The 2 portable classrooms for Long Lots Elementary School approved Tuesday by the Board of Education hit a roadblock yesterday.
The Board of Finance declined to vote on the $600,000 request. They want to make sure that other options — including moving some students to other schools with more space — are considered.
It was another quiet week — mostly — for the Westport Police Department.
There were 3 custodial arrests.
One man was charged with enticing/inducing/coercing a minor with computer service for sex. Another was arrested for criminal trespass.
A third was charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol, evading responsibility, and failure to drive in the proper lane.
Gorjana will open this summer, at #74 — the current location of Sunglass Hut.
Gorjana — a high-end jewelry boutique based in California — opened its first Connecticut location on Greenwich Avenue early last year. They operate 40 boutiques in “lifestyle centers and high street locations in affluent markets nationwide.”
Meanwhile, Courtgirl will lease their first bricks and mortar location: 2,350 square feet on the upper level of 125 Main Street (the Gap building).
The line of gift and related products for tennis and golf launched in 2019. Courtgirl products are now sold in over 500 private clubs, pro shops and sports stores.
Catherine Cassel Talmadge — a longtime Westporter, prominent volunteer in numerous organizations, and beloved wife, mother, sister and friend — died December 30. She was 71 years old.
Born on December 9, 1951, Cathy spent her first few years in Oakland, California and Rochester, Minnesota before the family moved back to her parents’ hometown of Dayton, Ohio. She graduated from Fairview High School there.
In 1975 Cathy received a BA in dance performance, with a minor in philosophy, from Denison University. Cathy practiced modern dance and moved to Breckenridge, Colorado where she met her husband, Tom Talmadge, in 1977.
Cathy and Tom Talmadge
Their early years were carefree, on the slopes and spent with friends in local venues.
In 1979 Cathy returned to school to obtain an MBA at University of Denver, with hopes of opening a dance studio. Though that dream never came to fruition, she discovered a talent for business and communications at a time when it was not scommon for women to have MBAs.
She was soon swept into business operations, including a successful career at Time Warner Cable from 1982 to 2001. Cathy rose to become vice president of finance. She was a pioneer for women in the workforce, with many following in her footsteps.
This role brought Cathy, Tom and their infant daughter Carolyn to Westport in 1989. She lived there for the rest of her life.
(From right): Cathy, Tom and Carolyn Talmadge.
After Time Warner Cable she continued as a consultant with telecommunications companies, including Lemur and Juniper Networks.
Cathy’s active participation in the Westport community for over 3 decades began as a mother with school organizations, and at the Fairfield County Hunt Club.
In recent decades Cathy worked energetically and happily to make Westport a better place to live. For over 14 years she was an elected member of the Representative Town Meeting, serving on its Finance, Public Works and Environment Committees.
Cathy Talmadge
She balanced this with leadership roles in local organizations that work to secure a more sustainable future. She was an early organizer for Wakeman Town Farm, and long-term treasurer as it developed into a viable enterprise.
While she served on the boards of WTF, Friends of Sherwood Island State Park and Earthplace, her daily boots-on-the-ground volunteering was equally appreciated.
In her spare time Cathy was an avid cook, gardener, swimmer, skier, reader, tennis player, hiker and world traveler; a lover of animals, all things beautiful, and all things nature.
Cathy Talmadge, among nature.
In addition to their house pets, Cathy and Tom raised chickens, and cared for a pride of feral cats, working with local trap and neuter organization TAILS to keep them healthy and humanely contained.
Cathy is survived by Tom, her husband of 40 years; her daughter Carolyn of Boston; sisters Polly Cassel of Northampton, Massachusetts, Beth Cassel of San Rafael, California and Martha Cassel of Cambridge, Massachusetts; nieces Stella and Eve Cassel and nephew Rudy Cassel, and many beloved friends.
A public memorial service will be held on January 27 at Greenfield Hill Church in Fairfield (1 p.m., followed by a reception in the hall).
