Parents with young kids want it. People with disabilities do too.
A few hundred Westporters don’t.
Earlier this month, the RTM approved $840,000 to construct a bathroom at Compo Beach’s South Beach. The vote was 26-8.
But the site — near the current pickleball courts — did not sit well with a number of avid players. They believe the facility — which would replace the port-a-potties there now — will ruin the view of the beach. It could also impede construction of more courts in the future.
Compo Beach pickleball. Existing bathrooms are far in the background.
Opponents hope for a townwide referendum. They’ve gathered over 600 signatures on a petition. Yet they face a tight deadline — 4:30 p.m. tonight — to find over 1,000 more. The town charter provides for a vote if 10% of all registered voters request one.
Bathroom foe Alan Schur believes many Westporters are unaware of the proposed bathrooms; that they oppose the cost, and that — despite 15 public meetings — they wanted more transparency in the process.
Parks & Recreation Commission chair Charlie Haberstroh says that the bathroom will “help everyone experience South Beach. There is a significant lack of facilities there. The port-o-potties are sub-optimal.”
Haberstroh notes that the entire beach is in a 100-year floodplain. Town and federal regulations require any new building to be waterproofed. That requires an 11-foot foundation.
Compo Beach is many things, to many people. Right now, the only permanent bathrooms are on the main beach, and at Ned Dimes Marina. (Drone photo/Brandon Malin)
Moving the site would add another $60,000 just for studies, he says. Servicing the debt for the $840,000 capital expenditure will cost $5 a year for each beach sticker holder.
The proposal went through many town bodies, Haberstroh adds. Besides the strong RTM vote, the Board of Finance approved it 6-1.
“We have smart, responsible people in government who have asked lots of questions,” he says. “They’ve studied this for a long time.”
Referring to both the approval process and the referendum petition, Haberstroh says, “This is democracy. I’m 150% for it. But it’s been a long, difficult road.”
Where can one sign the petition
please post the petition link here!
$840,000 for a bathroom! This is a lot of money, especially when we are looking at paying $25 – $65 mill to fix or replace Coleytown Middle School. What about the other Westport beaches that don’t have any bathrooms? I’m sure having a bathrooms at all Westport beaches would “help everyone experience them as well”. Are they next on the list? Can I sign the petition electronically?
This entire issue, is most unfortunate. But the biggest losers are the people of Westport. Thoughless placement of toilets, fir g_d’s sake, to ruin one of Wsstport’s greatest virtues….. its VIEWS! Shameful! Shame on the officials we assume look out for what’s really best for its residents, way back at step one!
Dr. Styner, What is most disconcerting and troubling is that the town officials dismiss the warnings and counsel of those who have expertise. In this case opinion and expedience trumped facts and prudence in order to justify mistakes, and a pet project took precedence over public desire, logic, collaboration. That a spacious UNISEX restroom with places to hide, using a locked door that prohibits public traffic from monitoring within, places people’s health and safety at risk was dismissed shows the extent our officials went to get this egregious project approved. Prudence, less costly, less obtrusive, and safer alternatives were presented but ignored by our officials, sacrificed for the sake of expedience. Our officials believe that Westport is immune from the reality that due to the privacy restrooms with locked doors provide, public restrooms have now been officially designated as ground zero for the opioid crisis that is gripping our nation (72,000 deaths last year with >900 in CT alone) and for some reason seem to believe that affluence prevents senior citizens from losing consciousness behind a locked door. It is tragic that a handful of people were able to impose an indelible mistake upon all of us that will forever tarnish our beach, destroy recreational space, and in the process place the health and safety of residents at risk. What a fabulous decision.
I encourage people to sign the petition. I already did. It’s an outrageous sum to spend whe we have issues like colleytown middle still to be resolved.
Arline, Please go to 748 Post Road East (next to Calise’s deli) There are volunteers there with the petition to be signed. All other neighbors with signed petitions can also drop them off there.
