Westport Parks & Recreation Commission chair David Floyd has lived here for over 30 years.
A football, basketball and track athlete at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland, and a University of Maryland graduate, he helps oversee so many local amenities: our beaches, Longshore, athletic fields, parks, and much more.
The other day, David came to the Westport Library, for an “06880” podcast chat. Click here or below, for an inside look at some of the most special places and programs in town.
Week #30 of our series brings 4 more examples of a variety of architectural styles that have met the wrecking ball — and the style that supplants them.
“Then & Now” curator and pre-demolition archivist Dave Matlow provides these images. They’re part of a project he worked on from 2004 to 2020.
A reminder: This is a community blog. Our neighbors live here. Some built those new structures; others are the second (or beyond) owners.
If you comment, please be kind. Taste is subjective. Wherever we live, everyone has loves their home.
NOTE: This is an information-gathering survey only. Submitting the survey is not a claim or request for assistance, and does not guarantee that disaster relief or other recovery assistance will be available.
Information collected will help state and local emergency management officials document the extent of the damage, and determine whether the State of Connecticut may be eligible for post-disaster programs through FEMA and/or the Small Business Administration.
Residents should also report property damage to their insurance company.
Major damage occurred at the 1177 Post Road East apartments. The first floor — including the community room — were inundated. Cars in the parking lot were ruined.
It was the second major flood there in 5 years.
One view of 1177 Post Road East …
… and another.
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How much rain fell yesterday?
Statistics are one thing. Visual evidence is another.
Lynsey Addario has added one more prestigious honor, to her sparkling resumé.
The 1991 Staples High School graduate — already a Pulitzer Prize- and MacArthur Fellow-winning photojournalist — recently received the Diane vonFurstenberg Award.
Founded by the fashion designer in 2010, it recognizes women who display exceptional courage, strength and leadership. The award icludes a grant to further the recipient’s humanitarian or non-profit work.
Addario was cited for her fearless career documenting conflict zones, around the world.
Charlie Capalbo’s battle with lymphoma and leukemia inspired countless people, locally and across the nation.
The 2017 graduate of Fairfield Ludlowe High School — and grandson of noted Westport writer Ina Chadwick — was a 3-time recipient of cells from his brother Will. The procedure helped Charlie live a few extra years, before he died in 2022.
A Bank of America Capalbo Strong Walk (October 4, Jennings Beach, Fairfield), keeps Charlie’s memory and legacy alive, by supporting pediatric cancer research and families facing similar battles.
The 24K walk (15 miles) honors his birth and death days. The walk is 3 loops of 5 miles, weaving through the beach area. Paricipants can do 1, 2 or 3 loops — or anything in between. 250 walkers have already signed up.
There is a post-walk celebration at The Seagrape with Colony Pizza, Super Duper Weenie Trucks and the Stop & Shop trucks.
So is another year of the Staples Model UN. It’s one of the most successful of all the high school’s club.
The student-run organization teaches members the skills needed to participate in Model United Nations conferences. At conferences, students represent countries in UN committees, researching and debating complex international issues from their assigned country’s perspective.
In recent years Staples delegates have attended conferences hosted by Yale, Dartmouth, the Loomis Chaffee School, and the National High School Model United Nations Conference in New York City.
The club meets weekly after school to prepare through public speaking, debate, research, negotiation, and resolution-writing exercises.
While many other schools have significantly more institutional support for Model UN — including dedicated faculty-led programs and even Model UN classes — Staples students teach and prepare one another.
Despite those differences, Staples has been highly successful. In the past 2 years alone, they’ve collected 10 awards at 4 conferences.
Model UN conferences cost hundreds of dollars per student, for registration, transportation and lodging. They hope to fundraise, so that all interested members can participate.
Right now, they’re looking for local businesses and organizations to partner with Staples Model UN. $250 can help cover the conference costs of 1 student; $500 can help support 2. Contributions of any amount are appreciated.
