Wow, I’m learning a lot by perusing the Darien Police website — it’s actually chock full of useful information. But don’t worry, I’ll extract what I think are the must-knows and post them here in the coming days in case you don’t have time to peruse it yourself! But I had no idea you have to have a permit to have a tag sale … Here it is. I would have just happily set up shop in my yard and then, apparently, been arrested. Or fined, I guess, but I think ‘arrested’ sounds more dramatic. I enjoy the vision of sitting in front of a little make-shift desk on my front lawn, in the sunshine, with an array of items for sale spread out in front of me, waiting patiently for customers to arrive and buy it all … and having police cars suddenly come screeching and spinning in from 3 different directions, all in sync in a perfectly choreographed ambush, and all stop, facing forward and pointing at directly at me. In a flash, the front doors would be flung open and Darien’s finest would poise on bended knee behind their doors, telling me to get up slowly from my cardboard box desk with my hands raised above my head…. I think maybe I watch too much Law & Order. Speaking of Tag Sales, don’t forget to list yours for FREE in the Classifieds section of AllAboutDarien.com! And if anyone has any fun tag sale stories or other tips for tag sale success, please feel free to contribute to this post …
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Darien Tag Sales Are Serious Business
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Town Ordinances, Rules & Regulations
A very motivated neighbor of mine who obviously wanted to beat the heat by getting an early start on his yard work revved up his (very loud) lawnmower at 7:15am on a recent Sunday morning, which also happened to be one of those once-in-a-million mornings when the baby had fallen back to sleep and my husband and I were looking forward to catching a few extra zzzz’s ourselves …. but of course, my neighbor couldn’t have known that. My husband sleepily grumbled that there is actually a noise ordinance that makes noise before a certain hour of the morning on Sundays in Darien illegal … and, naturally, that made me curious. Was that actually true, or just wishful thinking? I discovered a link to an official Code of Ordinances for Darien, CT document online, which is easily navigate-able and where you can find information on everything from rules about recycling to how the Town Council should be operated … But for those of you who are curious about the answer to the noise question, read on for the quick answer. The Town of Darien has a Noise Ordinance (Section 31-7), the foundation of which lies with the CT state law concerning control of noise, specifically CT General Statute 22a-69 and the resultant D.E.P. noise regulations identified as 22a-69-1 through 22a-69-7.4. Construction noise is exempt from enforcement. Lawn care and maintenance equipment may be operated between the hours of 7:00am and 9:00pm. Noise created by snow removal equipment operated at any time of day or night is exempt. Noise created by any mobile source such as automobiles and trucks is an exclusion to the regulations, however, once a garbage truck has become stationary in order to empty dumpsters or otherwise acquire refuse, the ordinance would be applicable. Building intrusion alarms shall not emit an audible signal for a period exceeding 30 minutes. An audible vehicle alarm shall not sound for in excess of 10 minutes. However, the repetition of activation of the audible signal of an alarm due to malfunction, lack of proper maintenance, or lack of reasonable care shall be considered excessive noise. So there you have it: my neighbor was perfectly within his rights to start mowing at 7am, and those construction explosions you may hear at 1am on the Noroton Heights highway bridge are also perfectly within the rules. Consider yourself in the know.
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Back-to-school Safety Reminder: Bicycle Helmets
We know you know it’s the safe choice, but in case you didn’t also know that it is also a law in Darien that all kids age 15 and under must wear helmets when biking, here’s your heads up!
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Dogs in Darien
Questions or opinions about dogs in Darien, leash laws, poop scooping, etc? Check out DDOG (Darien Dog Owners Group), a group of dog owners committed to nurturing a positive environment between dogs, people, and public safety in Darien, CT. In fact, all residents are invited to take a 60-second, anonymous survey to help them acquire an in-depth understanding of the community’s interests in public spaces where dogs are able to exercise and socialize off leash. To participate, click here.
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Rules and Regulations for Darien Parks and Beaches
Did you know that climbing trees in the park is actually against park rules? Ever wondered about open container rules, or campfires at the beach? Want to brush up on dog rules in Darien parks? You’ll find that information, and then some, in this official Darien Parks & Rec Official Rules & Regulations document. A few highlights of interest: – Children are not allowed to bring inflatable tubes or floats of any kind into the water at the beach, including scuba equipment like face masks and swimming fins, the sole exception being Coast Guard approved life flotation jackets, properly secured. – The new warming hut next to the paddle courts at Weed Beach is available for rent for private parties – see rules and regs – There are no dogs permitted at any time at either Weed Beach or Pear Tree Point Beach – You can strike up a recreational sports team and use town athletic fields for regular play, as long as you get a permit For even more cocktail party conversation starters, give the official document a read-through. For more information about the Darien Parks & Recreation Department in general, here is their website.
