The competition was fierce at The Battle of Ridgefield VI, Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center’s fifth annual history trivia contest on April 5. Six teams participated in the contest, answering questions on topics ranging from colleges to cars to 20th century Ridgefield.

The 60 trivia questions, a mix of multiple choice, short answer, and matching, were developed by a team of local historians, Kay Ables, Joe Ellis, and lead by Quizmaster Charlie Pankenier, who also emceed the event.

After eight rounds of questions, the winner of the coveted fountain trophy was the Burr Bradleys, who recaptured the title from the previous year’s champions, the Ridgefield Rotary Club.

“Each year the questions become more diverse and challenging, and the competition gets smarter and tougher,” said George Hancock, a member of the Burr Bradley team. “We look forward to participating next year to defend our title.”

Other teams in the competition included The Loose Cannonballs, General Lee Wise (a team from the Ridgefield Library), the Keeler Rebels, and a team of walk-on competitors.

The post Burr Bradleys win history trivia contest appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

The mothers and daughters of the Nutmeg Chapter of the National Charity League celebrated their Senior Recognition Event for this year’s graduating class at a luncheon at Bernard’s Restaurant on April 7. Joining them was Necessities founder Maureen Lutz.

The event, organized by co-chairs Sonia Girolamo and Michelle Porter, saluted the six years of mother and daughter community service.

“It was a really nice culmination of our experiences and final time for bonding as a class,” said Becca Cohen, a RHS senior.

Following the appetizer and entree, Maureen Lutz, the founder of Necessities, joined the group for dessert and coffee; unbeknownst to Lutz, however, the girls were waiting to give her a generous monetary donation to her organization.

Necessities was created for mastectomy patients by a breast cancer survivor; the bags created contain practical information and post-op supplies for wound care, personal comfort, and hygiene.

After introducing Lutz to the room, Sydney Girolamo presented Lutz with a check for $2,000. Thanking the girls, Lutz told some stories of breast cancer survivors and how they have influenced her to keep helping other patients.

NCL Senior parent, Carolyn Parker later shared, “I can’t even begin to express how touching it was to have Maureen Lutz of Necessities join us for desert, to see her joy at receiving the unexpected generous donation, and to hear her dispense her words of wisdom and advice to the girls.”

“I wish you all the best of luck next year,” said Lutz.

For more information regarding Necessities, visit: http://necessitiesbag.org/

The post NCL Class of 2019 seniors recognized, donate to Necessities appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

The American Legion Post 78 of Ridgefield is sponsoring an essay contest to promote the principles of Americanism and the responsibilities of citizenship. All Ridgefield High School seniors are eligible to participate.

Cash prizes will be awarded to winners. Interested students may obtain information and contest entry forms from the RHS counseling office.

Deadline for submissions is May 1.

The post American Legion to host essay contest appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

How do you get more people from New York City to come and spend time — and money — in Ridgefield?

Some members of the Economic and Community Development Commission see partnering with New Canaan’s marketing efforts as one option.

Chairman Arnold Light said he recently met with members of New Canaan’s Chamber of Commerce and Tourism and Economic Development Group.

“They do a thing in Grand Central Station where they try to get people to visit Connecticut,” he said. “We figured we could partner with them.”

ECDC member Amanda Duff said the project is run through CTVisit, the state’s official tourism site.

“They offered to let us share a booth with them,” said Vice Chairman John Devine.

New Canaan also recently invited 10 “influencers” — people with a large online following — up from the city to be wined and dined in town, he said. “They sent them back and they all started talking New Canaan on their blogs,” Devine said.

“If we were to share a booth with them at Grand Central, what would we do?” asked ECDC member Geoff Morris.

Light said the group could create a flyer to show off some of the highlights of the town — such as the Playhouse and the Aldrich Museum.

Duff said the group could create sample itineraries for prospective visitors to Ridgefield.

“‘For the family,’ ‘for the couple,’ ‘for the adventure lover’ — and we could incorporate hikes and stuff,” she suggested.

ECDC member Gus Ryer said the commission should also try similar advertising at the South Norwalk train station, where the Danbury spur connects to the New Haven line into New York City.

Duff said the cost of sharing a booth with New Canaan through CTVisit will be much cheaper than the typical price of renting space at Grand Central.

“We could also see if there’s a local bakery who wants to produce some stuff to have as a little takeaway,” she added. “I mean, branded pens are always kind of boring.”

The post New Canaan may partner in marketing; joint tourism idea gains support appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

Ridgefield’s first fully ADA-compliant baseball field will be dedicated to a family that’s familiar with giving back to the community.

The Jensen family, who opened the nonprofit Prospector Theater in 2014 with a mission of providing meaningful employment to adults with disabilities, will be the sponsors of Ridgefield Little League’s new lighted baseball field on Route 7.