Club members say their goal is not only to raise money, but to “build support within the Westport community for a student-run program that gives Staples students opportunities to develop skills in public speaking, research, diplomacy, negotiation and leadership.
Interested businesses, organizations and individuals can send checks to “Model UN Club,” c/o Staples High School, 70 North Avenue, Westport, CT 06880. Questions? Email jori.altman@gmail.com.
Local walkers will join others nationwide this Sunday (September 19, 10 a.m., Sherwood Island State Park, for the Optimism Walk for Parkinson’s.
Funds raised go to local programs and services that help people with Parkinson’s disease live life to the fullest, and to fund research for treatments and a cure. Click here for more information, and registration.
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Yesterday’s weather was, as they say, a nice day for ducks.
Robin Jaffee Frank spotted today’s “Westport … Naturally” scene just a day before, near Temple Israel.
And finally … the weather has cleared. But let’s not let yesterday pass without:
(We hope you’ve dried out. We also hope you appreciated yesterday’s coverage of that crazy storm. We worked all day — even longer than usual. Please click here to support our work. Thanks!)
Longtime Bridge Street resident Werner Liepolt has watched the Cribari Bridge debate closely.
In the other direction from his home, another story is unfolding. A proposal to demolish the one of the 2 office buildings at 55-57 Greens Farms Road — and replace it with a 250-unit apartment structure — 30 percent of them “affordable” under state statute — is working its way through town bodies.
The Conservation Commission will discuss the plan at a public hearing on Wednesday (September 16, 7 p.m., Town Hall auditorium and livestream).
Liepolt — a recognized consulting party for the Cribari Bridge project — wrote to 1st Selectman Kevin Christie, Representative Town Meeting members and other officials:
TC Greens Farms LLC has proposed demolishing the approximately 60,000-square foot office building at 57 Greens Farms Road and replacing it with a 250-unit multi-family residential building, with 30 percent of the units designated as affordable housing.
The reported development cost is approximately $100 million, and the proposal has now entered Westport’s municipal review process.
55 Greens Farms Road — the building closest to the street — would be demolished, and replaced with a new apartment structure.
This location is directly relevant to Cribari Bridge Project 158-214. Greens Farms Road is part of the residential corridor connecting I-95 exits 18 and 17 by way of Bridge Street, the Cribari Bridge and Riverside Avenue.
Traffic generated or redistributed at 55–57 Greens Farms Road therefore has the potential to affect the traffic baseline, route choices and cumulative conditions surrounding the bridge and the Bridge Street Historic District.
I am not suggesting that all traffic generated by 250 apartments should simply be treated as new traffic. A responsible analysis must compare the proposed residential use with the actual or reasonably anticipated occupancy and traffic generation of the office building being removed. Nor is this an objection to the affordable housing component of the proposal.
Bridge Street traffic. (Photo/Werner Liepolt)
However, a development of this magnitude on a road feeding the bridge corridor cannot reasonably be ignored while the Federal Highway Administration and Connecticut Department of Transportation prepare a revised Environmental Assessment. The traffic analysis should examine:
Existing and projected daily and peak-hour traffic from the property
The assumptions used for the office building being demolished
Anticipated distribution of residential traffic toward I-95 exits 17 and 18 and toward the Cribari Bridge
The interaction between this development and each bridge alternative under consideration
I-95 diversion and navigation-app routing through Greens Farms Road, Bridge Street and Riverside Avenue
Construction traffic, emergency access and pedestrian and bicycle safety
The combined effects of foreseeable development and changes in the bridge’s weight, geometry and accessibility to larger vehicles.
This is particularly important because altering the Cribari Bridge could itself change driver behavior and route selection. A development analysis that assumes the present bridge, and a bridge analysis that omits the proposed development, could leave the public with 2 incomplete studies and no examination of their combined consequences.
Those consequences could include additional congestion and cut-through traffic, changes in the volume and composition of vehicles, increased noise and air pollution, pedestrian and cyclist hazards, and effects on the residential character, setting and integrity of the National Register-listed Bridge Street Historic District.
