In 2022, Norwalk witnessed exciting stories — such as the approval of Connecticut’s first Wegmans grocery store — and tragic events — such as the death of a 7-year-old girl in a house fire.
Education issues, such as school staff vacancies and new secondary school selection programs, also made headlines this year.
Here are some of 2022’s most important stories impacting the city.
The ‘Great Resignation’ hit Norwalk schools
Norwalk Public Schools has experienced numerous staff vacancies this year, and several key people have resigned, including the director of human resources. These openings specifically affect special education and paraprofessional positions, but the vacancies are spread across all types of positions.
The replacement teacher pool has not been able to completely cover vacancies, leaving both daily and long-term vacancies. This problem arises because agencies responsible for replacements do not have enough for all vacancies and because finding qualified replacements for certain positions, such as special education, is extremely difficult.
High school elective programs face backlash
The school district introduced a new High School Choice Program, which was revised several times after parental protests. Students are not required to participate but can choose a course at a school other than their local school through a lottery process. Families object to the lack of parental involvement in developing and approving programs. They also didn’t like the way the new program was announced to families and the confusion surrounding the details.
This program and the way it was presented to parents contributed to a petition for the then chairman of the Board of Education, Colin Hosten, to be removed. He didn’t back down, but Diana Carpio was named the new chairman in November as part of the board’s annual elections.
School opens in South Norwalk
The long awaited school opened in South Norwalk in August. The area has not had a neighborhood school in 40 years, and residents have been asking for one in the area for decades. The school started in a temporary location for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes only, but was eventually intended to be in a permanent location that could accommodate pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.
School means shorter bus journeys for students, more time for extracurriculars, and the ability to build relationships in the neighborhood.
A 7-year-old girl died in a fire that engulfed her home
The city was unable to determine the exact cause of the fire which engulfed the two-story home at 7 Nelson Ave. and killed Summer Fawcett just days after his 7th birthday.
Firefighters pulled Summer, a first grader at Cranbury Elementary School, from a second-floor bedroom in the burning house on the morning of May 14. But he died from complications of heat injuries and smoke inhalation at Norwalk Hospital.
“I will never forget when you came and gave me a hug on the first day of school,” said his teacher, Anna Maria Dimeglio. Summer died one day after he made his “first and last school outing to the Maritime Aquarium”.
His parents, who survived the blaze, expressed their gratitude for “every message, offer and support” after the tragedy.
More than 1,700 contributors donated more than $165,000 through an online fundraising campaign to help families with medical bills, funeral expenses and replacement costs for their heavily damaged homes, according to a GoFundMe campaign.
When the Norwalk Fire Department responded to the fire around 5 a.m. on May 14, the family’s two cars also caught fire in the driveway, and charred power lines fell on the driveway.
An investigation deeming the cause of the fire “undetermined” was conducted by the Norwalk Fire Marshal’s Office, the Connecticut State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit, and Travelers Insurance.
In an incident report, investigators noted that they found discarded cigarettes on the front porch, where officials believe the fire started, and “an electrical plug with an extension cord plugged in leading from the triseason porch to the living room, plugged in behind the living room couch.” room.”
In November, the house that was uninhabitable after the fire was demolished. All that remains on the site is a separate garage for two cars.
An open choice program begins, despite challenges
Norwalk Public Schools joins a statewide program this academic year that allows city students to attend nearby school districts. However, due to opposition from the community including Darien and other challenges, only Westport has accepted a handful of students this school year.
The state has approved funding for up to 50 Norwalk students to participate in the Open Choice program, an initiative intended to increase diversity in suburban districts, reduce overcrowding and get children into high-performance schools. Open Choice began in its current form in the 1990s, but grew out of a bus program in Hartford that began in the 1960s.
Darien was asked to admit 16 Norwalk Kindergarten children to his school, but the Board of Education has twice rejected the plan after parents argued it would be “wrong” for the community. Democratic lawmakers and other members of the public tried to push the school board to change its mind, with some criticizing the way Darien addressed the matter. State Senator Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, noted that he received a letter of Darien’s constituency telling him to take care of “your troubled school system and troubled minority students in your own troubled city.”
Wegmans is approved to open
Wegmans, a high-end grocery chain, has secured approval to open its first store in the state of Connecticut Avenue in Norwalk.
The New York-based shop is popular on the East Coast and received a lot of attention when it announced plans for a Norwalk location. The Norwalk Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously in August to approve plans for a 91,000 square foot two-story supermarket at 47 Richards Ave.
Part of the company’s plans is to demolish a 100,000-square-foot office building to make way for a new supermarket and two-level parking garage.
The company expects to begin construction in early 2023 and plans to acquire three additional properties on Connecticut Avenue for new retail buildings and access roads. The latter development was a response to a traffic problem.
An emergency care clinic, along with an adjacent building that houses the retail chain LL Flooring and showrooms for Mr. Shower Door, a manufacturer of shower enclosures, is expected to be torn down to make room for the new access point.
The hospital is working to close its inpatient psychiatric ward
Nuvance Health is working to end inpatient mental health services at Norwalk Hospital — and shift to intensive outpatient care and refer others to Danbury Hospital for inpatient treatment.
The owner of the two hospitals, Nuvance Health, submitted an application in January to the state’s Office of Health Strategy seeking approval of his plans. With the closure, it will expand emergency department mental health services at Norwalk Hospital and increase accessibility to the Intensive Outpatient Program and youth services.
Richard Maiberger, who was the department’s director for decades, emotionally pleaded with Norwalk Hospital and state officials at a public hearing in December not to close the inpatient psychiatric ward and keep patients in the local community.
Plans to close Norwalk Hospital’s inpatient mental health unit are part of a $220 million expansion and modernization project that will include demolishing the building where the mental health unit is housed. Hospital officials also said the plan would result in cost savings.
Historic house demolished without permission
The unauthorized destruction of the historic 345-year-old home prompted city officials to look into Norwalk ordinances to prevent it from happening again.
Cesar Diaz and Kembery Mora, the homeowners, were accused of illegally destroying the home at 21 Willow St. on 29th October during what was supposed to be a renovation project.
The residence is known as the Thomas Hyatt Home, after the home’s builder and first owner. The saltbox-style home was built in 1677 when Hyatt was granted 8 acres of land for his service in King Philip’s War, in which New England colonists fought Native Americans.
Although the house is considered the oldest in Norwalk, it was never placed on state or national historical registers to protect it from demolition.
While Diaz said they weren’t aware of the historic importance of the house, Tod Bryant, founder and president of the Norwalk Preservation Trust, said, “One of the first things they did was rip the plaque off the house.”