The Lewis Fund is seeking grant applications from non-profit organizations for activities “which are conducted in whole or in part for the benefit or use of residents of Ridgefield and its vicinity.”

Started by bequest of Wadsworth R. Lewis, son of a prominent Ridgefield family, who died in 1942, the Lewis Fund has awarded grants totaling more than $3,200,000 since 1950. Last year, the Lewis Fund awarded grants totaling almost $94,000 to more than 35 organizations, including The Ridgefield Boys & Girls Club, Ridgefield Visiting Nurse Association, Ridgefield Library, Aldrich Museum and Meals on Wheels were some of the local organizations that received awards from the Lewis Fund.

“We look forward to receiving grant requests from many different organizations throughout town whose mission is to serve Ridgefield residents,” said Marcie Coffin, chairman of the Advisory Committee of the Lewis Fund and senior vice president of Fairfield County Bank. She is one of three Ridgefield residents who oversees the distribution of Lewis Fund grants.

Three copies of requests must be submitted by Friday, Dec. 13. Requests must include: a current IRS determination letter, a copy of the organization’s most recent financial statement, proposed budget for the current year, and a proposal requesting funds for a specific project or general support that describes the organization’s activities which specifically benefit Ridgefield’s residents.

Requests can be sent to Marcie Coffin, senior vice president, Fairfield County Bank, 94 Danbury Road, Ridgefield, CT. 06877 or electronically to marcie.coffin@fairfieldcountybank.com.

Credits for foreign language and wellness classes will be shuffled in the high school’s graduation requirements in an effort to provide students with more flexibility in course choices.

Principal Stacey Gross presented her proposal, along with assistant superintendent Kimberly Beck and assistant principal Stephanie Parker, to the Board of Education on Nov. 12.

She said the changes would promote a more inclusive schedule for students that would allow more opportunities within the career and life skills cluster of their graduation requirement.

The board voted unanimously to approve the adjustments for the class of 2016 and later.

The total credits required to graduate at the high school will remain at 25, but the modifications will include:

• World language credits will be applied to any of the following clusters: career and life skills, humanities or open; not under their own world language cluster

• Students will be required to take only 0.5 wellness credits during their senior year as opposed to taking one full wellness credit

The later amendment resulted from student feedback forms, revisions made to the school’s advisory program, and the introduction of the student success plan at the middle and high school levels.

Freshman students will still be required to take .5 health credits.

In total, students will still need 3.5 career and life skills credits, 9.0 humanities credits and 8.0 credits of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The difference lies in the number of open credits needed to graduate, increasing from 2.5 to 4.5 with the elimination of the world language cluster.

World language will be required for freshmen and sophomores, and it will be recommended as optional for juniors and seniors.

From a year to year perspective, credits will not change with freshmen and sophomores required to take seven credits each year to advance and juniors and seniors needing six credits each year to graduate.

New businesses moving to town and boosting the tax base are music in the selectmen’s ears. But the board changed its tune when talk turned to offering tax breaks to help lure businesses to Ridgefield.

“It’s taking tax dollars from the town,” Selectman Andy Bodner said.

The selectmen gave a mixed review to the Economic Development Commission’s plan for an incentive package — including a “personal property tax incentive” — to try to help bring companies to town.

The selectmen were comfortable with other aspects of the incentive package — things like offering new companies’ employees guest passes to the town golf course, discounts on Recreation Center memberships, or tickets to museums, The Playhouse and the Ridgefield Symphony.

But the idea of tax breaks was tougher for board members to swallow.

Although First Selectman Rudy Marconi and Selectwoman Di Masters were supportive of the idea, a majority of the five-member board did not seem prepared to back it.

Economic Development Commission Chairman Arnold Light left the Nov. 6  selectmen’s meeting with a ‘thank-you’ from the board, but no resolution advancing the idea of a new business tax incentive.

“Companies, when they’re looking to move in, they’re looking for more than just space,” Mr. Light said.

“They want to know: Does the town provide any incentives?” Mr. Marconi said.

