Don’t drive anywhere near I-95 in Stamford and Darien and don’t even think of driving over the Route 1 bridge at Exit 9 on the weekend of May 31 to June 2, or the following weekend. That’s the advice from the Connecticut Department of Transportation, which is replacing the bridge — which has been there since the highway was built in 1958 — on those two weekends. On each side of the highway at the construction site, a single lane, using the exit ramps, an entrance ramp and a ramp constructed specially for the purpose, will be available for those poor drivers who don’t have any alternative. Traffic is expected to be backed up for mile after mile, throughout the weekend. It’s gonna be Carmaggedon.
A 25-year-old woman, barefoot, emerged from the woods at the north end of town at about 1:40 a.m., Thursday by police who had been given a report of an apparently intoxicated woman running on the side of the road, Darien police said. Police described what happened with this account, including accusations not proven in court:
The woman, a Norwalk resident, had been with friends at a restaurant (police neither named it nor indicated whether it was in Darien). When the group was leaving, the woman refused to go with them, but they were concerned about how intoxicated she was, so they physically escorted her outside. While she was being driven in Darien, the woman punched and scratched someone else in the vehicle. She tried to get out of the vehicle several times while it was moving and had to be restrained by others each time.
What is the difference between rules and expectations? And how do I enforce them? Adolescence is a time of self-exploration. It’s the time when kids are beginning to individuate and separate from their parents and decide what values are their own. The goal of adolescence is to answer the question: “Who am I?” This time can be difficult for parents, and yet parents provide a key role in a kid’s adolescence: create and maintain a framework — we call it a “Family Frame” — that gives kids limits and boundaries so that they can safely explore their development.
Fairfield County residents will be out in force on Sunday, May 19, 2019, as they show their support for epilepsy awareness and the Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut (EFCT) by participating in the Walk to End Epilepsy, which will be held at the Cove Island Park in Stamford. — an announcement from the Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut
Registration for the Walk begins at 9 a.m. and the event starts at 10 a.m. Registration is $35 per person and includes a t-shirt, lunch and a purple bandana for dogs; children ten and under are free. Note: dogs are welcome on-leash on the walk path at this family-friendly event. Registration is available online at epilepsyct.com/walk or on-site at the event. Stamford Mayor David Martin will be there to kick off the walk and guest speakers include motivational speaker Beth Usher and Emma Borys, teen ambassador for the Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut.
“When it comes to living large, I say turn it up till the knob falls off and throw it out the window.” Barret Platten Naylor lived a large, joyful life which was cut short a day after his 57th birthday, Thursday, May 9, 2019 due to complications from a liver transplant. Barret was a life force who radiated love and selflessness. His spirit is carried on by his wife, Kim and two children, Christian (27) and Whitney (26), along with many extended relatives and friends whose lives are blessed to have been touched by Barret. Born in Greenwich in 1962, the son of Randolph Naylor and Katherine Tyson, Barret grew up in the Northeast, working in New York City and enjoying summers on Martha’s Vineyard. On Oct.
With the Memorial Day Weekend approaching, Connecticut’s law enforcement agencies intend to promote safe driving and increase the protection of all motorists. — an announcement from Darien Police Department
From May 20, 2019 to June 2, 2019, law enforcement officials will be out on Connecticut’s roads enforcing the State Occupant Protection laws and issuing citations to those who are unbuckled. During this campaign, anyone found breaking this law will face fines between $92 and $120. Failing to buckle up puts you and other vehicle passengers in a potentially deadly situation. It’s also against the law – plain and simple.
Kathryn J. “Katy” Votava, age 85, of Neenah, Wisconsin passed away on Tuesday, May 14, with her family by her side. Katy was born Feb. 9, 1934 in Wausau, Wisconsin to Leonard and Pearl (Ramaker) Pheifer. When she was 3 years old, they moved to Neenah. Katy attended Neenah Schools and graduated from Neenah High School in 1952. Shortly after, she was employed by Marathon Corporation (American National Can) in the Research and Development Department. It is there that she met her husband, Jim.
One Darien food-serving establishment received a “C” — the worst rating in the town’s A-B-C health ratings system, another received a “B” and a third an “A” in the most recent inspection reports released Thursday by Darien Health Department. The third inspections took place between May 3 and 10. Keep in mind that a food-serving establishment with a history of good ratings may occasionally get a poor inspection rating, occasionally the best do, and every restaurant normally gets a few things wrong. Here’s an alphabetical list of the most recently released health inspection results (an explanation of how this list is put together is immediately below it):
NOTE: Darien Health Department originally reported that the Goose American Bistro & Bar restaurant received a “B” rating in its April 15 inspection, which Darienite.com reported. The department has corrected that statement and says the Goose actually received an “A” rating.
Here’s Realtor Deirdre McGovern’s report on Darien and Rowayton real estate from May 9 to 16, 2019:
This week’s Darien highlights:
17 New to Market Listings in Darien
22 Price Reductions in Darien
4 Accepted Offers in Darien
1 Closed Sale in Darien
93 Open Houses in Darien
This week’s Rowayton highlights:
2 New to Market Listings in Rowayton
3 Price Reductions in Rowayton
2 Accepted Offers in Rowayton
0 Closed Sales in Rowayton
31 Open Houses in Rowayton
Scroll down for a list of this week’s Open Houses. Click here for more details on these properties.
