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Westporters have been talking this week about trees, and their removal near property lines and roadsides. A Planning & Zoning Commission subcommittee is drafting a regulation to protect mature trees in setbacks, stop clear-cutting, and ensure that when mature trees are removed, new trees are planted.
One of the most recent examples of clear-cutting is on Hideaway Lane. Several days ago the lot that fronts Hillspoint Road — opposite Loretta Lane, on the last gentle hill before Old Mill Beach — was stripped of every tree.
Here’s the before shot …
(Photo courtesy of Google Earth)
… and how it looked yesterday:
(Photo/Dan Woog)
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If your kids can’t wait to see Santa … he makes a special appearance tonight!
From 5:30 to 6 p.m. today (Thursday), the Bearded One will wave to everyone driving past 28 Oak Street. It’s Josh and Rose Philip’s gift to Westport.
And if Santa looks a tiny bit like Josh — well, what a remarkable coincidence!
Santa visits 28 Oak Street tonight.
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A GoFundMe page has been set up for a Westport family.
Marius Sarapinas is a master carpenter, whose work ethic is equaled only by his attention to detail. He is loved by clients and colleagues.
His dedication to his sons, age 13 and 8, is legendary. He suffered a brain aneurysm just before Thanksgiving, and has been in the ICU at Yale New Haven Hospital ever since. He has made some progress, but the road to recovery is long.
The family must pay medical expenses, along with their mortgage, food, utility and Christmas bills.
The fund is halfway to its $25,000 goal. To help, click here. (Hat tip: Danielle Alexander.)
Marius Sarapinas
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Yesterday’s, Sharkey’s Cuts for Kids and Garelick & Herbs provided a holiday lunch for 30 firefighters, at Westport’s main station.
The meal was delicious — and (thankfully) uninterrupted. The department thanks these 2 great local businesses for their generosity.
The Fire Department’s holiday meal.
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Not to be a Debbie Downer as we head into the final, festive week of the year, but I have to repeat this thought, first seen on the WestportMoms Instagram:
Next year is pronounced “2020, too.”
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A ring with the inscription “United States Veteran,” surrounding a green stone (photo below), was found in the Staples High School gym. If it’s yours — or you know whose it is — email klquinn@westportps.org (after the Christmas break).
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Today is one of the busiest days of the year.
To help de-stress, just look at today’s “Westport … Naturally” image.
Relax. Fly above it all. Enjoy the view!
(Photo/Patricia Auber)
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And finally … on this day in 1972, John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Imagine” promotional film premiered on American TV. The single and album of the same name was released a year earlier.
Fifty years later, its message still resonates.
Hmmm. Big piles of excavated material, awfully close to the property line (road) with no erosion control measures in evidence.
This site can’t be in Westport. We have Zoning & Conservation regulations that prevent such sloppy site work.
My mother sold her house on Edgewater Hillside a decade ago to SIR.. They built a beautiful home and did not deforest the property
The property at 27 Mayflower changed hands last summer. The home was demolished in Sept. In mid November every tree ( 20-25) was cut down. I’m talking 40-80 foot trees on this one acre parcel. Nothing is left standing. I’m sick about it.
The 7 or 8 trees, most of which are on Town property as shown in the Google Earth photo and acknowledged by the Westport Tree Warden, were all posted for removal. No one objected. After the requisite period of time and with permission from the Tree Warden, the trees were removed, some by the Town. This was due to the extreme hazard to walkers and vehicles and the lack of maintenance over many years both by the Town and the prior owner of 149 Hillspoint. The Google Earth photo shows how the trees in the background leaned perilously over Hillspoint Road. Even though most of them were Town trees, the Tree Warden requires replacement trees, from the Town approved list, which will be planted in the fall. Additionally, the “after” photo was not taken from the same vantage point as the Google Earth photo as it does not show the remaining trees on both the left and right sides of Hideaway Lane.
Once again, the trees were posted by the Town and no one objected.
Rob Haroun
SIR Development, LLC