What’s your vision for Saugatuck?
Westporters are invited to a “community visioning open house” this Monday (June 12, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall lobby and auditorium).
In plain English, that means you get a chance to review — and provide feedback on — the Saugatuck Master Plan.
That’s the steering committee and consultants’ guide to “improvements” and the future development of the vibrant neighborhood bordered by the train station, river and I-95 exit 17.
Monday’s workshop is intended to elicit “more comprehensive, face-to-face feedback on a variety of issues and topics that will shape the future of Saugatuck,” a Town Hall press release says.
To offer feedback through an online survey, click here.
A juxtaposition of Saugatuck: raft, kayak and paddleboard rentals, underneath the massive I-95 bridge. The railroad bridge is in the distance.
Although I’m pretty sure this is NOT the feedback that is being sought for the Saugatuck Transit Oriented Development Study, I recently used the term “agendize” in a letter to someone at Town Hall. Upon receipt, that person pointed out that “agendize” is not technically a word.
OK, fair enough. Even though friggen everybody does it, I’m not using it anymore. Which is fine because now it frees me up to say that “visioning” has just got to be waaaay more of a fake word than “agendize” could ever hope to be.
Not that I noticed.
Just say it with a French accent. That way, you’ll get attention.
ps — Steer away from “nothingburger”.
To paraphrase the great ad man, David Ogilvy — I’m afraid some of these silly words consultants spew (e.g. agendize, visioning) are too HEADACHE-IZING.
Dear Morley, Thank you for being bigly, or is it biglie, oh wait, it’s big league, enough to correct the vocabulary. On a serious note, I truly hope that all who know and love Saugatuck take a good hard look at the massive I 95 bridge. As I recall the proposal by CT DOT for the replacement of the Carbini bridge it was much higher than the current Bridge Street bridge and would have a massively negative impact on Saugatuck. I hope everyone gets involved and voices their concerns. Saugatuck is a jewel and deserves to be protected.
P.S. anyone who wants to can feel free to correct my sentence structure as long as you also protect Saugatuck while you are doing it!
Although I no longer live in Westport I grew up there from attending kindergarten at the old Saugatuck Elementary and am a proud Staples grad. Saugatuck is very important to me as my family owned a business in Bridge Square for many, many years. The old bridge and the entire area is indeed a local treasure and the ongoing gentrification has been sometimes painful to watch. Progress is inevitable but one hopes every effort is made to preserve the elements that make Saugatuck a unique part of Westport.
Call it what you want but this study like most paid consultant studies are a big waste of the peoples money and ultimately potentially destructive. Westport was built on citizen participation not consultants studies. We do not need to be homogenized by those “experts” who seem to know what is best for us I can not tell you how frustrating it is to sit in these meetings and listen to them blather on.
I agree with you Mike.
and I agree with you Loretta
Here comes a big week for Saugatuck:
1.The Transit Oriented District Committee’s Saugatuck Master Plan.
June 12.
2. The proposed zone change to allow a Tesla Service Center. June 15.
Finally Saugatuck’s residents, fans, neighbors, would-be preservationists, former residents, and those concerned about the quality of life in Saugatuck in the future have a chance of being heard.
Please please please keep Billy Cribari bridge alone!
Fix it, Strengthen it pretty it up but leave it be for generations to come, let’s be known as preservationists!
I second the emotion “Billy” Was my first cousin
PS; you could put a chic little mini bar at each end of the bridge for cocktails
1. Ditto for keeping Cribari bridge.
2. I see nothing in this Master Plan that addresses the natural environment. Especially any concern for allowing for the vital salt march areas to flourish in a future of rising tides. Dr. Adam Whelchel, the Director of Science at the Nature Conservancy CT, specifically addressed the Saugatuck River in his talk on the needs of the salt marshes at the Sherwood Island Nature Center Thursday.
I am so pleased to see you mention the salt marshes. Almost every time I have commented on the Bridge and Saugatuck I have mentioned the delicate ecology . I have usually said wet lands rather than salt marshes but your terminology is the correct one. The area needs and deserves to be protected. It is vital to the long range survival of the area.