Less than 5 hours after a multi-car chase through 2 towns, the Westport Police Department have arrested 9 suspects, both juvenile and adult.
They were involved in attempted burglaries and/or thefts of vehicles, garages and homes.
Two stolen vehicles and one handgun were recovered.
At approximately 11 a.m. this morning, the WPD was alerted by the Fairfield Police Department to be on the lookout for a car occupied by 3 males wearing masks.
The suspects had been trying door handles of vehicles in residential driveways, and reportedly made at least one attempt to enter a garage. The suspects’ car was last seen near the Fairfield/Westport town line.
Westport units checked the area. A detective in an unmarked police vehicle located the car and suspects walking up a residential driveway, attempting to enter a parked vehicle.
A second unmarked police vehicle arrived to assist. When the suspect recognized them as officers they fled, striking and significantly damaging and disabling one police vehicle, and injuring an officer.
The vehicle fled toward I-95 southbound, where it became disabled due to damage from the initial collision. It stopped between exits 18 and 17.
Multiple units from several police agencies responded, and quickly apprehended a number of suspects who attempted to flee on foot.
The vehicle the suspects were in was previously reported stolen, and found to contain a handgun.
While officers were setting up a perimeter and attempting to apprehend the suspects involved in this incident, a secondary vehicle known to officers to be involved in similar criminal activity passed through the search area.
This vehicle, also previously reported as stolen, contained multiple occupants. When officers attempted to stop this secondary vehicle, it immediately fled, and struck an unmarked police vehicle operated by Chief Foti Koskinas.
The vehicle then began traveling recklessly through local roads — including Hillspoint and Greens Farms Roads — to elude officers.
The secondary suspects eventually made their way to the Sherwood Island Connector, where the vehicle was involved in an accident that disabled it.
Aftermath of today’s multi-car chase, on the Sherwood Island Connector. (Photo/Andrew Colabella)
Several more subjects were taken into custody. This motor vehicle accident necessitated a brief closure of the roadway, which has since been re-opened to traffic.
The 9 suspects arrested range in age from 12 to 20 years old. They have been charged with both criminal and motor vehicle offenses.
Although this is an ongoing investigation, it is believed that all parties directly involved in today’s incidents have been apprehended. Westport Police say there is no threat to the community associated with this investigation.
Further details on arrests and charges will be provided later.
Yesterday, Representative Town Meeting member Seth Braunstein told “06880” that after careful examination, he now supports the Long Lots School Building Committee’s decision to adopt “Option C,” for a new structure.
Westport Community Gardens chair Lou Weinberg responds:
A new Long Lots Elementary School can and should be built while preserving, in their current location, the Westport Community Gardens and the Long Lots Preserve. Nobody is trying to delay or stop a new school from being built. This is not a Gardens or school issue. This is a Gardens and school issue.
We understand that you’ve been given a lot of information by the Long Lots School Building Committee. They have expertise in architecture and engineering, and were appointed by our First Selectwoman. They have volunteered a lot of their own time, and that is to be commended.
To those who believe that the main focus of the Long Lots project should be the kids: You’re right.
The LLSBC was tasked with getting a new school built. They are not a land-use planning committee. The decision to place a ballfield over the Gardens and part of the Long Lots Preserve came from them. It was not part of the Board of Education specifications that were given to them. The proposed ballfield will not serve the educational or physical needs of the Long Lots students.
The decision to put a ballfield over the Gardens has been in the works for many months. We know that the LLSBC has been involved in this decision through communications with the Parks & Recreation Department and other athletic groups in town.
The Long Lots School Building Committee’s recommendation for a new school.
While we don’t know the full extent of what discussions took place, we know that the Westport Soccer Association has been significantly involved to the point of offering money to Parks & Rec to ensure that synthetic turf get added to the project to increase their field usage.
We know that our Parks Department, under Jennifer Fava, has been working to get a ballfield located at Long Lots, at the expense of the 20 year old WCG and parts of the LL Preserve. It is hurtful, and we believe it is wrong.
If the First Selectwoman believes it’s possible to create a bigger/better community garden at Baron’s South, she can certainly locate the ballfield there. It’s centrally located and more convenient for everyone in town.
The artificial turf proposed for the ballfield would not exacerbate the flooding experienced by the neighbors adjacent to the Gardens. Those neighbors would also be unaffected by the lights and the noise.