Aerial view of 55-57 Greens Farms Road. The street is at the bottom. It feeds into Bridge Street and the Cribari Bridge (left, off the image).
These matters are relevant to the revised environmental review and, where historic properties may be affected, to the continuing Section 106 consultation.
I respectfully request that:
This development proposal and this correspondence be entered into the Project 158-214 administrative and consultation records
FHWA and CTDOT obtain and review the developer’s traffic-impact study and underlying assumptions
The revised Environmental Assessment disclose whether and how this development is incorporated into its traffic baseline and indirect and cumulative-effects analysis
Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office consider whether resulting traffic conditions associated with the bridge alternatives could affect the character and setting of the Bridge Street Historic District
Consulting parties receive a written response explaining how this new information will be addressed before the revised Environmental Assessment is completed.
No single agency should review only its isolated portion of these projects while overlooking the corridor-wide consequences created by their interaction. The public deserves a current, coordinated analysis before decisions become effectively irreversible.
(“06880” Opinion pages are open to all. Submissions may be sent to 06880blog@gmail.com. To support this hyperlocal blog with a tax-deductible contribution, please click here.)
As flood waters abate, and the sun peeks out, Westport businesses and homeowners are assessing the damage wrought by up to 7 inches of rain.
The Norwalk/Westport area was among the hardest hit in Connecticut. Rainfall reached up to 4 inches an hour.
Westport emergency responders conducted 13 rescues of people trapped in vehicles by floodwaters.
Fire, Police, Emergency Medical Services, Public Works and dispatch teams continued to respond to calls throughout the afternoon.
Town departments are coordinating with Eversource to secure or disconnect utilities where necessary.
One of the first reports of destruction comes from Randy Herbertson. The owner of The Visual Brand — an agency located in a historic building off Church Lane — was heavily damaged, when Deadman Brook surged across Myrtle Avenue, and through Sconset Square.
As he sent the photos, Randy was waiting for the Fire Department to check electrical safety.
The Visual Brand studio entrance.
(Photos/Randy Herbertson)
There was a report too of heavy damage in the 1177 Post Road East apartments.
The first floor was under water, while the parking lot also flooded. Some cars were pushed into each other.
1177 Post Road East apartments.
Many Westporters — town officials and residents — responded well today.
Huge kudos to all, in every department. They answered a slew of calls, quickly and efficiently. They assessed damage, blocked roads, and communicated immediately.
As always, there were boneheads.
James Morgan notes: “Somebody saw fit to remove caution tape preventing people from driving into a massive flooded area at Morningside Drive and the Post Road.
“And police barriers blocking the Post Road on either side of the intersection were casually moved aside and dismissed by people who deemed their travel more important than their neighbors’ safety.”
Hopefully their brakes did not fail completely.
Representative Town Meeting member Jennifer Johnson compiled a video of flooding in her District 9 (downtown and beyond).
“We can’t ignore Deadman Brook,” she notes. “This is the worst I’ve seen in 20 years.”
There are several things you can do when you’re stuck on the Kings Highway North hill, waiting for the Wilton Road light.
You can quietly seethe, inching up on the car in front that can’t go anywhere.
You can concentrate on your audiobook, podcast or (hands-free!) phone conversation.
Or you can gaze off to the left, at the Kings Highway Colonial Cemetery
You can’t see the names from your car. They include Henry Moses Judah, who until 2024 was the last Civil War general in the nation with an unmarked grave; the Taylor family, of the eponymous Taylortown Marsh, across the road; and the Marvins, whose tavern not far away once hosted George Washington.
But you can see a stone monument, with 3 words: “Rest. Enjoy. Protect.” (Presumably they refer to visitors; full-time residents can only follow the first suggestion.)
