A few commenters on recent “06880” stories about the Sherwood Mill pond tidal gates — and whether the town’s $5.58 million expenditure should compel the removal of the locked gates to Compo Cove, just beyond the project — have stated that Cove residents (and those from nearby Old Mill Beach) benefit from use of the parking lot, taking away space from residents with beach stickers.
An Old Mill resident sets the record straight.
“The 4 passes we are allocated have a price. We pay the Parks & Recreation Department $330 a year (summer season May 1 to September 30) for Old Mill.
“Two are assigned to a specific license plate at $115 each, plus $100 for the 2 guest passes.
“No spaces are reserved at the Old Mill lot. We can only hope there is a space to park if we go out for groceries on a summer weekend afternoon.
“A person needs a Westport Beach Pass, or one for Old Mill/Compo Cove. The reason is so police can identify the Old Mill/Cove resident cars.
“With the theft and illegal shellfishing, parking enforcement is part of the WPD’s efforts to identify clammers/oyster/crabbers’ vehicles (it is shocking how mch is stolen almost every spring, summer and fall nights).
“We have no option. My wife and I do not have a driveway, garage or yard to park in. We must use the lot at Old Mill.
“PS: I also pay $30 for a pass so I can drive into Compo (senior price).
“And don’t forget: We are assessed at a higher tax rate for being near Long Island Sound. Nothing is for free.”
Old Mill parking lot in April, 2019. It’s empty, because the lot had been closed for restriping.
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This is a busy season for everyone.
But (except for Santa), no one may be busier than the Staples Orphenians.
The elite high school a cappella group sings anywhere, and everywhere. On Tuesday they entertained the Westport Rotary Club at their annual concert.
Director Lauren Pine brought 36 students to the luncheon meeting, at Green’s Farms Church.
Highlights included “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from the “Nutcracker Suite,” a rousing “Jingle Bells,” and their Condlelight Concert signature “Hallelujah Chorus.”
The schedule does not let up after New Year’s. In 2025, the Oprhenians head to Spain.
As the Rotarians know well, their audiences overseas will be in for a treat.
Orphenians with director Lauren Pine (front), at the Rotary Club meeting in Green’s Farms Church. (Photo/Ellin Curley)
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Many homes are decorated extravagantly/beautifully/brilliantly for the holidays.
Karen Como spotted this one — with a special security touch — on Sylvan Road North.
(Photo/Karen Como)
Want to show off your home? Or a favorite one where someone else pays the electric bill?
Email 06880blog@gmail.com. And be sure to include the location!
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There is almost nothing good anything can say about the Compo Acres (Trader Joe’s) Shopping Center parking lot.
Especially the exit onto the Post Road.
Except this.
A new sign advertises the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline number: 988. It operates 24/7, via phone, text or chat.
(Photo/Seth Schachter)
If it saves just one life of someone leaving that lot, it’s worth it.
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“Cheese Fries & Chili Dips” — Weston native Chris Fuller’s one-man “hilarious and heartfelt story of a pro golfer’s bipolar journey to wellness” returns to the Westport Country Playhouse’s Lucille Lortel White Barn on January 3 and 4.
The 7:30 p.m. show is preceded by a wine and cheese party (6:30), compliments of Kindred Spirits.
The show is presented by the International Mental Health Foundation, with sponsorship from the Golf Performance Center.
Tickets are $25. Click here to purchase, and for more infromation.
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Westport Police made 2 custodial arrests between December 11 and 18.
A 64-year-old Bridgeport man was charged with larceny, after walking out of Stop & Shop with several items he did not pay for.
A 56-year-old Westport woman was arrested for disorderly conduct, after a allegedly striking the victim during an argument.
Police also issued these citations:
- Traveling unreasonably fast: 9 citations
- Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 3
- Failure to comply with state traffic commission regulations: 3
- Operating a motor vehicle under suspension: 2
- Failure to carry driver’s license: 2
- School zone violation: 1
- Operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance
- Failure to drive in the proper lane: 1
- Failure to obey stop sign: 1
- Failure to obey traffic control signals: 1
- Failure to renew registration: 1
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The Westport Library inaugurated its new art gallery offerings last night, with an intriguing conversation.
The Sheffer Gallery now features Claudia Mengel’s “Alchemy of Light.”Her paintings were inspired by the mysticism at the heart of alchemy’s expression in the Middle Ages.
After an opening reception, she chatted about her work with Artists Collective of Westport co-founder Miggs Burroughs.
Claudia Mengel, Miggs Burroughs, and her work. (Photo copyright by Ted Horowitz)
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We ran a couple of Roundup photos yesterday of Tuesday’s Startup Westport holiday party, at Content Studio. Here’s one more:
From left: Andrew Colabella, Jay Norris, Lisa Krupenye, Lisa Penney-Keusch, Kelly Genova.
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Flowers at the top of Burying Hill Beach change by the season.
I’m not sure who puts them there. But they are always colorful, always meaningful — and always welcome.
Today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature shows a holiday arrangement.
(Photo/Johanna Keyser Rossi)
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And finally … the item about Orphenians (above) got us thinking about one of the numbers they performed. Theirs was a cappella. Here’s another version:
(We’re in the final countdown to Christmas: less than a week away. If you’ve thought of making a holiday gift to “06880,” just click here for your tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
I believe the flowers are put there by Bob Brown in honor of his late wife Judy.
