Sustaining 24 Owenoke Park

Posted on December 14, 2022 | 13 comments

And the winner of the 2022 Westport Green Building Award for Achievement in Sustainable Design and Construction is …

… 24 Owenoke Park.

Owners Keith and Kate Melnick; architect Jack Franzen; builders John and Steve Segerson and Pam Brennan, and interior designer Chrystal Toth received the honor from Sustainable Westport, and the town of Westport. They called it “a stellar example of what is possible with sustainable design and construction in a residential project.”

24 Owenoke Park. (Photo courtesy of Google Earth)

Moving to Westport in 2016, the Melnicks’ goal was to incorporate sustainable building features they had discovered while living in Switzerland and Australia into their new home. Sustainable aspects of 24 Owenoke Park include an efficient building envelope, use of sustainable building materials, a solar photovoltaic system, and a geothermal heating and cooling system.

The building envelope includes double-pane insulated glass with low emittance coating, to reflect heat and keep it from penetrating the glass. This reduces heating and cooling demands on the home, along with the size of the heating and cooling equipment.

Exterior of 24 Owenoke Park …

 

The heating and cooling system is an all-electric geothermal heat pump, lessening the home’s reliance on fossil fuels. When heat is required, the heat pump draws heat from the ground; for cooling, the heat pump rejects heat back into wells drilled 535 feet into the ground. Because the ground temperature is nearly constant year-round, less energy is required to extract and reject heat to the ground than to the air.

A 7.8kW solar array installation of photovoltaic panels produces clean electricity, powering the home and allowing it to send electricity back to the electric grid instead of pulling from it. The solar PV panels also power an EV charger for their electric car.

Ultra-high efficiency tankless water heaters provide hot water only when there is a call from a sink or shower, eliminating the need to keep water heated 24/7.

The interior of the home includes natural finishes and furnishings, and paint that minimize Volatile Organic Compounds (chemicals often found in building materials and interior furnishings that can cause health problems). The paint also includes cradle-to-cradle certification that assures the health and safety of the end product, as well as sustainable manufacturing practices.

… and the interior.

All appliances are Energy Star-rated. They meet energy efficiency standards set by the US Environmental Protection Agency or US Department of Energy.

To learn more about what you can do to make your home more sustainable, or the Green Building Awards Program, click here.

1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker (1st row, 2nd from left) presents the award to the Melnicks. The ceremony was also attended by town officials, and the home’s designers and builders. (Photo/Jenaé Weinbrenner)

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Posted in Beach, Environment, Real estate

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Unsung Heroes #266

Posted on December 14, 2022 | 3 comments

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

Until you get stuck behind an Amazon, FedEx, UPS, Postal Service or other delivery truck, double-parked or otherwise blocking your way as you hustle to get all your holiday gifts bought, wrapped and sent.

Of course, those delivery persons are making sure that someone else’s presents make it to their loved ones (or clients) on time too.

So: Give ’em a break. Don’t worry about the flashing lights, awkwardly open doors, or that by maneuvering around one delivery truck you may run smack into another.

Be thankful that Americans still buy and send gifts. That we have evolved a system that can get just about anything from just about anyplace to your front door, in just about 12 seconds.

Even if, occasionally, your package ends up on someone else’s door. Or vice versa.

Delivery people are overworked, overstressed, over-managed and underpaid.

They’re our Unsung Heroes of the Week.

And it wouldn’t hurt to leave a basket of goodies out for them, either.

 

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Roundup: WestportREADS, Orphenians Sing, Playhouse Plays …

Posted on December 14, 2022 | Comments Off on Roundup: WestportREADS, Orphenians Sing, Playhouse Plays …

For over 20 years, the Westport Library has offered one book for the entire community to read — and celebrate — together.

This year’s WestportREADS selection is “Firekeeper’s Daughter.” Angeline Boulley’s young adult novel features 18-year-old Daunis Fontaine, a Native teen who must navigate family tragedy, new relationships, and an FBI investigation to root out the corruption in her community.

The author will deliver a keynote address on February 16, in the Trefz Forum. Events leading up to her appearance include:

  • PageTurners Book Club discussion (January 17, 11 a.m., Westport Library)
  • WestportREADS skating afternoon (January 21, 1 to 5 p.m., Westport PAL Longshore rink)
  • Healing Legacy Trauma (February 1, 7 p.m., Westport Library).
  • WestportREADS book discussion (February 2, 7 p.m., Westport Library).