Selectman Bodner’s view was that the program would be valuable only if it could be focused exclusively on move-ins that involved new construction in the town’s business zones.

If a new company were simply going to be the next tenant in commercial space that already exists, it’s arrival wouldn’t do that much to increase the town’s tax income.

“All you’re really doing is creating an incentive for the landlords,” Mr. Bodner said.

“What you’re saying is, if there’s an empty space, you don’t care,” Mr. Light objected.

The Economic Development Commission’s goal, Mr. Marconi said, was to attract businesses that require in the area of 10,000 to 20,000 square feet of space, and employ perhaps 10 to 25 people.

Mr. Marconi also said that as far as he knew, the town had only once backed a tax abatement package, and that was specifically targeted to encourage Boehringer Ingelheim to reinvest in its 150-acre Ridgebury campus, rather than move. It wound up producing a $200 million investment by the pharmaceutical manufacturer, Mr. Marconi said.

That was an abatement of real estate taxes. The Economic Development Commission’s proposal was for a temporary reduction in “personal property taxes” which companies pay on their machinery and equipment.

It was perhaps this which sparked Mr. Bodner’s concern that the tax break might help landlords fill vacancies, but wouldn’t add much to the tax base through new construction.

“We’re just helping landlords fill their space,” he said.

“We’ve got to start someplace,” Mr. Marconi said.

“It’s ingrained with business people. The first question they ask is: ‘Are there any tax incentives available?’ And the answer is ‘no.’ ”

Selectwoman Di Masters looked more favorably on the concept.

“There are buildings that are empty,” she said. “It’s not turnover, they’re sitting there empty.”

Selectwoman Barbara Manners was also skeptical of offering a tax break that would benefit landlords rather than businesses.

“If we’re talking a law firm or a hedge fund, it makes sense. I don’t think, in terms of stores on Main Street, it does,” she said. “My feeling on the stores on Main Street is the landlords have priced themselves too high.”

“Any storefront in Ridgefield will be filled, or the landlord’s not making money,” Mr. Bodner said.

Mr. Marconi told the board that Tax Assessor Al Garzi had expressed some doubts about the proposal.

“He’s just concerned that it opens up issues,” he said.

He also noted that, contrary to popular conception, studies done when Boehringer Ingelheim was building on both sides of the Ridgefield-Danbury town line had shown that Ridgefield is actually “a lower mill-rate town” than Danbury.

Ms. Masters was supportive of the Economic Development Commission’s idea. If town officials could create an atmosphere that attracted some businesses to town, she said, that could create a momentum and more would follow.

“You proactively go shopping for new business partners for the town,” she said.

“We’re the number-one town in our demographic. We need the revenue dollars. We need the breath of fresh air.”

Mr. Marconi, too, saw the value of momentum.

“Once other companies find out Ridgefield is doing something, it’s ‘Let’s come and look,’ ” he said.

“I think it’s a great plan,” he said.

Mr. Bodner felt any personal property tax incentive small enough to be palatable to the town would be insignificant to the potential company moving in.

“Frankly, it’s symbolic,” Mr. Bodner said.

Eventually, Mr. Light of the Economic Development Commission asked where the proposal stood.

“We’re going to move forward without it right now,” Mr. Marconi said. “That’s what I’m hearing.”

Rick Sommer and Maia Beth Gill

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Sommer of Ridgefield have announced the engagement of their son, Richard S. Sommer, to Maia Beth Gill, daughter of Mareen and Paul Gill of Springfield, Mo.

The engagement took place in Charleston, S.C., on Sept. 27.

Mr. Sommer is working for the Department of Natural Resources on the research vessel the Palmetto in Charleston.

Ms. Gill graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a degree in psychology and fine arts followed by a doctor of philosophy in clinical psychology from Palo Alto University.

They met many years ago at the University of Massachusetts and have been friends ever since sharing life experiences.

A beach wedding is planned for April 26 in Charleston.

Board of Education member Irene Burgess will host the Lunch Bunch on Monday, Nov. 25 from noon to 1 town hall annex.

Members of the community may join Mrs. Burgess for a discussion any education issues or concerns.

