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The What

The What: This Week in Southwest Connecticut

The What is your look around southwest Connecticut for the week of November 28.

The What: This Week in Southwest Connecticut
Happy holiday season! Photo by Kelly Prinz

Monday, November 28

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends! It’s a busy time of year for everyone, so we’re going to do our best to keep you informed with what’s happening in your community as efficiently as possible. You can also support our work as well to help us prepare for the next year of Coastal Connecticut Times.

ICYMI: Last week, we explored a mixed bag of water quality grades in the Long Island Sound for our region from the Save the Sound annual report card. Here’s our coverage:

Let’s see what’s happening around the region this week.

Stamford

The city is hoping to receive millions in grant funding from the state to assist with HVAC and air quality projects at schools across the district. To do so, it first needs approval from the Board of Finance and the Board of Representatives. Both boards are having special meetings this Monday, November 28—the Board of Finance at 9:30 a.m., followed by the Board of Representatives at 6:30 p.m.

The list of projects is a varied one. It includes both new projects such as replacing the HVAC mechanical equipment at Newfield Elementary School, Rippowam High School and Apples Pre-K, and Stamford High School; as well as recently completed projects that could be reimbursed, including: improved unit ventilators at Cloonan, replaced roof HVAC units at Davenport and Julia Stark elementary schools, upgraded boilers at Northeast Elementary School, Rippowam Middle School, Stamford High School, and an air quality project at Westover Magnet Elementary School that aimed to provide “temperature and humidity controlled fresh air to the classroom portion of the building.”

Other meetings this week include:

Norwalk

This week, the Steering Committee for the Resilient South Norwalk Project will meet on Wednesday, November 30 at 3 p.m. Resilient South Norwalk is a project that aims to develop ideas to help “mitigate the impacts of climate change ... and mitigate the impacts of extreme heat for the community.”

The project, which is part of UCONN’s Resilient Connecticut statewide efforts to explore climate mitigation solutions, will assess:

  • Flood mitigation options along Water Street and Day Street
  • Ways to maintain dry egress during flooding events, as well as strategies for site scale flood mitigation of critical community assets under current and future conditions.
  • Strategies to maintain egress and evacuation corridors that connect the area around the South Norwalk train station with neighborhoods to the south and west.
  • Adaptation options to reduce the impact of extreme temperatures and alleviate heat islands within South Norwalk.

Other meetings this week include:

  • Tuesday, November 29: Parking Authority at 6 p.m.
  • Thursday, December 1: Mayor's Water Quality Committee at 6 p.m. |  Economic and Community Development Committee of the Common Council at 7 p.m. | Shellfish Commission at 7:15 p.m.

Fairfield

The Representative Town Meeting will meet on Monday, November 28 at 8 p.m. for its annual organization, when a new moderator and deputy moderator are selected for the next year. The RTM will also vote on allocating $6.25 million for the inspection and construction of the East Trunk Wetlands Crossing Project. The funding for the project includes $3.5 million from the Water Pollution Control Authority, $750,000 from state grants, and $2 million in local bonds issued by the town.

Other meetings this week include:

Greenwich

The Greenwich Food System Forum is hosting its sixth and final panel of the year on Wednesday, November 30 at 7 p.m. titled Pathways to Engagement: Funding a Resilient Regional Foodshed. The discussion aims to “explore different financial models designed to equitably invest in food system transformation.” The panel will feature speakers Sarah Huang, Co-Director at New England Grassroots Fund; Kyle Philipp, C.E.O. and Co-Founder of Regenerative Food Network; Anthony Myint, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Zero Foodprint; and Woody Tasch, Chairman at Slow Money Institute.

Other meetings this week include:

Darien

The Representative Town Meeting Finance and Budget Committee will meet on Wednesday, November 30 at 7:30 p.m. to discuss funding for multiple school-related programs including: the current year’s budget, financing for the mental health department, and support for security initiatives.

Other meetings this week include:

  • Monday, November 28: Representative Town Meeting at 8 p.m.
  • Tuesday, November 29: Planning and Zoning Commission at 7:30 p.m.
  • Wednesday, November 30: HHR Building Committee at 6 p.m.
  • Thursday, December 1: Darien Police Commission at 4 p.m.

Westport

The town’s public meetings related to stream flooding will continue on Thursday, December 1 at 7 p.m. with a focus on the Muddy Brook area.

Other meetings this week include:

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.

Thank you for reading!

If you are interested in being a part of our reporting or just want to share your thoughts, please reach out at coastalconnecticuttimes@gmail.com.

Have a great week,

Kelly Prinz

Founder, Reporter at Coastal Connecticut Times

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