Ridgefield’s tax base is growing — but not quickly.

The grand list of taxable properties grew by more than $28 million last year and now exceeds $4.7 billion.

“A little over half a percent,” First Selectman Rudy Marconi said of the growth. “We’re in an off year, and we’re not seeing a lot of growth.”

Still, any growth is welcome, and will help in the struggle to keep taxes down next year.

“Six-tenths of a percent is I don’t know how much in hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Marconi said. “It’s a small percentage — but our grand list is about $5 billion.”

To be exact, Ridgefield’s grand list — the assessed value of all taxable property in town — is $4,740,322,671, according to Assessor Al Garzi.

The new grand list — dated to last fall, as always, Oct. 1, 2015 — represents an increase of $28,576,701  — or 0.59% — over the previous year’s list.

“The increase will produce an increase in revenue of $743,279,” Garzi said.

Think of that $743,000 as how much town and school officials can increase spending next year before it starts to push up taxes.

Ridgefield, like all Connecticut municipalities, taxes three kinds of property, real estate, motor vehicles, and “personal property,” which is not personal artwork and jewelry but rather business equipment.

Real estate, the value of land and buildings in town, is by far the largest part of the grand list — nearly $4.4 billion of the $4.7 billion total.

The value of real estate in the new grand list totals $4,390,330,727, according to Garzi, up $22,887,802 from the previous year. It is made up of 9,653 properties.

“The real estate portion of the grand list increased due to small multifamily and commercial developments,” Garzi said. “Also contributing to the real estate growth was a large number of remodeling to existing residences as well as new additions to existing residences. Adding to the real estate increase also was a small number of new houses built around town.”

There are 21,376 motor vehicles taxed in Ridgefield, worth a total of $245,870,653, according to Garzi. That’s an increase of $1,609,649.

Given that Ridgefield’s population is about 25,000, and there are 5,000 kids in the school system, that’s roughly a car for every adult.

The personal property portion of the new grand list is valued at $104,121,291, up $4,079,250, according to Garzi.

Because required annual depreciation in the value of business equipment must be factored in, the $4-million increase in personal property on the grand list actually represents about $14 million in new equipment owned by businesses in town, Garzi said.

Some property is assessed, but not taxed.

“There were 721 tax-exempt properties totaling $483,847,577, reducing the revenue picture by some $12,584,875,” Garzi said.

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We are busy, busy, busy at Lounsbury House.  Ladies Night was fun and fabulous! If you missed it, you have another chance tonight.  Fun, Friendship and Food is tonight from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Meet new people, enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in a no pressure, relaxed and fun environment. We have a few tickets left so please call the office at 203-438-6962 to reserve yours.  See you tonight.

Looking to book an event and can’t get here during the week to tour?  We now have Saturday hours. We will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for venue tours. Event Director Melanie is available for scheduling tours at melanie@lounsburyhouse.org.

Tuesday, March 15 is our Camp Fair. Join us and make your summer plans. We are super excited to announce our very first Bunny Breakfast on March 20. Register now for one of our two seatings, 10:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. Enjoy brunch, Bloody Marys and Mimosas with your family and then have your Bunny photos taken. Tickets are available on our new website lounsburyhouse.org.

Speaking of our new website, bookmark our calendar. All of our upcoming events will be posted there and you will be able to register for most everything online. Check it out and let us know what you think.

Lounsbury House is the place for any function. Book your spring and summer events now. Rent just a room, or the whole house.  Our Governor’s Garden is the perfect place for a spring cocktail party.

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Fire Chief Kevin Tappe got past his first hurdle, the Fire Commission, in moving the department to eight-man minimum shift staffing.

A proposal to improve ambulance and fire truck response times — and make them more consistent — by increasing the minimum shift at the Fire Department from six to eight men on duty was supported last night by the Fire Commission, and the approximately $260,000-a-year program will now be factored into the Board of Selectmen’s budget deliberations.

Although the Fire Commission and the Board of Selectmen are the same five people performing different municipal functions, and the Fire Commission voted 4-to-0 Wednesday night, Feb. 17, to recommend the program, that doesn’t necessarily mean approval by the selectmen is a political slam dunk.

As members noted last night, the Fire Commission’s charge is to pursue the best operation of the Fire Department, and the Board of Selectmen’s charge is to oversee all town departments — including their budgets. Adding a $260,000-a-year Fire Department program to the town’s $34-million budget will involve balancing possible cuts to other departments’ budget requests, or higher taxes, or both — calculations that the Fire Commission isn’t charged with considering, but the selectmen will have to make.

Selectman Maureen Kozlark summed up the differing perspectives.

“Sitting here on the Fire Commission,” she said, “it makes sense for the Fire Commission to support it. I don’t know if the selectpeople will support it.

“You’ve presented a very strong case to support it,” she said to Fire Chief Kevin Tappe. “But it’s over a quarter of a million dollars a year.”