Additionally the traffic, which will undoubtedly get worse in the Long Lots neighborhood, would be somewhat mitigated. Instead of having a new garden created on questionable soil, the questionable soil can be covered with artificial turf, without disturbing it, and satisfying a need for a new ballfield in town. That is a solution where everyone wins.
The Long Lots Building Committee recommended this site at Baron’s South for the relocated Westport Community Gardens. (Photo/Morley Boyd)
The decree that the Gardens are going to be destroyed anyway, because they are part of a construction site and probable staging area, was made by the LLSBC at the 11th hour.
What would this committee do if there were 4 homes located where the Gardens are? They would find a way to get a school built. They would find staging areas elsewhere, like Baron’s South or the Sherwood Island connector, or they would maximize efficiencies on site.
There has been no peer review of the options generated by the LLSBC for this $100 million dollar project, and now we are shoving this option through the town governing bodies at a rapid clip.
Covering the Gardens with a ballfield, especially an artificial turf field, would be environmentally devastating. It goes against everything we are trying to teach our kids about being good stewards of the environment.
The Westport Community Gardens and LL Preserve are nationally awarded, first-in-class properties. They are models of sustainability and environmental stewardship. They are unique ecological gems in Westport. The biodiversity in these 4 acres is the result of 20 years of carefully tending to the land. We have cleared the land, removed the garbage, eradicated invasive plants that were devastating the property, and planted hundreds of native trees, shrubs and wildflowers. The Garden is an organic acre of native trees, shrubs, and thousands of perennials. It is home to literally thousands of native bees and other important pollinators, insects and birds.
The WCG membership (120 families representing approximately 300 residents) has a significant portion of older residents. The Gardens provide them with one of the best passive recreational activities known.
The offer to create a new community garden at Baron’s South to make it more convenient for our seniors rings hollow. A new garden there would still not be within walking distance of the Senior Center. Many of our older members will not be willing to put in the incredible amount of work it will take to build a new garden. We don’t need any new amenities. A Port-a-Potty has served us just fine for the last 20 years.
Westport Community Gardens.
The WCG is a community that has developed over 20 years. It is vibrant, active, and does not just serve the garden members themselves. We donate food through Grow a Row, support the Westport Garden Club and work together with Eagle Scouts. We have partnered with the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, SLOBS, and over 20 businesses and nonprofit agencies to create this magical place.
Hundreds of individuals have donated $40,000 and labored to create the Long Lots Preserve. We provide a phenomenal opportunity for Westport Public Schools to partner with us in a number of different areas, including their environmental education curriculum as dictated by state standards.
Imagine that there were 20 community gardens in town and one ballfield, built by hand and maintained for 20 years by the sports community. If one of the gardens was going to be displaced, would we all agree that the ballfield should be destroyed so we don’t lose a garden? No. We wouldn’t do that. It wouldn’t be right.
We believe any other town in America would celebrate and protect what Westporters have created here.
“The slide” — the simultaneously high-tech and low-tech effort to replace the aging I-95 Saugatuck Avenue bridge with a new one, constructed alongside it — began Friday afternoon.
Dire warnings of gridlock aside, traffic flowed smoothly through Westport Friday night. And all day Saturday. And Sunday morning.
Anyone who expected a long journey on the Post Road, or through Saugatuck, zipped right along.
Until yesterday afternoon.
Suddenly, things were as bad as we’ve ever seen. The Post Road was jammed for miles, and drivers were not playing nice. Running red lights, blocking side streets, pulling into oncoming traffic — if there was a way to be a jerk, they found it.
Meanwhile, Waze and similar apps were routing drivers through parts of Westport that seldom see traffic, like Gorham Avenue and Hermit Lane. Hermit Lane!
The bizarre thing is: “The slide” was completed far earlier than expected. By mid-afternoon yesterday, the new bridge was in place.
The state Department of Transportation send out this message:
So yeah, we survived “the slide.”
Now we just have to do it all over again, 2 weeks from now.
