There are several ways to get from the Jesup Green parking lots to the Post Road and Main Street.
You can walk toward Starbucks. Through Taylor Place, next to Tiffany. The Walrus Alley alley. Across the Bank of America lot. Down Bay Street.
You can also take the alley between Green & Tonic and the Westport Book Shop, passing Toquet Hall on your right.
But why would you?
That quick shortcut could be the skankiest in town.
Toquet Hall alley.
It’s filthy. An array of garbage cans gives it a distinctive smell. You might not get mugged there, but it feels like you will.
Has anyone tried to clean it up?
Yes.
Basso — the restaurant a few doors down from the unnamed alley — wants to beautify it.
Sure, it would help them. But it would add to the appeal of its retail neighbors, while also offering another way to drive foot traffic across both sides of the Post Road.
A great shortcut. But little used, for obvious reasons.
Basso owner Renato Donzelli has proposed a low-cost, interactive and culturally enriching initiative. Local artists could create murals along the gray walls of the buildings. Visible from the Post Road, the artwork would showcase Westport’s history, culture and values.
The town could host a competition to choose artists. (A similar project was a great success in Norwalk, Basso’s previous home.)
At the same time, enclosing the dumpsters would provide aesthetic — and health — benefits.
Light fixtures similar to those at Basso and on Main Street would create continuity, showcase the art, and ameliorate some of those I-might-get-jumped-here fears.
Planters on both sides would add to the upgraded alley’s appeal.
Basso has helped its neighborhood in the past. In 2021 they spent more than $20,000 on pavers, light fixtures, gates, posters, tables and chairs.
Outdoor at Basso, a few yards from the alley. (Photo/JC Martin)
Basso’s landlord, Jim Randel, favors the idea.
But, Basso says, Mel Mioli, the landlord of 46 Post Road East — the building on the west side of the alley — has no interest in participating. He denied a request to string lights on the side of his structure.
Mioli told “06880” that he is concerned about safety. More pedestrians using a more attractive passageway might increase his liability in the event of an accident.
However, the idea still seems like a no-brainer (unless you’re not worried about getting brained walking on the path).
The Planning & Zoning Commission discussed 2 big items last night: lights on athletic fields, and the first step in the Longshore renovation project.
They deferred a decision on a text amendment that would add lights to more town fields. Much of the discussion centered, however, not on the effect of the lights themselves, but on noise that might accompany expanded practices and games.
A decision could come at the next P&Z meeting (Monday, February 10).
The board voted 4-3 to issue a negative report on an 8-24 (municipal land use change) request to relocate the equipment shed (currently located between the golf course and tennis courts, on the exit road).
The new complex would include 2 structures, with parking, in the middle of the Longshore golf course. It would encompass 35,000 square feet, with no building larger than 10,000 square feet or higher than 1 story.
P&Z commissioners acknowledged the need for a new facility. They questioned the proposed location in a flood zone; its impact on open space and the golf course, and some procedural questions regarding the proposal.
The negative 8-24 report can be appealed to the Representative Town Meeting, which could overturn it by a supermajority.
Alternatively, town officials could propose a new location for the maintenance facility.
Paul Lane Field is the only lighted field at Staples High School. The adjacent baseball, soccer and field hockey/girls lacrosse fields do not have lights. (Photo/Robin Wolfe-Scheffler)
If Saturday’s sneak preview is any indication, it’s a game-changer for Westport’s entertainment scene.
The 5 simulator bays — featuring golf, with 30 sports in all — are versatile, interactive, and tons of fun.
The 2 dart bays are state-of-the-art. Think soccer’s VAR technology, with feathers.
There’s a cool karaoke room, and another with a University of Michigan theme. (Guess where the owners, Emily and Tim Zobl, went to school.)
The large bar and dining area serves excellent pub food and cocktails. The 22-foot video wall there can show just about anything, in a variety of ways. (The simulator bays can be reserved for viewing big games too.)
Sunday’s Super Bowl is already nearly fully booked. A couple of tables and bar stools can still be reserved. (Call 203-292-3169 or email connect@theclubhousewestport.com.)
Bookings are already strong for corporate events, parties and bar and bat mitzvahs.
Oh, yeah: The rooftop opens in April.
Fore!
