Two weeks ago, our Photo Challenge showed a jetty. It could have been anywhere in Westport — but it was on Saugatuck Shores.
Last week, we posted another waterfront scene. This one — of a mechanical contraption — was a lot less familiar than the jetties. In fact, it stumped everyone.
Except Fred Cantor.
He correctly placed it at Sherwood Island State Park.
As Dave Wilson — who took the photo (click here to see) — explains:
The structure is located inside the Sherwood Island property. It’s behind the maintenance building which is to the right, a few hundred yards near the park entrance. It faces to the west.
Its purpose (so I was told by the head of SI maintenance) is to measure the quality of air coming our way from NYC. He told me there are other units stationed around the area, but I don’t know if he meant Westport or other nearby towns. It’s Managed by the state of Connecticut ( I think).
The only way you would know the unit is there is if you worked at SI or you took a walk off the beaten track and happened upon it. It’s actually 50-100 yards off the back maintenance road and visible, but not a standout unless you walk closer. It just looked very very strange and at first it seemed to be a generator. But then why there, away from everything?
So I wandered into the nearby building, with an open door, ran into head dude (a Staples grad class of ’85 with last name of Frawley who said he has been there since high school days) and asked away.
At first glance, this week’s Photo Challenge seems crazy.
(Photo/Mary Ann Meyer)
Westport is swimming in stop signs. Who could identify this one?
But Mary Ann Meyer — who took the shot — notes, “This is only a 2-way stop. Traffic does not stop going past it.”
She thinks this is the only one of its kind in town.
Is it true? If you think you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below. We’ll find out soon if you’re right — and whether Mary Ann is too.