First Selectman Rudy Marconi did propose — and the Fire Commission supported — making the budget increase less dramatic by starting the program half way through the next fiscal year.

Working with the town finance and personnel departments, Chief Tappe calculated the program’s cost — driven mostly by increased overtime — as $262,000 in the first year, rising another $5,000 to $267,000 in the second year.

With the program starting half-way through the 2016-17 fiscal year — Jan. 1, 2017, rather July 1, 2016 at the fiscal year’s start — the first year cost would be about $131,000. And an increase of $136,000 would be needed in 2017-18 to get from there to the full second-year cost of $267,000.

Essentially, what the program will do is assure that there are always eight firefighters on duty to man two ambulances and two fire trucks — they’re required to have at least two go out on every mission. Currently, between vacations and sick-days, the eight-man shifts can fall to seven or six before people are called in on overtime. If a shift is below eight, and three vehicles are out, the fourth can’t respond to a call until someone gets back from a call or comes in from off-duty.

This results in sizable fluctuations in response time depending, essentially, on luck — how often calls come in when vehicles are out and shift is below full staffing.

“In order to provide more consistent service to the public, I believe they’d be better served by eight-man minimum staffing,” Chief Tappe told the Fire Commission Wednesday night.

The selectmen resume their budget deliberations in March.

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In Anna Marie Resseguie’s journals, one name appears more frequently than any other: Phillis Dubois, the free black woman who was Anna Marie’s older “sister,” companion, and colleague in operating Ridgefield’s leading hotel.

Phillis’s portrait is sketchy. We know that her mother purchased her daughter’s freedom in upstate New York, and that Phillis arrived in the Resseguie household as a “wild” 10-year-old, shortly before Anna Marie’s birth in 1830.

We never hear Phillis’s voice directly in the pages of the journal, so we can’t know whether she felt isolated as one of only eight blacks in a town of 2,200 people or what she may have encountered in a state that abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison once called “the Georgia of New England.”

We do know that Anna Marie paid Phillis a salary as early as 1859. That Phillis is buried with other Resseguies under the family monument. And that Anna Marie made a $1,000 bequest to Tuskegee Institute in her memory.

Ironically, we have a photograph of Phillis, but none of Anna Marie.  Even so, we have a vivid image of their sisterhood.

Join us Sunday, Feb. 21 (snow date Feb. 28), at 3 p.m. in the Garden House, as Kim Wilson performs “A Journey …,” a one-woman musical show tracing the black experience through the eyes of women in seven pivotal generations.

More information is available at KeelerTavernMuseum.org or 203-438-5485.

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I’ve always wondered about Limekiln Road. What was the limekiln and where was it located?

Running between Farmingville and Haviland roads, Limekiln Road probably dates to the 18th Century, perhaps to the 1730s. A limekiln once stood at the northwest corner of Lee and Limekiln roads, and remains may still be there, under surface soil.

Before 1914, when the Farmingville Road straightaway through Great Swamp was built, Lee Road and southern Limekiln Road were part of Farmingville Road. Thus, the limekiln then stood at the old corner of Lee and Farmingville roads, an intersection called Limekiln Corner.

A kiln of this sort once stood in the vicinity of Limekiln Road.

The limekiln was a furnace for heating up and converting limestone (mostly calcium carbonate) to lime (calcium oxide) by driving out water. The kiln consisted of a large stone or brick structure with an egg-shaped chamber inside. Here pieces of broken-up limestone were layered with wood or coal to fill the chamber, or “pot.” A fire was lit at the bottom and burned its way upward, heating the limestone and changing it to lime.

Limestone was mined in town. In fact, the area around the intersection of Haviland, Danbury and Limestone roads was once called Limestone Hill because much limestone was extracted there.

Limestone was perhaps the most important substance mined locally in colonial times.

Essential in homebuilding, lime was the basic ingredient in the plaster that covered the walls of houses, and in the mortar used in making chimneys, fireplaces, and some foundations. It was the chief ingredient in whitewash, which was used as a paint on wood surfaces as well as on plaster walls. Farmers used lime to fertilize their fields.

Like sawmills, limekilns could be almost neighborhood businesses. Several were active in Ridgefield in the 1700s and 1800s. One was on the north side of Bennetts Farm Road near the Knollwood Drive intersection. Another was at the corner of Barry Avenue and Ramapoo Road, an area called Limekiln Hill; a kiln there was operating at least by 1742 and in the 1800s was burning 10 cords of wood a day to supply builders in the region. Another kiln was on Farmingville Road, east of New Road.

All were located in the central and northern areas of town, probably because that’s where the limestone was. As explained in a previous column, Cameron’s Line runs through Ridgefield, nearly along West Lane, Main Street, Danbury Road and through Farmingville. In simple terms, the line marks an ancient continental collision of North America with what is now western Africa. Limestone is common in the ground north of the line, but not south of it.—J.S.

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A community struggling to understand tragedy that shattered a Fairfield family will come together Sunday, Feb. 21, for a vigil on the Fairfield Town Green.

