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The What

The What: Safer Routes to School; Budget Season Is Here; School Construction; and more

The What is your look around southwest Connecticut for the week of January 26.

The What: Safer Routes to School; Budget Season Is Here; School Construction; and more
Sending some warmer vibes your way after this cold stretch! (Photo by Kelly Prinz)

Monday, January 26

Happy Monday! Hope you all made it through the storm safely. Much of our region saw at least a foot of snow so good luck digging out today. 

Highlights 

This section gives a brief overview of the key items in the newsletter.

Spotlight

This section features our main reporting each week.

Across southwest Connecticut, each day hundreds of students walk, get a ride, or take the bus to and from school. But the roads around some of the schools can be some of the most dangerous in the area.

For example, the Safe Streets Greenwich Initiative found that the are “disproportionately more fatal and severe crashes near schools” in town. In fact, 22% of all fatal crashes and 15% of all pedestrian-involved crashes that resulted in a death or serious injury took place within 100 feet of school zones—even though school zones make up just 5% of Greenwich’s roads.

That’s part of why officials around the region are investing in and prioritizing projects that aim to make the streets around schools safer. 

In Norwalk, the City Council voted this week to approve the Phase 1 work to install a roundabout near the South Norwalk Elementary School, which is located near the intersection of South Main Street, Meadow Street, and Wilson Avenue, one of the most dangerous—and complicated intersections in the city.

Stamford is working to add 14 speed cameras near seven school locations in an effort to make the school zones safer for pedestrians and drivers, city officials said. Stamford is following in the path of Greenwich, which installed speed cameras at 10 locations near schools in November and December.

Learn more about these initiatives or watch our video to see the highlights. 

This Week at a Glance

This section aims to highlight the most important meetings and news taking place each week.

  • In Bridgeport, the Board of Education will meet on Thursday, January 29 at 6:30 p.m. and receive a presentation on the proposed operating budget. The board will also discuss forming a superintendent search committee. 
  • In Stamford, school construction-related projects are the hot topics. The Land Use/Urban Redevelopment Committee will meet on Monday, January 26 at 7 p.m. to review requests to demolish existing buildings on the Westhill High School and Roxbury Elementary School sites to allow for new construction. In addition, the Planning Board will meet on Tuesday, January 27 at 6:30 p.m. to review a request to amend last year’s capital budget to reflect the new cost for the Westhill High School construction project of $446 million—of which 80% will be reimbursed by the state. 
  • Also in Stamford, the Vision Zero Task Force will meet on Tuesday, January 27 at 10 a.m. and receive updates on the work being done to implement the Vision Zero Action Plan. Learn more about the plan and the projects taking place in the city. 
  • In Norwalk, the Conservation Commission on Tuesday, January 27 at 6 p.m. and the Harbor Management Commission on Wednesday, January 28 at 6 p.m. will review plans from the owners of Manresa Island to create a “North Forest Park” on the island. 
  • In Fairfield, the Board of Education will meet on Tuesday, January 27 at 7 p.m. and vote on adopting an operating budget—the first step in the budget process.
  • Also in Fairfield, the Representative Town Meeting will meet on Thursday, January 29 at 8 p.m. and hear an address on the State of the Town by the First Selectperson.
  • In Greenwich, the Board of Estimate and Taxation Budget Committee will hold its annual budget presentation and public hearing on Tuesday, January 27 at 6 p.m. The First Selectman and Superintendent will present their proposed budgets and members of the public will have the opportunity to weigh in.
  • In Darien, there are two budget-related meetings this week—the Board of Selectmen will hear the proposed town budget on Monday, January 26 at 6:30 p.m. and the Board of Education will hear the proposed budget presentation on Tuesday, January 27 at 7:30 p.m.
  • In Westport, the Board of Education will meet on Thursday, January 29 at 7 p.m. and vote on the proposed budget from the superintendent. 

Plan Your Week

This section includes a list of meetings, events, and programming happening around southwest Connecticut each week.

Bridgeport

Stamford

Norwalk

Fairfield

Greenwich

Darien

Westport

Stay in touch!

As we continue to grow and evolve, please join us! You can do that by:

Please note: All of these agendas and information here are current as of Sunday night. Meeting times and agendas may get adjusted throughout the week.

Have a great week,

Kelly Prinz

Founder, Reporter at Coastal Connecticut Times

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