By Mark Pruner
BET in Surprise Move to Double Tax Rate
Over the past decade, Greenwich politics have become more partisan, but not to the extent that members won’t consider good ideas from the opposing party. Despite both sides claiming credit, the proposal to double Greenwich’s lowest-in-the-state mill rate appears to enjoy bipartisan support.
Some Republicans endorse the idea as a return to “pay-as-you-go” budgeting, reminiscent of previous decades. One dissenting Republican noted that with the town’s $174 million debt and current property tax revenue of around $420 million, a 41% increase in the mill rate could eliminate the debt in one year.
Democrats argue that given the high interest and inflation rates, investing in capital improvements now is prudent to avoid higher costs in the future. They propose allocating 59% of the increased taxes to build 13 new schools immediately, to prevent further cost escalation. For the 14th school, Old Greenwich Elementary, they suggest preserving its exterior while dropping a new school inside by helicopter.
Republicans question the feasibility of replacing all of the schools with $246 million. Democrats suggest doubling the rates for two years to complete the projects, enabling a large tax reduction thereafter, as new schools wouldn’t be needed for three decades.
Republicans advocate for a “One and Done” approach, while Democrats favor “Two for the Money.”
Army to Acquire Greenwich Point
The US Army has plans to relocate USAMRIID, the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, to Greenwich Point. The Institute studies deadly pathogens such as Ebola and Marburg hemorrhagic fevers.
In the announcement, the commanding colonel highlighted the recent relocation of the Department of Agriculture’s National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility to Manhattan, Kansas from Plum Island NY. He pointed out that like Plum Island Greenwich Point is also a surrounded-by-water location. The existing guard house and narrow peninsula resemble USAMRIID’s security measures.
Additionally, the sandy beaches provide ideal training grounds for beach assault exercises. The colonel assured the reporters that compliance with Greenwich P&Z regulations, including FAR regulations, won’t be an issue. However, meeting the Green Area regulation might be challenging since most lab-area vegetation tends to be brown.
Residents with scannable beach cards can still access the beaches on weekends, except during air or beach assaults. Families are advised to wear MOPP suits, which many already have from the Covid years.
Greenwich Restaurant to Receive Michelin Star
The Michelin Guide is rectifying its under-awarding of quality U.S. restaurants by adopting new award guidelines, entitled DEI-2. These guidelines prioritize diversity, entertainment, and recognition of Irish and Italian cuisine.
The Bruce Park Grill, known for its diverse late-night crowd and thin-crust Italian pizza, perfectly aligns with these criteria said the Guide representative. The bar offers entertainment with the oldest continuously active shuffleboard. The two “I” requirement he said is clearly met by Italian pizza from a bar owner of Irish heritage.
Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, however, was not happy about the Guide Michelin new DEI-2 policy. He was overheard saying, “How would they feel if I made it Quadruple D’s and started wearing a tux, got a Maserati, and did entire shows at upscale French restaurants.” He also said that Greenwich was “his” as he had already done Grigg Street Pizza and Il Pastaficio.
The owner of the Bruce Park Grill has denied that now that they are one star restaurant that they are considering changing the name to the Bruce Park Grille and Brasserie.
I hope you enjoyed this April Fools’ edition of the Greenwich Sentinel real estate report. If you liked it, you can email me at Mark.Pruner@compass.com. If you didn’t, you can email my brother at Russell.Pruner@compass.com and ask him what’s wrong with his brother, and also wish him Happy Birthday on his April 1st birthday.
