Today — on the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001 — we remember and honor 4 men with Westport ties.
All were in their 30s, working at the World Trade Center. All lost their lives in the terrorist attack.
All were bright, energetic, and well-loved. All had already accomplished a great deal, and looked forward to doing more. All had much to live for.
All left behind families and friends, who will miss and mourn them forever.
Keith Coleman and Scott Coleman were brothers — 34 and 31 years old, respectively.
They had gone through Westport schools, and worked together on the 104th floor in the World Trade Center’s north tower.
Keith, a noted Staples High School wrestler, graduated from Bucknell University. After working in London for 6 years he became a senior vice president and partner at Cantor Fitzgerald, responsible for its equities derivatives department. He brought his brother into the firm.
Scott attended Staples, the Lawrenceville School and Colgate University (where he played soccer, and was one of the leading scorers in its history), then earned an MBA from Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business. In 2003, Colgate dedicated a new gateway to their soccer field in memory of Scott and other 9/11 victims
Scott lived in Weston, and was an equities broker. He was engaged to be married, when the hijackers struck.
Every year, the Westport Soccer Association awards scholarships in Scott and Keith’s names, through the Coleman Brothers Foundation.
Scott (left) and Keith Coleman
Jonathan Uman, 33, was a managing director of corporate development for eSpeed Cantor Fitzgerald, working on the 105th floor of the north tower. He lived in Westport, with his wife Julie and 2 young children. A donation from a foundation created in his name after his death went to the Westport Fire Department.
Colleagues remember Jonathan’s intellect, curiosity, wit and fairness. His many interests included Shakespeare, music and art. (Click here for a remembrance of Jonathan.)
Jonathan Uman
Bradley Vadas, 37, was a senior vice president with Keefe Bruyette & Woods, considered a top trader. He was working on the 89th floor of the south tower.
Bradley grew up in Weston, and had homes in Westport, New York and Wyoming. He graduated from Boston College with a degree in economics. He was passionate about chess, softball at Compo Beach, boating and fishing. He was about to become engaged. (Click here for Bradley’s obituary.)
Three Ukrainian officials — including the deputy governor of Donetsk oblast, Connecticut sister state — visited Westport yesterday.
Guests of Ukraine Aid International — the non-profit co-founded by Westporters Marshall and Brian Mayer, which since 2022 has provided on-the-ground aid to stricken areas — they gave an update on conditions in their war-torn country, to a small group at La Plage.
The gathering included Senator Richard Blumenthal and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro. Both have made numerous trips to Ukraine.
The officials — and Marshall Mayer — painted a picture of both devastation and hope.
Ukraine Aid International initiated the sister city and sister state programs. Westport was the first, linked with Lyman. Last night included a first-hand report of the fighting — and resistance — in that town.
Ukrainian and Ukraine Aid Internaitonal officials, including co-founder Marshall Mayer (6th from left), flanked by Senator Richard Blumenthal and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, last night at La Plage. (Photo/Dan Woog)
On Wednesday, the Ukrainians and Marshall Mayer were in Hartford. They met with Governor Lamont, and other state officials.
The Ukrainian delegation then joined Governor Ned Lamont for his visit to Connecticut’s 9/11 Living Memorial at Sherwood Island State Park, for the 25th anniversary ceremony honoring victims of that terrorist attack.
This morning, the Ukrainian guests spoke to the Sunrise Rotary Club.
Ukrainian officials and translator (far right) this morning, at the Sunrise Rotary Club. (Photo/Marshall Mayer)
(To donate to Lyman through Ukraine Aid International, click here. Click the “I want to support” box; then select “Support for the City of Lyman.” Scroll down on that page for other donation options (mail, wire transfer and Venmo.)
As noted above, Connecticut’s official 9/11 ceremony was held Wednesday. That’s to give families and friends the chance to attend the New York event too, held every year on September 11.
This was the scene yesterday, at Sherwood Island State Park. Officials and loved ones gathered the day before. Now the site — looking out toward New York — was once again beautiful and serene.