Staples High School junior Will Briggs drives, at The Clubhouse. (Photo/Dan Woog)
Speaking of sports: “06880” reported yesterday that Adam Behrends has stepped down after 6 years as Staples’ head football coach. He’ll be taking a position at the University of New Mexico.
Last night, the state champion-winning coach described his new role as “offensive analyst with quarterbacks and wide receivers.”
He’ll be joining a new staff that includes Luke Schleusner, who was Behrends’ coach at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Schleusner will be New Mexico’s offensive coordinator.
We’re less than 3 months away from renovation of the Compo Beach Playground.
To prepare, the playground will close March 1. It will reopen at the end of May.
A “community build” April 21-26 will include new accessible equipment for children of all abilities; widened walkways; safer surfacing around the swings, and replacement of the weathered fence.
Westport’s Parks & Recreation Department and the Compo Beach Playground Committee seek volunteers for Build Week.
They also seek donations, to purchase new pickets ($500), replacement pickets ($250).
As you chow down at a Super Bowl party: Remember those who can’t.
This Saturday (February 8, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Stop & Shop), the Westport Police Department and Sunrise Rotary Club host a food drive.
All donations with support the Homes with Hope and Westport Department of Human Services food pantries.
Police officers and volunteers will accept non-perishable food items and cash donations.
Suggested items include breakfast bars, baking goods, BBQ sauce, macaroni & cheese, canned vegetables and fruit, coffee, canned meats, canned stew, noodles, cereals, gluten-free foods, granola and protein bars, grated Parmesan cheese, hamburger and tuna helper, hearty soups, instant mashed potatoes, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, oatmeal, cooking oil, pancake mix and syrup, pasta and sauce, peanut butter and jelly, rice, spices, salad dressing, shelf-stable milk, and snacks. (No glass jars.)
Suggested personal care and household items include
body wash, Clorox wipes, deodorant, dish soap, laundry detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, razors, shampoo and oothpaste.
To volunteer, or offer a large pickup, call Anna Rycenga at 203-763-9656.
Last November, Alan Bartus was a last-minute pianist substitute, for Jazz at the Post.
He sight-read the music, and blew everyone away.
Jazz at the Post founder Greg “The Jazz Rabbi” saw Bartus in a duo concert with Dave Brubeck’s long time saxophonist (and Wall’s early mentor) Jerry Bergonzi at the Dave Brubeck Room of the Wilton Library.
The audience — including Brubeck’s son Chris — was floored. Bartus’ compositions were “sophisticated, emotional, and quite worthy of sharing the program with the venue’s namesake,” Wall says.
This Thursday (February 6, 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; dinner service begins at 7; VFW Post 399), Bartus takes center stage at Jazz at the Post.
Along with Wall, bassist Raul Reyes Bueno, trumpeter Michael Cruse and drummer Antonio Cerfeda, he’ll play his own music, and Brubeck’s.
Tickets for the 7:30 show are $20; $15. All tickets for the late show are $10. Click here to purchase, and for moreo information.
And finally … on this date in 1846, the first Mormon pioneers left Nauvoo, Illinois, on their way to the Salt Lake Valley.
(Whether it’s a new Clubhouse, an annual food drive, or a weekly jazz concert, “06880” is where you read about it all. But we can’t do it without readers’ help. Please click here to support us. Thank you!)
Dave Smith and his wife Jeanne have lived in Westport for over 15 years. Their 4 children played multiple sports, including football, basketball, lacrosse, baseball and volleyball.
Caleb (Staples High School Class of ’24) is at the University of Connecticut. Nathan, a Staples senior, will attend Trinity College. Chloe is a Staples sophomore, while Noah ooks forward to being a freshman there next fall.
From left: Nathan, Caleb, Dave, Noah, Chloe and Jeanne Smith. Caleb and Nathan starred on Staples’ 2024 state champion football team.
For 5 years, he has published “Dads’ Survival Guide.” The weekly blog highlights parenting and marriage issues, with a perspective many Westport men can relate to.
This week, Dave — who coached his children on Westport Recreation, PAL and Little League teams — tackled a fraught topic: travel sports.
Calling it “a tangled and confusing web for any Dad to navigate,” he offers words of hard-earned wisdom for many Westporters. Dave writes:
The tension and stress on our kids during tryouts. The agonizing wait to hear. The disappointment of missing out. Or the joy of making a team.
