Posted onAugust 17, 2024|Comments Off on McCormick Steps Down As Y CEO
The pandemic affected every organization in town. Among the hardest hit: the Westport Weston Family YMCA.
In the spring of 2021 — when strict rules still governed the pool, workout and class areas, gym, even the Mahackeno Outdoor Center — Anjali Rao McCormick arrived as CEO.
She had quite a resume. A Harvard graduate, with an MBA in marketing from NYU’s Stern School of Business, she’d worked for American Express and Citibank.
Most recently, she had been COO of the 4-branch Summit Area YMCA in New Jersey.
Anjali McCormick (Photo/Dan Woog)
McCormick saw the Y through its recovery from COVID. They’ve now reached the town-mandated limit on memberships. The place hums with activity 7 days a week, from early morning to night. It’s as vital a part of the community as it ever was in its downtown digs.
Yesterday, the Y board announced that McCormick will step down on August 30. CFO Glen Hale will serve as interim CEO.
“It was an honor to play a small role in this amazing organization’s century-long service to the Westport and Weston community,” McCormick says.
She thanked the “brilliant staff … amazing members and generous donors” for their work for the Y, and support of her. She also cited the Y board.
Last year, the Y celebrated its 100th anniversary, with a fall gala.
The Y was founded by Edward T. Bedford. More than 50 years earlier, he’d been a teenager standing outside the Westport Hotel — a wooden building on the corner of State Street (the Post Road) and Main Street — watching men play pool. He could not go inside, “on account of the saloon.”
Edward T. Bedford.
Decades later — now a wealthy man, as a broker of lubricating oils for railroads, an executive who helped chemist Robert Chesebrough sell his new product, Vaseline, and a director of Standard Oil — he spent $150,000 providing a “place for boys and young men to congregate.”
It was the perfect location: the Westport Hotel. It was the same spot, in the heart of town, where half a century before he’d been denied entrance.
The Y left downtown in 2013. Today, the Tudor style building is Anthropologie.
1923 was a momentous year in local history. Two other institutions founded that year are also still flourishing: The Westport Rotary Club, and Westport Garden Club.
The Y Board is creating a search committee for the new CEO. For questions about the position, email info@ceoinformationwestportwestony.org.
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As the home of many artists, it’s no surprise that Westport has a long history with The New Yorker magazine .
Between 1925 and 1989, 16 local illustrators designed 761 covers. An amazing 44 of those actually show Westport scenes.
One is particularly relevant today:
Albert Hubbell’s version of the Compo Beach pavilion graced the August 20, 1973 issue — almost exactly 51 years before today.
How much has changed since then — at the beach, and in Westport and the world? How much has not?
Click “Comments” below.
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Westport and Weston will be well represented next month, when Broadway stars perform in a benefit for Sandy Hook Promise.
“The Best of Broadway’ (September 22, 6 p.m., SHU Community Theater, Fairfield) is the brainchild of 2 residents.
It began with Dodie Pettit, who performed on Broadway in “Cats” and “Phantom of the Opera.”
Her husband — Aztec Two-Step co-founder Rex Fowler — had been asked to perform in a Sandy Hook Promise film called “A Father’s Promise.”
Sandy Hook Promise — formed in the aftermath of the horrendous school shooting — is a Newtown-based non-profit that educates and empowers youth and adults, to prevent violence in schools, homes and communities
The documentary is about Mark Barden, whose son Daniel was killed in the Sandy Hook shooting.
Dodie was so moved by the mission of Sandy Hook Promise that she volunteered to gather Broadway performers to raise money for gun
violence awareness.
Among the artists next month: 2-time Tony Award winner James Naughton, and Terry Eldh (Carlotta in “Phantom of the Opera”). Dodie and Rex will also perform, as Aztec Two-Step 2.0.
Longtime Levitt Pavilion favorite Frank Mastrone (“Phantom,” “Cats,” “Les Miserables”), and Paige Backus and Grace Hutchinson — recipients of the Connecticut Dance School Kevin Gray Scholarship, given in honor of Dodie Pettit’s late husband (a Broadway star in “Phantom of the Opera” and “The King and I” — will also appear.