Congratulations to Cora Barrett, Joseph Carpenter, Tyler Little, Anwara Olasewere, Charlotte Roberts, Ayush Rudra, Sahil Vora and Gabriella White.
Nationwide, fewer than 1% of the over 1.2 million students who took the 2026 qualifying exam will compete for 7,320 National Merit Scholarships, worth more than $29 million.
Principal Stafford Thomas (2nd from left) with National Merit semifinalists: (from left): Gabriella White, Charlotte Roberts, Cora Barrett, Tyler Little, Joseph Carpenter, Ayush Rudra and Sahil Vora. Not pictured: Anwara Olasewere.
Also at Staples: Azita Vazhayil, Natalie Hartano and Tucker Eklund will join students from 18 nations in November’s Normandy International Youth Leadership Summit, in Le Havre, France.
The selected delegates — high-performing students with a strong interest in world affairs — will work collaboratively to develop a plan addressing an issue affecting their community and the world.
From left: Azita Vazhayil, Natalie Hartano, Tucker Eklund.
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Every Thursday, there’s something special at the Westport Farmers’ Market.
Yesterday, it was Richard Blumenthal.
Connecticut’s senior senator presented director Lori Cochran-Dougall with a proclamation, honoring the market’s 20th anniversary.
Then — accompanied by 1st Selectman Kevin Christie — he did what hundreds of others do each week: shopped for the freshest, most healthful and delicious food around.
Senator Richard Blumenthal at the Badass Bagels booth. (Photo/Lisa Lewin)
Yesterday, Westport firefighters and police responded to the Hillspoint Road, after a heavy-duty pickup truck rammed through a fence and front yard, and struck a house.
A stone wall helped reduce the force of the impact, and limited damage.
The accident …
Westport’s Building Department and fire marshal’s office checked the structure for safety.
A special wrecker from Bud’s Towing in Bridgeport was called to remove the vehicle, minimizing the potential for additions damage. No serious injuries were reported.
… and the aftermath. (Photos/Westport Fire Department)
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DNR — Westport’s favorite (almost) all-doctor band — rocked the Levitt Pavilion last night.
Every year, the group pays tribute to Westport Emergency Medical Services, and first responders. It’s an important, welcome event — and if anyone knows how important those men and women are, it’s doctors.
DNR. with Westport Volunteer Emergency Services president Jaime Baraiktaris (3rd from right) and Levitt Pavilion’s Carleigh Welsh (far right), before the show. (Photo/Sean Bernand)
Five shows — all free — highlight the coming week, at the outdoor theater.
Saturday, September 12, 7:30 p.m.: The always popular Sweet Remains.
Sunday, September 13, 7 p.m. Brian López Electric Trio
Tuesday, September 15, 7 p.m., Comedy night
Wednesday, September 16, 7 p.m., Westport Community Band
Thursday, September 17, 7:30 p.m., Barboletta: Tribute to Santana.
And finally … in the mournful days following September 11, 2001, Americans found solace in music.
Certain songs will always bring those of us who were alive then right back to that time.
Two will always resonate with me. One is “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” A few days after the attack, when Staples High School held a memorial service, director Alice Lipson’s Orphenians sang a stirring version of Simon & Garfunkel’s soaring song.
Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me” was all over the radio. Its message was clear: We all needed someone to lean on.
No matter what else goes on today — September 11, 2026 — the shadow of September 11, 2001 hangs over us all.
That horrible day changed our lives forever. We know it now — and we sensed it then.
Here’s what I wrote 3 days later — September 14, 2001 — in my Westport News “Woog’s World” column.
It was a bit past noon on Tuesday, the Tuesday that will change all of our lives forever.
Fifty miles from Westport smoke billowed from what, just hours before, was the World Trade Center.
A number of Westporters once worked there. The twin towers were never particularly beautiful, but in their own way they were majestic. Whether driving past them on the New Jersey Turnpike, flying near them coming in to the airport, or taking out-of-town friends or relatives to the top, we took a certain amount of pride in them.