I collected 225 signatures yesterday alone. Eight out of ten residents I spoke with in town did not even know this monstrosity was even a consideration.
Thank you Dan Woog for revisiting this irrevocable mistake, this unsafe, imprudent, and needlessly expensive structure.
We can make a beautiful ADA handicapped accessible restroom for MUCH less money!
Please Westport, Sign this petition and help us all in savimg one of the best assets in Westport!!
Best,
Caroline Walshon
Thanks I was afraid the deadline was noon I am one of the brave RTM who said no I am on my way to 748 now We can build an ADA compliant for around 200’ooo Brick last forever My late brother was handicapped and I taught handicapped so it’s an absurd cost and another location is possible even for handicapped
Hi, Dan –
I have spoken to not one single person who disagrees with the plan to have bathrooms on south beach. What is in question is the place and the cost. Spending $60k to save a few hundred thousand on the budget AND compromising on location is well worth the effort. Let’s make everybody happy.
Suzanne Raboy
Sent from my iPhone
>
Bravo Suzanne! 100% agreed.
Also, A Huge “Thank you” to you Arline for being one of our Brave RTM’ers and actually voting for what is best in the long run for our Westport residents and future generations.
Like you, I also volunteer and work w/the handicapped and the infirm in our community. I also have an amputee family member, and friends who depend on wheelchairs for their mobility. They, like us ALSO want to keep this project at a reasonable cost w/a better design and updated safety standards. They definitely don’t like being singled out as the cause and reason for this unnecessary expense.
Also, on behalf of my senior citizen friends and neighbors, they just can’t understand why these three toilets are being proposed to be built as far away from where they sit (by the trees and boat ramps) as possible. They tell me it’s easier and a nicer walk by the boats to use the spacious Ned Dimes Marina restrooms.
Lastly, thank you again Arline for making a special trip to 748 Post Road East to sign this petition. I know how valuable your time is. It’s very disheartening in this technological age (2018) that they make us get hand printed signatures and do not let us use the hundreds upon hundreds of online petition signatures that we already had.
Something just isn’t right with this system!
Although, I have to add that I didn’t mind heading out to local establishments to get my 225 signatures yesterday. I actually met some wonderful Westport residents and made some new friends.
Everyone should put down their phones, texts, emails and actually have a conversation w/your neighbors. Trust me, You will be pleasantly surprised!
Best,
Caroline Walshon
I already signed the petition. Why can’t all just take a few steps to the bathrooms we already have. To spend almost a million dollars for additional ones is insane.
Dan,
Not sure you have the facts. More than few hundred people are against it and its not a pickleball issue
It’s a placement and cost issue. It’s a permanent structure that can be moved 35 yards to a less visible, cheaper location and be ADA compliant which everyone wants. How the process worked was not as transparent as some claim and the RTM could only vote on cost,not location and size which greatly diminshed the power of the RTM electorate as voice of the citizens. As for cost you didn’t mention that it went up in one year 17% with no background explanation to anyone.
Who does the RTM actually represent because just the people I’ve talked to either had no clue AND thought I was joking when I told them the cost. I’m sure it’s available but I would love to see what is included in this “estimate” (gold toilets?). On a side note, has anyone brought up there are no lifeguards on South Beach? Take that for what you will.
