From Longshore to Long Lots, and safety to sustainability, the state of the town is very, very good.
That not-unexpected verdict was delivered this afternoon by 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker and Board of Education chair Lee Goldstein.
They spoke at the 8th annual State of the Town meeting, at the Westport Library. The Westport Rotary and Sunrise Rotary Clubs co-sponsored the event.
1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker (left) and Board of Education chair Lee Goldstein.
Tooker began by listing her top 5 priorities.
Calling traffic “my favorite topic,” the town’s chief executive said her multi-pronged task force “is rocking it.” They tackled over 50 issues, while the Safety Action Plan provides a “road map” for coming years.
Tooker cited improvements in sidewalks and at intersections, and a 54% increase in traffic stops last year.
At Longshore, replacement of the maintenance shed and renovation of the Inn are key first steps to long-term improvement.
“There is no question in anyone’s mind that Parker Harding needs to be redone,” Tooker said, referring to downtown parking.
While “a shovel-ready design could be implemented tomorrow,” Tooker said that land-use bodies want a more comprehensive plan for all lots.
1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker
Flood mitigation and stream management are another priority. “We are a very wet town,” Tooker noted. “45% of our land is wetlands. Long-term, expensive projects” are ongoing.
Ensuring that everyone feels welcome and included in our community and schools “is a real goal of mine,” the first selectwoman said.
She hailed the work of Homes with Hope, particularly their renovations of the Gillespie Center and Susie’s House, as “clear investments to protect our most vulnerable residents.”
Tooker said she will continue to advocate for the renovation of 5 buildings at Baron’s South, for affordable housing. The Planning & Zoning Commission meets tomorrow (Monday, 6 p.m., Zoom) to discuss a text amendment that would allow multi-family housing there.
She emphasized that there would be no change to any other part of the 22-acre property.
“Golden Shadows,” the main house at the Baron’s South property.
Tooker lauded the Senior Center for its increase in visits (up 25% from last year) and lunches (up 38%).
She also discussed the town’s new partnership with Silver Hill Hospital. Starting yesterday, the New Canaan facility offers free urgent mental health assessments for Westporters.
Westport continues to focus on sustainability, Tooker said. Vehicle fleets — including Police and other departments — are being electrified wherever possible.
The first selectwoman spoke about the new Long Lots Elementary School. The “largest building project ever in town” is also “big, complex, and the most exciting,” she said. The projected completion date is 2027.
A very preliminary plan for Long Lots Elementary School.
Tooker praised Startup Westport. The public/private partnership brings together tech and innovation founders and funders. Over 200 mentors and mentees have collaborated, and special interest groups are thriving.
She concluded with a shoutout to her colleagues and staff. “They are the best of the best,” Tooker said.
Board of Education chair Goldstein began by touting state and national awards, in areas like arts, journalism, science, math, academics, TV and radio, achieved by students and staff.
A slide showing some of the many Westport Public Schools honors won in 2023-24.
She noted that Staples High School graduates attend 176 different institutions. Students “leave Westport public schools equipped for what comes next, and happy and excited to take on their next chapter.”
She cited the work of Staples’ new student council, which has made “significant improvements” in areas like support centers, exam centers and wellness activities, and similiar initiatives at the middle and elementary schools.
Goldstein hailed the 2 student representatives on the Board of Education, who have voiced concern about proposed schedule changes at Staples.
She praised “Senior Walks,” a new program in which seniors return to their elementary schools prior to graduation, to greet former teachers and meet current students.
Goldstein also focused on the district’s approach to preventing “mean and excluding behavior.” That includes the ADL’s’ “No Place for Hate” project, and the School Climate Committee at Staples that addresses areas like suicide prevention and the adjustment of incoming freshmen.
Goldstein noted the schools’ efforts in aras like culture and identity, collaborative learning and community conversations.
The Board of Ed chair mentioned the Long Lots Elementary School building project at the end, thanking the building committee for their “tireless” work.
She showed a preliminary design, calling it “everything we, on the educational specificiations side, could ask for, within reason.”
Goldstein promised more information over the next few months about costs and site plans.
Another view of the preliminary Long Lots plan.
Finally, the budget. The board will vote at its next meeting on fiscal year 2025-26.
“The cost component remains consistent,” she concluded. “We’re a people business, and 80% of the budget is salary and benefits.”
Representative Town Meeting moderate Jeff Wieser posed questions submitted by the audience.
