To the Editor:

Heartfelt thanks to our loyal customers and friends who visited Craig’s Fine Jewelry on Friday and Saturday during Downtown Ridgefield’s 17th annual Holiday Stroll. It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces.

This year, we listened to the suggestions of our loyal customer base, and decided to do something different for the Stroll. We hosted our Holiday Stroll Party from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., but as advertised, limited the first two hours to invited guests and their friends. With only 900 square feet of space, we hoped this would alleviate crowding issues.  

Throughout the year many customers mentioned that our Friday night party had become out-of-control. During past Strolls we have experienced unfortunate behavior and our intent was to provide a safer and less chaotic environment.

We regret if anyone was unhappy with this change but we still welcomed over 1,100 people. We want Ridgefield and the surrounding towns to know how thankful we are for their patronage year after year; it is what keeps a small, family-owned store like Craig’s and others in business.  

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a happy and safe holiday season.

Bill Craig

President Craig’s Fine Jewelry

The post Letter: Private open house new at this year’s Stroll appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

Eversource is conducting aerial inspections of its high-voltage electric equipment and lines in Connecticut.

This annual inspection is an important part of the company’s ongoing commitment to providing reliable energy to customers.  The work involves the use of a helicopter flying low over transmission lines to detect any potential equipment issues before system reliability is impacted.

“The helicopter inspections of our transmission lines are a crucial and effective part of our commitment to reducing the frequency and duration of power outages,” said Steve Gilkey, Vice President of Electric Field Operations at Eversource in Connecticut. “Over a million customers in Connecticut depend on us for their electric service and that’s why we’re always working proactively to keep the system operating safely and reliably.”

Weather-permitting, the aerial inspections will continue through Thursday, Dec. 15.  They will take place from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., covering the following Connecticut cities and towns:

Andover, Beacon Falls, Berlin, Bethany, Bethel, Bethlehem, Bloomfield, Bozrah, Branford, Bristol, Brookfield, Brooklyn, Canton, Chaplin, Cheshire, Chester, Columbia, Coventry, Danbury, Darien, Deep River, Durham, East Granby, East Haddam, East Hartford, East Haven, East Lyme, East Windsor, Ellington, Essex, Farmington, Franklin, Glastonbury, Granby, Greenwich, Guilford, Haddam, Hamden, Hampton, Hartford, Harwinton, Hebron, Killingly, Lebanon, Ledyard, Litchfield, Lyme, Manchester, Mansfield, Meriden, Middlebury, Middlefield, Middletown, Milford, Monroe, Montville, Naugatuck, New Hartford, New Milford, Newington, Newtown, North Branford, North Stonington, Norwalk, Old Saybrook, Orange, Oxford, Plymouth, Pomfret, Portland, Putnam, Redding, Ridgefield, Rocky Hill, Roxbury, Salisbury, Shelton, Simsbury, Somers, South Windsor, Southington, Stamford, Suffield, Thomaston, Thompson, Wallingford, Washington, Waterbury, Waterford, Watertown, Westport, Wethersfield, Wilton, Windham, Windsor, Wolcott, Woodbridge and Woodbury.

The region’s transmission system is the backbone of the electric grid. Overhead inspections of transmission lines and equipment – often located upwards of 100 feet in the air – help transmission planners detect potential problems in advance, allowing the company to schedule necessary maintenance before reliability issues arise.

A press release gave the following description of the aircraft: blue and silver helicopter, tail # N1431W, and blue and white helicopter, tail # N411DD

About Eversource

Eversource (NYSE: ES) transmits and delivers electricity to 1.2 million customers in 149 cities and towns and provides natural gas to 226,000 customers in 72 communities in Connecticut. Recognized as the top U.S. utility for its energy efficiency programs by the sustainability advocacy organization Ceres, Eversource harnesses the commitment of its approximately 8,000 employees across three states to build a single, united company around the mission of delivering reliable energy and superior customer service.

For more information, please visit our website (www.eversource.com) and follow us on Twitter (@EversourceCT) and Facebook (facebook.com/EversourceCT).

The post Eversource aerial inspections could cover Ridgefield, neighboring towns appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

A 2.5% cap on municipal spending increases, imposed by the state legislature, could be a big part of the discussion when the selectmen meet with the school and finance boards next week to get a feel for the fiscal landscape affecting 2017-18 budget work.

They gather at the annual tri-board meeting next Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m. in the school board room meeting at the Town Hall Annex.

