The Blog that Works

Few of us will ever forget where we were eight years ago today.  I was at home when the first tower was hit, and I remember the shock and confusion we all shared at that moment. When the second tower was hit, I was in my office, and all speculation was erased.

The day then became a whirlwind of events. I remember meeting the first trains as they came in from Grand Central. There I joined volunteers who offered to assist victims and witnesses that day with crisis counseling and information. News came pouring in about the events, and like many other citizens of Stamford and Connecticut, we couldn’t help but think of the many people we knew working in Manhattan that day, and shared in the grief of learning about our own friends and neighbors who weren’t coming home.

The City of Stamford lost nine citizens to the World Trade Center attacks, and saw countless others deeply affected by what happened. The impact and memories I share are not unique and make up such a small piece of our larger collective conscience surrounding that very dark day. I hope you will join with me in remembering the events, and honoring those who lost their lives on that tragic event – and share with me in the hope that we still stand united and progress forward out of the darkness.

Today I announced that the Mill Pond restoration has begun in earnest and the dam will be completely demolished over the next few weeks. The flowing river has now been isolated in a 25-foot wide bypass channel allowing demolition and reconstruction of the new river channel to occur. With the Pulaski Street dam removed and a section of the Mill Pond dam removed, there is an unobstructed flow in Mill River for the first time in our lifetimes.

The benefits of the Mill Pond restoration include the avoidance of future dredging costs estimated by the Army Corps of Engineers at $1.5 million; flood reduction downtown as the 100-year flood in the future will be contained in Mill River Park; and habitat restoration as over 4 miles of freshwater spawning habit will become available to threatened species of river herring. The economic development stimulus is substantial as well as the blight of the deteriorated Mill Pond is removed from surrounding properties.  A section of the dam at the mouth of the bypass channel was removed in August. The balance of the dam will be breached to allow the pond area and sediment to dry. Completion of demolition will follow.

Over two hundred panels of steel sheet piling have been driven into the river bottom between Broad Street and Main Street to create the bypass channel. Individual sheets are driven 15 feet or more into the ground. Where bedrock prevented driven sheets to be installed, another means of cutoff was provided. With the river now fully diverted into the bypass channel, dredging of the larger, now dry, Mill Pond area will occur along with grading of the new flood plain.

You can follow the progress of the river restoration with monthly videos made from time-lapse photography at www.millriverpark.com. Periodically they will be updated to show the progress of construction. The current video shows the installation of the sheet piling. The pilings will be removed after the river is finally diverted into the newly constructed permanent channel. The video of the dam demolition will be posted later in September.

This morning, I announced several new steps that are being taken to address the contaminated well water found in the Scofieldtown area in North Stamford.

First, the City is making bottled water supplies available to families residing on Hannah’s Road, Larkspur Drive, Very Merry Road, 3-18 Cousins Road and Skymeadow Drive between Scofieldtown Road and Larkspur Drive.  This bottled water supply will be made available while the City awaits results from tests underway, or being scheduled now.  These areas are also the highest priority for well testing based on the results thus far.  So far, of the 59 households within this area, 36 remain to be sampled and tested; 11 tests are pending at the State Department of Public Health lab; 5 have tested negative for pesticides (including 1 City test and 4 EPA tests in 2008); and 7 have tested positive for pesticides (including 4 City tests and 3 EPA tests from 2008).

All of the households that have tested positive have already been provided with bottled water by the State Department of Environmental Protection and have either received or will shortly receive activated charcoal filtration systems for their homes.  These systems are effective in eliminating pesticides like those found in the positive samples. The City is working to contact each of the households to apprise them of the situation and arrange for water supplies to be delivered, and have been able to reach the vast majority.  However, households within this area who have yet not been contacted should call the City of Stamford’s Office of Operations at 977-4141 to arrange for this service.

Second, the City has scheduled a Public Information Meeting relating to the contaminated wells for Tuesday, September 15 at 7:00 p.m.   The meeting will be held in the gymnasium at the Scofield Magnet Middle School.  Please note that the school itself is served by public drinking water supplies, and is not impacted by well contamination. 

The meeting will provide an opportunity for concerned residents to hear from City health and operations officials as well as representatives from the State Departments of Environmental Protection and Public Health.  Further information and an agenda for that meeting will be posted on the City’s website at www.cityofstamford.org in advance of the meeting.

