The What: This Week in Southwest Connecticut
The What is your look around southwest Connecticut for the week of November 7.
Monday, November 7
Tomorrow is Election Day and we encourage you to check out our Election Guide to help you find out where you can vote and who will be on the ballot.
It’s also a busy week for meetings and events across the region this week.
- Stamford’s school district is hosting a high school information night for students and families to learn about the programs available at the high school level on Wednesday, November 9.
- Both Greenwich and Westport are hosting meetings related to flooding this week. Greenwich residents can learn about the drainage project for Pemberwick Park on Wednesday, November 9 and Westport is kicking off a series of meetings related to flooding with a discussion on the Indian River on Thursday, November 10.
Here’s what else is happening.
Stamford
The Board of Representatives will meet on Monday, November 7 at 8 p.m. to vote on two resolutions urging city officials to take action to address tree planting and maintenance and the Glenbrook Community Center.
The board will consider a resolution that asks the mayor to allocate funds in the coming year’s budget to “better manage and care for trees on city property,” particularly because “the need to properly manage and care for the trees in the City’s urban setting is essential now and for the City’s future.”
The board will also consider a resolution related to the Glenbrook Community Center which calls for the city administration to “work with the Board of Representatives and the public to reopen the Glenbrook Community Center, at 35 Crescent Street, as a community center by investigating all possible avenues to achieve this goal with deliberate speed.”
Representative Virgil De La Cruz, who submitted the Glenbrook resolution, said it was “responding to the outcry from the Glenbrook community for the restoration of their community.”
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The school district will also host a Stamford Family Information Night on Wednesday, November 9 at 6 p.m. The night will feature information about the specialized programs available to high school students. The programs in attendance will include: the Academy of Information Technology & Engineering (AITE); the Early College Studies Program at Stamford High School; the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program at Stamford High School, the Stamford Regional Agriscience Program at Westhill High School; the J.R.O.T.C. Program at Westhill High School; J.M. Wright Technical High School; and the Center for Global Studies at Brien McMahon High School at Norwalk Public Schools.
Other meetings this week include:
- Monday, November 7: Harbor Management Commission at 5:30 p.m. | Police Commission at 5 p.m.
- Wednesday, November 9: Special Board of Education at 5 p.m. | Teaching, Learning, and Community Committee at 6:30 p.m.
- Thursday, November 10: Economic Development Commission at 4 p.m. | Urban Redevelopment Commission at 5 p.m.
Norwalk
There will be a special joint meeting of the Board of Education Finance Committee and the Common Council Finance & Claims Committee on Wednesday, November 9 at 6 p.m. The special meeting will feature a discussion on the operating budget for next year, including the school district’s budget priorities. Check out a breakdown of Norwalk’s budget from last year ahead of this meeting.
The Housing Board of Commissioners will meet on Thursday, November 10 at 5:30 p.m. and hold a public hearing on its 2023 public housing agency plan, which includes information about admissions to public housing, its administrative operations, and policy details. Check out the draft plan ahead of the hearing.
Other meetings this week include:
- Monday, November 7: Bike/Walk Commission at 6 p.m. | Board of Estimate and Taxation at 6:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, November 8: Norwalk Redevelopment Agency at 5:30 p.m. | Conservation Commission/Inland Wetland Agency at 6 p.m. | Common Council at 7:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, November 9: Recreation, Parks & Cultural Affairs Committee of the Common Council at 7 p.m.
- Thursday, November 10: Facilities Committee of the Board of Education at 6 p.m. | Finance and Claims Committee of Common Council at 7 p.m. | Library Board of Directors at 7 p.m.
Fairfield
The town’s Capital Plan Working Group will meet on Thursday, November 10 at 4 p.m. to discuss the proposed capital projects for the plan and zoning, engineering, public works, and conservation departments. The group will also get an update on the town’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) projects. Check out the preliminary plans for ARPA projects across the region.
