In response to public concern reported first by “06880” regarding the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s clear cutting of dozens of trees on the Sherwood Island Connector and Hillandale Road, as part of the project to add a new building at the site behind Walgreens — 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker says:
I understand the initial disappointment that the removal of the trees has caused those directly impacted by the construction at the State of Connecticut property at 900 Post Road East, and abutting portions of the Sherwood Island Connector and Hillandale Road.
The town had no prior notification of the clear-cutting activity, nor the timing of the start of the project.
One view of the clear cutting at the state DOT facility, from Hillandale Road …
As with the numerous CT DOT projects either completed or underway throughout this municipality, the town has little oversight over state projects on state property.
Certainly, town officials, including Police, Fire and the Department of Public Works, have professional, responsive and mutual communication with representatives from the CT DOT.
It is neither feasible nor appropriate for the town to be the public communication resource for state projects, because we have no oversight. The state does not have the same notification protocols as the town. For status updates, please refer to the CT DOT site: CT DOT Maps Project Status.
… and another. The Sherwood Island Connector is at left. (Photos/Matt Snow)
Since last week, when initial concerns were brought to our attention, the town has been in regular contact with the Westport Maintenance Facility (State Project 0158-0223) project manager, Matt Easdon.
He has assured us that the CT DOT is open to input from the town officials and will work with the community representatives as the project concludes, to ensure that the completed facility will have appropriate screening/fencing and landscaping to make it visually appealing to the neighbors.
The town is committed to working with the DOT to ensure that this occurs.
Mr. Easdon has now transferred responsibility for the next phase of the project to CT DOT transportation engineer Scott Adkins.
It needs to be stressed that this is a construction site. There will be inevitable disruptions in the surrounding neighborhood over the next 16-18 months. The completed project, however, will result in a streamlined, safer, more efficient complex that ultimately benefits our community.
It has also come to my attention that there are site plans in circulation dating back a number of years that make note of a possible transaction with the town for a portion of the same state parcel abutting West Parish Road. At no time during initial discussions was any state property, or portion thereof, considered for transfer to the town of Westport.
Instead, a potential transfer of property between the CT DOT and the CT Department of Housing for affordable housing was discussed. That conversation between the CT DOT and the DOH had already been put on an indefinite hold prior to these plans for the maintenance facility.
To clarify: Had it come to pass, any land “swap” transaction would have been between the two state agencies, the CT DOT and the CT DOH, not with the Town of Westport.
Aerial view of the state DOT maintenance facility. The Sherwood Island Connector is at left; Post Road East is at top. The area outlined in black (behind Walgreens) will be the new building. The area in red on the right (next to West Parish Road) is referenced by 1st Selectwoman Tooker, as once discussed for affordable housing.
As has been mentioned, the CT DOT is interested in feedback. Please consider emailing the following: Scott Adkins, District 3 Transportation Engineer (Scott.Adkins@ct.gov), with a CC to selectwoman@westportct.gov.
I am confident that the town’s relationship with our neighbors and residents and the CT DOT will remain in good standing now, and into the future, as we work towards a mutually agreeable way to improve and upgrade our and our State’s infrastructure and facilities.
To Jan Tooker just another example of you not keeping your eye on the ball. Deflecting the responsibility but saying you weren’t informed doesn’t hold water. You should have spent your time keeping up with state planned projects. They all affect Westporters. Spending time on your future run for Governor or taking pictures is of no value or concern to anyone but you!
Westport’s Eeyore.
Are you ever happy Peter?
They were informed, received outreaches from the DOT numerous times since November of 2023, they just didn’t bother to even respond to the DOT, much less inform the community. The whole thing is a complete dereliction of duty.
Here’s the Westport Journal’s report about all the DOT’s actions (and Town Hall’s inactions) to inform the town in the leadup to this massive tree-clearing (and they have receipts): https://westportjournal.com/government/analysis-tooker-mum-on-dot-project-despite-state-outreach-since-23/#comments
SNAFU or FUBAR🤩🔥
It’s the State’s land, full stop.
Oh, and we residents who pay taxes, elect representatives and governors and treasurers, etc. and pay the salaries of bureacrats, engineers, educators, and so forth are CHICKEN LIVER?
Chopped
State land means there’s no way she can know what’s going on? She’s totally in the dark?
