A 47-year-old Darien man, who came home apparently intoxicated, held one person in a headlock while holding another by the neck against a wall, according to Darien police. Police described what happened with this account, including accusations not proven in court:
Sometime before 9:43 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 21, Patrick Gately of Hollow Tree Ridge Road arrived home and got into a dispute with at least one person, whom he held in a headlock. A second person tried to intervene, and Gately held that person by the neck against a wall. Police later determined that they had probable cause to charge Gately with second-degree strangulation on the accusation he held the second person by the neck.
A total of 629 Darien households have had at least one resident with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and there are a total of 921 in town who tested positive, First Selectman Jayme Stevenson said in her latest pandemic update. Schools Superintendent Alan Addley also released a message to teachers and parents to update them on pandemic developments for the school district. In addition, a recording of a public, hourlong discussion Thursday about the state’s vaccine rollout has been posted. It features the Stamford Hospital CEO, the state director of economic development and an area business leader. Here are both Darien messages, along with a description of the video and link to it:
First Selectman’s Announcement
Stevenson sent out the announcement on CodeRed alert system (which you can sign up for here) and on the town government website.
Here’s Realtor Deirdre McGovern’s report on Darien and Rowayton real estate from Jan. 14 to 21, 2021:
This week’s Darien highlights:
10 New to Market Listings in Darien
3 Price Reductions in Darien
9 Accepted Offers in Darien
6 Closed Sales in Darien
4 Open Houses in Darien
This week’s Rowayton highlights:
3 New to Market Listings in Rowayton
0 Price Reductions in Rowayton
0 Accepted Offers in Rowayton
2 Closed Sales in Rowayton
2 Open Houses in Rowayton
New Listings
Address, Community, Square Feet — Price
360 Brookside Road Darien 6,233 — $3,700,000.00
8 Homewood Lane Darien 4,422 — $2,750,000.00
8 Old Farm Road Darien 3,972 — $2,549,000.00
4 Echo Drive Darien 5,232 — $2,500,000.00
3 Jo S Barn Way Rowayton 2,406 — $2,175,000.00
12 Ledge Road Rowayton 4,679 — $1,749,000.00
7 Peterick Lane Darien 3,526 — $1,650,000.00
46 Country Club Road Darien 3,211 — $1,395,000.00
182 Hollow Tree Ridge Road Darien 1,760 — $1,095,000.00
319 Middlesex Road Darien 2,808 — $1,075,000.00
10 Frate Court Darien 2,490 — $979,000.00
290 Rowayton Avenue Rowayton 2,100 — $815,000.00
82 Linden Avenue Darien 1,515 — $785,000.00
Price Changes
Address, Community — Original Price / Previous Price / Current Price
175 Brookside Road, Darien — $2,849,000.00 / $3,150,000.00 / $2,975,000.00
65 Bridle Trail, Darien — $1,849,000.00 / $1,849,000.00 / $1,695,000.00
30 Cherry St., Darien — $640,000.00 / $640,000.00 / $599,999.00
Accepted Offers
Address, Community — Latest Asking Price
8 Homewood Lane, Darien — $2,750,000.00
100 Stephen Mather Road, Darien — $2,595,000.00
570 Hoyt St., Darien — $2,499,000.00
693 Boston Post Road, Darien — $2,245,000.00
1 Tulip Tree Lane, Darien — $1,875,000.00
26 Huckleberry Lane, Darien — $1,625,000.00
17 Oak Crest, Darien — $1,350,000.00
2 Belleval St., Darien — $1,295,000.00
7 Fairfield Ave., Darien — $624,500.00
Title Passed
Address, Community — Listed Price / Sold Price
23 Waterbury Lane, Darien — $2,795,000.00 / $2,900,000.00
215 Leroy Ave., Darien — $1,850,000.00 / $1,762,500.00
12 Plymouth Road, Darien — $1,895,000.00 / $1,662,500.00
19 Patricia Lane, Darien — $1,299,000.00 / $1,325,000.00
44 Tulip Tree Lane, Darien — $1,330,000.00 / $1,220,000.00
93 Rose Lane, Darien $875,000.00 / $850,000.00
12 Vanderbilt Ave., Rowayton $549,900.00 / $575,000.00
310 Rowayton Ave., Rowayton $574,900.00 / $565,000.00
Public/Live Stream Open Houses
Click here for more details on these properties. Address, Community — Price — Date & Time