Last month, “06880” published this tribute to Cathy, from her friend Christy Colasurdo. Her longtime friend and fellow Wakeman Town Farm volunteer wrote:
When I met you more than 15 years ago, I was in awe. You were a wonderful cook, gardener, traveler, swimmer, environmentalist, and served on at least 2 town boards.
And that’s just skimming the surface.
You clearly relished your role as a conduit between the players in town and the organizations you served. You knew everyone who was anyone, and they obviously knew and respected you.
But the thing that impressed me the most was how you were always the first to quietly jump in to lend a hand, whether it was wrangling permits from the liquor control board, rolling up your sleeves to sew masks during COVID or dropping off used file folders to cut down on paper waste.
When I think of you, I picture you in your sunny kitchen with a soup bubbling on the stove and a golden retriever and Siamese cat at your feet, switching out your seasonal planters, or working away at your sewing table. You befriended and surrounded yourself with local environmental “greats” like Sal Gilbertie and Norm Bloom, and you were viewed as a civic leader on par with these giants for your commitment to Earthplace, Sherwood Island, the RTM, Wakeman Town Farm and other local organizations fighting for a more sustainable environment.
Cathy Talmadge, at Wakeman Town Farm.
At the Farm you were one of the pioneers, putting yourself in the mix to ensure a successful initial renovation of the aging Wakeman residence to provide a cozy and warm welcome to the first caretaking family.
After this you took on the dual roles of town liaison and farm treasurer, helping create accounting systems, guiding budget decisions, managing the Farm’s first audit and so much more.
To many of us at the Farm you were a valued team player and, more than this: family.
I was deeply affected by your fight through serious illnesses, leading to your kidney transplant last year.
Thank you for your friendship, and for being such a wonderful person. Please know that you have always been an inspiration to me and many others. and that we are with you now.
As animal control officer, Peter Reid does plenty of heroic things. “06880” readers appreciate him — and in November 2021, he was our Unsung Hero of the Week.
Today, Peter pays it forward. He writes:
Last week, the Animal Control department received a call from a citizen reporting that a deer was stuck in her fence.
I went to the scene, but could not free the deer with the tools I had.
Deer stuck in fence. (Photo/Peter Reid)
I called the Westport Fire Department for assistance. Soon there were a lot of very competent firefighters on the scene, with the know-how to do the job.
The deer was freed. Although she was initially weak and shocked, and had suffered abrasions on both sides of her torso, I was able to guide her out a gate. She left the scene under her own power, and was last seen running into the relative safety of a stretch of woods.
I want to nominate the Fire Department as Unsung Heroes. They have helped me rescue animals before. Quite often we are so focused on the task we don’t take photos, but this time I did.
Firefighters at work. (Photo courtesy of Westport Fire Department)
Thanks, Peter. Like you, the Westport Fire Department goes far beyond its job description — often without notice.
This time, their good deeds were seen. Now they can be appreciated by many.
Do you know an Unsung Hero? Please email nominations: 06880blog@gmail.com.
(“Unsung Heroes” appears every Wednesday on “06880.” If you like this (and/or any other features), please contribute to our work. Just click here. Thank you!)
A leaf blower ordinance — discussed for years, and blowing in the wind for the past few months — was finally enacted last night.
Westport’s Representative Town Meeting voted 22-9 in favor of the proposal, which regulates when and which types of leaf blowers can be used, and by whom. The town of Westport is specifically exempted from the rules. Enforcement will be done by the Conservation Department.
Click here, the scroll down to Slide #28, for the full ordinance, and supporting materials.
Meanwhile, the Board of Education voted 4-3 to request up to $600,000 from the Board of Finance (which meets tonight), for 2 modular classrooms at Long Lots Elementary School. The portables will be placed behind the school, near a small play aea.
The Board also discussed redistricting. Pieces of the puzzle include unbalanced populations at Westport’s 5 elementary schools; Stepping Stones preschool, currently housed at Coleytown El but slated to move to Long Lots after a new building is constructed, and the schedule for that new Long Lots.
