As the busy summer season nears, Westport’s Parks & Recreation Department is searching for a new director.
Jennifer has resigned, effective May 8. She will assume a new position, as director of the Darien Parks & Recreation Department.
Deputy director Rick Giunta will take over on an interim basis, until a permanent director is named.
Jennifer Fava
Fava began her Westport career on September 1, 2015. The University of Massachusetts graduate’s previous position had been in North Hempstead, Long Island.
She told “06880” then that her background there — including managing golf courses, marinas and beaches — would be very helpful here.
This afternoon, Fava told “06880” that, among other accomplishments in Westport, she is particularly proud of the South Beach restroom project, the redevelopment of Riverside Park, and re-turfing of athletic fields.
Parks & Rec is in the initial stages of a 10-year capital improvement project for Longshore Club park. “I hope people keep moving it forward,” she said.
Fava added, “It’s been a good ride. Darien is an exciting opportunity.”
She thanked “all the people I’ve worked with in Westport: elected officials, town committees, the Parks & Rec Commission and volunteers.”
Fava’s tenure involved several controversies, including awarding the Compo Beach concession contract to Hook’d; the possible relocation of the Westport Community Gardens, and concerns about maintenance of the town’s grass fields.
I’d like to nominate Dave Eason or Mike Calise🇺🇸🇺🇸
Good luck to Jen Fava and I’d say look no further, Rick Giunta should be the permanent choice!
This is long overdue! In my experience with Ms Fava she lacked all the skills to be an effective director of this important town department. I look forward to a new director who listens to the residents and responds amicably.
the park is beautiful and busy every day. I live within walking distance and love it. kudos to Ms. Fava!
EIGHT YEARS as PRD director, and that the FIRST of her “most proud accomplishments” are three unsafe and inefficient toilet rooms (costing taxpayers over $350,000 PER TOILET), and her SECOND being the redevelopment of Riverside Park (a peripheral park that is hardly utilized by a handful of residents) while Westport’s crown jewel Baron’s South not only languished from neglect but continued its egregious deterioration (and toxic waste repository) ignoring Westport’s demand and the taxpayer paid PLAN to rehabilitate THAT ESSENTIAL PARK in the center of Town – speaks for itself.
Jay, Really? This is why people bail. Feel free to step up and do something… other than yap from your throne. Smdh
It’s really a shame that Westport hasn’t been acknowledged as the builder of the most expensive public toilets in the lower 48… Our $350,000 per seat easily tops the $250,000 per public toliet that San Franciscans tried to celebrate then chose to repudiate as an example of public bureaucratic waste.
A sad, missed opportunity… but at least its on someone’s resume.
Just that one structure could have put Westport on the map as a “destination.”
Rick Giunta any relation to John Giunta?
If you’ve been unhappy with the way Parks & Recs has operated, appointing the outgoing director’s second in command as her successor makes no sense. Sort of like all the people with complaints about how Westport is run who voted for Jen Tooker and are now complaining that nothing has changed…
It was a pleasure having the opportunity to work with Jen Fava as a member of the RTM Parks and Recreation Committee.
Our Parks are amazing. Just do the “bridge loop” Imperial around Riverside Avenue. All the Parks, from Grace Solomon to Riverside, all immaculate and used by our residents and guests.
Compo Beach handicap access sidewalks and South Beach bathrooms tremendous assets we can all be proud of. Thank you Jen for taking the lead.
It is never easy being a Department head in Westport. All of them spend countless hours at town hall “after hours” doing our towns business. All accessible and always there to answer our questions and concerns.
Best of luck in Darien Jen. Thank you for your service, time, and dedication to our town and community.
Jimmy are you 100% sure all our Parks are “amazing” and “immaculate”? I don’t think many would characterize Baron’s South that way if asked for an honest answer. That park is more like a smoky dumpster fire, isn’t it?
On a related note, Ms. Fava was, as you know, involved in the infamous scheme to illegally dump hundreds of yards of toxic construction fill in Barons South Park. After concerned residents called foul, the former first selectman stood at the podium at the RTM and assured you and your colleagues that it would all be properly cleaned up in 90 days. That was years ago. And yet there it all sits, Jimmy. Not even a warning sign.
Jimmy you lambasted her when you were having your tantrum over the precious club house ! Meanwhile of course you and your cronies are staying very mum on the nightmare proposed by the new “inn” keeper.
Please spare us the semantics !
And no I do not do “coffee”
Just really ! Everyone sees through the utter BS !
Is ‘gracious’ even in your vocabulary? Towards anyone?
‘Ignorant’ reply to someone volunteering their time.
Huh ? Please ! Spare me !
I wasn’t trying to be gracious because that would most definitely not be apropo. A suck up is a suck up !
Sorry for being the ALWAYS, messenger of the truth.
Never a popular road around here.
Wake up and smell the coffee in your soon to be rebranded home of Westport. Or should we call it Westport lifestyle, so we can all 🤢 together.
