Last week’s Photo Challenge was one of those I’m-sure-I’ve-seen-this-somewhere-before images. (Click here to see.)
Nearly every Westporter has been to PJ Romano Field (or, for those of an earlier vintage, Doubleday Field).
You may have gone to play, or watch, a football or lacrosse (or, years ago, soccer) game there. You may have run on the track. You may have had gym class there, at Saugatuck or Kings Highway Elementary School (or, before that, Bedford Middle or Junior High School).
Once upon a time, the at the northeast corner of the field was used for events: meetings, cookouts and the like.
Then it became a Westport Police Athletic League storage facility. For the last few years, it’s been unused.
The PAL hopes to rebuild it, into a more functional and better used facility. (You can donate to the cause; just click here!)
Bob Grant, Clark Thiemann, Andrew Colabella and Pam Romano were the only readers who recognized the lines, decorative features (and chipped paint) of the PAL clubhouse. Well played!
Now on to this week’s Photo Challenge. If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.
(Photo/Sunil Hirani)
(If you enjoy our Photo Challenge every Sunday, please consider a contribution to “06880.” Just click here — and thank you!)
Westport’s school buses may look different next fall.
They’ll still be yellow. But “Dattco” may not be on the sides.
The New Britain-based company’s contract is up for renewal this year. When the Board of Education meets Monday (May 1, 7 p.m., Staples High School), Superintendent of Schools Thomas Scarice will recommend that the 5-year contract beginning July 1 be awarded to First Student. They’re a national company, with a strong presence in this area.
They were the only 2 providers to bid. Scarice and Westport Public Schools CFO Elio Longo found that:
Over 5 years, the district will save $126,011 for the base transportation services provided by First Student.
Dattco offered $6 million in coverage for sexual misconduct insurance, but the RFP required $11 million. First Student provided the required amount.
Dattco failed to submit a letter from its insurance carrier stating that the minimal insurance limits required in the RFP will be met.
Dattco gave a “0” credit for use of a bus lot provided by the district. First Student provided a credit of $1,529,031 over 5 years for use of the lot.
The Board of Ed will have a busy agenda, beyond the bus contract. They’ll also discuss the Staples High School roof project, an equity action plan, and policies on weighted grading and calculation of grade point averages, credit for online courses, graduating requirements, and enrollment in advanced courses and programs.
For full details on the bus contract and other agenda items, click here.
“06880” doesn’t usually promote real estate open houses.
But we also don’t usually get a chance to see a 1740 home.
18 West Parish Road is the house; today (Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.) is the date.
18 West Parish Road
Built nearly 300 years ago by Captain Thomas Nash for Zachariah Burr — Aaron’s brother — it was an inn during the Revolutionary War.
It’s filled with history. For instance, the Delft blue tile fireplace is original
And — allegedly — Captain Nash galloped up the steep, original stairs on his horse, as he chased his wife in anger.
Captain Nash’s stairs.
In the 1930s another famous owner — Edward T. Bedford — maintained stables and a trotting track just north of the residence.
A 20th century bonus: The kitchen in the attached cottage was a bomb shelter in the 1950s.
Toni Horton Mickiewicz (Staples High School class of 1978) is the realtor.
It sounds like an extremely interesting home. But if you plan to buy it to tear it down: Please, please, PLEASE: Find yourself another open house to go to. (Hat tip: Pam Docters)
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month begins tomorrow.
AAPI Westport celebrates with a variety of events. They include:
The Story and Legacy of Vincent and Lily Chin (May 1-31, New Canaan Library). Learn more about Vincent and Lily Chin. His racially motivated murder more than 40 years ago galvanized the Asian American community.
Healing Asian Hate Since Vincent Chin (May 8, 6:30 p.m., New Canaan Library): Panel discussion, including Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, and Stamford DEI officer Carmen Hughes. Click here for more information. and to register.
Meet children’s book author Karina Yan Glaser (May 13, 1 to 3 p.m., Westport Library). She will discuss “What Do You Need to be a Writer?,” and talk about how being an Asian American author has influenced her work. A book signing follows. This is an all ages event; best for grades 1-6. Click here for more information.
Pamela Turnure Timmins — Jacqueline Kennedy press secretary (and the first ever hired by a first lady), and who may or may not have had an affair with her husband, President Kennedy — died Tuesday in Colorado. She was 85, and had lung cancer.