The new portable classroms would be placed behind the school, at the upper left on this photo. (Drone photo/Brandon Malin)
Westporters — especially seniors and those with low to moderate incomes — can once again take advantage of the town’s no-cost full-service AARP/VITA/IRS Volunteer Tax Assistance Program.
On-site personal counseling is available by appointment at Town Hall (Mondays from 1 to 7 p.m.) and the Senior Center (Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Thursdays from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.), starting January 23. Call 860-590-8910 for an appointment.
The service is also available through a secure internet site. Click here for an appointment.
The “SimplyCT” counselor group that services Westport prepared and filed more than 7,000 returns last season – almost all electronically. Federal refunds of over $10 million were received by their clients..
The program is administered by Westport’s Department of Human Services.
Westport is less than $10,000 away from its goal: raising $250,000 to support our sister city of Lyman, Ukraine.
Yesterday’s donations brought the total to $241,700. Our partners on the ground — Ukraine Aid International, founded by Westporters Brian and Marshall Mayer — are arranging for building supplies, a trash truck and more to be delivered immediately to the war-torn town.
It is far quicker and cheaper for those to be sent from Poland and elsewhere in Europe, rather than the US.
Can we reach our goal today?
Tax-deductible donations can be made to Lyman through Ukraine Aid International. Pleaseclick here. Click the “I want to support” box; then select “Support for the City of Lyman.” Scroll down on that page for other tax-deductible donation options (mail, wire transfer and Venmo). You can also donate directly, via Stripe (click here).
Grammy winner Frank London headlines tomorrow’s Jazz at the Post (Thursday, January 5, VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399, sets at 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; $15 cover; dinner from 7 p.m.).
The trumpeter will be joined by pianist Roberta Piket, bassist Hilliard Greene, drummer Billy Mintz and saxophonist Greg “The Jazz Rabbi” Wall.
Wall calls London “one of the most inconoclastic traditional musicians I have ever met. I have heard him tear down the walls of parochial practices of old and new jazz, swing, bop, klezmer, Gypsy, Baltic, Cuban, West African and many other musical genres, and create community across the globe while bringing joy to literally hundreds of thousands of concert goers.”
Wall and he were partners in Hasidic New Wave, a band combining traditional Jewish celebratory music with downtown jazz, funk and “pure improvised mayhem.” They play together now in Zion80, a “mixed marriage of avant jazz and Afro beat.”
London will play new works inspired by Pharaoh Sanders, John Coltrane, Albert Ayler, Azar Lawrence and others, with an ethnic twist.
Reservations are highly recommended: JazzatthePost@gmail.com
Longtime Westporter Richard Auber of Westport died peacefully on New Year’s Day, surrounded by his family. He was 87.
Dick lived on Long Island before moving with his wife and 5 children here in 1975. He served in the Air National Guard for 6 years.
After graduating from St. John’s University he had a long career in the business world, and retired from the New York Transit Authority in 1987.
He met the love of his life, Elizabeth Mary Schick, in church choir. They were married for 64 years. He enjoyed sharing his singing talents with the St. Luke Church choir every Sunday morning. He also sang with the Hoot Owls and Fairfield County Chorale. He was a gifted storyteller too.
Dick is survived by his wife Elizabeth (Betty) Auber; children Patricia Auber (Tom Magro), Richard (Tatyana Nivina), Ron (Cheryl Fogg), Judy Auber Jahnel (Ferdinand) and Christine Auber (Michael Bauersfeld); 7 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren; his sister Marilyn Fitzpatrick, many nieces and nephews, and countless friends and extended family. He is predeceased by his brother Robert and sister Edna.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday (January 7, 11 a.m.. St. Luke Church). Contributions can be made in his memory to the St. Luke Church Matthew 25 fund, or Food for the Poor.
And finally … Earth Wind, & Fire drummer Fred White died Sunday. He was 67.
The New York Times says he “propelled some of the funkiest songs in pop history, helping to provide a soundtrack to the nation’s weddings, bar mitzvahs, high school reunions and any other function at which people of all ages dance.”
