Stamford Senior Center is a nonprofit organization and community center offering many programs for seniors in the community. Membership is open for seniors 50 years and older and includes fitness programs, recreation programs and meals. Some options include games, cards, pool, yoga, tai shi, movies, wellness programs, blood screenings, dominos, computer programs, and much more. It also offers transportation programs. Check the main website for details on programs or for information on joining.
The details of living are the stuff of the Norwalk Town Clerk, who is responsible for the recording and maintenance of a wide variety of records, including vital statistics, land statistics and election records. The Town Clerk can also perform marriages and civil unions.
The Town Clerk manages the collection of real estate fees such as conveyance taxes and recording fees. In addition, dog licenses, fishing licenses, marriage licenses, death certificates and absentee ballots are all available at the Town Clerk's office.
Interested in running for office? The Town Clerk's office is your first stop for registration and financial disclosure statements. It's also your first stop if you're going to be overseas during the elections and you'd like to vote.
Norwalk's Meals on Wheels, located in the Norwalk Senior Center on Allen Road, has been delivering daily meals to city residents for more than 25 years. Norwalk Senior Center Executive Director Paul Palermo said that 85 people are currently receiving meals through this Norwalk non-profit agency. Anyone living in Norwalk who cannot shop for or prepare his or her own meals is eligible to apply. Payment is based on income using a sliding scale. Seven days' worth of meals (one hot meal and one cold meal daily) are provided. The caterer-prepared meals are delivered Monday through Friday by volunteers. Meals for Saturday and Sunday are delivered along with the Thursday and/or Friday meals.
Norwalk also operates a Meals on Wheels at its south site: 92 Cedar Street in South Norwalk. That site is open Monday–Friday, 9:00am–2:00pm.
Contact the Meals on Wheels Coordinator, Mark Palmer, at 203-847-3115 for information or to initiate Meals on Wheels.
The Norwalk Historical Commission, housed in City Hall, protects and oversees the city cemeteries, collections and archives of the Norwalk Museum, as well as several historic buildings, including the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum.
The Board members of the Commission are appointed by the mayor for five-year revolving terms and must be approved by the Common Council of Norwalk. Commission members serve on one of four committees: finance, buildings, museum and cemetery. The chairman and vice chairman of the Commission are members of all committees on an as-needed basis, and there is one staff member to serve all Commission members.
The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, a national registered historic landmark, is available for weddings and conferences as well as tours. The Mansion Museum also hosts frequent events; there are antiques appraisals weekends, lectures and art exhibitions. There is also a gift shop.
The Norwalk Museum, located in the heart of historic SoNo, has a recognized collection of Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls as well as photos and other archives related to Norwalk. Private tours and reviews of the archives can be arranged by contacting the administrator of the Commission.
If you are renovating your home or business, chances are you will need a permit and an inspection. The City of Norwalk Building and Code Enforcement Department is there for the protection of the consumer and is responsible for ensuring compliance with the Connecticut State Building Code.
The Web site is a terrific resource for doing research in advance. Answers to questions about demolition, fees and permit requirements are spelled out clearly for both residential and commercial projects. Visitors to the Department are wise to prepare ahead of time.
In addition to building permits, the Department is also responsible for inspecting and approving other structures, such as swimming pools and signs. Special construction projects, such as asbestos removal, also are within the domain of the Department.
Want to see if that big construction project has its permits lined up or has the certificate of occupancy? Head to the tax assessor's office to get the property card and then to the Building Department, where those records are available for public view. Telephone or fax orders are not available; requests must be made in person. Copies can be outsourced for a fee of 50 cents per page.
Permit application appointments are in the morning and are by appointment only.
Part of the Department of Finance, The Office of the Comptroller manages the accounting and reporting functions for the City of Norwalk. As part of the general accounting function, the comptroller records all transactions that the city makes and manages the "recording, depositing and investing" of funds.
The comptroller also provides financial reporting of the city's finances, the results of which are available online. In addition, the office is responsible for ensuring that grant monies are used appropriately and must provide the accounting function for that office as well.
Vendors providing services to the city can find required forms online, such as ACH agreements and W9 forms. Employees of the city and retirees needing forms for pension benefits can find those forms online as well.
The First Selectman is Ridgefield's chief executive, responsible for day-to-day management of the town. The official leads the Board of Selectmen, sets and pursues a set of town priorities, oversees all town departments and works with those departments during the annual budget process.
Until 2007, the First Selectman, along with the four other people comprising the Board of Selectmen, was up for reelection every two years, but the term is now four years long. Rudy Marconi has been Ridgefield's First Selectman since 1999.
Built in 1912, City Hall is the main government building in Norwalk.
At City Hall, you'll find the offices for the building management department, comptroller, conservation, finance, grants department, human relations, mayor, planning and zoning, public works, recreation and parks, tax assessor, tax collector and youth services.
Various city commissions and the common council hold meetings in City Hall. Notices and agendas for upcoming meetings and city events can be found at the information desk on the first floor. You can also find other legal notices there.
