Home Care In Wilton, CT

One of Hank's proudest achievements was chairing the committee that oversaw the construction of the original Driscoll School in Wilton.

WILTON, CT — Henry (Hank) Walter Bullinger passed away peacefully at home on Jan. 24, just a few days after his 97th birthday. Born in January 1927, Hank was the youngest of Fredric and Harriet Bullinger’s three children. He was raised in Bronxville, NY and often visited Wilton, where his grandparents and uncles had a small dairy farm. A great storyteller, Hank often told tales of his time on the farm helping move cattle from the meadow on the corner of Turtleback and Whipstick Roads, to pastures on what is now Deer Run Road. In the early 1900s, his mother was the teacher at the Bald Hill schoolhouse, at the age of 17.

At age five, Hank fell critically ill with polio, and at the height of the fever the doctor told his mother “if he is alive in 24 hours, he might make it.” Make it he did, and he went on to live 92 more years. Hank slowly recovered from the illness and the related paralysis, but it kept him out of school for a year, and he never fully regained the strength in his legs. That didn’t stop him from trying out for the varsity football team in high school. He was largely second-string, but for a couple of glorious games junior year he played center after the starter in the position was injured. Not a small achievement for a boy that had to relearn to walk at age six.

One of Hank’s proudest achievements was chairing the committee that oversaw the construction of the original Driscoll School in Wilton. He took on the role with no town committee experience, but tackled the challenge with earnest determination, working with architects, vendors, town finance and building officials, and board members to see the project through. It was a deeply meaningful experience for him.

Hank’s insatiable curiosity and love of learning was an inspiration. In addition to engineering, his interests were wide-ranging, and he would happily discuss topics from aviation to naval leadership during WWII, to the history of Wilton dating back to its founding. He was also endlessly curious about people and would hold lengthy conversations with everyone from call center staffers to his four grandkids. What they were interested in, he was interested in, and he would listen with enthusiasm.

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Members of Minks to Sinks gathered at their recent annual meeting to unveil new co-chairs and present a check to Family & Children's Agency.

**News Release Submitted by Minks to Sinks**

Jan. 26, 2024

Members of Minks to Sinks gathered at their recent annual meeting to unveil new co-chairs and present a check to Family & Children’s Agency (FCA) to commemorate the more than $98,000 the organization’s tag sales raised in 2023.

Recognized as one of FCA’s major fundraisers, Minks to Sinks is a powerful force for good, rallying dedicated volunteers and leveraging their collective efforts to raise substantial funds.

“I am deeply appreciative of the hard work that makes Minks to Sinks such a tremendous success year after year,” said Robert F. Cashel, President & CEO of Family & Children’s Agency. “The dedication of these volunteers is inspiring and makes a lasting impact on those we serve.”

Find out what's happening in Wiltonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The transition of leadership was marked by the announcement of new co-chairs, Jennifer Davatzes and Linda Koch. They are taking the helm from Kim Healy, who served as Co-Chair for two years. Healy, whose time and energy investment allowed the event to be so successful, will stay on and continue lending her experience and guidance as a member of the Executive Committee.

“It’s our time to give back. We value FCA and see what it can do, and we love the idea of our community coming together and being able to recycle things. Being with other women and working for the same goal makes you feel good. It’s such a rewarding experience,” said Davatzes, a member since 2008, and Koch, a member since 2006.

Minks to Sinks is a Wilton women-run group with more than 80 years of history. Each year, thousands of items are donated or consigned to the bi-annual epic tag sales held under a massive tent near the Wilton High School tennis courts. All proceeds are donated to Family & Children’s Agency, a nonprofit human services organization serving children, families, adults, and seniors in Norwalk and Fairfield County.

The next Minks to Sinks sale will be held May 4, 5, and 6. For more information about donating, shopping, or joining Minks to Sinks, please visit www.minkstosinks.org.

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When EJ DiNunzio took over as Wilton coach in 2018, he put in a five-year plan which he hoped would bring the football program back to relevancy.

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Now in his fifth season, sixth year, at the helm, DiNunzio has his team playing in a state championship game for the first time since 1995.

No. 3 Wilton, ranked 10th in the GameTimeCT Top 10 Poll, will face No. 5 seed and fifth-ranked North Haven in the CIAC Class MM championship game Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at Arute Field on the campus of Central Connecticut State University.

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To get Wilton back to a consistent winner, the team had to accomplish some goals along the way with the final one coming last week in the Class MM semifinal win against Masuk.

“I don’t want to say we expected to be here but there was a five-year plan to be a state champion after five years. COVID kind of set that back but we are here now,” DiNunzio said. “I had to pinch myself this morning, the kids were all excited, the school is excited. It’s been a great ride and we have one more left. Check the boxes and this is the top box. The kids now understand that yes, they belong, yes, they can play with anyone but they can also win.”

Among the boxes that needed checking the last few seasons were winning games against the FCIAC’s top-tier teams which they had not done in a long time.