Posted onJanuary 4, 2023|Comments Off on Drew Friedman Scholarships Draw Young Artist Applicants
The arts are thriving in Westport.
And “06880” is proud to partner with the Drew Friedman Community Arts Center to help the next generation of artists develop their talents.
To the tune of 3 scholarships — each worth $7,500.
The grants will go to current high school seniors with financial need who want to pursue an arts education at any level — university, community college or an arts school. All Westport 12th graders are eligible, no matter where they currently attend school.
The DFCAC is funding the 3 scholarships. It was founded by Friedman — the downtown property owner, restauranteur (Onion Alley, Cobb’s Mill Inn, Stonehenge Inn) and philanthropist whose first wife Bobbie was an accomplished artist.
The Drew Friedman Community Arts Center also sponsors workshops and projects for students. The center is administered by Nick Visconti, Friedman’s longtime business partner. (Click here to learn more about the DFCAC.)
Drew Friedman Community Arts Center representatives Miggs Burroughs and Nick Visconti (far right) and then-1st Selectman Jim Marpe congratulate previous arts scholarship winners (from left) Zoe Molina, Lilianna Giaume, Whitney O’Reardon and Katelyn Loucas. The mural in the background at the Westport Woman’s Club was created by youngsters in the Homes with Hope after-school arts program — also funded by DFCAC.
To apply, students who currently participate in art classes or art activities should send up to 8 digital images (JPEGs) of their work. It can be any medium — photography, painting, sculpture, drawing, digital art, or other.
Applicants should also submit a statement of up to 500 words describing the value of art in their life, and the world at large.
Send images and the statement (or any questions) to info@DrewFriedmanCommunityArtsCenter.org (subject line: “2023 Scholarship”). The deadline is February 28.
Submissions will be evaluated by an independent panel of professional artists. Awards will be announced by the end of March, with the winners’ work posted on “06880.”
Comments Off on Drew Friedman Scholarships Draw Young Artist Applicants
Westport’s latest teardown now looks like every other:
(Photo/Matt Murray)
But unlike many homes that smooshed by the wrecking ball, this one will have few mourners.
Here’s what it looked like, pre-demolition:
174 Hillspoint Road is the house that — ever since it was built in 1968, across from Sherwood Mill Pond — never fit in.
Westport Journal’s Thane Grauel described it as “a single-story house with a sort of terracotta mansard roof, white stucco-ish sides, narrow vertical windows and greenhouse windows like a fern bar.”
Architect Christopher Pagliaro was more succinct. He called it the “offspring of a Burger King and a diner.”
And, says Historic District Commission chair William Harris, “When we put the (demolition) sign up, people walking by started applauding.”
I have no idea what will take its place. But it will have to go a long way to be as universally disliked as its predecessor.
If you think the real estate market has slowed a bit lately: You’re right.
There were 472 closed sales in 2022, a decrease of 22.2% from 2021.
But the average days on market dropped from 57 days in ’21 to 52 in ’22. So homes sold a bit more quickly this year.
Average sales price: $2,250,197 in 2022 (up 29% from 2021).
The months supply of inventory was flat from 2021 to 2022, at 3.2 months. A historically normal market is considered to have 6 months of supply. The low figure for Westport could indicate that demand for homes in the area is outstripping the supply, potentially leading to further price appreciation.
About those prices: The average sale in Westport was $2,250,197. That’s a 29% increase over 2021. (Hat tip: The Riverside Realty Group)
The most expensive home on the market is this 11,000-square foot, 6-bedroom, 7 1/2-bath property on 3.45 acres on Charcoal Hill Road. It is listed for $12.5 million.
If you own a house in Westport — like the one above, or perhaps smaller — you think about leaves.
One of the noisiest items on the Representative Town Meeting agenda — a leaf blower ordinance — cranks up at tonight’s meeting (Tuesday, January 3, 7:30 p.m., Town Hall).
Click here, then scroll down to Slide #26 for the regulation itself, and explanatory materials.
Many sides — homeowners, landscaping company owners and town officials — have been heard already. They’re loud and clear, on all sides of the issue.