“We need to have a discussion about the state of Connecticut’s new law,” First Selectman Rudy Marconi said Monday.

“It’s a statute limiting municipal spending increases to not exceed 2.5% of its total budget — on expenses only, not net of revenues,” Marconi said.

Last year, the tax rate in Ridgefield increased 2.63%, but combined town and school spending went up 3% — about $5,045,000, as the budget increased, roughly, from $134,967,000 in 2015-16 to $139,031,000 for the current year.

The difference between the increase in the spending and the increase in the tax rate was made up by non-tax revenue. There’s quite a bit of it. The town is projected to take in more than $7 million just on “charges for services,” which range from building permit fees to golfers paying to play at the town course. The town’s also getting more than $2.7 million in grants this year.

The total of non-tax revenues tends to go up, but that increase will be excluded from the 2.5% cap calculation, Marconi noted.

“What we’re not taking into consideration is the amount of revenue increase prior to taxes,” Marconi said.  

The state cap was imposed as the result of a vote by the state legislature in the spring of 2015, and takes effect starting with the 2017-18 municipal budgets. Towns that exceed the 2.5% increase over their 2016-17 spending will have their state revenue sharing money reduced. Some areas of spending are excluded from the cap calculation, including debt service and spending increases ordered by arbitration awards on union contracts.

Still, some areas of spending are likely to go up much more than 2.5%, and those increases will need to be made up elsewhere. Medical insurance is currently $3,795,000, and the town is expecting a hefty increase.

“They’re telling us 12% now — we’re hoping we can get it down to 8%,” Marconi said.

And the schools are in a partial budget freeze — 75% frozen — to keep within their current year’s allocation, due largely to the soaring cost of special education settlements.

Within the current year’s 3% overall spending increase, the schools — which spend more than $90 million of the $139-million budget — had a 4.99% increase. Town departments’ spending went up 2%.

The post Tri-board Tuesday: 2.5% spending cap will spur discussion appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

Work will go Saturday and Monday at the state’s Route 35 bridge project by the Fox Hill condominiums, and on Tuesday, Dec. 13, and Wednesday, Dec. 14, drivers can expect lines of waiting traffic at the site, as “alternating one-way traffic” is planned.

The traffic situation on Saturday and Monday should be back to “brief interruptions,” not the long lines for alternating one-way traffic that will delay drivers during the middle of next week.

Ryan Wodjenski of the State Department of Transportation notified the town of the plans by the contractor on the job, Baier Construction, in an email Friday morning, Dec. 9.

Wodjenski said that Baier also expects for brief interruptions next Thursday, Dec. 15, and Friday, Dec. 16, before the construction site goes on a two-week holiday break to promote Ridgefield’s commercial districts. 

The post One last stop: Bridge work to cause alternating one-way traffic Tuesday and Wednesday before holiday break appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

Special education settlement costs, off-budget personnel hiring, and fuel to heat the schools during the winter months — these are all items that the school district’s business manager, Paul Hendrickson, will be monitoring in December as the district continues to operate at a 75% spending freeze on all its discretionary (optional) budget accounts.

Hendrickson delivered an October financial report at the Board of Education meeting Nov. 28 and told the board — based on limited results — that the schools are currently projected to end up in the black, with a year-end balance of $81,619.

“Note that this balance does not take into account any effects from the current budget freeze,” he said. “The district continues to be challenged by special education-related expenses and costs related to necessary additional personnel.

“Obviously, the winter weather will play a significant role in the next few months’ expenses.”

The major challenge to the special education budget is settlements, Hendrickson said earlier in the report.

The district has budgeted $950,000 in that category and has encumbered all but $79,554 in the first two months of the year.

“On the horizon are four settlements totaling $329,727 and three or four possible settlements which are in their initial stage,” he said.

He told the board that the special education budget relies heavily on the state’s excess cost reimbursement (ECR), which has been budgeted at $1.9 million.

Hendrickson added that the district’s basic contribution — or its deductible — this year is $76,667, which means the cost of a student’s services, and transportation if required, must exceed that number before the district is eligible for any (ECR) for that student.

“Last year it was $74,354,” Hendrickson said.

The post Schools project year-end balance of $81,600 appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

The Connecticut Police Chiefs Association (CPCA) has received several calls from residents on a phone scam requesting donations to The Connecticut Police Chiefs Association.

The Connecticut Police Chiefs Association never conducts telephone solicitations.

