The Westport Community Gardens/Babe Ruth baseball field saga continues.
A week after the Long Lots School Building Committee recommended relocating the gardens to Baron’s South, the Parks & Recreation Commission voted to place the diamond where the garden is now, just south of the elementary school.
Meeting last night at Town Hall, commissioners spoke about field use and scheduling, including possibilities for new fields to allow the gardens to remain.
Community members spoke. Issues raised included possible toxic chemicals at Baron’s South; the importance of fields for youngsters; the importance of the gardens for mental health and the environment, and contrasts between how often the gardens and Long Lots baseball field are used.
Commissioners then read prepared statements, favoring the baseball field over the gardens. They hope to keep as much of the Long Lots Preserve as possible, as a buffer for neighbors.
Other town bodies will now continue to discuss the entire Long Lots project, including the Board of Finance, Board of Education, Conservation Commission and Representative Town Meeting.
The Parks & Recreation Commission voted that a new Babe Ruth baseball field should replace the Westport Community Gardens.
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Yesterday, 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker acknowledged recent antisemitic incidents in Westport, like the vandalism of an Israeli flag. She said:
“Hate incidents are on the rise in the US following the deadly terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Specifically, antisemitic incidents have increased by 388% according to a report released by the ADL last week.
“This data is shocking and horrifying. Leaders like me all around the country, in large cities and in small towns, are monitoring these trends and communicating with organizations like the ADL and our local clergy to publicly stand against these incidents in our communities.
“I want the residents and business owners of Westport to know that there is no place for hate — no place for antisemitic behavior — in Westport. Our community strongly rejects hate in all forms. The safety and well-being of each member of our community are my top priority and that of Police Chief Foti Koskinas. If you hear something or see something, please report it.
“We are here for you. We want you to feel safe, and heard. We want you to know that you are a valued member of our community, that you belong here. It is up to all of us to stand together and speak up – clearly and unequivocally – against hate, and specifically antisemitism, and any language or actions that feed or normalize it. Again, when one of us is harmed, we are all harmed.”
A defaced Israeli flag was found near Temple Israel last weekend.
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Fairfield County Hunt Club has withdrawn its Planning & Zoning Commission application to construct to construct 2 pickleball courts, along with a proposed tennis court expansion and parking lot modification.
At a recent meeting, commission members and neighbors questioned the plan, focusing on noise and related issues.
A revised plan may be resubmitted in the future, the Hunt Club says.
This is the second application to be taken off of next Monday’s meeting agenda. Yesterday, the town withdrew its application for a redesign of Parker Harding Plaza.
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It bears repeating: The second “bridge slide” is set for this weekend (Friday, November 3, 8 p.m. to Monday, November 6, 6 a.m.). Traffic throughout town will be heavier than usual.
Then again, it always is.
To keep up to date, bookmark this website.
And check it often.
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Westport Country Playhouse archivist Bruce Miller led the Y’s Women through 93 years of history yesterday.
He described the 1930 beginning, when Broadway producer Lawrence Langner bought a barn and hired a set designer, through Stephen Sondheim’s apprenticeship, and the Joanne Woodward-led renovation 2 decades ago.
Miller took his guests backstage, showing the lighting and sound board; onto the storied stage, then downstairs to see the dressing rooms, green room, and “wall of honor” with head shots of actors who have performed there, including Tyrone Power, Henry Fonda, Ethel Barrymore, Gene Kelly, Olivia de Havilland, and of course Paul Newman.
Y’s Women begin their tour in the Westport Country Playhouse lobby.
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Trombonist Steve Davis and musical partner/pianist David Hazeltine headline this week’s Jazz at the Post.
Davis has appeared on over 100 recordings, while Hazeltine has been on hundreds more.
Also on the bill: Jason Tiemann (drums), Rich Zurkowski (bass) and Greg “The Jazz Rabbi” Wall (saxophone).
The 2 shows are this Thursday (November 2, 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; dinner at 7; VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399; $15 cover charge). Reservations are strongly recommended: JazzatthePost@gmail.com
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A new panelist has been added to Sunday’s TEA (Thinkers, Educators, Artists) talk at the Westport Library (2 p.m.).