I bought a $35 portable toilet at Bass Pro Shops for my early morning Rockaway surf trips. It works extremely well both inside and outside of my car. And will never need maintenance. $840K for toilets is beyond absurd. So absurd I’m wondering if the people considering this know how much debt Westport is currently carrying. Add in the cost, circa $70M, for a new Coley Middle School – which is outrageous – and the town is pushed even further into debt. . At some point that debt is going to have to be paid. Another toilet at Compo should never have been considered in the first place!! I the “real” world you couldn’t make this S**T up!! 💩
GREAT FOR MEN – NOT SO GREAT FOR WOMEN
I debated whether or not to weigh in on this one as it seems there are plenty of strong feelings on both sides. My feelings on the subject are less strong…but hey, it’s a blog so here goes: Compo already has four (2 Mens/2 Woman’s) newly renovated bathrooms that are over-sized and under-used. Even on the busiest summer days I’ve never seen more than a handful of people using them at any one time. Further, these current bathrooms are no more than 100 yards from the proposed site. Then there’s the cost…Sure we fortunate to live in a rich town with all of the modern conveniences but $840K! That’s a lot of Pickleballs! In my view, this bathroom project doesn’t pass the smell test (pun intended).
The RTM voted 26-8 (two members absent) in favor of the bathroom at South Beach. Many of us spent countless hours at committee meetings and site visits doing our due diligence. The collective wisdom of the Selectmen’s Office, Board of Finance, Planning and Zoning Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission and RTM concluded that the Town of Westport should spend $840,000 for bathrooms at Compo South Beach for the benefit of ALL Westporters. I am very proud to have voted YES to build this bathroom.
Thank you.
Dear Mr. Mall, Please have a look at my previous comment. I hope you are paying for this bathroom yourself! If not, you and the other 25 members of the RTM are fired! $840K and countless hours spent on this is an egregious waste of time and money! I’m shocked, yes shocked, that people in your position can spend money like this when this town is deeply in debt!
Thankfully this Blog exists!! Otherwise more 🐷 🐷 and 💩 💩 will start showing up in places.
Jonathan–if you don’t like Mr. Mall’s vote, run for the RTM yourself. The “countless hours” spent on this project are done in a volunteer capacity by Westporters and on behalf of the people in the town. Please, I urge you to give night after night of service to the Town on all issues into the wee hours of the night when you work full time and have children at home too and then you may criticize the town’s public servants who work for free. These bathrooms are long, long, long overdue and have been in the works for years.
I agree with you. Although spending $840K when this town is deeply in debt is an issue, don’t you think? I’m thankful that Dan has this blog otherwise I wouldn’t have known. I’m sitting at my kids swim practice right now, and everyone here also didn’t know until now. The only word I have for this is egregious!! Tell me, where’s the $$ coming from? My son asked me today if he is going to do 6th grade at his elementary school. Doesn’t this town have bigger, more pressing and more costly issues right now?
KUDOS to YOU Jonthan Greenfield for telling the TRUTH!!! It is a COMPLETE embarrassment, that a portion of our elected RTM members actually lied to town resident’s faces before the physical vote last week, by telling us all along that they are against this obtrusive structure also,. Then they CRUMBLIED under the pressure of losing individual “FAVORS” in town. Even some RTM family members signed our petition against their votes. You ALL know who you are and should be ashamed of yourselves. Thank you to Arline, Cathy and Greg and the other five noble and honorable RTM members who really are looking out for Westporters!
Mr. Mall, it is understandable that those people who were involved in approving this “collective” mistake are now defensive about their decision. While we all acknowledge that many officials have volunteered their time to this proposal does not in any way discount nor excuse the fact that substantive errors were made, objectives and plans were secretly decided without public knowledge, public requests for time to enable town involvement were denied, minutes seem to have been falsified, and straw-man arguments continue in order to justify an egregious decision that the majority of Westport residents seem to not want. For RTM members at the podium to profoundly state falsehoods in an effort to “explain” their vote as well as to influence others, is as disheartening as the RTM process allowing the PRC to present over 2 hours of propaganda to substantiate a proposal that some have rightly referred to as a “boondoggle” – while giving the public only 3 minutes to speak, and zero opportunity to present to the truths and the alternatives that the public deserves to understand. Prior approvals do not mean the project is sound or what the public wants, and the most critical approval of all – i.e. the approval of the town residents and taxpayers – was never even sought or obtained. When some brave residents tried, they were ignored and marginalized. What you and many of the other RTM members seem to not understand is that this decision is not about what you (or I) want or think is needed – it is about what the majority of THE PEOPLE OF WESTPORT want and think is needed.