Ridgefield Little League unveiled the name Jensen Field in a press release Saturday, April 13.

“The game the Jensen’s have always loved will now be more accessible for players and spectators of all mobility levels,” said RLL spokesperson Tom Rotunno. “They immediately became one of the first families to throw their support behind the project in 2017.”

“Our family loves Little League and we love including people with disabilities in meaningful activities in the community to improve the quality of the community as a whole,”  said Valerie Jensen, founder and executive director of the Prospector Theater.

“When teams of mixed ability play as they will be able to on Jensen Field we gain understanding, sportsmanship and empathy for one another.”

Jensen Field will feature state-of-the-art LED lights and will be the pride of the Ridgefield Little League, at no expense to the town.

“Thanks to the Jensen’s and the support of hundreds of other Ridgefield families, 100% of the costs to build the field and all future operating and maintenance expenses will be covered through our fundraising campaign and annual operating budget,” said Steve Scalzo, president of Ridgefield Little League.

“We couldn’t have done this without the support of the Jensens and the generosity of so many other Ridgefield families and we can’t thank them enough.”

Construction of Jensen Field is in the final stages, with the lights and scoreboard already in place. The field will soon be sodded to be ready for spring baseball.

For the Jensen’s the opportunity to combine the family’s love of baseball and mission to support people with disabilities was just too perfect to pass up.

“(Imagine when) the game is  over and teams line up and say ‘good game,’ ‘good game’ and players high five a teammate in a wheelchair … in a wheelchair … in baseball?” said Jensen. “Yes ‘Yogi’ we found the fork in the road and we took it!”

The new field’s impact is something the family hopes will be felt well beyond the baseball diamond itself.

“Our town will be stronger, our Little League age children and parents will learn important life lessons on and off the new field” Jensen said. “Now we can all play ball!”

Editor’s note: Ridgefield Little League is still offering a number of ways for families to get involved in supporting the new field, including purchasing an engraved brick to be displayed at the field and other sponsorship opportunities. For more information please contact Michael Bucciero, VP of Baseball Operations, at Fundraising@ridgefieldlittleleague.org

The post Ridgefield Little League announces Jensen Field appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

The 2019 New England School Scrabble Championship took place at the Ridgefield Library on April 6 with 33 students from three different states competing. 

Ridgefield students did exceptionally well. Eighth grader Jeffrey Pogue of Westport and ninth grader Matthew Sherter of Ridgefield teamed up to win the advanced division, making Jeffrey the 2019 New England School Scrabble Champion and Matthew the 2019 New England High School Champion. 

Ridgefield third grader Nathanael Campos and fourth grader Jake Nadol of Ossining, N.Y. won all their games to win the intermediate division. 

Other Ridgefield students finished well, too: sixth grader Ian Whitehurst (third, championship division), fourth graders Will Knispel and Noah Lieberman (fourth, intermediate division), eighth graders Spencer Soleiman and Joe Archer (fifth, intermediate division), and brothers Justin Le (fifth) and Ethan Le (sixth), who were sixth in the intermediate division.

The post Ridgefield students win at Scrabble competition appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

“Fashion At Its Finest” is a fashion show hosted by Christine O’Leary that raises money for Ann’s Place. The curtain rises on Thursday, April 25, at 7:30 p.m. at the Ridgefield Playhouse. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the Ridgefield Playhouse, $25 for adults and $10 for children.

Once again, this year the models will be walking “in honor of” or “in memory of” loved ones who are facing cancer or have battled cancer. Local models for the show this year are Bernadette Addessi, Meg Addessi, Mitch Ancona, Gianna Ancona, Susan Armstrong, Wendy Beurket, Emily Beurket, Abby Beurket, Maddie Blake, Brooke Blake, Riley Blake, Katie Diamond, Cora Diamond, Rosemary Diamond, Sal Dragolis, Patty Dyer, Alex Fischetti, Elizabeth Gallo, Kiralyse Hermann, Aline Hilford, Jessica Hine-Bardelli, Timothy Hine-Bardelli, Tressa Kovacs, Marianne Marquart, Holly Neumann, William Ondrey, Sam Ondrey, Kristen Price, Opie Price, Catherine Scatterday, Kayla Scatterday, Caitlyn Scatterday, Chloe Scatterday, Denise Schimenti, Tessa Schimenti, Cora Schimenti, Martha Shilstone, Julia Signorelli, Jay Steele, Annalisa Verrilli, Mia Verrilli, Gabbie Whitbeck, Alex Whitbeck and Siena Whitbeck.

From now until the night of the show, models are calling upon their friends, families, and business colleagues to sponsor them “in their walk” for Ann’s Place.

