Peter Gold is director of the Westport Transit District, and has lived in Westport for 40 years. He is an RTM member from District 5, and former chair of the RTM Transit Committee — but he is not writing this “Opinion” piece in his RTM capacity.
Wheels2U, Westport’s on-demand shuttle service, launched last October. Riders can download the Wheels2U app. With just a few clicks, they’ll get a ride between almost anywhere in town and Westport’s two train stations.
The Wheels2U shuttles provide a cost-effective, environmentally friendly way for Westport commuters, reverse commuters and others to link their homes, their Westport employers, and downtown to the train stations.
But now Wheels2U is in danger of being shut down before the end of the year. The Board of Finance recently voted to cut the shuttle’s budget by more than half.
However, Westport’s Representative Town Meeting (RTM) meets May 3 to vote on restoring funding to keep the shuttle running for another year.
Many Westport residents already use Wheels2U as part of their commute. Now that commuting is picking up as the world reopens, demand for this excellent service is growing. And there are many opportunities to leverage Wheels2U’s flexibility to address other Westport transportation needs.
Retaining an accessible, efficient and convenient shuttle between almost anywhere in town and the train stations, and allowing it to grow to serve other town needs, makes good sense, and is more important than ever.
It takes a vote of 70% of the RTM members present and voting at a meeting to override the Board of Finance and restore the funding for Wheels2U. If you believe supporting Wheels2U and public transportation in Westport is important, please email the RTM to urge it to restore the funding on May 3. Emails can be sent to the RTM at RTMMailingList@Westportct.gov.
Information about Wheels2U, including hours of operation, service area and how to download the Wheels2U app can be found at Wheels2UWestport.com. Information on the benefits Wheels2U currently provides to users and the town as a whole, and what Wheels2U could become if it is allowed to continue and grow, can be found by clicking this link.
Nearly all of Westport is included in the Wheels2U service area.
A Sunday sunrise service is set for 6 a.m. at Compo Beach, between the cannons and the pavilion. It’s co-hosted by 4 churches: Saugatuck, Greens Farms and Norfield Congregational, and United Methodist. All participants are asked to please wear masks!
Also on Sunday, Saugatuck Congregational will hold a “drive-in” worship in the parking lot, at 10 a.m. The service — featuring live music, drama and Easter reflection — will be broadcast to car radios. Sit in the comfort of your car, or bring a beach chair and “tailgate.” The service will also be livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube. Click here for details.
And tomorrow (Good Friday, 11:30 a.m., Branson Hall), Christ & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church will screen the choral piece “The Last 7 Words of the Unarmed.” It will be followed at noon by an intergenerational neighborhood walk. Following a liturgy of Stations of the Cross, it will focus on racial justice and reconciliation. Participants will make a small loop around downtown Westport, stopping at various locations to pray and reflect.
Easter sunrise service, 2018. (Photo courtesy of Rev. Alison Patton)
It’s April — and that means National Distracted Driving Month.
The Westport Police Department is joining with the Connecticut Department of Transportation Highway Safety Office in a month-long “U Drive. U Text. U Pay” campaign.
So put down your phone — this month, and every month. The first offense will cost you $150. Then it’s $300 the second time. And $500 for the third and subsequent violations.
But if it gets to that point, you shouldn’t be driving at all.
And if you know someone who has been bullied — or helped prevent bullying — they’re yours for the taking.
Melissa Ceriale — the owner, with her husband John, of an 8-acre oasis midway down the street — invites anyone who knows people in the categories above to clip a bouquet, and give it to them.
NOTE: Please take them only from the roadway in front of #11, 13, 21 and 25 Prospect Road — and not from the gardens themselves!
Daffodils on Prospect Road. (Photo/Melissa Ceriale)
In other nature news: Last night, a huge dead tree on the big hill at the south end of Winslow Park, not far from the North Compo parking lot, came crashing down — smack across the walking path.
