Only Half of Downtown Businesses Open Thursday Morning

Only Half of Downtown Businesses Open Thursday Morning:

Latest snowfall leaves many sidewalks untended

(Posted to Fairfield.Patch.com 1/27)

By Mike Lauterborn

© 2011. All Rights Reserved.

1/27/11

Fairfield, CT – They were the usual suspects – the hardiest of downtown Fairfield businesses, which, come snow or rain, manage to get their doors open and lights on – often without skipping a beat. They met the latest snowfall challenge – a nor’easter named Denis that dumped up to 15 inches of snow overnight Wednesday into Thursday – with a will to press on to ensure that local residents that ventured out could enjoy their services.

7-Eleven on Reef Road was among those ranks, staying true to its policy of never closing. Said manager Abraham “Gabby” Isho, “We stayed open all night. Every couple of hours we had a plow come through. The lot has been pretty clear despite all the snow, with the exception of one car left out front that’s now buried. We are committed to our 24/7 policy, despite all the snow this year.”

Firehouse Deli, just up the street, was another “storm trooper”, managing to open about an hour later than a usual Thursday morning. Said Assistant Manager Ken Saunders, “I came in from Beacon Falls. The roads were passable but not real safe. They were icy from sleet and freezing rain from the night before. The roads in Fairfield were pretty good. They do a good job here considering all the snow. We opened at 8 a.m. and it’s been slow – mostly snow contractors and a couple regulars.”

Chef’s Table on the Post Road hardly blinked an eye. Stephanie Ficarra, counterperson/cashier, said, “David our chef was here first at 6:30 a.m. He came in from Bridgeport.”

“I found the roads really good,” said the chef.

Commented owner Rich Herzfeld, “I’ve got a guy who plows my driveway and knows I need to get in. Often, I will pick up employees who are stuck.”

Herzfeld added, “David’s road was not plowed, but he went for it. We’re fully staffed and ready to go.”

“We’ve already sold a number of egg sandwiches, to people with laptops going to a meeting,” said Ficarra.

Rite-Aid also fell into step despite the storm. “We opened on time at 8 a.m.,” said sales associate Paul Johnson. “I live down the street but had to walk as my street wasn’t plowed. But our lot was plowed before we opened, which was a plus. We haven’t had many customers though, and our registers are down at the moment, which is a challenge. We’re cash only right now.”

Joining these hardy retailers was The Pantry. “Our bakers arrived at 5:30 a.m. and started working,” said Jenisha Shrestha. “The store opened at 9, which was a little later than usual. I came from Bridgeport. It was really bad there with mountains of snow, not like here in Fairfield. It took me 10 minutes longer than usual to get here.”

Rounding out the pack was new business Companions and Homemakers, a personal care provider at 1618 Post Road. “I came in from Stratford,” said an employee there who didn’t provide her name. “The highways weren’t even plowed. Normally it takes me 20 minutes to get to work. It took me an hour today. We opened on time at 8:30 a.m. and we’re fully staffed.”   

Firefighters Navigate Unplowed Road to Respond to Gas Leak

Firefighters Navigate Unplowed Road to Respond to Gas Leak:

Falling ice suspected as cause of incident

(Posted to Fairfield.Patch.com 1/27)

© 2011. All Rights Reserved.

By Mike Lauterborn

1/27/11

Fairfield, CT – At 8:05 a.m. Thursday morning, the Fairfield Fire Department received a call from the owner of a home at 128 Smith Street who reported smelling a strong odor of gas. Upon investigation, firefighters determined that falling ice had affected gas service, took measures to stem the leak and contacted Southern Connecticut Gas.

Awaking to over a foot of new snow that had fallen in the Wednesday to Thursday overnight period, the homeowner stepped out to begin digging out.

“As I was brushing off my steps around 7:45 a.m., I smelled fumes,” said the homeowner, who did not want to give her name. “A neighbor and I cleared a furnace exhaust pipe at the back of the house, but we still smelled fumes, so I called 911.”

Navigating her as yet unplowed street, Engines 1, 2 and 3, Ladder 1 and Car 3 were on the scene in minutes.

“The fire department responded very quickly and took things very seriously,” said the homeowner. “They came out in the snow, did a walk through the house, discovered the leak and repaired it.”

Firefighter and shift commander Bob Smith suggested the cause of the leak may have been falling ice that struck the gas meter and said that they tightened a nut on the meter. An SCG technician arrived on the scene shortly thereafter and confirmed that the situation had been mitigated.

As emergency responders began leaving the scene, a town plow came barreling down the road. 

