The What: This Week in Southwest Connecticut

The What is your look around southwest Connecticut for the week of January 3.

The What: This Week in Southwest Connecticut
Happy 2023 from all of us at Coastal Connecticut Times. (Photo by Kelly Prinz)

Tuesday, January 3

Happy 2023 everyone! Hope you and your families had a great holiday season.

As we start 2023, one of the pressing issues that’s come up across the region is traffic and pedestrian safety. In Connecticut, 327 roadway deaths occurred in 2021, up from 249 in 2019, according to data presented by Stamford’s Transportation Bureau. In 2021, there were 61 pedestrian fatalities across the state. For 2022, through the first half of December, there were 62 pedestrian fatalities in Connecticut. Five of those pedestrian fatalities took place in Stamford, including two in a deadly crash early in December.

A look at national data for roadway fatalities
A look at roadway fatalities across the country. (Courtesy of Stamford)

“This has been one of the deadliest years for pedestrian fatalities across Connecticut,” Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons told the Transportation Committee of the Board of Representatives on December 20.

Stamford officials said that they’re working to implement some short-term solutions, such as more enforcement of traffic violations, as well as longer-term solutions through their Vision Zero plan.

Learn more about what Stamford is doing to address pedestrian safety.

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Arts and Culture Coverage

As part of our expanded arts and culture coverage, we explored the new “Of The Moment” exhibit at the Center for Contemporary Printmaking. See how artists across the region and country captured where they were in 2022.

Learn more about the exhibit.

And if you missed any of our work from 2022, check out our year in review!

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

Stamford

As part of the city’s efforts to decrease traffic-related fatalities and implement its Vision Zero goals, Stamford formed a task force. The Stamford’s Vision Zero Task Force is hosting its monthly meeting on Tuesday, January 3 at 9:30 a.m. and residents are invited to “listen and hear updates from City officials.”

Learn about how city officials are addressing pedestrian and traffic safety in the city.

Other meetings this week include:

Norwalk

The Planning and Zoning Commission has a busy agenda this week at its meeting on Wednesday, January 4 at 6 p.m.

First, the commission will conduct a preliminary review of the plans to build a 77-unit mixed use development at 1 Cemetery Street in East Norwalk.

The commission will also host two public hearings: one on the plans for Westport Avenue and Renzulli Road which call for a four-story, 136-unit mixed use building; and another on the regulations for cannabis retailers seeking to open a store in the city. Learn more about the city’s decision to allow retail sales.

Other meetings this week include:

Fairfield

The Board of Education is hosting a special meeting on Thursday, January 5 at 7 p.m. featuring a presentation from the superintendent, followed by a community conversation regarding racial balance, academic excellence, and facility utilization in the school district. Residents can learn more about the racial balance plan and facility utilization before the meeting.

Other meetings this week include:

Greenwich

On Tuesday, January 3 at 11 a.m., the Greenwich Youth Services Bureau and Greenwich Together are hosting a virtual legislative breakfast, which will include a look back at last year’s requests to the legislators, local organizations’ work with young people in the community, and highlights of Greenwich youth contributions to the town. The breakfast will also include a review of current legislative priorities, particularly for increased funding support for youth engagement and youth mental health.  

Other meetings this week include:

Darien

The Parks and Recreation Committee of the Representative Town Meeting will meet on Wednesday, January 4 at 7:30 p.m. to discuss the 2023-24 budget for the Parks and Recreation Department as well as capital improvements that are planned. The town has also created a budget review timeline so residents can stay informed about the budget discussions for next year.

Other meetings this week include:

Westport

Both the Board of Education and the Board of Finance will discuss and potentially vote on adding modular classrooms at Long Lots Elementary School this week. The district is working to replace the elementary school, ideally by September 2026, although officials have said that it is a tight timeline.

In the meantime, according to a letter from Superintendent Thomas Scarice, “as a part of the Board’s 10 year Capital Improvement Program (CIP), it was recommended to install two modular classrooms at Long Lots Elementary School, similar to those installed at Coleytown Elementary School last summer, to accommodate space issues related to increased enrollment over the past couple of years.” The request is for $600,000 “for the estimated 48 month lease, installation and ancillary costs of a 2-classroom modular unit.” If approved, the units will be installed before the start of the 2023-2024 school year.

The Board of Education will discuss the item at its meeting on Tuesday, January 3 at 7 p.m., while the Board of Finance is scheduled to take up the item at its meeting on Wednesday, January 4 at 7:30 p.m.

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