Shame on you, to even think that $840K sounds OK for 3 bathrooms! What is wrong with your entire Committee for thinking that is OK! Clearly, all of you are not in tune with the very constituents you are suppose to be representing!
The engagement on this forum from all these passionate citizens is exciting. This has been a popular topic on this blog, with several posts about the situation. Did everyone attend prior meetings and give statements about their opinion and expertise, especially when this topic was posted about before? I’m sure the approving bodies would love to have input before decisions are made – this is how you ensure your voice is heard.
I’m shocked we didn’t hear more from everyone when $400k was spend on just a roof repair. Guess it didn’t impact the views enough.
You’re absolutely right Elizabeth. There needs to be a better way to inform Westport taxpayers of these egregious decisions. So thankful for Dan Woog’s blog for bringing this particular subject to light. Since the press coverage has thus far been unintentionally misleading. There really needs to be an in- depth, substantive report for all concerned.
👍🏼
Elizabeth, multiple attempt were made by many concerned residents at many meetings – but their voices were discounted and ignored. On this particular issue, the our town officials have made it clear that they do not care what the majority of residents want.
It’s a shame to build a large structure containing 3 huge bathrooms, a storage room and showers that obstructs the view of our beautiful beach from many vantage points. That ADA compliant bathrooms near South Beach are needed is evident but there have been other sites identified that are much less obtrusive and still easily accessible. Although there may have been many public meetings, the public has clearly not been aware what was actually being considered. Now that they are, they are speaking up. We should take the time to listen before we move forward. We should also re-evaluate the need for bathrooms that will cost $840,000, especially with the looming needs of Coleytown Middle School.
That’s a pricey toilet.
As an RTM District 2 member I also voted AGAINST this! The proposed restroom is bigger than the halfway house on the golf course at Longshore – which – by the way – has a kitchen, a deck & 2 restrooms. Furthermore , the location IS NOT accessible to all beach goers – what about the seniors & handicapped that sit & barb-b-que by the trees near the boat launch ramp by the circle at the end of South Beach?? The proposed location is approximately 1000 feet from there. How does that make it easier for them to use the restroom? It doesn’t. This proposed restroom is WAY too large, in the wrong location and at an ABSURD cost to the residents of Westport. This can be fixed and we need to fix it now by getting it back into the process with a new plan.
Catherine, your service to our town and to the representative process is critical. Indeed even your opposition to this plan is critical as it provided a platform to ask hard questions and scrutinize every detail. While I am happy the result came out with a significant majority in favor of the restroom plan, I very much appreciate fiscal restraint and a thorough understanding of each and every expenditure on behalf of our town. I am encouraged that the majority of Westport residents are in favor of providing adequate and accessible facilities close to our picnic tables and barbecues at South Beach. Thank you for your dedication and that of all of Westport’s public servants.
Oh my gosh! I can’t believe this is coming up again. When I was on the RTM two years ago I spoke in favor of bathrooms at South Beach. The vast majority of people agreed and want and need these bathrooms, particularly as Dan noted, handicapped people and families with young children. I no longer have young children but for years when I did and used to picnic at South Beach, my young children could NEVER make it to the regular (real) bathrooms and NEVER was the port o potty clean and sanitary. Imagine someone in a wheel chair trying to navigate the port o potty or getting to the main bathrooms in time. Pickle Ball players should be glad the pickle ball courts were built and they can enjoy the beach. Let others in town enjoy the beach too!!
