. At one point, people thought it was negative to live on those streets, but no longer is that true. It was a judgment of the past that got changed."
This is the first revaluation in Connecticut's most land-rich town since the housing bubble burst, a yeoman-like task of adjusting values for 22,500 properties to reflect five years of market volatility.
Currently totaling $34.4 billion, assessments on residential, commercial and personal property and automobiles stand to lose $4 billion in value when Gwartney signs the Grand List in February.
Russell Pruner, an owner and partner of Shore & Country Properties and a past president of the Greenwich Association of Realtors, said that many buyers are willing to accept the trade-offs of a home abutting Interstate 95.
"A lot of people are willing to take that impact to get the other great benefits that the town has to offer," Pruner said. "You do find them to be more affordable than other properties. It's difficult to find a house that's under $1 million or even $1.5 million in Riverside that you can send your kids to Riverside School or Eastern Middle School."
Staff writer Neil Vigdor can be reached at neil.vigdor@scni.com or at 203-625-4436.
The land valuation discounts that they historically received from the town, which vary from location to location and were recently revisited by the assessor's office, are no longer as generous in some cases.
The net result is higher property taxes for an unspecified number of homeowners following a recently completed townwide property revaluation.
Byram Neighborhood Association President Michael Bocchino, was floored to find out that real estate taxes on his Tingue Street property will be going up next year when average assessment in town went down 11.6 percent in the revaluation.
Assessments are 70 percent of full market value.
"I live on the southbound entrance ramp at Exit 2," Bocchino said. "I'm looking at it right now. You want to hear it?"
The sound of rush hour in the background, Bocchino said he is not alone either.
"I've heard from neighbors in the community along 95 that they've had similar situations and similar concerns," said Bocchino, who declined to reveal how much his taxes went up. "There never seems to be any consideration for quality-of-life issues like noise and pollution."
Assessor Ted Gwartney said discounts are determined on a case-by-case basis and not set in stone.
"Each time you do a revaluation, you have to start with fresh eyes and viewpoints." Gwartney said.
Gwartney could not say exactly how many homeowners saw their discount, which his office refers to as a land influence factor, decrease or increase.
"If it impacts land value, you get a downward adjustment," Gwartney said. "It could be 1 or 2 percent (savings) or as much as 10 or 15 percent."
A Leonard Avenue homeowner in Riverside, who asked not to be identified because she just had an informal hearing with an appraiser about her valuation and feared repercussions, said the 35 percent discount she received for abutting I-95 was sliced in half.
Property owners were sent notices with their new assessments in mid-November, with informal hearings to follow in December and January for those who have questions or concerns about their valuation.
Formal hearings by the Board of Assessment Appeals will be held next spring for aggrieved property owners, who can then go to state Superior Court in Stamford if they are still unhappy.
The new assessments will be applied to taxes owed in July 2011.
Gwartney contested the details of the Leonard Avenue property owner's situation, however.
"I would find it hard to believe that the property would lose one third of its value from being near the highway," Gwartney said. "That's probably an error from years ago that was corrected."
The revaluation process also revealed a number of discounts that Gwartney said were inherently flawed and had no justification.
"In some cases, they were removed altogether," Gwartney said.
Among the discounts that Gwartney said was eliminated was a 5 percent land reduction for properties on upper Lake Avenue and North Street, which the assessor said didn't exactly amount to a hardship.
"No one could figure out why," Gwartney said. "Basically, they're basically calm and low traffic-bearing streets. At one point, people thought it was negative to live on those streets, but no longer is that true. It was a judgment of the past that got changed."
This is the first revaluation in Connecticut's most land-rich town since the housing bubble burst, a yeoman-like task of adjusting values for 22,500 properties to reflect five years of market volatility.
Currently totaling $34.4 billion, assessments on residential, commercial and personal property and automobiles stand to lose $4 billion in value when Gwartney signs the Grand List in February.