Lunch Bunch is open to any and all Ridgefielders interested in education in Ridgefield. Any questions, contact Karen Sulzinsky, chair of the school board’s Outreach Committee at 203-431-2800.

William B. Bunkoci, age 67, beloved husband of Diane, of Ridgefield, passed away on November 23, 2013 in Danbury Hospital.

A retired plumber for Local #777, he will be remembered by his daughter, Lisa, and her husband, David; his son, William; his three grandchildren, Michael, William, and Aimee.

Private services for Bill are under the care of the Lesko & Polke Funeral Home, in Fairfield Center.

Memorial contributions may be directed to: Ridgefield Volunteer Fire Department, 6 Catoonah Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877 (RVFD@RidgefieldCT.org).

To sign his online register, please visit www.LeskoPolkeFuneralHome.com.

In an “About Town” last winter, you mentioned local farmers making railroad ties. What was that about?

By November, Ridgefield’s farmers in the 18th and 19th Centuries were finishing with their crops, and turning to tasks they didn’t have time for during the growing season. These included repairing buildings and equipment, gathering and cutting firewood, and fixing fences.

Many also had “side jobs” to earn extra money. Some, for instance, worked as cobblers in the winter, making shoes for big and small companies (as well as their own families).

Some Ridgefield farmers made railroad ties.

The great expansion of the American railroads in the mid- to late-19th Century required a huge number of ties. Some 3,000 are used for each mile of track. Millions were needed, not only for new lines being laid but also to replace ties that rotted. (Depending on environment, ties might survive only a few years; today, treated with creosote, they can last 30 to 40 years.)

In 1850, there were 9,000 miles of track, mostly east of the Mississippi. Forty years later, more than 160,000 miles were in use, requiring nearly a half billion ties. In 1890, railroad ties were the largest single use of wood in America.

Farmers who owned some woodland could earn extra income by cutting trees, especially chestnut and oak, and turning them into ties.

Until the 1940s most railroad ties were hand-hewn by men working in pairs. Straight hardwood trees that were not too wide — around a foot across — were felled and cut into eight-foot, six-inch lengths. According to the diary of Jared Nash, a record of a Ridgefield farmer in the 1860s, these were often locally called “sticks.”

To work on a tie, the wood was placed at right angles on a pair of logs to raise it off the ground. Bark was peeled off with a barking spud, a tool that looked something like a shovel. The workers snapped or marked a line down the log to delineate where each side would be; this was called the “cut line.”

Then, using a felling ax, a worker would chop into the side of the log about once every six or eight inches; the cut would be only as deep as the line that had been scored for the side, a process called “cutting to the score.”

Once the side had been scored, the worker could use a broadax to walk down the side of the log, chipping away the scored pieces. This was called “hewing to the line.”

The result was a rectangular tie.

More than 90% of ties in America are still wood; the rest are concrete, steel, or composite plastic — substances much more commonly used in Europe.

Basketball can be a lot more than a sport.

It can be a teaching lesson between a coach and a player; it can be a uniting force between two distinct cultures; and it can be a tool for addressing issues of social justice such as poverty and racism.

The Full Court Peace Club, the newest club at Ridgefield High School, hopes the game can be all three and more, modeling itself after the organization that bears the same name and has earned international attention since its inception in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 2007.

The club, which has 15-plus students participating, received approval from the Board of Education on Nov. 12.

The club’s founders propose partnering with underserved youth in Stamford to enchance athletic facilities there and connect over a shared love for basketball.

Similar to other clubs in the area — Weston has a chapter that has partnered with youth in Bridgeport, RHS’s Full Court Peace Club will maintain the organization’s global vision that serves all populations, regardless of race, religion or socioeconomic status.

The group also will look to unite, strengthen and educate communities, such as Stamford, through the creation of youth basketball teams and basketball systems.

One of the club members, Akshay Parikh, worked with the organization this summer and helped raise over $2,000 through participants sponsorship and pledges during the first-ever Free Throws for Full Court Peace event that took place in town.

Full Court Peace is based in Norwalk.