What makes her death “06880”-worthy is that she graduated in the mid-1950s from the Bolton School for girls in Westport.
Her Washington Post obituary does not explain what she was doing in this area as a teenager. But she certainly led an interesting life. (Hat tip: Allen Siegert)
Pamela Turnure Timmins
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The Connecticut Appalachian Mountain Club brings one of their most popular speakers to Saugatuck Congregational Church.
David Pressler will discuss “Exploring the Californian Anza — Borrego Desert and Beyond.” The event is May 9.
From snow-covered landscapes, high mountains, lakes and the Salton Sea, to dry desert vistas and unusual lava-formed rock landscapes (that were the “American West” of movies from the 1930s to the ’50s) — home once to dinosaurs, mammoths, giant turtles and other animals — it’s a vast, beautiful place.
Wine, dinner and dessert begins at 6:15 p.m. Pressler’s presentation is at 7:30. The cost is $10 for members, $15 for non-members (pay at the door). For more information, email easasso7@icloud.com.
And finally … in honor of the soon-to-come (and likely little-mourned) end of the DATTCO era:
(School buses? Ospreys? Jackie Kennedy’s press secretary? If there’s a Westport connection, “06880” covers it. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Louise Ortega is both a Fresh Green Light Driving School instructor and a writer. She combines those 2 worlds here, telling “06880”:
The improvements on the Post Road will be an ongoing state project affecting traffic flow on the busiest commercial district in town.
Orange cones, police vehicles, heavy equipment and flaggers will be a common sight for the foreseeable future. Lanes will narrow, shift or close as each phase is completed. Construction vehicles may leave debris on road surfaces.
Employees will be concentrating on their work, surrounded by loud equipment and traffic.
Construction work has begun on the Post Road, near the Roseville/Hillspoint Roaod intersection. (Photo/Michael Calise)
Working on America’s roads is dangerous. Highway maintenance workers ranked number 15 in on-the-job fatalities in the US in 2021.
Busy commercial districts present their own challenges to road crews. Drivers often rush, and are distracted as they go about their business.
Impatience can be fatal.
When drivers approaches a road work zone they must slow down, move over and pay attention. Lanes may be poorly marked, and a police officer or member of the road crew may halt traffic to allow oncoming vehicles a chance to clear the work area or to shift equipment.
Workers could move through the work zone, or appear from behind a heavy vehicle, and not hear oncoming traffic due to the construction noise. Sight lines will be obscured, especially in poor weather conditions. It is essential that passing traffic treats work zones with respect, and that all drivers remain observant.
Fines are doubled in work zones.
There will be a heavy police presence during the construction, and traffic laws will be strictly enforced. The improvements will add turning lanes at the Fresh Market intersection, and Roseville/Hillspoint and Bulkley Road North and South, 3 of the most heavily traveled intersections in town.
Proposals for the Post Road near Fresh Market.
Westport Police Chief Foti Koskinas requests that all drivers be cognizant of the need to slow down and move over for all persons in the roadway — including police officers, construction workers and heavy equipment operators — during the ongoing improvements (projected to be completed in 2025).
No Westport police officers supervising road work zones have been hit by passing vehicles in the past year. Let’s keep that number at zero, and protect the people fixing our roads.
Be patient.
Slow down.
Move over.
Louise Ortega wants drivers to be cautious in construction zones.
Suzanne Sherman Propp came to her current gig — a very popular Greens Farms Elementary School music teacher — after a long career as a performer. (She learned her craft growing up in Westport, and as a Staples High School student.)
Suzanne Sheridan is a longtime resident, and well-known musician too. She recently started the “First Folk Sunday” series at VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399.
People sometimes confuse the 2 Suzannes.
A week from tomorrow — May 7, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. — Suzanne Sherman Propp headlines Suzanne Sheridan’s First Folk Sunday.
She’ll be joined by Bob Cooper. Her husband, Peter Propp, will bring his mandolin for a few tunes.
There’s brunch, and a cash bar (including mimosas and make-your-own Bloody Marys). The cover is $10; click here for tickets.
Staples High School’s counseling department does a great job helping seniors get into college.
But they’re just as focused on supporting students considering paths other than traditional 4-year degrees.
“Finding Your Path: Exploring Post-High School Options” (May 9, 6:30 p.m., Westport Library) features representatives from the military, community college, vocational school, and gap and postgraduate programs.
