Roundup: Olympic Snowboarding, Cell Tower, Dogfight …

Posted on February 5, 2022 | 4 comments

=======================================================

Julia Marino has qualified for the Olympic snowboarding final!

The Westport native — who now trains in Breckenridge, Colorado, and has faced a number of obstacles during her time on the team — fell twice on her first slopestyle run yesterday. But she blazed to a great 71.78 in her second attempt, finishing 6th.

She’ll be joined by teammates Jamie Anderson and Hailey Langland in the final. It’s set for Sunday in China — which is 8:30 p.m. tonight (Saturday), on NBC. Click here for the streaming link. Click here for more information on Julia, and the US team. (Hat tip: Dave Briggs)

Julia Marino

=======================================================

It’s back to the drawing board — and 92 Greens Farms Road — for a new cell tower.

Tarpon Towers/AT&T had originally proposed a structure for private property there, abutting I-95 near Hillspoint Road.

Then came a new site: the office park at 55 Greens Farms Road next to Assumption Cemetery, a couple of hundred yards west and across the street.

Now, the owner of that property has withdrawn the site from consideration.

A public information will still be held on Tuesday (February 8, 7 p.m., Zoom), to consider the 92 Greens Farms Road location.

The Public Information Session scheduled for Tuesday, February 8, 2022 at 7:00 PM will concentrate on the originally proposed location at 92 Greens Farms Road.

Click here for the legal notice. Click here for the Zoom link for the meeting.

A cell tower been proposed for the property on the left: 92 Greens Farms Road. (Photo courtesy of Google Maps)

=======================================================

More local government news: Next Tuesday’s Board of Finance meeting to discuss using ARPA funds for low-density affordable housing on the Post Road near West Parish Lane will be held in the Town Hall auditorium — not Room 309 of that building.

This Post Road site next to Walgreens has been proposed for low-density affordable housing.

=======================================================

“06880” is “where Westport meets the world.” But the University of Michigan is no slouch. It’s “where Staples Players meets the theatrical world.”

A student group is producing “Dogfight.” Players alums Jamie Mann (musical theater) and Brandon Malin (lighting) — both first-years there — are deeply involved.

“Dogfight” is a 2012 musical adaptation of the 1991 coming-of-age-during-Vietnam film. Staples 2003 grad Justin Paul wrote the music and lyrics with his writing partner Benj Pasek. Both also graduated from Michigan.

The book was by Peter Duchan (Staples ’01). He has known Paul since Coleytown Middle School (and has no connection to Michigan — Duchan went on to Northwestern University).

Paul and Pasek did a Zoom call with the cast. No word on whether they asked Mann and Malin how Players is doing.

Click here for a link to Michigan’s “Dogfight” page.

Brandon Malin (left) and Jamie Mann, in the “Dogfight” theater.

======================================================

Speaking of Staples Players: Congrats to 2021 graduate Sophie Rossman. The New York University freshman appears in the short film “Clare,” which premieres at the prestigious SXSW Film Festival next month.

Click here for details.

Sophie Rossman (Photo/Kerry Long)

=============================================

And speaking still of Staples Players — though in a very different way — Meredith Boak is Harvard Law School’s new assistant dean for clinical and pro bono programs.

The 2001 Staples graduate — yes, she was in Players the same year as Duchan — most recently served as senior vice president of revenue and development at Teach For America, overseeing and executing its sustainable funding strategy.

Boak has been a lecturer at Harvard Law since 2013. She earned an undergraduate degree in political science from Columbia University, and a master’s in secondary English education from Pace.

Meredith Boak

=================================================

Through all kinds of weather — snow, rain, mist, fog — the Earthplace foliage hangs on. Rowene Weems snapped today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo there.

(Photo/Rowene Weems Photography)

=======================================================

And finally … if you enjoyed the item about “Dogfight” (above), and want to know more — click here:

4 Comments

Posted in Entertainment, Real estate, Sports, technology

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

0*6*Art*Art*0 — Week 96 Gallery

Posted on February 5, 2022 | Comments Off on 0*6*Art*Art*0 — Week 96 Gallery

Last weekend’s snow kept many Westporters homebound.

Some created art. Some enjoyed it on our online gallery.

“06880” is here for everyone: artists, and art lovers.

But we need your submissions. This gallery is open to all readers. Whatever your age and level of experience — professional or amateur, young or old. In every medium.