Bob Cooper says: “I’ve had my eye on it for a couple years, but this was sooner than I expected. It appears the lower end was rotting inside.”
The Westport Youth Commission is one of our town’s great, under-the-radar groups.
Thirty members — 15 students, 15 adults, all appointed by the 1st selectman — meet monthly. They talk about teen needs, plan projects and programs, and (this is huge) provide high schoolers with a great experience in leadership.
Of course, every year members graduate. So the YAC is looking for students now in grades 8-11 (and adult members) to serve for the 2021-’22 school year. Freshmen join a special committee, before joining the board officially as sophomoes.
The appointment process includes an application, and at least one letter of recommendation. The deadline is May 14. Click here for the application. For more information, call 203-341-1155 or email kgodburn@westportct.gov.
The Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge is the scene for just about everything. Political protests, Memorial Day parades, fishing — you name it, it’s happened there.
Though this scene Tuesday evening was probably a first:
Aquarion has announced its 2021 mandatory sprinkler irrigation schedule.
They say: “The schedule helps conserve water supplies by reducing overwatering of lawns and gardens through a maximum 2 days per week schedule. The purpose is to ensure that local water supplies remain sufficient for critical needs such as human consumption and fire protection.
“Lawns and gardens can thrive on reduced watering. By encouraging roots to grow deeper into the soil, they’re able to absorb more moisture and nutrients, even during dry spells. Customers may continue using drip irrigation, soaker hoses and hand-held watering at any time.”
The schedule begins today, and is based on the last digit of your street address.
If your address ends in an even number, or you have no numbered address, you can water only on Sundays and Wednesdays, from 12:01 a.m. to 10 a.m., or 6 p.m. to midnight.
If your address ends in an odd, number, you can water only on Saturdays and Tuesdays, same times as above.
For more information, click here. NOTE: Some residents may qualify for a variance. For example, if you’ve installed new plantings or sod in the spring, you arw allowed to water more frequently to help get plants established.
MoCA Westport’s new exhibit, “Smash,” is dedicated exclusively to the videos of Marilyn Minter.
It opens to the public tomorrow (Friday, April 2). Reservations are available through the website, On Free Fridays, reservations are not required, and admission is free. Click below for a sneak peek:
The Westport Library’s Verso Studios are certainly versatile.
Starting April 12 (7 p.m.), it’s the focus of a Video Production hybrid course. The instructor is the Library’s own Emmy Award winner, David Bibbey.
The first 4 sessions are virtual. The final 2 are in-person. Participants will learn how to use professional video and audio recording equipment, lighting, and live switching/recording/streaming equipment. Participants can also serve as live crew for video shoots.
With all the talk about vehicular traffic on a renovated or rebuilt William F. Cribari Bridge, no one has thought about what would happen if a super tanker got caught nearby.
The new operators of the Longshore Inn have big plans.
This afternoon (Wednesday, March 31, 5:30 p.m.), Charles Mallory — CEO of Greenwich Hospitality Group, which runs the very successful Delamar Hotels — joins Dave Briggs on Instagram Live to reveal what’s ahead.
Listen — and respond in real time — via @WestportMagazine. You can send questions on Instagram ahead of time too: @DaveBriggsTV.
The Westport Transit District recently replaced its previous fixed route system with Wheels2U Westport service, an on-demand, door-to-train station group shuttle service.
As part of the changeover, posters advertising the 50-year-old fixed route service at the Saugatuck train station were replaced with new ones highlighting the advantages of Wheels2U.
The Westport Transit District donated one of those now-historic fixed route posters to the Westport Museum for History & Culture yesterday. for its collection.
With Metro-North ridership beginning to pick up again, Wheels2U provides a convenient, reliable, and inexpensive way to get to and from the Westport and Greens Farms train stations. It serves a larger portion of Westport and meets more trains than the prior fixed route service.