We’re Westporters, but in a way we’re also New Yorkers. The World Trade Center symbolized that, though we live in suburban Connecticut, we all feel in some way connected to the most exciting, glamorous, powerful city in the world.
And now that same city was under attack. From the largest McMansion to the most modest Westport home, men and women frantically tried to make contact with spouses, relatives and friends who work in downtown Manhattan.
The iconic 9/11 photo was taken by Westport’s Spencer Platt. He lived near the Twin Towers on that awful morning.
At Staples High School, teenagers who grew up thinking the worst thing that can happen is wearing the wrong shirt or shoes, were engaged in a similar quest.
Many of their fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers work in New York. Many others knew loved ones who were flying that morning, or in Washington, or somewhere else that might possibly become the next city under siege.
Meanwhile, on Whitney Street, a pretty young woman dressed in her best late-summer clothes rode a bicycle down the road.
It was, after all, a beautiful day. Along the East Coast there was not a cloud n the sky — not, that is, unless you count the clouds filled with flames, dust and debris erupting from the collapse of the World Trade Center.
It was a perfect day to ride a bicycle, unless of course you were terrified you had lost a loved one, were glued to a television set wherever you could find one, or were so overwhelmed by grief and rage and fright and confusion because you had no idea what was next for America that riding a bicycle was absolutely the furthest thing from your mind.
On the other hand, perhaps riding a bicycle was exactly the right reaction. Perhaps doing something so innocent, so routine, so life-affirming, was just was some of us should have been doing.
If tragedy teaches us anything, it is that human beings react to stress in a variety of ways. Who is to say that riding a bicycle is not the perfect way to tell Osama bin Laden, or whoever turns out to be responsible for these dastardly deeds, that America’s spirit will not be broken?
But I could not have ridden a bicycle down the road on Tuesday. I sat, transfixed, devouring the television coverage of events that, in their own way, may turn out to be as transforming for this world as Pearl Harbor was nearly 60 years earlier.
I could not bear to watch what I was seeing, but neither could I tear myself away. Each time I saw the gaping holes in those two towers, every time I saw those enormous symbols of strength and power and (even in these economically shaky times) American prosperity crumble in upon themselves like a silly disaster movie, the scene was more surreal than the previous time.
Life will be equally surreal for all of us for a long time to come.
I wondered, as I watched the video shots of the jet planes slam into the World Trade Center over and over and over again, what must have been going through each passenger’s mind.
Like many Westporters, I fly often. Like most I grumble about the delays and crowded planes, but like them too I feel a secret, unspoken thrill every time the sky is clear, the air is blue and the scenery terrific. Tuesday was that kind of day.
For the rest of my life, I suspect, flying will never be the same. And the increased security we will face at every airport, on each plane, is only part of what I fear.
So much remains to be sorted out. We will hear, in the days to come, of Westporters who have lost family members and friends in the World Trade Center. We will hear too of those who have lost their jobs when their companies collapsed, either directly or indirectly, as a result of the terrorism.
Sherwood Island State Park is the site of Connecticut’s official 9/11 Memorial. (Photo/David Squires)
We will drive along the New Jersey Turnpike, or stand on a particular street in Manhattan, perhaps even take out-of-town guests to gaze at the landmark we will come to call “the place the twin towers used to be.”
Our casual grocery store and soccer sideline conversations will be filled with stories: who was where when the terror first hit, and what happened in the hours after.
Our newspapers and airwaves will be clogged with experts trying to explain — though that will never be possible — what it all means for us, in the short term and long term, as individuals and a society.
Our world has already changed, in ways that will take years, if not decades, to understand. We are nowhere close to comprehending the meaning of all this.
The world will go on, of course. Our planet will continue to spin; men and women will continue to commute to New York, and pretty women in Westport will continue to ride bicycles down Whitney Street.
At the same time, sadly, none of that will ever be the same.
Among the nearly 3,000 victims of 9/11, 161 were from Connecticut.
Two lived in Westport: Jonathan Uman and Bradley Vadas. Brothers Keith and Scott Coleman grew up here. All worked at the World Trade Center.
