Firefighters Save Dumpster. Too Bad.

Posted on May 5, 2014 | 21 Comments

The overflowing, unsightly dumpster near the Starbucks end of Parker Harding plaza caught fire today.

The fire department responded quickly. Soon, everything was under control.

Parker Harding fire

I’m sure many Westporters would have preferred to see it destroyed.

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21 responses to “Firefighters Save Dumpster. Too Bad.”

  1. Tom Feeley | May 5, 2014 at 6:05 pm |

    Who pays for the spaces occupied by the dump ?
    How much does the Town receive ?

    Shouldn’t it have
    “Welcome to Westport…Home of the Dumpster”
    painted on the side ?

    🙂

    • Nancy Hunter Wilson | May 5, 2014 at 9:31 pm |

      Where exactly is the dump? Where does Westport’s garbage go?

      • Jo Shields Dickison | May 6, 2014 at 3:50 pm |

        Westport’s dump is located on the Sherwood Island Connector (Exit 18, I-95) and has single-stream recycling, containers to collect cardboard, and areas for electronics disposal, metal, ash, paint, etc. It’s quite the social scene on busy Saturday mornings! Also, it’s been a favored spot for pre-election campaigning, and who knows, you might spot that clever, ubiquitous “Chet” there too…

        • Nancy Hunter Wilson | May 6, 2014 at 7:14 pm |

          Thanks so much, Jo, for the info. Growing up in Westport, I never questioned where it all went (though, we Stapleites ’76 did clean up the beach like SLOBS!). Surrounded by sea and mountains here, where I live now, garbage
          has to be transferred hundreds of miles away (which, in itself seems a waste of energy).
          Recycling, however, does well. Now, even food scraps and garden waste bins (half of residential waste) are collected and composted locally. Wildlife makes home composting tricky. Anyway, landscapers (Chet?) are pleased with the system!

  2. Susan Holden | May 5, 2014 at 6:10 pm |

    I have wondered why that dumpster is there for so long as it clearly detracts from the aesthetic appeal of the area.
    Maybe one day it will be replaces with a pretty gazebo;)

  3. Morley Boyd | May 5, 2014 at 6:33 pm |

    The fact that Chet’s portable pig deep fryer was made from a recycled dumpster led to some exciting and unanticipated developments on the first day of business in Parker Harding.

  4. Nancy Hunter Wilson | May 5, 2014 at 8:22 pm |

    Gee, that Chet is a busy guy. First, stock boy, then landscaper, now out-of-work restauranteur. What’s next for the lad?

  5. Wanda Tedesco | May 5, 2014 at 8:25 pm |

    We understand that the merchants need to put their trash somewhere but at the entrance to the parking lot is an unsightly and poor choice.

  6. Nancy Hunter Wilson | May 5, 2014 at 9:21 pm |

    On a serious note, one assumes that Westport has well working recycling program: paper, newspaper, plastic, tin… food scraps, too?

  7. Morley Boyd | May 6, 2014 at 8:47 am |

    Re: putting the trash somewhere. It helps to keep track of where we started. We previously just dumped our trash in the river. Ditto for sewer. The sort-of screened dumpster is actually a big improvement.

  8. Kevin Smiley | May 7, 2014 at 8:34 am |

    wah wah wah….. always crying over something. Where would you suggest a dumpster be placed for all the stores to use?

  9. Dan Woog | May 7, 2014 at 9:37 am |

    No one objects to a dumpster, Kevin. The issue is it is always overflowing, the gate is broken and it looks like a pig sty. No one has done anything to make that area look nice.

  10. Morley Boyd | May 7, 2014 at 1:11 pm |

    Dan has it right, the condition of the dumpster enclosure – not the dumpster per se – has been an issue for some time. Although it was initially an aceptable solution, the enclosure, which sees a lot of hard use, has simply reached the end of its designed life. No big deal. In a broader sense, though, this type of quality of life crime scene is a problem. People who have lived here for long time often comment that, with obvious exceptions, aspects of the town (parks, gateways, parking lots, assorted site fixtures, Town Hall, Longshore, etc.) look scruffy – to use a highly technical term.

    • Tom Feeley | May 7, 2014 at 1:34 pm |

      “shabby or untidy and dirty” is the translation for scrubby 😉

      You are far too polite, my friend…it’s hard to visualize “scrubby” where I come from…nuff said.

  11. Morley Boyd | May 7, 2014 at 3:35 pm |

    If you look again you will see that the term employed in my post is “scruffy” -whose meaning, I’m certain, is commonly understood.

    • Tom Feeley | May 7, 2014 at 3:50 pm |

      I visualized a guy who needed a shave and shower wearing rumpled clothes as SCRUFFY. Guess the dumpster qualifies.
      Gotta get some Foster Grants !
      🙂

  12. Nancy Hunter Wilson | May 7, 2014 at 3:49 pm |

    I got it. That’s why I made the distinction.
    Interesting, though, that “shrub” also refers to a cordial.
    Isn’t it fun to open up the dictionary?

  13. Morley Boyd | May 7, 2014 at 4:18 pm |

    Good comments, I’m glad I’m sort of understood. Guess I need to dig deeper for a better word going forward. I do like Tom’s imagery: the town kinda does need a shave.

  14. Nancy Hunter Wilson | May 7, 2014 at 5:19 pm |

    The original “scurf”, perhaps. No worries. Westport is not a “worthless thing”.