The Life of a Plowman

The Life of a Plowman:

Patch rides along with a 28-year DPW veteran

(Posted to Fairfield.Patch.com 1/26)

By Mike Lauterborn

© 2011. All Rights Reserved.

1/26/11

Fairfield, CT -- It takes a certain personality type to drive the big truck… an innate feel for the road, physical toughness to withstand the long hours and on-board conditions, and a willingness to put the job before family.

On this snowy Wednesday morning, during which the area was being blanketed with several inches of snow from a storm that was moving northeast out of the Appalachian Mountains, Patch did a ride-along in a town plow to get the driver’s perspective on road conditions and insight into his daily challenges.

Scott Bartlett, Fairfield’s Superintendent of Public Works, was Patch’s first point of contact, collecting this reporter from his home to deliver him to the plowman mid-route. He said the storm’s early arrival was a surprise.

“What we thought was going to hit us mid-afternoon arrived between 8 and 9 a.m. and we had to re-orchestrate our plans,” he said, speaking around 10 a.m. as he steered a town-maintained Chevy pickup on roads that were already slippery and coated with snow.

“We had payloaders that were going to go to parking lots to push up existing snow banks to create more room for snow to be hauled in. Those plans quickly came to an end as those operators were deployed to the heavy plows. Now the intensity of the storm has called for us to engage the salt trucks and even the smaller plows. Right now, approximately 30 salt trucks with plows are out and approximately 15 smaller trucks with plows are doing side roads and parking lots so that regular business can function,” he said.

About this particular storm, Bartlett said, “This is a fairly steady accumulating snow. The latest forecast indicated we would get a first band, then a lull, then a second band. That in itself presents a challenge. We’re putting out a chemical, then plowing, then another band is coming. It begs the question ‘Do you plow another inch later or wait until there’s a heavier accumulation?’ Right now, everyone’s being deployed for a full town-wide plow.”

The timing of the storm creates other challenges particularly with commuter, retail and town service lots and thoroughfares said Bartlett. “You’re cleaning the drive lanes now but we’ll need to go back in later after all the cars have left and do full lot plowing very late evening. And we’ll need fresh resources at that time.”

The challenges don’t stop there. “The end time of the storm is an issue, whether the snow stops at 4 a.m. or 8 a.m., which gives you two different sets of circumstances, because of commuting traffic,” Bartlett said. “It’s a logistical puzzle, a constant triaging of storm reaction and resources allocation. It’s like a short race versus a marathon. We need to make sure we’ve got what we need for the marathon.”

Six Tons of Vibrating Fun

Bartlett pulled up to the rear of the plow, waiting at the side of the road in the Fairfield Woods area. The truck was a beast to be sure: a 1990 International dump truck, standing almost 10 feet high, with a 6-yard capacity and stationary right plow.

“Welcome to my cell, cell #181,” joked 53-year-old Joe Cubbellotti, a 28-year veteran of the Dept. of Public Works, ushering this Patch reporter into his cab. “I often feel like I’m in prison as I spend so much time here,” he said with regard to the cell reference.

“I started working at 7 a.m. and we were able to get a jump on the storm,” he said about his day thus far. “I have six miles worth of road to plow, from Fairfield Woods Road over to GE and Morehouse Highway to Stratfield Road.”

His morning prep included making sure he had chains on the tires, getting fuel in the truck and looking over the vehicle for any obvious problems. “We have a team of mechanics that are like a NASCAR pit crew and they get on any problem quickly,” he said.

As to Cubbellotti’s goals for the day, they were simple. “We want to keep traffic moving, make sure schools have through-access and emergency vehicles can respond to calls as needed.”

He said plowing during the day is challenging. “The traffic is often slow-moving and doesn’t yield to us. Employers are starting to let people go and schools are going to be closing early, so roads will be less trafficked later and easier to plow.”

The plowman said this winter has been unique. “I’ve been on automatic pilot seeing more snow this year than any other year. In the past, we’ve had a couple big drops, but not the consecutive snowfalls like we’ve been having. I’ve never seen the snow banks as high as they are along the sides of the road.”

Cubbellotti says the job comes with sacrifices. “It’s tough when it comes to family. I have my ‘snow widow’ at home. She kissed me goodbye this morning and said, ‘I’ll see you whenever.’ I would have loved to have played with my kids on snow days but have always worked. I have twins and their birthday was Nov. 20, and we still haven’t had a chance to celebrate it. We’ve had to reschedule three times.”

The driver is proud of his team and grateful for the support of his supervisors.

“I think we’ve got the best plowing team in the state. We jump right on it. We’re all committed to each other. Scott is always fighting for what we need and our foreman George has a great ‘let’s fight this storm’ motivating attitude. It was also good to get a recent pat on the back from the First Selectman. That meant a lot.”