Visit crowdrise.com/FashionAtItsFinest2019 to read the stories from these fabulous models and support their walk.

Peggy Marconi, of Neumann Real Estate, is chair of this community event. For information on sponsorship opportunities visit the Ann’s Place website at www.annsplace.org or contact Lynn Stubbe, Community Engagement Specialist at 203-790-6568 or lynn@annsplace.org

The post Fashion show at Playhouse to benefit Ann’s Place appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

It’ll be early dismissals, not later school starts, when the Ridgefield Public Schools have “flex days” for staff professional development — teacher training — over the next two years.

Following a survey that found it was the preference of both parents and staff, Superintendent of Schools Dr. William Collins told the Board of Education’s April 8 meeting that he would go with early dismissal for staff development days on the 2019-20 and 2020-21 calendars.

Craig Creller, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, told the board a survey had found early dismissal days were the “overwhelming” choice, with 90 percent of staff and 81 percent of parents preferring them to late arrival on the monthly “flex days.”

The 2019-20 calendar has seven flex days scheduled, all Thursdays: Sept. 12. Oct. 10, Dec. 10, Jan. 9, Feb. 13, March 12, April 16. The school year is projected to runs from Aug. 29, 2019, to June 11, 2020.

The 2020-21 calendar has seven Thursday flex days: Sept. 10, Oct. 8, Dec. 10, Jan. 7, Feb. 11 March 11, April 9. The year: Aug. 27, 2020 to June 11, 2021.

Creller said Thursdays were the choice of staff for flex days, but the majority of parents liked Fridays for flex days. The days set as professional development had been determined when the calendars were approved last spring.

Board member Fran Walton said half-days on Fridays might encourage families to take a long weekend.

“I do think attendance would go down if had professional development days on Friday,” she said.

Creller said 370 of 497 teachers and administrators, or 75 percent of staff, and 1,559 of 5,128 or 30 percent of parents, had responded to the survey — remarkable good response levels, he said.

The post Flex days for staff work: Early dismissal preferred by staff and parents appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

Proponents of bike lanes and paths won some support during a listening session for the town’s rewrite of the Plan of Conservation and Development April 2.

Arnold Light, chairman of the Economic and Community Development Commission said the town should “encourage alternative transportation solutions, including bicycle lanes and bike sharing.”

“Ridgefield is an active, health-conscious community, and this would allow residents and visitors to park once and then access most areas of downtown and Copps Hill,” he added.

The April 2 meeting was the second in a series of three listening sessions hosted by the Planning and Zoning Commission, intended to draw ideas from town boards and organizations as the town rewrites its plan. 

Allison Stockel, executive director of the Ridgefield Playhouse, suggested the town could look into creating a bike trail from Main Street to the Branchville train station.

Tom Dworetsky, a project manager with Camoin Associates, who presented the results of a study on business and economic development in Ridgefield, said supporting bike paths would help the town market itself as an arts destination by tying into themes of recreation.

None of the surrounding communities have bike lanes on public roads.

The Norwalk River Valley Trail, a planned 30-mile path aims to connect Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk to Rogers Park in Danbury, does allow cyclists, but it’s unclear when the final length of the trail will be completed.

The Planning and Zoning Commission is in the process of rewriting the POCD, which will serve as a roadmap for planning and development for the next decade. The plan has to be completed and adopted by July 2020.

The post Bike lanes get a boost at zoning hearing appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

Trucks and trees, servers and security cameras, computers, cardiac monitors, building repairs — with a modest $57,000 trim, a nearly $4.5 million capital spending budget was approved April 2 on a unanimous vote by the Board of Finance. Unlike the operating budgets that hit taxpayers next year, the capital spending is all financed with borrowing and repayment would be spread out over many future fiscal years.

The capital budget totals $4,468,620, and will be sent on for approval by voters at the May 6 Annual Town Meeting and May 14 budget referendum.

“This is more than usual but there are some big items — two HVACs and a fire ladder truck that we expect to get a $900,000 grant for,” finance board Chairman Dave Ulmer said during the April 2 deliberations.

“…This year’s Board of Education request seems to address many problems, and is a reasonable amount,” Ulmer added.

At $1,210,000, the ladder truck is the most expensive item in the capital budget that the finance board is sending to voters, but the town’s cost will be about $310,000 if the grant money comes through.

The finance board’s vote on the capital spending plan came the same night it approved a 1.24% tax increase to finance a $148 million operating budget for 2019-20, including over $98 million for schools and over $38 million for the selectmen’s town departments budget.

The 2020-19 capital budget had been approved by the Board of Selectmen before it got to the finance board. “It’s a little higher than we had hoped,” First Selectman Rudy Marconi said as the selectmen reviewed of $4.5 million list of major projects and purchases from all town departments and the school system.