More events will be announced soon.

Boulley is a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Michigan. She served as her tribe’s education director, and assistant executive director and on the board of regents at Bay Mills Community College before becoming director for the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education.

At the age of 54, she recently published her first novel.

Angeline Boulley (Photo/Marcella Hadden)

“Firekeeper’s Daughter” is a #1 New York Times bestseller, and a Reese Witherspoon Hello Sunshine Book Club YA Pick. It is being adapted by Netflix for TV with former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground.

Copies of the book are available for borrowing now at the Library. It is also available as an e-book and audiobook. For more information on WestportREADS, click here.

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A longstanding Westport Rotary Club tradition returned yesterday. The Staples High School Orphenians performed a holiday show.

The half-hour  a cappella concert was held in the acoustically resonant sanctuary of Green’s Farms Congregational Church. From “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies” to “Silent Night,” it was a wonderful way to celebrate the holidays.

Conductor Luke Rosenberg leads the Orphenians at the Westport Rotary Club holiday show, in Green’s Farms Church. (Photo and hat tip/Dave Matlow)

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Mark Yurkiw writes:

“Yesterday was the last day to donate equipment for a shipment to Ukraine. The response was fantastic. Three more generators showed up, and a dozen sleeping bags, and more.

“But yesterday I got a message that the shipping departure date is postponed until next Wednesday.

“There were many people who wanted to donate but couldn’t do it in time. They now have one more week.”

Donations can be brought to 190 Cross Highway and left by the barn. For questions or pickup arrangements, call Mark: 646-873-0050.

Donations for Ukraine — in the country’s familiar blue and yellow colors.

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“06880” is “where Westport meets the world.”

Lake Gallery is where talented local photographers show stunning large-scale images, taken from around the world.

Westporters Ron Lake and Nancy Breakstone host an opening reception this Friday (December 16, 6 to 8 p.m., 33 Elm Street) of their work.

This is Ron’s second gallery, after opening Focus in 2020 in Woodstock, Vermont. Nancy has curated shows at Earthplace, the Carriage Barn in New Canaan and Rene Soto Gallery in Norwalk.

(Photo/Nancy Breakstone)

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When COVID shut the Westport Country Playhouse, they reached audiences with a new/old idea: Playhouse Radio Theater.

The curtain has risen again. But the innovative series continues.

Next up: a holiday audio play. “A Merry Little Christmas Carol” — with original music and clever sound effects — airs on WSHU on Christmas Eve (December 24, 6:06 p.m. following the news). It will be rebroadcast Christmas Day (December 25, 1:06 p.m.).

Click here for the livestream. Click here for frequencies and locations. Click here for the link via the Playhouse website (available through January 1).

“A Merry Little Christmas Carol” is written and directed by Mark Shanahan, adapted from his play of the same name, and based on “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. Shanahan is curator of Playhouse Radio Theater, in addition to curating the Playhouse Script in Hand play reading series.

WCP artistic director Mark Lamos narrates, with noted Playhouse actors like Paxton Whitehead (Scrooge). Running time is 2 hours.

Bah, humbug!

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Longtime Westport Public Schools director of personnel Nancy Bonvini died peacefully last week. She was 88, and lived in Fairfield.

Following her retirement in 1999, she volunteered at Black Rock School, and was a tutor at Mercy Learning Center.

She enjoyed listening to good music, was an avid reader, and enjoyed time by Long Island Sound and surrounded by nature.

A service will be held tomorrow (Thursday, December 15, 11 a.m. Spear-Miller Funeral Home, 39 South Benson Road, Fairfield). Interment will follow in St. Michael’s Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, friends may consider a donation in Nancy’s memory to Mercy Learning Center, 637 Park Ave., Bridgeport, CT 06604.

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An almost-winter day showcases Westport’s stark beauty, in today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature. This beach is on Saugatuck Shores.

(Photo/Dinkin Fotografix)

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And finally … on this day in 1782, the Montgolfier brothers first flew an unmanned hot air balloon in France. It floated nearly 1.6 miles.

(“06880” is seldom filled with hot air. Please click here to support your hyper-local blog. Thank you!)

