Home Care In Cos Cob, CT

A Greenwich man who explored OceanGate’s doomed Titan submersible when it passed through Connecticut two years ago described the craft as “claustrophobic.”

"I was uncomfortable just sitting in it for a few minutes," said Sal LoBalbo, a resident of the Cos Cob section of Greenwich. "I was glad to get out."

The Titan has garnered worldwide attention in the past week since it vanished in the northern Atlantic Ocean en route to the wreck of the Titanic. Debris found Thursday led officials to conclude the Titan had "imploded," killing all five people on board: OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush, British adventurer Hamish Harding, world-renowned French Titanic expert and former Greenwich and Kent resident Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman.

NEW YEAR SALE: Only 99¢ for Unlimited Digital Access!

Groton and Greenwich were among the communities the Titan visited when it toured the United States in late 2021 and early 2022 after its successful maiden voyage. While OceanGate's official website appears to have been taken down, archived webpages show the Titan was scheduled to arrive in Groton on Oct. 22, 2021 and in Greenwich on Oct. 28, 2021.

During the visit to Greenwich, LoBalbo was among those who experienced the Titan's accommodations firsthand.

LoBalbo, 51, co-owns the Stamford-based LoBalbo Brothers Auto Body with his twin brother, Al, and lives a short distance from the Greenwich Water Club. When the submersible was stationed at the River Road club in late October 2021, LoBalbo took a tour of the vessel, intrigued by the Titanic connection. Describing himself as a history enthusiast, LoBalbo noted his father was born on the same day (but not the same year) the infamous ocean liner sank: April 15.

LoBalbo remembers the day of the tour, a cold and rainy Saturday, vividly. Divided into clusters of four, leaving room for a crew member, a line of people waited to enter the submersible. LoBalbo’s group included a father and son. When his turn came, LoBalbo climbed through the lone hatch, wriggling through an approximately 16-inch opening.

“You only had so much room to actually squeeze in,” he said. “So if you were, like, a bigger person, you wouldn’t get in there.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by OceanGate Expeditions (@oceangateexped)

Inside, the Titan’s restrictive dimensions made an immediate impression. Measuring 22 feet long by 9.2 feet wide and 8.3 feet high, the submersible was so small that none of the five passengers on its final voyage would have been able to stretch out their legs, let alone stand up or lie down. LoBalbo, who is 5-foot-8, estimated approximately 4 ½ feet separated the floor and ceiling.

“You're sitting with your back against this round wall, and your feet are basically touching the other side, but you can’t stretch out,” LoBalbo said. “There’s nothing. There’s no frills, there's no air conditioning, there's no heat. There's nothing. (Lighting) is the only thing they do have.”

The only view of the outside world came from a porthole at the end of the submersible’s nose cone. Crew hosting the tour answered questions and explained how the sub functioned, describing its composition and pointing out safety features.

LoBalbo and the other members of his group, all strangers to him, spent about five minutes inside the submersible before leaving the same way they entered. By comparison, the Titan’s final voyage to the Titanic — a journey that cost $250,000 a pop — was supposed to take around seven hours round-trip, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by OceanGate Expeditions (@oceangateexped)

“I couldn’t imagine staying in there that long,” LoBalbo said. Even before the sub’s disappearance, he said, “if someone gave up a seat … if they said, ‘Hey, you know, there’s a $250,000 ticket here, why don’t you take it?’ I’m gonna say, ‘No, thank you.’”

When the sub was first reported missing, the name “OceanGate” rang a bell for LoBalbo, but he knew the company owned multiple submersibles, so he didn’t immediately think the Titan was involved. It was only later, he said, that “I went, 'Oh my God, that’s the one I was in.'”

The “Titanic will be talked about forever,” but “the second conversation will be about the Titan,” LoBalbo said. “So being part of history is the only positive in this situation.”

Correspondent Susie Costaregni contributed to this story.

Earlier this month, the school district accepted a letter of resignation from Jeremy Boland.

|Updated Tue, Mar 28, 2023 at 8:37 am ET

GREENWICH, CT — Jeremy Boland, the Cos Cob School assistant principal under investigation for comments he made in a viral video released late last summer, will resign effective June 30, according to Greenwich Public Schools.

Earlier this month, the school district accepted a letter of resignation from Boland, who was placed on administrative leave on Aug. 31, 2022, after a surreptitiously recorded video posted by Project Veritas appeared to show Boland making disparaging remarks about Catholics and his own personal hiring practices in the workplace.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Toni Jones said in a letter to the Cos Cob School community this month that the district will start the process of searching for a permanent assistant principal.