Checking in recently has been another concerned party.
Tanvi Gorre — president of Staples High School’s Club Green — wrote to support the proposal. Her words are a model of clarity and objectivity. She says:
“This ordinance isn’t perfect, though I am most definitely not the first person to tell you this.
“But we cannot wait for the perfect move, the perfect step against climate change. That step will never come, because it doesn’t exist.
“There will always be a problem with every solution we come up with. The best we can ever do is try to get closer to a solution. What has brought us some of the best solutions we have today is trial and error.
“But in order to get to good solutions we need to try. This ordinance is a way for us as the town of Westport to take a step towards getting to a better solution. So perhaps one day when my generation has to face the ramifications of the climate crisis we can have a great solution. We, the young generation, need your help more than ever.”
Meanwhile, the RTM’s Planning & Zoning Committee meets Thursday (January 5, 7 p.m. Zoom; click here for the link). They’ll begin discussing the Westport Planning & Zoning Commission’s approval of text and map amendments that would create a district in Saugatuck, which could lead to the development of The Hamlet at Saugatuck retail/residential/hotel/marina complex.
A group of residents — the Saugatuck Sensible Zoning Committee — has petitioned the full RTM to review the P&Z’s decision. Their goal — for the RTM to overturn it — requires a 2/3 vote.
The group says that are not “against development, change, improvements or re-zoning of the 4.82 acres and 11 properties that comprise the area under consideration.”
In fact, they add, “we enthusiastically support the revitalization of Saugatuck that will result from the Planning & Zoning Commission proactively engaging in a rigorous process to craft carefully planned changes in the zoning.”
However, the SSZC urges, “we want the re-zoning and subsequent development to be sensible, of appropriate scale, and respectful of Westport’s past, present and desired future.”
The group is concerned about the size and density of the possible project; traffic, congestion and parking; precedents, and other issues.
After Thursday’s meeting, the RT& P&Z Committee will meet again next Tuesday (January 10), and if necessary January 17.
They will then make a recommendation to the full RTM, which will meet and vote on January 17 or 19.
The shaded area includes the new text and map amendment boundaries.
Speaking of town politics: Anna Rycenga has resigned as chair of the Conservation Commission. She has taken a full-time job.
She has served as chair since 2010. Anna says that she and her fellow members have helped “ensure the protection, preservation and restoration of local wetlands and watercourses in Westport by making provisions to protect these wetland soils, water bodies, environmental functions and the wildlife habitat.”
Hers is not an easy job. She and fellow commissioners must balance the sometimes competing wishes and needs of property owners, neighbors, developers, environmentalists and other town officials.
Anna did it for 12 years, with dedication, understanding, dedication and grace. Thanks for your service!
In addition to the Conservation Commission, Anna has helped lead many charitable projects, including food and holiday toy drives with Westport PAL. She’s also the unofficial “mayor” of Westfair Village, keeping the neighborhood connected and fun. She’ll keep doing that.
PS: Anna’s new employer has made a very wise hire.
We’re used to seeing a few hardy souls “plunge” into the water on January 1. Yesterday’s Roundup carried one such photo– a gorgeous shot, just as the sun rose.
But I can’t recall anyone ever enjoying a New Year’s swim at Sherwood Mill Pond.
Perhaps “enjoying” is not the right word. These 4 dudes do not look happy at all.
(Photo/Matt Murray)
Hey — as photographer Matt Murray notes, at least they heeded the oft-disobeyed “No Jumping or Diving” sign.
MoCA Westport’s annual collaboration with the Westport Public Art Collections Committee — “Paul Camacho: El Ritmo y La Unidad” — is set for this month.
The opening reception is January 12 (5 to 7 p.m.). It’s a ticketed event (free for MoCA members; $10 general admission). Click here to register.
The museum’s annual high school exhibition — “Who Are You When You Are Dreaming” — is on view simultaneously.
Nearly 200 student artworks will be on display. As always, Westport artists are represented creatively.