All genres are encouraged. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, lithographs, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage and needlepoint — whatever you’ve got, email it to dwoog@optonline.net. Share your work with the world!

“Patio Snow” (Karen Weingarten)

“The Route” — acrylic abstract (Patricia McMahon)

“Weekend Activity” (Lawrence Weisman)

Untitled (Jason Osterhout)

Untitled (Werner Liepolt)

“Blood in the Sun” (Carl Schumann)

“Cozy Warm Brew to Savor on a Cold Westport Morning” (Judith Marks-White)

Comments Off on 0*6*Art*Art*0 — Week 96 Gallery

Posted in Arts

Tagged , , ,

Signs, Social Media Urge: “Unmask Our Children”

Posted on February 5, 2022 | 105 comments

Connecticut’s statewide school mask mandate expires February 15. Pressure is growing on Governor Lamont to end it immediately — and for legislators not to extend it, when they vote February 10.

If the state mandate expires, local school districts could implement their own policies.

Local “Mask Choice” groups sprang up earlier in towns like Fairfield, Wilton and Darien. In the past couple of days, “Mask Choice Westport signs” appeared in front yards and public spaces.

A sign near the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge downtown … (Photo submitted by “WestportParents06880@Gmail.com”)

On social media, the handle is @MaskChoiceWestport. As of last night, an Instagram account with that name had posted 31 times — mostly links to news stories, opinion pieces and videos — and had 463 followers.

A reader told “06880”: “Parents are sending letters to Lamont, state representatives, the Board of Education, our superintendent, the Connecticut Teachers Association, and anyone else who would listen. This is the hot topic of all the parents I know right now.”

Statewide, 86% of 16- and 17-year-olds, and 79% of those 12 to 15 have received at least one COVID vaccine dose. The figure for 5- to 11-year-olds is 44%.

Cases have dropped sharply in Fairfield County since their mid-January Omicron peak.

… and the Sherwood Island Connector. (Photo/Seth Schachter)

Superintendent of Schools Thomas Scarice notes that the topic has caused “a great deal of division in both the public health and medical community, as well as in the school community.” The district “will continue to receive guidance from our local health district, medical advisor and the state Department of Public Health,” he says.

Scarice adds:

At the outset of the pandemic and the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year, the district took a very conservative approach to our learning models and mitigating measures.

Since last January, we have learned a great deal and provided increased access to programs and services within the guidance we have been provided. Not only have we remained fully open, including extracurricular programs, we have consistently peeled back layers of mitigation when the opportunities have presented themselves.  I anticipate that we will take the same approach with universal masking based on the guidance we receive.

“06880” attempted to speak with a spokesperson for “MaskChoiceWestport.” However, contact information was not immediately available.

105 Comments

Posted in Children, Education, Environment, Local politics, Politics, Teenagers

Tagged , , , ,

Pic Of The Day #1754

Posted on February 4, 2022 | 2 comments

Nyala Farm sunset (Photo/Tammy Barry)

2 Comments

Posted in Environment, Pic of the Day

Tagged

Friday Flashback #282

Posted on February 4, 2022 | 4 comments

Today, alert “06880” reader and ace researcher Fred Cantor takes us down an entertainment rabbit hole. He writes:

Westport made its way into the recently released paperback edition of “You Can’t Fall Off the Floor and Other Lessons from a Life in Hollywood.” It was co-authored by Harris Katleman, whose career included stints as an MCA agent, president of MGM Television, and CEO of 20th Century Fox Television.

Booklist called it “A worthy entry in the lexicon of books chronicling Hollywood of yesteryear.”

When Katleman was at MCA his boss, Hollywood icon Lew Wasserman, wanted him to acquire the game show giant Goodson-Todman Productions. “This meant weekends at Westport, Connecticut with Mark,” he writes.

I’d never heard that Mark Goodson had a home here. The only other Westport connection for Goodson I could find on the internet was that his son Jon was an apprentice at the Westport Country Playhouse as a college student in 1964.

Goodson-Todman Productions hit pay dirt in the 1950s with shows like “What’s My Line?,” “To Tell the Truth” and “I’ve Got A Secret.”

Longtime Westport resident Brett Somers was a celebrity panelist on another Goodson-Todman hit show, “Match Game,” in the 1970s. A producer of that show was Mark Goodson’s son Jon. Whether there was a Westport connection to Brett’s being selected, I have no idea.