At their CERT graduation, Charles Hull and Virginia Krista are flanked by Dick Aarons, left, the town’s deputy emergency coordinator, and First Selectman Rudy Marconi. Mr. Hull and Ms. Krista are planning a February wedding. —Ben Shaw photo

One might say that Virginia Krista and Charles Hull, residents of Ballard Green senior housing, have had a rather stormy romance.

Virginia and Charles’ relationship developed during Hurricane Sandy, continued through helping their neighbors with heavy lifting and icy walkways, and ended with certification in emergency assistance by becoming members of CERT, the town’s Community Emergency Rescue Team that helps when storms like Sandy — and other disasters — hit Ridgefield.

Ms. Krista moved from the Bronx and has lived in Ballard Green for three years.

Mr. Hull moved in from Danbury just before Hurricane Sandy.

“We used to time our trips to the garbage Dumpster so that we would get to know each other better,” said Ms. Krista with a smile.

“I was attracted to how lady-like Virginia was and how she always wore a skirt,” Mr. Hull said. “But I also liked that she was able to go out in the pouring rain and was not afraid to tackle matters that are sometimes considered to be for men.”

Ms. Krista was not always certain she would catch the eye of Mr. Hull.

“With a ratio of 70 women to six men at Ballard Green,  I did not think I had a chance with Charles. He was so muscular and strong, had a great smile, and such a big heart.”

The day before Hurricane Sandy, Ms. Krista decided to  check on all the residents of Ballard Green to see if they were prepared with flashlights, food and water.

“I also decided to ask Charles to come along and help,” she said.  “Charles was more than happy to do so — and our relationship began in earnest.”

“The next day the storm was upon us and Charles and I were able to bring big pots of soup to the residents,”  said Ms. Krista.

“In between these visits, Charles and I would sit and talk. We found we had so much in common: We loved to fish, our religion, to garden, work with children and help others.”

By the end of Hurricane Sandy, Ms. Krista and Mr. Hull had became partners in emergency rescue,  and it wasn’t too much later that they also partners in love. In fact, they now had two new goals: To become CERT-trained and to get married.

On Nov. 16, after many sessions of study and training, Ms. Krista and Mr. Hull received their CERT certificates from Dick Aarons, the town’s deputy emergency coordinator, and First Selectman Rudy Marconi.

On Feb. 6, 2014, Ms. Krista and Mr. Hull will be married in Holy Trinity Church in Danbury.

“On this day Charles and I will not only get married, but we will both become members of the church and Charles will be baptized,” Ms. Krista said with pride.  “Then we will head down South for our honeymoon and, possibly, also go to California.”

Both Mr. Hull and Ms. Krista feel very blessed to be living at Ballard Green.

“The people here are friendly, care for each other, and give and accept help,” said Mr. Hull. “I would not want to live anyplace else.”

UPDATE 4:45 p.m. — The Ridgefield Parks & Recreation facility at 195 Danbury Road has been opened as a warming center until 10 pm while CL&P works to restore power in northwest and northeast sections of town, reports  Dick Aarons, Ridgefield’s deputy emergency manager. The biggest outage involves Ridgebury. ”The utility reports that some 200 homes and businesses are without power due to wind damage to a utility pole at Rt 116 and Ridgebury Road.  A replacement pole has been delivered to the site and unofficial estimates call for restoration by 8 pm.”  The Diary of Anne Frank, which was scheduled for this afternoon at RHS, has been canceled for today and rescheduled for tomorrow night at 7:30.

UPDATE 12:30 p.m. — CL&P says it wants to keep the intersection of Route 116 and Ridgebury Road closed until a new pole is installed.  Both CL&P and AT&T, the owner of the pole, are on scene. Just over 200 Ridgefield customers of CL&P are offline at this time. Access to RHS can be gained by using Mamanasco Road.

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A utility pole carrying transformers has snapped near Ridgefield High School, closing Route 116 and lower Ridgebury Road.

The pole and wires came down around 9:40 a.m., and started a small brush fire that was quickly extinguished by a passerby.

Fire police have blocked off Route 116 from Sherwood Road to Mamanasco Road.