These calls are a scam. Do not give out any information, especially your credit card information.

If you are contacted, call your local police department.

The post Connecticut Police Chiefs Association warns public about phone scam appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

To the Editor:

My family moved to Ridgefield three years ago after an exhaustive search looking for the perfect community to raise our (now) four children. Growing up in Redding, I knew how incredible Ridgefield is, and how meticulous the planning has been over the years in order to keep it so.  

We closed on a home on three-acre zoning with the promise of space, privacy and low population density. Our home is one property away from the residential estate which Mountainside wishes to turn into a 40-bed rehab facility. We strongly believe in helping those in need and supporting people of all means and backgrounds. Neighborhoods however, are for families; not for disruption and profit.  

The drug and alcohol rehabilitation business has undergone a lot of change. According to alcoholrehab.com, “A decade ago, the average alcohol rehab cost was $1,400, but since then the amount these facilities are charging has skyrocketed. The better known rehab facilities now charge at least $10,000 for treatment.”  Mountainside, the private equity owned operator, plans to charge $60,000 per month without accepting insurance. Mountainside’s Ridgefield proposal would make it one of the most exclusive and expensive drug and alcohol treatment facilities in the country.  

This is a zoning amendment Pandora’s Box and would likely lead to expansion as we are seeing elsewhere. In New Canaan, residents spoke out and the P&Z board denied Silver Hill’s ($30,000/month) expansion into an abutting residence. In Scarsdale, residents are opposing Monte Nido’s ($34,000/month) efforts to open a center in a residential neighborhood. Cortlandt is also pushing back on similar plans in a residential neighborhood. Additional examples are abundant. Residents and the P&Z board should continue to protect our neighborhoods. We cannot set a precedent that neighborhoods are for anything other than families.

Steven and Elizabeth Gmelin

The post Letter: Mountainside’s a zoning amendment Pandora’s Box appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

More than 200 residents lined up Main Street Saturday morning to cheer on the Ridgefield High School football team on their way to the Class LL state championship game in West Haven.

The Tigers, who received a police escort courtesy of the Ridgefield Police Department, face undefeated and top-seeded Darien in the state final contest, which kicks off at 2:30 p.m.

Ridgefield won a 44-41 stunner Monday against Shelton, rallying late in the fourth quarter to become the third team in program history to make it to the state championship game.

The Tigers previously won in 1983 and 2002.

Note: The Ridgefield Press will be sending updates throughout the game on Twitter @ridgefieldpress

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To the Editor:

Programs like Kids in Crisis and Project Resilience are valuable assets to our community and demonstrate the real need to address adolescent stress, anxiety, substance abuse and depression in Ridgefield. During times of high anxiety and stress, the school brings in comfort dogs to help our children cope. While I recognize the value of these programs and applaud their work, I cannot help but wonder why we don’t do the one thing that has been shown time and again to reduce stress and anxiety, decrease the incidence of suicidal thoughts, and reduce risky behaviors in teens: start school later.

The mental health benefits of later start times are well documented in scientific literature. It is well established that insufficient sleep in teens is associated with health risk behaviors including smoking, drinking, stimulant abuse, physical fighting, physical inactivity, depression, anxiety, and suicidal tendencies. It is also a consistent finding among districts that have changed start times that students get more sleep when school starts later. Why continue to treat the symptoms without addressing the problem directly? Please support adolescent physical and mental health and start school later!

Gigi Christel

The post Letter: Health benefits known for later school start appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

Benjamin Ortiz

Ridgefield resident Benjamin Ortiz received the 2016 Distinguished Alumni award on Saturday, Nov. 19, at the eighth annual Housatonic Community College Foundation Alumni Hall of Fame gala.

Ortiz, originally from Bridgeport, is an independent curator and art adviser who took classes at Housatonic Community College. He began his museum career as a junior curator at the Housatonic Museum of Art under museum founder Burt Chernow.

“I consider myself a cultural worker for the past 39 years and I owe it to Housatonic,” Ortiz said. “Burt Chernow was an incredible mentor to me. In 1977 he suggested I go into the curatorial field because there weren’t many Latinos in the field, so I dedicated myself to this endeavor.”

As an art adviser with Ridgefield-based Bozarte, Ortiz specializes in American, Caribbean and Latin American artists.

The post College honors Benjamin Ortiz appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

To the Editor:

We ask the Planning & Zoning Commission to say “No” to special permits for commercial businesses in residential neighborhoods!