The other side of the bridge is not going to move itself. (Hat tip: Susan Iseman)
Michael Beebe reports from the Westport Community Gardens:
“Despite the soggy weather and the pall cast by the Long Lots School Building Committee recommendation, our final workday of the 2023 gardening season was Saturday,
“24 volunteers cleaned up the garden grounds, and made them ready for winter. We are all hopeful that come spring, we will be readying our plots for planting our seedlings, as we have for 20 years.
Erin and Steve Loranger, getting the Community Garden ready for winter.
“In many ways it was business as usual. But between loads of wood chips, there
was a lot of discussion of the town’s decision to destroy the hard work of this hearty community.
“We even had a couple of visitors: a Long Lots parent and her kindergarten daughter. They wanted to learn more about the garden, in light of the controversy. The mom seemed concerned that the controversy about the garden was holding up construction of the school.
“I pointed out that the actual debate is about sports fields vs the garden. In fact, the LLSBC had an option which left the garden right where it was — proving that the garden itself is not an obstacle to a timely start. They just chose a different option.”
Michael sent photos of “a cheerful crew doing what we have always done: getting fresh air, working together as a community, and keeping the gardens beautiful.”
Volunteering at the Community Gardens work day (from left):Andrew Giangrave, Julie O’Grady, Teresa Roth, Franco Fellah, Patty Duecy, Pipa Ader.
Just after 4 p.m. yesterday, Westport Police were alerted to a boating incident, with missing people.
Sometime after 9:30 a.m., a small fishing boat anchored on the south side of Cockenoe Island sank, in choppy waters.
There were 5 people on the small vessel; all ended up in Long Island Sound. The Westport Police Marine Unit rescued 3. Assisted by the US Coast Guard Marine and Air Units, Norwalk and Fairfield Police Marine Divisions, and Suffolk County Air Unit, they searched for the other 2.
The 2 missing men are from Spring Valley and Suffern, New York. A significant language barrier hampered ability to identify the missing men. Police are working with translators during the investigation.
Any boaters near Cockenoe Island between 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. yesterday are asked to call the Westport Police Department: 203-341-6000.
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This marks the 50th anniversary of the release of “The Exorcist.”
It’s hard to remember now, but reaction to the film was vehement. Much of it centered around Regan, the girl who was possessed (and whose head swiveled completely around, and who spewed green vomit and did unspeakable things with a crucifix).
Come to think of it, maybe that reaction wasn’t so unpredictable.
Regan was played by Linda Blair. A 14-year-old Staples High School student who had been working as a model and actress since she was 6, she was chosen from 600 others for the role.
Blair earned a Golden Globe Award, was nominated for an Oscar — and received death threats for her “blasphemy.” (She also dated Rick Springfield who, age 25, was 10 years older.)
All of that background is because yesterday’s New York Times included a 50-year retrospective of “The Exorcist.” Three critics assess the film’s impact, then and now. Click here to read. (Hat tip: Fred Cantor)
“06880” often celebrates Westport’s rich history. We honor homeowners who preserve the past, while enhancing their neighborhoods by giving new life to old properties.
Which is why our first-ever “Historic Homes of 06880” house tour is so special. On Sunday, November 5 (2 to 5 p.m.), you’ll have a chance to check out 4 of our town’s oldest, most interesting homes.
The go-at-your-own-pace tour includes:
29 North Avenue, the fascinating tiny 1700s home that Annette Norton has lovingly restored
39 Cross Highway, the handsome remodeled house at the corner of Weston Road that recently won a preservation award
190 Cross Highway, the intriguing barn/artists’ studio that the British passed on their way to burn the Danbury arsenal, and
6 Old Hill Road, the 1707 home that was lovingly restored after a 2-year renovation project.
Homeowners, members of “06880”‘s board of directors, and our friends from KMS Team at Compass will point out cool aspects of each home. We’ll answer questions. You’ll get a brochure explaining the 4 houses too.
Tickets are $60 each, $100 for 2. Proceeds help fund “06880”‘s work — which, as always, chronicles Westport’s past, present and future.
Click here for tickets. It’s our “Donate” page. Please note “Historic Homes of ‘06880’” with your order.
A large crowd enjoyed Neil Gaiman’s StoryFest lecture on Friday.
It also doubled as the fall 2023 Malloy Lecture in the Arts. The twice-annual event was endowed by Susan Malloy.
But who was she?