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Wilton had lost 14-straight to Staples going back to 1997 before beating them in 2019; were 0-21-1 against rival Ridgefield going back to 1993 before winning in 2021; were 0-16 going back to 1995 before defeating New Canaan in 2021 and were 0-13 before beating Darien this season for the first varsity win over the Blue Wave since 2007.

“It is cool to think about all the things we have done that haven’t happened in a while. EJ likes to remind us that he has gotten all his boxes checked except for one,” senior defensive end Owen Theoharides said. “It is definitely motivational. Our town hasn’t had this feeling since 1995 and the last time we won a state championship was in the 80s. It’s about time, we just have to finish it Saturday.”

The last state championship came in 1985 when Wilton beat Hall in L-II. Wilton’s only other state championship came in 1978.

After the loss to Brookfield in 1995, the Warriors did not reach the state playoffs again until DiNunzio brought them back in 2019.

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North Haven beat Wilton 14-7 in last year’s Class MM semifinals on the way to the title. The Warriors won a regular-season game 28-7 against the Nighthawks in 2021.

“Last year, we were OK and got by SMSA (Class MM quarterfinals) but I don’t think the kids believed we could beat North Haven,” DiNunzio said. “I think this year there is a different tone and different feeling. We love being here and it will be fun but we have to go win the game. I don’t think the kids will find the moment too big, last year they did, but not this year.”

This season, Wilton got off to a 4-0 start before having to face the FCIAC gauntlet of Staples, New Canaan and Darien, three teams also playing in state championship games Saturday.

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Wilton lost to Staples, ranked first in the GameTimeCT Poll, in a downpour 29-22 and lost an overtime heartbreaker 20-13 to No. 4 ranked New Canaan before facing Darien in a must-win.

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DiNunzio was listening to GameTimeCT's high school football podcast and realized that stretch of the season would make or break his team’s postseason chances. One of the hosts said, “In three weeks, Wilton cold be irrelevant.”

“He was 100 percent right,” DiNunzio said. “I told the kids that was the turning point. After the two tough losses to Staples and New Canaan, I didn’t know what we would get for Darien. In the first quarter our starting running back (Mac McGovern) tears his ACL and I said, ‘whatever is going to happen this season hinges on what happens next.’ My kids continued to work, continued to battle. We beat Darien and we have gotten better ever since.”

Wilton has won six-straight since defeating Darien 24-10. The Warriors scored 216 points in those six games, averaging 36 points a game.

“To play those good teams helped us a lot. Getting the win against Darien fueled us so much for the rest of the season,” Wilton senior Todd Woodring said. “I think we rallied as a team when Mac went down. It sucked seeing him get hurt but everyone stepped up after that. Getting to play in a state championship means everything. I couldn’t imagine this is how we would end our careers here.”

WESTPORT — After more than 50 years in Westport, part of the Connecticut Humane Society's work is set to move down the road to Wilton with the new facility expected to open next fall.

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Westport will remain in operation until the Wilton one comes online. Employees and volunteers will then relocate to Wilton, along with any animals at the Westport facility, said Connecticut Humane Society Director of Development Barbara Naugle.

She said a study of volunteers and staff showed that shifting to this location is not a great impact on their commutes.

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The shift also means they can better help pets stay with their families by offering resources, including food, education and a low-fee pet clinic — all of which were identified as needs in a recent survey that garnered 30,000 responses.

"No one wants to give up their pet," Naugle said.

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The Wilton site will also continue the adoptions the Westport location has provided for years.

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There are a few reasons for having to close the Westport site. Naugle said it is too small to accommodate an animal resource center with parking, as it only sits on a 1.5-acre lot. In order to expand that facility, they would have to remove parking.

The Wilton one will be more than double the current Westport site, with the new one measuring nearly 15,000 square feet. The 18-acre site will also offer walking paths for dogs and a screened-in porch for cats. Plans call for preserving wetlands, removing invasive species and reopening a stream that was previously covered.

The idea for the Wilton facility came about eight years ago at a board of directors retreat. Naugle said they looked at the history of their organization and thought about the future of what people need. They then decided to focus on creating resources to keep pets in their current homes.

Naugle said they realized a way to improve this is by opening a new facility. The society conducted a marketing study of about 30,000 respondents in the state, who answered how far they would drive, the type of foods they need and challenges pet owners have faced.

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The results showed that medical care, pet food and education were some of their greatest needs.

The society looked at over 40 properties, but none came close to Wilton's at 863 Danbury Road, she said. Half of the property is wooded, with a 75-foot ledge buffer at the back of the property separating it from a neighborhood.

Ground broke on the project last month. Naugle said the next steps are to demolish a few buildings on the site.

It's the latest building project and move for the Connecticut Humane Society in its more than 140-year history.

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The organization was founded in 1881 in Hartford and moved to Newington in 1959. It is now the organization's headquarters and was rebuilt 25 years ago. The other location, in Waterford, was built in 1960 and renovated in 2011. Westport opened in 1969 and renovated in 2004.

