Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Ansonia resident brings out Christmas lights to lift spirits


Jen Shuart sent me a photo tonight that depicts how she has decorated her front yard on Prindle Avenue following an idea she found here on nerdbot.com.
What a fun way to cheer ourselves up during this new social distancing lifestyle! 
Maybe she'll start a trend in the Valley. Stay tuned!

Coronavirus pandemic spurs Ansonia Police to modify procedures

This is a press release from Ansonia Police Lt. Patrick Lynch:

The City of Ansonia, though the Mayor’s Office and all individual departments are committed to providing public services to the citizens of Ansonia during this time of worldwide crisis. 
To protect not only our citizens but also our employees, the City of Ansonia has made some modifications to how we deliver services. The priority is to prevent or slow the transmission of the COVID 19 virus by limiting person-to-person contact as much as possible. 
Mayor David Cassetti has elected to close city offices to the general public but still allowing citizens the ability to reach all City departments by phone or email. This should help reduce the possibility of infecting one another. 
If you need to contact a specific department please call them directly. All Department phone numbers are posted on the City of Ansonia website at www.cityofansonia.com.

The emergency services and public works functions for the City of Ansonia are fully staffed and capable to respond to calls for service. However, the police, fire, and medical services have changed some of their running rules to help eliminate non-essential interactions with others. This does not mean that police, fire, public works, and ambulance services will not assist you with your request. It just may happen in a way that our citizens are not accustomed to. 
All crimes in progress and ones involving crimes of violence will be responded to in the normal fashion. Other calls, minor in nature, will be accepted, however, they may be dealt with through phone contact from an Ansonia Police Officer.
Medical services will be provided as usual but you may be asked a series of screening questions by dispatchers. Medical personnel may arrive in full protective gear. Please do not be alarmed. This is for your protection as well as theirs.

We are asking that Ansonia residents be patient while we work through this unprecedented emergency. We are doing our best to provide all services. 
The objective is to prevent our emergency personnel and city workers from becoming ill and paralyzing our ability to respond. 

Below you will find a status of services for the City of Ansonia:

City Hall – Closed to the general public but open for telephonic and email communications;

Ansonia Public Schools - Closed until further notice;

Public Works - Open;

Ansonia Rescue and Medical Services – Open;

WPCA – Closed to the general public but open for telephonic and email communications;

Police Department – Open- Modified running rules.

Fire Department - Open

Library - Closed to the general public but open for telephonic and email communications;

Senior Center - Closed to the general public but open for telephonic and email communications.

Ansonia Nature Center - Closed to the general public but open for telephonic and email communications.

We fully believe that we will get through this crisis together. Please be patient. We are working closely with the State of CT and the Naugatuck Valley Health Department to stay updated and prepared to respond. 
Important updates will be posted periodically.



'Turnback Tuesday' (on Wednesday) highlights jewelry store in Derby

Turnback Tuesday visits an old establishment in Downtown Derby: R & G Jewelry Store. Robert S. Gardner started his business in 1885 as a jeweler and optician, dealer in stationary, books and periodicals. He was 18 years old. The first four years the business was located at 111 Main St. than moved to 241 Main where it remained until the name change in 1906 to Gardner & Hall Co. 
This photo we believe was taken in 1890 at the 241 Main St. location with Robert S. behind the counter on the left.


Thanks as always to the Derby Public Library staff for sharing interesting local history each week.

Seymour superintendent outlines distribution schedule for technology tools

Good Morning Seymour Families,
As a result of the overwhelming response to people requesting technology. 
We will still be distributing the Chromebooks as a grab and go model at Seymour Middle School over the previously identified days, but we will need to follow this schedule in order to minimize traffic jams and to keep things moving in an orderly fashion. 
Today [Wednesday] from 12:00pm - 3:00pm we will be handing out to students whose last name starts with an A through J. Tomorrow from 4:00pm - 6:00pm we will be handing out to students whose last name starts with a K through Z. And on Saturday, we will be handing out to anyone who could not make the previous days between 10:00am and 1:00pm.
Since we received some questions on devices last night, we wanted to remind you that any device that is able to access Google Apps will work for our students to access their assignments. At this time, since we have over 550 requests, we are kindly asking that families share chromebooks between their children whenever possible to make sure we have chromebooks available for everyone to start week 1. If after March 27th you feel as though one chromebook is not enough please notify central office and we will offer another pickup day at a location to be determined later. 
Please see the suggested chart below:
1 or 2 Children Request 1 Chromebook to start
3 Children Request 2 Chromebooks to start
4 Children Request 2 Chromebooks to start
5 Children Request 3 Chromebooks to start

Sincerely,
Michael Wilson
Superintendent

Recuperation journey: Tuesday's sunset


Being aware of the beauty of nature that surrounds us really can have a calming effect at this crazy time.

Ansonia posts list of restaurants offering curb side, takeout, delivery service


Sharing info from the City of Ansonia Facebook page:

"To assist with recognition of our restaurants who are offering curb side, take out, or delivery service, here’s a handy contact list that will remain posted. 
"Please follow their facebook pages for daily offerings and delivery options. 
"A pdf version is also available if you would like to print and click directly on their links at: http://www.cityofansonia.com/news/?FeedID=863