Lynn,
This is not about the desire for improved restroom facilities on South Beach. It is about THIS particular proposal to fulfill that perceived need. This is not the proposal that was presented to the public from 2014 through 2016, and it is not the proposal that was presented to the town by the Compo Beach Site Improvement Committee (CBSIC). This proposal was NOT supported by the CBSIC and this proposal was expressly deemed to be UNSAFE by the lead architect the town hired to be our expert consultant on this plan. This is definitely NOT the proposal that the now famous 63 people at the 2013 charrette requested. This issue is about providing a South Beach facility that serves the needs of the entire community that utilizes South Beach – be it the barbecuers, the kayakers, the windsurfers, the seniors, the event goers, the fishermen, the sunset-watchers – INCLUDING all those with physical challenges who participate in any of those activities – in a prudent, equitable, economical ($235,000 for 5-7 toilets in a 300 sq ft space) and safe fashion that does not mandate using large locked rooms deemed to be unsuitable and unsafe at a public beach. It is unfortunate that for over 2 years the public was presented a South Beach restroom proposal that met all of these criteria but was secretly hijacked in mid-2016 and switched to this one without public knowledge, guidance or involvement – kind of like a “bait and switch”. The town of Westport is filled with bright and talented people who if given the opportunity can remedy this situation with a modicum of effort and in an expeditious fashion. All it takes is the desire to do the right thing.
While initially high, the cost of this restroom structure amounts to less than $6 per household amortized over 20 years (even though it is expected to last well beyond twice that). All bids received came in within 7% of each other. Brian Stern and all members of the Board of Finance thoroughly reviewed the information, asked numerous questions, heard compelling testimony and all but one member ultimately approved this capital expenditure after numerous other public meetings. The RTM invested similar time and energy to understand the facts, hear from all sorts of viewpoints, and thoroughly debate the issue well into the night. 18 votes were needed to approve, but, in fact, 26 RTM members voted to approve it. It was a very exhausting and representative process and I am in awe of the dedication of so many volunteer public servants throughout. It is worth noting that the beach brings in revenue of approximately $1.5 M annually, much from patrons surprised (shocked) to see portable toilets in a heavily populated area. I, for one, am more than happy to pay $6/year to get rid of the ridiculous portable toilets, but I am especially happy to pay $6/year to enable our mobility challenged neighbors to enjoy South Beach along with the rest of us. Regarding Coleytown Middle school, Brian Stern assured all at the RTM meeting that any bond issuance needed to pay for mold remediation or new construction would not diminish our town’s AAA rating.
As for location, the plan provides the Least Disruptive Location Environmentally. After numerous public hearings and commission meetings, including conservation, the proposed plans’s location was determined to be the least disruptive location environmentally since it would be built on an already impervious area of blacktop. If there are pickle ball enthusiasts that want to pursue additional courts it is, of course, an option to locate courts many places such as at Longshore, near other town tennis courts, near the already lit basketball courts at the beach, or even near the existing court in the adjacent gravel lot. There is nothing preventing formulating a plan to add courts, but it can’t come ahead of necessary, accessible facilities for those that are currently prevented from fully enjoying barbecues with friends and family at South Beach.
The restrooms will be widely used not only by our mobility-challenged friends and neighbors, but by all of us. Providing this access is not only legally required (through ADA), but more importantly providing this access is the right thing to do. I look forward to playing pickle ball, I look forward to enjoying South Beach views while sitting on South Beach, I look forward to enjoying continued barbecues and sunsets, and I especially look forward to enjoying all of this alongside our mobility challenged friends and neighbors. See you at the beach! 😊
Diane, while I appreciate your willingness to pay for this imprudent structure, I’m not sure you comprehend what many residents are saying. This not about what you or I am willing or not willing to spend. This is about what the Town of Westport residents collectively want to see at their beach, and what they are willing to spend for it. As many have tried to articulate, this is about a flawed process that leaves residents in the dark, and when they do become involved are ignored, marginalized and even insulted by those with the power to do so. There are a wide variety of technological means to inform the public about important issues rather than blaming them for not attending countless meetings that they are not even aware of, and their voices get dismissed when they do speak. There are a wide variety of means to canvass the opinions and guidance of the public but when requested these were refused (I guess it is more important to our officials to survey residents about the transit district than about this indelible decision). That you play pickleball is quite irrelevant to a very important conversation that this town needs to have about process and as well as about Town government working for the people rather than imposing upon them. There are collaborative ways to achieve preceived goals rather than withholding information from the public, and a handful of people making important decisions that affect the entire community behind closed doors. We have discovered an enormous undercurrent in Westport that residents are so disheartened & disenfranchised by our political process that even when they are informed, they no longer chose to speak because their opinions don’t really matter. That should concern you as well as everyone who resides in Westport.