 

 

 

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Posted in Arts, Library, Local business, Obituaries, Staples HS, Westport Country Playhouse

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[OPINION] History Museum Must Acknowledge Its Own Past, Too

Posted on December 14, 2022 | 46 comments

People who live in glass houses — or those built by slave owners — should not throw stones.

Fred Cantor is a longtime Westporter. and a Staples High School Class of 1971 graduate. Passionate about local history, he co-curated a 2017 exhibit — “The High School That Rocked!” at the then-Westport Historical Society.

Fred writes:

Having read the complete letter submitted by the Westport Museum for History and Culture, I think its critique of the River of Names mural has gone too far.

Quite frankly, it seems that the Museum has failed in a material way to practice what it preaches.

The inconsistency seems to be blatant with the way the WMHC criticizes the omission of information about Ebenezer Coley on the tile wall — which clearly was never meant to be a comprehensive history of Westport — and then the way the Museum omits or otherwise buries the same information on its own website.

The section of the WMHC letter to the Westport Library re Ebenezer Coley states:

With respect to the tile #7 (Curran) 1705 — Tidal mill for emerging West Indies trade; 1775 — Coley Store; Tile #13 (Curran) 1790 E. (Ebenezer) Jesup Builds Wharf on Saugatuck’s east Bank; Tile # 10 (Curran) 1775 E. (Ebenezer) Coley builds saltbox home, shop and wharf. The West Indies trade specifically refers to the Transatlantic Slave Trade in which local farmers and millers produced goods to sell to West Indian slave plantations. These plantations provided the greatest source of income for men like Coley and Jesup — who were among those who owned the greatest number of enslaved people in the town.

The WMHC’s headquarters — the Bradley-Wheeler house — happens to have been built by Ebenezer Coley. But visitors to the Museum’s website would have no clue of that unless they clicked through a number of links.

The primary “About WM link” on the WMHC site offers only the following background information on the Bradley-Wheeler House

The FAQ link on the site states simply: “Our headquarters building was originally a 5-bay Colonial House built around 1795.”  Two more sentences follow re the structure (with no mention of Ebenezer Coley).

Visitors to the WMHC site will only become aware of the Coley family connection to the Museum headquarters and the Coley family’s involvement in slavery if they manage to reach the “Westport Driving Tour” portion of the site, and then click on the icons for the Bradley-Wheeler House and Coley’s Saugatuck Store.

Even then, there is still not all of the information the WMHC criticized the River of Names mural for omitting — most notably that “These plantations provided the greatest source of income for men like Coley and Jesup — who were among those who owned the greatest number of enslaved people in the town.”

It strikes me as very harsh to criticize the River of Names mural — which again, was never meant to be a comprehensive history of Westport — for failing to include all of the Coley family background when a) the WMHC website seemingly fails to do so as well and b) the family background that is included is almost treated like disclosures that are buried in small print in certain ads we are all familiar with.

I wrote 2 emails in the past 2 days to Museum executive cirector Ramin Ganeshram. One stated in part: “Why not disclose up front in the ‘About WM’ section — where you have a write-up about the Bradley-Wheeler House — the fact that the WMHC’s headquarters have such a close connection to the history of slavery in America? Wouldn’t such a disclosure be precisely in sync with the mission statement the WMHC emphasizes on its home page?”

I have so far failed to receive an answer.

46 Comments

Posted in History, Library, Looking back

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Pics Of The Day #2066

Posted on December 13, 2022 | 6 comments

Downtown Westport in the fog — captured by Lynn Untermeyer Miller.

National Hall

Giegerich building

Library Riverwalk (All photos/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)

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Posted in Downtown, Pic of the Day, Weather

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Roundup: Hamlet At Saugatuck; Blumenthal At Library; Menorah At Trader Joe’s …

Posted on December 13, 2022 | 24 comments

It took 5 hours.

But 4 months after developers presented a text amendment allowing a retail/residential/hotel complex in Saugatuck, the Planning & Zoning Commission voted 5-1 to approve it.

The decision — which came after changes in height, setbacks and floor area coverage — is a key step in the redevelopment of the train station neighborhood. ROAN Ventures can now apply for a site plan approval of its Hamlet at Saugatuck project.