They were sons, fathers and brothers. They had much of their lives still ahead of them.
Today, we remember all those killed that day. Twenty-five years later, we still grieve.
Every 9/11 ceremony at Sherwood Island State Park — the site of Connecticut’s official memorial — is special.
Yesterday’s was especially moving. It marked the 25th anniversary of that terrible day.
The site, just a few yards from Long Island Sound, is where the Twin Towers could be seen, on a clear day. It was also readied for use as a staging area on September 11, 2001. Sadly rescue operations were not needed.
The names of 161 men and women with Connecticut ties — all killed that morning — are engraved in the memorial.
State officials and victims’ families spoke yesterday. Afterward, Andrew Colabella captured the scene as roses were laid on top of the stone of Westport resident Jonathan Uman. and a visitor took in the beautiful sunset.
(Photo/Andrew Colabella)
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During 12 years at the helm of the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce, Matthew Mandell has turned the business organization into a well-rounded civic force.
He has helped launch 14 Slice of Saugatuck festivals, 10 Westport Dog Festivals, dozens of Supper & Soul shows, COVID concerts, the Great Westport food competitions, Restaurant Week, monthly Business After Hours networking, the Halloween Window Painting contest, and this year’s “Your State, Your Business speaker seriess.
The Chamber raised and donated over $100,000 to local non-profit organizations like Homes with Hope, TAILS and many others.
During his tenure, membership in the Chamber nearly tripled.
Yesterday, Mandell announced he is retiring as executive director and president. His resignation is effective at the end of the year.
.Mandell will continue to serve on the Representative Town Meeting (RTM0, and Earthplace board of trustees. He will also advise the Chamber on upcoming events.
“It has been an exceptional experience, one that has been an honor for me to be a part of. When you love the subject matter, Westport, it’s easy to put your heart and soul into something like this. But it’s time to find a new path with different opportunities and go from there,” he says.
Paul Lebowitz, chair of the Chamber’s board of directors, says, “Matthew’s greatest contribution may be the events he created that brought our business community and the people of Westport together, ,,,Matthew was our chief cheerleader, tireless promoter, and advocate. His enthusiasm was contagious. His commitment to the organization, the businesses we represent, and the town has been remarkable, and we are grateful for everything he has given.”
NOTE: The Westport Library hosted TEDx talks a dozen or so years ago. This event is not affiliated with the Library. The planning committee is led by executive director Sholeh Janati.
Westport Animal Control officer Peter Reid follows up on yesterday’s Roundup story about illegal shellfishing in Westport waters. He writes:
“I have tried to orchestrate a state ENCON (Department of Energy & Environmental Protection) environmental conservation police) response in past years, to little avail.
“One of my big concerns was that these people were harvesting juvenile diamondback terrapins. There were anecdotal reports of turtles in the harvesters’ buckets last summer.
“I have been in touch with the DEEP turtle biologist, and folks at the Western Connecticut State University terrapin conservation initiative. They are willing to help us.
“Perhaps we are too late this year. But I encourage citizens who see this kind of activity to contact Westport Animal Control, reporting time and scope of activity. We will see if we can get this stopped.”
Nighttime shellfishing at Old Mill Beach. (Photo courtesy of Connecticut Centinal)
The Democratic Town Committee has nominated Mike Durkin as its new registrar of voters. He would replace longtime registrar Deborah Greenberg, who is stepping down.
The DTC says Durkin is “a longtime Westporter with experience in strategic marketing, sales and business operations. Mike’s work spans fields including technology, e-commerce, sports marketing and entrepreneurial ventures.” smoothly.
The DTC will vote oon his nomination at their meeting on Tuesday (7:30 p.m., Zoom). Registered Democrats may make nominations from the floor.
Westport Police made 2 custodial arrests between September 2 and 8.
A 24-year-old Bronx man was charged with larceny of a motor vehicle and operating a motor vehicle under suspension, after an officer on routine patrol was alerted by a license plate reader of a stolen Kia Forte traveling eastbound on Post Road West. He was held on a $10,000 bond.