“It’s at $4.5 million,” Marconi told finance board members when the capital budget was passed to them. “$1.6 million is Board of Ed, that we didn’t touch.”

“It’s a lot of tech,” added Selectwoman Maureen Kozlark.

Gym floor removed

The finance board’s one adjustment to the proposed capital budget was to remove $56,950 to repair a gymnasium floor at Ridgefield High School. Since capital request list was first put together, the floor had suffered water damage and school officials now anticipate getting the floor replaced with insurance money — so the finance board pulled it out.

Removing the gym floor lowered the proposed capital budget to $4,468,620 from the original $4,525,570 passed along by the selectmen and the school board.

The motion to approve the capital budget was made by Sean Connelly, and seconded by Jessica Mancini.

“We know what’s in there and it all seems fair,” Mancini said. “We want to support the town and schools.”

Less than $100,000

On April 3, the day after the finance board’s budget voting, the selectmen agreed by consensus that most capital items of less than $100,000 would be sent to voters for approval or rejection at the Annual Town Meeting on May 6. Larger capital purchases and projects will go to voters as part of the May 14 budget referendum.

Traditionally, referendum voters get a question on the town operating budget, another on the school operating budget, and several questions on capital spending.

Under the $100,000 guideline, the following items would likely be excluded from discussion at the Annual Town Meeting and made part of referendum questions:

A $197,000 Mack dump truck for the highway department;

A $255,300 road sweeper for the highway department;

An $475,000 upgrade to heating and air conditioning (HVAC) at the Venus Building;

Replacement of a rooftop HVAC unit at the recreation center ($320,000);

Repair of East Ridge Middle School’s front steps ($122,000);

Sidewalk improvement work totaling $150,000, expected to be covered by a Local Capital Improvement Projects (LOCIP) grant;

The fire department ladder truck is priced at $1,210,092, with the town’s cost expected to be $310.092 after a $900,000 grant.

The schools’ capital request for $466,000 for a “network infrastructure replacement” program has a safety aspect since it includes servers involved in operating door-locking systems.

The “school security and assurance” project totaling $167,810 and including servers that store information for school security cameras.

The $187,000 for “environmental compliance” work at schools, includes removing oil tanks at Veterans Park and East Ridge, and continuation of asbestos tile replacement at Scotland School.

A $279,000 school “energy and water savings project” including upgrades to LED lighting in hallways and classrooms in Branchville and replacement of water-cooled walk-in freezers at Branchville and Farmingville.

Three school building improvement projects totaled nearly $300,000: replacement of the front vestibule at Barlow Mountain School; and replacing the high school’s auditorium lighting and library carpeting.

The schools are also seeking $208,000 for “end of life fleet and equipment” replacements.

Two school roof repair projects just under $100,000 —Scotland ($94,000) and Branchville ($90,000) — are on the town engineer’s list, and expected to go to voters at the referendum.

The town’s information technology department wants $99,000 for upgrading of routers and switches.

Locker rooms, guardrails, computers

The remaining $898,000 in capital requests, expected to be voted on at the Annual Town Meeting, cover a wide range — trucks, mowers, oil tanks.

Most costly of the capital spending proposals going to the town meeting is $98,000 to complete ongoing locker room repairs at the Recreation Center.

Both the finance board and selectmen questioned the $98,000 for the locker rooms, but the Parks and Recreation Commission convinced both boards it was needed and sensible. It would finish a roughly $1 million project to repair extensive water damage in the recreation center walls. The $1 million request had been nibbled down as it went through the approval process last year, Parks and Recreation Chairman Phil Kearns said, and people shouldn’t be surprised that more money is needed.

Repair and maintenance projects in the parks and recreation capital budget also include redoing basketball and tennis courts at the Venus complex ($52,000) and Ridgefield High School ($12,000), $60,000 for safety improvements, and $16,000 for playground fencing at Branchville school, and $20,000 for ADA compliance work.

The proposed equipment purchases headed for the town meeting run from a $80,000 large area rotary mower for the golf course and descend in price to a $4,600 “snow pusher” plow for the highway department.

The town engineer’s list includes of projects and purchases includes: underground tank removals at Yanity gym ($22,000), town hall ($14,000) and the police station ($12,000); $59,000 for door replacements; $22,000 for work at the Branchville train station; and 17,000 for school painting projects.

The tree warden would get $55,000 for replacement trees.

The police department is seeking $14,000 for a laser crash and crime scene mapping system and $11,000 for a call recording system.

The fire department is seeking: $62,000 for firefighters’ protective gear; $20,000 for air tanks; $30,000 for cardiac defibrillators, and $19,000 for a CPR device.