Before Gaiman spoke, Ann Sheffer — Malloy’s niece — gave some insights into the woman who devoted her life the arts, libraries, and Westport (and who would have been 100 years this coming February 28):
Ann said:
“Susan was my mother’s younger sister. They, their brother and their parents started coming to Westport in the early 1930s. In 1935 they bought a 1790 house on Cross Highway.
“My parents moved to Westport in the early 1950s, and Susan and family moved here in the early ’60s. They were all deeply enmeshed in the political, educational and cultural life of our community.
“Susan studied at the Art Students League after college. In Westport she a studio in her house, and painted every day – between carpooling, PTA meetings, and working to create the Westport Schools Permanent Art Collection and Arts Center, among other Westport institutions. She also created birdhouses for the Project Return auction.
“In our family, a common theme was a love of libraries. My grandfather, an immigrant who dropped out of school after 8th grade, loved books, bought libraries at estate sales and gave them away. He endowed libraries, including this one, through his Tudor Foundation.
“The Malloy Lecture represents the convergence of all of Susan’s interests and talents.”
The Staples High School boys soccer team is enjoying a banner year. They head into this week’s FCIAC playoffs, and next month’s state tournament, as the #2 team in Connecticut.
To keep their program on top — and pay for things like assistant coaches, field maintenance and more — they’re running an online auction.
Items include a ski house, cooking classes, boat trips, Broadway tickets and more.
Click here to see all the items, and bid. The auction ends next Sunday (October 29, 10 p.m.).
The 2023 Staples boys varsity, JV and freshman teams. (Photo/Mark Sikorski)
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Today’s “Westport … Naturally” image — of last of the fall” dahlias — comes courtesy of Peter J. Swift (and the Westport Community Gardens).
As darkness fell last night, over 300 Westporters lit Jesup Green with candles.
In the chill October air they stood shoulder to shoulder in support of Israel, and prayed for the safe return of hostages held by Hamas.
They gathered, Rev. Heather Sinclair of the United Methodist Church said, for “comfort, support and reassurance,” and in “sadness, grief, anger, fear and frustration.”
Rabbi Yehudah Kantor of Chabad of Westport and Weston noted, “Some rise up in arms. We rise up by linking arms.”
They sang the Israeli national anthem, and America’s.
They observed a moment of silence. And then, spontaneously, they sang “Am Yisrael Chai.” The words mean: “the people of Israel live.”
The vigil was non-partisan. No politicians spoke.
But the words of the multi-faith clergy — and the size of the crowd — spoke volumes.
(From left): Rabbi Greg Wall of Beit Chaverim, Rabbi Michael Friedman of Temple Israel and Rev. Heather Sinclair of the United Methodist Church, before the vigil.
Organizers of the vigil distributed flyers of many of the 200 hostages held by Hamas. Like other Westporters, Lauren Soloff and Wes Malowitz (above) have relatives and friends in Israel.
Staples High School seniors Jeremy Rosenkranz (left) and Eitan Eiger.
Andrew Colabella, during the national anthem.
(From left): Police Chief Foti Koskinas, 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker and Bill Mitchell. Westport Police provided security for the event.
Clarence Hayes has lived in Westport for 6 years. A senior vice president in global technology at Bank of America, he manages its user-facing data networks, and associated $225 million budget.
He has crunched the numbers on the Long Lots Elementary School project. Clarence writes:
The Board of Education and Long Lots School Building Committee need to convince the voters of Westport, via a public detailed document, why “Repair and Properly Maintain” is not an option for Long Lots.
Principal and interest on a $100 million new school at today’s AAA muni rates is around $6 million a year, for 30 years. Taxes will go up.
Other town investments will be squeezed by the pressure on the budget. The voters deserve to understand how we came to the original decision.
This section of Long Lots Elementary School — originally the main entrance to the junior high school — was built in 1953.
It is “received wisdom” that repairing and maintaining the current school would be “penny wise, pound foolish” and is not an option. As an incoming RTM member (running unopposed), I am trying to discover the basis of this position.
What I have found: Based on a 2021 building assessment (Colliers), an expectation of increased enrollment, and the mismatch between original Long Lots use as a middle school vs. elementary school needs, the BOE and Board of Finance recommended the evaluation of a new school as an option.
However, the primary reason was the condition of the building (from a June 28, 2022 BOE presentation to the BOF).