A 55-year-old Norwalk man was charged with 2 counts of violation of a protective order, after twice coming to the victim’s residence despite a court order of protection. He was released on a $75,000 bond.
Westport Police also issued these citations:
Failure to obey stop sign: 7 citations
School zone violation: 3
Operating a motor vehicle under suspension: 2
Operating a motor vehicle without a license: 3
Texting while driving: 2
Distracted driving: 2
Operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance: 3
Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 2
Improper use of markers: 2
Assault: 1
Breach of peace: 1
Traveling too fast for conditions: 1
Speeding: 1
Traveling unreasonably fast: 1
Failure to drive in the proper lane: 1
Failure to drive to the right: 1
Failure to obey state traffic commission regulations: 1
Failure to renew license: 1
Failure to renew registration: 1
Operating a motor vehicle without proper instructor: 1
Keith Hagel is a 1963 graduate of Staples High School.
He lived and worked throughout Fairfield County, before retiring as a newspaper editor and moving to Maine. An earlier version of this piece appeared in the Bangor Daily News in 2023.
The morning sky on September 11, 2001 near New York City was spectacularly clear and beautiful, so different from the normal clouds and smog that even jaded, sleepy commuters like me on the train from suburban Connecticut to NYC took notice.
We were near the New York state line when the news broke. I remember one man saying, “Someone has declared war on the United States.” Another, on a cell, started yelling at his mother to turn off “The Price is Right” and watch the news.” Takes all kinds.
The train made an unscheduled stop, and a frantic young man boarded. His girlfriend worked in one of the World Trade Center buildings that had been hit, and of course he could not reach her. I hope I never again have to see such anguish on a person’s face.
I thought about a woman I had chatted with on a subway the day before. I think she had said she was on her way to start a new job at the WTC. As she said goodbye getting off, her hip brushed mine, perhaps accidentally. I noticed, but felt I’d probably never see her again. Now, I wondered if anyone else would, either.
As we neared the 125th Street station, we could see the Twin Towers afire across the river. An hour later, I would have been in the bowels of one of the other WTC buildings, connecting to my editing job at Dow Jones Newswires in Jersey City.
The unthinkable happened, on September 11, 2001.
125th Street was as far as train riders were going on September 11. If the World Trade Center had been targeted, Grand Central Station, in midtown Manhattan, certainly also might be.
To my surprise, I eventually got a dial tone on a pay phone (25 years later, extinct in New York) and called my newsroom office. No answer; the 16-floor building had been evacuated. Not that I could have have gotten there. All subway and bus service in Manhattan had been shut down.
My supervisor did eventually make it in. He had been walking to work from near the WTC when he saw the first plane hit. Any sane and/or terrified person would have run like hell in the opposite direction. He did, but a good newsperson to his core, he first called in the story.
I took a turned-around train back to Fairfield County. Little talk, no tickets collected. As I got off an hour later, grim-faced police were on the platform, probably watching for injured or traumatized people needing medical help. The next day, we would learn of the cars that sat empty in railroad parking lots, their drivers never to return.
(Photo copyright Ted Horowitz)
I drove my clunker car to my wife’s house. We recently had separated but, as parents, remained connected. Her first words to me were, “I never thought I’d be so glad to see that piece of (junk) here again.”
Her phone rang, and I answered. My college daughter in Michigan. She had been hurt by her parents’ split and was quite angry with me, with some justification.
A brief pause, then, “What are you doing here?”
I told her she should have listened to the message I had left her from the train, using a cell I had borrowed from a stranger.
With the passage of time, it’s easy to forget the importance of lunch in the cafeteria to middle school students.
Chloe Robbin is an 8th grader at Bedford Middle School. Today, she speaks out about the lunch situation there. She emailed this to her principal, Dr. Adam Rosen, and school counselors too. Chloe writes:
Lunch is supposed to be a relaxing and fun time of day. You get a break from class to eat your food and socialize with your friends.
