Proof That There Really Aren’t Enough Parking Spaces At Compo

Posted on August 5, 2017 | 13 comments

Yesterday evening, this was the scene at the Compo Beach boat launch:

With the BMW parked right — a foot or two next to the very clear “No Parking” sign — there’s no telling how many boaters were inconvenienced.

But hey. That’s their problem, right?

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Posted in Beach, Transportation

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“High School That Rocked” Plans An Encore

Posted on August 5, 2017 | 11 comments

It’s always fun to discover a “sleeper” film hit.

But it’s never fun to get turned away.

The Westport Cinema Initiative and Westport Historical Society were stunned last month, when the Town Hall auditorium proved too small for the throngs that wanted to see “The High School That Rocked!”

That’s the documentary chronicling the amazing period in the 1960s when bands like the Doors, Cream, Yardbirds and Rascals played at Staples High School.

Ginger Baker, Cream’s drummer, at Staples. (Photo copyright Jeremy Ross)

So the WCI and WHS are doing what any good promoters should: They’ve added another showing.

The film will be screened again on Saturday, August 26 (5 p.m., Westport Historical Society). A talkback follows, with the movie’s producer Fred Cantor, and filmmaker Doug Tirola. Both are Westport residents.

There’s limited space, so tickets must be ordered in advance (click here for the direct link). The cost is $10 — and includes free popcorn.

That’s a great bargain — even if it is $7.50 more than it cost to see those great concerts, back when Staples High School really rocked.

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Posted in Entertainment, Looking back, Media, Organizations, People

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Westport’s 1st $10 Parking Lot Is Open For Business

Posted on August 5, 2017 | 12 comments

Everybody’s talking about how much to charge for Compo Beach parking.

Fortunately, with two exceptions — the Saugatuck and Green’s Farms train stations — every other parking spot in Westport has been free.

Until now.

Last night I went to The ‘Port. Between that popular new restaurant and Bartaco, there’s now a great lively scene on the west bank of the Saugatuck River.

Sure, parking in the closest lot is tight. With the removal of some spots from behind the old Save the Children building, it’s tougher.

Of course, there’s always been the 3-level parking deck, a few steps away across Wilton Road.

Spots are also available next to the deck, by the office building at 11 Wilton Road. A semi-hidden sign warns “Reserved Parking 24 hours a day/7 days a week/Violators will be towed at Vehicle Owner’s expense.”

That deters most drivers. They simply head into the adjacent garage.

But tonight a teenage boy stopped everyone who entered. He charged $10 to park in the “reserved” lot.

And the lower level of the parking deck was chained shut.

He told drivers they could use the top levels of the deck — though they quickly filled up.

He said his father owned the reserved lot. He added that the lower level of the parking deck was “always” reserved.

I found one of the last remaining spots on the upper deck.

The Wilton Road parking deck. The private lot at 11 Wilton Road is on the left.

I had a fine meal (salmon, brussels sprouts) at The ‘Port.

When I headed back to my car, the kid was gone. The chain to the lower level was gone too.

It’s one thing to close off a private lot — cheesy, but legal. A Church Lane landlord next to Spotted Horse has done that for a while.

But charging 10 bucks for a spot in an unused lot — well, let’s just say that’s not the way we do things in the ‘port.

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Posted in Real estate, Restaurants, Transportation

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Pic Of The Day #109

Posted on August 4, 2017 | 3 comments

Jogger on Compo Beach (Photo/Armelle Pouriche-Daniels)

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Friday Flashback #51

Posted on August 4, 2017 | 35 comments

I remember many old, long-gone buildings from my childhood.

I’m fascinated by our 2 sanitariums, downtown (now Winslow Park) and on Long Lots Road (Hall-Brooke).

I’m sorry I never got inside the original Staples High School, on Riverside Avenue (the current site of the Saugatuck Elementary School auditorium).

And I hear that whatever happened at the Compo Inn, stayed at the Compo Inn.

But nothing fascinates me like the Penguin.

I’m not talking about Le Penguin — the French bistro in Sconset Square. It’s a very good restaurant, mais oui.

But it’s nothing like the Penguin.

Nothing was.

A white building with a nautical theme — portholes and a big anchor outside — it sat proudly on the crest of Hillspoint Road, just south of the train tracks.

The Penguin.

The Edgewater Commons condos are there now. But for several decades — from the early 1900s through the ’40s, I think — the Penguin was the place to be.

I heard it was the first air-conditioned jazz club between New York and Boston. I heard it was a speakeasy during Prohibition. I heard there were white tablecloths and a crystal chandelier, and that George Raft and James Cagney were frequent guests.

I heard it was also a hotel, and once you left the bar for your room, anything — and everything — could happen.

By the time I got to junior high, it was long since past its prime. It looked seedy and abandoned — though it was really just an apartment building.

But word on the 8th grade street was that it was a “whorehouse.” On a dare, some friends and I walked inside. It was dark, musty, and scary as hell.