New Listings
Address
Town
Sq Feet
Price
9B Tokeneke Trail
Darien
8499
$5,650,000
189 Rowayton Avenue
Rowayton
5313
$4,975,000
130 Goodwives River Road
Darien
6800
$4,900,000
370 Mansfield Avenue
Darien
6626
$2,699,000
280 Hollow Tree Ridge Road
Darien
5179
$2,695,000
364 Mansfield Avenue
Darien
6369
$2,285,000
8 Kensett Lane
Darien
5595
$2,150,000
5 Meadowbrook Road
Darien
4408
$2,049,000
20 Colony Road
Darien
3422
$1,750,000
20 Maywood Road
Darien
3700
$1,655,000
235 Tokeneke Road
Darien
2000
$1,480,000
7 Queens Lane
Darien
2856
$1,375,000
4 Stanton Road
Darien
3280
$1,375,000
37 Maywood Road
Darien
3156
$1,295,000
35 Phillips Lane
Darien
2016
$1,195,000
15 Silver Lakes Drive
Darien
3076
$1,190,000
22 Wakeman Road
Darien
2668
$999,000
29 Witch Lane
Rowayton
3340
$895,000
4 Hale Lane
Darien
900
$499,000
Price Changes
Address
Town
Original Price
Previous Price
Current Price
20 Driftway Lane
Darien
$5,995,000
$5,250,000
$4,995,000
8 Midbrook Lane
Darien
$2,795,000
$2,695,000
$2,595,000
36 Sedgwick Village Lane
Darien
$590,000
Sunday, 2-4:00 PM
15 Woodbine Street
Rowayton
$585,000
Saturday, 2-4:00 PM
20 Henry Street
Darien
$575,000
Saturday, 2-4:00 PM
22 Hale Lane
Darien
$525,000
Sunday, 12-1:30 PM
4 Hale Lane
Darien
$499,000
Sunday, 1-3:00 PM
______________________
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 203-554-0897or deirdre.mcgovern@raveis.com
Charles J. Vickers, a longtime resident of Stamford and more recently Darien, died May 8, at the age of 96. Born in 1923 in Hoboken, NJ. Mr. Vickers served as an officer in the Navy aboard Landing Craft Infantry 867 in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. Following his wartime service, Mr. Vickers graduated from St. Peter’s College in New Jersey with a degree in chemistry in 1947.
A good boss cares about his customers. He wants to keep them happy and actively seeks out their feedback. Such is not the case at the Connecticut Department of Transportation. The CDOT’s new Commissioner, Joseph Giulietti, has missed several important opportunities to interface with riders in his first 100 days in office. Not that he hasn’t been working. He just hasn’t been meeting with customers. Remember that Giulietti came to his new job after a stint as President of Metro-North and in that role he held a number of “meet-the-commuter” events, handling himself quite well in answering questions and defusing angry riders. A year ago, after leaving the railroad, he became a consultant to T Y Lin’s study of how to improve running times on the railroad to achieve the “30-30-30” dream espoused by the Fairfield Business Council’s Joe McGee. That $400,000 study, using Giulietti’s input, said it could be done.
According to Darien Arts Center board members and event co-chairs Beth Gardella and Andrea Jackson, “Everyone should dust off their platform shoes and put on their best 70s glam to dance the night away” for Saturday Night Fever, the Disco Dance Benefit for the Darien Arts Center, happening on June 15 at 7:30 p.m.
— an announcement from Darien Arts Center
The fundraising event takes place in the DAC Weatherstone Studio, which will be transformed into a 1970’s disco, complete with disco ball and a DJ playing all of the biggest hits of the era. “We can’t wait to see everyone’s outfits and hear all those old hits. It will be like a trip back in time,” added DAC board member Meredith Malachowski. Drinks and hors d’oevres will keep guest fueled to show off their best dance moves and a prize for best costume will be awarded at this fun celebration open to all. It is recommended to purchase tickets soon, as space is limited and the event is expected to sell out quickly.
Darien students Lila Debano, Mei Gallagher and Jack Pegler were honored last week as finalists at the 14th eesmarts Student Contest ceremony held at the State Capitol for their entries in the seventh-grade category. — an announcement from Energize Connecticut
Presented by Energize Connecticut in partnership with Eversource and United Illuminating, Southern Connecticut Gas and Connecticut Natural Gas, subsidiaries of AVANGRID, Inc., the eesmarts Student Contest invites Connecticut students in grades K-12 to create projects about energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainability. Lila received 1st place for her poem entitled “What Would the Ocean Say.” In it, Lila discusses ocean pollution and its effects on sea creatures. She states “ocean pollution is causing animals to die. 1 million sea creatures are killed, each year that goes by.”
Jack was awarded 2nd place for his Dr. Seuss-inspired poem “An Ode to H2O.” His poem served as a reminder about the importance of conserving and protecting water.
Patriot Bank, N.A. has announced the promotion of banking industry veteran Cherly Rene to vice president-branch manager to lead its Darien office at 233 Post Road. Rene previously served as assistant branch manager in Greenwich. — an announcement from Patriot Bank
“Ms. Rene has been a part of the Patriot team since 2015. Patriot Bank is excited for her to take on this new role and become an even stronger asset to our many customers across the Darien community,” said Christopher Johnson, Patriot Bank senior vice president & director of branch banking. “We are looking forward to Cherly’s help in growing and expanding business and community efforts across that great community,” he said.
Darien police Lieutenant Jeremiah Marron, a 23-year veteran of the Police Department, will become Captain Jeremiah Marron as of June 2, the department and Police Commission announced on Tuesday. Here’s the announcement:
Darien Police Chief Ray Osborne and the Darien Police Commission are proud to announce today the promotion of Lt. Jeremiah P. Marron Jr. to the rank of captain, effective June 2, 2019. Marron is a twenty-three year veteran of the Department. Graduating from the Connecticut Police Academy in 1996, Marron has served the department with distinction in both the Detective Division and Field Services as both an officer and supervisor. At this time, he is currently serving as the administrative lieutenant.