Ridgebury Road is closed at Ledges Road.

Route 116 traffic is being detoured over Mamanasco Road or Sherwood Road.

CL&P has been notified.

Participants in this afternoon’s production of Diary of Anne Frank at RHS are being let through roadblocks.

For the 15th year, the Rotary Club is planning A Taste of Ridgefield, a food and wine event that benefits dozens of local organizations.

Sponsored by Fairfield County Bank and Vazzana Management Consulting, the event will return to the Ridgefield Community Center on Sunday, Jan. 26, with servings from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m.

A Taste of Ridgefield showcases the area’s many restaurants and caterers. Guests will enjoy an extensive selection of culinary creations, chef demos, specialty food and beverages, and entertainment from RMAC musicians.

“This year’s event will be even bigger and tastier than ever before,” said Barbara McMahon, Taste co-chair. “We’re kicking it up a notch, so to speak, and will be featuring the new restaurants in town, as well as special menus and wine tastings.”

Meredith Mulhearn of Cucumber & Chamomile, who has been consulting with local eateries, will also be available on site for nutritional counseling and suggestions.

Ms. McMahon suggested that Taste of Ridgefield tickets make an ideal holiday gift. “What can be better than spending a delicious day filled with food, friends, and family while supporting your community in so many ways?” she asked.

Ticket are $40 in advance, $45 at the door; children ages 8 to 12, $20. Tickets can be purchased from any Rotary Club member, and at Squash’s, Dimitri’s Diner, Cellar XV, Bistro 7, and the Women’s Center. Additional ticket venues will be announced soon, as well as sponsorship opportunities.

For more information, visit the Ridgefield Rotary Club Facebook page, or contact Ms. McMahon at barbara_mcmahon@ml.com.

Alec and Amy Zacaroli spent 10 years working with the poor in South Africa.

Every year people donate money to programs designed to help the poorest and most vulnerable in the world, and yet the suffering persists and even grows. Is it just too little, too late? Or is it simply a matter of not giving enough?

Neither, say Alec and Amy Zacaroli, authors of a new book that tackles this question.

They suggest that it may be a matter of giving too much.

Give 1.25: How Giving Less Can Lead to Greater Change is the Zacarolis’ look into lessons they learned from a decade of efforts to help poor, orphaned and vulnerable children in rural Africa through 25:40, a ministry they set up to help children in rural southern Africa.

The Zacarolis begin with a simple question: If the international poverty line is $1.25 per day as defined by the World Bank, can’t we lift a child out of poverty for a little more than that?

Yes, we can, say the Zacarolis. And not only that, donors should take a closer look at projects that spend much more than that, as they may not be addressing the root causes of poverty.

“We have found that by limiting the amount we give, we put more emphasis on local resources, thereby ensuring communities take the lead role in saving their own,” said Alec Zacaroli, who grew up in Ridgefield.

“If we insist on parachuting in and replacing communities and local resources with our own programs, no matter how costly and impressive, we are only setting ourselves up to fail. It is just not sustainable.”

Give125 begins with a personal account of lessons the Zacarolis learned in 10 years of working with South Africa’s poor. This is followed by an exploration of the state of the world and why so much suffering persists, despite the billions of dollars dedicated to diminishing it.

“What the poor need is a chance to help themselves out of poverty,” Amy Zacaroli said. “Often, the tools needed are already there. They just need a small boost, such as a microloan, skills training, or tutoring. With just a small amount of help, for instance, to grow food gardens to feed her and her siblings.”

The Zacarolis founded 25:40 in 2003 to help children in South Africa who have been orphaned by AIDS. They said their efforts to save some of the world’s most vulnerable children have led them to discover that most of the assets needed for helping a child are already in place in the child’s community.

“With some positive, loving support, education and a small amount of economic empowerment, all children not only can survive, but thrive,” said Mr. Zaccaroli,

Mr. Zaccaroli’s family moved to Ridgefield in 1979. He attended Ridgebury Elementary School, went to East Ridge Junior High and graduated from Ridgefield High School in 1987. He graduated from George Washington University with a degree in journalism in 1991 and worked as a reporter until 1999, attending law school at night from 1994 to 1998 at American University.