Brett Somers on “The Match Game.”

Another Westport connection: Katleman attributes his good fortune as president of MGM Television, and in later positions,, to someone who years later settled in Westport and became a prominent supporter of the Playhouse: Bill Haber, an agent at the William Morris Agency.

With Katleman’s background, could there be an interesting Paul and Joanne story?

His cousin, Beldon Katleman, ran a successful hotel/casino, El Rancho, the first full-scale resort built on what ultimately became the Las Vegas Strip. Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward held their wedding in El Rancho’s ballroom.

4 Comments

Posted in Entertainment, Friday Flashback, Westport Country Playhouse

Tagged , ,

Roundup: Indoor Track, Music, Science …

Posted on February 4, 2022 | Comments Off on Roundup: Indoor Track, Music, Science …

=======================================================

Congratulations to Staples High School’s newest FCIAC champs: the boys indoor track team.

The Wreckers’ 98.5 team points gave them a comfortable edge over 2nd place Greenwich (80) yesterday, at Hillhouse High School.

Winners included Bruno Guiduli (600 meters), Jalen St. Fort (1000 m), Ben Lorenz (1600 m), Zach Taubman (3200 m), the 4 x 800 meter relay team (Alex Harrington, William Fitch, Noah Robison, Matthew Fleming) and the sprint medley relay team (David Sedrak, Charles Fitzpatrick, Jalen St. Fort, Rory Tarsy).

The Staples girls finished 4th overall, behind Fairfield Ludlowe, Greenwich  and Danbury. The 4 x 200 meter relay team of Molly Liles, Talia Moskowitz, Samantha Dewitt and Francine Stevens placed first.

Click here for a brief summary. Click here for all results.

(Photo and hat tip/Barry Guiduli)

=======================================================

The Westport Police Department has seen an increase in “check washing.” That’s when someone erases details from a completed check, and rewrites them with a new payee and amount. It happens when checks that have been put in mailboxes are stolen. Once stolen, the suspect(s) alter the check by changing the payee as well as the amount and then cash or deposit  it at a bank.

Checks have been stolen from both residential and USPS mailboxes in Westport.  Police are investigating all cases. They recommend not placing checks in free-standing mailboxes. If a transation can’t be complete electronically, mail the check from inside the post office.

 

====================================================

Harvey Brooks has a great story to tell.

The bassist played on Bob Dylan’s classic 1965 album “Highway 61 Revisited.” Since then he’s played and recorded with everyone who’s anyone in the music world.

He first told his story 2 years ago in “View from the Bottom: 50 Years of Bass Playing with Bob Dylan, the Doors, Miles Davis, and Everybody Else.”

Now he really tells it. The audiobook version has just been released. And Brooks himself is the narrator.

He talks about being on stage at Monterey in 1967, and nearly everything else in his 5-decade career as a revered studio musician and producer for Columbia Records.

Including his many years in Westport, where he lived, played music, married and raised his stepdaughters.

Click here to order the audiobook (for free, with an Audible trial!) — and the hardcover, paperback and Kindle versions too.

===================================================

Speaking of music: 6 years ago, “06880” featured Becca Webster. The Staples High School freshman had just been named — drum roll, please! — the Under-18 Best Drummer in the World.

Time to hit it again. Becca is now a member of Kid Sistr, a Los Angeles-based all-women indie trio that plays their own instruments and writes their own songs. Another Kid Sistr: Sara Keden of Weston. You may have seen them on the cover of the current Westport Lifestyle magazine.

All 3 are the eldest children in sister-only families, which motivates their original music about their shared experiences. With humor and emotion, their songs describe ambition, heartbreak, femininity, sexuality and friendship.

They’ve opened for Willow Smith, and are managed by the same firm that represents Billie Eilish (who has her own “06880” connection).

New music will be out this spring, in conjunction with a tour. Their debut EP is available on all streaming platforms, and through their website.  (Hat tip: Veri Krassner)

Kid Sistr. From left: Becca Webster, Sabel, Sara Keden

=======================================================

A Staples graduate “rocking” it in another field is Dr. Eric Edmund.

The 2010 grad earned a master’s in chemical physics at the University of Edinburgh, and Ph.D. in physics from Sorbonne Université. He is now a post-doc at Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institute for Science in Washington.

