Lou Weinberg is chair of the Westport Community Gardens, and director of the Long Lots Preserve. He is concerned about a perception that gardeners oppose renovation of Long Lots Elementary School. He writes:
Members of the Westport Community Gardens and the volunteers involved with the Long Lots Preserve support the construction of a new/improved Long Lots Elementary School.
If the development of a new/improved Long Lots Elementary School truly requires the use of the existing gardens space during construction, then our request is to rebuild the gardens, post-construction, in their current location.
Members of the Long Lots Community Gardens and friends, at an open house last fall.
This is our position. At no point in this process has the request for consideration and regard for the gardens and preserve delayed the process of constructing a new/improved school. Not by a second.
To imply otherwise is false. Furthermore, the current efforts by some community members to vilify the gardeners and blame them for delays in the process is misguided. The gardeners are not the problem. The gardeners are not the enemy.
If anybody tries to convince you that the Westport Community Gardens and Long Lots Preserve are responsible for getting in the way of a beautiful new school for the town of Westport, they are misstating facts. We all want the school.
The process is supposed to get us there. I very much hope the new 8-24 application will include the school, fields, and restoration of the community gardens and preserve. Let’s get this done together!