He has practiced law in Washington, D.C., since 1999, specializing in environmental law. His parents moved from Ridgefield in 1990 to New Hampshire. His mother worked as a special education teacher at several elementary schools in Ridgefield.

For more information, visit www.give125.org

Boys & Girls Club Gem Club members are creating and implementing ideas to heighten awareness about the importance of recycling at the club.

Thanks to a partnership with the town of Ridgefield, the club has promotional materials and the recycling bins needed to encourage and collect recycling in multiple locations in the club.

“We are proud of the Gems for choosing to implement a recycling program at the club,” said Ellen Rossini, office manager for the town Department of Public Services. “I simply shared information and the Gems decided what they wanted to do and how. It’s great to know that they are promoting recycling and having fun too.”

Beginning Nov. 15, the Gem Club has been participating in the Trex Company 2013-2014 Plastic Bag Recycling Challenge. The Gem Club will collect plastic bag donations in a bin in the front lobby of the club. All types of plastic bags can be recycled including grocery store, department store, dry cleaning, bread, cereal, produce and Ziploc. Newspaper sleeves and paper towel plastic over-wrap are also accepted. Bags must be clean, with no paper or leftover food inside them.

The group that collects the most plastic wins a Trex bench for their club. The contest runs through April 15

“Working with Ellen Rossini and the town of Ridgefield has been a tremendous help in starting our Recycling Program, and spreading awareness club-wide. We could not have done it without her help and expertise, and appreciate her dedication in helping support our movement,” said Jess Murphy, program manager and Gem Club Advisor. “Educating kids about recycling creates a good habit that lasts a lifetime.”

Gem Club is Boys & Girls Club character and leadership development program for fifth grade club members.

For more information contact Jess Murphy, Gem Club advisor at 203-438-8821, ext. 12.

Pinterest Intro is a new class in Ridgefield Continuing Education.

“If you want an online file of images of your interests, hobbies or business products such as favorite recipes, fashions, home decor, wedding ideas, gardening, antiques, art history, or travel, Pinterest is the ideal visual and social media crowd-sourcing site,” said instructor Linda Keefer.

Users may create private (secret) boards as well as group boards for multi-pinners. Businesses may create a “virtual storefront” to promote their businesses online, to connect with clients and to attract new clients. This class reviews how to set up your Pinterest profile, create boards, pin and share images, access others’ images via pins or via the web, and follow others with similar interests.

Ms. Keefer uses her 50,000 plus Pinterest images for her interior design classes and has more than 10,000 followers.

Class meets on Friday, Dec. 6, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Venus Building. Cost is $44. Visit www.ridgefieldschools.org or phone Peggy Bruno at 203-431-2812 for more information or to register.

I don’t know about you, but I plan to live a very long (and hopefully healthy) life. My father lived to 82 — even with three separate bouts of cancer — and my mom is still going strong at 76.

So I’d rather bet on living to 100, and plan accordingly, than run the risk of outliving my money. Frankly, I’d rather get hit by a bus than run out of money in my later years.

And if 30 or more of those later years will be spent “in retirement,” it turns out I can’t afford not to be healthy.

I found this out the easy way, by using AARP’s newest online tool, the Health Care Costs Calculator.

The tool, which was produced and sponsored by Optum, is our latest effort to help people identify and plan for costs they will face in retirement. It turns out that health care is a much, much larger expense than I had ever imagined — even for those with supplemental Medicare and retiree health benefits through their employer.

The calculator told me to plan on spending about $311,000 out of my own pocket on health care during my 30-plus years of retirement. Most of the sticker shock comes from the cost of premiums, deductibles and coinsurance requirements. But this new tool also factors in the costs associated with specific diseases that run in my family (hello, cancer), and provides some tips on how to manage those diseases (hello, vegetables!).

Apparently, I’m not alone in my naïveté about retiree health care costs. In a recent AARP study, we found that the vast majority of respondents have never tried to figure out how much their health care will cost them in retirement. And when we asked them to give a ballpark estimate of how much money they might need, most guessed that they would need less than $50,000 to cover their health costs throughout retirement.