The event — which explores the impact of artificial intelligence on the arts — will now include Luciano Floridi. A professor of philosophy at Yale University, he’s also founding director of the Digital Ethics Center. He writes extensively about the philosophy of information and technology, digital ethics and the ethics of AI.
He joins Brian Keane, the Grammy Award-winning composer/producer (and a 1971 Staples graduate), Westport Public Schools K-12 arts coordinator Steve Zimmerman, and arts consultant Liz Liggett. Click here for more information.
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In case you don’t have kids, and (somehow) forgot: Today is Halloween.
Stock up on candy.
And enjoy this sign, on Terhune Drive:
(Photo/Ed Simek)
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Sure, it’s Halloween (see above).
But flowers still bloom. Lauri Weiser sent this photo of the scene at Lansdowne condos, for today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature:
(Photo/Lauri Weiser)
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And finally … everyone plays “Monster Mash” today.
But this if my favorite Halloween song:
(No candy for “06880,” thanks. But if you really want to give us something, a tax-deductible contribution would be sweet. Please click here. Thanks. Now we won’t toilet paper your house.)
Who needs old people?! Disgraceful. Wish Bill Meyer was still around to remind us that we need to balance and respect the interest of both the kids and the seniors, something he did very well.
And by reading statements prepared before hand, the commissioners showed that this was simply a Potemkin trial, with their minds made up before the meeting. The repeated calls for Civility in the face of disrespect will continue.
Prepared statements….a travesty. So much for listening to the gardeners and fair dealing.
Before the town becomes even more polarized about Community Gardens vs ball fields, why not follow Ken Bernard’s suggestion of an impartial review by a respected group of Westport citizens (see yesterday’s 06880)? If need be, approve the school repair / rebuild separately from gardens vs ball field.
I couldn’t agree more; take Ken Bernard’s advice and convene a separate task force to debate gardens vs ball fields.
Absolutely agree !
Let me tell you little story about the Hunt Club and noise. I lived at 56 North Maple Ave from 1947-ish to 1961. All of Hunt Club Lane was a farm owned by Paul Backiel. Behind our house was maybe 1.5 acres of strawberries. Behind that was the Hunt Club’s blacksmith. He start pounding away at 6:00 am and wake up the whole neighborhood. You couldn’t sleep past 6:00 am! I don’t have to be annoyed anymore by the blacksmith, however, not getting a response from your beloved First Selectwoman is starting to get annoying! Zero response isn’t Westport!
If the beautiful, elderly gardener, beaming at her sweet 90 year old husband, asking “Who is talking for us?” – while informing the committees that he goes every day (many of us do) and it makes him live – didn’t give these people pause, nothing will.
It’s been said many times, “The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members” – those with disabilities and the elderly. I am so happy Stepping Stones, which provides a wonderful learning environment for children with challenges, will have a new home where they can reach their potential. And hey – the Garden/Preserves would further enhance their mental well-being. A win-win!
But callously destroying our ONE & only, national award winning 20-year old Garden/Preserves nurtured by an older population is cruel and the First Selectwoman, the Building Committee and Park & Rec’s lack of empathy and compassion is underscored by their recommendation to start over again on a toxic land fill at Barron’s South or on a terraced (try that with a wheel barrow, heavy tools etc.) marshy area close-by.
We heard about the sports field usage. Well, the Garden/Preserve, consisting of about one+ acre, is nurtured by 120 families consisting of about 300 people which use it Mid-March-November – or for about 31,000 hours/year. It’s used more than the sports fields and offers untold benefits mentally, environmentally and educationally. But we don’t matter.
But because kids are now playing sports year round (including pay for play) and play on more than one team per season – the quench for more fields (we have at least twenty) is unrelenting. It will never be satisfied. And the Committees have discarded many alternatives which would be a win-win for everyone, as they are fixated on turning the Garden/Preserves into a graveyard and putting up their Babe Ruth Baseball Field despite the ever narrowing number of kids playing the sport.