“Improvements” aren’t necessarily improvements. All is great at the beach don’t need to fix what’s not broken
I feel I must state some information and bring up one of many questions. I’m a physical therapist with prior experience in helping plan home modifications for wheelchair accessibility. There is no mention of who developed the floorplan for these bathrooms. The square footage of this building is well beyond what is required for three bathrooms with a support space etc. Whenever a question is brought up, there is a defensive response by those involved in the planning. Although they state there have been numerous town meetings open to the publich, there is no means to truly notify the public about any of these plans. That is still present today. Let me be clear, many of us in opposition to this plan are doing so strictly due to the location and cost. There does seem to be a need for accessible bathrooms, but there is no data being presented to help support this need. No one ever shows EVIDENCE. Let’s make town activities more transparent and develop an listserve notifying anyone who joins to be notified a week or two in advance of what is on the table….
Such a list serve exists. You can subscribe via the town website to get emails of all public notices and meeting notices put out by the town. No one should ever say they had no way of knowing about issues as they come before town bodies.
John, you are correct that residents can join the list serve and be notified of all meetings. However most residents do not realize this, and many do not care because overwhelmingly most of these meetings hold little for them AND they do not have the time to attend due to family and career demands. Most importantly, they falsely believe that town officials are doing the homework that needs to be done, and that town officials are being transparent and honest. Unfortunately in this particular case, town officials not only didn’t do their homework but town officials seemed make indelible decisions behind closed doors. Even today the town officials refuse to disclose how this restroom proposal switched from the prudent, safe and inexpensive one we were all shown to this white elephant. And when residents do get concerned enough to attend and speak, they are ignored and marginalized – unfortunately we have discovered that opinion & cronyism in this Town government trumps facts and expertise. There needs to be a better way to inform and canvass public opinion using current technological means at our disposal.
Are you aware the cost for construction to build this new bathroom is NOT $840k?
What they haven’t told you is we are paying interest for a 20 year bond which will cost the taxpayers $1,140,000 for 3 toilets.
Do you realize this bathroom is costing us the taxpayers $380k per toilet? The doors alone cost $32,000 x 3. These doors are similar to a submarine door, that’s why they cost so much. If a storm comes in the middle of the night will employees of the town run down to Compo beach and make sure these submarine type doors are on correctly? How many employees will it take to lift one door?
Is anyone paying attention to the fact that Ned Dimes marina building at Compo beach has survived storms for over 50 years including storm sandy? This new bathroom is similar in size to the event room at Ned Dimes marina that holds 50 people for events. It’s also taller and wider then 2 very large box trucks. Did anyone from P&R think maybe we should preserve this area of Compo beach for future recreation, where the residents of all ages and abilities can come together put their cell phones down and have a conversation instead of building one of the largest public bathrooms in the state of Connecticut on the Southside of Compo beach?
Some residents of Westport want a bathroom on the South side of Compo beach just not one this costly, in this location, and this large 21ft x 40ft x 13 1/2 feet tall with a rain shower and a “3 foot over hang” hardy a modest ADA compliant bathroom to accommodate south beach. This McMansion bathroom will permanently obstruct the views of the Long Island Sound.
