At 9:48 p.m. last night, police began receiving calls reporting shots fired in the area of Saugatuck Avenue and Franklin Street.
Patrol units immediately responded. Witnesses reported a white vehicle traveling north on Franklin, north on Saugatuck, and turning west on Sunrise Road. Multiple shots were fired as it turned up Sunrise.
Officers established a perimeter, and Sunrise Road was closed to through traffic between Indian Hill Road and Saugatuck Avenue.
Westport Police ask anyone who lives in the area to review surveillance cameras and report suspicious activity that they may have captured to the Westport Detective Bureau (203-341-6080) or Detective John Lauria (dlauria@westportct.gov).
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The Greens Farms Garden Club’s “Growing for Good” project encourages gardeners to donate extra harvest to worthy causes.
And it could not be easier.
For example: Leave your produce by the wrought iron gates at Prospect Gardens (next to the mailbox at #25 Prospect Road), every Tuesday by 10 a.m.
It will be delivered to Mercy Learning Center in Bridgeport that day.
Growing For Good also needs helpers to tend and harvest at Prospect Gardens.
Contact Jacque O’Brien (jacquemob@gmail.com) for more information.
The “Growing for Good” bin.
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Spotted yesterday outside 233 Hillspoint Road — the notorious, controversial half-finished home construction eyesore on the site of the former Positano restaurant: a truck carrying explosives and other materials for blasting bedrock.
Alas. It turns out they are doing work elsewhere in the area.
Hey, a boy can dream …
233 Hillspoint Road. (Photo/Andrew Colabella)
In other 233 Hillspoint news, Westport Journal reports that the Blight Prevention Board is fining the owners $100 a day. They have not complied with orders to place windows where they were approved, and cover the blue wrap with siding.
The Blight Board meets again tomorrow (Thursday, July 13, 7 p.m.) to discuss the half-finished home. Click here for the Zoom link.
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Railroad parking fees may soon go up.
The Representative Town Meeting Transit Committee meets July 20 to consider asking the full RTM approve an increase for both daily parking (from $5 a day to $7), a yearly permit for 1 car (from $325 to $415), and a yearly permit for 2 cars (fro m$450 to $515).
Those are slightly higher than the fees passed by the Board of Selectwomen in April.
The increased fees — predicted to raise approximately $83,100 a year — would be used to improve and increase transit services in Westport.
Daily and yearly railroad parking fees will rise, if the RTM approves its Transit Committee’s proposals. Lots have not been this full since the pandemic began.
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Speaking of transit: Last night, the RTM appointed Karina Betfarhad as a second director of the Westport Transit District.
A 14-year Westport resident, she has a degree in civil engineering from San Jose State University. She also completed all core engineering classes there for a master’s in civil engineering, specializing in transportation and structural engineering. and a background in construction management.
She worked as a civil engineer for 3 construction companies, and for San Jose’s Streets and Traffic Department.
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It’s one of those little things that most people never see.
But it means a lot.
Every Monday, Westport Parks & Recreation Department operations manager Carm Roda tests the water quality at 6 beach locations.
He brings the samples to the Aspetuck Health District. From there they go to the state Department of Health.
The results are usually good. Burying Hill has even gotten an A+ rating.
Thanks, Carm — and all your Parks & Rec colleagues who keep us safe.
Carm Roda, at work. (Photo/Jimmy Izzo)
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The dog days are not until next month.
But yesterday, the Westport Rotary Club heard from Team Woofgang & Co.
Aimee Turner — executive director of the Fairfield-based non-profit — described how they make and sell dog treats, to fund vocational and social opportunities for young people with disabilities.
Team members are involved in manufacturing and retail, depending on their abilities.
Team Woofgang has a store at 1300 Post Road, Fairfield. Treats are also available online.
Team Woofgang was a Westport Rotary Club grant recipient of funds from last year’s LobsterFest.
(Photo and hat tip/Dave Matlow)
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Most of our “Westport … Naturally” photos are intriguing.
But this one is very, very cool.
The evening primrose flower (and Mediterranean katydid) come courtesy of Tracy Porosoff.
(Photo/Tracy Porosoff)
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And finally … in honor of our Woofgang story (above) — hey, this is only one letter off.
(From beautiful gardens to blighted homes, “06880” covers it all. To support our work, please make a contribution by clicking here. Thank you!)
Re shots fired: OMG! There’s an national epidemic of this going on — see https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/09/nyregion/scooter-gunman-charged-brooklyn-queens.html?searchResultPosition=1. Having CT’s strict gun laws is cold comfort when police have scaled back on traffic stops and DAs decline to prosecute if no one happens to be killed or injured.
Re Westport’s own Tyvek Temple on the Beach, please educate us as to who’s the property owner. When this story first came up, I heard this was to be a custom build for an older NYC couple with inherited wealth. But now it’s advertised as a spec house for $7.9M asking for a 3,000 SF house – an astounding 2,633/SF!
Yes, great view, but no land and zero privacy.
That cost per s/f rivals similar sized beachfront houses in Malibu, but sorry, Compo Beach aint Malibu.
Both of my nephews, who are autistic, work at Woofgang in Fairfield & love it! Working there helps give them a sense of purpose, community & teaches them great life skills in the process. Thank you for highlighting them & hopefully, lots of readers will pop into their store & check it out! It’s right next to 16 Handles!
Better have the town attorney look at those fines. I have read the Blight Statute and the unelected “Board” may not have authority to fine. They have the right to “civil penalties” but that usually means you go get a judgment and the homeowner pays or it sits as a lien collecting interest.
Team Wolfgang is a business with amazing benefits not only to our four legged friends but the kids and young adults that work there. Such a worthy enterprise that is so much more than dog treats, and an amazing pet care product line. If you are a lover of pets both great and small it is so worth a visit…….it will make your day!
Just for the record re 233 Hillspoint Rd., the Blight Board can do more than it is now doing, bigger fine, immediate payments of fines and the Town doing the work and charging the owner. There may be other actions, but to date, the Town has not been as aggressive as it can.
This Hillspoint joke is what we peons in Middle America call a Nothingburger. Westport has many more “issues” of higher importance than this.
Have the blight board call my buddy CAS ‘66, a decorated veteran and my personal role model. He’s got a worse situation on his side of town than this one of a house that should never have been built. Also, it would be nice to see some progress on the Baron’s property. Maybe move the community gardens over there to enable the school expansion. And $4500/month to store the library tile wall would buy a lot of LymanAid. Lastly, gridlock and idling cars do not bode well for Westport’s carbon footprint. More leadership, fewer Foti ops. And Foti, isn’t one paycheck at a time for the same job enough?