But I didn’t know that once I entered middle school, lunch would become so much more complicated. As new friend groups began to form, so did the competition for seats at lunch tables. I often see people sprinting from their class to lunch just to claim a seat.
At Bedford Middle School, lunch tables have 8 seats attached to them. That may sound like enough, but it really isn’t because Bedford has 3 elementary schools combined into 1. Because the goal is to meet new people and expand your circle, having the same amount of seats as the elementary school tables just doesn’t make sense.
Circular lunch tables only sit 8.
What happens when 9 people want to sit at a table? Or what if someone wants to invite a new friend to sit at a table? Now all of a sudden, somebody has to sit somewhere else- and not because nobody wants them there, but simply because there is no room.
For example, so far this year my lunch table has been cramped together with 2 people trying to share the tiny circular seats. Some people are even sitting on the floor or eating standing up, just because they want to be with their friends.
But we can do better.
At BMS, we are told to include others and make sure nobody ever feels left out. These are all very important messages that I completely agree with. However, it can be impossible to follow this when there is not enough room for everyone to join, and then lunchtime becomes the cause for a lot of drama.
When my friends sit at the outdoor tables that have benches instead of individual seats, we fit a significant amount more people than before. Just yesterday, we had 12 people sitting at the table, and I saw boys next to me with 15 people all sitting on the 4 benches around the table.
Students can cram together at outdoor tables.
Keeping all of this in mind, the best solution to this issue is that we should have long rectangular tables with benches instead of individual seats in the cafeteria because these tables are way more inclusive. In fact, I have noticed that Bedford has these tables folded underneath the staircase.
Long lunch tables, unused and stored underneath the BMS stairs. (All photos/Chloe Robbin)
This is not saying that we need to fill the cafeteria with all new lunch tables, but a few new ones would be just enough for students to have a better lunch experience and invite a few more friends to join.
Then lunch can go back to hopefully being a stress free time!
(“Students Speak” is a regular “06880” feature. Any student living or studying in Westport or Weston can submit a piece. Email 06880blog@gmail.com. To support this local blog, click here.)
Chloe Robbin
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Very quickly. Dr. Rosen responded. The BMS principal wrote:
Hi Chloe,
Thank you for such a thoughtful email. I especially appreciate that the motivation behind your suggestion is to make lunch more inclusive and to ensure that students have opportunities to be with their friends and welcome new people into their groups. That instinct — to notice when others might be left out and think about how we can make Bedford a more inclusive community — is something I admire and hope you continue to bring to our school.
Interestingly, the history of our cafeteria tables may surprise you. Years ago, Bedford did use the larger rectangular tables with benches that you described. At first glance, they seem like the obvious solution: If a table can hold more students, more friends can sit together. In practice, however, we found almost exactly the opposite.
When we had the larger rectangular tables, the competition to get to those tables was much more pronounced. A group of 10 or 12 students could essentially claim one large table, and inevitably there would be another 2 or 3 students who considered themselves part of that same friend group but could not fit. Those students often felt even more excluded because nearly their entire social group was sitting together without them. We received frequent concerns from students and parents across all 3 grades about exactly this issue.
Dr. Adam Rosen
There was another challenge as well. At a long rectangular table, a smaller group could occupy the middle and become the center of the conversation, while students sitting farther down the benches or at the ends could technically be “at the table” but still feel socially separated from the group.
Our move to round tables was very intentional and came after considerable work involving our School Climate Committee, PTA, students, and staff. The difference was remarkable. The concerns about exclusion decreased substantially once we moved to round tables.
One reason is that a round table puts everyone on equal footing—there is no “center” or “end” of the group. Just as importantly, the 8-seat tables encourage larger friend groups to divide into smaller, more fluid groups rather than having one large clique occupy a single table. Over time, that actually creates more opportunities for students to mix, move among friends, welcome others, and develop new relationships.
I completely understand that this can feel counterintuitive when 9 friends want to sit together and there are only 8 seats. Your observation is a very reasonable one. But after many years of watching both arrangements in action at Bedford, I can tell you that the larger tables unfortunately created substantially more social difficulties and feelings of exclusion than our current round tables do.