The 6 p.m. event, sponsored by the Center for Family Justice and the Town Fairfield, will be held five days after a father was shot dead by police after he allegedly attacked his wife and three children with a baseball bat and a knife.

Christopher Andrews, 51, died after being shot outside his house at 22 Mountain Laurel Road by 26-year veteran Fairfield Police Officer Sean Fenton after Andrews refused to comply with commands to stop and continued to approach them with a weapon.

After the fatal confrontation in the driveway of the house at the corner of Mountain Laurel Road and Brookside Drive, police went inside the house and found 50-year-old Kathleen Andrews and the couple’s 13-year-old son both suffering from blunt force injuries and stab wounds. The son was airlifted to Yale-New Haven Hospital. The other children, ages 12 and 15, were also taken to the hospital with injuries and have since been released to the care of family members.

Police said there were no calls to the Andrews residence prior to what the Center for Family Justice CEO and President Debra Greenwood is calling “the single worst incident of domestic violence we have been called on to respond to” in her 9-year tenure.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, the survivors and the many residents of Fairfield who call them friends,” Greenwood said in a statement Wednesday. “We know they are part of a confused and heartbroken community today. And we are here to help.”

As is procedure, Officer Fenton has be reassigned from patrol duty while the incident is investigated by State Police and the State’s Attorney’s Office. There is also an internal investigation by Fairfield Police.

Fairfield Police Chief Gary MacNamara said Fenton’s actions prevented further injury Tuesday morning.

“We are grateful to our partners in law enforcement, in this case the Fairfield Police Department, who too often must stand in the direct line of fire when responding to domestic violence,” Greenwood said. “Domestic violence calls are among the most dangerous, unpredictable calls community police officers must make and we are grateful for the bravery of every officer who responds to this kind of incident.”

Those who knew Christopher Andrews, many through youth sports, expressed shock at the events that unfolded.

“Unfortunately and tragically, this situation illustrates in a heartbreaking way that domestic violence can and does impact any community and any family,” Greenwood said. “Last year, we served more than 256 victims of domestic violence in Fairfield; women, men and children directly impacted by this trauma in their lives. We served more than 8,000 clients in our service area including Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford and Trumbull. We cannot stress this enough: This happens in families every day in every demographic. No one is immune.”

The New York Post reported Thursday that financial problems may have been present in the household.

Kathleen Andrews and the 13-year-old son were still in the hospital as of Thursday. A Go Fund Me account, Support the Andrews Family, had been established and as of early Thursday afternoon more than $150,000 had been donated toward its goal of $200,000.

“While there is much we don’t know about the circumstances which triggered today’s events, we do know that families and communities that experience this kind of family violence need our support and understanding as they heal,” Greenwood said.

Greenwood urged anyone feeling the impact of Tuesday’s incident to seek counseling.

Adding that there is yet no information on what was behind the violence, Greenwich listed risk factors that can be found in violent relationships.

“Learning these risk factors can save lives,” she said.

They include:

•        Has your abuser ever used a weapon against you or threatened you with a weapon?

•        Has your abuser every threatened to kill you or your children?

•        Do you think your abuser might try to kill you?

•        Has the verbal, emotional or physical violence increased in frequency or severity in the past 6 months?

•        Does your abuser have a gun or weapon s/he easily get one?

•        Has your abuser every tried to choke you?

•        Have you recently left, separated from or divorced your abuser?

•        If you are living in a violent, abusive home we urge you to seek help as soon as possible. The Center for Family Justice’s domestic violence hotline (203-384-9559) is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All of help is free and confidential.

An image of the Andrews family from a Go Fund Me page set up after an assault that left Kathleen Andrews and her 13-year-old son hospitalized, and 51-year-old Christopher Andrews — their alleged attacker — dead after being shot by police.

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Evan Gottfried

Evan Gottfried will perform a concert called Music for Little Ones for families with children ages 4 and under at the Ridgefield Library. The performance on Saturday, Feb. 20, from 11:30 to 12:15 is part of the library’s Concerts for Young Families series. Gottfried’s fresh and original music encourages children’s creativity while allowing them to be silly and have a good time. Adults need to accompany children to the performance, which is free with no registration required. Information is available at  evangottfried.com or Children’s Services at 203-438-2282, ext. 12020.

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The amount of money the school district is budgeting to spend on staff developers to train teachers will nearly double or more than double in some instances in the 2016-17 school budget proposal.

The amount at the elementary schools on professional trainers increases from $23,200 to $88,700 in the proposed budget. The amount at the high school increases from $12,000 to $23,120, according to a budget breakout provided by Assistant Superintendent Kimberly Beck.

The amount at the middle school would also increase, but not by as much. The total proposed for “job-embedded learning and training,” is $217,820.

That figure is more than a quarter of the total $771,120 earmarked in the budget for curriculum programming planning and training, which is .008 percent of the total $91.37 million school budget request, up $5.3 million, or 6.16 %, from the current $86.07 million.

