World Cup, Knicks, camps, proms, graduations -- who's even keeping track anymore? Summer is doing its thing and none of us have caught our breath yet. But Greenwich kept people up past 1am Monday night, Port Chester opens its front door to community input, and a music producer turned his ear to espresso with a café shop in Port Chester.

THIS WEEK

Greenwich's School Zone Speed Cameras Are Coming Back

Greenwich's school zone speed cameras are coming back. The RTM voted 100-60 early Tuesday to reauthorize the program, ending a session that stretched past 1:30am. The cameras had been offline since April, when Greenwich discovered it had launched the program without the required public hearing. That hearing happened Monday -- loudly. 18 cameras across 9 school locations are now cleared for reactivation pending state review. I checked some comments on social media, and opinions are clearly divided.

THE NUMBER

92%

drop in weekly speeding violations in Greenwich school zones once the camera program began issuing tickets. Violations fell from roughly 32,000 per week at the baseline to 2,863. It took a year of controversy, a procedural fumble, and a meeting that ran until 1:30am to keep the program alive. The data made the argument.

SOUND SHORE STORIES

The Greenwich Board of Education packed a lot into its June meeting.

📱 The Greenwich High School Cell Phone Ban

In a sweeping policy shift, the board voted 5-3 to direct the administration to move forward with a strict "bell-to-bell" cell phone ban at Greenwich High School. This ends months of debate and means students will be restricted from using their phones for the duration of the school day.

🛑 The Superintendent's Contract Extension Fails

In a tense finish to the night, a motion to extend Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones’s contract by an additional year (through 2029) failed in a 4-4 tie vote. The vote split cleanly along party lines, with Democrats voting to extend and Republicans voting against. Because a school board motion requires a majority to pass, the tie means the extension died on the floor.

📉 A Teachers Union Morale Bombshell

The backdrop of the meeting was incredibly heavy due to a blistering statement released just days prior by the Greenwich Teachers Association. The union shared survey results showing that 90.8% of responding educators reported a decline in morale during their time in the district, pointing to central leadership as the primary driving factor.

Between banning phones, deadlocking on the superintendent's future, and addressing a massive drop in teacher morale, it was easily one of the most consequential and packed Greenwich BOE meetings in recent history.

PORT CHESTER

Port Chester Opens Its Planning Process to the Public

Port Chester held its first public workshop on the long-overdue update to its Comprehensive Plan yesterday evening, June 17, at the Port Chester Senior Community Center. The 6:30 p.m. session marked the first formal opportunity for residents and business owners to weigh in on the shape of the village's next decade.

The Comprehensive Plan will set the framework for zoning, housing, waterfront investment, and transit priorities for years to come. The stakes were visibly high: the Loop promenade is under construction, Westchester Crossing is taking shape near the station, and the North Main dining corridor is mid-evolution. What residents shared last night will directly influence what gets built—and what doesn't—moving forward.

GREENWICH

A Former Acme in Greenwich Could Become a School for 216 Children

The Goddard School has filed plans with the Greenwich Planning and Zoning Commission to convert the former Acme supermarket at 160 West Putnam Ave. into a preschool and daycare facility serving 216 children and 40 staff. The 20,500 square-foot single-story building sits on 1.3 acres in Greenwich's GB zone with roughly 80 parking spaces across two adjacent lots.

The Acme closed after about a decade in operation, leaving the stretch of West Putnam Ave. without a supermarket anchor. A national early childhood franchise replacing a grocery isn't a neutral trade, but it's one of the more active proposals for the site.

The proposal is at pre-application review stage. P&Z must first determine use compatibility before formal hearings begin.

SHARE THE LOVE!

Your Neighbor May Also Enjoy This Newsletter

I'm really enjoying putting this newsletter together for you, and I’d love to welcome more friendly faces to our community. If a friend popped into your head while reading today’s stories, please forward this to them! It only takes five seconds, but it means the world to a local project like this.

New here? Join the neighborhood and subscribe here: www.soundshoredispatch.com

Want to see your business in front of a qualified audience? Reply to this email to inquire about sponsorship opportunities.

SOUND BITES

Harrison's Louis M. Klein Middle School holds a distinction shared by no other middle school in New York State: RAMP recognition. RAMP, the Recognized ASCA Model Program, is the national gold standard in school counseling. It requires documented evidence of data-driven student support, equity outcomes, and alignment with best practices. LMK is the only middle school in the state that has it.

The Glenville Corridor project in Greenwich is entering its final nights. Overnight milling and paving runs June 21-25, from 9pm to 6am each night, completing a 7-year, $6.5 million pedestrian safety overhaul along Glenville Road from Glen Ridge to Weaver Street. When it's done, the intersection that once had no sidewalks and no working signals will be finished.

Port Chester High School holds its Class of 2026 graduation on Friday, June 26. The ceremony marks the end of the Port Chester-Rye UFSD school year for senior students from both Port Chester and Rye Brook. Details and timing at portchesterschools.org.