These reports are the detail about the school condition. Everything else is anecdote or rumor.
The picture they paint is of buildings which are energy inefficient, not all built to the highest construction standards, and not consistently maintained over the years with timely quality repair.
The Colliers Assessment states they have not done invasive inspection, and they pass no judgment on structural issues. They state that fuller assessments should be done.
This wing — the current main entrance — was added in the 1970s.
Those fuller assessments are the MEP and Envelope reports done by LLSBC consultants. The Collier assessment has been superseded.
The new, deeper MEP and Envelope reports include “repair” sections. If you read these, you will find that here is only one serious problem: The pre-1970s buildings have negative pressurization, which is the cause of excess humidity.
This excess humidity contributes to other defects. Remediation requires the installation of a ventilation system, which could be done during the summer, for $4.2 million.
Other than this, everything else is normal maintenance repairs, and not the same scale of expense. Those minor items add up, presumably to several million dollars more, but they were not priced out fully.
The façade report lists 16 items, each of which is relatively insubstantial and the kind of repair you would expect in normal quality maintenance: “fix the broken glass over door 13,” “clean the stucco outside the music room,” etc.
The roofing report lists 18 repair items, prefaced with the comment “the roofing system is under repair for the next 5 years” so route through the warranty and demand performance. These items are also normal maintenance: “replace loose fasteners,” “wrinkled cap sheets should be replaced (warranty),” etc.
The structural report is shorter: Seal the cracks in the brick masonry, clean the stucco at the music wing. The report states there are no imminent structural risks.
Long Lots Elementary School. (Drone photo/Brandon Malin)
These recommendations come with the preface that the consultants were asked how to keep the building in good condition for “5-10 years,” pending new construction. But the analyses are not limited to a “5-10 years” time frame.
The recommendations look like one major investment (ventilation) and catch-up maintenance, which provide for an indefinite future life for the buildings. They do not state that this work gets you only 5-10 years, but after that the buildings will be irreparable and the town will be faced with massive new expenditures.
The conclusion I come away with from these reports is that repairs in the sub- $10 million one-time range will catch up for the failure to do proper maintenance in the past, and, if timely quality repair is continued going forward, there is no definite date when these buildings have to be replaced.
Much of the discussion appears to mix normal expected maintenance costs associated with HVAC equipment, and other aspects of the buildings. AC units and boilers are 25+ years old and near end of life. That is part of the normal lifecycle, i.e. maintenance, of buildings. It is not a reason to demolish these structures and build new.
Decisions regarding these components will likely require additional investments, as is the case at all the schools. But the cost of quality maintenance and eventual replacement is part of any building operating budget.
Long Lots is clearly energy inefficient. The MEP report says a “net zero” building would use 5 times less energy. But the cost is not quantified. Is this $200,000 or $2 million per year in lower costs?
“Repair and maintain” does not promise a modern “net-zero” building with the latest architectural flourishes. But it may provide a clean, safe and entirely adequate learning environment for many decades, as it has for the past 60 years.
I intend to campaign for “repair and maintain,” making efforts to convince my fellow RTM to vote “no” on a new build, and “yes” for a heightened focus on quality maintenance to extend the life of town assets.
I do not object to higher taxes, and I am happy to change my mind. But the BOF/BOE need to make a convincing case that my interpretation of the engineering reports is wrong.
At least, that’s what I figure after readers responded quickly to last week’s Photo Challenge.
Ed Simek’s shot showed tables, chairs, umbrellas and potted plants. One person thought it was Terrain, another the Black Duck. But everyone else knew it was the outdoor dining area at the popular restaurant across from Coffee An’. (Click here to see.)
Congratulations to Rachel Halperin-Zibelman, Susan Iseman, Kate Caputo Squyres, Andrew Colabella, Janice Strizever, Susan Yules, Marjolin Baxendale and Meredieth Messing.
If’ “06880” gave out prizes to winners, you’d get gift cards to the restaurant.
But we don’t.
Still, we hope you’ll play this week too. If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.
In the wake of the Board of Education’s 4-2 vote against keeping the Westport Community Gardens at their present Long Lots Elementary School location, Republican BOE candidates Jamie Fitzgerald and Camilo Riano issued this statement:
“If we were seated members of the Board of Education, we each would have supported the amended motion regarding the preservation of the community gardens that was defeated 4-2 on Thursday, October 19. We believe Board of Education members have an obligation to take a holistic view of all decisions and the impact they have on all Westport constituents.”