Then, the commitment. To each game, practice, clinic and showcase. Year-round. An expectation from team coaches for families to rearrange their lives so players can attend everything.
And the cost! Oh, the cost! Participation fees. Off-season and pre-season workouts. Private coaching. Equipment. Uniforms. Gas. Hotels. Flights. A mind-bogglingly, expensive endeavor.
Yes, that’s travel sports. Which can make us Dads feel helpless. And hapless. Because once we get on the travel train, it seems impossible to get off. Peer pressure compels us to do it all.
Any Dad can struggle with travel sports. Even All-Pro NFLer Greg Olsen, who captured what many of us feel in a recent interview. “Everyone is fearful of our kids falling behind,” said Olsen. “It snowballs. Everyone else is doing it, so we’re just doing what they’re doing.”
Doing what everyone else is doing. Because we’re fearful of our little superstar falling behind. Yep, guilty, as charged.
In the Smith household, with multiple kids playing multiple travel sports, we’ve stumbled and bumbled our way for years. Missteps. Miscalculations. Mistakes. And wasted $$$.
But, what did we know? Nothing. And with advice coming from every angle, we were bewildered about who to believe. Or which paths to take.
Fortunately, none of our blunders were prohibitive. Or fatal. And now, with our brood playing multiple sports in high school and college, we have gained some perspective. Hindsight. Perhaps, too late for us. But maybe, helpful for others.
Here’s my 2 cents – for what it’s worth.
Specialization: 10,000 hours. Focus, focus, focus. We were told countless times the only way to play sports at the highest levels was by specializing. In a single sport. And a specific position. From a young age.
Baloney. There are countless athletes playing multiple sports in high school. Truth is, for many kids specialization is the wrong route.
With no participation requirement in high school sports, specialization narrows possibilities. In basketball, there are 5 on the court. Maybe 8 in the rotation. Chosen across 3 classes (soph, junior, senior). Only 9 on a baseball diamond. These limited play possibilities may alter one’s youth sports calculus.
Oftentimes, specialization leads to injuries from overuse. Working the same muscles again and again, year-round. TEENS having Tommy John surgery! Crazy And, kids burnout. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. One day our tiny protégé loves a sport. The next, they’re done with it.
Personally, I’m a huge proponent of remaining multi-sport athletes as long as possible.
Nearly 57 percent of Tommy John surgeries are performed on 15-19-year-old baseball players.
Success Factors: In my experience, the attributes high school coaches value in players is entirelydifferent from those youth coaches prefer.
High school coaches want unselfish, team-first players, who listen and learn. Mastering the fundamentals of DEFENSE and footwork are essential. Players must watch film and know the playbook. Coaches look for character in their players. Those with resolve and tenacity, an ability to fight thru adversity.
Fact is, size, strength or athletic advantages in youth play may not translate to success at the next level. Conversely, there are plenty of prolific high school athletes who were not standouts in youth sports.
Team Wins over Individual Development: Travel coaches – the professionals – focus on team success to help promote their Travel program. There is limited focus on individual skill development during a travel season. Teaching our kids the basics of how to pitch properly, swing a bat or shoot a basketball is on us Dads. Either by ourselves or with a private coach. This was a big surprise for me.
Alternative Sports: Youth programs center around a small subset of sports. With so many kids fighting for so few high school slots, the competition in these sports is intense.
However, there are plenty of high school sports for boys and girls which don’t get much fanfare but can be equally as enriching. Cross-country. Volleyball. Rugby. Hockey. Wrestling. Skiing. Swimming. Diving. Water polo. Fencing. Golf. Tennis. Squash. Cheerleading. Crew. Track and Field. Loads of options for our kids to play through high school. And perhaps, beyond.
After Staples, Terry Brannigan went on to a very successful wrestling career at Wesleyan University.
Best Fit: As we ponder the intense commitment and $$$ of travel sports, we should start by considering each child’s strengths, natural talents, and personality.
Do they prefer individual sports, relying on their own performance vs. being part of a team? Are they repeat-motion kids; meticulous and disciplined enough to do one thing over and over again (pitching, rowing or field goal kicking)? Do they have strong hand-eye coordination (hitting a baseball, tennis or catching a football)?