For tickets, a full cast list and other information. click here.
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Dave Shea writes: “One of the benefits of a dog who needs walking at 5:30 every morning is being greeted by this brave soul. He puts it all into perspective.”
(Photo/Dave Shea)
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It’s illegal to stick commercial flyers on utility poles.
If we called out every company that does this, we wouldn’t have room for any photos bad drivers — I mean, anything else.
But this one caught our eye.
There sure aren’t a lot of services like this one, in our little corner of the world.
(Photo/Steven Goldstein)
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A reader writes: “There has been a scam going on for a few months at Whole Foods.
“If you bring your own shopping bag, you’re supposed to get a 10 cent credit per bag.
“The receipt will indicate Bag Refund,’ but it no longer shows the credit. It’s happened to me 4 times, with different cashiers and different registers.
“The cashier insists it’s at the end showing up on total savings, but if you do the math, it’s not there.
“I showed the manager twice. He agreed and thinks something is wrong with the computer program. But I think Whole Foods is hoping no one will notice, and they are saving thousands of dollars, maybe more.”
Garden and music lovers — and those who are both — take note.
Blau House & Gardens and the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra present “Music in the Garden” this Sunday (August 18).
There’s a pre-concert tour of the magnificent property off Bayberry Lane from 4:30 to 5 p.m. The woodwind quintet plays in the gorgeous gardens from 5:30 to 7:15 p.m.
Bring your own picnic, blankets and chairs. There’s a shuttle from Coleytown Elementary School. Tickets are $75. Click here to order.
And finally … Dave Shea’s photo of the Doughboy statute at Veterans Green got us thinking about the sacrifices our soldiers made over 100 years ago, in World War I.
You know: The War to End All Wars.
(Broadway stars, Sandy Hook, the Doughboy, chickens, rabbits … just another day on “06880.” If you appreciate our work, please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
The town of Westport has put out 2 Requests for Proposals. Both focus on downtown.
A July 29 RFP is titled “Public Engagement/Phase 2: Westport Downtown Plan.”
The Project Objective reads:
After completing a 2015 master plan for downtown Westport, the town of Westport created the Downtown Plan Implementation Committee to oversee its realization. The committee’s strategy and current progress can be seen at downtownwestportct.com.
Over the past several years, executional work has begun, and the first phase is in the construction funding approval stage. Recently, funding was approved to start the second planning and design work phase.
A critical component of this work is public engagement, which will inform both the initial design work and the vet designs before taking them before approval bodies. For objectivity, the Committee desires to hire an outside research partner to perform this work, which will be both qualitative and quantitative.
The deadline for bids was Wednesday.
Lots to do downtown. But where to park …?
Meanwhile, officials posted an RFP yesterday for a “2015 Parking Study Update and 2024 Feasibility Analysis for Structured Parking in Downtown.”
The overview says:
The town of Westport seeks a qualified professional to investigate the feasibility of creating a multi-level parking structure in one of 3 alternative locations in the downtown area, replacing existing surface parking and adding additional spaces to accommodate new and evolving re-development.
The study will include conceptual drawings, schematic plans, and illustrative renderings of possible solutions.
Where are those 3 areas?
One is the Baldwin parking lot off Elm Street, between Main Street and Church Lane.
The RFP notes: “The 2015 plan suggests that the town utilize a portion of the privately owned Avery Street [behind Cold Fusion] lot as part of the potential area available for a parking deck. The analysis should include the feasibility both with or without this private property being available.”
Baldwin lot plan.
The second proposed site is on Jesup Road, from the Gillespie Center to the area opposite the police station.
The RFP says: “The 2015 plan suggests that in addition to the town-owned lot … a portion of the private lots behind #100 and #126 Post Road East [behind Bank of America and environs], and #10 Bay St. be considered for a parking deck as well. The analysis should include the feasibility both with or without this private property being available.”
Jesup Road plan.
The third location to be considered is the lower lot behind the police station. It is accessible now from the area just before the upper Library lot, and at the foot of Jesup Road near Imperial Avenue.
An RFP note adds: “There is currently a needs analysis and feasibility study underway for creation of a combined Public Safety Center elsewhere in yown, implying that the police station may or may not be located at 20 Jesup Road in the future. The analysis should include the feasibility both with or without the Police Department being in this location.”