RTM moderator Jeff Wieser (right) fields questions for 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker and Board of Ed chair Lee Goldstein.
Tooker spoke at length about a new site for the Westport Community Gardens.
She reiterated her support for a Baron’s South location, adajcent to the Senior Center. It could be ready in 2026, and would require no P&Z change.
Tooker has written to all gardeners about the plan. “They need to want to move,” she said. “I’m happy to talk to them.”
Asked about the effects of possible federal funding cuts in areas like education and transportation, Tooker said there is no federal money on the town’s operational side.
Goldstein reported that there is little funding for education. As to fears about possible ICE raids, she said, “We receive children as they come to su. We will support students and staff as best we can.”
She added, “I am concerned about the material harm, and the ways we may be dimished spiritually and psychologically, by this fear.”
Board of Education chair Lee Goldstein. (All photos/Dan Woog)
Goldstein took a moderate approach to a question about artificial intelligence in schools.
“Students should use AI, while learning fundamental skills, because that’s the world we live in. Thinking, reasoning and communicating all use AI, but it can’t supplant the human spirit.”
She addressed a possible ban on smartphone use at Staples by noting its strong support among elementary and middle school parents. High school parents have mixed feelings.
Wilton High School banned phones this year, and Westport will examine that experience.
Goldstein predicted a ban next year here. “That may be one area where we don’t ask students for too much input,” she concluded.
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During the State of the Town presentation today, Affordable Housing was mentioned and, again, what affordable housing actually costs, in other words the rent paid, and who can afford it, was not touched. This has happened constantly with all the talk about affordable housing over the years, so I went up to First Selectwoman Tooker after the talk and asked: How much is the rent for an apartment, for example, in the new building at Canal and Riverside? 1st Selectwoman Tooker said it is based on a state equation that the town has nothing to do with. She repeated the fact that it was an equation, except that it could be, maybe, between $2000 – $4000 dollars a month. And this is affordable? Who can afford this? I asked: If someone is writing out a check to pay the monthly rent, how much will be paid? 1st Selectwoman Tooker had no answer. She didn’t know. I asked why she didn’t know and if she could find out and make the information public as a concerned, informed representative of the town for the concerned and informed residents who would want to know. The reply was stunning. First Selectwoman Tooker said: “I don’t care.” Although the new residents care, the town is not involved … except for all the town services provided for education, fire, police, beaches, parks, and just about everything else too numerous to list. But First Selectwoman Tooker “doesn’t care”.
I’d love to feign shock ! At that disgraceful answer.
And mark my words no other way to frame that response but
HUH ?
But I’m not remotely surprised.
She cares about longshore cos croneys are the biggest if not only investors.
She cares about Parker Harding cos her spoilt entitled and so far unsuccessful ass is pissed she has not brought retail in main street to its knees.. while flashing a dentist smile at the ribbon cutting.
no doubt she will vehemently continue to persue this travesty.. destined to destroy our Main Street.. she is without questionnANTI BUSINESS.
But maybe this all makes sense..
step in HAMLET.
Maybe the plan all along has been to create a new downtown in westport. After all towns don’t typically have 2.
Could it be that Tooker with Mandell and roan and longshore hospitality are directing traffic over there.
Hmmmm.. seems plausible actually it seems to be exactly what they are doing.
It is time to find out who is invested in the hamlet and who is invested in Michael Ryan’s fund.
Shovels are not almost in the ground at Parker Harding because I am suing the town. And I believe my law suit will absolutely prevail.
As it should !
So shovels are not close to breaking any ground.
Parker Harding has needed tlc for only 10 years !!!!!
For Tooker to say “obstructionists” are preventing this is laughable.
And community gardens. First they heard on a barons south suggestion was this evening.
There’s been no formal offer and as I’ve heard the spot is in the shade.. it is clearly of no interest.
Then again, it would take a gardener to know that.
The state of the town is abysmal.
Did the crap spouted tonight actually make anybody feel better ?
Maybe she was just blowing you off because of your well known foreclosure scheme? Maybe she figures you should be out of town soon since you’ve used up all your tricks after years of not paying your mortgage and trying to cite Shakespeare as case law.
I LOVE THE BOOTS!!!!
They’re made fer walkin’
Oh my God. She’s STILL trying to frog march the Community Gardeners over to the toxic dump the town illegally created in Baron’s South? She’s had years to do the responsible thing and clean up that epic zoning violation. But nope. How dispiriting.