We had not thought through what we would do if we met an actual “whore.” Suddenly, a woman wearing a frumpy housecoat stepped into the dim hallway.

We fled. We did not stop running until we got to Old Mill Beach.

But boy, did we have a story to tell our gaping classmates the next day.

The Soundview Hotel. (Photo courtesy of Paul Ehrismann)

Oh, yeah: Before it was the Penguin, it was the Miramar. Before that, it was the Soundview Hotel.

I don’t know too much else about the Penguin — or whether my knowledge of it is fact, fiction or a combination of both.

But if I ever have a chance to time travel back to the Westport of yore, I’ll head to the Penguin.

I’d hear great music. I’d eat and drink. I’d head to my room. And then … 😉

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Compo Beach Crowding: Parks & Rec Chair Responds

Posted on August 4, 2017 | 31 comments

An “06880” story on Wednesday about a hot Westport topic — crowds at Compo Beach, and what appears to be an increase in out-of-town cars — drew dozens of comments.

Many readers wanted statistics on the number of passes sold, how many times the parking lot has been closed, and related issues.

This morning, they’ve got an official response.

Charlie Haberstroh just emailed this statement. He says:

Compo Beach is one of Westport’s most treasured assets, and has been a key priority for our Parks & Recreation Commission. There have recently been concerns and recommendations expressed in the media as well as political emails sent to Westport residents. We of course welcome all ideas to improve Compo Beach. As the chairman of the Parks & Recreation Commission, I would like to share some facts and my thoughts with the community.

Congestion

The 4th of July and Labor Day weekends have historically seen a surge in visits to Compo Beach. However, an unexpected surge occurred this past Sunday, July 30. We did limit the sale of daily parking passes on that day from 2:30 to 4 p.m., consistent with our policy when the available spaces at Compo Beach reach 75. No resident beach emblem holders were turned away – only those attempting to purchase a daily pass.

While these surges are rare occurrences, we will consider policy modifications to address those instances including limits to the number of daily passes sold, and pre-purchase options to reduce wait time at the beach entrance.

To avoid any misunderstandings on the Soundview lot, it is only available to emblem holders, not daily pass holders. It has been this way since the 1980s.

Compo Bech is many things, to many people. (Drone photo/Brandon Malin)

Daily Pricing

As we do every fall, the Parks & Recreation Department conducts a full review after the beach season concludes and presents policy and fee recommendations to the Commission and board of selectmen. Westport charges $30 per day on weekdays and $50 on weekends, consistent with neighboring communities. Norwalk’s Calf Pasture Beach charges $25 on weekdays and $30 on weekends. Fairfield’s Jennings Beach charges $20 on weekdays and $50 on weekends. Darien’s Weed Beach charges $40 every day. Doubling the daily parking fees, as some have proposed, could dramatically restrict access to our beach for lower income guests, and may not reflect Westport’s values as an inclusive, welcoming community.

Improvements

Our Commission’s efforts have made Compo Beach an even more attractive destination for Westporters and visitors alike. The popular new east beach walkway provides safe access for everyone including those with strollers, wheelchairs and mobility issues, enabling them to travel from the pavilion to the cannons. We resurfaced the basketball courts and created new pickleball courts. The east beach parking lot has been repaved and we are currently making improvements to the Soundview parking lot. The dredging of Compo Basin improves safety and the boating experience.

This fall, the Compo Beach pavilion gets a new roof.
(Photo/Katherine Bruan)

We are also pursuing a number of other Compo Beach initiatives. This fall we will commence renovations to the bathhouse and pavilion, including upgrading the bathrooms and roofs to make them more attractive and safe. We are examining options to extend the beach walkway and build permanent accessible bathrooms in the South Beach area, as well as upgrading the skateboard park. We are also evaluating moving the entrance hut further back to help reduce wait time on surge days and allow residents with emblems to bypass the lines. We continue to explore how technology can improve the beach entrance process for our resident beach emblem holders as well as visitors.

I encourage residents to share their ideas directly with me. I will share your thoughts with the Parks & Recreation Department and Commission. My email address is haberstroh.prc@gmail.com.

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Posted in Beach, Local politics, People

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Westport’s Newest SafeRide: A Life-Saving, Anti-Distracted Driving App

Posted on August 4, 2017 | 4 comments

SafeRides — the local teen-run ride-sharing service that gave free, confidential rides home — shut down last month.

But SafeRide — an app that automatically locks a driver’s phone, eliminating temptations, distractions and possible disaster — is about to take off nationally.

It’s moving from a soft launch to a full-scale roll-out. And it’s happening right here, in a Westport home office.

SafeRide is the brainchild of Scott Rownin. He’s an eclectic guy. His degrees are in engineering and economics; he plays drums; he’s worked as an accountant, management consultant, equity trader and wealth adviser. But until he addressed the problem of distracted driving, he hadn’t found his true passion.