Looking at the latter half of the day, the plowman said, “Scott and George will make some decisions mid-evening and decide whether to send us out again. In between runs, I’ll grab a meal and some shut-eye to regain some energy and get ready for the next leg. We often work the day, see night fall and then the next sunrise. I’ll plow 200 miles before I’m through. Pretty much I’m working on caffeine and Tylenol with all the bouncing around.”

Cubbellotti carries a virtual medicine chest with him in fact. “In my cooler, I have Aleve for pain, Excedrin for a pinched nerve and migraines, cholesterol medicine and an antacid to combat the good diner meals we get,” he said. “We go from plowing to eating to sleeping and all over again. I’m about 20 pounds over what I should be. It’s not the healthiest lifestyle but I’m committed,” he said, speaking over the grind of gears, vibration of the driver’s compartment, smell of diesel, scrape of the plow blade on asphalt and tinny music from a portable CD player.

“I’m trying to get to Florida in the next month. We’ll see how that pans out,” Cubbellotti mused.

Local Area Taking on Lunar Look

Local Area Taking on Lunar Look:

Snowbanks top light poles, rival icebergs

(Posted to Fairfield.Patch.com 1/24)

By Mike Lauterborn

© 2011. All Rights Reserved.

1/24/11

Fairfield, CT – If you’ve been out and about town, you’ve seen them. Massive mounds of snow taking on iceberg proportions and transforming local landscapes into lunar horizons. Most did not occur naturally but are the result of the bulldozing and plowing of snow accumulations received over the past month.

You are likely to encounter them at retail centers, schools and other public venues that have adjacent parking lots. Like space boulders, they contain rock and debris and are frozen through and through. Unless there’s a defined and long-lasting thaw in the near future, expect to see these behemoths well into April, particularly if current arctic temperatures hold and additional snowfall arrives.

To that regard, the National Weather Service calls for a high of only 14 degrees today, a 30% chance of snow on Tuesday and an 80% chance of a snow and sleet mix, accompanied by gusts as high as 29 m.p.h., on Wednesday. New precipitation amounts of between 1 and 2 inches are possible by Wednesday night.

Think warm thoughts Fairfielders and keep your earmuffs, shovels and snowscrapers at the ready. Old Man Winter’s going to be sticking around a while.

Jets’ Super Bowl Hopes Dashed

Jets’ Super Bowl Hopes Dashed:

AFC battle with Steelers draws friends together

(Posted to Fairfield.Patch.com 1/23)

By Mike Lauterborn

© 2011. All Rights Reserved.

1/23/11

Fairfield, CT – It was the much anticipated AFC Championship showdown in Steel City between the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers. Football enthusiasts across Fairfield were planted on bar stools and dug in at home ready to witness history.

A dedicated Jets fan, Woods End Road resident Ken Kubel was one of many hosting home festivities and had pulled out all the stops. The main feature: an 8-foot wide x 4-foot high screen and hi-def projection unit with mini tower speakers for surround sound effect. This was set up in a 24’ x 20’ back family room with vaulted ceiling in which several couches and recliners had been arranged.

In the spacious kitchen, a dedicated, fully-stocked beer refrigerator had been established along with a full chili-and-fixings table and secondary snack set-up with bacon bread, chips, salted nuts and dips. In the wings, sausage and peppers, sandwiches and buffalo chicken nachos.

Attendees, wearing the green given a majority Jets backing, began trickling in early while the Green Bay Packers were completing a mostly dominant 21-14 performance against the stubborn Chicago Bears in the earlier NFC Championship.

Among the arriving Fairfielders was Mill Plain resident Paul Mucha, Lawrence Lane’s Will Silbert and Woods End Road’s Dave Pierpont and Curtis Clarke. Among out-of-towners were Sheltonites Carl Leonzi, Brian Pisanelli and Kevin Sands; Monroe resident John Evans; and Stamford’s Diane Mucha.

There was also a generous helping of youngsters, who had mimicked their elders with jerseys and warpaint, and wives.

“Just as last week (against the Patriots in the AFC Playoff), again the Jets are underdogs, but I believe it’s going to be the same turnout – another Jets victory and we’ll be going to our first Super Bowl in 42 years,” Kubel said, referencing the team’s 1969 win. Since, the Jets have played for the conference title in 1982, 1998 and last year, but never made it back to the Big Dance. In contrast, the Steelers hold six Super Bowl trophies.

The game time temp in Pittsburgh was 15 degrees – 5 with the wind chill – and fans were bundled. It was no warmer here at home, and the house crew was glad to be indoors.