OLD MILL Parking ::: To bad the Police won’t TOW or Denver Boot illegal Shell Fishing or fishing — It has become pervasive … Every parking lot near our lovely water has been overtaken 24/7 All day –Everyday so much for paying taxes to live here and find NO parking — Beaches Longshore Lower Lot Ned Dimon Marina etc… Oh well maybe in 2025 someone will Care!!!
“And don’t forget: We are assessed at a higher tax rate for being near Long Island Sound. Nothing is for free.”
That is not true. All houses in a town are assessed at the same mil rate.
Not that I think there should be a locked gate, but, while it’s true we all have the same mil rate, the assessed value that mil rate is based on varies by, among other things, location.
The assessed values of the land (not including what’s built on it) of the Mill Cove properties is roughly $1,000,000 to $2,000,000 for .14 to .45 acres. The mil rate is paid on that assessed value. The assessed value of land around me in the Coleytown area is +/- $400,000 for 1.0 -2.0 acres. That is the amount my mil rate paid on.
I’m pretty sure we all understand that. There are also homes for sale for 7/8/9/10M that aren’t on the forever rising tides.
But to claim that you’re being taxed at a higher rate because of your proximity to the water is factually false.
Unlock the gate.
The Compo Cove thing is pretty funny. Obviously Trumpers. Or at least Trumpian behavior. Build the gate. Gotta keep the riff raff from Westport out. Oh, and make them pay for it to boot. 😂😂😂
By the way, is there really a different tax rate/special taxing district for Old Mill properties? Or do they simply pay the rate everyone else does on their presumably correctly assessed for location values.
You sound like a sour liberal.
What a great 4 years it will be. Love seeing you rich white liberals suffer after we just had the worst president since Jimmy Carter. Actually Biden is worse.
😂😂😂😂 WHOOOOOSH!!!!
I continue to look forward to the efforts now underway to determine the legal underpinnings for the gate at Compo Cove and, I believe, a gate at the Saugatuck Island side. I believe Jen Johnson of the RTM, along with others, both the public and elected officials, are spearheading the effort. I am hopeful common sense and societal sensitivity will prevail and the gates will be removed. My experience over my 20 plus years living near the Tidal Gates Park is that most people naturally stop their walks at the end of the Town path, i.e. they see no need to enter Compo Cove because the greatest beauty of the Sound, the Mill Pond and the area can be experienced from the bridge.
The mill rate is indeed the same, but the valuation of a home facing Long Island Sound, is higher than a home inland without a water view.
Hanslea/Sherwood Pond Oysters have a financial interest in the functionality of the gates. Since we allow this commercial operation to exist, it would be nice if they would contribute to the renovations.
$330 a year for 4 spots (including 2 guest passes) is a BARGAIN considering it includes a full-time guard for 5 months, snow plowing, and paving. All of the residents in the town of Westport are contributing to Old Mill for the above costs so we should all have full access- there’s no way your fees cover the tremendous expenses. Plus, the 2 guest passes can be transferred to renters, etc all summer long. No one else in the Compo Beach area (or in town) can get guest passes for $100 a pop for any summer renters. This is the same group that locked the entire town out of Old Mill during COVID. Even with a beach sticker, the rest of the town wasn’t allowed to enter the parking area for months. Does anyone want to ask again about bathrooms being built there so people don’t have to use the Long Island Sound?
Oh boy! 24 tickets issued this week! Business is booming!
Now to look at transparency, Fairfield is twice the size and population, from 12/6-1/12 made 260 motor vehicle stops and issued 146 tickets. So, by simple statistics, either Westport should be half of Fairfield’s number or Fairfield be double Westport’s number. But, they are 7 times more active instead of 2 times.
This data is easily seen on their Facebook page or this great page on their website: https://www.fpdct.com/view_crime_statistics.php that is fully detailed and TRANSPARENT.
People are complaining about how people drive in this town, maybe the town can step up their game and actually do something about it.
Our police chief is too busy shopping at Michell’s and attending ribbon cuttings with Jen Tooker to bother with traffic enforcement. Also, we only pay our police officers a couple hundred thousand dollars a year, and charging the Tesla takes time. What do you expect?
So the footbridge repairs will be paid for once the town sells *checks notes* 16,909 parking passes. Makes sense!
Compo Mill Cove/Old Mill property owners pay the same tax rate as everyone else, despite their disproportionate use of town resources. Their assessments are obviously higher than non-waterfront properties, but that’s because their properties are more valuable than non-waterfront properties. Incredibly facile to claim they are disproportionately taxed or that their taxes somehow make up for the town subsidies they receive.
Of course, town-subsidized parking and footbridge repairs also pump up their property values. In particular, Compo Mill Cove would have to pay for the footbridge through a special assessment totaling hundreds of thousands per property if the town weren’t footing the bill, which would affect the value of those properties, as would not having subsidized access to parking for Old Mill owners. Fortunately, the owners are uniformly extremely wealthy and half the properties on the Cove are owned by entities linked to a single billionaire, so they can well afford it.