It happened several years after he and his wife Lauren moved to Westport. (Their first visit came during a Sidewalk Sale. “It was like the movie ‘Funny Farm,'” Rownin recalls, “where the entire town was set up just to sell a house.” They’re still in their “temporary” home, and love everything about the community.)

Scott and Lauren Rownin

A few years ago, Walmart ran a “Get on the Shelves” promotion. The megastore was looking for new products, from anyone.

Rownin had an idea: create a device to stop drivers from texting.

He hired a design firm, and began researching what’s legal and what’s not. Within 2 weeks, he had the beginnings of a device.

Since then, it’s evolved. There are a number of products already on the market. But they’re hardware-based.

SafeRide relies almost entirely on software. It uses Bluetooth as a beacon. Rownin says around 90% of cars now include Bluetooth. And those that don’t almost always have another device that does — say, GPS or a Bluetooth charger.

Recognizing any Bluetooth device, SafeRide locks the driver’s phone while the car is in motion. All phone calls and email sounds are turned off. Navigation and music apps are still available. And drivers can use a hands-free system (in-dash or headset) while the phone remains locked.

In an emergency, calls can still be made to a local responder.

Users can also set up customized auto-text replies, letting anyone who calls or texts know that the message will be responded to soon.

There is an on/off mode, so passengers can use their phones. Rownin is working on an “intelligent” aspect, where the app recognizes if a user is not in his or her own vehicle (and thus is, presumably, a passenger).

“If I were a teenager, I know I’d try to get around it,” he acknowledges. He’s worked to make SafeRide “teen-proof.” It reports misuse to a server — and parents can generate alerts and reports that show exactly when “passenger mode” was enabled.

Texting is so much more interesting than paying attention to the road.

(Of course, as anyone who ventures out on Westport roads knows, the problem of distracted driving is hardly limited to teenagers.)

Rownin has relished every moment of this project. From product design and patent research to capitalization and marketing, he’s been driven by “making the world a safer place.”

His wife has been his biggest booster. “Every 6 months we have a heart-to-heart about this,” he says. “Lauren always pushes me forward.”

She’s also a “fantastic saleswoman,” and joined the team. “She’s killing it!” he says proudly.

SafeRide had a soft launch in March. Now publicity is ramping up.

Rownin hopes to keep the app free for parents. He foresees revenue coming from trucking companies and other organizations that employ large numbers of drivers, along with insurance companies that would license it, then provide it to their customers.

Further in the future, he says, SafeRide might come installed in every car that is sold.

It would be one more life-saving device no one even thinks about. Just like seat belts. Air bags. Or brakes.

(For more information on SafeRide, click here.)

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Posted in Local business, People, technology, Teenagers, Transportation

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Pic Of The Day #108

Posted on August 3, 2017 | Comments Off on Pic Of The Day #108

Ned Dimes Marina, at Compo Beach (Photo/Larry Untermeyer)

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Keep Your Eyes On This 8-30g Prize

Posted on August 3, 2017 | 10 comments

While the Planning and Zoning Commission has turned down — and the town has fought — 8-30g affordable housing proposals for sites like the Westport Inn and Wilton Road, it’s approved others at more workable sites (1177 Post Road East and the former Geiger’s property).

Word on the street is that the next parcel developers are eyeing is the crest of Post Road West, just west of the Riverside Avenue/Wilton Road intersection, where dilapidated housing was demolished. They’ve stood empty since 2013. But a 165-unit 8-30g housing complex could be erected there.

Other Post Road land may also be in play.

Watch this space.

Two of the buildings on Post Road West, now demolished.

 

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Posted in Categories

Backpacks For A Cause

Posted on August 3, 2017 | 1 comment

Back-to-school shopping is seldom the grinning, hand-holding experience portrayed in TV and print ads.

backpacksKids worry they’ll have the “wrong” notebooks or pens.  Parents fear they’ll forget something important, and their kid’s teacher will think they’re idiots.

Other Westporters have a deeper, more realistic fear:  They can’t pay for everything their kids need.

Fortunately, Westport’s Human Services Department is on the case.

Its annual Back to School program, offering supplies to eligible families, is underway.

The program provides gift cards to income-eligible families with children in the Westport schools. Families can then buy new backpacks and school supplies together. Actual new backpacks can be donated too.

Last year, 189 kids from 118 families received assistance. That’s about 10 full classrooms of kids.

The program depends entirely on the generosity of individuals and organizations.  Tax-deductible monetary donations — of any amount — made payable to “Families in Need Fund” (memo: “Backpacks”) can be sent to, or dropped off at, Human Services, 110 Myrtle Ave. (Town Hall), Westport CT 06880.

Gift cards of any amount to Target, Walmart and Staples Office Supply are appreciated too. They (and new backpacks) can be dropped off at Room 200 of Town Hall weekdays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., now through August 18.

To find out if you qualify for assistance, contact Margaret Piheiro at 341-1050, or email emilton@westportct.gov.

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Posted in Children, Economy, Organizations

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