Behind Closed Doors

Mark you calendars NOW for the second annual Holiday House Tour, noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday, December 7. For the low low LOW price of $25, tour historic houses in our neighborhood and while doing benefit a great cause — Sterling House Community Center. Last year's tour — which included Koreen LaBrecque's FABULOUS Colonial at 2288 Main Street (you know — the yellow one) and the world-famous "leaning house" at Elm and Broad — was a resounding success, and the 2008 edition promises to be even better! Refreshments and hot Cocoa will be served. Tickets are available at Sterling House (378-2606) or from Nancy Monk (378-7725).

Rosen House Update

Neighbor Ed Goodrich offers this amplification on TOMORROW NIGHT'S key Board of Zoning Appeals hearing on the petition by the East Broadway halfway house to host public meetings, in violation of town zoning regs (see previous post):

The petition brought forth by the Harry Rosen House, LLC states that it wants the Board of Zoning Appeals to waive section 1.1 and 4.1 of the Zoning Regulations in order to allow weekly meetings in the "carriage house" for 15 residents and 35 non-residents for 12-step meetings on property located in an RS-4 residential district.

We want the board not only to deny this petition, but to affirm and adhere to its original decision of allowing only those who live there to be able to congregate.

Halfway House Alert

The controversial 859 East Broadway halfway house, the Harry Rosen House, has applied for a zoning variance to allow it to hold 12-step meetings of up to 50 people each week. The public hearing on its application will take place THIS THURSDAY, November 6, beginning at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers. For those neighbors who don't know, the Rosen House is a residential facility for recovering substance-abusers. In 2006 an outbuilding (garage/barn) behind the main structure burned down. In applying for a building permit to rebuild, Rosen House founder Barrie Drazen promised that the replacement structure would be used for storage ONLY. Instead, it has been used for 12-step meetings, open to the public. Many neighbors have several problems with this. These include:

1) The apparently deliberate misleading of town officials and neighbors about the purpose of the rebuilt structure.

2) Rosen House residents are required to attend 12-step meetings each day. However, there are DAILY 12-step meetings within easy walking distance of 859 East Broadway, including at St. James, the Knights of Columbus, Christ Church and the First Congregational Church.

3) Public Safety Issue A — During meeting times so many cars are parked on East Broadway that it is impossible for northbound Elm Street traffic to safely turn left onto East Broadway.

4) Public Safety Issue B — A Rosen House resident is alleged to have been responsible for at least two recent attempted break-ins: one on east Broad Street, and one at the vacant Slater home at 2175 Elm Street (see Paul Joy's post, "Crime & Punishment," below).

We urge all concerned neighbors to attend this Thursday's meeting to let the Board of Zoning Appeals know where you stand on this critical neighborhood issue.

— Michael Bingham

Christ Church To Celebrate

Last year Christ Church — the parish — turned 300, making it the oldest Episcopal church in the diocese of Connecticut. This Saturday Christ Church — the building — turns 150. To celebrate, the church will host a special 5 p.m. service led by Bishop James Curry to rededicate the church building. (Remember: This is SATURDAY.) For the liturgically minded, there will be prayers from the 1789 Book of Common Prayer and a number of 19th-century hymns. Following the service there will be a dinner in the adjoining Parish House for the low, low, low price of $15 per person. They're still taking reservations; call 375-4447.

Christ Church has been a steadfast friend to OSNA and the neighborhood for many years, so please do come out to help Father Bob and many of your neighbors celebrate this important milestone in the life of the neighborhood.

Stratford Residents Left Without Facts

The Connecticut Post reported: The suspension and demotion of Stratford Police Union President Joseph McNeil doesn't answer any of Stratford residents' questions in the sorry case of information leaked from the personal file of a candidate for employment in the town's police department. As is often the case with government matters carried out secretly, the people of Stratford are left with a finding of "guilty" from Chief Administrative Officer Suzanne McCauley and continued protestations of "innocent" from McNeil and union leadership.

To read the full article, go to: http://www.connpost.com/ci_10787253

Belles of the Ball

The Perry House Foundation staged a fabuloso Harvest Ball Saturday night at the (truly unrecognizable, if only for a few hours) Baldwin Center. Ambrosia and adult elixers were divine, natch, and a live and silent auction raised mucho dinero for everyone's fave oldest house. OSNA member Faye Gerarden and Veep Ann Lindsay Jackson were the tireless organizers who made the evening unforgettable.



Neighborhood beauties in their finery (clockwise from upper left): Nancy Monk, the aforementioned Ann Lindsay Jackson, Berta Prevosti, Alicia Sraguada and Susan Wright Rooney.

Crime and Punishment

Most of us go to sleep at night feeling pretty safe and secure in our neighborhood. But no neighborhood is completely safe. Below is OSNA officer Paul Joy's account of an incident that took place last Friday evening (10/17) of which we should all be aware:

Last evening I returned home at 9 pm and went inside my house. As usual, I always look around on the way in, but didn't notice anything odd. I went back to my truck a few minutes later and noticed a bike laying in the grass in front of Rick Herschners' house. Rick is frequently away and it was odd to see a bike laying there when it was not 5 minutes earlier.

I phoned the police because something told me there was an issue with this. While waiting for them to arrive, a person came out of the bushes from the far side of the house (not the driveway side) and when question, he gave me some stupid answers and got on the bike and left. When riding away, he gave out a couple of loud whistles and kept moving.

When the police officer arrived, I gave a full report and description of the guy to him, and he said they'd check out the house. The single officer came out from the back of the house and immediately called for 'back-up', enlisting the aid of 3 other officers who showed up within seconds (it took two phone calls and a half hour for the first officer to arrive) They all started going over the outside of the house as well as each window and door looking for any entry. The back door was ajar but chained from the inside. They surmised that no one could have entered and said they'd patrol extra in the neighborhood that evening.

They left and I proceeded to leave a few minutes later to go to my store. When I turned on Elm Street, all the police cars were in front of the Slater's house and I could see flashlights inside. The same bike was out front of the house and no one was around. I waited to talk to the officers to identify the bike, when Mike Bingham arrived. The officers came out front and we saw them coming from around the corner with a guy matching the description I gave them, sans hat and coat (he must have ditched them to look different).

I identified him as the guy, they questioned him and closed up the house and left with him in the police car. Nothing appeared to have been stolen, but the cops suggested he may not have been alone and when he was whistling leaving Herschners' he may have been signaling to others.

Point of the e-mail: we have several empty houses in the neighborhood, and some people are not always home, leaving their houses dark. As a community group. I think it prudent to identify these houses and make sure we (meaning an immediate neighbor) have emergency numbers for these people. Lock up your cars at night and securely lock your houses and look for odd or suspicious activity.

With the economy growing worse and money so hard to hold onto, this may be a good time to have OSNA sponsor a community watch/awareness night. But regardless, pass this along and tell your friends and neighbors to 'lock it up'. I'm sure the police dept would help sponsor this.