Yesterday’s “06880” Opinion piece by Jennifer Johnson urged town officials — who have authorized $5.58 million to rebuild 2 tidal gates at Sherwood Mill Pond — to ensure pedestrian access to Compo Cove, just beyond the project.
A locked gate — with a large “Private Property/No Trespassing/Walkway for Residents & Guests Only” — sign was erected 10 years ago. Previously, the path was open to all.
The Compo Cove gate.
Not surprisingly, about 2 dozen commenters wondered exactly why taxpayers should fund work that would benefit only a very few residents.
Johnson noted that legally, the mean high water line belongs to the public. How, she wondered, could they be denied access to it?
What was surprising was an email from Betsy Kahn.
She no longer lives here. But during her many years as a Westport realtor, she learned a thing or two about Compo Cove.
Betsy says that one way to access the mean high water line is via a town-owned, 25 foot-wide easement.
It’s relatively secret. Not many people besides Betsy know it exists.
It’s overgrown. The town has not maintained it.
“From the pathway, you’d guess it’s just a side yard,” Betsy says.
But it is an easement. And it’s right there between 2 homes (#54 and #56), in plain sight.
If, of course, you get past the locked gate.
Betsy Kahn marked the easement on this aerial view of Compo Cove.
Every once in a while, Betsy said, builders had to get heavy equipment back to the beach side, without damaging the small parcels of land they were working on.
They used the easement to the beach side between #54 and #56. Then it would grow over again, and be forgotten.
Thanks to the easement, Betsy says, at low tide one could legally walk all the way to Sherwood Island State Park — bordering the eastern end of Compo Cove — or around the point of the iconic brown house near Old Mill Beach, currently lifted up for renovation.
The beach in front of this house is accessible to the public, at the mean high water line. But first you have to get there. (Photo/Matt Murray)
Betsy says that the “beautiful pathway should be available to town residents to walk and enjoy— as it used to be.
“The pond and estuary behind these few beach mansions and homes on the Cove is the most beautiful place in town, in my opinion.
“It’s about a quarter mile to the end of the path. It ends at a private residence. You have to turn around and go back.”
Close-up of the easement.
Betsy notes that there’s another easement there, at the end: for emergency vehicles to use, entering from Sherwood Island.
Westporters — including those who will foot the bill for the new tidal gates and footbridge — don’t need that state park easement.
But we sure would like to access the one leading to the mean high water line.
It’s priceless.
The pedestrian path on Compo Cove. The easement between #54 and #56 is beyond the bend.
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If we pay for it, we should be allowed to walk on the path! We are paying for the residents priviledge!!!,
is it an example of a Handout ?
Approval of this allocation of funds by our local “reps” has a scent similar to that of the shoreline at low tide:
FISHY
Solution: Pick up picnic fixins at Old Mill Grocery & Deli by Romanacci, get in your kayak at Old Mill beach at low tide, paddle a few hundred feet over in front of the nicest stretch of beach in front of a mansion, set up blanket and have a wonderful picnic. You’ll be alerted when you’ve had too much sun exposure courtesy of the Moon.
You are amazing. Yes, I was one of the responders … I already received an email from the organizer regarding access to a Zoom meeting to be on the committee Thank you, thank you as always for keeping us informed and thank you Betsy
A few years ago, I was walking on the Cove Mill path on a peaceful, late fall afternoon. As I turned to go back, a large dog came running toward me. Having been bitten twice by dogs, I asked the woman walking behind the unleashed dog if her dog was OK with people. The women sniffed, “He lives here.” I’ve always wondered whether that meant resident dogs were allowed to chomp my leg.
no man is an island
Someone should pull the recorded documents, deeds, etc, and review them. They may be available online. If there is an easement for water access, methinks there might be something corresponding that allows access to that specific easement…
Thank you, Jennifer, for your public advocacy, and Betsy for adding this new knowledge. I find it interesting that the locked gate was installed 10 years ago–around the time of the passing of Allen Raymond. He was one of Westport’s greatest civic leaders and a lifelong resident of Compo Cove. Having known him, I can’t imagine he’d be OK with barring access to public property in such a way. Allow me to re-up this wonderful tribute from Dan following a visit to Allen’s Compo Cove cottage just prior to his death at age 91. Newcomers to this town may want to know of his remarkable contributions toward making Westport the town it is today: https://06880danwoog.com/2014/04/01/thank-you-allen-raymond/
Can someone explain why it was important that the RTM and BOF pushed through the $5MM+ project immediately with no conditions? Seems like if the people who want to live on Compo Cove have some level of pressure on them to agree to terms that benefit the whole town before the town agrees to spend the money that there’s a much better chance that things will change.
The issues at Mill Cove extend beyond no access to the walkway over the bridge or the public easement located on Compo Cove. Rules over the years have effectively privatized Old Mill Beach parking lot (and therefore the beach itself) for a small group of residents.
The town owned parking lot at Old Mill Beach has 65 spots. Owners at Compo Cove and Old Mill Rd are allowed 2 resident AND 2 guest parking passes. There are 35 homes/lots which are allowed 4 passes, including passes for vacant lots and Old Mill homes that have garages or driveway parking (most homes).
With 35 homes, these passes far exceed the number of parking spaces. They also have special rules that only these residents and their guests can park overnight in this lot, which allows cars to sit for days or weeks at a time effectively becoming permanent parking spots.
The other town beaches do not allow this and Compo Beach and Burying Hill parking spots turnover ever few hours so that many users can enjoy the beach. With these special rules, it can be very difficult for town residents during summer months to find parking and use Old Mill Beach.
This Westport gem is for all residents. It should be returned to the 1st come usage like all other beach parking lots and the continued creeping takeover of a town asset for a very small group of residents should be reversed.
I agree a town parking lot should not be taken over by residents. Unfortunately some land may not have ideal parking. That should be understood if you want to buy, develop, whatever. Seems like this whole area basically became privatized. Not cool
I think that all of you responders have missed the object of this renovation.
It has very little to do with providing an exclusive walkway for the residents of Compo Cove.
The renovations scope is to repair the tide gates and masonry walls surrounding them. It addition a new bridge walkway will be built for the public’s use.
Also the gate was NOT placed there 10 years ago as stated.
There was always a gate there, and beyond there was private property.
Everyone loves the Millpond, and access is available for the public, but no one to my knowledge other than me has spent one cent on cleaning up and preserving this gem.
This pond was an open sewer in 1970, then the gates washed away due to lack of maintenance. The current gates were constructed for around $11m.
Without that renovation and the current preposed one, there would be NO POND, just a tidal creek.
For those that feel that they should be allowed to walk out to the end of the cove, please purchase a house there, several are available.