Seven years ago, Westport resident Debra Kandrak had an idea: Paint the town yellow.
Today, her one-woman crusade pays off beautifully.
Every autumn, she uses a wide variety of outlets — social media, emails, “06880” — to encourage Westporters to plant daffodils.
She brings her message to friends, strangers, businesses, and town organizations and committees. Her message is simple: Plant bulbs.
Every spring around this time, we are blessed with the results of her — and their — work.
Once again, the gorgeous yellow flowers are everywhere.
From neighborhoods like Greens Farms to the Westport Library, around mailboxes and street signs, by the Cribari Bridge, in traffic islands and at the entrances to Staples High and Bedford Middle Schools, Debra’s yeowoman efforts pay off for all of us.
As perennials, each year brings more and more explosions of color.
And every spring, Debra says, she finds flowers in areas she had not seen before. Here’s what she found today:
One stretch of Morningside Drive South …
… and another.
Lansdowne Condominiums, Post Road East.
Hillandale Road
Green’s Farms Church.
Compo Beach
Charcoal Hill Road. (All photos/Debra Kandrak)
Of course, daffodils bloomed even before Debra’s crusade.
The flowers lining the front of Willowbrook Cemetery on Main Street have delighted everyone passing by for years.
Here’s a bonus photo, from Claudia Sherwood Servidio:
(Photo/Claudia Sherwood Servidio)
We’re happy to feature more spring-in-Westport photos. Email them to 06880blog@gmail.com.
After the winter we’ve had, it’s time to celebrate a new season!
(“06880” regularly features Westport’s beauty — in words and images. If you enjoy this hyper-local blog, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
To goose it along, last week’s Photo Challenge featured a farm implement.
It was rusted, and looked like it had been in the field forever. But, in true New England fashion, it still seemed usable. (Click here to see.)
Susan Iseman, Seth Schachter, Brian Taylor, Sal Liccione and Ivy Gosseen all knew exactly where to find it: Wakeman Town Farm.
Westport’s environmental and educational center gets thousands of visitors a year. There’s a lot to see and do at the Cross Highway fields and farms.
And one day – hopefully very soon — we’ll all be able to enjoy it, in actual spring weather.
Here is this week’s Photo Challenge. If you know where in Westport you’d see it, click “Comments” below.
(Photo/Mark Mathias)
(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!)
Longtime Westport resident Bette Hahner died peacefully on March at her home in Chatham, Massachusetts. She was 84.
The New York City native and her husband Jeff spent 28 enjoyable years here. In 2000, they retired and moved to Cape Cod.
Bette loved entertaining and gardening. In Westport she enjoyed throwing clambakes, corporate picnics and dinners for friends and neighbors.
In Chatham, in addition to many hours in her home gardens, she managed luncheons and events for the Chatham Garden Club, Monomoy Yacht Club, Chatham-Harwich Newcomers Club, CONCH and Friends of the Eldredge Library.
She recruited many member to the Garden Club. People loved working with her.
Bette worked seasonally for 15 years in the Chatham permit/sticker office, and knew nearly everyone in town. She then worked at the Freedom Ferry in Harwich Port, as a friendly face in the ticket office. For many years she also sold buttons at First Night Chatham headquarters.
Bette was a past president of the Chatham Garden Club, a board member of the Friends of the Eldredge Public Library, and active on the First Night Chatham Committee. In 2025 she was named grand marshal of Chatham’s July 4th parade.
She is survived by Jeff, her husband of 64 years, and son Tim of Bloomington, Minnesota. She also leaves her dog Emmie.
The family requests that donations be made in her name to the Chatham Garden Club.
A celebration of life will be held Saturday (April 18, 2 p.m.) at the First Congregational Church of Chatham.
Bette Hahner
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And finally … on this date in 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs, Georgia. He was 63, and in his 4th term.
Woody Guthrie wrote “Dear Mrs. Roosevelt,” in the style of many tribute letters the public wrote to the first lady after his death. There are 15 verses; at the end of each, Guthrie says, “This world was lucky to see him born.”
Guthrie never recorded the song. But Bob Dylan — an acolyte — found it, and rescued it from obscurity. He and The Band performed it at a Carnegie Hall Guthrie tribute concert in 1968. He has never played it since.
(Spring is here! But before you go outside to romp, please take a few seconds to click here, and support your hyper-local blog. That helps keep “06880” alive, through every season of the year. Thank you!)
But before anyone applauds, one question should be asked: Is this committee being formed to scrutinize the state’s process — or simply to give local cover to a decision already being pushed forward on an outdated record?