My wife and I moved to Ridgefield with our two young boys in 2011 on a corporate relocation from southern Michigan. We wanted a town with safe neighborhoods, great schools, good dining, shopping, a dynamic church and a family community.  We fell in love with Ridgefield for all these reasons and we are very happy here. But, we were disturbed when we recently found out that P&Z was exploring the possibility of offering a special permit allowing a commercial facility in our residentially zoned neighborhood.  

This proposed for profit drug and rehab facility would serve an “elite” clientele and according to Mountainside’s proposal, could house up to 40 beds. According to Mathew Eakin, executive VP of Mountainside, the facility would be for CEOs and the uber wealthy. In our neighborhood meeting, he also said that if you need insurance you would not use this facility. Our issue is not with the need for drug and rehab facilities, but with changing the town plan to put a commercial enterprise in a residential neighborhood. All Ridgefield families should pay attention. If they consider a special permit in our neighborhood, yours could be next.  

The reason we were willing to pay higher taxes and home prices was because we knew how much planning went into preserving Ridgefield and protecting its residents. We felt that our investment was safe. Families relocating from around the country with companies like IBM, PepsiCo, Praxair, MasterCard and others will look at this decision and decide if they can trust Ridgefield town leaders to protect their home investments and neighborhoods. We ask our elected officials at P&Z to say “No” to commercial development in our residential neighborhood.

Byron Brooks

The post Letter: Protect neighborhood, say no to zone change appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

The American Red Cross urges eligible donors to give the lifesaving gift of a blood donation in December, a time when donations decline but the needs of patients remain steady. 

Barbara Coger will never forget the donors who gave the blood that her husband received during the holidays. “I have been donating blood for some time, but really started encouraging others to do so after my husband received a donation on Christmas Eve,” she said. “He had not been doing well and would not survive much longer, but with that extra boost, he was able to share a big smile with me on Christmas morning, something I will always cherish.”

Donors of all blood types are needed this holiday season to help ensure a sufficient supply for hospital patients. To encourage donations, all those who come to donate Dec. 22, 2016, through Jan. 8, 2017, will receive a long-sleeved Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last.

To make an appointment to give blood, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Donors are encouraged to make appointments and complete the RapidPass online health history questionnaire at redcrossblood.org/rapidpass to save time when donating.

Upcoming blood donation opportunities:

Bridgeport

12/21: 12:30-5:30 p.m., Bridgeport Hospital, 267 Grant Street

12/21: 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Bridgeport Hospital, 267 Grant Street

Brookfield

12/28: 9 a.m.-2 p.m., On Track Karting, 100 Silvermine Road

12/30: 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Raymour & Flanigan, 14 Candlewood Lake Road

Brookfield Center

12/27: 1:30-6:30 p.m., First Assembly of God Church, 133 Junction Rd.

Danbury

12/22: 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Danbury Hospital RSM, Hospital Avenue

12/24: 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Immanuel Lutheran Church, 18 Clapboard Ridge Rd.

12/28: 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Ethan Allen Hotel, 21 Lake Avenue Extension

Fairfield

12/21: 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Congregation Beth El, 1200 Fairfield Woods Road

12/31: 8 a.m.-1:15 p.m., Trinity St. Michael’s Church, 554 Tunxis Hill Road

Monroe

12/21: noon-5 p.m., Dunkin Donuts / Baskin Robbins, 135 Main Street

Newtown

12/29: 1-6 p.m., Newtown Municipal, 3 Primrose Street

Norwalk

12/16: 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Norwalk Hospital, Maple Street

12/20: 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Avalon – East Norwalk, 8 Norden Place

Shelton

12/19: 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Perkin Elmer Corporation, 710 Bridgeport Avenue

12/30: 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., R.D. Scinto Towers, 2 Corporate Drive

Stamford

12/17: 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Tully Health Center, 32 Strawberry Hill Court

12/24: 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Tully Health Center, 32 Strawberry Hill Court

12/31: 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Tully Health Center, 32 Strawberry Hill Court

Stratford

12/21: 1:30-6:30 p.m., United Methodist Church, 2600 Main Street

Trumbull

12/17: 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Nichols United Methodist Church, 35 Shelton Road

12/30: 1-6 p.m., St. Theresa Parish, 5301 Main Street

Wilton

12/19: 1-6:30 p.m., Wilton Library, 137 Old Ridgefield Rd.