On Thursday, a Westport resident placed a lone Israel flag on the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge.
On Friday, it was replaced by dozens of flags, of a wide variety of nations.
(Photo/Tracy Porosoff)
Nothing nefarious was going on. The town of Westport was not trying to make a political statement.
The flags of world nations go up every year at this time, on the span named for the Westporter who spent her life volunteering for the United Nations (and started our town’s jUNe Day welcoming tradition, over 50 years ago).
The flags go up twice a year: on jUNe Day in the summer, and for UN Day. The holiday marking the founding of the organization is Tuesday.
Back to Israel: Today’s candlelight vigil supporting safe return of the hostages taken by Hamas is tonight (Sunday), 6 to 6:45 p.m. on Jesup Green. Attendees are asked to bring real or electric candles (in case of wind).
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Matthew Van Gessel returned to the Westport stage last night.
As he did throughout his Staples Players career, the 2011 graduate played a psychologically fraught character, with outstanding depth and nuance.
Van Gessel was one half of the cast of “Gentle Hacksaw.” The drama — combining religion, identity and violence — had its world premier staged reading as part of the Westport Library’s 6th annual StoryFest.
The event continues today (Sunday) with a TeachRock Workshop, Pink or Treat Halloween parade with children’s author Victoria Kann, and pitchfest for authors. Click here for details.
Matthew Van Gessel (left) and Ahmad Maksoud on the Westport Library stage. (Photo/Dan Woog)
Today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo comes courtesy of Betsy Amitin. She writes:
“With so many atrocities all over the news, I am trying to shift my focus to notice sweet spot small moments that give me comfort or joy throughout the day.
“Looking out my kitchen window on yet another soggy fall day, I noticed this squirrel had found shelter from the downpour underneath our outdoor table umbrella. It cracked me up.
“It stood there a while, seeming as though it too was taking a quick break from the heaviness surrounding it.”
Seth Braunstein is a Representative Town Meeting member from District 6, and chair of the RTM Finance Committee.
After 2 visits to the Long Lots Elementary School property, his views on the future of the Westport Community Gardens have changed. He now supports the Long Lots School Building Committee’s recommendation to relocate the gardens.
Seth writes:
Sometimes beauty is in the eye of the beholder. You might like one thing, yet I may favor another. Opportunities for interpretation or differing appreciation exist and can be celebrated. However, we can all agree that the Community Gardens and Preserve are beautiful and valuable town assets.
Feasibility generally isn’t something that is open to the same subjective interpretation.
Last Sunday morning I joined roughly 25 other concerned Westport citizens for a formal tour of the Long Lots School property hosted by a majority of the Long Lots School Building Committee.
The LLSBC began the tour by leading the assembled group from the south end of the property where the beautiful Community Gardens and Preserve are located to the north end of the property across various athletic fields (soccer and baseball) spread across 2 distinct property tiers, then to the west side of the property where wilderness (thankfully no poison ivy was encountered) and catch basins and a stream exist amidst a steeply declining grade as the property terminates back behind Harvest Commons.
Part of the Long Lots Elementary School campus. The Community Gardens (not shown) are south of the school. (Drone photo/Brandon Malin)
I am convinced that all parties involved in the hotly debated issues surrounding the question of build new vs. renovate come to this difficult decision with only the best of intentions. I am certain that the Board of Education, the LLSBC and first selectwoman are earnest in their desire to come up with the best solution possible for our community. None of these dedicated public servants have any “nefarious intent” and none of them want to have an outcome here that results in something that would fall short of the high standards our town demands. None of these people deserve the ad hominem attacks they have been subjected to.
I am also certain that supporters of the Community Gardens have sound arguments for why their 2 decades of investment in this property leave them hopeful that their interests and the reality of a new school can effectively coexist with the Garden remaining in its existing footprint. In fact, as a concerned member of the community (and an elected RTM member) I was convinced that this mutually beneficial outcome would be highly likely.
Having now had the benefit of a well detailed explanation for the reasoning behind the LLSBC support of the option they are recommending, along with a firsthand view of the property’s limitations, my view of what is feasible has changed. I had visited the Gardens a couple of months ago at the invitation of a member and at the time struggled to see why the two could not co-exist.