Huh ! Fascinating ! And she’s also aware of hamlet in Saugatuck applying for grants for remediation and has speed encouraged them.. sometimes you just have to be aware of the codswallop cos it’s fg endless
Literally incredible.
Ciera please explain what grants for remediation
and to who and why? I lost my faith in a transparent town government and became a hawk after the “Now they know” infamous email regarding the well kept secret the Garden was no longer welcome next to Long Lots and to be replaced by a mega field we arguably don’t need, then the Parker Harding Jesup Green multiple fiascos only to be followed by “ The Hamlet”-who exactly are those guys and how did they gain so much clout with our Administration and Boards and now this. Is Selectman calling the neighboring property owner a liar?
How about Tooker responds to this ?
The Town of Westport has no right to complain about clear cutting, as the LLBC decided to clear cut 30 mature maple trees in the existing parking lot. Could they have designed the lot differently and saved most of the trees? Of course they could have. More important to have a “dramatic” entrance complete with stream and bridge. What hyprocrits.
When I saw the title “Tooker Responds,” I thought it might be a late April Fools joke! I’ll tell you this: if there was a camera around, she would have been on top of this!
not knowing what is going on in the town that she leads? is she for real?
Joshua, I live in Maryland and I even know what’s going on! Maybe she should read Dan Woog’s blog. She’s not very Jen-uine.
Are you implying that “06880” reported the state project before it started? I don’t recall that?
No. “06880” was the first to report the complaints about the clear-cutting, after it began.
Ahh; don’t be so hard on her, folks. Our First Select person understands the INITIAL disappointment .
The complaint is with the State.
It seems to me, ever since folks were told the garden would need to move, Tooker has become everyone’s favorites punching bag. I may not agree with much of what Tooker does as First Selectman, but I respect she is human.
the left complains about the decorum of MAGA, then they act just as ugly.
This complaint goes to the state, and I believe everyone in this comment section understands that. Everyone. Is just taking the opportunity to sling mud.
For the record I think it’s terrible what the state did. I thought it was terrible when all the trees were removed behind Vani court along the rail line. You know what I did? I complained to every source.
Could NOT have said this better myself. Spoken like a real moderate open minded and honest leader.
The decorum the last couple of years attacking our administration with name calling, blatant lies and misinformation, is disturbing and not conducive to meaningful and collaborative conversations to solve the problem.
Towns have very little involvement in state projects.
I brought up this project in February/March at a meeting because some think state land is an option for municipal development or use…it is not.
The last four years, the constant mudslinging from the usual suspects has done nothing but sealed the stamp of no character or credibility to those as such.
People need to be more like Abby. Proud to know you and serve the town with you. ❤️
Between the back-room plans for Long Lots soccer field (which seem to still be promoted by the administration despite the 8-24), the absolutely fumbled downtown parking proposals lacking community input, and the desire to cut down trees on Jesup Green, FS Tooker has been far from a competent leader.
Now, she says that she had no idea of these plans, despite Mike Easdon having said a couple of days ago that the state has been in touch for two years and, “the town selectwoman’s office hasn’t gotten back to us.”
I don’t think one can really defend her on this one. But go ahead and blame the state.
So Andy, is Mr. Easden lying about the town being given a heads up two years ago?
Ms. Tolan, I have tremendous respect for you and your involvement on the school board. I am grateful that our town is building a sorely needed new elementary school and I’m sorry Long Lots has gotten to such a state of disrepair. I applaud your effort to bring calm to a tumultuous series of controversies. But…
“Ever since folks were told…?”
Sorry to say, “folks” were never “told” until well after the train left the station. Folks accidentally discovered the administration’s to scheme for adding park facilities to a school plan, a scheme in which they withheld information from gardeners and neighbors. It seems even the school board may have been mislead at times. On one of her first days on the job, an architect signaled to the town that there was a garden there. “Is that going to be a problem?” she wrote.
And then there was the comment by the superintendent about a chainsaw.
Even as recently as today, the architectural schematics showing a soccer field atop the garden, drawn up well before December last year, was withheld until now. Why? The committee chair repeatedly said he did not know how it would play out. I know because I asked at every opportunity. He wouldn’t know until the geothermal plan. He wouldn’t know until the parking plan. He wouldn’t know until after gardeners were restricted on the Parks and Rec (not school) property because they pose a “security risk to the children.”
