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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 May 1.

The What: This Week in Southwest Connecticut
Happy May! Just a few more weeks till the unofficial start of summer, but who's counting... (Photo by Kelly Prinz)

Monday, May 1

Happy first day of May! Communities across the region are wrapping up their budget discussions so we thought it would be a good time to highlight some themes we heard across the region, related to local budgets. Residents across the region called on their leaders to support education funding, improved infrastructure, and more, all while trying to keep their communities affordable. See some of the highlights.

We’ll give a rundown of all the approved budgets in the region in the next few weeks—and what’s in them—as some communities are still working to finalize them, but here’s some key dates for each community:

This Saturday, May 6, the community is invited to celebrate the progress being made on the Norwalk River Valley Trail.

Check out our video highlighting efforts along the trail.

The planned 30-mile trail starts at Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk, and the goal is for it to run all the way up to Danbury. Residents are invited to participate in a group walk from the new trailhead on Riverside Avenue to Union Park for a celebration with live music, food trucks, freebies and activities for all ages. The event starts at 9:30 a.m. and we’ll be there! See you on Saturday.

An image highlighting a May 6 event for the Norwalk River Valley Trail

Let’s see what else is happening this week.

Stamford

Mayor Caroline Simmons signed the city’s first executive order addressing climate change and sustainability last week.

“This Executive Order builds upon the work my administration has accomplished over the past 16 months to ensure the City of Stamford is doing our part to take the bold action needed to reduce the impacts of climate change and protect our environment for future generations,” said Simmons in a statement. The order calls for: promoting energy-efficiency measures in city-owned buildings, prioritizing green infrastructure projects, creating a climate action plan, expanding the food scraps program, and more.

Learn more about some of the region’s other climate change-related efforts. You can also attend the first of two Climate Council Public Forums, which will take place on Wednesday, May 3 at 6 p.m. to learn more about the city’s efforts.

Other meetings this week include:

Norwalk

The city is continuing to bring the proposed changes to its zoning code to local neighborhoods to allow community members to share their thoughts. This week, on Monday, May 1, there will be a City of Norwalk Proposed Regulations Update for District B at 6 p.m. and on Tuesday, May 2, there will be a City of Norwalk Proposed Regulations Update for District C at 6:30 p.m.

Also this week, the Board of Estimate and Taxation will meet on Monday, May 1 at 6:30 p.m. and officially adopt the proposed budget for 2023-24 and set the mill—or tax—rates for the city.

Other meetings this week include:

Fairfield

The Representative Town Meeting will meet on Monday, May 1 at 8 p.m. to officially vote to adopt the town’s budget for the 2023-24 year. Later in the week, the Board of Finance will meet on Thursday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m. to set the official mill—or tax—rate for the town based on the approved budget.

On Monday, May 1, the Board of Selectmen will meet at 4 p.m. and receive an update on Penfield Pavilion, and vote on some contracts related to the remediation work for the site. Check out our piece that examines what’s happened at the site and how the town is planning to move forward.

Other meetings this week include:

Greenwich

The town will be celebrating the official completion of the Sound Beach Avenue Bridge on Wednesday, May 3 at 11 a.m. The bridge is used by approximately 14,500 vehicles every day. Officials said that inspections showed the bridge, which was originally built in 1925, was deteriorating and in need of replacement.

“We want to commend the hard work of our Department of Public Works for seeing it through and working with the public to make this happen,” First Selectman Fred Camillo wrote in a statement. “As the main entryway into Old Greenwich, this is a key bridge to take people to the downtown business district and is right by the beautiful Binney Park and the Perrot Memorial Library so this is a critical spot for the community.”

Other meetings this week include:

Darien

Three committees of the Representative Town Meeting will be reviewing the proposed budgets to forward onto the full body for a vote next week. The RTM–Education committee will meet on Monday, May 1 at 7:30 p.m. to review and discuss the Board of Education budget. The RTM–Parks & Recreation committee will meet on Wednesday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m. to discuss the parks and recreation budgets. Also, on Wednesday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m., the RTM–Finance & Budget committee will review and discuss all of the proposed operating and capital budgets.

Other meetings this week include:

Westport

The Representative Town Meeting will meet this week to discuss and vote on a final budget for the 2023-24 year. The RTM will meet on Monday, May 1 and Tuesday, May 2 at 7:30 p.m., with a potential meeting also scheduled for Wednesday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m. if necessary.

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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