Port Chester just did something no other town in New York has done, and it's for the state's most vulnerable veterans. Meanwhile, a sewage report got walked back by 99.6 percent, a Greenwich school board is down two members, and Pasta Vera's old storefront about to go very Brooklyn. Let's get into it.

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Port Chester's Board of Trustees voted unanimously to give permanently disabled veterans a 100% exemption from village property taxes, the first town in New York to adopt it. Vietnam veteran Tom Giorgi, 82, said it'll help him "tremendously, financially" and make him "feel very good inside." No other town in this area has followed yet.

The agency's story starts in 1968, as a volunteer ambulance corps. Growing call volume through the 1990’s made an all-volunteer model unsustainable. Staffing an ambulance 24 hours a day requires people on site, not on call so PCRRBEMS shifted to a paid, professional Advanced Life Support mode.  Every truck since has carried both an EMT and a Paramedic. Today the agency employs 45 people between Paramedics, EMTs, and officers (both full and part-time capacities.)

The average response time to a 911 call anywhere in the district is approximately five minutes!. The majority of the calls are 911 responses with the remainder being standby coverage for community events, school sporting events, and other private functions.

Why it matters: Ambulances are one of the most significant and costly assets that the agency invests in. Each new ambulance carries a price tag of $225,000 and when fully equipped cost an additional $225,000. Chief Barton says every truck, is configured identically, buying from the same vendor for close to a decade, so a crew can move between vehicles without confusion or delay. The annual support of our communities is what makes these purchases possible.

A personal note: this was Sound Shore Dispatch's first on-site interview. Chief Kenny Barton and his crew at PCRRBEMS gave us their time, a tour of the trucks, and patience for every question. Thank you, Chief and Cheryl. Here's to more of this.

Board of Education Chair Michael-Joseph Mercanti-Anthony and fellow Republican Wendy Vizzo Walsh both resigned last week, effective Aug. 26. Neither has said why. Superintendent Toni Jones is now recruiting two registered Republicans to fill the seats through the November 2027 election, warning the time commitment will be high given ongoing building committees and budget season.

Why it matters: the board loses two experienced members right as it heads into major capital projects, with almost no transition time.

The Mamaroneck Wastewater Treatment Plant first reported releasing 4 million gallons of partially treated sewage into Long Island Sound Monday, prompting alarm along Rye's beaches.

A day later, the state report was revised: the real discharge lasted 34 minutes and totaled 16,290 gallons, less than half a percent of the original estimate. No reason was given for the recast figures. It's the second release from the plant in two weeks, after a half-million-gallon discharge in late July. The plant, which also treats sewage from Rye homes, blamed "weather conditions" both times. Westchester County closed Rye's Coveleigh Club beach Aug. 4 and 5 after separate heavy rain.

Why it matters: two discharges in two weeks means more days when Sound water isn't safe to swim in, in the middle of summer.

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A Port Chester garbage truck was quarantined Tuesday after radiation was detected inside it. The truck, which serves the Locust Avenue area, will stay out of service for days or weeks until levels drop; officials remind residents that medical waste containing radioactive material can't go in household trash.

Rye Brook's Building Department launched a new online permitting system this week. The GovWell-powered platform lets residents apply for and track building permits without a trip to Village Hall.

A Connecticut law firm with offices from New Haven to Stamford opened a new location in Greenwich this week. Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey's Field Point Road office will focus partly on local land use and zoning work.

A photographer caught a golden sunrise over Rye's Edith Read Wildlife Sanctuary this week, and MyRye.com shared the shot. It's the kind of quiet moment locals say makes the humidity worth it. 🌅 Check it here

The Pasta Vera space is becoming Emmy Squared, a Brooklyn-born Detroit-style pizza chain that opened its first shop in Williamsburg in 2016 and has grown to two dozen locations, including a Westport outpost that opened in 2023.

The pizza is a square-shaped hybrid of a New York grandma pie and a Detroit-style pie, with a caramelized "frico" cheese crust and signature sauce stripes, alongside a double-stack burger that's landed on best-of lists in New York and Nashville. "In every neighborhood we join, our team is committed to contributing to the community and practice our company ethos of inclusivity and unparalleled hospitality," the company says.

Worth knowing: no opening date yet, but the sign is already up on the Avenue.

Battle of Ridgefield Archaeological Lecture.
Greenwich Historical Society, 47 Strickland Rd, Cos Cob.
Thursday, Aug. 6, 6:30 p.m.
greenwichhistory.org

Stella Blue's Band: Grateful Dead Tribute.
Garcia's at The Capitol Theatre, 149 Westchester Ave, Port Chester.
Friday, Aug. 7, evening.
thecapitoltheatre.com

Playland Friday Night Fireworks.
Rye Playland, 1 Playland Pkwy, Rye.
Friday, Aug. 7 & 14, 9 p.m.
playland.com

Music in the Park.
Pine Ridge Park, Rye Brook.
Sunday, Aug. 9, evening.
ryebrookny.gov

Rye Town Park Summer Concert: The Russ Davis Band.
Rye Town Park Pavilion, Rye.
Tuesday, Aug. 11, 7 p.m.
ryetownny.gov

Harrison Summer Concert Series: Day Camp Show.
Ma Riis Park, downtown Harrison.
Monday, Aug. 10, 7 p.m.
harrison-ny.gov

Long before anything else, John Clarkson Jay was a kid walking the shoreline of Milton Harbor, picking up shells. Born in 1808 to Peter Augustus Jay, grandson of Founding Father John Jay, he trained as a physician, then largely abandoned medicine for conchology, the study of mollusk shells. By his death in 1891, Jay had assembled the largest private shell collection in the country, more than 50,000 specimens, later donated to the American Museum of Natural History, where it became the foundation of the malacological department.

In 1854, Commodore Matthew Perry brought Jay the shells his Japan expedition had collected, for cataloging. In 1844, Jay joined eight other yacht owners aboard the Gimcrack in New York Harbor to found the New York Yacht Club, serving as its early secretary.

For 48 years, Jay lived at the family's 1838 Greek Revival mansion on Boston Post Road, the same grounds where his grandfather spent his youth. Today, the Jay Estate anchors a National Historic Landmark run by the Jay Heritage Center.

This 1942 brick colonial sits on 3 acres in Greenwich's "Golden Triangle," abutting Rockwood Lane and prized for quiet, estate-sized lots. A 2024 remodel kept the four fireplaces, wood-paneled library and soaring-ceiling kitchen intact while updating the systems, and a finished lower level adds space many older Greenwich colonials lack. It's been on the market since June, a longer runway than usual for a well-kept "Golden Triangle" home.

$5,495,000
5 bed / 7 bath · 8,082 sq ft
583 Lake Ave, Greenwich

View listing

— 🇺🇸 Here in the US
— 🇪🇺 Going to Europe
— 🌏 Visiting Asia
— 🗺️ Somewhere else
— 🏠 I'm staying home this summer

👉 Vote here

Last week’s poll results: Should private schools compete for the same state playoff titles as public schools?

No, keep them in separate divisions — 43%
Not following this one closely — 29%
Yes, keep everyone in one bracket — 14%
Only with size or enrollment adjustments — 14%

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