A writeup describes an international team he led: “Experiments carried out at the conditions of deep planetary interiors show that the complex behavior of iron-silicon alloys result in novel mechanisms for core crystallization within planet Mercury. These experiments were performed at pressures of up to 1 million atmospheres, and temperatures of up to 3,500 degrees Celsius.

“The findings not only unveil new behavior within Mercury, but also provide new insight into the thermal structure and chemical composition of the Earth’s core.”

Dr. Eric Edmund

=======================================================

Former Westporter Christopher Eric Woods died January 30 in his new hometown of Waitsfield, Vermont. He suffered a cardiovascular event after a beautiful day of cross-country skiing. He was 62 years old.

Chris’ family says, “He lived an active lifestyle to the fullest. That day was no exception.”

The New Canaan native graduated from Hobart University, studied at the Sorbonne in Paris, and earned an MBA in finance from New York University.

Chris started his career in investment banking at AG Becker Warburg Paribas, later moving on to EF Hutton as vice president of international fixed income sales. He took an entrepreneurial path in 1993, which he continued the rest of his life.

Chris was an accomplished triathlete. He completed 23 Ironman distance triathlons, including the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii in 2004, and multiple USA Triathlon All-American competitions.

Chris was also known for his talents at the helm. He sailed across the globe in regattas and championships, including the 505 World Championships in Sydney, Australia and Big Boat Series in San Francisco. He regularly crewed on the Farr 50 yacht “Infinity.” He resurrected the frost-biting program at Cedar Point Yacht Club, and for many years headed the team racing program at the New York Yacht Club.

Chris spent the rest of his free time volunteering, youth coaching and tutoring. Most recently he volunteered at the Waitsfield local library, and led the Blazer backcountry skiing program at Sugarbush Mountain.

Chris is survived by his children North and Willow, and brothers John and Stephen. He was also an animal lover, most recently always accompanied by his springer spaniel and best friend, Jack.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Chris’ memory can be made to Joslin Memorial Library, PO Box: 359 Waitsfield, VT 05673.

Chris Woods

=======================================================

Winter weather continues, with snow, rain, sleet and ice predicted on and off through tonight.

Yesterday, Patricia McMahon captured some fog on the Saugatuck River, for our “Westport … Naturally” daily feature.

(Photo/Patricia McMahon)

=======================================================

And finally … intrigued by Kid Sistr (the band profiled above)? Click below!

Comments Off on Roundup: Indoor Track, Music, Science …

Posted in Entertainment, Obituaries, Police, Sports, Staples HS

Tagged , , , , ,

ARPA Request: Funds For Low-Density Affordable Housing

Posted on February 4, 2022 | 7 comments

Westport will receive $8.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Over $750,000 had already been approved for public health, tree trimming, network protection, bus shelters and COVID-related expenses.

This week the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) approved $1.3 million for the Burying Hill Beach jetty, and $200,000 for 12 local arts non-profits. In the pipeline: downtown enhancements.

Next Wednesday (February 9, 7:30 p.m., Town Hall auditorium), the Board of Finance will consider a request for $150,000. The funds would support pre-development activities for low-density affordable housing at Post Road East, by West Parish Road. The request includies architectural fees, engineering site work, surveys, and traffic and environmental studies.

The parcel is on state Department of Transportation land, adjacent to Walgreens. Vehicles and equipment are stored there now.

Part of the Post Road East site, between Walgreens and West Parish Road.

The request comes from Westport’s Department of Human Services.  It describes “approximately 20 or more multi-family housing units in a desirable location, without high-density 8-30g project proposals from the private sector, which would typically include and additional 80+ market-rate units.”

DHS says the ARPA funds would help Westport gain moratorium points “to curtail 8-30g applications, which often result in dense housing and zoning battles.”

The proposal adds that “access to quality, affordable housing creates jobs, enhances economic development opportunities, and helps address the long history of segregated communities in (Connecticut) by creating viable options for new families to live in Westport.”

Under state law, only 3.6% of the town’s housin stock currently qualifies as “affordable.”

The DHS proposal links the funding request with ARPA’s aim — to support state, local and tribal governments’ responses to, and recovery from, the pandemic — by noting that the higher-income households have weathered COVID “without significant income losses, low-interest rates, and housing supply constraints”; in fact, it says, home values have soared.

Meanwhile, “many low-income renters and homeowners struggle with lost employment and income and are behind on their housing payments.”

