The plan to build 8 single-family homes, and 2 multi-family “affordable” dwellings for people with special needs, at Glendinning Place off Weston Road is on the Planning & Zoning Commission agenda for Monday (March 4, 7 p.m.; Zoom, and Optimum channel 79 and Frontier channel 6020).
Becky Ruthven — who lives nearby — opposes the plan. She writes:
“In 1966, the Planning & Zoning Commission added a clear and unambiguous codicil to a Special Permit approval for the construction of an office building for Glendinning Co. Inc. on land located in a Design Development District Zone.
“According to the codicil, ‘The permit herein granted pertains specifically and solely to the proposed use as described and shown by Glendinning Co. Inc and for no other purpose now or at any other time.” [Emphasis added.]”
The proposal before the P&Z on Monday would waive that condition of the special permit.
The homes proposed for homes at Glendinning Place are shown in green.
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The Staples boys basketball team fell agonizingly short last, in the quest for their first FCIAC (league) championship in 61 years.
They fell 70-67 to Trumbull in overtime, in front of a full house at Wilton High School. It was the first league title for the Eagles in a long time too: 41 years.
The #4-seeded Wreckers led for much of the contest. But #2 Trumbull hung around, and caught up to force OT.
The Westporters’ hopes were hurt when junior Adam Udell — who had one of his best games ever in a Staples uniform, with 20 points — fouled out 52 seconds into extra time.
Sophomore Mason Tobias — the 2nd-highest scorer — and Caleb Smith also picked up their 5th fouls. A last-second steal averted a possible tying 3-pointer at the end of the game.
After a decades-long drought, the Wreckers reached the FCIAC championship after a rousing semifinal defeat of #1-ranked Ridgefield.
It was the second straight title appearance for second-year coach Dave Goldshore.
Staples — which graduates only 3 seniors — now pivots to the state tournament. Division I play begins next Thursday (March 7). The #12 Wreckers travel to Manchester, for a 6:30 p.m. game at #5 East Catholic.
Adam Udell in action. (Photo/David G. Whitham for Ruden Report)
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Ten diverse entrepreneurs told their stories last night, in a lively, informative session at the Westport Library.
Representing industries from banking and real estate to retail, healthcare, and BlackLight software (“the Google for Black-owned businesses), they discussed the challenges — and joys — of their careers.
Jay Norris, co-founder of Westport 10 (a networking and social group for Black men and their families) noted in his introduction that the town has dealt recently with issues of racism — and his own family has witnessed it too.
However, he said, he believed “more people have love” than hate in their hearts. The event — on the final day of Black History Month — and the array of panelists (nearly all from Westport) offered a welcome opportunity for education and sharing information.
Startup Westport (the public/private tech entrepreneur partnership) and Westport 10 co-sponsored the event.
It included a video on the importance of diverse entrepreneurship by Dale Mauldin, co-executive director of A Better Chance of Westport.
NBC host Craig Melvin — a Westport resident — and Norris moderated the panels.
Craig Melvin (far right) moderates a panel with (from left) Craig Livingston (managing partner, Exact Capital), Adam Moore (co-founder and CEO, Wheelhouse Center for Health and Wellbeing), Ilka Gregory (senior advisor, First Ventures), Eric Freeman (co-partner and managing partner, Grandview Ventures) and Wesly Arbuthnott (owner, 29 Markle Court restaurant).
Jay Norris (far right) moderates a panel with (from left) Pamela Moss (co-founder and CTO of BlackLight), Kitt Shapiro (owner of WEST), Michele Peterson (chief marketing officer of BlackLight), Ted Parker and Paige Parker (co-presidents of Vibrant Health Solutions). (Photos/Dan Woog)
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Gallo Express — the takeout and delivery-only store offering salads, pasta, panini and full meals on Post Road East, at the foot of Long Lots Road — has closed. They were in business barely a year.
But it won’t be empty long.
WestportMoms and Megan Rutstein report that Lyfe Café will open in April.
The owners already run Pizza Lyfe, the popular restaurant on the Post Road a few yards away (formerly Bertucci’s/Tanglewoods/Clam Box, for you oldtimers).
The menu will include egg and cheese on brioche buns, a coffee and iced coffee bar, plus pasta dishes.
Pizza Lyfe — and, on the far right, the building where the new Lyfe Café will be.
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Working at his Bridgebrook Marina on the Saugatuck River, Robbie Guimond sees a lot.
Lately, he’s watched construction of a dock and sea wall along the eastern shore.
Yesterday, he took this photo of a commercial barge passing through the William F. Cribari swing bridge:
(Photo/Robbie Guimond)
It does not happen every day, Robbie notes. But, he says, it shows the need for a bridge that opens easily.
“Notice the steel ‘spuds’ pilings lying on the deck” he adds. “These hold the rig in position when lowered.
“It was low tide. They need low tide and ‘spuds down,’ plus the smallest (lowest) push/tug boat to just barely clear the railroad bridge. Unfortunately the saga is not reliable enough to ask for a opening.
“They’ve been caught between bridges before. Not a great place for a 110×60 rig to be caught at the mercy of Metro-North and rapid currents.”
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Regular hours resume at Westport’s Yard Waste site (180 Bayberry Lane) on Monday (March 4). Weekday hours are 7 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.; Saturdays, 7 to 11:45 a.m.
Yard waste at 180 Bayberry Lane.