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If you believe it is dangerous to talk on a smartphone while it is charging, Connecticut Better Business Bureau has some good news to put your mind at ease.

Concerns about the safety of smartphones were brought to light with the widely publicized fires and explosions involving the latest Samsung Galaxy line of smartphones, which have since been pulled from the market. Most recently, consumers are reporting that their iPhone 6 and 7 models have caught fire as well.

Both Samsung and Apple have been working feverishly to determine exactly what has been causing the fires, which have sent some of their unfortunate owners to the hospital for treatment of burns.

According to experts, the most likely culprits are the units’ rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.

This latest generation of batteries are efficient and allow engineers to pack them into very confined spaces. This enables designers to keep the phones small and more functional than their predecessors. The batteries’ weakness is twofold: they can generate considerable heat, and they are delicate. They can be damaged easily if, for example, they are dropped.

As a result, consumers have been exposed to several myths relating to the safety of the phones and their rechargeable batteries. Are they justified? Judge for yourself:

Myth: Only use the manufacturer’s brand charger for your phone or you can damage it.

Truth: Any reputable 3rd party charger should be just fine. One caveat: Avoid using cheap $5 cables sold at gas stations and convenience stores.

Myth: It is dangerous to speak on a smartphone while it’s charging.

Truth: There is no evidence that speaking on a smart device while it’s charging carries a risk, unless you are using a low quality cable. Phones have caught fire even when they’re not charging, likely after being dropped or otherwise physically damaged.

Myth: It is dangerous to let a smart device charge all night.

Truth: You won’t get a better charge by charging the battery for an extended period but there is no additional danger. The devices have a circuit that stops the charging process when the battery is full.

Myth: You should discharge the battery completely before recharging.

Truth: Charge your phone anytime you like. In fact, if you let your battery drain down to 10%, that can cause problems with the phone’s operations.

If you intend to buy a used or refurbished smartphone, look for signs of any damage, such as dents that may have been caused by dropping the phone. If you are keeping your existing phone, remember that every bump has the potential to damage a lithium-ion battery, with potentially dangerous consequences.

The post Connecticut BBB helps bust myths about smartphone battery safety appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

The Ridgefield Board of Education will host a special meeting Monday, Dec. 12, at 6 p.m. in the Town Hall Annex to interview candidates for the seat left vacated by Karen Sulzsinsky’s resignation last month.

The board will receive comments the Democratic candidates who’ve applied for the open position, as well as members of the public, at the beginning of the meeting before going into an executive session. After discussing the prospective candidates, the board will reconvene in public session and take action on the vacancy.

Following the special meeting, the board is slated to meet at its standard 7:30 start time, where it will is scheduled to discuss the town’s 2.5% spending cap, school closing (and the impact if the board takes no action), pushing back school start times and the process of changing the district’s transportation schedule, and the high school’s athletic fund.

Not scheduled on the agenda is health insurance presentation from Rob Fitzpatrick, which The Press previously reported was on Monday night’s agenda.

The board’s budget and finance committee is expected to receive that report at its meeting at 8:15 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13 in the Office of the Superintendent.

Listed on the agenda as an action item is the approval of the district’s secretaries contract.

The board is also expected to take action on the five-year capital improvement plan, which was presented at its last meeting on Nov. 28. The district’s technology director is asking for more than $500,000 to overhaul the broken and outdated phone system that has needed to be repaired dozens of time this year, including two weeks ago at the high school and Scotts Ridge Middle School.

The post Education board to interview candidates, discuss school start times tonight appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

The team at Ridgefield Dental Arts is asking for residents to stop by their open house Saturday, Dec. 17.

Ridgefield Dental Arts plans a holiday open house on Saturday, Dec. 17, from 11 to 3 to celebrate its new location at 42 Danbury Road. Included will be hors d’oeuvres, warm cider and giveaways.

The post Ridgefield Dental Arts to host holiday open house Saturday appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

To the Editor:

Broadening Ridgefield’s tax base, improving Main Street while maintaining Ridgefield’s quaintish [sic] life style should be the top priority for the selectmen.

We have spent thousands of tax dollars on economic development consultants without any change.

We know renting first floor, Main Street storefronts for office space only subtracts from a quaint Main Street. You took months to contemplate a food truck ordinance but have not been able to decide on first floor occupancy for years.