That does not mean we should ignore the concerns you raised. Students should never be sitting on the floor, standing to eat, or squeezing two people onto a seat in order to remain connected to their friends. Mrs. Harding and I will continue to pay attention to what is happening during lunch and work with students on ways to make the experience as positive and inclusive as possible.
Most importantly, please don’t lose the spirit behind your suggestion. You saw something affecting your peers, thought carefully about a possible solution, and took the initiative to respectfully advocate for a more inclusive Bedford. I hold that kind of leadership in very high regard. While experience has taught us that the particular solution of larger tables would likely work against the outcome you are hoping for, the outcome itself—helping students feel welcomed, connected, and included—is exactly what we want as well.
Thank you for caring enough about your school community to write to us.
Laurie Gilman, a retired editorial and research director, has lived in Westport for 15 years. An avid reader, she recently helped establish the Winslow Book Club.
She has a significant other of 40 years, many beloved nieces and nephews, and an 8-year-old pug named Charley who was taken in when he was a year old. Charley walks her around Winslow Park nearly every day. Laurie writes:
We are less than a week away from a vote by the Planning & Zoning Commission on Text Amendment #874. It would alter the zoning laws at Winslow Park in order to build a “dogport” — a fenced area for dogs.
A survey, petition and letters show this is unpopular among dog owners and citizens who want to preserve open space in Westport.
Winslow Park (Photo/Ron Henkin)
The only convincing argument for this project is for dog safety. Gaps remain in the park’s perimeter, where dogs can reach busy roads. Very well thought out, detailed plans have been submitted to the P&Z website that would remove those gaps, and cost Westport less in terms of money and open space.
In addition to ignoring the good ideas to fence the park, a dogport has its own problems with dog safety — for example, dogs being more aggressive in an enclosed area. So we’re pretty sure this isn’t about the issue of dog safety. Far from it.
The amendments explicitly states, “By concentrating off-leash activities into a designated area the proposal helps reduce conflicts between park users, improves predictability for families and walkers, and promotes responsible pet ownership through rules, regulations, and accountability.”
How is it possible to “concentrate” all unleashed dog activity into a dogport when the majority of dog owners at Winslow want to walk with their dogs? Only if rules are changed that force dog owners into the dog port.
Dogs, on and off leash.
A rule requiring dogs to be leashed throughout the park could happen. But that won’t go far enough, because dog owners will still want to walk their dogs on leash. What is more likely is taking the extraordinary step of denying dog owners access to the rest of the park.
“The proposal helps reduce conflicts between park users.” We think the dog owners at Winslow have a very good relationship with all the other users of the park: kids riding bikes or scooters or sleighing during the winter; parents walking their children who stop to pet our dogs, and people of all ages out getting their walk in.
We have never witnessed a conflict between park users without dogs and those with dogs. We have seen conflicts between dog owners. If you were to go to the park today you might find posters of a woman whose dog attacked another dog, and did not take responsibility for the aggressive behavior from her dog.
We are all aware of this incident, and are on the lookout for the owner and her dog if they return. We are a community that acts to keep the park peaceful and protect all its users.
Winslow Park community. (Photo/Cat Malkin)
Finally, a dog port “promotes responsible pet ownership through rules, regulations, and accountability.” There are already rules and regulations posted at Winslow, and the vast majority of owners follow them. Keeping dog owners accountable seems to imply bad behavior of dogs. That can happen in or outside of a dog port.
We all value the beautiful open space and trails at Winslow. By passing this amendment and “concentrating off-leash activity,” dog owners are rightfully concerned that their access to the rest of the park will end.
It’s not a stretch to imagine other uses of the park will replace us. What those may be should concern all of Westport residents who want to protect the unique and cherished open area that is Winslow.
Laurie Gilman
On behalf of the Friends of Winslow Park
(“06880” Opinion pages are open to all readers. Email submissions to 06880blog@gmail.com. To help support this hyper-local blog, please click here.)
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