Police station plan.
Proposals are due September 5. Click here for the link to download the full RFP document; complete the form, then click “Submit.”
(“06880” covers all of downtown — from merchants and events, to parking and politics. But we can’t do it without reader support. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
Greens Farms Academy’s new cellphone ban — the subject of this morning’s “06880” post — parallels a discussion underway among Westport’s public school administrators and parents.
Last month, superintendent of schools Thomas Scarice was a guest on my “06880” podcast. For half an hour, he spoke strongly and directly about his reasons for proposing a ban in Westport schools — and acknowledging the challenges.
The great non-profit — which does so much to fight homelessness and hunger in Westport — hosts an annual fundraiser, with some of America’s best comics. It’s an evening of laughs, for a fantastic cause.
This year’s featured comedian is Dustin Nickerson. His “Overwhelmed” debut in 2020 is one of the highest rated special on Amazon Prime Video.
He’s been featured on Comedy Central, Netflix, the Late Show with James Carden, Fox and Hulu, and is heard regularly on Sirius Radio XM.
Mark the date: Saturday, September 28 (Quick Center, Fairfield University). Tickets are $175 (including cocktails and a light supper, 6:30 p.m.) and $75 (performance only, 8:30 p.m.). Click here to purchase, and for more information.
Dustin Nickerson
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After-school childcare is one of the toughest juggling acts for working parents.
Once again this year, the Westport Public Schools and Westport Weston Family YMCA are coordinating care for children in grades K-5.
The program offers a variety of educational and physical activities, including STEM, art, outdoor play, social-emotional learning, and more.
It runs until 6 p.m., and includes transportation to the Y. Click here for details.
For many shoppers, CraftWestport marks the start of the holiday season.
This year’s event is November 2-3, in the Staples High School fieldhouse. Over 175 vendors will participate, showcasing ceramics, textiles, woodworking, jewelry, glass art, skincare products, food and more. The event is a benefit for the Westport Young Woman’s League.
All-weekend admission is $11; seniors 62+ are $10; children 12-18 are $5; those under 12 are free. Click here for more details.
“Script in Hand” is one of the Westport Country Playhouse most popular features.
The 2024 season returns with a special twist. “Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Swing” was directed and co-written by Trey Ellis — the noted Westport novelist/ screenwriter/playwriter/essayist/director.
In 1947, Satchel Paige was a charismatic pitcher, and Negro Leagues legend.
But as Jackie Robinson embarked upon a historic first season in the majors, Paige’s fame was eclipsed, and his desire for greater respect increasingly frustrated.
Set in Kansas City during a barnstorming tour, this jazz-infused tale portrays an America on the brink of change, capturing the struggle for equality on and off the field. “Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Swing” is a powerful story of resilience and transformation, at a defining moment in the nation’s history.
All tickets are $30. Click here to purchase, and for more details.
Trey Ellis
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The Peter Thorp House — one of Weston’s oldest and most intriguing homes — is open to the public next month.
The Weston History & Culture Center offers guided tours — plus a rose garden cocktail party, music performance and raffle — on September 29 (4 to 7 p.m.).
Proceeds support the Weston History & Culture Center’s upcoming permanent exhibit in the Coley Barn, “Weston at Work.” It explores the town’s industrial past through manufacturing, agriculture and textile production, highlighting the overlooked contributions of enslaved, free Black, immigrant, women and child laborers from the 18th to early 20th centuries.
Early bird tickets are $125, and include 5 complimentary raffle tickets.
Westport Police made 1 custodial arrest between August 7 and 14.
A 67-year-old Westport man was charged with criminal violation of a civil protection order, and criminal mischief, following a complaint that, despite an order barring him from assaulting, threatening, abusing, harassing, following, interfering with or stalking the protected person, he placed a bible on a table outside of the residence, opened to a specific verse and with a knife stabbed through the pages.
Six days later, Westport police officers and firefighters responded to his residence after a report of a fire. He was in the back yard, near recently burned grass. It was determined he had been performing a “ritual” when he set the grass on diew.