P&Z approval requires that 20% of the slips at any new marina be available for free public use, and that there be paddleboard and kayak tie-ups; design standards beyond those required for a typical special permit including maintaining the New England coastal village aesthetic reflected in the most recent renderings, and no extra height without significant public outdoor areas along the river.

The text amendment includes the rectangle between Riverside Avenue, Railroad Place, Franklin Street and Charles Street, plus land on Riverside Avenue, and the private parking lot above Luciano Park now used for boat storage.

ROAN envisions The Hamlet as an economic engine for residents and visitors, and a gateway to the rest of the town. The concept includes:

  • A boutique hotel with rooms, condo-type residences, pools, and underground parking.
  • New shops and restaurants, featuring local artisans.
  • A year-round gourmet market on the now-private railroad parking lot, with local vendors.
  • A marina.
  • A boardwalk along the river similar to Bartaco’s, with the goal of connecting  Saugatuck and Westport via waterway.
  • Re-skinning and beautification of the 21 Charles Street office building — often called “the ugliest” in Westport.

Part of the proposed Hamlet at Saugatuck marina.

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Senator Richard Blumenthal is the Y’s Men of Westport and Weston’s guest this Friday (December 16, 10 a.m., Westport Library). The event is open to the public.

The senator will discuss a range of topics. Afterward, former 1st Selectman Jim Marpe will lead a Q-and-A.

Senator Richard, last March in Westport. (Photo/Dan Woog)

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Why schlep all the way to Stew Leonard’s for a menorah lighting?

We’ve got one right here in Westport!

The 2nd night of Hanukkah will be celebrated next Monday (December 19, 7 p.m.), outside Trader Joe’s

The lighting will be led by Rabbis Levi Stone (director of the Chabad Schneerson Center) and Yehoshua Hecht (Beth Israel Chabad(.

The ceremony includes live music. Chanukah gelt and cookies, doughnuts and dreidels will be distributed to all. For more information, call 203-635-4118.

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The Town of Westport posted this photo on social media:

It shows local and store officials celebrating Lux Bond & Green’s just-in-time-for-the-holidays renovation. Congratulations, of course!

But I am sure every downtown shopper — and every other merchant in Brooks Corner — joins me in asking: “Can you please get rid of those 3 valuable parking spots marked (ridiculously and archaically) ‘Reserved parking Lux Bond & Green curbside pickup’?”

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Aztec Tw0-Step 2.0 — featuring Westporters Rex Fowler, Dodie Pettit and friends — headlines a December 16 (7:45 p.m.) show at Fairfield Theater.

Click here for tickets, and more information on these folk/rock legends.

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From folk-rock to jazz: Harvie S. — an award-winning bassist, educator, composer, arranger, and producer — stars at this week’s Jazz at the Post (Thursday, December 15, shows at 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; dinner at 6:30 p.m.).

He’s joined by drummer Jason Tiemann, Norwalk native and keyboardist Rob Aries, and saxophonist Greg “The Jazz Rabbi” Wall.

There’s a $15 cover. Reservations are strongly recommended: JazzattthePost@gmail.com.

Harvie S.

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Tom Kretsch celebrates his birthday this Saturday (December 17, 4 to 6 p.m.) with an art opening.

Gordon Fine Arts (1701 Post Road East) hosts the talented Westport photographer and his new exhibit “The Color of Water: Capturing the Sound and Beyond.”

Tom invites everyone to see his serene images, enjoy cake, and meet interesting people. For more on his work, click here.

(Photo/Tom Kretsch)

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Congratulations to  Barry Beattie. The Staples High School girls soccer coach has been named New England region Coach of the Year by United Soccer Coaches, the 30,000-member group of professional, college, high school and club coaches. He is now in contention for national Coach of the Year honors, to be announced at the organization’s annual banquet next month in Philadelphia.

This fall, Beattie led the Wreckers to their 2nd straight state championship. With a strong core of returning players, the future looks very bright for both Beattie and his team.

Coach Barry Beattie (to the right of the scoreboard, and the 2022 state champion Staples High School girls soccer team. (Photo/David G. Whitham, courtesy of The Ruden Report)

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Today’s fascinating “Westport … Naturally” close-up of a working spider web comes from Matt Murray:

(Photo/Matt Murray)

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And finally … in honor of the great photo above:

24 Comments

Posted in Entertainment, Environment, religion, Saugatuck

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Paying It Forward: Uber Eats Assault Victim Can Now “Help Santa!”