Last night was just another charade of democracy. Hurry up and get your three minutes of comment in while we pretend to listen. We all know the decision was made back in September 2022 by the First Selectwoman and her appointees. Every request to be placed on committee agendas was denied. Information was released only when FOIA’d – still waiting for some. And the RTM moderator declined the petition to allow Lou Weinberg, twenty-year Chairman of the Garden/Preserves, to speak at an upcoming RTM meeting. Welcome to Westport – destroyer of democracy and a nationally acclaimed Community Garden.
Um, not about gardens or ball. It would have been nice these past few weeks if the CT DOT had set up real-time electronic signs between Exits 19 & 18, and between 15 and 16, simply advising “Exit 17 Open” or “Exit 17 Closed” to avoid needless looping back…
Yes Ken CT DOT runs about the same way as our town ! Crap! ! I’m shocked you are surprised. Get used to it.
And Karen la Costa, it’s horrific, this garden fiasco amounts to elder abuse, amongst others.
Incredible, selfish, disgraceful, shocking, vile, the list goes on…
And on and on…..
remember when you vote ! Now and in 2 years.
Ciara
I want you all to know my three wishes are to hit the Powerball for 600 million, do an Ironman competition in under 10 hours, and meet CIARA WEBSTER, a total genius!!
Jack, I would think one of your wishes would be a reply from FS Tooker. Please share a copy of your email to her on Dan’s site.
It’s gotta be a ‘hoot’
Renee, That’s the fourth one. I can’t share it because I didn’t send it to her personal e-mail, but one that came up when I googled her name as First Selectwoman. I didn’t think I’d need a screenshot of it because I never thought I’d get ignored. I know I’m not a town resident anymore, but hey, my grandfather delivered milk in a horse drawn buckboard in 1912. I feel like Rodney Dangerfield; I don’t get no respect.
Jack, simply go into your sent mail folder, cut and paste your email to FS Tooker, and then control C here in Dan’s blog. That way we can all read what you sent.
Respect is earned. BS is ignored. Show us Jack.
Renee, The next time I come up to Westport, there are a few who comment here that I finally want to meet, you included. I’d probably take Amtrak up and then take a TAXi from the train station. It’s too TAXing to drive 270 miles. I’ll stop at Long Lots too and pay my last respects, and see the gardens!
Knew you’d, BACKIELout
I have the email and will email it to Dan NOW!!
Thank you Jack. I do appreciate your response.
I did not expect it. I always seem so radical for the Westport audience..
I just felt in this instance., that standing up for (well myself) an over 55 tax payer was appropriate and I really appreciate your affirmation.
Thank you for not making me feel like I am wasting my time.
Jack, please don’t include me in the funeral. I’d love to meet you. Anytime I will make time.
I would love to hear what you think.
Ciara, If you want, ask Dan for my e-mail so we can talk via e-mail rather than here. Sincerely, Mr. Jack Backiel, President, Ciara Webster Fan Club (D.C. Office)
Dan has my permission to copy and paste my email and send it to anyone and to Ms Tooker too! He can post it here too. It’s polite and informative! Jack Backiel, aka Rodney Dangerfield
Dear Ms Tooker, My family was in Westport for over 100 years. We had Westport Lanes and Westport Golf Range. My family also farmed from 1903 to 1953. With this said, for a time we lived in Spain. We visited La Mezquita in Córdoba, a structure that has been standing for 10 centuries! I also went to Long Lots Junior High School from 1959 to 1961. Long Lots was built in 1954, and had some renovations since then. From what I understand, Long Lots is so disfunctional that it needs to be torn down with millions spent to build a new school. Something is very wrong here: one structure couldn’t last 70 years as the other still stands for 10 centuries. Sincerely, Jack Backiel
This e-mail to Ms Tooker was sent on October 21 at 10:04 am and I haven’t received an acknowledgment that she read it or received it. This is the Westport of 2023??
I e mailed the Parks & Rec. Comm. concerning the fact that David Floyd, Chair, had spoken on Oct. 19th as Chair of Parks & Rec. in favor of the replacement of the gardens with a ballfield. I also mentioned that Dir. of Parks & Rec., Jen Fava, delivered a written analysis that supported the ballfield. I ask the members of the Parks & Recreation Comm. to comment on those actions. The Commission should have acted before David and Jen and should have submitted its views before the LLBC issued its recommendation. The Commission’s actions seem to me like a bit of a joke. Please, someone, tell me why this is not a travesty.