It is the largest increase asked for in years, in a town where school budget increases have been as low as .98 percent in recent years.

School administrators called for a special meeting of the Board of Education on Feb. 18 to explain the plans for increased teacher training.

The administrators want to show how more money is needed to bring the district up to speed in the more demanding educational environment.

“People have to understand how education is lagging, and how it’s changing,” said board member Scott Mason. “The public has to know why it’s so important to do things things we want to do. They just look at the number of the increase, and they say ‘you’re out of your mind.’”

Professional training has never been more necessary, said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Karen Baldwin.

“This is a commitment,” Baldwin said of the plan to spend more on teacher training. “There’s never been a more dynamic time in public education.”

It’s important to get this information about where the money is going to the public, said board member Karen Sulzinski.

The next step in the budget process is a public hearing Saturday morning at 10 a.m. at Scotts Ridge Middle School. The Board of Education is expected to take action on the superintendent’s budget request at its regular meeting Monday, Feb. 22, at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall Annex.

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Ridgefield firefighters at 58 Ethan Allen Highway, Ridgefield, mitigating oil spilling into the Norwalk River Feb. 19. — Hayden Turek photo

Oil is spilling into the Norwalk River as of 1 p.m., Feb. 19. Affected areas include parts of the river in Wilton, Ridgefield, and Redding.

The source of the spill, according to Ridgefield Fire Chief Kevin Tappe, must either be the business at 58 Ethan Allen Highway, or some pipe behind that location.

“There’s oil going into a storm drain from a pipe that’s coming from that building or behind it; we’re not sure,” Tappe said.

Ridgefield and Georgetown fire remain on the scene at 58 Ethan Allen Highway. Firefighters are mitigating the spill until they can determine its source.

“We’ve put absorbent pads in the storm drain. We’re also putting booms and pads in the culvert to keep [the oil] from getting into the river any more than it already has,” Tappe said.

A crew from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection was expected by 1:15. “We’ve also notified Metro-North Police,” Tappe said, “because we’re working on the tracks.”

A Metro-North spokesperson said the spill has not caused any cancellations or delays, but “there will be potential for slow-downs [for trains passing] through the Branchville area” until it is contained.

Oil was reported in multiple areas along the river around noon today, Feb. 19. Local personnel from Wilton, Ridgefield and Georgetown were dispatched in response to the different reports, to determine the extent of the affected area.

Oil in the Norwalk River near 1047 Danbury Road in Wilton. — Hayden Turek photo

One Wilton police unit and four Georgetown Fire units were dispatched to 1047 Danbury Road in Georgetown around noon. Minutes later, Ridgefield fire responded to 32 Ethan Allen Highway, Ridgefield.

The different emergency response agencies worked together to narrow the source of the spill down to the area of 58 Ethan Allen Highway. According to Tappe, there are 12 Ridgefield fire personnel and four Georgetown fire personnel still on-scene. Wilton police have returned to headquarters.

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During Red Cross Month in March, the American Red Cross encourages eligible donors to join in its lifesaving mission by giving blood.

Since 1943, every U.S. president has designated March as Red Cross Month to recognize how the Red Cross helps people down the street, across the country and around the world.

Red Cross Month is a celebration of the everyday heroes, like Karla Essmiller, who are the face of the Red Cross in their communities. Essmiller began donating blood and even coordinated a few blood drives when she was in college. “Donating blood is a simple gift that I can make that may help up to three people live another day,” she said. “That makes me feel like a hero!”  

The Red Cross depends on blood donor heroes across the nation to collect enough blood to meet the needs of patients at approximately 2,600 hospitals nationwide. Donors of all blood types are needed to help accident and burn victims, patients undergoing organ transplants, those receiving cancer treatments and others who rely on blood products.

Make an appointment to become a hero to patients in need by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Upcoming blood donation opportunities:

Bethel

March 2: 11:30-4:30, St. Mary’s Church, 24 Dodging Town Road

Danbury

March 11: 1:30-6:30, Central Christian Church, 71 West St.

Fairfield

March 9: 12:30-6, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 661 Old Post Road

Greenwich

March 7: 1:30-6:30, Temple Sholom, 300 East Putnam Avenue

Monroe

March 5: 7:45-1, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 466 Elm Street

Newtown

March 8: 1:30-6:30, Newtown Congregational Church, 14 West St.; 8:30-1:30, Newtown Congregational Church, 14 West St.

Ridgefield

March 3: 1:30-6:30 p.m., Ridgefield Park & Recreation Center, 195 Danbury Rd.

Shelton

March 14: 8-1:45, R.D. Scinto Towers, 2 Corporate Drive

March 4: 8-1:30, Perkin Elmer Corporation, 710 Bridgeport Avenue

Stamford

March 4: 8-1, Tully Health Center, 32 Strawberry Hill Court

Stratford

March 3: 1-6:15, Knights of Columbus, 2252 Main Street

How to donate blood

Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Blood donors can now save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, prior to arriving at the blood drive. To get started and learn more, visit redcrossblood.org/RapidPass and follow the instructions on the site.