The Steelers had first possession, with QB Ben Roethlisberger on point, and ate up more than nine minutes of the clock to achieve a first TD and take a 7-0 lead.

“The Steelers managed their time well, keeping the Jets offense off the field,” observed Sands, “but New York could turn around and score right now.”

Unfortunately, Jets QB Mark Sanchez couldn’t put a good reply together and the score held at the close of the first.

“I think the Jets are biding their time… but they can’t bide too much time,” said Pierpont. “This game will be won in the second half.”

In the early minutes of the second quarter, NY had a lucky pick-off on a 4^th-and-1 Pittsburgh push, but again couldn’t produce.

“Typical. Jets, Mets and Nets,” said Carl Leonzi, a Yankees, Rangers and Giants fan. “They don’t look anything like last week,” he added, going against the grain of the crowd.

New York’s lackluster resulted in another Pitt score – a field goal – with seven minutes left before halftime. At the two-minute mark, Roethlisberger pushed the score up again, running in for a TD, making it 17-zip. “Let’s go Rangers!” Kubel mocked, then, “Time to move on to hockey!” Someone else cried, “Who wants to buy my sweatshirt?” referring to his Jets-logo’ed attire.

The pain didn’t stop there when, seconds later, Sanchez was clobbered, fumbling the ball to allow another Steelers TD. While New York mustered a last second field goal, the Steelers were rocking a 24-3 lead at the half.

Jets fans were despondent but still hopeful. “We need to rally and explode in the next half,” said Matt Kubel, 10.

Kubel may have lit a fuse with his remark as, three minutes into the third, Santonio Holmes caught a Sanchez bomb and scored, closing the gap 24-10. How quickly hope returned to the room… and things started to happen… an interception mid-3^rd, a couple of sacks; long pass connects.

The score held going into the 4^th and the Jets kept pushing. Mid-4^th, they were at the goal line knocking but couldn’t get in. In a twist, a safety resulted, pushing the score to 24-12, Steelers. A follow-up drive punted the score up to 24-19. From oblivion, they’d re-emerged as contenders.

“They’ve pulled this kind of thing off in the regular season,” said Kubel. Hopefully they haven’t climbed back for nothing,” said Silbert.

Unfortunately, it was all for naught, with NY allowing first downs that led to their demise.

Cries of “Let’s Go Packers” closed the party in the Kubel house. “Better luck next year,” said the host.

Fairfield Youth Play Key Roles in Upcoming Choir Performance

Fairfield Youth Play Key Roles in Upcoming Choir Performance:

Fairfield County Children’s Choir set for Feb. 5 revue

(Posted to Fairfield.Patch.com 1/23)

By Mike Lauterborn

© 2011. All Rights Reserved.

1/21/11

Fairfield, CT – The dedication and energy of a handful of Fairfield-based young people has been a plus behind the activities of the Fairfield County Children’s Choir, which is set to kick off 2011 with its annual Broadway revue.

The annual event, its Broadway Concert and Auction, is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. at the Klein Memorial Auditorium in Bridgeport. The performance will feature medleys from the Broadway musicals Wicked, Crazy for You, Annie and Barnum, be accompanied by the FCCC Orchestra and offer solos from soprano Stephanie Gregory as well as many of the choir’s own stars. The choir is a community-based choral program made up of over 250 children in grades 4 through 12 from communities in Fairfield County and beyond.

“I’ve had nine amazing years in the choir, including seven years in the Chamber Singers, which is one of four divisions – the most advanced – of the choir,” said Rachel Philips, 18, a senior at Fairfield Warde High School. She explained that the other divisions of the choir include the Chorus, the Chorale and the Concert Choir. Each performs both individually as well as part of the whole.

“The first rehearsal the first year I was doing this was a little overwhelming,” recalled Philips. “I walked into a room with 250 other kids and asked myself ‘What am I doing here?’ But by the second month, it became so second nature. The first public performance I had was a winter show. You’re always both excited and a little nervous about the unexpected. Now, nine years later, it doesn’t faze me at all.”

Philips is the newly-elected president of the Chamber Singers, a promotion about which she is excited. “It comes with a lot of responsibility and has taught me a lot about leadership. Choir is such a place wherein you can make friends and be with people who like to do what you do. It also provides such a strong foundation for basic musical concepts. Our choir director Jon Noyes likes to say ‘Have fun being awesome’ which we take very seriously.”