Rye Country Day School's Class of 2026 graduated on Tuesday, June 16, closing another school year at one of Westchester's oldest private institutions. Rye Country Day has operated continuously on Boston Post Road since 1869.

Greenwich's annual Youth Citizen's Police Academy runs June 23-26 at the Greenwich Police Department, 8:30am to 3:30pm daily. The four-day program gives young Greenwich residents a behind-the-scenes look at how the department operates. Details at greenwichct.gov.

TABLE TALK

Hot Days = Iced Coffee

Table Talk this week is a bit different — I want to give a shout-out to The Producer Coffee in Port Chester. Noah, the owner, opened the place in 2023 and I remember how impressed I was when I first visited the place, and even more amazed by the quality of the coffee and also the cakes, croissants, and snacks they have available.

Noah was also one of the first businesses to support the Cars & Coffee event I helped organize with a couple of friends. So maybe next time you're heading to one of those huge franchise shops, stop by this local gem and enjoy a high-quality product from a local.

Worth knowing: 201 Willett Ave, Port Chester, NY 10573
Open Daily

A QUICK HIT

If you're around the Greenwich/Cos Cob area and looking for something fresh, Island Fin Poké on East Putnam Avenue is worth a stop. You build your own bowl — protein, base, toppings, and sauce — and the result is a clean, flavorful meal that doesn't leave you feeling heavy. Ingredients are fresh, portions are generous, and the staff is genuinely helpful if it's your first time. The kind of place you'll easily find yourself going back to. A solid local gem for a quick, healthy lunch or dinner.

Worth knowing: 136 E Putnam Ave, Cos Cob, CT 06807

LOCAL EVENTS

The Fab Faux
Where: The Capitol Theatre, 149 Westchester Ave, Port Chester, NY 10573
When: Saturday, June 20, 8:00pm
More info: thecapitoltheatre.com

Focus on French Cinema: Colours of Time
Where: The Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT 06830
When: Sunday, June 21, 2:00pm-5:00pm
More info: brucemuseum.org

Daniel Tosh
Where: The Capitol Theatre, 149 Westchester Ave, Port Chester, NY 10573
When: Monday, June 22, 7:30pm
More info: thecapitoltheatre.com

Trey Anastasio
Where: The Capitol Theatre, 149 Westchester Ave, Port Chester, NY 10573
When: Tuesday, June 23, 8:00pm
More info: thecapitoltheatre.com

Chazz Palminteri: A Bronx Tale
Where: The Capitol Theatre, 149 Westchester Ave, Port Chester, NY 10573
When: Friday, June 26, 8:00pm
More info: thecapitoltheatre.com

NEIGHBORHOOD SPOTLIGHT

Rye Boys Lacrosse Just Won the School's First-Ever State Title.

In a spring already stacked with Rye athletic milestones, the boys lacrosse team saved the best for last.

On Sunday, June 14, the Rye Garnets beat Jamesville-DeWitt 15-9 at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva to win the program's first-ever New York State Class C championship. Jamesville-DeWitt had appeared in the state final four straight years without winning. Rye ended that streak in dominant fashion.

The turning point came mid-second quarter, with the score tied 4-3. From there, Rye outscored J-D 11-6 the rest of the way. Junior Charlie Brady scored five goals. Face-off specialist Wilson Redd won 20 of 26 draws. Sophomore goalie Sam LaMonte held his composure through the fourth quarter when the game was still live. The Niejadlik and Scully twins were involved in nearly every key possession on both ends.

The person most responsible for the process that got them there was first-year head coach Jeremy Guski, who built a culture that kept a talented group of kids connected to something special all season.

Rye now has a state champion!

MARKET WATCH

A Private Wooded Lot in the Interior of Harrison

With mature landscaping and room to breathe on a quiet residential street. Harrison Meadows, with its golf course, public restaurant, and outdoor tennis, is walkable from here. Harrison Avenue Elementary and Harrison High School are both within close range of the address. For buyers willing to leave the Rye premium behind, Harrison at $1.9M for four bedrooms and over 3,000 square feet makes a compelling case.

View listing on Zillow
$1,900,000
34 Sunny Ridge Road, Harrison, NY 10528
4 beds / 4 baths · 3,096 sq ft

THE POLL

We have hundreds of new readers joining us in the past weeks. How are you liking this newsletter?

❤️ Love it — this is exactly what I wanted
👍🏻 It's good — a few things I'd tweak
😌 Still getting a feel for it — ask me in a month
😬 Not quite hitting for me yet

Last week’s poll results: How would you rate the quality of the public schools in your town?

Good, solid, with real room to improve — 44%
Outstanding, we're lucky to live here — 33%
Mixed, depends heavily on the school or grade level — 22%

If this landed in your inbox through a forward, welcome! — you can subscribe here. And if something in here makes you think of a neighbor who'd find it useful, pass it along. That's how this thing grows 🙌🏻
Have a story to share? A suggestion to make this newsletter better? Just reply to this email.

See you next Thursday!

Reply

Avatar

or to participate

Keep Reading