About the American Red Cross

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

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Aquarion advises residents and business owners to refuse entrance into their home or business until they confirm their appointment with Aquarion’s Customer Service Department and see company-issued photo identification. Indoor utility work is only being completed by scheduled appointment.

“Aquarion Water Company employees follow strict protocols when entering customers’ homes and businesses, which include showing the customer an Aquarion photo ID,” said Charles V. Firlotte, Aquarion President and CEO. “We also encourage customers to call our Customer Service Department prior to allowing entry.”

Aquarion Water Company employees and contractors are required to carry company-issued photo identification at all times and to present such identification upon request when entering a customer’s home. If a worker cannot produce identification, customers should not allow entrance into their home or business and should immediately contact the police.

Anyone who has further questions or would like to confirm a scheduled appointment may contact Aquarion Customer Service at 203-445-7310. Customers outside the Greater Bridgeport area can call 1-800-732-9678.

About Aquarion Water Company

Aquarion Water Company is the public water supply company for more than 625,000 people in 51cities and towns throughout Connecticut, as well as serving customers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. It is the largest investor-owned water utility in New England and among the seven largest in the U.S. Based in Bridgeport, Conn., it has been in the public water supply business since 1857. Across its operations, Aquarion strives to act as a responsible steward of the environment and to assist the communities it serves in promoting sustainable practices.  

For more information on Aquarion Water Company and its subsidiaries, visit aquarionwater.com or facebook.com/aquarionwater.

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Joan Ellen Scordamaglia of Norwalk, the sister of a Ridgefielder, died Monday, Feb. 15, at her home. She was 57. Scordamaglia was born in Bellport, N.Y. on Nov. 13, 1958, and was a graduate of Bellport High School and Boston College. She worked for several firms as an accountant.

Joan was predeceased by her parents, Dr. Louis and Elizabeth Scordamaglia.

She is survived by her siblings, Lois and James Benfield of Norwalk; James and Kate Scordamaglia of West Sayville, N.Y.; Kathryn and Michael McLean of Norwalk; Nancy and David Tyner of New Orleans, La., Aimee Scordamaglia and Peter Fischbach of Tewksbury, N.J., Ann and Russell Gough of Ridgefield; and Louis and Lisa Scordamaglia of Bellport; several nieces and nephews, and five loving great nieces and nephews.

There will be a memorial mass at St. Phillip Church in Norwalk on Saturday, Feb. 27, at noon. Interment was held in private. Memorial contributions may be made to Homes with Hope, 49 Richmond Hill Avenue, Westport, 06880. Funeral arrangements were made by Robertaccio Funeral Home in Patchogue, N.Y .

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Reports are coming in that Frontier Communications, which provides cable service in Ridgefield, is down. A post on the town Facebook page reported that his internet was down and that a Frontier rep said the problem is statewide and could be 24 hours. A rep said about 1,000 customers are out and they were working to correct the problem.

A map on downdetector showed a large area of Connecticut affected.

http://downdetector.com/status/frontier/map/

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Aquarion advises residents and business owners to refuse entrance into their home or business unless they have a scheduled appointment and see company-issued photo identification. Indoor utility work is only being completed by scheduled appointment.

“Aquarion Water Company employees follow strict protocols when entering customers’ homes and businesses, which include showing the customer an Aquarion photo ID,” said Charles V. Firlotte, Aquarion President and CEO. “We also encourage any customer who is unsure or has concerns, to call our Customer Service Department.”

Aquarion Water Company employees and contractors are required to carry company-issued photo identification at all times and to present such identification upon request when entering a customer’s home.

If a worker cannot produce identification, customers should not allow entrance into their home or business and should immediately contact the police.

Anyone who has further questions or would like to confirm a scheduled appointment may contact Aquarion Customer Service at 203-445-7310. Customers outside the Greater Bridgeport area can call 1-800-732-9678.

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Ridgefield firefighters worked to contain and absorb oil leaking into the Norwalk River from an underground pipe Feb. 19. — Hayden Turek photo

Clean up of oil founding polluting the Norwalk River in Branchville continues, but is not expected to affect the evening commute on either Route 7 or the railroad line.

“It doesn’t effect Route 7 or the trains any more,” Ridgefield Fire Chief Kevin Tappe said at about 4:30 Friday, Feb. 19.

The oil leak was in the vicinity of Branchville station in Ridgefield on the MetroNorth’s Danbury Branch Line, connecting Norwalk station on the main New York line to Danbury and going through Wilton, Ridgefield and Redding on the way.

“When we were working there, we had the trains slow down in that area, because we were working on the tracks and near the tracks, but they slow down for the station anyway,” Tappe said.

Ridgefield firefighters got to the scene about noon and left the scene late in the afternoon, after the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) had arrived and called in a clean-up firm.