In addition to two about $13,000 for snow plows, the highway department is seeking $40,000 for guardrail replacements.

Planning and Zoning is seeking $44,000 for a consultant’s effort to help produce a new town plan.

The library is seeking $26,000 to replace the material handling system known as “the beast.” which automatically reads catalog numbers and sorts returned books. The library also wants $13,000 for lighting upgrades, and $20,000 to replace desktop computers used by both the public and the staff.

Those computers got some scrutiny from finance board, although they were approved.

“I don’t’ like $20,000 for computers in the library,” Ulmer said.

“I’ve been in the library — those computers do get used,” Connelly said.

“Philosophically, you don’t bond computers,” Ulmer said.

The post Trucks, cameras, and repairs: $4.5 million capital budget goes to voters appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

With a rattle of an impact driver and delicate balancing between a crane and cherry picker, Tiger Hollow’s new LED scoreboard was installed at the north end of the football field Wednesday, April 3.

The screen, which has the capability to project live and pre-recorded video on the field, is one of three new boards being installed for the high school sports program.

New boards will also be installed at the girls high school softball field, and in the high school gym.

The board currently in use at the high school gym will be moved to the auxiliary gym.

Altogether, replacing the three boards cost $268,000, said Tiger Hollow President Jill Bornstein —the bulk of which was paid for with private donations.

In January, the Board of Education approved spending $35,000 for the scoreboard at the softball field.

The rest of the money has been raised from private donations, sponsorships, and a grant from the Thrift Shop and Wadsworth Foundation, Bornstein explained.

The Tiger Hollow scoreboard was paid for “100 percent” with private money, Bornstein said.

That board features an LED screen that can broadcast “pre-recorded video, live fan cams and instant replay,” she said.

The top corporate sponsors will get to run a 30-second ad on the screen before games.

Tiger Hollow is currently raising funds for additional AV and camera equipment, which will bring the total cost to $325,000.

Video screen

Once the new AV equipment is purchased, the sports teams that use the field can unlock the screen’s full potential — including live video and instant replays.

It is not the only new scoreboard with video capabilities.

“The gym board can show pre-recorded video,” Bornstein said, but the softball board cannot.

She said the high school’s sports marketing class has approached Athletics Director Dane Street about using the board in its class.

“The sports marketing class has approached Dane Street about getting students involved with making the thank you video we would like to run on the display in the fall to thank all our supporters,” she said. “The thought is to see if there is student interest to start an AV club and work with an advisor to get involved in sports productions.”

“We have been speaking with other towns that have student run organizations to see how they work and what is required,” Bornstein added.

Purchasing the screen comes with training from Scoreboard Enterprises, the company that sold and installed the system.

“First we need to learn how to put each sport’s functionality up on the board,” Bornstein said, “and then we’ll learn to put up pre-recorded video.”

AV Club

Pre-recorded video could be shot on students smartphones, or other cameras, and then put up on the screen; but shooting live action on the field to go up on the scoreboard is a whole other ballgame.

To do that, the board’s operators will need a tricaster, a device broadcasts a signal from a camera on the field to the screen.

The system costs around $30,000, in addition to new camera equipment, Bornstein said,

She said the high school could possibly take on filming games, or producing highlight reels from the last game to play before the start of an event.

Doing so would require a new AV club at the school and a faculty member willing to serve as an advisor.

“It’s kind of fun that it adds that capability,” she said, referring to the new scoreboard at Tiger Hollow.

The video screen also means groups could organize movie nights at Tiger Hollow, since the display comes with a full sound system.

Youth sports who use the astroturf field at Tiger Hollow will also be able to use the board, and show pre-recorded videos if they want to, Bornstein said.

First use

Both the Tiger Hollow and softball field scoreboards were up and running to track game scores early last week.

“In its simplest form of keeping score it will be used at the first home game next week after training occurs. We will test prerecorded video this spring. As for the full functionality that will be available next fall after we complete raising funds for the AV equipment,” Bornstein said about the Tiger Hollow board on April 4.

The replacement board in the gym will go up over the summer after the floor is sanded and refinished; and the old board will be moved to the auxiliary gym at the same time for both to be operational in time for schools to reopen in the fall, Bornstein said.

She said there have not been concerns raised about inequality — how the board will look to visiting players from less wealthy districts.

“Obviously a team coming from other locations might feel that way, but no,” she said.

Ridgefield is not the first town in the area to upgrade to a scoreboard with video capabilities.

New Canaan, Greenwich, and Staples High School in Westport all have boards with the same video capabilities, Bornstein said.

“The cost has come down so much that it made a lot of sense to upgrade the board for the community,” she said.