Clearly, this new tool fills an all-too-common gap in the retirement-planning process. As you’re planning out when and how to retire, be sure to check out the tool and take stock of your estimated health care costs. (And eat more vegetables!)

In the meantime, here are a few things to keep in mind about retirement health costs.

Most of us will qualify for Medicare at age 65, as long as you or your spouse worked and paid into Social Security and Medicare for at least 10 years.

While Medicare is an incredibly important safety net, it does not cover all of your health care costs. There are significant out-of-pocket costs such as premiums, deductibles and coinsurance requirements to take into consideration.

Medicare is broken into four different parts: Part A (also known as “Original Medicare,” which provides hospital care), Part B (non-hospital medical care), Part C (also known as “Medicare Advantage,” private HMO or PPO plans that combine Parts A, B and D, and may have lower out-of-pocket costs) and Part D (prescription drug coverage).

Although most people don’t pay premiums for Part A (because they already paid for it through their payroll taxes), there are deductibles and coinsurance requirements for all four parts, and premiums to pay for Parts B, C and D.

When you’re choosing the best Medicare plan for you, the lowest premium may not be the lowest-cost plan overall. Even Part A charges an annual deductible of more than $1,100. And if you do end up hospitalized with just Part A coverage, let’s hope you don’t stay long: After two months in the hospital, you’re expected to pay almost $300 per day out of your own pocket. After three months, you’ll be charged almost $600 per day.

Out-of-pocket charges may be lower and more predictable under a Part C Medicare Advantage plan than under Original Medicare. The downside to these Advantage plans is that they usually limit your choice of doctors and hospitals.

You should plan to re-evaluate your Medicare coverage needs each year during the open enrollment period, which runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7.

If you’re under 65 and have a high-deductible insurance plan ($1,250 or more), you might want to consider setting up a health care savings account now. Your contributions are tax-deductible, they’re invested in the market, and they grow tax-free. And if you use the money to pay for medical expenses, you’re not taxed on the withdrawal. Best of all, unlike traditional flexible spending accounts, the money rolls over from year to year, helping you build a health care nest egg for your later years.

Bear in mind that the health care costs calculator doesn’t factor in the cost of long-term care. With any luck, you won’t need it. But again, that’s not something I would gamble on.

Jean C. Setzfand is vice president of financial security at AARP.

All the King’s Horses opened its first shop in 1974 and has been on Route 7 for many years.

All the King’s Horses, an English riding shop at 199 Ethan Allen Highway (Route 7), is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

The shop’s annual Thanksgiving sale, with 20% savings, is being held Friday and Saturday, Nov. 29 and 30.

The equestrian shop, owned by Dan Reilly, features a large selection of riding apparel and saddlery, aimed at all riders from novice to professional. Focused on the English rider, the store has 2,000 square feet of retail space.

“We are well stocked from wall to wall, and floor to ceiling, with name brands in quality saddlery and apparel,” said Mr. Reilly.

“Horses are our passion,” he said. “Carriage competition has been my personal equestrian pursuit. Driving has enabled me to achieve goals far beyond my expectations. Currently I enjoy pleasure driving with my wonderful Canadian Cheval gelding.”

The staff at All the Kings Horses consists of riders and horse owners from all disciplines.

For more information, call 203-438-0110 or visit allthekingshorsestack.com.

Surveillance cameras, interior locks and security film on entry doors — those are just the school security items on a list of 10 capital items that would, if approved, cost the district $1,232,000 for the 2014-2015 school year.

The Board of Education reviewed the projects at its meeting on Nov. 12. Projects also included:

• the relocation of the district’s network operation center,
• the improvement of the wells at Farmingville and Branchville,
• a technology “fit-up” in the libraries of both middle schools,
• voltage protection devices,
• universal access playgrounds,
• asbestos abatement at Scotland,
• the implementation of the wireless network for all six elementary schools.