Russell Pruner, an owner and partner of Shore & Country Properties and a past president of the Greenwich Association of Realtors, said that many buyers are willing to accept the trade-offs of a home abutting Interstate 95.
"A lot of people are willing to take that impact to get the other great benefits that the town has to offer," Pruner said. "You do find them to be more affordable than other properties. It's difficult to find a house that's under $1 million or even $1.5 million in Riverside that you can send your kids to Riverside School or Eastern Middle School."
Staff writer Neil Vigdor can be reached at neil.vigdor@scni.com or at 203-625-4436.
Laundromat as social hub: It all comes out in the wash
Whenever I go to a laundromat carting heavy comforters or blankets, I have an irresistible urge to know something about my fellow laborers. So I decided to strike up a conversation with some customers.
Allan comes up from Manhattan to wash his clothes while his wife goes to her favorite hairdresser. The machines in his building, he said, are too small and dingy and it only takes him 45 minutes to make the drive, and he reads the paper while waiting.
One Saturday morning at the laundromat, the three customers were all men -- not at all what I expected. It is "the division of labor," one man told me with a grin. Another was there because his apartment did not have a washer and one man who looked a little confused said it was his first experience in washing.
Later, an acquaintance whom I recognized said she was washing the heavy blankets preparing for her holiday guests. Friday nights are more crowded, one man assured me.
Just when I was thinking that all laundromats looked drearily the same, I walked into The Laundry Room in Byram. When Stravos Karipides graduated from theCulinary Institute, little did he imagine that some day he would be running a laundromat. Steve, as he is called, followed his dream of becoming a chef when the building on the corner of Water and Mill Streets became available about six years ago.
He opened up Johnny Cakes, a great spot for soup and popovers, and good meals. But when another space for a restaurant opened up around the corner, Steve moved Johnny Cakes to Mill Street and decided to open a laundromat in its place.
The sapphire blue and lime green walls in The Laundry Room made me feel happy the minute I walked in the front door.
Steve was patching spots that had been chipped -- he takes pride in keeping the place immaculate -- but immediately greeted me from his ladder. Steve expanded seven months ago and now has 35 state of the art washers and 30 dryers, as well as a tailor on the premises.
Open 24 hours a day, The Laundry Room can at times seem like a social hub. "It is a very safe corner," said Steve, "And if someone forgot something, like soap or a bag, we give it to them.
"We have tables outside in the summer so people can wait for their laundry to finish." Customers also can drop off their laundry if they wish and Steve's' assistant will do the washing and drying and charge by the pound, very convenient if you have accumulated tons of dirty sheets or clothes.
When I asked Steve why he chose the laundromat business, he said he always liked to take risks. Even though three companies advised him not to enter the business, he took the risk and to my eyes, it seems to be paying off.
Some of his customers told me they really enjoy going there because of the atmosphere, the sociability, the friendliness of the women who work there during the day and evening hours.
Steve, brought up in Byram and a graduate of Greenwich High School, noted that Byram is a "changing community."
He observed that there was more diversity, younger population, more professionals, a perfect area for new businesses. You might say that the Karipides family is an institution in Byram since his father owns the Famous Pizza next door to the Laundromat and Steve worked there as a boy.
He still wakes before dawn everyday to make his famous soup for Johnny Cakes and then goes next door to oversee the Laundry Room. With two little children, he likes the fact that his new chef cooks the dinners at Johnny Cakes and he can eat with his family.
I guess there always will be a need for Steve's businesses -- preparing food and washing clothes. With the addition of The Laundry Room, Greenwich residents now can find many places to do their wash and, who knows, perhaps meet new people.
Ann Caron is an author of books on adolescence and a parent-educator.
She can be reached via e-mail at anncaron@optonline.net.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Popular Byram Roundup Posts - Last 7 Days
-
GREENWICH, CT — Greenwich Library is currently working with electrical vendors to complete repairs at Byram Shubert Library, which was fl... -
Architects of the town's budget publicly balked at a $150,000 request Monday for the design of a new community pool in Byram, saying tha... -
The Greenwich Time Editors do not have the journalistic balls to ask why the Greenwich Board Of Education and the school superintendent are ... -
fairfieldweekly.com La-La-La-Lolita fairfieldweekly.com - Norwalk,CT,USA The brand-new Lolita in the surprisingly funky and cool Byram sec...