Westport has over 28,000 residents maybe you were unaware about the cost, location and size of this bathroom building. It’s not too late to voice an opinion. It will be too late when it’s built. Construction could start this week.
Please tell our Selectman Mr Marpe how you feel about spending over a Million Dollars for 3 toilets.
jmarpe@westportct.gov
203-341-1111
D Chapman
Next time anyone feels like bashing Democrats as the “tax and spenders,” please reflect on the push, by our Republican First Selectman for an $840,000(1,140,000 with interest) with two toilets and a shower. That’s $1,357 per sq ft. There is not a house, a mansion or a commercial building in the entire state that costs anything like that…no matter what Marpe or steve Edwards tells us, that is a goddamned rip off!
I would estimate that the large majority of Westport residents would like restrooms along South Beach. But not at the proposed location and not for the 3-toilet million dollar cost.
Modest low structures at the third points between the cannons and the palm tree would shorten the walking distances. Maybe the design should echo the brick Pavilion, not the Marina Bldg which is hardly in view from South Beach
One toilet is really fine with me
For the record I voted for the bathrooms. I am an RTM member in District 3. I do my homework when it comes to town issues. We follow the “transparent process” from start to finish. There is no “democrat” or “republican” agenda when we look at issues and appropriations that concern the residents of our community.
The public asked for bathrooms at South Beach years ago. To be FEMA compliant, ADA compliant, as well comply with prevailing state mandated wages; the cost of such a facility is not cheap.
This facility will benefit our handicap residents, parents with young children, our seniors, and those with medical issues.
Once I was educated on the cost, listened to the need, I realized that the right thing to do was vote for this appropriation.
Though I don’t agree with a lot of the previous comments, I do respect your right of free speech. I encourage you all to run for office, get involved, and see how our town government does work with “transparency.”
Jimmy, it was estimated that district 3’s constituents were opposed to this proposal 10-1. So who exactly were you representing? The PRC proposal was presented under false pretenses – and you knew that when you voted. For the zillionth time, the public never asked for THIS bathroom. Because a teenage child wants a car, EVEN IF you had the money you don’t purchase a Ferrari. Many caring town residents who love Westport and who are trying to protect Compo Beach did the real “homework” – and they discovered that the foundation of this Town’s proposal was based upon a non-existent authorizing resolution, false minutes that cover-up that fact, a spending authorization violated by $260,000, non-public as well as “secret” meetings, backdated approvals, false and misleading cost comparisons, documents and design alternatives kept from public view, denial of public guidance, and intentional FEMA/ADA misrepresentations that you still misrepresent to the public. You call that transparent? You and your colleagues decided to drive this bus down an expedient shortcut with “eyes wide shut”, while carrying the the Westport passengers over a cliff. All you needed to do was open your eyes and take the better road that your passengers wanted – as you promised you would do a few months ago. You citing at the podium “the need for a restroom due to your colitis” was a straw-man excuse at best – no one accepts that as a cogent rationale to approve over $1 million for an imprudent and unsafe restroom design in an obtrusive location that overwhelming the majority of town residents do not want – particularly when there are far superior, less expensive and safer alternatives to achieve the same goal. Your job was to check the power of Town government by representing the will of the majority of your constituents. All you needed to do was act on the “homework” that was presented to you, rather than imposing upon us another indelible boondoggle that injures the character of our town, and which town residents will “just have to get used to”.
Jay- Thank you for the kind words, as well as your opinions on our process and my vote concerning the bathrooms at South Beach. I hope you and Caroline had a great Thanksgiving with family and friends.
Best,
Jimmy
Dear Mr. Walshon,
Thank you for articulating such an excellent response on behalf of all the rest of us, to Mr. Izzo. Couldn’t have said it any better than you. Right on point!
If you have to pee wade in the water and let nature take its course. If you have to poop walk an easy quarter mile to the legacy latrines. As the saying goes: “Use it up. Wear it out. Make it do. Or do without.”