Joe Morits, the district’s facilities manager, and Craig Tunks, the director of technology and operations development, presented the 2014-2015 five-year capital plan that “identifies, evaluates and advocates the current and long-range needs associated with the improvement, replacement or upgrade of district assets.”

The five-year plan, that spans fiscal years 2014 through 2019, includes 33 items, ranging from security vestibules at all nine of the district’s schools to the replacement of six high-volume electric water heaters, which are both budgeted in the second year of the proposed capital improvement plan.

At the meeting on Nov. 12, Mr. Morits and Mr. Tunks focused on the 10   projects for 2014-2015.

The cameras would cost around $78,000, part of the effort to increase school security by adding another layer of surveillance — recorded and real-time — for the interior of all schools. In all, 65 cameras would be used across the nine schools.

The high school would have 12 cameras, but East Ridge Middle School will actually have more with 14. Scotts Ridge would have five, along with Veterans Park, Farmingville, Branchville and Scotland.

Ridgebury and Barlow Mountain would have six each.

The alternative high school would have two.

Security locks, which cost around $100,000 in its second of three phases, have been successfully implemented into all classrooms in the district, but  the district hopes to have locks installed in all student-centric spaces.

In year three, 2015-2016, the district would add security locks to the remaining common spaces and maintenance equipment rooms.

The hardening of all first-floor glass windows and entry doors, which costs around $255,025 total, will be the final security project coming out of the 2014-2015 budget.

The project will require the installation of 10-mil thick blast resistant grade or fragment retention safety film on all glass entry doors.

Besides security, the most expensive project is the relocation of the network operations center from its current location at the high school to Scotts Ridge’s media equipment room.

The transition would cost an estimated $265,000.

“We have managed to maximize the capacity of the room at RHS so we are moving somewhere where more space is available and that is a more stable environment,” Mr. Tunks said.

The technology changes that will take place in the libraries at East Ridge and Scotts Ridge will use the same “learning commons model” implemented this past summer to improve the high school’s media center.

“There will be more collaborative space for the students and the library in general will be more open, so librarians can move around on the floor,” Mr. Morits said. “It’s a dynamic place that encourages learning through inquiry, collaboration, discussion, and consultation.”

The estimated cost for this project is $75,000.

The universal access playgrounds, which would cost $130,000, will mirror the model used at Scotland Elementary School and would be applied to the remaining five elementary schools.

The project requires the district to purchase ADA-designed playground equipment, prepare the sites for installation and then install the equipment along with a “soft-surface fall zone.”

Joseph Minifie and Megan Brown

Doug and Becky Brown of Bluffton, S.C., have announced the engagement of their daughter, Megan, to Joseph Minifie, son of Mary Minifie of Groton, Mass.

Ms. Brown graduated from Ridgefield High School in 2004, from Bucknell University in 2008 and from Tufts University in 2012.

She is a school psychologist for Poquoson City Public Schools in Poquoson, Va.

Mr. Minifie graduated from the Groton School, Groton, Mass., in 2004 and Trinity College in 2008.

He is doctoral candidate in the Virginia Consortium Program in clinical psychology.

The couple lives in Newport News, Va., and plans to marry in Boston in June 2014.

A water main break has caused the high school and Scotts Ridge Middle School to have an early dismissal this morning, Nov. 26.

RHS students will be let out at 10:55 and SRMS will dismiss its students at 11:30.

Superintendent Deborah Low said in an email to all parents in the district that the water supply at the RHS and SRMS campus will be good until then.

All other schools will remain on a normal schedule.

Webelos Cub Scouts from all over the area are invited to join Boy Scout Troop 431 for a fun opportunity to earn three Webelos activity pin badges in one day, Saturday, Jan. 11 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church.

This year, eight of the 20 official Webelos activity pins will be offered: citizen, communicator, engineer, forester, geologist, ready-man, scientist, and traveler. Webelos will be asked to select three to work on during the day. All course instructors are high school and middle school students.

Lunch will be provided. The program cost is $40. Scouts may sign up individually or as a Den.

For more information, or to obtain a registration form, please contact: johncostigan3@gmail.com.