Riders can order a ride using the Wheels2U phone app, be picked up at their door and then dropped off at the station platform at any time between 5:45 and 9:45 a.m., and 4 and 8 p.m. Reverse commuters can take the shuttle from the train station to their jobs almost anywhere in Westport for less than other alternatives.
Future plans for the WTD include getting more employees to their jobs, shoppers to stores, and seniors to the Senior Center.
For Wheels2U Westport’s service area, fares and other information, click here. For information about Westport Transit’s door-to-door services for the elderly and people with a disability, click here.
Westport Transit District director Peter Gold presents Westport Museum of History & Culture collections director Nicole Carpenter with a now-historic Westport Transit District poster.
Yesterday, the State Senate unanimously approved legislation to extend outdoor dining in Connecticut through March 31, 2022.
Local zoning or planning officials still have the final power to permit or expand outdoor dining. The law minimizes paperwork like site surveys or traffic studies, in order to expedite the process.
Earlier this month, Westport’s Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to extend outdoor dining here until further notice.
The ospreys are back — and not just at Fresh Market.
Chris Swan spotted one pair of the magnificent raptors at the nesting platform on Sherwood Mill Pond. He saw another on the saltmarsh at the end of Beachside Common, behind the Nature Center at Sherwood Island State Park. Welcome home to those two happy couples!
A Fresh Market — not Sherwood Island — osprey. (Photo.Carolyn Doan)
Patagonia is holding a food drive for Homes with Hope. Bring non-perishable goods like canned chicken, tuna, salmon and soup, mayonnaise, peanut butter and jelly, cereal and pasta source to the downtown store.
They also sell “Patagonia Provisions” — items that can be bought, then given away. (Hat tip: Sal Liccione)
Taylor Whiteside (Whitey) Bailey, a Wesport native and member of a prominent Westport family, died March 18 in Escondido, California of natural causes. He was 88 years old.
He was the 5th child of Franklin and Mary Alice Bailey. His mother was well known here as the assistant to Miss Irene Comer at her dancing school, held in the second floor ballroom of the Westport YMCA. His father was the stepson of Arthur Dare Whiteside, a founder and president of Dun & Bradstreet, and one of the early developers of the Sylvan Road and Nash’s Pond areas of Westport.
Bailey’s brother and sisters included Mary Bailey Beck, Ann Bailey Hall, Franklin Bailey, Jr. and Dare Bailey Wells, all deceased. Joan Whiteside was his step-sister.
Bailey attended Bedford Elementary School and Bedford Junior High School, and was a 1950 graduate of Staples High School. He was a competitive swimmer at Longshore Country Club and a lifeguard at Compo Beach.
He joined the U.S. Marines after high school, and served overseas from 1950-53 during the Korean War. While stationed with the Marines at Camp Pendleton, he was chosen to be the jeep driver in the movie “Retreat, Hell.”
Bailey and his first wife, Allison Norris Bailey, moved to California from Westport in the late 1950s. The former sales manager of Pace Arrow motor home company, he spent the last 25 years of his life in Fallbrook, California.
Allison Norris Bailey and Mr. Bailey’s second wife, Jan Bailey, are deceased.
He is survived by twin sons Kim W. Bailey and Timothy Norris Bailey, both of Westport; Will Mason Bailey of Maui, and 3 grandchildren.
After New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson’s great game Saturday night, Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle had an unusual way of comparing Williamson to an express train:
“It’s not just an Amtrak, it’s the Acela. it doesn’t stop in Westport, it just goes straight to New York City.” (Hat tip: Fred Cantor)
That’s not just my opinion. The Jesup Road used book store — which also sells vinyl, CDs, DVDs and audio books — is so successful, it’s expanding its hours.
They’re now open Tuesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. They’re closed Mondays.
COVID knocked out every in-person Seder last year.
This Passover, some Westport families gathered in small groups. Others celebrated virtually.