Among them:
“I Have Always Wondered Why, You See” — digital collage/composition (Allison Cancro, Staples High School sophomore)
In this week’s “What’s Next in Weston” podcast (click below), 1st Selectwoman Sam Nestor chats with Police Chief Ed Henion about personnel plans, road improvements, driver safety and state grants.
The series sponsored by the Y’s Men of Westport & Weston, and hosted by Dick Kalt.
And finally … Anita Pointer died Saturday, at her Beverly Hills home. She was 74, and had battled cancer.
The New York Times called her “the sweet and occasionally sultry lead vocalist” on many hits with her siblings: the Pointer sisters.
They “occupied a middle point in pop history between the doo-wop innocence of the Ronettes and the stilettoed girl power of Destiny’s Child. Anita’s voice had a lot to do with that. She sang with the speed and flavor of molasses. Though she commanded the virtuosity to trill prettily, she tended to sing too softly to sound overpowering. In ‘Slow Hand’ …Anita cooed.” (Click here for a full obituary.)
(Real estate, politics, art, music … “06880” covers it all. Please click here to help support this hyper-local blog. Thank you!)
Some older Westporters can’t shop or cook for themselves.
Some can, but want companionship for their meals.
Other residents are happy to help.
Quietly — but quite efficiently — Westport’s Senior Center meals program provides tasty, nutritious food.
In a wide variety of ways.
Paulina Przybysz’s is “nutrition program coordinator.” That dry title does not convey the spiciness and zest of the work she oversees.
Paulina Przybysz, with nutritious food in the Senior Center kitchen.
The first of the 3 prongs is home-delivered meals. Available to homebound residents 60 and older, the program allows them to live at home.
A cold lunch or hot dinner — or both — is delivered Monday through Friday (with extras for weekends and holidays), between 10 a.m. and noon.
There are options for hot and cold meals; special or therapeutic diets (for example, diabetic, bland, chopped or puréed), and requests like no pork or beef.
Eighteen volunteers — all vetted — handle deliveries (3 to 6 are needed each day). A typical route takes about 45 minutes, with 5 to 8 stops.
Drivers use their own vehicles, and pay for their own gas. (Some towns with similar programs have to hire drivers.)
If a recipient is not home, the driver calls Paulina. She follows up, to make sure the resident is okay.
The biggest challenge is when bad weather makes deliveries impossible. Seniors are urged to have canned goods on hand for those emergencies. (If the weather eases, drivers may head out later in the day.)
The program is federally funded. There is no cost to anyone covered by The Title III Older Americans Act.
Seniors with more mobility enjoy congregate lunches at the Center. Served weekdays at noon in large, bright Sue’s Café — named for longtime, recently retired Senior Center director Sue Pfister — this is a chance to socialize over a meal.
Creative Catering of Norwalk prepares both the congregate and home delivered meals. Chef Luis is “very accommodating,” Paulina says.
Chef Luis, at work.
He arrives at 9:30 a.m. to prepare fresh food in the Senior Center kitchen. Congregate meals include soup, an entrée and dessert, all prepared under federal nutrition guidelines. (There’s an option to order a chef ‘s salad or cheese omelet too.)
The usual crowd is about 30, though Thursday bingo and special events like a Hanukkah lunch draw more. Just before Christmas, an elementary school chorus sang.
In the works: A Valentine’s Day “heart healthy” meal.
The congregate lunch program is also federally funded. There is no cost, though a donation of $5 to $7 per meal is suggested.
Paulina Przybysz serves lunch at Sue’s Cafe.
The third program is called “Hello Neighbor.” Begun during the pandemic, when seniors felt particularly isolated, it connects people who need help shopping (or a friendly phone call) with Westporters who can provide either (or both).
Participants are matched by interests — gardening, say, or reading.
“Every day is different,” Paulina says of her 3 programs. “But the seniors are so appreciative of everything.”
Dig in!
For more information on the Senior Center meals programs — including how to participate or volunteer — contact Paulina by email (pprzybysz@westportct.gov) or phone (203-341-5097).
(From senior citizens to seniors in high school — and every other age group — “06880” covers Westport. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
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