We are working very hard to meet the challenge presented by these troubling findings.  I hope that the residents affected by this problem will take advantage of these interim precautions.  Through the upcoming public meeting, communication between the community and the many City employees involved in the response and our website, I commit the City to providing as much information as we have available to the public as we work diligently to address this most serious problem.

I was saddened to wake up this morning to the news that Senator Ted Kennedy had passed away.  Senator Kennedy, the fighting lion of the Senate, was a staunch and unwavering supporter of policies intended to improve the healthcare, education and civil rights of countless Americans.  He authored and co-authored literally hundreds of bills throughout the course of his admirable lifetime in public service. 

I got to know Senator Kennedy in the 1970s when I worked on his re-election campaign and then again in 1980 when he ran for president.  He had tremendous personal warmth which he displayed one-on-one and in front of large crowds.  His work as an advocate for the most vulnerable populations will remain a legacy for years to come and we are all lucky to have had Senator Kennedy fight on our behalf for so many years.

I know that this country is a better place in large part due to his efforts and I join the millions of mourners across the United States and around the world, as my thoughts prayers are with the Kennedy family today.

Today I spoke at a conference designed to increase the awareness of Hepatitis C in communities.  Hepatitis C is a serious and lifelong infection that can lead to liver disease and organ failure. Unfortunately, there is not a vaccine yet to treat the infection.  The Centers for Disease Control estimates that approximately 3-4 million Americans are living with the disease.

My talk at the conference this morning focused on what local municipalities and states can do to find ways to raise awareness around Hepatitis C to promote effective means of preventing the spread of the infection. Throughout my tenure as mayor, I have found that one of the best ways to improve municipal programs is to share best practices with other cities and states.  What better way to know that a program works than to see whether or not it works somewhere else? In that regard, I spoke specifically about the South Carolina Hepatitis C Coalition, an organized group of health care providers and citizens who are diligently working to raise awareness about the disease and to promote preventative programs. South Carolina provides an excellent model for other states to emulate to find low-cost ways to promote collaborative efforts amongst health care providers to raise awareness and promote prevention efforts.  Connecticut should follow suit to prevent the unnecessary spread of a life threatening illness that afflicts too many citizens in our state.  

The City of Stamford recently launched a new emergency mass notification service which will provide similar services as our last reverse-911 system, but at a lower cost to the city.  Having this system in place allows city officials to communicate with residents quickly and efficiently in the event of an emergency, and can even be used for planned and routine public safety announcements.  We can record, send and track personalized voice messages to thousands of residents, businesses and local agencies in just minutes, through a single phone call.  We are also equipped to send text messages to cell phones, PDAs, e-mail accounts and TTY/TDD receiving devices for the hearing impaired. 

Getting set up to receive these calls is an important part of sensible emergency preparedness for your family, and it’s up to you to make sure that you’re ready to receive information in the event of a natural or man-made disaster.  If your number isn’t listed, it won’t be included unless you opt in, so be sure to go to this site to register for our emergency alerts.  For your family and friends without internet access, they can call 977-4153 to add themselves to our system.

The results are in for our first month of single stream recycling:  Thanks in part to your efforts, we increased our recycling by 48% (that’s 200 more tons of recycled materials that we saved from trash bins) compared to the same time last year.  What’s most impressive is that City of Stamford residents threw away 28% less garbage compared to the same time last year, and that not only makes for a cleaner and greener city, but it’s also an economic success, saving taxpayers $102,200 in hauling costs. 

Our first month was a great success, and we need your help to make sure the coming months are just as positive.  Spreading the word and ensuring the continued success of this program is a collaborative effort so keep up the good work and spread the word!

(See this brochure for more information or call Dan Colleluori,Stamford’s Supervisor of Solid Waste/Recyling at 977-4117 if you have any questions.)

Did you know Stamford has a great mentoring program for children? Stamford Mentoring Partnership known as S.T.A.M.P is currently mentoring 33 children throughout the city and already has 50 children on a waiting list for the program.

My Youth Services Bureau is currently looking for adults willing to give an hour a week of their time to volunteer as mentors so we can include more children in the program. Studies have shown that mentees have a better attitude at school and get better grades giving them an all around improved experience at school. Communities with mentoring programs also show a decrease in drug and alcohol use, teen pregnancies, and school drop out rates. The amazing thing about mentoring is that besides the tremendous benefits it has for the mentees it also benefits the adults who participate as mentors.

So if you or someone you know are interested in becoming a mentor please contact Michelle Lappas at mlappas@ci.stamford.ct.us or call 977-0830.