Attached to City Hall is the Norwalk Concert Hall, where events and concerts are held. Its schedule can be found on the city website.
Found in city hall, the conservation office is responsible for protecting the environment in Norwalk. Conservation has its own enforcement and support staff charged with three tasks: to ensure the safety of the water supply, to monitor activities in and around wetland and watercourse areas, and to protect and suggest uses for open space while monitoring natural resource inventories.
The aquifer protection agency regulates activities that occur near the city's water wells. It also provides enforcement based on APA rules. The APA board meets the second and fourth Thursday of each month in city hall in the planning and zoning conference room on the second floor.
Norwalk residents, aside from being thankful for safe drinking water, must also work with the conservation office when renovating their homes or businesses. In order to receive a permit, the conservation office must review the property to determine the appropriate level of permission. The inland wetlands commission meets the second and fourth Tuesday of every month in city hall's Room 231.
The City of Norwalk's conservation website has additional information, including forms and frequently asked questions.
The tax assessor's office is responsible for keeping track of all the taxable property in town, which includes an annual calculation of the town's tax base, known as the grand list.
The office is located on the lower level of Town Hall.
The Connecticut Women, Infants and Children state agency offers nutritional guidance and assistance for qualified state residents. Those meeting federal poverty guidelines are eligible for "fresh, unprepared fruits and vegetables." Participants are given checks to use at participating grocery stores.
In addition to produce, nutritional risk is assessed and food education is provided. Children under the age of five, parents, stepparents, foster parents, guardians and pregnant and nursing mothers are eligible.
For additional information, visit the website: http://www.ct.gov/dph/site/default.asp.
The Town Clerk's responsibilities include maintaining land records such as deeds and mortgages, keeping birth, death and marriage licenses, issuing licenses for dogs, hunting and marriage, posting meeting agendas and mailing absentee ballots. The elected position is a four-year term.
The Town Clerk's office is the first door on the left after entering the main doors of town hall.
The Eastern Greenwich Civic Center was acquired by the town in 1966 and serves Old Greenwich and Riverside.
With its large banquet rooms, auditorium and gym, the building is often rented for family and social functions. It also serves as the meeting place for Old Greenwich Art Society Painters and Greenwich Parkinson Support group.
The outside area has two lighted tennis courts, a ballfield and two playgrounds with picnic areas. Contact director Billie Schock for rental fees and availability. The facility was recently updated and is home to Kamp Kairphree, an 8-week day camp run by the Parks and Recreation Department in the summer.
Located in City Hall, the Registrar of Voters manages the voters, poll workers and elections in the City of Norwalk. Eligible citizens wishing to vote should visit either the office or the website to fill out the necessary forms to ensure proper registration. Forms are available in Spanish as well as English.
The Registrar also hires and trains poll workers and other election officials. As the Norwalk administrator for all local, state, and federal elections and primaries, the office runs the voting locations and provides the voting equipment.
The office is also charged with ensuring future voter turnout by encouraging voter registration and participation. The website has polling locations for first-timers.
This office is one of the 17 field offices in the Boston region of the national Social Security Administration. Residents can access assistance in recieving and managing their Social and Supplemental Security benefits. Over 650,000 Connecticut residents recieve Social Security benefits, and this branch helps ensure that local residents can access and understand their benefits.
The City of Norwalk's infrastructure is managed and maintained by the Department of Public Works. Also responsible for infrastructure capital improvements, the Department manages the bidding and proposal processes.
Garbage collection and recycling are part of the Public Works domain. The number of collections depend on the tax district in which the property is located; check the website for details. In addition, the solid waste and transfer station is maintained by Public Works.
Road maintenance is independently contracted. Each road is reviewed once every four years (25% of Norwalk's roads are reviewed each year). A paving plan is put forth and approved by the Common Council, and a road maintenance forecast is on the website for review.
The sewers are also managed by Public Works. Miles of pipeline, wastewater treament plants, and pumping stations are managed to ensure that wastewater is discharged safely and to State and federal guidelines.
Public Works also contributes to the beautification of Norwalk by utilizing the Urban Forest Improvement Program, with the goal of enhancing parklands and improving the aesthetics of city streets. Using the "neighborhood approach" ensures that residents have an "ownership" stake in the trees and will alert the Department in the event of a problem. Public Works also trims trees along power lines.
Residents can find additional information about Public Works by visiting the website 24 hours a day, or by contacting the office, located at City Hall.
The purse strings of the city of Norwalk are held by the finance department, which is responsible for "administering the fiscal policies of the city" and for keeping the accounts and records in order.
Responsible for managing and reporting on the budget, the department collects taxes and other revenue and also disperses funds for city departments. The purchasing function is also handled within the department. If the city needs to borrow money, the department must approve it.
Residents needing to pay their real estate or other personal property taxes will need to work with the department. Payments can be made by personal check or credit card. Residents will also be interested in the mill rate, which is set by the department, and is used to determine property tax amounts.
The Board of Finance meets regularly on the first Monday of the month.