That photo, by Nancy Breakstone, was last week’s Challenge. (Click here to see.) Morley Boyd, Marie Gross, Diane Silfen, Tammy Guarente, Diane Bosch, Karen Como, Lynn Untermeyer Miller, Sal Liccione, Janice Stirzever, Seth Braunstein, Paul Cahill and Wendy Schaefer apparently spend enough time at that light to have correctly identified it.
Congratulations. Now rest, enjoy and protect!
Here is this week’s Photo Challenge. If you know where in Westport you would see it, click “Comments” below.
(Photo/John Maloney)
(Every Sunday, “06880” hosts this Photo Challenge. We challenge you too to support your hyper-local blog. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
Another chapter is ending for Old Mill Grocery & Deli.
Romanacci — operators of the iconic, 107-year-old beachside market — will not renew their lease.
Graziano and Maurizio Ricci — owners of Romanacci — will turn their attention to the continued growth of their business. They open a new Romanacci restaurant in Darien this fall.
In a heartfelt note to “Friends, Neighbors & Our Amazing Community,” the Riccis say:
After 3 wonderful years at OMG, we’ve decided it’s time for us to begin a new chapter.
Despite some very challenging times, it was still, without a doubt, worth every single minute.
(Photo/Dave Dellinger)
From the very beginning, your support, friendship and loyalty have meant more to us than we can put into words.
You welcomed us into this community, supported us, celebrated with us, and made this place feel like so much more than just a business. It became part of our family.
Saturday morning, at Old Mill Grocery & Deli.
And because of that, we want to say “thank you” the best way we know how: with a community party. We invite everyone to join us for one last special evening together.
On Tuesday, September 29, starting at 5 p.m. we’ll have food, drinks, and a little gift for each one of you — and for your beloved four-legged friends — as a small way of showing our appreciation for everything you have done for us over these 3 years.
And please remember: This is not goodbye. It’s a see you later.
For everyone who has contributed to the prepaid house account, we want you to know that your support does not disappear with the closing of this chapter. We will honor those accounts at all of our Romanacci locations.
We are also committed to doing everything we can to help Soundview Empowerment Alliance and the next operator make the transition as smoothly as possible. Our hope is that OMG remains open, thriving, and part of this wonderful community for another 100 years.
Thank you for believing in us, supporting us, and making these 3 years truly unforgettable.
We hope to see every one of you on September 29 so we can raise a glass, share some food, and celebrate the memories we created together.
Soundview Empowerment Alliance — owners of Old Mill Grocery & Deli — say:
Soundview Empowerment Alliance could not have asked for better partners or stewards of this special place.
From the moment they became tenants and stewards of Old Mill Grocery & Deli, they understood and fully embraced SEA’s mission of “preserving history and serving good,” supporting both with their trademark grace and enthusiasm.
They leaned in creatively and did their best to bring the community together, offering great food and drink, friendly service and accessible prices.
Among the Romanacci innovations: special candlelight dinners at the communal table. (Photo/Carol Alexander)
They also worked through some significant and costly challenges along the way, maintaining their composure, commitment and good humor throughout.
Our hats are off to them, and we wish them every success with their next (ad)ventures.
In anticipation of their departure at the end of this month, SEA has been working hard to identify the next operator to carry on OMG&D’s more than 107-year tradition of serving the community with food, beverage, convenience and connection.
Old Mill Grocery & Deli, decades ago.
We are in active discussions with several strong prospective operators, including successful well-known local operators. Each brings considerable experience, energy and an understanding of this community. We are optimistic that one of them will emerge as the right partner to carry the stewardship of OMG&D into its next chapter.
While Romanacci’s chapter at OMG&D is coming to a close, OMG&D itself is very much continuing, and SEA remains committed to preserving this historic gathering place for generations to come.
With enormous gratitude to our wonderful community and supporters,
Jim Hood & Ian Warburg, on behalf of Soundview Empowerment Alliance
(Photo/Ed Simek)
(“06880” reports regularly on the Old Mill Grocery story — as we do with all local news. If you enjoy coverage of business, the beach and Westport life, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
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