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The deadline is near for TEAM Westport’s High School Essay Contest.
The topic is hate speech. All students in 9th-12th grade in a Westport school — or who attend school elsewhere — are invited to respond to a prompt asking how diverse opinions can be safely and respectfully shared.
There are 3 prizes: $1,000, $750 and $500.
Click here for details, including the full prompt and how to submit essays.
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Armenia is a fascinating country.
The former Soviet republic, tucked in the Caucasus between Asia and Europe, was the world’s first Christian nation. Many ancient religious sites remain.
If you don’t know much about Armenia — or you do, and want to know more — check out “Armenia, My Home.” It airs nationally on PBS this month (Connecticut Public Television, March 3, 4:30 p.m; WNET Channel 13, March 20, 8 p.m. and March 24, 4:30 p.m.; check other stations for other times).
Director Andrew Goldberg lives in Westport. He has worked for virtually every major TV news organization — ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN and Fox — and this is his 16th PBS documentary.
His topics have included the US Army, immigration, the Holocaust, antisemitism and LGBTQ issues.
But ever since he took a college course on the country, Armenia has been close to his heart.
Goldberg interviewed a number of Armenians in the area, including 1986 Staples graduate Christina Maranci. She is now a professor of Armenian studies at Harvard University.
(He did not interview the world’s most famous Armenians: the Kardashians.)
“Armenia, My Home” will appeal to anyone interested in history, travel, religion or geography, Goldberg says.
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“Heavenly Days in the Palouse” — a photography exhibition by noted Westport photographer Tom Kretsch — opens with a reception Mach 22 (5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Green’s Farms Congregational Church). The show runs through April 26.
The Palouse is a fascinating region of southeastern Washington and northern Idaho, filled with mounds formed over millions of years by wind erosion.
Once home to Native American tribes, the landscape evolved from grasslands to fertile farmland for wheat, legumes and canola.
The green, brown and yellow hills create surreal beauty. And Tom Kretsch has captured it all.
A photo from the Palouse, by Tom Kretsch.
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Staples High School Class of 1993 graduate Ken Coulson knows the asset management world well.
Now it’s part of the plot points in his debut novel, “The Arsonist.”
Much of the story takes place in “Riverwatch” — a fictionalized Westport. Coulson calls it “a corporate thriller and classic David and Goliath story, set against the backdrop of the collision between Wall Street and the climate crisis.
Are there any chances left for a man who helped stoke the flames of a global financial meltdown and then reaped the rewards?”
Coulson had a fast-paced, over-the-top career with Wall Street’s biggest banks before an epiphany during the financial crisis set him on a path of sustainability and music.
He has written and released over 100 songs, many in support of climate action. He founded the sustainability think tank Future Bright, and writes on Medium on mindfulness and the art of here and now. For more information, click here.
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As the weather warms, more Westporters will be walking outdoors. Some of them will do it before or at sunrise, or at or after sunset.
A reader asks that I remind everyone to wear light clothes. It seems like a no-brainer, but anyone who drives in Westport knows that not every walker has that it’s-not-just-about-me brain.
The reader also would like to see folks walk facing traffic. It’s easier for drivers to see them — and vice versa.
Two simple requests. From her lips to …
Which of these people is most likely to be hit?
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Bedford Acting Group provided the wrong information yesterday for show times of the upcoming “Lion King.”
Correct times are 7 p.m. on March 15 and 16, and 2 p.m. on March 16 and 17. Click here for tickets, cast lists and more information.
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Today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo, from Canal Street, is the latest in our efforts to push spring along:
(Photo/Claudia Sherwood Servidio)
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And finally … it’s finally March 1.
The month traditionally comes in like a lion. So …
(We’re not “lion” when we say “06880” relies on reader support. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
Where will the Tom Kretsch photography exhibit be taking place?
Sorry – it’s at the Green’s Farms Congregational Church. I just added that info in.
We used to swim at Glendenning in the 70s
We swam there in the 60’s when it was Dorr-Oliver. We would skinny-dip and one time that human POS Jimmy MacDonald hid my clothes (the rat!!!).
From Dan’s article – >>In 1966, the Planning & Zoning Commission added a clear and unambiguous codicil to a Special Permit approval for the construction of an office building for Glendinning Co. Inc. on land located in a Design Development District Zone.
“According to the codicil, ‘The permit herein granted pertains specifically and solely to the proposed use as described and shown by Glendinning Co. Inc and for no other purpose now or at any other time.<<
So whats the point of the existing codicil if a future Planning & Zoning Commission are allowed to ignore it? Does that mean that anything now designed as a sensitive area or open space will now be 'open season' for clear-cutting and development if Planning & Zoning decides?
That’s a great question, I was wondering the same thing. Could the P&Z please let us know their thinking.
It absolutely should NOT be waived. And 10 separate septic systems just feet from those waterways and a land preserve. What could possibly go wrong??
Dan you forgot Westport’s favorite Armenian, the late great Staples Teacher Gerry Kuroglean. Gone but not forgotten!
On a different story today, when I was serving on the P and Z back a few years ago, I remember the Bridgewater was in for a use permit and they proposed an advanced septic system that was to be located near where the new development is proposed. There were soil and other problems, and that part of the application did not work out. I would hope that the CT DEEP (DEP) will be asked to weigh in on this very sensitive environmental land development. At the very least they will most likely set conditions.