Tree Of Hope's Fate Decided Despite Profane Outburst In Meeting

FAIRFIELD, CT — The “Tree of Hope” on Sherman Green — a subject of recent controversy — will again be lit in Fairfield's downtown center.

The decision to light the tree followed a lengthy discussion of the Parks & Recreation Commission that took place Wednesday via teleconference and was briefly interrupted by a profane outburst from an unknown member of the public.

“A lot of people really love the lights on the tree,” Board of Education representative Jessica Gerber said.

All voting commission members supported a motion to allow area children’s charities to light the tree in the colors of their choice on a rotating basis.

The tree was donated to Fairfield in 2019 by Al DiGuido on behalf of his business, Saugatuck Sweets, and his charity, Al’s Angels. DiGuido received the required commission approval to keep the tree lit during the holiday season. He was then given permission to light it again through July 1 by Parks & Recreation Department Director Anthony Calabrese after making the request in March when the commission had stopped meeting due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We want Fairfield to be a beacon of light and hope,” DiGuido said, noting a Change.org petition calling for the tree to be lit has more than 1,700 signatures.

Gerber expressed some concern about setting a precedent by allowing the lighting of the tree, although Calabrese noted many similar department programs establish a similar precedent. Vice Chair Brian Nerreau questioned whether a lit fir tree on the green year-round would look too much like a Christmas tree. The commission discussed creating a subcommittee to coordinate the rotation of charities that would light the tree, and DiGuido volunteered to pay for any electrical costs incurred by keeping the tree lit.

When Calabrese granted DiGuido permission to light the tree in March, he also allowed DiGuido to put 17 patriotic banners on the green until the start of July. Just a few days before the banners were scheduled to come down, a Representative Town Meeting member contacted Calabrese on behalf of a constituent to confirm if the banners had received proper approval. DiGuido then discussed the complaint on the Saugatuck Sweets Facebook page in a post that had received more than 500 comments by the middle of the day after it was published.

“What’s gone on in the past couple of weeks and everything else is debate for another time,” DiGuido told the commission, adding that because the town replaced his banners with its own display of American flags, he had no immediate plans to request the banners be reinstated.

While DiGuido expressed no desire Wednesday to linger on the source of conflict, at least one person made it known that they were upset about the situation involving Sherman Green. In the midst of the commission’s conversation about precedent, an unknown caller shared a brief but profanity-laced statement, shouting, “(Expletive), that's the whole point.”

“Apparently someone who is profane has figured out how to unmute their phone,” Chair Scott Walker said, threatening to adjourn the meeting should there be another outburst.

Calabrese confirmed the teleconference was being recorded and the town had the call-in numbers of all the participants. Commission member Chris McCoy had some choice words for the mystery caller.

“Your actions are a disgrace, they’re an embarrassment, and we will find out who you were,” he said. “… If you’re an elected official in town, specifically an RTM member, we will make this public.”