Below, David Ader joins the Yormark Seder. Pippa Bell Ader notes: “In the interest of saving paper, this year we read from the Haggadah via the second computer, on the right.”
Easter is Sunday. Which means there are only a few days left to get your Easter basket.
Savvy + Grace has great ones. You can head to the popular Main Street store and pick what you want.
Or email savvyandgracewestport@gmail.com. Include your name, phone number, and the age, likes and interests of the recipient. Annette Norton and her staff will put baskets together, and call for your review.
Not sure? Check out some pre-made baskets online (click here).
International Mother Earth Day is coming soon. To celebrate, the United Nations Association’s Southwest Connecticut Chapter is running a Student Creativity Contest.
They’re looking for ways to promote the UN’s sustainable development goals, legal protections for nature, and efforts to preserve biodiversity.
Submissions in any form are welcome: posters, flyers, stickers, postcards, videos, tweets, web pages, poems, songs, social media posts, whatever.
Cash prizes are awarded: $300 for 1st place, $150 for 2nd, $75 for 3rd, $25 for 4th through 10th place.
The deadline is April 16. Email a JPG, PDF, PowerPoint, MP3, MP4 or hyperlink to unaswct@gmail.com. For more information, click here.
Yesterday’s gorgeous weather brought beach-lovers to Compo.
It also kicked off the season for entitled drivers. First off the mark: This person, who believes the only way to enjoy the water is to park as close as possible to it.
After all the stories about difficulties scoring a COVID vaccine appointment, I heard the other side: how efficiently the process runs, once you actually get a slot for a shot.
The operation at the former Lord & Taylor parking lot in Stamford sounded particularly well organized.
That’s where I was scheduled yesterday, for my first dose. It’s all true.
From check-in to the shot itself and on through the 15-minute observation period afterward, the process was top notch. It was run with military precision. That’s not surprising: Connecticut’s National Guard was in charge.
Kudos to all involved. A big shout-out to the Guardsman pictured below. We had a great time chatting. He represents his unit — and the entire operation — exceptionally well.
The only tweak needed is laughably minor. The address given for the Lord & Taylor lot is 110 High Ridge Road. But the entrance for vaccines is on Long Ridge.
“The Westport Police Department is shocked and saddened by the murders that occurred this past week in the greater Atlanta area. Our hearts go out to the victims as well as their loved ones. Violence committed against a person because of their race is something that should never be tolerated or excused.
“The Westport Police stands with law enforcement agencies nationwide as well as our partners at the Anti-Defamation League in condemning this horrible crime.For more information and resources please go to the Anti-Defamation League’s website.”
Electric vehicle brands and state legislators hold a press conference tomorrow (Monday, March 22, 10 a.m.) at the Westport train station’s eastbound side.
They’ll discuss what they call “outdated dealer franchise laws that have plagued direct electric vehicle sales for almost a decade.”
A proposed bill would give “innovative companies the ability to have an uncorked presence in Connecticut.” Without this legislation, they say, many EV manufacturers will continue to be blocked from opening sales sites, offering test drives, and selling directly to consumers.” Click here for more details.
Westport is an appropriate site for the press conference. We have the highest percentage of EVs registered in the state — over 250 Teslas alone.
Electric vehicles lined up by the Staples charging stations (from left): Chevy Bolt, Tesla S, VW, Tesla X, Nissan Leafes,
For nearly 2 years, Rosemary Cass’ blog has enriched the lives of people age 55 and older.
“Seeing it Clearly Now” inspires everyone — retired or not — be better with age. Her focus is on learning new things, finding purpose, and exploring the arts.
The blog features creative works of older writers and artists. For example, a recent post explored the writer’s gratification from her volunteer work with Al’s Angels.
Many contributors are members of the Westport Senior Center. Cass herself is a student in Jan Bassin’s writing workshops.
She’s always looking for submissions. Click here for the blog; email cass.rosemary@gmail.com.