In 2022, the humane society served 711 pets from animal control, provided more than 11,000 medical exams and 1600 routine surgeries and gave behavioral support to 400 pets, according to the organization.

Naugle said many Connecticut residents live close to the edge of their budgets. So it can be difficult to afford when something happens to their pet, on top of all their other bills.

More and more, the humane society is seeing people coming to their doors who need pet food or assistance with veterinary needs, she said.

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Instead of having to give up their pets, the animal resource center provides assistance while the pets can stay with their owners.

Naugle said this is funded through a special assistance fund and grantors that provide resources.

Because of facilities like this, she added, Connecticut has one of the lowest pet euthanasia rates in the nation.

Other than being a parent, Naugle said this is the most important work of her life.

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"It’s just so moving and so important," she said.

This facility will serve pets for well past her career and life, Naugle added.

"That’s a lot of pets," she said.

There is $2.5 million left to fundraise for the facility's $19.3 million total. Interested donors can donate through cthumane.org or by directly reaching out to Naugle.

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She said they have seen donations as little at 70 cents from preschoolers, to $1 million from other donors.

“People love this project because people love their pets," Naugle said.

New property revaluation, new financial stressors, new church in town, new breweries (maybe), and more Wilton news…

**News Release Submitted by Wilton First Selectman Toni Boucher**

Dec. 11, 2023

It has been an eventful and exciting first week as your First Selectman, learning in depth about the opportunities and changes facing our town. My term began on December 1, when I and many of our fellow citizens were sworn into offices across the town government, during a heartwarming ceremony at the Wilton Library. It was a lively occasion, made more festive by the Wilton Boy Scouts Color Guard who opened the Swearing In, and the Girls Scouts, who sang ‘God Bless America’ to conclude the evening. Thank you to all who made such an important event run smoothly and with so much spirit.

Find out what's happening in Wiltonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In other town news, it is imperative that every resident understand the financial issues facing Wilton. Property owners should expect a letter in the next few days that explains their new property revaluation. These will likely be substantially higher than they were five years ago, as there are indications that many commercial property values have dropped, pushing higher costs onto private homeowners.

Moreover, a comprehensive study of our school facilities resulted in an estimated $100 million in repairs that may be required over the next 10 to 15 years. An additional report on our municipal buildings and properties is due soon that could potentially add millions more to our expenditures. A tour of Wilton’s Town Hall and other town owned buildings will show how necessary these updates are.

There are unique added stressors to undertaking these massive projects at this time: 1) Interest rates have climbed from 3% to 8%, making borrowing for capital projects more expensive; and, 2) Moody’s rating agency has informed Connecticut towns that instead of requiring municipalities to set aside 10% in reserve funds to earn a Triple A Rating, they are requiring that 25% to 35% in liquid assets be held in reserve (Please be kind to our Board of Finance members as they have a big job ahead of them this year.). A tri-board meeting between the Board of Education, the Board of Selectmen, and the Board of Finance is expected in the new year to discuss how to fund and manage such a massive undertaking. Click on this link to read an article written by Kathleen Rose Ozanic in Friday’s The Hour that explains, in detail, the challenges facing our schools’ capital funding.

Some exciting developments were discussed in our first Board of Selectmen meeting held on December 4th. In order to create greater opportunity for new businesses to operate in Wilton, a motion was passed that would permit possible future breweries, who manufacture their products on site, and to have their hours match what is currently allowable for restaurants and package stores in town. We welcome your input at the next public hearing to be held on December 19th, at 7pm, in Comstock Room 31, or you may join us on Zoom. The link will be posted on the town’s website in the coming days. A final vote on the issue will be held at a Special Town Meeting on January 9th.

As you can see there is much happening in our beautiful town of Wilton, so I will end with a note to encourage you to continually check the town website for updates and news, and to click on each committee’s pages for greater detail on town goings on. If you are interested in volunteering on a town committee, please click on this link to learn how to get started.

Here are a couple of quick tips to keep you safe and informed as winter sets in:

Our Fire Chief reminds us that to properly dispose of your fireplace ashes, give them several days rest in your fireplace to make sure all of the sparks are out. Then it’s safe to put them in a METAL container and place them outdoors ten feet from any building for two more days before finally disposing of them with the rest of your household trash.

Is your power out? Call 1-800-286-2000, or text “Out,” to 23129 from your cell phone. Or visit this link to the Eversource website to report the outage and receive information and instructions.

I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve my community as your First Selectman. We may have some daunting tasks and tight financial straits to navigate, but we also have great opportunity with a tremendous pool of bright, talented, committed Wiltonites who work hard every day to make our town the bright spot that it is. I hope you’ll join us in our efforts to keep Wilton moving forward. My door in Town Hall is always open and the coffee is always ready, so please stop by and introduce yourself. If I haven’t met you already, I look forward to shaking your hand.

With warmest wishes,

Toni Boucher

First Selectman, Wilton