Local graduates who pursued those paths will be there too, to talk about their experiences and answer quesitons.
Students of all ages, and their families, are invited.
2011 Staples graduate Asia Bravo joined the military — and was accepted into its new Space Force program. She is shown here with B. Chance Saltzman, director of space operations.
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Middle and high school students looking to make money through outdoor yard work this spring and summer can join Westport’s Department of Human Services “We Do Walkways” program.
It’s a great way to connect teenagers with senior citizens. The suggested minimum is $15 an hour; chores are limited to outside.
Students must complete an enrollment form and receive parental permission to participate. Contact Westport’s Department of Human Services at 203-341-1050 or email humansrv@westportct.gov with questions.
Seniors can join the “We Do Walkway” list by calling Human Services at 203-341-1050 or emailing humansrv@westportct.gov.
This Thursday (May 4, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.), the Westport Senior Center hosts a “Meet the Authors” event.
More than a dozen local authors will discuss their books, in an informal questions. They’ll sell and sign them too. Light refreshments will be served.
Scheduled to appear: Winston Allen, Jill Amadio, Ronald Blumenfeld, Prill Boyle, Elaine Breakstone, Don Harrison, Scott Kuhner, Deborah Levinson, Diane Lowman, Allia Zobel Nolan, Penny Pearlman, Mark Perlman, Deborah Quinn, Lynn Ellen Russo, Patricia Sabena, Sue Stewart, Elizabeth Thomas Jean Marie Wiesen.
Prill Boyle is among the many excellent authors at the Senior Center. (Photo/Suzanne Sheridan)
The Earthplace-based organization — which for decades has monitored and restored local waterways — must get a new vessel, for research and education programs. It is imperative to maintain their biological and chemical data.
Tickets are on sale for their “Cocktails & Clams” fundraiser (June 10, 5 to 7 p.m.). The Copps Island Oysters location in Norwalk offers an unlimited and very fresh raw bar, hors d’oeuvres, an open bar, live jazz, silent auction — and spectacular views of Long Island Sound.
Reminder: The launch party for “Pick of the Pics” — the “06880” book highlighting over 100 of our blog’s best Pics of the Day — is tomorrow (sunday, April 30, 2 to 4 p.m., Savvy + Grace, 146 Main Street).
Books will be available for purchase at a special price of $20 (regular Amazon price: $24.95).
I’ll sign copies; so will Lyah Muktavaram, my “06880” intern who did 99% of the work on it.
Photographers featured in the book can pick up a free book at the launch party too.
On Monday, the popular workplace for writers leaves its 21 Charles Street top-floor space for 95 Mill Plain Road, in the Fairfield Arts District.
They have to give up their prime Saugatuck spot for an equally great site a few miles east. They’ll still be near plenty of restaurants, right near a train station and I-95.
Fairfield County Story Lab offers a free work day for writers and creatives (and a free week for former members). Call 203-374-8343 for more details.
The Westport Weston Family YMCA’s 100th anniversary celebration continues, with a yoga fundraiser May 11 (10 to 11 a.m.).
100 participants in a “Breath, Body & Balance” class at the Mahackeno Outdoor Center will be led by Greg Barringer.
There’s a $100 registration fee/donation per person. Funds go to the Y’s Financial Assistance Program, serving under-resourced families and those in need.
Participants get a high-quality 100-year anniversary yoga mat, and a flower from Blossom +Stem. Click here to register.
Westporters know Ed Gerber for his preservation work around town.
He’s also a trustee of Historic New England. In that role, he’s sponsoring a “Connecticut Preservation at Work” speaker series.
The free event kicks off June 2 (2 p.m., Metro Art Studios, 345 Railroad Avenue, Bridgeport) with speeches by the co-owners and developers of historic Crown Corset Factory, Bridgeport’s director of business development and more. For more information, click here.
Ed Gerber
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It will rain all day today. And tomorrow.
So here’s a “Westport … Naturally” photo — taken a couple of days ago — to remind us all that the weather here has been pretty good this spring.
And remember: April showers bring May flowers.
The calendar guarantees that April showers end tomorrow night.
(Photo/Claudia Sherwood Servidio)
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And finally … April 29 is Eeyore’s birthday. He’s 40 today — and every day.
What a life!
