Stamford Archive: Week Of July 27

After pressure from the state, the city health department has changed its new restaurant rating system to provide more clarity in inspection scores. Environmental health inspector Ronald Miller, one worker spearheading the rating system, said the change -- only two weeks after the system was launched -- resulted from an oversight the state brought to the city's attention. City inspectors look for a possible 62 violations, including nine risk factors and 10 critical four-point violations that can cause food-borne illness. Finding a four-point violation, which include storing food at unsafe temperatures and not installing proper hand washing facilities, causes automatic failure and a reinspection. After the launch of Stamford's ratings two weeks ago, a few restaurant owners met with Miller to complain, although Miller said the changes were not a result of a handful of complaints, but an effort to better portray state heath guidelines. The custom-made Trek bicycle that Armstrong rode across the finish line in Paris used material developed by Stamford-based Hexcel Corp., an aerospace manufacturer. The frame and wheels of Armstrong's bike are made of carbon prepreg material -- carbon fiber impregnated with epoxy resin -- manufactured in Salt Lake City. With Hexcel's composite materials, Armstrong's SSL bicycle weighs 14.99 pounds, the minimum allowable under international rules. Boats, buildings and docks at Yacht Haven were declared "out of danger" early this morning after city firemen worked 12 hours to prevent a disaster threatened by thousands of gallons of gasoline that leaked out of an underground tank.