is there a statewide competition to see which bureaucracy can spend the longest time on a project?
The Connecticut Department of Transportation took the lead, with its Post Road renovation.
But the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is not sitting back. (Well, actually, they are.)
The popular Sherwood Island State Park pavilion has been closed since January 16 for “assessments for repairs.”
The other day, the Y’s Men of Westport & Weston — which is one of many groups that uses the pavilion — asked for an update.
Parks supervisor Caitlin Munson told Allan Siegert: “We unfortunately do not have any estimated timeframe for the repairs to the pavilion as the project is in the planning phase with the Engineering division, however, it is my best guess that it will remain closed for the remainder of 2026 and the majority, if not all of 2027.
“At this time, I don’t have any details to give, but you’re welcome to check back periodically to see if there are any updates. However- I would say for now while you plan for your events next year, it is safe to assume that the pavilion will remain closed next year.”
That must be some assessment that’s going on.
Sherwood Island pavilion.
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Ruben — the popular, ever-helpful Westport Post Office clerk — has seen a steady stream of customers requesting passports.
They’ve filled out forms online. But because they googled “Passport application,” and clicked on a “service,” they paid an additional fee that they did not need to.
Ruben urges “06880” readers to avoid the excess fee. The least expensive way to get a passport is through the official State Department website: https://travel.state.gov/en/passports.html.
You can also get passport forms at the Westport Library.
Remember: A “service” that you find online is anything but. Go to the official State Department page website!
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Frank Mastrone is always a Levitt Pavilion favorite.
His 10th annual appearance last night was extra special. The Connecticut-born Broadway star brought 2 friends: Westporters Dodie Pettit and Rex Fowler.
Dodie met Mastrone when both were in “Phantom of the Opera.” Rex — Dodie’s husband — is the co-founder of Aztec Two-Step. The duo now perform as Aztec Two-Step 2.0.
From “Send in the Clowns” and “Bring Him Home” to “Like a Rolling Stone” and “The Boxer,” it was a great evening.
And the rain held off until 10 minutes after the show ended.
Rex Fowler, Frank Mastrone and Dodie Pettit. (Photo/Dan Woog)
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Just hours after she was born 9 weeks early, in June of 2022, Shea Greenfield’s heart stopped beating.
Doctors saved her life. But she was diagnosed with Long QT Syndrome. Her heart’s electrical system takes longer than usual to recharge between beats. She is at risk of fainting, seizures, cardiac arrest and sudden death.
There is no cure for the condition. And Shea’s condition is one of the most severe her doctors have ever seen.
Shea’s parents, Mark and Kira, had moved to Westport a year earlier. In addition to educating themselves about LQTS, they began raising funds for the Mayo Clinic, where Dr. Michael Ackerman’s team does cutting-edge research.
In 2023, the Greenfields organized a fundraiser. Others followed. Since then, they’ve raised over $1.4 million.
The next event — “Shank It & Serve It” is September 14, at Birchwood Country Club. The day includes an 18-hole morning golf scramble, 9-hole afternoon scramble, ladies’ point-play tennis tournament and canasta tournament — all capped by a cocktail reception (and pop-up market).
Funds raised go to Hearts in Harmony Foundation, a Long QT Syndrome research non-profit. Various ticket options and sponsorships are available; click here for details.
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Missy Greenberg made friends with this speckled guy at Compo Beach.
And promptly sent it to us, for our “Westport … Naturally” feature.
(Photo/Missy Greenberg)
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And finally … in honor of all those with, or seeking, passports (item above):
(You don’t have to travel anywhere to support “06880,” Just click here to make a tax-deductible donation. Thank you!)
The first line of this made me laugh out loud, well-written, Sir!
The state of Connecticut is geographically desirable but other than that it is a laughable bureaucratic mess. Nothing gets done ever in normal amounts of time. Construction and traffic only gets worse. The 9-11 Memorial had issues identified a while ago, yet we may not be able to fix them in 6 months to be ready for the 25th Anniversary of 9-11. We wanted to donate a bench at both the state park at Sherwood for 9/11 families, for free, no cost to the state, and it had too much red tape to get approved. There is no seating at the Westport Veterans Park by town hall, and we wanted to donate a bench or 2 there, with no cost to the town at all, and guess what, has to go thru months of meetings and approvals but all kinds of boards. It is a joke. Lets just keep having meetings on turf fields, and grass fields and toxins and all other things that people want to pontificate about, and nothing will get done…. In a sad state of affairs, Westport was #1 of the high schools in the state last year. We dropped to #5. I wonder if they got a good look at our vast collection of porto potties at all our fields, the one at staples all last season with lock broken off and the grandmother from the visiting team, had to put her hand thru it while using to hold the door shut!
Staples is still #1 on niche rankings: https://www.niche.com/k12/staples-high-school-westport-ct/rankings/
(and Coleytown Middle is #1 as well): https://www.niche.com/k12/coleytown-middle-school-westport-ct/rankings/
RTI collaborated with U.S. News to implement a methodology with six factors: (1) state assessment proficiency, (2) state assessment performance, (3) underserved student performance, (4) graduation rate, (5) college readiness and (6) college curriculum breadth. Specifically, college readiness measures participation and performance on Advanced Placement® (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) tests.
Niche uses both test scores and ratings from students, alumni and parents to help calculate its school rankings.
Ratings from students, alumni, and parents?
Love when the insecurity shows.