Fellow choir member Alyson Leppla, 17, and Philips have shared a similar path. Like Philips, Leppla started with the choir nine years ago, is part of the Chamber Singers and is also a student at Warde. “Rachel and I were friends in elementary school (North Stratfield) and joined the choir together. We’ve really grown up together. It’s nice to see someone else stick with it like I have for so long. It’s been very exciting – the people we’ve gotten to work with, the trips. I’ve had opportunities that I wouldn’t have had elsewhere. And even though there are a ton of singers, you really get to know everyone, particularly in your specific group.”

Leppla wasn’t sure if she would make singing a career, but expected to pursue it at an extracurricular level through college.

The newly-elected vice president of the Chamber Singers, Max Rein, 17, a student at Fairfield College Preparatory School, weighed in with his unique perspective as a male in the choir. “I’ve been in the choir for nine years, which is unusual for a guy given voice changes. In fact, I’m only one of maybe four males in the choir to have continued in the program so long. My older sister had been in the choir for many years before me and encouraged me to join. For about two years, we were actually in the program together, which was a unique experience given our four-year age difference.”

Rein recalled the highlight of his choir career. “The most exciting moment for me to date was performing at Carnegie Hall. I was a freshman, and to be in a world renown concert hall where so many incredible singers have performed was such a privilege.”

The Concert event includes a silent auction that opens at 5:30 p.m. and will feature a wide range of items including tickets to the Westport Country Playhouse, spa/beauty treatments, gift certificates to local restaurants, Pinkalicious books signed by best-selling author Victoria Kann, and a Lillian August gift basket.

Tickets to the FCCC 2011 Broadway Revue are $15 and $20 and will be sold the day of the performance. For more information, contact barbarabfccc@snet.net

Fairfield Public Library’s Jobs Series Opens to Rave Reviews

Fairfield Public Library’s Jobs Series Opens to Rave Reviews:

HR pros go one-on-one with jobseekers to hone resumes

(Posted to Fairfield.Patch.com 1/22)

By Mike Lauterborn

© 2011. All Rights Reserved.

1/22/11

Fairfield, CT – Some were re-entering the workforce. Others wanted to tweak their information to improve response. All needed help honing their bios.

Local jobseekers turned out in droves to get the help of human resources professionals that had volunteered their time to the Fairfield Public Library’s Job Series program, which offered the first of six sessions Saturday morning at the 1080 Old Post Road main branch. The opening session was devoted to One-on-One Resume Review and was facilitated by five professionals seated at separate stations in the library’s Memorial Room.

Library Reference Associate Judy Sparzo said the program, now in its third year, has been a great success. “We’ve served over 3,000 people to date through our weekly presentations. We’ve also recorded the presentations and put them on our website, as podcasts. The page has realized over 18,000 hits. We have people coming from Fairfield mostly, but also surrounding towns.”

Regarding program content, Sparzo added, “We try to offer a mix of skills they need like resume writing and interviewing, as well as stress management and credit counseling. A lot of things come into play when you’re looking for work and that are impacting your family. Our weekly presenters have been very generous with their time in helping people.”

Judith Evans, a Career Management Consultant for NewCareerVentures.com, one of the five resume reviewers, said she was glad to play a role. “It’s important for people as they go forward to have a really good resume. It helps open a door. I’m only too glad to help because I feel I’m contributing in a way to bettering the economy.”

Attendee Rosemary Field, from Fairfield, hoped to gain help re-entering the workforce. “I used to be an art educator but have been out of the workforce for 10 years now. I’ve been at home with my kids and have experienced life-altering situations. One of my children was diagnosed with special needs and my husband is transitioning his career. I really need to get back out there and use the skills I’ve learned volunteering and teaching to pursue a new career. My motto is ‘Passion, Purpose, Pay’, which to me means creativity in serving others. I’m hoping this program will help give me more focus.”

Attendee Mark Meuser, also from Fairfield, hoped to add some spark to his resume. “I’m currently unemployed and my resume isn’t working so far, so any professional advice to help me make it work harder would be appreciated. An old girlfriend and I put together my resume the best we could. It needs a professional touch.”

Fairfielder Carmen Herrera wanted to get a few pointers to help spice up her resume with a goal of landing a better job. “I’m here to see how I can improve my resume. I’m currently employed but looking for a better position and thought this would help. My sister is also creating her own resume and I thought I could get some pointers to help her.”

Pam Toner was another Fairfield resident reentering the workplace. “I’m relaunching my career after a 10-year sabbatical with my children. My resume’s three pages long and I want to find out how to condense it and make it work.”

The Job Series will continue through April 4 and include sessions devoted to interviewing, consulting, keeping current on business trends, leveraging LinkedIn and effective job searching.

The Job Series program is free to the public. For more information and a schedule of sessions, visit www.fairfieldpubliclibrary.org or call 203-256-3160.