A brilliant blast from the past… you will enjoy this Jessica.
https://youtu.be/yoF3NDAzHJE?si=wuYUuxsFwkeILaqa
Robbie,
Thank you for your suggestion. Duly noted…although I’m already quite involved on multiple levels.
However, your ascribing blame that “This is why people bail” is such a tired, worn out, fallacious assertion that’s so often trotted out whenever someone wishes to suppress legitimate opposition, dissent, and criticism. In fact, the role of an engaged citizenry is to become knowledgable and make their views known (in print and/or at meetings) – particularly when holding opposing viewpoints or discovering misfeasance. You suggest residents should just sit back and go for the ride. Not going to happen.
When you wrote your opinion in the WJ supporting the McHamlet at Saugatuck, no one attempted to stifle your “yapping” even though many residents believed you were primarily grounded in what was most advantageous to your Bridgebrook Marina “throne” rather than an overriding concern for the majority of Westport’s residents. Your insights were welcome. ALL perspectives are important and warrant consideration.
Perhaps one of the reasons “people bail” is the disfavor you create when you publicly compare Compo Beach to a “Vermont Ski Resort” when you increase the price of out of town parking emblems to $775. (BTW RTM P&R Chair Chris Tait publicly acknowledged that decision “did not sit very well up in Hartford” – and this further solidified the already existing perception that Westport is an uncaring, elitist, prejudiced, and racist community.) Or when a PRD document is discovered as seemingly tampered and falsified. Or when a P&Z approved construction plan is intentionally “swapped out” by the PRD without P&Z knowledge or approval – requiring a remediation at taxpayer expense. Or when your preferred beach consessionaire comes under fire for not delivering as promised and contracted. Or when an undisclosed plan to replace the Community Gardens with a Babe Ruth sized field is discovered, the discovered reaction is “Oops, I guess they found out”. Or when so many residents become angry – now including dog walkers, senior citizens, gardeners, athletes, environmentalists, open space advocates and Longshore neighbors.
Or perhaps just because a better opportunity comes along.
Yet you blame ME for her resignation! SMDH in disbelief.
In my above comment I was merely iterating what was cited by Ms. Fava herself as her most proud accomplishments; and I did not make any of this up.
Had instead of Baron’s South the PRD utilized the Saugatuck River as the dump site for that toxic material, perhaps your perspective might be different.
Your lack of kindness is beneath someone of your caliber, she’s leaving, now go volunteer to clean up barons. I’ll help you..
Just to clear up some confusion Jen Fava is not a volunteer employee, she is a paid town employee which if I’m not mistaken is funded by the taxpaying residents of Westport. According to the govsalaries.com website her 2023 salary was $145,900.
Robbie,
I believe that you are conflating the “unkind” inappropriate acts inflicted upon Westport’s residents that I cited, with having them outlined in print for the uninitiated to know. BTW I had zero intention of doing so until you publicly blamed ME for Ms. Fava’s resignation, thereby provoking me to explain actual circumstances. There is more, but enough said.
I welcome your well intentioned offer to assist in the clean-up of Baron’s South. However, this is not your “garden variety” volunteer “Earth Day” type exercise. As Morley Boyd has reiterated above, the damage at Baron’s South involves hundreds of yards of toxic construction waste buried beneath the soil. So while I’m certain that your offer is sincere, I’ll take a pass on this one. Years ago the Town promised to properly remediate this lingering egregious situation. That’s what it will take.
Thank you for all that you do to enhance Westport’s Saugatuck river and the recreation upon it.
She really dropped the ball. Barons south is a disaster. Compo is ruined because the new sidewalk doesn’t give enough room to park. Im sure me meant to do well but way out of her league. The one time i walked up to new bathroom it was closed, this made for some uncomfortable moments. Stuart was great!
Rick (and Mike) Giunta are an amazing resource for all Westporters. Wishing Jen well as she moves to Darien.
Can we bring back Joeys please?
Could she have been more useless?
Or did even she get tired of advocating the First Selectperson’s schemes?
We live opposite the course and can personally say with confidence: good riddance.
I have long had negative views of Jen Fava and have expressed them to our First Selectpersons and other elected officials.. If any one is interested in my list of the reasons I hold those views simply e mail me or ask me via 06880.
Don Bergmann
What’s the status of replacing Hook’d? I think they signed a 5-year contract in 2020 (so this would be their last summer). I have to believe we’d want this to go to bid again (and I would love to understand the financial benefit to the town from the original contract relative to expectations since the move was made because they were the most lucrative bid).
Get rid of them and put a food truck there, the only course where you can’t even get a coffee in the morning, mid August 9:00 am and hook’s is not even open
at Longshore
Great question Clark.
One I’ve been asking myself for 4 years.
Here’s the thing.
Though it was a “bid”, I have no doubt it was not fairly won.
There were other bidders who would have done an amazing job. And until bids are opened in public there will always be corruption.
Let say it was a faite accompli.
Exactly like the inn at longshore.
And exactly like next time around at hook’ed…
It’s become “how much did you suck up”. ?