Karen Vitti has served in an acting role since September. Jones said Vitti, who will remain at Cos Cob School through the end of the school year, "has done an amazing job on special assignment to cover the assistant principal role."

An interview committee will be put together by senior staff, and will include teachers, parents and senior administration, Jones noted.

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

Soon after the Project Veritas video was released, the school district launched its own investigation into Boland, which was completed in January.

District spokesperson Jonathan Supranowitz said GPS is waiting for other investigations to conclude.

Connecticut State Attorney General William Tong launched an investigation into hiring practices and potential illegal discrimination and misconduct related to the viral video, and First Selectman Fred Camillo ordered the town to conduct its own probe.

The Connecticut Department of Education is also investigating Boland, as is the state Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.

"We continue to fully comply with the on-going investigations by numerous State of Connecticut and local organizations. Please remember that investigations of this nature are extremely thorough and can take months to be completed," Jones said in her letter. "We will continue to communicate via email with updates to keep the Cos Cob community well informed as the process progresses."

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

GREENWICH, CT — Connecticut Attorney General William Tong on Friday announced that his office has concluded its investigation into the possibility of discriminatory employment practices by former Greenwich Public Schools (GPS) educator Jeremy Boland.

Similar to the results of investigations conducted by GPS and the town of Greenwich, Tong's inquiry found no evidence that Boland engaged in a pattern or practice of illegal employment discrimination. The investigation is now closed.

Several investigations were launched into Boland and the school district after a surreptitiously recorded video was released by the conservative organization Project Veritas on Aug. 30, 2022, that depicted then-Cos Cob School Assistant Principal Boland making remarks about his own personal hiring practices and his preference for younger, more progressive teachers who aren't Catholic.

Boland was placed on administrative leave after the video was released last August and ultimately resigned in March 2023. A new assistant principal was appointed in May.

Boland began working for GPS as a physical education teacher in 2006, and became the district's physical education health and family program coordinator in 2018. He was promoted to assistant principal at Cos Cob School in 2020.

The Office of the Attorney General reviewed 61,105 pages of documents produced by the GPS including documents from Boland’s email accounts and electronic devices, according to a news release from Tong.

Investigators interviewed Boland, as well as 32 witnesses, including current and retired GPS administrators and teachers, unsuccessful applicants for positions, as well as witnesses who proactively contacted the Office of the Attorney General to volunteer information.

Investigators reviewed all publicly available videos posted by Project Veritas.

Tong noted in his news release that Project Veritas "declined to produce additional non-public video or contact information for the anonymous individual featured in their video."

On Friday, Tong sent a letter to GPS Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones summarizing the investigation and its findings.

"We do not minimize Mr. Boland's reported comments, which were wrong and offensive. Neither does Mr. Boland himself. He admits that the Project Veritas recordings accurately represent his words," Tong said in his letter. "He maintains that he made the comments to curry favor with a woman whom he met on a dating app and whom he believed to be a possible romantic connection. But he denies that he illegally or inappropriately discriminated against any applicant or worker. We found no evidence to the contrary."

It was determined that Boland was never in a position to make hiring or other employment decisions independently, and he was never the only administrator who screened applicants for any position, Tong said.

Additionally, through multiple, consistent accounts from Boland's former colleagues, according to Tong, Boland "never asked inappropriate questions during interviews; never exhibited biased attitudes in hiring or otherwise; and never tried to influence others to make employment decisions on any inappropriate or illegal basis."

Tong noted that GPS's hiring structures and practices "significantly mitigate the risk of illegal employment discrimination."

The hiring process draws input from "a range of stakeholders and limits the ability of any individual staffer or administrator to illegally discriminate."

"The Office of the Attorney General stands ready to protect the civil rights of Connecticut residents. We will respond to patterns and practices of civil rights violations with investigations and litigation wherever warranted. We find no evidence of actionable violations here," Tong concluded in his letter.

In response to Tong's letter, Jones contacted Deputy Associate Attorney General Gregory O'Connell, according to district spokesperson Jonathan Supranowitz.

"We are grateful for the professionalism of your office and the way in which the investigation was conducted last school year without impacting our daily instruction or school operations," Jones said in her response.

Investigations were also launched by the Connecticut Department of Education and the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CT-CHRO).

The status of those investigations was not immediately known Friday afternoon.

Mike's Organic in Cos Cob is expanding its offerings just in time for the fall season.

Patch Staff

GREENWICH, CT — Mike’s Organic, the small format grocery store in Cos Cob that opened up in April, will expand its offerings just in time for the fall season.