8 Old Farm Road, Darien — $2,549,000.00 — Sunday, 1-3 p.m.
5 Stony Brook Road South, Darien [PICTURED] — $1,875,000.00 — Sunday, 1-3 p.m.
7 Witch Lane, Rowayton — $1,799,000.00 — Sunday, 1-3 p.m.
12 Ledge Road, Rowayton — $1,749,000.00 — Sunday, 1-4 p.m.
65 Bridle Trail, Darien — $1,695,000.00 — Sunday, 1-3 p.m.
19 Devonshire Dr., Darien $729,900.00 Sunday, 1-3 p.m.
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Deirdre McGovern is a real estate agent who has called Darien home for more than 25 years. She has been involved in many local organizations. She can be reached at 203-554-0897 or deirdre.mcgovern@raveis.com
I have one belated prediction for the new year and you’re not going to like it: After we all get vaccinated and things “return to normal,” regular weekday commuters on Metro-North will not be coming back as hoped. Why should they? Who wants to spend $400-plus a month and waste two-plus hours each day, five days a week riding a train into New York City if you don’t have to? If this pandemic has shown us anything it’s that going to an office isn’t necessary to doing our jobs. Sure, there are some people who have to show up in person to do their work (healthcare staffers, auto mechanics etc.), but that’s never been the bulk of Metro-North’s ridership.
The Town of Darien’s Health, Human Services and Senior Programs departments urge all residents to sign up for Code Red alerts, if they have not done so already. — an announcement from the two town departments
Detailed information regarding vaccine availability for Darien residents will be announced through the First Selectman’s weekly Code Red message, as well as local media outlets. As plans for Phase 1B develop we want to make sure everyone is informed, particularly those who will be eligible during that phase, such as seniors over age 75. To register for CODE RED click here: Community Notification Enrollment. If you need assistance with enrolling please call the Human Services department at 203-656-7328 and we will be happy to help you.
Elizabeth F. King (a.k.a. Betty Rae King) of Celebration, Florida died on Jan. 2 at 3:30 p.m. due to a stroke. She was 84 years old. Betty Rae was born in West Hartford, on July 8, 1936. She studied education at Saint Joseph’s College in West Hartford and went on to become an elementary school teacher.
Don’t let COVID-19 let you feel so down that it interferes with your ability to help yourself or others. Get help, now, and here are some first steps suggesting where you might go. In an ongoing effort to help town residents with many of the emotional difficulties brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the town Human Services Department and the Community Fund of Darien have gathered links to resources and put the information both online and in postcards being sent to residents this week. Here’s their joint announcement, with Web links, and Darienite.com has added further information below that:
Monday’s Announcement
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt our daily lives, stress, worry and fear can seriously impact our mental health. The “new normal” of unemployment or working from home, virtual learning, isolation from family and friends, and other uncertainties make prioritizing mental health even more challenging. The added financial and emotional stress of the holiday season can also exacerbate an already difficult time for many, especially those living with depression or anxiety.
Darien Library and others nearby have scaled back their opening times to help prevent further spread of the pandemic, the library announced Thursday. Here’s the announcement:
The Darien, Ridgefield, Weston, and Westport public libraries announced today that they are coordinating their efforts to flatten the curve through scaled-back library services. Darien Library will continue to offer 30-minute Express Services browsing and computer sessions as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations rise around the state. With health experts predicting an increase over the holidays, the libraries are working in concert to share information and reassess in-person services on a regular basis. The libraries, all located in southern Fairfield County, often collaborate, since a change made by one will likely affect the others.
Darien Health Director David Knauf on Wednesday issued a description of the state’s revised (less strict) guidelines for shorter quarantines for those exposed to COVID-19 who don’t show any symptoms.