“The DEEP is still there and their clean-up contractor,” Tappe said after Ridefield firefighters left about 4. “My guess is they’ll be there a couple of days.

“It does affect West Branchville Road, because they have trucks up there, but it doesn’t affect Route 7 or the trains.”

The oil, noted around midday in the Norwalk River at several sites south of the Branchville train station, was traced to a pipe underground on a business property in the area.

“There’s a building there that houses a marble and granite business,” Tappe said. “We found oil coming from an underground pipe that goes under that building. We put booms in the river — absorbent booms and absorbent pads — this is a special fabric that doesn’t absorb water, it absorbs oil.

“We called DEEP. They arrived on the scene, they did some investigation.

“They found out, yes, it was the underground oil tank behind that business. They called in a clean up contractor to dig out that tank, then clean up the soil and the ground and any other contaminated water in the storm drains and things.”

One Wilton police unit and four Georgetown Fire units were dispatched to the area, and 12 Ridgefield fire Department personnel were involved.

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It’s gotten a little crazy with the parking.

The 16 parking spaces in front of the Addessi Block — from Deborah Ann’s Chocolates to Neumann Real Estate — have gone from all one-hour parking, to half 30-minute and half one-hour parking, to half 30-minute and half two-hour parking, then back to all one-hour parking.

And that’s all since last summer.

The Parking Authority — theoretically a five-member agency — has had three resignations since the start of the year and was down to two members.

And now state officials have said the town Parking Authority doesn’t have the power to set parking times on state highways — including Main Street, which is state Route 35 — without state approval.

The state was brought in by Wayne Addessi, a Main Street businessman and property owner long frustrated with the town’s parking enforcement.

“This Parking Authority system has been running the same way for 25, 30 years,” Addessi said. “It’s gotta change.”

There are more than 1,100 parking spaces in the village, and there has long been debate about how to keep parking near to businesses available for customers.

At the heart of Addessi’s frustration is the town’s parking enforcement program, in which cars that overstay posted parking times in posted areas of the village are given $15 tickets.

“Ticketing our customers is wrong. The whole system needs to be revisited,” he said.

Interviews with two candidates for Parking Authority vacancies — Ancient Mariner proprietor Jessica Wilmot and former Norwalk Mayor Richard A. Moccia, who moved to Ridgefield in 2014 — were on the selectmen’s agenda for Wednesday night, Feb. 17, too late for this issue of The Press.

By Feb. 12 the town had brought in $18,680 in parking fine revenue from ticketing in the village since the start of the fiscal year, July 1, 2015. It had made another $7,015 from tickets at the Branchville train station.

For the last complete fiscal year, 2014-15, the totals were $35,935 from tickets in the village and just over $11,000 in Branchville.

Recently, between the the village and Branchville, the town’s been giving out about 3,000 or 4,000 tickets a year, and generating about $50,000 in annual revenue:

• 2014-15 — 4,005 tickets, over $47,000 in revenue.
• 2013-14 — 3,497 tickets, just under $50,000 in revenue.
• 2012-13 — 4,681 tickets, over $58,000 in revenue.
• 2011-12 — 3,118 tickets, nearly $34,000 in revenue.

The town’s salary cost for parking enforcement runs about $28,000 a year, according to Town Personnel Director Laurie Fernandez, but she said there are other costs — signs, line-painting — making the operation “closer to a break-even than a moneymaker of any kind.”

There are parking ticket appeals hearings the second Thursday of every month, starting at 7:30 in the town hall conference room.

Sharon Dornfeld, the local attorney who is the hearing officer for parking violation appeals, says she hears from three or four to more than 20 appeals in a given month.

“The statute requires that people show up,” she said.

Most of the appeals are of $15 tickets for overstaying time limits in the village, she said, but some are for various other violations — daily parking in Branchville ($5), parking in handicapped spaces ($150), in fire lanes ($92), across more than one space or in places that aren’t designated parking spots ($15).

About half the appeals are from people who work in town, but others are from people in town on errands — presumably patronizing businesses.

“A lot of my appeals are from people who come to shop in town and meet friends for lunch, and all of sudden it’s more than a couple of hours,” Dornfeld said.

“I get some from people at beauty shops. Apparently it’s not possible to have your hair cut and colored in under two hours.”

Appeals can become emotional.

“You’d be amazed at how exercised people get over a $15 parking ticket. I’m amazed,” she said.

The whole ticketing operation is counterproductive, from Addessi’s perspective as a village businessman.

“With the competition we all have, with the Internet, the last thing we should be doing is ticketing our customers,” he said.

Tempers have run high.

“We know we’ve had some animosity,” Selectwoman Maureen Kozlark said.

Kozlark spoke at the selectmen’s Jan. 20 meeting, when the board learned of the resignation of two Parking Authority members. A third, Parking Authority Chairman Matt Hicks, resigned a few days later.