Because that is where things stand.
The state is moving toward a consequential decision on the future of the Cribari Bridge while relying on what it calls an “updated” Environmental Assessment that is, on close reading, still essentially the same document prepared in 2020.
First meeting of the Cribari Bridge Advisory Committee, in 2018. A new committee will soon be formed.
And Connecticut Department of Transportation officials say that kind of document has a shelf life of only 2 to 3 years.
So let’s stop pretending the issue is only what kind of bridge gets built.
The issue is whether Westport is being asked to accept a 2026 decision based on stale assumptions, stale analysis, and a process that no longer matches present reality.
I attended the first meeting of CTDOT’s Planning Advisory Committee in July 2018 as a federally recognized consulting party, because I live in the Bridge Street National Register Historic District.
At that meeting, CTDOT made the standard clear: Environmental Assessments do not last forever. After roughly 2 to three3 years, they must be revisited to account for changing conditions.
That was then.
At the March 19, 2026 public hearing, CTDOT presented a February 2026 version of the Environmental Assessment that appears to be little more than the 2020 document with a new date.
Cribari Bridge (Photo/Fred Cantor)
Yet the process rolls on:
Preferred alternative identified.
Public comment period underway.
Town leaders urged to engage.
Residents told their voices matter.
Fine. Then the first thing this new advisory committee should ask is obvious: Why is Westport being asked to react to a decision framework built on an expired study?
This matters because the bridge does not sit in some abstract engineering zone.
It sits in the Bridge Street Historic District, where setting, views, scale and patterns of neighborhood life are part of what is protected.
It also connects directly to Route 136 Scenic Highway, where preservation of visual character is not a sentimental talking point but part of the public purpose of the designation.
Start of the Route 136 Scenic Highway.
Since 2020, the surrounding conditions have plainly changed.
COVID transformed our demographic and altered our work habits.
Traffic patterns are different.
Navigation apps now push drivers through residential streets in real time.
Greens Farms Road already functions, at key hours, as a pressure valve for I-95 congestion.
Development in Saugatuck has intensified.
And nearby infrastructure changes raise entirely foreseeable questions about whether this corridor is being transformed, in practice, into something far more consequential than CTDOT’s analysis admits.
Residents do not need a consultant or an advisory committee to tell them that conditions have changed.
They live them.
What makes this even harder to defend is that the project’s own visual analysis appears partial. The review described in the current materials does not meaningfully capture winter visibility from elevated homes within the historic district, even though those views are part of the setting that gives the district its character.
The Bridge Street streetscape changes with the seasons.
So no, this is not just a procedural quibble.
It goes to the integrity of the entire decision-making process.
Because when a study is outdated, everything built on it becomes suspect: the alternatives analysis, the impact claims, the traffic assumptions, the mitigation discussion, and the town’s ability to say honestly that it has evaluated current conditions.
That is why the new advisory committee matters.
Not as a public-relations device.
Not as a way to calm people down.
Not as a stage on which local officials can appear engaged while the real framework remains untouched.
It matters only if it is willing to say, clearly and publicly, that Westport should not be boxed into commenting on a preferred option grounded in a stale Environmental Assessment.
Part of the state’s assessment of the Cribari Bridge.
Westport’s elected officials should be careful here.
A committee can be a tool for real scrutiny.
It can also be a way to absorb public anger while avoiding the central issue.
If this committee is serious, it should demand answers to a few basic questions immediately:
Why is a 2020 Environmental Assessment still serving as the foundation for a 2026 decision?
What exactly was reevaluated, and what was merely repackaged?
How were post-2020 traffic changes actually studied?
How were cumulative corridor impacts assessed?
Why should residents trust a process that appears to have updated the cover more than the analysis?
Those are not anti-bridge questions.
They are pro-accountability questions.
No one is asking for delay for delay’s sake.
What people are asking for is something much more modest and much more reasonable: that before Westport lends its name, its cooperation, or its political cover to this process, someone in authority insists that the underlying record reflect the world as it exists now — not as it looked 5 or 6 years ago.
The Cribari Bridge, in 2019. (Drone photo John Videler, for Videler Photography)
More than 1,600 people have signed a petition calling for federal oversight on the protection of Westport and the nation’s historic resources.
The March 19 hearing drew a packed room and a near unanimous, clear mandate.
The public has spoken with unusual clarity at the sole public hearing CTDOT has conducted on this project.
Now the question is whether this advisory committee will do anything more difficult than listen.
Because in the end, this is not just about what replaces the Cribari Bridge.