The post New scoreboard goes up at Tiger Hollow appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

As Ridgefield was taking on Trumbull Friday afternoon, Ridgefield coach Paul Fabbri and his coaching staff were being informed they could return.

After a fire was set using gasoline as an accelerant in an attempt to dry off the infield at Governor’s Park Field April 6 prior to a game against Amity, Fabbri and two of his assistants, Tom Neville and Len Merullo, were put on administrative leave April 8 pending an investigation.

The fire caused an estimated $50,000 in damages to the field.

After five days, Fabbri and his assistants were told they were cleared and able to return to the team.

Fabbri made it to Trumbull in time to talk to his team after the game Friday.

“I certainly am back,” Fabbri said. “Friday they told me ‘you’re back’ and we all could resume coaching.”

The day he was put on leave the team was voted No. 1 in the GameTimeCT poll, but the coaches leaving and pending investigation put a damper on the honor.

“It was confusing for the kids and frustrating for them. But they are kids and they are resilient and that’s the important thing,” Fabbri said. “It was incredibly frustrating. Especially with the team doing well, we just beat Amity, we were No. 1 in the state. It was really frustrating being in limbo and not knowing what was going to happen.”

The Tigers are scheduled to play a home game Wednesday against Ludlowe at 4 p.m.

The post Fabbri and staff back coaching Ridgefield baseball team appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

The Ridgefield Thrift Shop is awarding five $2,000 scholarships this year.

The scholarships are available to graduating seniors pursuing post-secondary education at a trade school, two-year college or four-year college in the fall.

Deadline for applications is Friday, April 19.

Applicants should visit ridgefieldthriftshop.com for details, and for a copy of the application.

Applications can be mailed in or dropped off at the store, but must be received by April 19.

The post Thrift Shop scholarships available for Ridgefield high seniors appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

Three months into 2019, and Ridgefield’s real estate market is exactly where it was this time last year.

Forty eight single-family homes sold in the first quarter this year, which is the same number that sold in the first three months of 2018.

The good news is the average sales price for homes is up from $672,892 in 2018 to $706,566 this year. The total sales volume is also up from $32,298,800 to $33,915,150.

“We’re about the same as last year,” said Toni Riordan, president of the Ridgefield Board of Realtors. “The biggest different is the average sales price and that was brought up to some bigger homes being sold.”

In the first quarter of 2019, seven homes sold for more than $1 million — up from the five $1 million-plus homes that sold over the same three-month stretch last year. Of those seven homes, two sold for more than $2 million — one for $2.5 million at 209 West Lane and another for $2,050,000 at 150 Oscaleta Road.

In 2018, no homes sold for over $2 million in the first quarter. The largest home sale of last year was $2.55 million in October.

“The fact we have buyers in that price range this early in the year is great, and there are even more coming in the spring, which is really an encouraging sign,” Riordan said.

There are 37 homes under deposit in Ridgefield heading into the spring quarter, according to the Multiple Listing Service, and seven of them are being sold for more than $1 million.

“It’s not a definite but if they all come in over a million that brings us up to 14 on the year,” Riordan said.

“There are six more under deposit between $750,000 and $999,000, which is another good sign for us.”

Despite the sales in the upper-end market, the most common home sales fall under the $700,000 price tag. In the first quarter last year, 31 of the 48 homes that sold went for under $700,000. In 2019’s first quarter, Ridgefield saw 32 of its 48 home sales go under that $700,000 figure.

“That’s still the most popular price point,” Riordan explained. “It sells the fastest, and that’s because it’s where the inventory is the highest. … Some of these bigger homes have been on the market for a while. It’s a positive they’ve closed and that there are buyers out there for them but we definitely see the most buyers looking

Two-thirds of home sales under $700,000 also helps explain why the median sales price was actually down from $619,750 in 2018 to $567,000 this year.

“More homes sold at a higher price — those ones that go for over a million — drives up the average price,” Riordan said, “but what we’re seeing is what we’ve always seen, and that’s the lower-priced homes driving a majority of our traffic.”

Condos

While the market for single-family homes remained flat in the first quarter, the number of condominiums sold dropped from 15 in the first quarter of 2018 to 11 this year.

The average sales price also dipped from $315,667 last year to $268,955 in 2019. The median sales price didn’t fare any better, dropping from $230,000 to $193,500 year to year.

“Right now, the condo market is a bit slower than we imagined it would be, which is a little surprising,” Riordan said.

The problem isn’t necessarily with the number of units sold; rather, it’s with inventory.

“There’s not a lot on the market currently,” she added. “Of the 22 condos listed, only four are under deposit. …

“It might be a good time to get your condo ready and put it on the market because there’s not a lot of competition.”