Are they high endurance athletes (running, biking)? Capable of hustling up and down the field endlessly (midfielders)? Or are they best suited for shorts bursts of intense effort (sprints, shot put, wrestling)? Would our kids thrive in high profile, pressure positions (QB, goalie, gymnast)? Or prefer operating in the background (lineman, outfield, defender)?
Finding sports and positions which match our kids’ nature helps build confidence from an early age. While developing a passion to improve.
Travel sports can be a terrific way for our kids to pursue what they love. And compete at a high level. Yet, travel sports can be confusing. Especially for Dads. Thinking about the down-the-road realities can help make the travel sports experience even greater for our kids. And better for us Dads, too.
Go, Dads. Go.
(To be added to the “Dads’ Survival Guide” distribution list, email davidosmith7777@gmail.com)
(“06880” often covers youth issues, sports and parenting topics. We also frequently offer a platform for readers’ opinions. If you enjoy our hyper-local blog, please click here to aid our work. Thanks!)
Adam Behrends — the inspirational head coach who took a moribund Staples High School football program to a state championship in just 5 years — is leaving Westport.
Behrends told his players earlier this afternoon that he has accepted a college assistant coaching position.
In 6 years, the Iowa native — who came to North Avenue following 9 years at IMG in Florida, where he helped launch the football program — compiled a 40-16 record. In 2023, the Wreckers captured the “LL” (extra large schools) state championship.
Adam Behrends
Athletic director VJ Sarullo says, “Even more impressive than the on-field results were the lessons and values that Coach Behrends taught to all that participated in the football program. These will stay with our student-athletes long after their time here has concluded.”
Sarullo adds, “As good a football coach as he is, he’s an even better person. I’ll miss him, but I know this is a great opportunity for him.”
A search committee will be formed, to find Behrends’ successor.
Head coach Adam Behrends (far left), with players and coaches after the 2023 state championship win.
Posted onFebruary 3, 2025|Comments Off on Scarice: Apologies For Snow Snafu
Superintendent of Schools Thomas Scarice sent this email this afternoon to “Families of Westport Students”:
I want to take a moment to apologize for the delay in this morning’s school opening notification.
We know how important it is for families to receive timely updates about weather-related delays, early releases, and closings, and we regret any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused.
Our team was up early this morning, starting at 4:30 a.m., working with custodial staff and the Department of Public Works to assess road and parking lot conditions.
(Photo/Luke Hammerman)
Once we determined that extra time was needed to ensure safe access to schools, we made the call for a 2-hour delay and sent out the initial message at 4:54 a.m. using School Messenger.
Unfortunately, the system failed to deliver the message to everyone in a timely manner. While it reached staff right away, it was not delivered to families as quickly as expected.
A second message, including a phone call, was sent at 6:24 a.m. to make sure everyone received the information.
We have been working closely with our School Messenger vendor, Powerschool, to identify and resolve the issue that caused this delay. With more winter weather ahead, it’s important that our communication system works quickly and reliably.
Powerschool has assured us that the problem has been fixed, and we will continue to monitor our messaging to ensure updates reach you as soon as possible.
Again, I truly appreciate your patience and understanding. We value our partnership with families and are committed to keeping you informed in a timely manner. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
The Board of Finance meets this Wednesday (February 5, 7:30 p.m., Town Hall auditorium).
Among the agenda items are these appropriation requests:
$3,072,596 for Board of Education building projects.
$2,012,000 to rehabilitate the Compo Beach Marina piers, fuel dock and electrical switchgear.
$400,000 for sidewalk maintenance and replacement.
$198,000 for a highway service truck.
$2,750,000 to replace the Cross Highway culvert over Deadman Brook.
$222,000 for architectural study, schematic design, land-use permitting, and preparation of a probable cost opinion, for the Westport Parks & Recreation Department maintenance facility at Longshore.
Internationally renowned pianist — and longtime Westporter — Frederic Chiu often roams far from his home (now Norwalk).
In addition to concerts across the globe, he’s a professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Music.
But his many fans — in Westport, and worldwide — can see him on livestream, for 3 days starting tonight.