If there has been illegal dumping of toxic waste and the town won’t address it, or if the town created a non-permitted toxic waste dump, there is an easy way to get it addressed. Just file a complaint with CT DEEP. That worked in Fairfield.
https://portal.ct.gov/deep/about/reporting-environmental-problems#
If only it were that easy. You may not be aware of this but the town found a much simpler way to wiggle past its violation: hire a soil scientist (supervised by the (retired) department head who caused the violation) to airbrush the whole thing. His conclusion: the dump wasn’t a threat to public health because few members of the public visit the site and thus the chances of them contacting and/or ingesting the contaminated soil is greatly reduced. Of course, this tortured finding sort of worked on the credulous – up until the First Selectwoman proposed that residents actively work the “soil” there in order to grow food for themselves and their families.
Has it been reported to CT DEEP?
CT DEEP does not answer to the town nor does it have to accept any report that the town developed. And being unlikely to run across it is generally not an acceptable excuse for illegal dumping of toxic waste which is a violation on its own.
If they have approved the town’s behavior, it would be interesting to understand their analysis as they generally take a dim view of the behavior you cite.
Sorry to let you down, Bill. Yes, it was reported to DEEP. And, of course, the zoning complaint filed by a concerned resident mysteriously disappeared into the murk.
I understand Westport perhaps sweeping things under the rug for any number of reasons. That is certainly what Fairfield did. However, if CT DEEP (an entity that is generally not motivated to overlook violations of the law) is not concerned or doesn’t care, perhaps it isn’t the environmental catastrophe you suggest it is.
Bill, it took a while but you finally got to where you clearly wanted to be from the beginning. Since you were sort of poking along, I thought I’d help you out a bit. As for the reported concern levels of DDT and arsenic – to say nothing of the asbestos, rubber, plastic, rusty metal, etc., I’m pretty sure I never used phrase “environmental catastrophy”. Let’s use the town’s official, circa 2019 term instead: “temporary stockpile”. Where I come from – which is here – that, like the word “shall”, has an unambigious meaning. Either way, encouraging residents to garden on top of the pile of glop can’t be easily mistaken for responsible public policy – at least in my view. Yours may differ.
I wasn’t trying to get anywhere except to understand the issue. You have commented multiple times that the Town of Westport has dumped hazardous waste on Baron’s South. You cite that in your initial comment “…toxic dump the town illegally created…”. Forget about Westport, that is illegal under the laws of CT.
We have had an environmental issue in Fairfield. Operating an unlicensed hazardous waste facility. Spreading said hazardous waste around town onto publicly owned properties. It has cost the town more than $15MM to remediate as last I recall the numbers. There are multiple people currently serving time in prison as a result.
In the case of Fairfield, CT DEEP and the State’s Attorney did not fool around nor cover things up. If it is a problem, they appear to go after it. So if it was reported to them, they investigated, and didn’t even bother to issue any citations or a cease and desist order, I am very confused by your continued insistence that the town has created a toxic waste dump in Baron’s South when CT DEEP has apparently concluded otherwise.
I haven’t said anything that isn’t factual, Bill. Read the report for yourself.
I was a community gardener until this past year when I had vertigo. I have been cured by Charles, a physical therapist above TD Bank. I will consider returning but on top of a toxic dump./ would have to assured that there is no danger to crops growing there or to gardeners.
As for as Long Lots new elementary building i would have a smaller acreage space for the school with an elevator for used for 3-5 graders thereby saving space for our gardens in its existing space.
Don’t give your power away, Edward. You’re one of the owners of Baron’s South Park. And your government willfully poisoned it in a flagrant violation of its own regulations. It mistakenly thought nobody would notice. Or care. If our chief elected official is serious about her offer to the Community Gardeners tell her to remove the toxic dump first. It’s the least she can do.
Isn’t she up for reelection in less than two years? “ These boots are made for walking.”
This year, Jack. This year. This is why all the crazy Tookerisms should be halted. She is a lame duck.
I have met Selectwoman Tooker and find her to be a very nice person with a super dog. That said, I have lived here for 40 years and despite the displays of spending seen on our sidewalks and potential Long Lots, I have not seen any improvement of life for residents. Traffic is awful, everybody in a hurry, no kids on buses and the leaf blowers go non-stop from April through October despite an ordinance. I want a quiet town of 28K, not a fast paced mini-city. In that respect, Ms. Tooker and I are on different pages. Money is not always the answer to problems.