-
News Reports About Byram, CT Greenwich Open Houses: 49 Houses from $349K to $16MM Sunday, Oct. 2nd Patch.com By Mark Pruner We have 49 open...
-
FYI, another relief effort underway in the public schools: Greenwich High School has been producing an annual concert of student composed mu... -
Cos Cob Roundup: 07/20/09 The Raw Cos Cob News Feed By Robo Blogger By Robo Blogger "I've been fishing my whole life in and aroun...
-
Warren Buffet Wants To Know: "Who The Hell Is Micheal Metter And How Did I Get Involved With This Penny Stock Promoter Who Is Selling ... -
QUOTE: Peter Sherr Says: "This whole subject tore open the board before, badly, It tore open the community before. I was so disa... -
With help needed to make the project a reality, the Board of Selectmen has given its unanimous support to moving the historic Thomas Lyon Jr...
Popular Byram Roundup Posts - All Time
-
Republicans and Democrats can point to significant achievements over these past few years: financing the construction of the High Schoo... -
SUPPORT FOR FOR RABID OBAMACARE ADVOCATE JIM HIMES IS RAPIDLY IMPLODING It took Connecticut long enough, but it seems that forth distric... -
According to a list from the Town of Greenwich Attorney's office, it is Delavan Deli in Byram, which owes a total of $2,060.. The town...
-
FYI, another relief effort underway in the public schools: Greenwich High School has been producing an annual concert of student composed mu...
-
On Jan. 15, from 5 to 6 p.m., at Byram Shubert Library, the Alliance Francaise of Greenwich and Byram Shubert Library are presenting a discu...
-
QUOTE: Peter Sherr Says: "This whole subject tore open the board before, badly, It tore open the community before. I was so disa...
-
With help needed to make the project a reality, the Board of Selectmen has given its unanimous support to moving the historic Thomas Lyon Jr...
-
The Greenwich Time Editors do not have the journalistic balls to ask why the Greenwich Board Of Education and the school superintendent are ...
-
The Fruit Doesn't Fall Far From The Tree: "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it" Photo: Flash Back To 1... -
Helen V. Makowski, 88, of New Fairfield, formerly of Greenwich, died at her home Jan. 24 with her family at her side. She was the widow of J...
Popular Byram Roundup Posts - Last 30 Days
-
On Jan. 15, from 5 to 6 p.m., at Byram Shubert Library, the Alliance Francaise of Greenwich and Byram Shubert Library are presenting a discu...
-
Warren Buffet Wants To Know: "Who The Hell Is Micheal Metter And How Did I Get Involved With This Penny Stock Promoter Who Is Selling ...
-
QUOTE: Peter Sherr Says: "This whole subject tore open the board before, badly, It tore open the community before. I was so disa...
-
With help needed to make the project a reality, the Board of Selectmen has given its unanimous support to moving the historic Thomas Lyon Jr...
-
The Greenwich Time Editors do not have the journalistic balls to ask why the Greenwich Board Of Education and the school superintendent are ...
-
FYI, another relief effort underway in the public schools: Greenwich High School has been producing an annual concert of student composed mu...
-
GREENWICH, CT — Greenwich Library is currently working with electrical vendors to complete repairs at Byram Shubert Library, which was fl...
-
By Byram Roundup Editor Brian Harrod Byram Shubert Library set to reopen Thursday after flood - Greenwich Ti...
-
Charity Trunk Show At 32 Field Point Road In Greenwich, CT To Be Hosted By Barry Montgomery William Raveis Real Estate 49 West Putnam Avenue...
-
Republicans and Democrats can point to significant achievements over these past few years: financing the construction of the High Schoo...
