Town Hall Tidbits

Welcome to 'Town Hall Tidbits'—a roundup of news items, and occasional gossip, from the halls of Greenwich Town Hall. If you have suggestions or tips, you can upload them in the comment stream or send an e-mail to barbara.heins@patch.com.

In Memory of Sal Strazza

There's a group of Greenwich Babe Ruth baseball aficionados and Greenwich ex-pats who want to honor one of their own.

Lead by Mike Bocchino, chairman of the , there's a petition before the seeking to rename and dedicate the ballfield at the former Byram School as the Sal Strazza Field.

A lifelong Byram resident who helped found the local Babe Ruth league nearly 30 years ago, Strazza should be memorialized for his dedication to the sport and to the town's youth, Bocchino told the selectmen at their meeting last week.

"He touched the lives of so many youth, so many parents ... he would cut the infield grass on the field before games," Bocchino said. "He was a wonderful, kind man." And to recognize that kindness and dedication, several letters and more than 600 people signed a petition requesting the ballfield dedication, were written before Strazza died after a long illness in his adopted North Carolina home last year.

One of the letters was submitted by Byram native Clay Miles, which Bocchino read. "I am one of the kids Sal coached. Please let him know that: 1. Went to college. 2. Became a US marine for 9 years. 3. Currently I am a civilian in the intelligence field in Afghanistan. 4. I am Married with 4 kids. 5. I am a professional stand up comic (on the side). Why should he know all this? Well He needs to know I could have been half of the person I am today without his guidance when I was young! I know anything I am today is because of the lesson(s) that were taught by him!!"

And longtime Little League umpire (and state representative) Fred Camillo also wrote a letter and , supporting the request.

The selectmen are to vote on the request at its March 15 meeting. If approved, then the request will be submitted to the for a final OK.

Nominations Galore:

The Representative Town Meeting has more than a dozen commission appointments on its plate when it meets March 12. The nominations were made by the Board of Selectmen in recent weeks in hopes of not having a gap or holdovers in positions that expire at the end of the month.

The Board of Selectmen have recommended the following appointments:

• Lloyd Bankson to the board of nursing home; term would expire March 31, 2015.
• Ennala Ramcharandas, a regular member to the Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals; term expires March 31, 2016.
• Patricia G. Kirkpatrick, a regular member to the Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals; term expires March 31, 2016.
• Robert Shippee, an alternate member of the Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals; term expires March 31, 2016.
• Robert Aielleo, a regular member to the Board of Health; term expires March 31, 2016.
• Julia Chiappetta, a regular member of the Board of Health; term expires March 31, 2016.
• Marilyn Ross Cahn, a regular member of the Board of Health; term expires March 31, 2016.
• Lauren E. Rabin, a regular member of the Board of Social Services; term would expire March 31, 2015.
• James Carr, a regular member of the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency; term expires March 31, 2016.
• Patrick Slyne, a regular member of the Board of Parks and Recreation; term wold expire March 31, 2015.
• Richard C. Loh, a regular member of the Board of Parks and Recreation; term would expire March 31, 2015.
• Donald M. Landsman, a regular member of the Board of Parks and Recreation; term would expire March 31, 2015.
• Noble Welch, a regular member of the Historic District Commission; term would expire March 31, 2015.
• Richard Maitland, a regular member to the Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals; term expires March 31, 2015.
• Paul DeBary, a regular member of the Board of Ethics; term would expire March 31, 2015.
• H. Andrew Fox, a regular member of the Nathaniel Witherell nursing home board; term expires March 31, 2013.

Condemnation Commission needs help

The RTM Appointments Committee is seeking interested candidates for the Condemnation Commission.  The Commission meets on an as-needed basis and exercises the powers of condemnation of land; the assessment of damages arising from condemnations; and the assessment of benefits arising out of the construction of highways and the connection of sewers.

To be considered as a candidate for nomination you must be a resident of the Town of Greenwich and a registered voter.  Preferred experience includes knowledge and experience in real estate, civil engineering, or finance

Interested candidates please send a resume and/bio to Candace Garthwaite, secretary cgarthwaite@optonline.net

More than the Boy Scout motto of 'be(ing) prepared."

Everyone has their war stories and somtimes retelling them has its benefits.

First Selectman Peter Tesei and the town's Emergency Management Director Daniel Warzoha did just that in relating how Greenwich dealt with the natural disasters in the form of and .

The pair were invited by the state Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security and the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, representing Region 1, to enumerate how the town dealt with the various emergencies caused by Mother Nature.

Tesei said that each of the two representatives from each of the state's five regions used similar resources dealing with flooding, power outages and collateral damage caused by winds, rain and snow.

However, he said all of the regions were impressed by Greenwich's "use of TAG's (Transporation Association of Greenwich) service to transport those who are physically disabled."

And what did they learn from their peers? The town should become more social media savvy. Emergency management personnel in upstate Connecticut "talked about the use of Twitter and Facebook during Hurricane Irene and the snowstorm," Tesei said. "We do want to do social media as part of our overall response" and communication, that ultimately could become part of a statewide social media program to keep the public informed during weather emergencies.

What do you think? Should the Town of Greenwich use social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter to keep residents informed during natural emergencies? Tell us in the comment section.