Don Bergman, this is not a travesty because this is exactly how business is done in Westport !
The administration appoints a hand selected board. They do what they are told. It is as simple as that.Parker Harding the same exact nightmare.
Wake up Westport before it’s too late.
HUNT CLUB Pickleball neighbors: Now imagine you invested in a nice home on Bauer Place or Old Orchard, a few hundred feet or less next to a native Preserve or Community Garden. Then, you are blindsided by a plan to transplate a Babe Ruth size baseball/soccer/lacross/multiuse field there instead, with all of its “11,000” sports team participants, parents, coaches, fans and athe like, screaming “GOOOOAAAALLLL!’ all the while you are having a nice family BBQ or napping in your hammock. Instead you will be fishing baseballs out of your pool, and trying to keep your dog from barking.
Step up. Help your neighbors down the street.
Spot on, Toni.
I have an idea for the First Selectwoman. How about an automated reply like: (Thank you for reaching out to First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker. We’re excited to get in touch with you, so we’ll be in touch with you as soon as possible.) I could help her be more responsive to people. It’s not a good idea to ignore people when you’re the First Selectwoman or Selectman. I could walk her through the process!
Jack, why does the First Selectwoman need you to “walk her through the process?” Is it because she didn’t respond to your letter? The one you provided in this blog doesn’t ask any questions or provide any solutions. It is merely a walk down memory lane. There was nothing all all to respond to, nothing to answer. Your family’s history is interesting, and also important to you. But I fail to understand how it relates to what is going on now. To what is happening right now to the residents and taxpayers in Westport. And why your family’s background is important in making a decision about a school and garden and/or baseball field. The fact is, it doesn’t impact you. So what exactly are you personally trying to extract from the First Selectwoman?
Peter, First I gave her a little background on my Westport connection since I don’t live in town. A simple response would be a natural courtesy, plus others have stated her ignoring town residents’ e-mail seems to be the norm. Ignoring town residents shouldn’t be the norm!
Peter, One more thing… for a few years in the late 1970s I had a house in Ventnor NJ. I wrote to Bill Bradley, who was running for Senator, and I got a response that he signed. That’s the Bill Bradley who played for the Knicks and was a Rhodes Scholar and graduated from Oxford. The letter is in my Safety Deposit Box! HE found time to answer me! Now Ms Tooker seems to have time to show up for photos in town, but not respond to comments sent her way.
Hate to burst your bubble but reasonable chance your Bill Bradley signed letter was signed by an autopen and was drafted by a staff member.
Bill, That may be the case, but I was recognized and I received a response! I was ignored by the First Selectwoman. And supposedly, that seems to be the norm with her.
Petra”s question: ‘So what exactly are you personally trying to extract from the First Selectwoman?”
In my best Jeopardy voice: ‘Ken, what is ATTENTION!”
Renee, A) Those in public office should respond to those who reach out (contact) them, B) Those in public office should ignore those who reach out ( contact) them? Which is it Renee. A or B?
As a friend of mine stated recently, so truthfully and succinctly; the biggest lie being perpetuated throughout this Town by the current administration is that a choice is required; either the Community Gardens or a baseball field on the Long Lots site.
No choice is required, we have documented and circulated two site plan options that illustrate maintaining the the gardens in their current location and the construction a new ball field in either one of two proposed locations on the site, while leaving the proposed new school where the architects sited it on the land. I also proposed three other suitable locations for baseball fields off site, yet all I’ve heard back is crickets.
The unwillingness of the current administration to work with the community is mind boggling and clearly illustrates an administration incapable of leadership, while both ironically and humorously, constantly calling for civil discourse.
The people are speaking and you are not listening!
Wow, well said.
Two days ago in this blog Ken Bernhard cited allegations that the town’s process for deciding to replace the Community Gardens with a ball field was unfair. He recommended appointment of a respected group of citizens to review the process and avoid the hyperbole on both sides which undermines us as a community. Good idea.
I wonder what that group of citizens would think about Mr. Vallone’s expert opinion (above): no choice between Gardens and ball field is needed….both can be accommodated.
Why won’t the Administration accommodate both?