He posted a $50,000 bond, and will appear August 22 in Stamford Superior Court.
Westport Police also issued these citations:
Driving while texting: 12 citations
Traveling unreasonably fast: 11
Failure to obey traffic control signals: 7
Operating a motor vehicle under suspension: 5
Failure to comply with state traffic commission regulations: 5
Operating a motor vehicle without a license: 4
Failure to obey stop sign: 3
Failure to renew registration: 3
Failure to drive in the proper lane: 2
Failure to insure a motor vehicle: 2
Operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance 2
Simple trespass: 1
Reckless driving: 1
Passing in no-passing zone: 1
Following too closely: 1
Improper stop: 1
Falsified marker, license or registration: 1
improper use of marker: 1
Failure to carry insurance card: 1
Failure to return license: 1
Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 1
Operating a motor vehicle without tint inspection: 1
Illegal operation by a motor carrier: 1.
Tinted windows must be inspected!
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Every day, kids hang out at Wakeman Field.
Is this some kind of strange ball they kicked through the goalpost?
(Photo/Cathy Utz)
Nope.
Just the sun doing what it does every day: setting.
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Longtime Westport Rotary Club member Lyla Steenbergen addressed the organization at its Tuesday lunch meeting.
As chair of the International Giving Committee, she presented an overview of the local group’s current projects.
For several years, she has helped equip and enlarge a hospital in Uganda. This year, the Rotarians will add a vision and dental clinic.
Other projects include NicaPhoto, which creates after-school programs in Nicaragua; Gift of Life, which funds pediatric heart surgeries, and M-Lisada, which brings education programs and scholarships to 2,100 youngsters Uganda.
Westport Rotary is also involved in water, irrigation and sanitation projects in Nepal and Kenya.
Lyla Steenbergen (Photo/Dave Matlow)
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The weather the past few days has been spectacular.
It’s that time of year when summer is ending, but the craziness of a new school year has not yet begun.
Everyone is chill.
Including this guy, who is relaxing just like the rest of us.
Ben Meyer spotted him at Owenoke near Gray’s Creek, posing for today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature photo.
And finally … in honor of Trey Ellis’ Script in Hand show at the Westport Country Playhouse, “Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Swing”:
(As summer fades, “06880” helps you get ready for the “new year.” Thanks for sending us the news we need — and for supporting us with a few bucks, too. Please click here. Thank you!)
Across America, schools are agonizing over what to do about cell phones.
Greens Farms Academy has made a decision. When school starts next month, they’ll be banned during school hours.
And smart watches, too.
The announcement came in a message to Upper School families and students this week, from head of school Bob Whelan.
He cited 2 reasons: the devices’ disruption of students’ focus and learning, and their “obstacle to our collective ability to create a more fully engaged learning community, especially one committed to connection and student well-being.”
Whelan notes, “despite real efforts to resist their pull, cell phones/smartwatches capture and hold attention with potent efficiency. Too often, this impedes students’ ability to be present and fully engaged in developing important relationships at school.
Studying hard? Or hardly studying?
“Additionally, while we recognize the many benefits of these devices, their pervasive presence throughout the academic day can significantly disrupt attention, eroding student focus and learning. Research shows that limiting cell phone use during school hours leads to better academic outcomes, a greater sense of student well-being, and a more positive school climate.”
After talking with schools that have adopted phone-free environments — and seen improvement in learning and engagement — GFA formulated a plan.
The school will provide each Upper School student with a Yondr pouch. As they enter the building, a staff member will lock their devices inside.
Students will keep the locked, magnetic storage bags in their backpack or locker, until the end of the day. As they leave, staff members — stationed at various exits — will unlock them.
Each student is responsible for bringing his or her Yondr pouch to and from school every day.
As Greens Farms Academy students stream into school this fall, they’ll begin a new routine: turning off, then locking their phones.
“We recognize that adapting to a cell phone/smartwatch-free environment will take some time for both students and parents,” Whelan wrote.
“We also understand that circumstances will arise that require parents to reach their child during the school day. Please be assured that parents can utilize the Upper School Office to pass on messages to students in a timely manner.”
Yesterday, Whelan expanded on the decision.
“My thinking has evolved,” he admitted.
