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Traffic passes through the roundabout at the intersection of Sound Beach Avenue and Laddins Rock Road bordering Binney Park in Old Greenwich, Conn. Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019.

A woman walks along Sound Beach Avenue at the northern border of Binney Park in Old Greenwich, Conn. Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019.

A plan to replace the bridge over Sound Beach Avenue in Old Greenwich was defeated two years ago by resident opposition. But that did not change the fact that the bridge needs to be replaced.

A new bridge replacement plan has been put forth, and a public hearing will be held at 1 p.m. Dec. 3 via Zoom to hear reactions from residents.

The bridge over Cider Mill Brook is near Binney Park and the Perrot Memorial Library. It was built in 1925 and rehabilitated in 1977. The replacement is considered a major priority for the town.

The most recent inspection of the bridge showed continued deterioration of the stone masonry fascia, according to the Department of Public Works. The superstructure shows visible damage, with exposed rebar, cracking, spalls, honeycombing and scale on the concrete slabs.

The status of the bridge is a concern because Sound Beach Avenue is a heavily used entry into Old Greenwich. The DPW calculated that approximately 14,500 cars travel over the bridge each day. If it’s not replaced, the bridge would have to be closed to vehicular traffic, DPW officials have said.

An attempt to replace the bridge was blocked in 2018, when the Planning and Zoning Commission denied municipal improvement status for the project. That decision came after push back from neighbors, who objected to plans for raising portions of Sound Beach Avenue and increasing the size of the traffic circle by the library.

DPW said raising Sound Beach Avenue was necessary because of flooding problems in the area and the need to ensure access for emergency vehicles in storms. But residents said the plan would create additional congestion in the traffic circle, lead to additional accidents and damage the beauty of the area.

After the controversy over the bridge, residents of Old Greenwich successfully gained scenic road designation for Sound Beach Avenue’s loop around Binney Park. That allows residents to get an extra level of scrutiny for any project in the area.

At the time, residents said they did not object to the bridge replacement, just the other parts of the project. In the new designs, there is no change in the traffic circle nor any encroachment on the library’s property. Plans still call for raising parts of Sound Beach Avenue, but DPW has promised there would be “minimal impact” to the park.

DPW has said the new bridge would be a single-span precast concrete structure, which would be designed to match the current bridge.

The project already has received a thumbs up from the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency and the Planning and Zoning Commission.

If approved, construction would take about three months. Detours would be put in place for vehicles, while pedestrians and local access would be maintained. The price tag in the past was put at $3.5 million, with state funding available.

The new bridge would support traffic on Sound Beach Avenue, provide safe travel for pedestrians and allow water to flow from Cedar Mill Brook into Binney Pond.

“The bridge replacement will ensure that all of these functions can continue for years to come,” DPW said on the project’s website.

For more information about the project, including a link to Thursday’s Zoom hearing, visit https://www.greenwichct.gov/1606/Sound-Beach-Avenue-Bridge-No-03954.

Funky Monkey Toys & Books will hold a special shopping event on Dec. 2 to assist local families in need.

The store, located at 86 Greenwich Ave., will offer all shoppers a 20 percent discount storewide on that day. In addition, it will donate 10 percent of all sales that day to support Community Centers Inc., a Greenwich-based nonprofit that assists families in need.

“We know the holidays can be a difficult time for families and may be especially stressful this year,” store owner Jared Greenman said. “Funky Monkey is happy to help by giving back. We are excited about partnering with human services agency Community Centers Inc., as they have been a symbol of hope for Greenwich families for 65 years.”

CCI said that its mission is to “make the enormous natural, educational, cultural, and financial resources that comprise this incredible community accessible to all.”

“CCI is so grateful to Funky Monkey for hosting a generous shopping day on behalf of our clients,” said Gaby Rattner, CCI’s executive director. “We appreciate so much Jared Greenman’s recognition of our efforts on behalf of the community we are all part of and are delighted to partner with a vibrant locally owned business.”

Are you hoping to make it a “waste free holiday?”

Waste Free Greenwich will hold a webinar on the topic at 10 a.m. Dec. 1. Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, Americans produce 1 million extra tons of trash, according to the group.

The webinar will show residents how they can make small changes in everything from their changing home décor to wrapping gifts to baking cookies that will cut down on waste. The public school’s PTAC Green Schools Committee, the town Conservation Commission and Waste Free Greenwich are also taking part.

There will be discussions about sustainable gifts and wrapping ideas. Town Tree Warden Gregory Kramer will show participants how they can decorate for the season with materials from their backyards.

Residents can register online for the webinar at www.wastefreegreenwich.org/waste-free-holidays. Those who register will be entered into a raffle for sustainable gifts, including seasonal bulbs, a food scrap recycling kit and copies of “The Wrapping Scarf Revolution” by Patricia Lee. Sho will take part in the webinar and show how to wrap presents in an Earth-friendly way with traditional Korean scarves.

The Social Justice Committee at the Parish of St. Catherine of Siena and St. Agnes is continuing its efforts to collect donations of food and other essential items from the community to help the needy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The items are sent to Neighbor to Neighbor, which gives them out to its local clients to meet a demand that has grown due to the impact of the pandemic.

Collections will continue from 9 to 11 a.m. on Tuesdays. Donations can be made in the parking lot across the street from the church’s entrance on 4 Riverside Ave. Items can be left in a car or SUV there that is left with an open trunk for no-contact drop-off.

In addition to peanut butter, jelly, oatmeal, canned meats, chili, Vienna sausages, canned ravioli, tuna, canned fruit, either dried or canned red or black kidney beans, cereal, rice and soup, the parish said it has also needs more personal care products, including soap, shampoo, deodorant and feminine hygiene products.

Additionally, larger diapers, in sizes 5 and 6, and trainer pull-ups are needed.

There is also a need for gloves and knit hats. The parish suggested that people who enjoy knitting or crocheting can “spread joy and warmth” during the holiday season by making a knit hat.

Ken Borsuk has been a reporter for Greenwich Time since 2015 but has been covering Greenwich news since 2000. He has extensively covered local government including the Board of Selectmen, Board of Estimate Taxation and Representative Town Meeting.