Other meetings this week include:
- Monday, November 7: Fairfield Cares Leadership at 8:30 a.m. | Board of Selectmen at 4 p.m. | Board of Library Trustees at 7 p.m.
- Tuesday, November 8: Fairfield Commission on disAbilities at 4:15 p.m. | Housing Authority at 6 p.m. | Sustainable Fairfield Communications and Outreach Committee at 7 p.m.
- Wednesday, November 9: Police Commission at 4:30 p.m. | Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority at 6:30 p.m. | Affordable Housing Committee at 7 p.m. | Shellfish Commission at 7:30 p.m.
- Thursday, November 10: Fire Commission at 7 p.m. | Sustainable Fairfield Task Force at 7 p.m.
Greenwich
After Greenwich felt the impacts of Tropical Storm Ida last year, the town’s Department of Public Works reviewed several areas in town to see if work could be done to reduce the impact of future storms. One area that the department decided to look into was the Pemberwick Park area. The town is hosting a public information meeting on the Pemberwick Park Drainage Area on Wednesday, November 9 at 5 p.m. to provide an update on the status of the project.
Other meetings this week include:
- Monday, November. 7: Joint Work Session - Planning and Zoning Commission and Affordable Housing Trust Board at 1 p.m.
- Tuesday, November. 8: First Selectman's Diversity Advisory Committee at 12 p.m.
- Wednesday, November. 9: Board of Parks and Recreation at 6:30 p.m. | Operations Planning Committee at 11 a.m. | Finance Committee at 9:30 a.m.
- Thursday, Nov. 10: Board of Selectmen at 10 a.m. | Board of Selectmen Special Meeting at 11:30 a.m. | Planning & Zoning Commission at 4 p.m.
Darien
The Board of Selectmen will receive an update on the town’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) projects at its meeting on Monday, November 7 at 7 p.m. Check out the preliminary plans for ARPA projects across the region.
The Human Services Commission will meet on Thursday, November 10 at 8:30 a.m. and get an update on the town’s mental health task force and mental health first aid training efforts. Learn more about how the mental health crisis has impacted our region as a whole.
Other meetings this week include:
- Wednesday, November 9: Operations Planning Committee at 9 a.m. | Darien Beautification Commission at 9 a.m. | Advisory Committee on Sustainability at 12 p.m. | Blight Review Board at 5:30 p.m. | Board of Education at 7:30 p.m.
Westport
This Thursday, November 10, Westport will hold its first public information on flooding, focusing on the Indian River at 7 p.m. This is the first in a series of meetings that will discuss stream flooding in town and the work the town is doing to address this issue.
“A priority of this administration is to address flood mitigation and stream management as it relates to the resiliency of our neighborhoods,” First Selectwoman Jen Tooker said in a statement. “Providing an opportunity for residents to learn more about these issues and to share how they are being affected is an important first step in the process of tackling this complex, long-term problem.”
Officials from the public works, planning and zoning, and conservation departments will be on hand. Each meeting will focus on a specific stream in town, with the Indian River being first up. Residents are encouraged to attend to share their stories about how flooding has impacted them and raise specific issues to the town. Westport officials said they plan to collect the information for the Flood and Erosion Control Board to help it determine its flooding priority areas.
Other meetings this week include:
- Monday, November 7: Board of Education at 7 p.m.
- Tuesday, November 8: Westport Youth Commission—Peer Education and Awareness Advocacy Group at 6:15 p.m. | Westport Youth Commission—Town Improvements Advocacy Group at 7:15 p.m.
- Wednesday, November 9: Board of Selectwomen at 9 a.m. | WestPAC at 7 p.m.
- Thursday, November 10: Downtown Plan Implementation Committee at 8:30 a.m. | Public Site and Building Commission at 5 p.m.
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.
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Have a great week,
Kelly Prinz
Founder, Reporter at Coastal Connecticut Times