You’re in Fairfield county, in a town with two major highways that run through it. In between Bridgeport, norwalk and stamford. If you’re biggest concern is leaf blowers and traffic then you’re town is doing pretty well. Five miles in either direction the problems turn from gas leaf blowers to shootings and homicides. At some point we gotta stop blowing the “problems” in this town out of proportion and be grateful with what we have
Are you afraid David? Lord.
Realistic*
Violent crime in Norwalk & Stamford are far below that of the State (15 per 1,000 residents). Bridgeport is another story. But we don’t have any crime in Westport and I have lived here since 1952. And my point was that the town’s leaders are focused on development and not the issues bothering residents.
P.S. US News ranks Staples #9 in high schools in CT behind Darien, Greenwich and Weston.
Maybe it’s because I’m much older than she, although I don’t know her exact age, but I look at her and I can’t take her seriously! She dresses like a teenager in a sleeveless minidress with go-go boots! And this has the responsibility of running the Town?
I think we need to investigate the characters involved in hamlet and in Parker Harding.. and the police dept building.
also in longshore inn.
Who is in this fund ?
Do we have to sue to find out ? Because if that is the only way, I suggest the public need to know who is pulling these strings…
Westport is now the new Mafia.
C
Ciara: In my humble opinion, we need to hire a professional city manager who knows how to control issues we have before us and ahead of us. The Westport bureaucracy, of which Ms. Tooker is a product, have been around forever. As such, many are not qualified to deal with a transforming boom we are experiencing. Further, the developers run this town. P&Z seems to be in bed with them or afraid of them. But money rules the roost here for new development greatly outweighs some underlying problems which the residents care about e.g. we need traffic lights (not signs) at points where traffic/accidents are horrific other than than the Post Road.
http://www.carladdisonswanson.com
Wholeheartedly agree a professional town manager is needed. Keep the town administration focused on running the town instead of running for office.
I am quite sure the representation you got is garbage. The drivel sent by these officials is always questionable.. they have no clue !
I believe that “affordable ” means for low income, that the tenant would pay 30% of 50% of the average low income in our STANDARD METROPOLITIAN STATISTICAL AREA(SMSA), or state which ever is the lower, and that “moderate” income folks would pay the same for the average moderate income based on the same statistic……in any case, the guy mowing your lawn can’t afford either.
Correction: the MODERATE income rent is based on 30% of 80% of income in our SMSA; not off 50% as is the basis for low income.
Sorry
No conversation around Athletics in town, from youth through high school. Staples is number 1 in the state, however our high school facilities arent even top 5 in the FCIACs. Our successful programs have gotten Westport recognized across the country and we are sending kids to the best Universities around the country because of sports.
I love sports, and I attend youth sports activities to watch loved ones play.
However…
The emphasis on youth athletics in Westport is disproportionate to the needs said town residents and its demographics.
More help for seniors, moderate and low income, small business. At some point, we have to acknowledge that we are at capacity on sports. Start by Improving the quality and capacity of other existing sports facilities.
The Long Lots athletic field is bigger and grander than it should be. Keep the garden in place as is, and use any leftover space for sports. Stop the BS excuses of parking and and staging.
We should NOT be building a LLS parking lot sized to accommodate “pickups” after school because kids won’t take the bus (we pay handsomely to run empty buses) and parents block the streets. That is the most ridiculous situation and the school building committee is using it to erase a community garden.
Thanks for this one, Toni; my thoughts for many years and at many times.
In fact, have frequently thought more mentions of books and fewer of athletic accomplishments would raise Westport’s fairly high school ranking to a very high one.
If we are number one in the state, sounds like our existing facilities are more than adequate.
Oh come on, how many students at Staples get an athletic scholarship to university? And what sport is Staples number #1 at the present? The only thing I know is that Staples leads the State in is reported overdoses . . . and I am very proud I graduated from Staples and played two sports. But really . . . it ain’t all that special.
I don’t believe your information regarding drug overdoes is accurate. A quick google search only yielded these 2016 statistics where Westport is dead last – which is where we’d like to be. Can’t’ imagine we zoomed to first without some broader awareness of a meteoric rise?
https://patch.com/connecticut/westport/1-westport-resident-died-overdose-2016
US News ranks Staples #9 among high schools in CT. Darien, Greenwich and Weston are ranked higher.
Self-congratulation. Nothing more or less.
Chris Grimm: 💯. No edits.