It is about whether Westport’s leaders will insist on an honest process — or help legitimize one that is already past its shelf life.
(“06880” Opinion pages are open to all. Email submissions to 06880blog@gmail.com. To support this hyper-local blog with a tax-deductible contribution, please click here.)
Got drugs you no longer need (or want)? Or those that have expired?
On Saturday, April 25 (10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Senior Center) the Westport Police Department takes part in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
Residents can bring tablets, capsules, patches and other solid forms of prescription drugs to the Senior Center. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain sealed in their original container.
Do not bring syringes, sharps and illicit drugs. The cap must be tightly sealed to prevent leakage.
Drop-offs are free, and anonymous.
Westport Police also offer a year-round collection bin in the lobby of the headquarters building on Jesup Road. There is a supply of medication disposal bags in the lobby, to dispose of liquid and pill medications in your regular garbage.
The founder and CEO of Westport-based ThoughtPartnr has just been named to MSN’s “Top 10 AI Leaders to Follow” list.
His writeup calls Norris “a serial entrepreneur, author and strategic advisor known for helping leaders scale businesses and influence markets through innovation, technology and high-performance leadership.
“As an AI strategist, he is focused n helping small and medium-sized businesses succeed in the age of artificial intelligence.
Norris chairs the Technology and Innovation Council of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce.
But he’s well-known locally too.
A co-founder of StartUp Westport, board member of several organizations, and founder of Westport 10, Norris’ ThoughtPartnr firm helped develop our “06880” widget.
Available at the top right of every 06880.org page (and through the far-left bottom at the bottom of our “06880” app), it enables users to do a deep dive into 17 years of our blog’s content. It’s more than a search engine — it’s a way to use AI in a hyper-local way.
Helping small and medium-sized businesses is one of Norris’ passions.
“The Savannah Sipping Society” — Westport Community Theatre’s 4th production of the season — opened last night.
The warm, witty comedy about friendship, second chances and the occasional happy hour continues weekends through April 26.
Co-written by Jamie Wooten (“Designing Women,” “The Golden Girls”), it
stars Dandy Barrett, Heather Delude, Gillian Holt and Ellen Krinick Porto.
Performances are Fridays and Saturdays (7:30 p.m.), and Sundays (2 p.m.)., at the WCT in the lower level of Town Hall. A special Thursday show is set for April 16 (7:30 p.m.).
Identical twins, Juilliard graduates and clarinet and saxophone virtuosos Peter and Will Anderson (and Companions) perform American songbook standards by George Gershwin at Christ & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church.
Speaking of entertainment: Lachat Town Farm — Weston’s multi-purpose entertainment and educational venue — has announced its 2026 Music in the Meadow lineup.
There’s something for everyone.
The season kicks off June 13 with indie rock standouts Morningside — recently named one of Connecticut’s Top 12 Up‑and‑Coming Bands — with a supporting set from Charlotte Roth.
On July 11 they welcome Quinn Sullivan. The Massachusetts guitar star has shared the stage with Buddy Guy and BB King.
August 15 brings Black Rock indie‑folk favorites The Moonrise Cartel. Brian Dolzani opens, featuring the music of Neil Young.
Stella Blue’s Band closes the season September 19, with Grateful Dead tunes.
Next Friday (April 17, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.), an emergency preparedness drill will take place at Bedford Middle School.
It’s during April recess, when schools are closed. The public may notice emergency vehicles and personnel — but it is only a drill. It is not open to the public.
This drill, in partnership with regional and state agencies, is part of an effort to test preparedness plans and strengthen collaboration among local and regional partners, in response to a public health emergency scenario.
Participating agencies include the Westport Police Department and Fire Departments, Westport Emergency Medical Services, the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, and the state Department of Public Health.
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It never gets old.
Once again, Ken Bernhard, Ted Freedman ad Rick Jaffe are asking Westporters to check their closets, and donate new or slightly worn shoes to Soles4Souls.
Collection boxes are in place at Town Hall and the Senior Center. Donations can be made through the first week of May.
Soles4Souls keeps shoes out of landfills, provides footwear for people in need, and creates micro-business opportunities in places of poverty.
Since 2006, the organization has salvaged over nearly 100 million pairs of shoes. They’ve been distributed in 129 countries, and all 50 states.
Westport does its part. Ken, Ted and Rich have collected over 4,000 pairs of shoes, helping people around the world who lack access to proper footwear.
Ken Bernhard and friend, with the Soles4Souls collection box at Town Hall.
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Bees are back!
And even though it looks like this guy is still wearing a winter coat, today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo is one more sign that spring is on its way.