Now I understand why. This is a relatively small piece of property that is already crowded. The LLSBC has worked for months and hosted numerous meetings focused on what can be done to fit all of the existing puzzle pieces together so that all of the various constituencies represented on this property can walk away happy. This has been a huge task (did I mention they are all volunteers?).
The LLSBC has had to consider not just how to build a new school on this cramped property but also, most importantly, how to make sure the children in the existing school can continue to receive the best education possible while in the middle of a construction zone for the roughly two years the project will take to complete.
The committee has considered everything from how buses will enter the property, how parents who prefer to drop their students off will approach the building, where teachers and others working in the school will park, how all of the athletic and outdoor leisure time activities can continue and how to do all of this while minimizing the inevitable disruption that a project of this scale will pose to the neighborhood.
They have also been clear in their desire to consider Westport’s intent to increase sustainability which would require a series of geothermal wells to also occupy the site in the future to increase the energy efficiency of the new building.
Parking and bus loops are considerations in designing a new school.
Under the best of circumstances (and this property does not meet that standard due space limitations, as well as grade and drainage concerns) a project of this magnitude requires significant staging areas. Take a moment to think about things like building materials (steel, brick, windows, etc.), heavy equipment (tractors, backhoes, forklifts), workspaces (construction trailers, bathrooms), large quantities of soil and other materials (to help correct grades and support foundations), not to mention parking for the sizable construction crew. When considering the requisite staging areas, the difficult job of putting this complicated puzzle together becomes untenable.
No one wants to displace the Community Gardens. No one has made a decision to sacrifice this wonderful town resource, but when considering where the flexibility in planning this project falls it is obvious that the school (a $100 million+ investment that will further help burnish our well-regarded school district) must take the highest priority.
Some have chosen to frame this unfortunate circumstance as the Gardens vs. the school or the Gardens vs. town leadership or the BOE. That simply does not reflect the reality of the situation. This really becomes a question of what is actually feasible on this property.
I choose to look at this as an optimization opportunity. Rather than trying to overcome the inherent limits associated with this crowded property, a better solution exists. In fact, it is a solution that has already been brought forth by the LLSBC itself. The Community Gardens could be moved to a portion of the Baron’s South property. While this will undoubtedly upset the supporters of the Community Gardens (and they have earned the right to be upset given the two decades of work they have invested in the current location) it might actually offer a better outcome long term for the Gardens and for the Town.
I have been a long-term supporter of preserving the rare open space left in Westport (check the voting record – I was adamantly opposed to a deal to develop Baron’s South for housing or for active uses), but placing the Community Gardens on a portion of the property could accomplish a number of desirable outcomes.
First, it would provide an environmentally positive usage of the land that would be consistent with the passive usage spirit of the current zoning (while drawing many more people to this vastly underutilized town jewel).
Second, it would actually provide the Gardens with a bigger space than is currently being utilized. I’d also add that the supporters of the Gardens have cited the number of seniors that have enjoyed the Gardens and moving the location to a spot in Baron’s South that would place them just a few steps from the Senior Center seems like a beneficial outcome. It is difficult for me to see how this wouldn’t be a classic win/win scenario.
The proposed site of the Community Gardens, at the Senior Center. (Photo/Morley Boyd)
Ultimately, the RTM will be presented with an appropriation request for this building project and the full range of issues associated with this property will be debated. From where I stand, legitimate questions exist around the status of the baseball field. The mandate for the LLSBC was to retain all existing school features and a baseball field is one of those features so it should be included in the new plans. However, any discussion of turf or lights or a vast increase in the scale and scope of a new field should be scrutinized.
I’d also add in closing that as an RTM member and chair of the RTM’s Finance Committee I would vote to have the town provide funding for the transition of the Gardens’ location (there may be a chance to maintain the Preserve in its current location). The Gardens are unquestionably one of Westport’s jewels and moving them to a spot where they can continue to grow and blossom, rather than exist in some sort of limbo amidst at least two years of construction, seems like a smart way forward.
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At approximately 11 a.m. this morning, the WPD was alerted by the Fairfield Police Department to be on the lookout for a car occupied by 3 males wearing masks.