“The long and short of it is that you can’t have commissions like the Parking Authority be interfered with, and that’s the reason that I decided to leave,” Hicks told The Press.

He made a point of saying he didn’t have problems with First Selectman Rudy Marconi.

“Far too much interference from the Board of Selectmen —  not Rudy,” Hicks said.

“It’s such a shame. You want people to be involved, and they’re happy to do so. Then there’s interference and it negates being there,” he said.

“It’s the nature of government in small towns.”

The selectmen were scheduled to do annual reappointments of some Parking Authority members in January, but decided to hold off. They’d consider the reappointments, but also thought they’d like to see if there are any people who want to join the authority.

“Maybe it’s time for some new folks on the board,” said Selectman Steve Zemo.

Changing times

Marconi agreed to attempt to summarize for The Press the recent history of changing parking times for the 16 spaces in front of the Main Street block between St. Stephen’s and Catoonah Street, the “Addessi block.”

Before the flurry of recent changes, the entire block had long been one-hour parking while the rest of Main Street was two-hour parking.

In the fall, the Parking Authority changed times for the spaces in front of Deborah Ann’s and Ridgefield Hardware, but not for the spaces in front of the four storefronts from Addessi Jewelers to Neumann Real Estate.

“The Parking Authority changed the spots at Deborah Ann’s and Ridgefield Hardware to 30-minute parking,” Marconi said.

As owner of Addessi Jewelers and the building the store is in, Wayne Addessi protested the change to the shorter, half-hour times. He felt a change should go the other way — toward longer parking — with the entire block going to two-hour parking, in keeping with the rest of Main Street.

“Mr. Addessi sent members of the Board of Selectmen an email, making them aware of his feelings and his request that the block be two hours,” Marconi said.

The selectmen responded, initiating a change to the spaces from Addessi’s north to Neumann’s.

“We fully discussed it, and at the end of the discussion I was asked to send a letter to the Parking Authority requesting that they consider the eight spots, the balance of the 16, be changed from one hour to two hours to meet with Mr. Addessi’s request. The Parking Authority subsequently approved, and the signs were ordered. Upon delivery, signs were installed,” Marconi said.

The new signs making the Addessi-to-Neumann part of the block two hours arrived and went up during the week between Christmas and New Year’s, Marconi said, Dec. 29 or 30.

“They were put up immediately, the next day,” Marconi said.

But there was more.

“Mr. Addessi had sent a letter of inquiry to the state traffic administration asking who has jurisdiction over parking times on a state highway,” Marconi said.

And it turned out the state said the local Parking Authority doesn’t have authority over parking along a state highway — such as Main Street, which is state Route 35.

“To make a long story short,” Marconi said, “the process that needs to be followed: The Parking Authority, for any modification for parking time on Main Street, must send that request to the local traffic authority, which is the Police Commission. The Police Commission, upon a favorable vote, if there is one, then forwards the request on to the state traffic administration, for their approval. Once that approval is made, we can then change the times.”

This, in effect, made the recent changes to the Addessi block improper.

“So we have been instructed now to return everything to the previous one hour,” Marconi said. “And if there are any changes requested for Main Street  — a state highway — then that request must go through our local traffic authority, the Police Commission, and then on to the state traffic administration.

“There was much more in terms of debate and conversation that went on,” Marconi added, “but this is an overview of what took place for that particular area, relative to parking.”

New members

The two Parking Authority members who decided not to seek reappointment at the Jan. 20 meeting were Cora Grace Harkins, whose work history includes time with a firm that builds parking facilities, and Larry Hoyt, the authority’s longest serving member.

Neither raised political issues in their resignation letters. “Less than a year ago I started a new job and I am finding it more and more difficult to find the time,” said Harkins.

Hoyt said, “I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to be a member of this team for many years and I hope I gave back some value to this wonderful town — I thank you.”

The selectmen generally reappoint boards and committees in January for the new year — but at the Jan. 20 meeting they decided not to act on the Parking Authority.

“So we don’t have anyone on the Parking Authority?” asked Selectman Bob Hebert, who joined the board after the November election.

“If we do not reappoint we will not,” the first selectman replied.

By taking a little extra time with what are generally routine reappointments, Marconi later told The Press, the selectmen were responding to the realities and doing their homework.

“It’s my belief the reason why Connecticut statutes has the Board of Selectmen appointing and reappointing members to various commissions and boards is that it gives local authorities an opportunity to review the actions and issues that are confronting the individual board or commission,” Marconi said.

“We’re not just there to rubber-stamp and appoint and reappoint someone.

“So in reviewing the appointments to the Parking Authority, the Board of Selectmen said, Why don’t we start from the beginning and interview everyone who’d like to be reappointed as well as anyone interested in serving our town?

“With the resignation of Mr. Hicks, and previously the resignation of Cora Harkins and the resignation of Larry Hoyt, the commission has been left with just two members — hence the reason to interview the remaining two who’d like to be reappointed and any new people who’d like to apply to the Parking Authority.