As for the decline in sales prices, Riordan thinks the market has been skewed recently with upper-end condos selling for hundreds of thousands more than the average listing.

In the first quarter of 2018, the highest sold condo went for $865,000 at 77 Sunset Lane. The high from this year’s first quarter was $580,000.

“The new construction drove up prices in the last two to three years,” Riordan explained, “but those are not your average condos — 77 Sunset Lane, the Elms … they are higher-end units and the numbers reflect that.”

Taxes

Conveyance tax collected at the town clerk’s office indicates that Ridgefield’s real estate market was strongest in March this year. The clerk’s office collected $31,539 in taxes last March, with $44,335 being recorded over that same month in 2019.

In January 2018, the town clerk collected $51,287 in property transfer taxes compared to just $27,434 brought in this past January. The market picked up in February this year with $36,199 collected in taxes — up from $30,036 recorded in 2018.

“We saw a lot of activity this quarter,” Riordan said. “The weather cooperated for the most part and brought in more people at the end of winter than we normally see in March.”

Riordan said that sales were pretty steady throughout the quarter: 11 homes sold in January, 15 in February, and 22 in March.

“It’s still early,” she said. “I feel like there could be a lot more coming on the market here real soon. A lot of people like to wait until the winter’s gone to fix their house.”

Riordan said she didn’t have a crystal ball but she’d imagine activity to ramp up after this week’s spring break and two religious holidays, Easter and Passover.

“We tend to see a lot of people wait until after Easter, then they put their homes on the market,” she said.

Regionalization

Despite claims that proposed bills to regionalize Connecticut’s public school districts have lessened home buyers’ interest in Ridgefield, Riordan said the town remains a popular destination for couples looking to move to Fairfield County.

“I hear everyone talking about it but our schools are going to be fine,” she said. “We have great schools, we have a safe community, and there’s a booming art scene here and plenty of events for families — what’s there not to love? We’re the quintessential New England town.”

When asked whether buyers or sellers had the advantage heading into the second quarter, the president of the Ridgefield Board of Realtors said the early-bird shoppers have seen some good value which has contributed to a market that’s up in prices and flat in units sold.

“It always depends on the type of buyer,” she said. “If they’re not in a hurry and can wait around to see a bunch of different homes, then they will find good deals out there. Some people don’t have that luxury and want to settle in quickly because of a move or another set of circumstances…

“If you’re flexible and can wait more, then you can use it to your advantage … You don’t want to wait too long though, you never know when these really low interest rates will start to go up again.”

Based on the low rates for buyers and the reasonably strong amount of shoppers in town, Riordan expects the market to continue on an upward trajectory this spring as the weather gets warmer.

“We’ve been very steady,” Riordan added, “and when it’s this early in the year, steady is a good thing.”

The post First quarter real estate: Prices rise, home sales flat appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

A Wilton Road East man was arrested for disorderly conduct after swinging a gardening tool at a utility worker Thursday, April 11, at 9:12 a.m.

Ridgefield police said the 58-year-old man was upset that power company workers were on his property.

According to a report, an investigation revealed that the homeowner didn’t want the power company working on the telephone pole two feet off the road.

The suspect retrieved the gardening tool, police said, and swung it at one of the utility workers. The worker was not hit.

He was released with a promise to appear in court Thursday, April 25.

The post Ridgefield man arrested after swinging gardening tool at utility worker appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

Hands Off Our Schools has launched an independent expenditure political action committee with the goal of raising money to advocate for local decision-making in education for all school districts within Connecticut.

“Forced school regionalization does not improve our children’s education. It does not save taxpayers money and it hurts our communities,” said Chris DeMuth Jr., one of the organizers of the effort.

Hands Off Our Schools supports:

Voluntary shared services for the purpose of improving educational outcomes and reducing costs.

The removal of state-imposed barriers that unnecessarily drive up education costs.

Measures focused on improving educational outcomes across all school districts.

The group opposes forced regionalization of school districts and state-imposed punitive measures to coerce regionalization.

Hands Off Our Schools invites citizens to stay abreast of the latest developments by joining its Facebook group. Supporters are also encouraged to write letters to local papers and contact their representatives. Those wishing to make a financial contribution may do so at https://secure.anedot.com/hoos/donate.

“We hope that by standing together we can stop forced regionalization from destroying our top-performing schools and our property values along with them,” said DeMuth. “The uncertainty caused by these bills is already impacting the desire of people to raise their families here. Together we will protect our schools, towns, and kids from the threat of forced regionalization.”

The post Hands Off Our Schools forms political action committee appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

Continuing a tradition of opening its doors on Passover not only to welcome the prophet Elijah but to welcome all those who wish to partake of a communal seder, Congregation Shir Shalom of Westchester and Fairfield Counties will host its annual friends and family for a second night seder on Saturday, April 20, at 5:30 p.m.