The state Department of Public Health now says a 10-day quarantine (with Day 0 as the day of exposure) is often enough, rather than the previous 14-day period.But daily monitoring of symptoms is still necessary, according to the new guideline. In some circumstances, even seven days is enough, the state says. Here’s the full text of the announcement:
Many people have received calls from health officials regarding their exposure to COVID-19 positive cases and have been asked to quarantine. Recognizing that 14 days can be a long period of time to quarantine, the state has recommended allowing reduced quarantine times for asymptomatic contacts of positive COVID patients as follows:
Based on the updated guidance from CDC, the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) recommends changing the quarantine period for persons known to be close contacts of cases of COVID-19 to 10 days if:
1) Daily self-monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms has been done and the person has had no symptoms of COVID-19 during the whole 10-day quarantine (day 0 is the is the day of exposure); AND
2) Daily symptom monitoring continues after 10 days for an additional 4 days (days 11–14). If any symptoms develop, immediately self-isolate and contact their local public health department or their healthcare provider; AND
3) After 10 days, persons need to continue to take the measures needed to prevent COVID-19, including but not limited to: wearing a mask when out in public and avoiding gatherings with people who are not in your immediate household, are over 65 years old or who have medical conditions that place them at increased risk for COVID-19.
With more snow expected to fall before 1 p.m. and possible wind gusts of up to 38 mph in Darien, Winter Storm Gail continues to get herself settled in, closing school buildings, the town library and Town Hall. A total of 56 electricity customers were without power as of 8:35 a.m., Thursday, according to Eversource. Around the state, 411 Eversource customers were without power. Weather Forecast
The National Weather Service forecast for Darien, as of 7:56 a.m., says we’ll have “Snow, mainly before noon. High near 31.
First Selectman Jayme Stevenson’s State of the Town report to the Representative Town Meeting Monday night was long and covered a lot of topics, including the impact of COVID-19 on town spending, operations and its affect on local business; continued interest by state lawmakers in overriding local zoning; and the possibility of state laws on the town budget. She also touched on the events of the past year and praised the town’s accomplishments. Here are some of the highlights (with the full text of her speech, as prepared, below; Darienite.com will add the Darien TV79 video when it becomes available):
Stevenson gave this COVID-19 statistical update: “As of today (Dec. 7), 492, or 2.26% of Darien residents (21,775) have tested positive for COVID since the first week of March. Twenty-one residents have been hospitalized and sadly, five of our residents passed away due to COVID complications.
Darien Board of Education Chairman David Dineen delivered his first State of the Town report to the Representative Town Meeting on Monday. “As of Friday, Dec. 4, the District had 16 active COVID-19 cases with a cumulative total of 881 persons quarantined,” Dineen said. “As school, town, country and state cases continue to rise, decisions on the school learning model will be reviewed on a regular basis,” in consultation with or with attention to town, state and federal officials and agencies, he said. “Presently, total COVID spending is $3,294,477, less grant and transfers of $2,477,939,” Dineen said.
Darien land use boards put in place the town’s business regulations in response to the COVID-19 epidemic before any other community in the area, Planning & Zoning Commission Chairman Stephen Olvany boasted in his State of the Town address Monday night. It was among several boasts Olvany made about the town’s recent accomplishments and prospects. Among them: Darien has been a top target for families moving out of New York City; the town’s office vacancy rate is below similar area towns; its residential home prices are slightly higher than New Canaan and Westport. Olvany said the Palmer’s redevelopment project in downtown Noroton Heights is expected to begin sometime this year, and the project should take two years. Here’s the text of Olvany’s speech, as prepared:
Thank you, Mister Moderator, Members of the RTM, my fellow elected officials and The People of Darien.
Four plump victims, all pillows, minding their own business on chairs outside an Allen O’Neill Place home, were viciously attacked by a knife-wielding vandal sometime over the past month, according to police. The complainant told police about the incident at 7:17 p.m., Saturday. Darien police indicated that the motive for the incident remains a mystery. The complainant, a resident of the home, said it was unclear how much it would cost to either repair the soft, injured parties or replace them. When found, the victims were unresponsive, but they were unbloodied and no major organs appeared to have been damaged.
You know what police say about locking your car at night. It applies to schools, too. A burglar alarm at Middlesex Middle School got police to the scene, and quick enough for them to see two people through a second-floor window, but both ran through the building and escaped, police said. After police spotted the people in the building, a police dog and several more officers were called in to search the school. Police were alerted to the hijinks by the alarm at 11:32 p.m. on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.