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10 Things To Know About The Darien Christmas Tree Pick-Up 2014
HAPPY NEW YEAR! The Town of Darien begins their 2014 Christmas tree pickup promptly on Jan 2nd, 2014. Here are 9 important things to know about tree pickup requirements and regulations, in addition to the pick-up schedule: Christmas Trees must be at the curb by the first morning of the scheduled pick-up period. Once collection is complete, trucks will not return until the next scheduled pick-up period for your area. Christmas Tree pick-up is conducted on public streets only. The schedule has been rotated from last year. Public Works does not have more specific times of pick-up. In the event of significant snow accumulation the program may be delayed, please be patient. Christmas wreathes, brush, grass clippings, garbage or other materials with not be collected. Christmas Trees with bags, netting, stands, or lights will not be collected. Residents with valid RDA stickers may still bring Christmas Trees to the dump. Collection is on weekdays only. 10. The 2014 pickup schedule is below, and can also be viewed here. For help assessing which Area best describes your location, here is a town map from the Town of Darien website. 1/2/14 thru 1/3/14 & 1/16/14 thru 1/17/14 (Area 1) North of RR Tracks and West of Hollow Tree Ridge Rd including Hollow Tree Ridge Rd. 1/6/14 thru 1/7/14 & 1/21/14 thru 1/22/14 (Area 2) North of RR Tracks and East of Hollow Tree Ridge Rd to and including Mansfield Ave. 1/8/14 thru 1/9/14 & 1/23/14 thru 1/24/14 (Area 3) North of RR Tracks and East of Mansfield Ave. 1/10/14 thru 1/13/14 & 1/27/14 thru 1/28/14 (Area 4) South of the Railroad Tracks and North of and including the Post Road. 1/14/14 thru 1/15/14 & 1/29/14 thru 1/30/14 (Area 5) South of the Railroad Tracks and South of the Post Road.
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10 Things You Need to Know About Snowstorms in Darien
1. Decisions about school cancellations/delayed openings/early releases are typically made before 5:30 am. If you have a Darien public school student and you have updated your information in ASPEN, you will receive a text notification from the School Messenger service when a decision is made (for more information about ASPEN, click here). We will also post information regarding school openings on our Facebook and Twitter feeds as soon as we receive it. 2. Most pre-schools and many other children’s programs in town including the Darien Nature Center, the Darien Community Association, and the Darien Arts Center follow the school closing schedule. Other closings are often posted by Darien Patch or Darien Times. 3. Darien uses the Code Red emergency notification system, to which you can subscribe for weather and other updates (Darien does have an Office of Emergency Management, but it is generally only activated in extreme circumstances). You can also follow @DarienPD on Twitter or Facebook for storm updates. 4. Connecticut Light & Power maintains a storm center that includes an outage map. The phone number for reporting a power outage is 1-800-286-2000. 5. If your property abuts a sidewalk, you are responsible for removing snow and/or ice from the sidewalk within 24 hours or face a fine of up to $90 per day (according to Section 66-5 of the Code of Ordinances). If you are a senior or a disabled person who needs assistance with a sidewalk, contact the Department of Human Services. 6. Although the fire departments in town do a fabulous job shoveling out fire hydrants, if you have a fire hydrant on or near your property and you can spare the time to clear it from snow, the help is certainly appreciated. 7. The so called ice missile law originally passed in 2010 took effect on January 1, 2014. This law requires drivers to remove snow and ice from the hoods, trunks, and roofs of their cars or face a fine of $75 (if an injury results from the failure to remove snow or ice, the penalty climbs from $200 to $1,000). 8. If the Darien Library is open, they often show family movies in the community room on snow days. Check their website or call for information. 9. There are many terrific sledding options in Darien that we’ve listed here. When there is a longer cold snap and the ponds have truly frozen over, there is ice skating at Tilley Pond Park and Gorham’s Pond. 10. The Christmas tree pick up schedule is delayed when there is significant snow accumulation. Got some more tips for surviving the winter weather? Let us know at jacquie@allaboutdarien.com.
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Should Weed Beach Go to the Dogs?
Attention dog owners! The Parks and Recreation Commission will hold a public hearing tonight, Wednesday, November 19th at 7:30pm in Room 119 at the Town Hall regarding dogs at Weed Beach. As you may know, though leash laws were relaxed last year to permit dogs off-leash at designated hours and in designated areas in Cherry Lawn Park from September 31 to May 31, dogs are currently not permitted (on- or off-leash) at either Darien town beach at any time of the year. (Click here for complete rules and regulations regarding dogs in Darien.)
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