“I used to think, ‘technology will be a feature of these kids’ lives. How can we help them understand and use it?'”
Greens Farms Academy head of school Bob Whelan
Over the past couple of years, however, he has been “haunted” by the realization that app developers engineer their products in an “incredibly compelling” way.
“We have a big responsibility to teenagers, at this crucial developmental stage when their brains are wiring themselves in the most significant way since they were toddlers,” he said.
“I don’t envy kids. They’re trying to develop relationships and skills, while competing with this incredibly powerful device.”
As he, his administrators, and GFA counselors, staff and athletic director studied the issue, they realized “it’s almost like kids are being held hostage to their devices. And we’re not serving them well if we enable this.”
Schools that have already implemented no-phone policies offered “reassurance,” Whelan said. “When everyone was away from their devices together, everyone felt better.”
After, of course, an initial “adaptation phase” of 1 1/2 to 2 weeks. Students at those schools “grudgingly” admitted they were glad to give up their phones.
And, Whelan was told, “schools become louder. As an educator, you should want that.”
Speaking of noise: GFA is thinking about students’ free time, without phones.
They’ve bought ping pong, spikeball, and board games like Uno. They’ll rely on the Student Council to come up with other ideas.
Anything is on the table — anything, that is, that involves eye contact and developing relationships.
When Whelan sent out his email, he added Frequently Asked Questions to address emergencies.
“All classrooms and offices have a phone that can call 911,” the document says.
“During classroom orientation, we will ensure that students are aware of the location of landline phones and what to do in the event of an emergency. Additional phones are available outside of the classrooms and throughout the building.”
It adds that school protocols “have been designed in partnership with local law enforcement and emergency services and are based on research and best practice related to school safety.
“The best thinking about safety, and common sense, recommends that students do not make individual calls, send texts, take videos or pictures, or engage in any other activities on their cell phones during an emergency.”
Students with a medical condition that is monitored via a phone or watch can work with the school nurse, GFA says.
Addressing concerns of parents whose youngsters “check in” with them during the day, the school offers some gentle advice:
Providing students with the opportunity to navigate the peaks and valleys of the academic day helps to build resilience — a valuable learning opportunity unto itself. We encourage students to partner with trusted adults in the Upper School to address challenges that may arise during a school day.
School counselors will help students — and parents — with the “skills and resources needed to navigate this transition.”
As for students who use phones to access their schedules, GFA notes: “All schedules are available in Veracross, which is accessible to each student through any computer.”
Another recommendation: printing out 2 copies of the schedule, one for themselves, another for their lockers.
Sometimes a high-tech problem can have a very low-tech solution.
New policy in place, at the Beachside Avenue school.
(“06880” covers education, technology, teenage life — and sometimes, like today, they all intersect. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support this hyper-local blog. Thank you!)
The other day I received a panicked text from a dear friend, who was on her iPad on Metro-North.
She had rushed onto a train to New York after hearing that her son was hospitalized with a life-threatening allergic reaction. In her rush, she dropped her iPhone somewhere at the Saugatuck station.
I was in Norwalk, but immediately headed back to collect the phone.
I called it, in case a Good Samaritan was nearby.
A man answered. His name was Ken. He asked if I’d left my phone at the station.
I explained the situation. While I stayed on, Ken walked across the street and asked if someone at Harvest could hold the phone for me.
Johnny, the manager at Harvest, joined the call and assured me he’d keep the phone safe. Here’s a photo of Johnny with the phone, which he indeed kept safe.
My friend was never able to properly thank Ken for his help, as I did not get his last name. I hope he reads “06880.”
We are both so appreciative of how Ken and Johnny stepped up to help, during a very stressful situation. Having her phone lost or stolen would have made a challenging day far worse.
(Unsung Hero is a weekly “06880” feature. To nominate a hero, email 06880blog@gmail.com. To support our work, please click here. Thank you!)
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“It was an honor to play a small role in this amazing organization’s century-long service to the Westport and Weston community,” McCormick says.
“During classroom orientation, we will ensure that students are aware of the location of landline phones and what to do in the event of an emergency. Additional phones are available outside of the classrooms and throughout the building.”