Posted onMarch 20, 2021|Comments Off on Pic Of The Day #1433
A woman who lived briefly in Westport bought this New Haven Railroad sign at a flea market, and give it to her neighbor in Marblehead, Massachusetts: 1964 Staples High School graduate Geoff Hodgkinson. It’s 29″ x 19″, and hangs now in his living room.
You’d think that drivers of high vehicles would heed the warning signs — or at least slow down, and see if they could possibly s-q-u-e-e-z-e underneath Westport’s two low railroad bridges.
But with stunning regularity, those bridges — on Compo Road South and Saugatuck Avenue — get struck.
Today it was the Compo Road overpass.
Susie Kowalsky — who took these photos — says, “I think they need a bigger sign.”
This morning’s story on Westport’s (lack of) bus shelters should have noted some of the people who have pushed the issue to the forefront.
Westport Planning & Zoning Commission alternate Neil Cohn started the Economic Growth Subcommittee, and reached out to 3rd Selectwoman Melissa Kane. As subcommittee chair, he made this a P&Z-sponsored text amendment.
The initiative is part of the P&Z’s broader approach of looking at many types of equity.
Pippa Bell Ader and Jennifer Johnson have worked on the issue for a long time too.
In addition, P&Z chair Danielle Dobin made an important comment at last night’s meeting. She noted that women waiting on the side of the road, waiting to wave down buses after a long day at work, face an additional hazard besides bad weather and safety.
Too often, men driving by honk, yell out crude invitations and remark on their bodies.
“It’s terrible. But we can do something about it,” Dobin said. “Shelters don’t just protect against wind and rain. They also reduce street harassment.
This is not a Westport bus shelter. It’s located at Lexington, Kentucky. There, says former Westporter Fran Taylor, the city initiated an art/design competition, called Art In Motion..Clever and beautiful bus shelters emerged, including solar panels. Lexington used federal funds as seed money.
Maybe you’ve seen them, but never given them another thought.
“They” are the men and women who work in Westport, live elsewhere, and rely on Coastal Link buses to travel back and forth.
They wait, after hours of work, by the side of the road.
They stand in the heat of summer, in rain and sleet. They stand as cars race past, sometimes spraying water from puddles. When snows piles on the sidewalk, they stand in the road.
Our lack of concern, care and protection for bus riders is a townwide embarrassment.
Waiting for the bus. (Photos courtesy of Planning & Zoning Commission Bus Shelter Working Group
In May of 2009 — 2 months after launching “06880” — I wrote about this topic. Twelve years later, nothing has changed.
Finally, it might.
Last night, the Planning & Zoning Commission’s Economic Growth Subcommittee heard a presentation about the need for covered bus shelters.
3rd Selectman Melissa Kane — representing the Bus Shelter Working Group — addressed the need. They’ve worked for months with TEAM Westport, town officials and other stakeholders.
TEAM Westport chair Harold Bailey says:
Bus shelter support is a portal into the issue of who belongs in Westport. That is an issue upon which TEAM Westport is squarely focused. Citizens, workers and visitors use bus transportation, and deserve protection from the elements when waiting for a bus.
Addressing this issue not only enhances the experiences of those who live, work and visit Westport, but sends a clear signal that all three truly “belong” here.
The working group has drafted language for a P&Z text amendment. They’ve reached out to the Connecticut Department of Transportation, which controls US 1 (the Post Road). State legislators Will Haskell, Jonathan Steinberg, Tony Hwang and Stephanie Thomas are all on board.
So are Westport officials, including 1st Selectman Jim Marpe and Public Works director Pete Ratkiewich.
Funds would come primarily from the state, and private groups. Some town money has already been earmarked.
Covered bus shelters would provide safety and shelter. They’d include information on routes and schedules.
They’d also be visible. That, in turn, would make bus riders — the men and women who work to make Westport work — more visible too.
There are not many ideas for improvements that should get 100% support, from 100% of the town.
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