The DKV Festival — featuring the intersection of music, technology and community, using the Yamaha Disklavier, which Chiu has tested and played for over 35 years — features several special events.
Today (Monday, February 3, 8 p.m.), Chiu plays 2 pianos at the same time, live.
Click here for more information, and links to the other DKV Festival offerings.
Frederic Chiu accompanies himself on 2 pianos, at the Westport Library.
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Longtime Westport and Weston resident Pauline Wexler celebrated her 100th birthday yeterday at the Westport home of Michael and Eve Catarevas, her nephew and his wife.
Pauline has not slowed down a bit. She still drives every day from her Norwalk home to play bridge, and attend Westport Senior Center events.
She still works too, sewing tapestries, pillows and other items that she sells to stores and on eBay.
Pauline’s late husband, Red Wexler, served in World War II as an artist in the Pacific Theater. A noted cartoonist, he was a member of the Westport illustrators group from the 1960s through ’80s.
Pauline Wexler (center), with Eve and Michael Catarevas.
And finally … if you have no idea what it means for Frederic Chiu to play 2 pianos at once (story above), check out this video:
(Another Monday, another week of “06880” Roundups. Oh, yeah: We work weekends too. If you enjoy this hyper-local blog, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
You’ll wind up at Basso. And there — at the far end of the bar, in one of Westport’s most historic restaurant buildings — you’ll see a pizza oven like back in old Napoli.
Basso’s pizza oven, at the back of the bar.
For 50 years after its construction in 1916, the property facing Jesup Green was the back of the Fine Arts movie theater.
In the 1960s it was converted into Fine Arts III. The theaters closed in 1999.
Pizza Inferno moved in, for a couple of uneventful years. It’s barely remembered today. But the owners’ pizza oven is their legacy.
Matsu Sushi took over in 2002. Its dishes were popular — but none were made in a pizza oven. The one that Pizza Inferno had installed — copper-sheathed and handsome, 28 feet high, half-wood and half-gas — was used for storage.
Renato Donzelli moved his Basso restaurant from Norwalk to Westport in late 2020. He doubled his space, and added outside dining. The high ceiling — a remnant of the movie theater days — was perfect for a second-floor space.
The view from the 2nd floor.
Regular customers looked forward to Renato’s contemporary, inventive menu, with many popular tapas and paellas. It leans on Spain and Italy, with hints of Latin fusion.
But for Renato — who was born in Venezuela, but raised in Naples — discovering the long-unused pizza oven was the secret sauce for success.
First however, he had to make it work.
No one in Connecticut knew how to repair the oven’s complicated mechanics. Renato found an older man in New York City (“with a thick Italian accent,” says Ela Benedetto, Basso’s general manager).
Renato then brought in a scaffold. He polished the copper by hand, turning it from black to golden-brown.
COVID still raged. But guests flocked to the new restaurant. Four years later, it remains one of Westport’s most popular spots.
On a good day, Basso sells up to 25 pizzas. Yet many customers have no idea they’re on the menu.
Or — trust me — how spectacularly good they are.
And how quickly they come out of the 1,000-degree oven. It takes less than 5 minutes, from kneading the dough to pulling a piping-hot pie out from its depths.
Pizza-making the Neapolitan way.
Basso’s pizzas are (naturally) Neapolitan. Creating those pies is an art. (Neapolitan pizza-making is included on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage.)
The Caputo flour — which gives its distinctive doughiness and firm body — comes from Italy.
Basso’s pizza makers aerate the dough by hand, on a traditional wood box. There’s not much sauce. Artisanal toppings — sausage, peppers, meatballs, chorizo — are made fresh daily.
The pizza must be placed just so in the oven, and turned correctly a couple of times. In just 3 minutes, it’s done.
Mangia!
As exciting and flavorful as the rest of the menu is, it’s easy to overlook Basso’s pizzas.
And as stunning as it is, it’s easy to overlook Basso’s back-of-the-bar pizza oven.
Don’t. In one of Westport’s historic buildings, this bit of culinary history sizzles.
(Basso’s pizzas come in large and small sizes, with gluten-free and vegan options. Delivery is available for $3.99. Click here for menus and more information.)
(Readers dine out on “06880”‘s restaurant coverage. If you enjoy features like this, please click here to support our hyper-local work. Thank you!)
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