Currently you are discussing hiring a parking/development person at $20,000 a year to wrestle the problem. Adding to government bureaucracy is not the answer. Policy is the answer and you  — BoS — are responsible for policy. Maybe after you have a policy, adding an administrative position might make sense.

But if you must, make it a contract/freelance position at half the salary with a commission incentive, split between the town and property owners, for every new business lured to Ridgefield.

Then the NIMBY problem — Not In My Back Yard. There are some “businesses” that have abandoned plans in town because of NIMBY.

While I understand the NIMBY concerns, there has to be a balance between special interests and community development.

The state wants to widen Main Street, straighten cross streets, add turning lanes, sync traffic lights for crossing safety. Baloney; don’t do it.

The state only wants to relieve Route 7 traffic at our expense. None of their goals will help Main Street.

Find a charming solution: raise the crosswalks slightly, lay Belgian block for differentiation, maintain the pedestrian crosswalk signs on Main and 35 and enforce the traffic laws.

Spending an extra two minutes in Main Street traffic isn’t a detriment. It’s part of Ridgefield living and may even provide a moment for people to glance into a storefront window and decide to buy something.

Jan Rifkinson

The post Letter: Better policy answer to town’s problems appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

Boehringer Ingelheim has been designated as a best place to work for LGBT equality. For the ninth time, the company has received a perfect score on the 2017 Corporate Equality Index, a national report that measures workplace equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender employees, administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.

The 2017 index rated 1,043 businesses and Boehringer Ingelheim exceeded the criteria for a 100% score, one of 517 U.S. businesses that earned top marks this year.

The post Boehringer named a top LGBT workplace appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

The SymphoNYChorus will present its annual Christmas concert at Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church on Saturday, Dec. 17, at 7 p.m.

The New York City group is a Christian, faith-based community of vocalists and instrumentalists. Its director is Henric Ideström, Jesse Lee’s music minister.

The concert will feature renditions of favorite Christmas carols and new pieces as well. There’s no admission fee, but an offering will be taken.

The post SymphoNYChorus plans annual concert appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

Gift certificates for Ridgefield Continuing Education are now available. Classes start in January and run through May, and include bridge, genealogy, ballroom dance, line dance, Zumba, yoga, Pilates, cardio and core workouts, tai chi, history, photography, arts and crafts, drawing, painting, knitting, jewelry making, interior decorating, gardening, cooking, computer, iPhone, iPad, tutoring, real estate, languages, and history. Many of the schedules are on the Web now at ridgefieldschools.org, or call Peggy Bruno at 203-431-2812 for information.

The post Continuing ed as a holiday gift appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

A zoning regulation amendment that would establish a new special permit use for a “brewery” and “brew pub” within the town’s B-2 commercial zone will receive a public hearing in front of the Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday, Jan. 10.

The commission formally received the amendment application at its Dec. 6 meeting without discussion, according to Assistant Town Planner Adam Schnell.

“There’s no current definition for brewery or brew pub that would allow the commission to approve a special permit application, if one was received, so what this does is establish that definition within that zone,” Schnell said.

“This doesn’t establish a brewery, but it allows them to apply for a special permit,” he said.

And that’s what Robert Kaye, owner Riverside Fence in Wilton and property at 137 Ethan Allen Highway (Route 7) in Ridgefield, did Friday, Dec. 9, at the town’s planning department.

Both applications — the zoning amendment and the request for a special permit — will receive a public hearing Jan. 10.

“They’ll go in together,” he said.

Kaye, whose fencing business also has an office in Ridgefield and shares the space with several other contractors at the multi-suite location on Route 7, went in front of the planners for a pre-submission concept meeting Oct. 4 to discuss the establishment of a brewery and potential zoning regulation amendments.

His attorney, Robert Jewell, told The Press that Kaye plans to own and operate the brewery with his son, and is pretty close to submitting an application to the town’s zoning office.

“It actually fits in with the existing regulations,” Jewell said. “But we’re trying to see if we need to extend the manufacturing use — that’s already part of the zone — to include brewing.”

The business, which is located behind La Pietra Custom Marble and Granite and Riverbend Wood Floor Co. at 139 Ethan Allen Highway, is in the town’s B2 commercial zone.

That means Kaye, a Redding resident, and his son are permitted to not only make the beer but sell it, too.

“His plan is to renovate about 300 square feet of the existing building back there and start making beer,” Jewell said.

The post Zoners set Jan. 10 hearing for ‘brew pub’ appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.