And the Administration was elated after a private meeting with parents that she “activated.” “Gardeners don‘t give a sh-t” about the children, parents said to us. And , surely neighbors want to hear the laughter of 100+ children playing on the turfed and lighted regulation size soccer field practically in their yards.
This was humanity at dark moment in time. I will be trolled cruelly any minute here by an imposter unidentified parent, for all to laugh at until Dan Woog pulls it down, as has been the case in the past.
The administration’s faux pas in discounting the interests of a segment of Westport constituents resulted is a complete loss of trust and respect for this administration. Instead of being honest and open and collaborative, they subsequently became more devious, vindictive and created false narratives that made gardeners out to be monsters.
It was not governance at its best, and at times it was hardly human. The distrust is palpable .. on everything now. And I, for one, have no regrets for being a proper citizen watchdog on these matters.
Thank you for your gracious thoughts Ms. Tolan, and I do hope the future holds promise for healing this community.
No mention of our State Representatives “Anti Tooker 06880 Team?”
Jonathan and Ceci are wonderful people, but their priorities as representatives is not “CT DOT Focused” when it comes to Westport.
This may be a great opportunity for us moving forward as town. to know from the state what future state owned land is up for a buzz cut.
As for the DOT Maintenance facility, our next move needs to be proper screening, and other “wants of neighbors.”
Bashing Jen Tooker is not going to solve anything, especially when it comes to the state of CT DOT.
We always get better outcomes when we work together. No better time then now.
what are Representative Steinberg’s priorities? It seems the only time we hear from him is in his periodic newsletter listing the committee’s he’s on. He’s what Mike Francesa calls a “compiler.”
So Jimmy, was the town given a heads up on this two years ago, or is mr. Easden lying?
The better time would’ve been in 2023 and 2024 when the DOT sent letters to the first selectwoman’s office to ask for feedback and offer full transparency on this project to the community — and they NEVER HEARD BACK, much less alerted anyone in Westport to this upcoming plan. The whole thing is beyond shocking (and there have still been ZERO replies to any of the people in this neighborhood who have reached out to Town Hall for answers). I’ve never been so appalled by our town leadership.
The negative comments to this post make no sense. If you are upset about something that the state government is doing on land owned by the state government, contact the state government.
Come on fellow residents. We’re smarter than this.
Thank you to the people who are willing to stick their necks out, and defend decency in our town…….specifically Abby, Jimmy, Christine and Andrew. It is rare to see that on the blogs. Many others agree with your comments, but are too scared to jump in because of how they will be treated online. Interesting, the four have ALL run for office, served or are serving Westport. Thank you. To the rest of you frequent fliers on the blog comments, I suggest you stick your neck out, run for office and really serve our community. Until then, your daily negative comments do nothing to help Westport but they hurt the entire town, not just your intended target. I know Westport is better than this.
Good lord. I did my time on RTM.
The FS job is a well-paid position, not a voluntary role. If someone is incompetent, there is nothing wrong with calling them out.
There is no reason for citizens (who have run for office or otherwise) to sit by quietly while incompetent town leadership jeopardizes the quality of life.
You know what hurts me right now, Andrea? Looking out my kitchen window and seeing what looks like a complete war zone. And it hurts 10 times more knowing that the people who just massacred this whole part of town of trees (the DOT) have been reaching out to your team since November 2023 to offer updates on their plans and to take Westport’s community’s input on the project — yet you guys didn’t even get back to them, much less alert those of us who live here that this big reconstruction was happening. I would’ve happily “stuck my neck out” for the last two years if I’d known any of this was coming. I would’ve run for every damn office possible to stop this. (I talked to Easdon 10 days ago once we tracked him down as the tree clearing was happening — long before Tooker finally did — and he made it very clear to us that they would’ve been super happy to take input from the community.) The fact that Tooker is now saying what she’s saying is really freaking rich. “It is neither feasible nor appropriate for the town to be the public communication resource for state projects, because we have no oversight.”??? Such a despicable thing to type. Even if what she’s implying is true, that the DOT wouldn’t have listened to you guys (or any of us) — which I know is NOT true based on the conversations we’ve had with them — you guys couldn’t be bothered to even try? To even pass along the info and let us know? Beyond appalling. Just stunning.