Sourcing directly from 250-plus small, local farmers and artisans, the store offers a curated selection of the best local produce, pastured meats and eggs, grass-fed dairy, wild fish, pantry selections, local baked goods, vegan and gluten-free options and more. Mike's also offers interactive experiences to connect the community with their food and the people behind it.

Mike’s has partnered with Winfield Street Coffee on an outpost that launched Sept. 1.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Winfield started as a deli in Norwalk in 2015 and has since expanded to encompass seven locations across Connecticut in Stamford and Westport, New York, and Florida.

Founder Breno Donatti, who immigrated to the U.S. from Brazil when he was 18 years old, got his start in Greenwich back in 2007 washing dishes at Pizza Post.

All of the coffee is organic, and Winfield also roasts their own coffee which will be available for purchase at Mike’s.

Mike’s will also partner with Fairfield County-based Sprout Juicery to offer shoppers organic, raw, cold-pressed juices at Mike’s. The Sprout Juicery team will be on-site daily to educate customers on their freshly made juices.

Other new offerings and programming highlights at Mike’s include:

September Programming

Sept.9: Come say hi to cows from CT-based Shaggy Coos Farm, and sample chocolate milk

Sept. 17: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Come meet some goat friends and participate in Goat Yoga

Sept. 23-24 and Sept. 30-Oct. 1: Apple Fest: a fun-filled event for the whole family featuring a variety of all kinds of apples to pick, fresh apple cider, apple cider donuts, pumpkins and more

Sept. 23: Anel Dzafic, founder of Greenwich-based Countdown Fitness, will host a 30-minute outdoor workout class at 9 a.m. Sign up link to come

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

After a couple years of anticipation, Mike's Organic is finally ready to open its doors to the community.

A special sneak peek was held Thursday evening. (Richard Kaufman/Patch)

Customers can find a streamlined shopping experience at Mike's Organic. (Richard Kaufman/Patch)

Mike's Organic's mission is to reinvent shopping through careful curation and interactive experiences that connect the community with their food and the people behind it. (Richard Kaufman/Patch)

GREENWICH, CT — After two years of anticipation, Mike's Organic is finally opening its first retail location in Cos Cob at 600 E. Putnam Ave.

The official opening will be on April 29, but owner Mike Geller provided a special sneak peek inside the 2,000 square-foot space on Thursday evening.

"We're incredibly excited and very grateful to be able to open up something for the town, the community, our farmers, and all of our great customers. It's a very happy day for us," Geller told Patch.

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

Customers can also find a selection of ready-to-eat prepared foods from the Made By Mike's line, fresh from the kitchen.

Breakfast items include options like chocolate overnight oats, vegan parfaits and egg white/spinach wraps. Lunch and dinner options include freshly made seasonal salads and soups, glazed Ora King salmon, eggplant parmesan and grilled seasonal veggies.

Featured kids items are dishes like pastured chicken tenders, turkey meatballs and mac and cheese.

The market will also feature a variety of freshly prepared local offerings, like sushi made fresh daily by Hinoki (Greenwich Avenue) or fresh baguettes from Raphael’s Bakery (Mason Street). Outdoor seating is available to enjoy a bite.

Connecting people with the food they eat is an important pillar of Mike's Organic, Geller explained.

"The whole premise of our industrial agricultural system is to distance people from their food. You're lucky to know the country it comes from, let alone the farmer, what's on it, what's in it. Our whole business is predicated upon transparency and authenticity," Geller said. "The saying we use all the time here is, 'We don't sell food, we tell stories,' and those stories are of the people who grow, raise, catch or make the food."

In 2009, Geller, a lifelong Greenwich resident, launched Mike's Organic as one of the first farm-to-home delivery services in America.

What began as a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) delivery business grew into an online farmers market servicing Fairfield and Westchester Counties. In 2019, Mike’s Organic opened a storefront out of its delivery headquarters in Stamford.

In 2021, the Cos Cob retail location on West Putnam Avenue was announced after the Patio.com brick and mortar location closed.

"Everyone in Greenwich has been waiting for such a long time for the opening of Mike's Organic," said Greenwich Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Marcia O'Kane during Thursday's sneak peek event. "I think this is going to re-energize this whole area of town, and certainly get a lot of people here. It's just part of Cos Cob being the food mini capital of Greenwich."

Mike's Organic is hosting several events this weekend to celebrate their grand opening, although the schedule is subject to change depending on the weather.

The current schedule is as follows:

Saturday, April 29

Sunday, April 30

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.