(Our “06880” Roundup tells you what’s going on in Westport — today, and every day. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Flowers, water, landscapes, colors … it’s all represented this week, in our online art gallery. Thank you, all 15 readers who submitted works.
Remember: This is your feature. Everyone is invited to contribute. Age, level of experience, subject matter — there are no restrictions.
All genres are encouraged. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, lithographs, collages, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage and (yes) needlepoint — whatever you’ve got, email it to 06880blog@gmail.com. Share your work with the world! (PS: Please include the medium you’re working in — art lovers want to know.)
Untitled — pigmented epoxy on panel (John Fatse)
“Woman in a Boat, Part II” (Ken Runkel)
“A Steller Poet: ‘I Spot Your Fry'” (Mike Hibbard)
“Riverside Avenue” (Luis Castro)
“Too Bad Beach Stickers Were Sold Out the 1st Day They Became Available to Out-of-town Folks” (Roseann Spengler)
“Lean on Me” (Lawrence Weisman)
“Resting Swan” (Dorothy Robertshaw)
“Hydrangea” (Amy Schneider)
Untitled (Kathleen Burke)
“That White Barn” (Mona Brown)
“Kitchen Table Garden” (Jo Ann Davidson)
“Where in the World is Eustice Tilly? DanWoog06880.com!” (Steve Stein)
Untitled (Greg Puhy)
“Temptress” (Tom Doran)
“Tall Dogs Riding” (Peter Barlow)
(Admission to our online art gallery is free. But we always appreciated donations! Please click here — and thank you!)
For a fact-filled summary of statistics, DataHaven provides a wealth of fascinating information.
The 98-page document — based on in-depth interviews with over 40,000 randomly selected adults in every Connecticut town — is a massive collaboration involving community organizations, healthcare providers and public health departments.
Among the details:
♦ A “Community Index” — including economic, health and educational measures, with scores from 0 to 1,000 — gives the US as a whole 695 points, Connecticut 774, Fairfield County 786, and Westport 983.
Scores for other area towns: Wilton (1,000), Darien (986), Weston (960), Fairfield (952), New Canaan (912). Norwalk (740) and Bridgeport (402).
♦ The average housing value in the US is $348,000; Connecticut, $350,000; Fairfield County, $547,000, and Westport $1.55 million.
TThis11,000-square foot, 6-bedroom, 7 1/2-bath property on 3.45 acres on Charcoal Hill Road is listed for $12.5 million.
♦ Among the 8 wealthiest Fairfield County towns, Westport had the highest Grade 3 SBAC ELA (assessment) pass rate (85%); the lowest rate of suspensions per 1,000 students (12), and tied with Fairfield and Trumbull for the highest graduation rate (97%).
♦ In percentage of “students of color” — non-white, that is — Westport reports 23% (1,213 out of 5,336). The highest percentage in Fairfield County is Bridgeport (90%); the statewide average is 51%.
♦ Of Westport’s 18,830 residents 25 and older, 79% have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Just 2% have less than a high school diploma.
Staples High School is a step on the road to more education, for many graduates.
♦ Out of 27,147 Westporters, just 6 were reported as incarcerated.
There are dozens more pages of stats. Click here for the full report.
(Major funders of the report include Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, Yale New Haven Health, Health Improvement Alliance, Connecticut Health Foundation, Stamford Health, Hartford HealthCare, Nuvance Health, United Ways of Fairfield County and Western Connecticut, and the Housing Collective.)
(Health, education, real estate — “06880” covers it all. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
As Westport’s Board of Finance and RTM engage in their annual debates over the fate of theWheels2U service — and the Westport Transit District in general — it’s time for another look back at the minnybus.
Back in the day, they were Westport’s cutting-edge (yet diesel-belching) transportation technology. Driving fixed routes (with Jesup Green as the hub), they ferried people — mostly pre-teens and teenagers — around town. At least one parent was known to park kids on a Minnybus for a round-trip or two, using it as a vehicular babysitter.
At least 10,000 youngsters used it as a place to escape home, smoke cigarettes, and/or make out.
Rick Davis was too young to do any of that stuff.
Kids still ride all over town. Today, Uber delivers them from Point A to B much more quickly (and expensively).
But — no matter how entertaining your Uber driver — it’s nowhere near as much fun.
(Photo courtesy of Gail Comden via Facebook)
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