Darien Dispatch

The Geary Gallery of Darien will be hosting “Environmentalism Through Art” which depicts Connecticut landscapes painted by Connecticut resident Diane Aeschliman  and New York resident Marlene Wiedenbaum. The gallery will be on display Wednesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. through the month of March.

The Darien Art Center will again offer its spring semester theater courses that range from preschool through seventh grade.  The preschool Myths and Magic class teaches early performers about imagination and role-playing. Beginners Drama, offered for kindergarten through first grade, will perform “A Night at the Zoo. Second through fourth grade students battle to find out who is better in “Pirates vs. Ninjas” in Drama for Young Actors I, and fifth through seventh graders taking Drama for Young Actors II present a modern twist on a classic tale in “The Three Musketeers.”

Students at Royle Elementary school introduced a “no idling” zone in the student drop-off area outside the school. The initiative is part of an effort to help reduce the carbon footprint of residents and also to improve air quality for students. Students stood outside the school with banners reminding drivers to turn off their engines when they launched the effort Feb. 9.

The Darien Veterans of Foreign Wars, located at 205 Noroton Ave., will host an all-you-can-eat  pasta dinner Feb. 17 from 6-8 p.m. A $10 donation will benefit the VFW’s marching unit.

The Board of Selectmen approved a $41.3 million dollar budget despite reservations from some selectmen about the decision to defer some capital projects to future years.
Administrative Officer Karl Kilduff initially proposed a $42.3 million budget, or a 9.1 percent increase, but the BOS was able to whittle about a $1 million off the budget.
First Selectman Jayme Stevenson stressed the major factors driving budget discussions this year were weighing the services the town needs versus the services and projects the town would like to have.

Join the staff of the Darien News tomorrow at 10 a.m. at the Darien Library in the Harris Room for coffee and a discussion on relevant town issues. Tomorrow’s discussion will focus on the rising number of kids in crisis but other topics are open for discussion as well.

The Board of Selectmen will meet tonight at 7:45 p.m. in room 206 to continue budget discussions. Tonight’s agenda will focus on the budget requests from the Darien Fire Dept., the Noroton Fire Dept., the  Noroton Heights Fire Dept., the Fire Commission and Post 53.

In a newsletter sent to parents, Ox Ridge Elementary School Principal John Rechi has announced he will retire at the end of the current school year. Rechi, who has been at Ox Ridge for 26 years, said he made the announcement to his staff during a Tuesday morning meeting.