And finally … in honor of the shoe collection drive, through the organization Soles4Souls (item above):
(Hold on! Don’t leave yet! If you enjoy these daily Roundups — or any other “06880” feature — please click here. Your tax-deductible contribution supports our work. Thank you!)
As always, our artists — professional and amateur, young and old(er) — choose a variety of mediums to display their works.
As always too, we invite you to be part of next week’s exhibition. No matter your age; the style or subject you choose — and whether you’re a first-timer or old-timer — we welcome your submissions. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, mixed media, digital, lithographs, collages, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage, needlepoint — we want whatever you’ve got.
Just email a JPG to 06880blog@gmail.com. And please include the medium you’re working in.
“You’ve Got Mail” — Saugatuck Shores (Patricia McMahon — Available for purchase; click here)
“Watercolor is a Swim in the White of the Paper” — Lajos Szalay (Duane Cohen; Available for purchase; click here)
“One Nyala Morning” (Nancy Breakstone — Available for purchase; click here)
“Bunny’s in Your Garden” — acrylic pastel on canvas (Dorothy Robertshaw; Available for purchase; click here)
“Zeke” — pencil on paper (Bill Fellah)
“My Largest Color Splash Yet” — acrylics poured on a wooden panel (Eric Bosch)
“Print Stripes” — collage and printmaking (Ben Crockett, age 7 — One River Art student)
Untitled — collage (June Rose Whittaker; Available for purchase; click here)
“Mother Nature’s Feather Art” (Mike Hibbard)
“Spring” (Martin Ripchick)
“Lovers” — watercolor inspired by Chagall (Steve Stein)
“Sam” — graphite on Bristol (Werner Liepolt)
“Fred” (Lawrence Weisman)
(Entrance is free to our online art gallery –as it has been for 6 years. But please consider an anniversary donation! Just click here — and thank you!)
In high school Gofman was involved in WWPT radio, and played on the state champion volleyball team.
He studied media production, and played and coached club volleyball, at Ithaca College, then earned a master’s in sport and performance psychology at the University of Denver.
Gofman spent 5 years at a Westport mental health group, helping young men struggling to navigate life. During COVID he and his wife Danielle moved to Roanoke, Virginia, where he was interim CEO of a community health center.
Last summer they returned to Westport. He established his practice on Sylvan Road South. In addition to life coaching, he specializes in patients with chronic pain.
Danielle is also a therapist; she works virtually.
David and Danielle Gofman, with their children.
Gofman empathizes with his young adult and early professional clients. Some are on the cusp of graduating; others are a few years into the careers, but don’t always like where they are.
They feel both the general anxieties of young people, and uncertainty about the future of work itself.
Meanwhile, the impersonal — and negative, no-reply, non-feedback elements of the application process — saps confidence, and reinforces doubts about what lies ahead.
Gofman tries to help clients align their job search around their personal values and interests.
Despite doomsday predictions, he says, “AI is not taking over a lot of jobs.”
As for algorithms that seem to rule the resume process, Gofman advises, “Control what you can control. Establish a network. Build relationships. Rely on those people.” That’s especially true, he says, when searching locally for work.
“Print out a resume. Knock on doors. You don’t always have to apply online,” he says.
And, he adds, “work on your interpersonal skills. Practice them, so you feel confident.”
David Gofman (Photo/Kristyn Miller)
Though Gofman was in much the same place less than 20 years ago — with plenty of college and career pressure — a lot has changed.
“I was in high school at the threshold of technological change,” he says. “Smartphones and social media were just coming in.” AI was still the stuff of science fiction.
Job applications were read by human beings, not software.
Now, David Gofman is one human being trying to help others navigate a new, and very difficult, world.
(“06880” reports regularly on Staples High School graduates, of all ages. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
The Longshore golf course opened last week. Golfers can practice their swings nearby, a few yards from the water. It’s the only driving range in town.
Back in the day — the 1950s through the ’70s — there were more options.
Two driving ranges were connected to miniature golf parks. Both were on Post Road East. Decades ago, both were replaced by condominiums.
One was near Southport. Today it’s Lansdowne. (An adjacent skating rink was turned long ago into the Westport Tennis Club.)
Interestingly, you can drive golf balls to your heart’s contact — all year long, with indoor simulators — at The Clubhouse, a few yards in the other direction. Quite a coincidence.
The other driving range/mini-golf course (photo below) was operated by the Backiel family. These days, it’s the Regents Park condominiums.
Fore!
(Photo courtesy of Jack Backiel)
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“Fred” (Lawrence Weisman)