Passover is the Jewish holiday that commemorates the exodus from Egypt of the Israelites, with the youngest child at the table posing the ageless question — “Why is this night different from all other nights?” — to which there are four answers that sum up the holiday’s historical significance.

“Passover tells the history of our people and is especially relevant today,” said Congregation Shir Shalom Rabbi David Reiner. “We are reminded in the Seder to welcome the stranger, for we were strangers in Egypt, and today we see strangers in our world who we want to welcome and support.”

Led by Rabbi Reiner and Cantor Deborah Katchko-Gray, Congregation Shir Shalom’s ritual Passover ceremony and feast includes food, wine, juice, soda, and afikomen goody bags for young ones. (Afikomen is a piece of matzah that’s hidden, for children to find, and be rewarded with a small gift.) Celebrants also can bring their own Kosher for Passover wine.

Those who observe Passover for its eight days eat matzoh and other special foods in place of bread to commemorate the unleavened grain eaten in the desert during the exodus. Part of the ceremony calls for opening the door to welcome the prophet Elijah, for whom a separate cup of wine is placed on the table. (At some seders, Elijah’s wine miraculously disappears, to the delight of children.)

Congregation Shir Shalom’s Second Night Seder is $45 for adults, $15 for children 12 and younger. The synagogue is at 46 Peaceable Street, Ridgefield, Conn. 06877

The post Congregation Shir Shalom to host annual Passover seder April 20 appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

The zoning commission approved plans to build a fence and a cobblestone walkway at 426 Main Street at its April 9 meeting.

The restaurant Tablao is planning to open in the former Fifty Coins location this spring, and the owners intend to fence off the business compressors.

“They’re going to clean off the ones that are currently in back of the building and potentially replace them,” said Chairwoman Rebecca Mucchetti. “Once that happens the owners want to put up a fence around them so they’re not exposed like they currently are.”

The sidewalk plan is also an improvement to the storefront, which has remained vacant for several years.

“The brick is not holding up well and in one area there’s a jag in the sidewalk,” Mucchetti said. “They want to straighten it all out and use cobblestone, which they believe will hold up a little bit better.”

The post Planners approve improvements for Tablao on Main Street appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

“There’s probably not a day goes by that I don’t talk to someone about accessibility,” First Selectman Rudy Marconi said.

“This is a civil rights law,” Don Ciota said of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Ciota gave the Board of Selectmen a report on the town’s slow and steady progress toward a town-wide accessibility assessment, which consultants from the Institute for Human Centered Design have been working on since last year.

And, at their April 3 meeting, the selectmen reappointed Ciota to the town’s Commission on Accessibility, which has been overseeing the work on the accessibility assessment, together with Social Services Director Tony Phillips, who serves as the town’s ADA coordinator.

“Preliminary reports have been given to various departments,” said Ciota, who is the commission’s chairman.

“I think of this as a courtesy,” he added.

Department heads are asked to respond to the reports, discussing the accessibility concerns raised by the consultants with their properties, programs and practices.

“Tony tells me a lot of his reports are slow in coming back,” Ciota said. “…It’s been slower than I thought it would be.”

First Selectman Rudy Marconi said Phillips had to battle the tendency to regard his list as more work to do.

“The various department heads see Tony and ‘Oh, here comes the ADA guy again …’” he said.

Selectwoman Maureen Kozlark suggested a member of the committee could visit departments, offer to help go through the reports with people in the department.

“It might help,” she said.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Ciota said.

He said Phillips and the committee weren’t expecting the departments to complete all the recommendations at this point — just review the draft report, and raise any questions or concerns they may have, before it’s made final.

“All we’re asking them to do is look at it and see if anything jumps out,” he said.

Selectman Bob Hebert supported Kozlark’s idea of having committee members offer to visit departments and work with them.

“Give them a couple of dates,” he said.

Eventually, the goal is for the town to have a prioritized list of ADA-related problems that can be serve as a to-do list of projects to work on.

Another accessibility issue the town is working to address is to make sure outdoor restaurant tables and sales displays in front of shops sidewalks don’t take so much of the sidewalk that it is difficult for wheelchair users to get around.

“A person walking is one thing. A person in a wheelchair is another thing,” Marconi said. “…We’re talking about a minimum clearance — five, six feet.”

The selectmen were happy to reappoint Ciota, and did so unanimously. Marconi noted there were five vacancies to fill on what was in theory a nine-member commission.

“We do need people to serve on the committee,” he said.

The post Accessibility commission chairman: Assessment is making slow progress appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.

The post Trader Joe’s supplies Thrift Shop with 900 bags appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.