“Given that this is a downtown authority,” Marconi added, “we would really appreciate and like for some of those who are either employed, own real estate, or are merchants in the downtown area to become a stakeholder and become involved in an issue that has direct impact on their business.”

People interested may call his office at 203-431-2774 or email selectman@ridgefieldct.org.

Marconi noted that all the Parking Authority members were volunteers, and expressed gratitude to those who’d served.

“I’d like to definitely extend the Board of Selectmen’s and, personally, my thanks to Matt Hicks for his incredible dedication and effort put into the responsibilities of the Parking Authority, to Cora Harkins for her expertise that she brought to the table relative to parking,

and definitely a huge thank-you to Mr. Larry Hoyt, the last remaining original member of the Parking Authority, for his long length of service and dedication to making Ridgefield a better place — thank you, Larry,” Marconi said.

The post Parking times and faces, they are a-changin’ appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

I have to tell you about an incident I had. I fell at home but I didn’t hurt myself. However, fortunately I have Lifeline. They called immediately asking if I was alright and I told them I was. They were on the ball with a prompt response. I did not have to call them because the pendant I was wearing sensed I was on the floor. I assured them I was all right. It was so reassuring that someone was looking after me. Next day I got a call from the RVNA asking if they should send a nurse. I would highly recommend Lifeline as they did what was required. You can obtain Lifeline through the Ridgefield Visiting Nurse Association and they follow up. They will install it for you and they have you on their lists. One thing you have to do is wear the pendant all the time, even when you are in the shower. It is waterproof. If you are interested in more information call Barbara Newman at RVNA, 203-438-5555, ext. 1005.

Some advice about scams, which are ongoing:  Don’t give anyone your password to your bank accounts, your computers or any of your files. Shred anything that has your personal information on it, including used airplane tickets and hotel key cards. The bar code on these has your personal information on it (credit card number, address, phone numbers, and name).

See you in two weeks, Chris

The post Importance of Lifeline appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

Let’s put things in perspective. If you got married last year, you might not be ready to part with your dress. However, if you got married 25 years ago, you might have thought it’s time to let that dress go. So, some of our dresses may be a bit dated, but with a little imagination and creativity, you can easily say “yes to the dress” from the Ridgefield Thrift Shop. Who needs Kleinfelds?

Did you know a yard of Alencon lace can cost $150 (without beading), and a yard of bridal quality silk can easily be $50? Put on your thinking cap. A few alterations and voilà, a new dress.  And, our dresses typically cost $75 or less.

Our tuxedos are $25. A rental fee is at least $100. So again, think this through. Why rent when you can buy?

Hurry in to the Thrift Shop at 15 Catoonah Street. Our bridal consultants are eager to help you make all your dreams come true.

The post Here comes the bride appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

A vigil scheduled for Sunday evening in Fairfield has been canceled.

The vigil was to be held for victims of domestic violence in the wake of a Feb. 16 incident in Fairfield that ended with a father being shot dead by police after allegedly attacking other members of his family.

It has been canceled to respect the wishes of the Andrews family, according to a joint statement from Fairfield First Selectman Michael Tetreau and Center for Family Justice President and CEO Debra A. Greenwood.

The statement reads:

On Behalf of the Town of Fairfield and The Center for Family Justice

The events in Fairfield this week have left the community shaken, emotional and determined to help in the most sensitive and meaningful ways possible. Sunday’s vigil was planned as a way for town residents to gather and share their solidarity and support for the impacted family at this difficult time.

However, in light of the statements of the Andrews family representative today, we now feel it may be in their best interest to respond in a way that is more private and respectful of their wishes. While we have had no direct contact with a family representative, none of us involved in planning this vigil wish to compound the tragic events they have experienced this week.

Therefore, we have decided to cancel Sunday’s vigil on the Town Hall Green.

We encourage Fairfield residents to continue to honor and respect the family’s wishes and support them in any way they deem appropriate. We also continue to be deeply appreciative of the care and concern shown for the family by the wonderful people of Fairfield.

— Respectfully, Michael Tetreau, First Selectmen Town of Fairfield

— Debra A. Greenwood, President/CEO, The Center for Family Justice

Christopher Andrews, 51, was shot by Fairfield Police Officer Sean Fenton after police said he continued to advance toward officers outside the family’s Mountain Laurel Drive residence around 6 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16.

When police went inside, they found Kathleen Andrews, 50, and a 13-year-old boy injured. According to published reports, Kathleen Andrews remains in Bridgeport Hospital, her son in Yale-New Haven Hospital.

The post Fairfield vigil canceled appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

Crocuses (or is the plural croci? either, we think) om Olmstead Lane mid-day Saturday, Feb. 20. Crocus, a genus of flowering plants in the iris family comprising 90 species of perennials, often come out early and were captured with a camera on this mild February day.

The high today was nearly 60 and while the mild weather is forecasted to continue, the high tomorrow may not reach 50.

The post A warm February day appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.