Posted on December 13, 2022 | 6 comments

The story last March was grim. One Saturday night, a 64-year-old Westport woman supplementing her income by driving for Uber Eats picked up an order at Golden Pizza, in Westfair Plaza.

Inside the restaurant, she saw someone enter her unlocked car. When she went outside to prevent the theft, she was brutally assaulted. She suffered a serious head injury, and was intensive care for days.

Westporters were outraged. Quickly, a GoFundMe campaign was created. It raised over $33,000. The money paid for medical bills — she had no health insurance — and her long rehabilitation, as she learned to walk again.

The outpouring of support was “life-changing,” the woman says.

But that’s not the end of the story.

The woman’s name is Katherine “Pearl” Miller. She’s a watercolor artist, whose paintings and prints of richly detailed whimsical character hang in kids’ rooms throughout the US and Italy.

Katherine “Pearl” Miller

In 2020, she wrote a book. “Help Santa!!!” is a clever, light-hearted and rhythmic story about kindness, in which children get a chance to help St. Nick with a chimney problem.

Each book includes a “Magic Key” that — when young readers hold it in their hands and think “magical thoughts,” then hang on their door on Christmas Eve — can help them “help Santa.”

Each book comes with a “magic key.”

But this is not a story that suggests you buy “Help Santa!!!” for your child.

It’s far better than that.

Pearl has agreed to sell 250 of the books for $12.99 each. (The price on her website is $19.95; on Amazon, they’re $16.95.)

Right now, the books are in a storage unit. They can be distributed this Friday at 5 Bridgeport elementary schools: Curiale Elementary, Geraldine Claytor Magnet Academy, Barnum, Skane and Luis Muñoz Marin.

Bridgeport school administrators are thrilled. Usually, donors offer used books. This will provide brand-new hardcover books to 250 children, right before Christmas. And they’ll feel empowered “helping” Santa get down the chimney.

The book — and the magic key.

This is where “06880” readers come in. The books can only be distributed if we cover the cost.

That should be easy. As noted, each book is just $12.99. Ordering one (or more) for a Bridgeport child could not be easier.

Venmo $12.99 (per book) to @katherine-miller-177.

A year ago, Westporters banded together to help a woman. We did not know her name. We knew only that she’d been beaten on a Saturday night, while delivering meals to supplement her income.

Now we know her name. We know her back story. We know how far she’s come — and how eager she is to help others.

The next step is easy. Once again, here’s the Venmo: @katherine-miller-177.

Happy holidays!

6 Comments

Posted in Arts, Children, Restaurants

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Pic Of The Day #2065

Posted on December 12, 2022 | Comments Off on Pic Of The Day #2065

Winslow Park this morning, after the season’s first snowfall. This afternoon, it was all gone. (Photo/Mark Mathias)

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“What’s Next In Weston”: A Dog Park!

Posted on December 12, 2022 | 3 comments

A dog park in Weston has gone through every approval process — and been litigated in court.

Engineering tests have been conducted. Plans have been modified. Money has been raised. Still, the controversy continues.

First Selectwoman Sam Nestor discusses all this — including another lawsuit filed by a woman who has, literally, “no dog in this fight” — on the latest “What’s Next in Weston.”

This new episode in the Y’s Men of Westport and Weston podcast series proves that when it comes to political fights over land use, Weston is at least equal to its more famously contentious neighbor, Westport.

Click below to listen.

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Posted in Environment, Local politics, Media

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“06880” Podcast: Matthew Mandell

Posted on December 12, 2022 | 6 comments

The Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce is unlike any other Chamber, anywhere.

Instead of lobbying for business interests, it organizes on-the-ground events to actually help businesses succeed. The Slice of Saugatuck, Dog Festival, Supper & Soul concerts, Pizza and Hamburger Contests — they’re all Westport Chamber efforts.

And they’re all spearheaded by executive director Matthew Mandell. The other day, I chatted with him at the Westport Library for an “06880” podcast.

His route to the job was intriguing. His work for the Chamber (and the Representative Town Meeting, where he represents District 1) is fascinating. And his insights into this town — its retailers and restaurants, its politics, and what makes it tick — are delivered clearly and strongly.

Click below to view.

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Posted in Downtown, Economy, Local business, Local politics

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