By many measures (though not the weather), this has been a wonderful summer.
Parks and Recreation’s Compo Beach-calming plans minimized crowds, and maximized cleanliness. Innovations like the Mobi-Mat and reworking the entrance road drew raves.
A few more ideas are in the works. A walkway — similar to the one built last year between the pavilion and cannons — is set for South Beach. Bathrooms will replace port-o-potties nearby.
“Nearby” means close to the pickleball area. Constructed a few years ago, the courts have seen steadily increased use.
Compo Beach pickleball courts. Existing bathrooms are far in the background.
Recently, players put down their paddles, picked up pens, and protested Parks and Rec’s plans.
In letters to 1st Selectman Jim Marpe, Parks and Recreation Department director Jen Fava and Parks and Recreation Commission chair Charlie Haberstroh, the pickleballers cite several concerns:
- The new bathrooms “will block both the lovely views and welcoming air flow/breeze”
- They’ll “most likely result in unwelcoming smells (sewage related, disinfectant, etc.)”
- “Staring at the back of a bathroom is not anyone’s idea of a good time.”
One writer argues that moving the location “just 50 feet over would make a huge difference to the 100+ pickleball players in town (with more joining the sport every day!)”
Granted, this is a first world problem. Billions of citizens around the globe have no access to sanitation of any kind — let alone pickleball courts.
But it’s a reflection of the love Westporters have for Compo Beach that the location of new bathrooms creates such a you-know-what storm.