The Human Services report concludes, “it is challenging to fund this development through traditional HUD and CAFA sources because it is so small in scale. Without assistance from the Town — via ARPA or other funds — a project of this scale isn’t feasible.

“Today, we have an opportunity to create the type of housing needed in Westport — quality, affordable housing for families that is centrally located with access to transportation resources and meets our community’s needs.”

(The February 9 Board of Finance meeting will be livestreamed, for those unable to be at Town Hall. Go to http://www.westportct.gov; select the “How Do I?”” heading, then “Watch Town Meetings.” It will also be shown on Optimum Channel 79 and Frontier Channel 6020. Comments to be read during the public comment period may be emailed to BOFcomments@westportct.gov, with full name and address. Click here for the full agenda.)

7 Comments

Posted in Economy, Local politics, Politics, Real estate

Tagged , , ,

Pic Of The Day #1753

Posted on February 3, 2022 | 2 comments

Stuck in the rain on the Merritt today (Photo/Rowene Weems Photography)

2 Comments

Posted in Pic of the Day, Transportation, Weather

Tagged ,

Roundup: Super Bowl Raffle, Electric Cars, Convos & Kids …

Posted on February 3, 2022 | 1 comment

==================================================

No, you won’t get busted for taking part in your office Super Bowl pool.

But Westport’s Sunrise Rotary Club is sponsoring a legal, fully documented one.

And the payout is great: $1,000 for being assigned the randomly generated winning score box; $500 for winning each of the first 3 quarters.

After the 50% payout, all proceeds support the group’s many charities. Tickets will be sold through the morning of the number drawing (2 days before the Super Bowl). The drawing is set for Friday, February 11 (10 a.m., Westport Library). Participants (18 and older) will be notified by email of their numbers.

If the first 100 squares are sold, the Rotary Club may add other grids.

Click here for more information. Click here to purchase a square.

*Trick question. There are no “ups” in football. Only downs.

===================================================

Want to buy an electric vehicle, but clueless about them?

Try “Electric Vehicles: Pros & Cons.”

On Monday (February 7, 7 p.m.), Wakeman Town Farm sponsors a talk by Brady Kresch and Analiese Mione, of the EV Club of CT.

They’ll describe different types of electric vehicles, how to charge the battery, and the climate effects of an EV.

You don’t even have to drive your old gas-powered car there. This is an online event. Click here to register.

=======================================================

With temperatures in the 40s today, the ice is melting.

But on Tuesday, Jonathan Rosenoer spotted some ice rescue training at Compo Beach’s Ned Dimes Marina. He sent this photo:

(Photo/Jonathan Rosenoer)

I asked who conducted the training.

“Sorry,” he replied. “It was too cold to ask.”

Thanks to whoever is out there — keeping us safe, as we stay warm.

=======================================================

“Cocktails and Conversation” return to MoCA on Thursdays — starting today.

The events run from 6 to 7 p.m. They include expert speakers, views of current exhibitions, and a chance to purchase custom cocktails. The events are free and open to the public, but advance registration is requested. Click here for links.

Tonight (Thursday, February 3): Co-curator Kathleen Motes Bennewitz. She’ll be joined by “ThingsILove203,” with their range of high-end fashion and home acessories.

February 17: “An In-Depth Discussion on Tom Wesselmann” with Huffa Frobes-Cross, Tom Wesselmann catalogue raisonné project manager at the Wildenstein Plattner Institute, New York and Paris.

February 24: “Ekphrastic Writing Workshop” with Diane Meyer Lowman, Westport poet laureate

March 3: “WestPAC Teaching Gallery Talk” with WestPAC Director of Education and Learning Gallery curator Ive Covaci, and Cecily Anderson, Westport Public Schools educator

March 10: “WestportREADS Book Discussion.”

Diane Meyer Lowman will be at MoCA on February 24.

====================================================

“Family Festivities Shows” return soon to the Westport Country Playhouse.

The famed theater presents 2 performances of “Rosie Revere, Engineer & Friends” on Sunday, March 13 (1 and 4 p.m.).

The 60-minute show — aimed at youngsters in grades K to 4 — features Rosie, Iggy Peck and Ada Twist, as they bring their passions and curiosity to stage in a musical spotlighting the STEM curriculum.

The Playhouse says: “Based on the books by Andrea Beaty, it might just inspire bright kids to pursue their dreams,” Click here for tickets, and more information.

=======================================================

Last weekend’s storm is now just a memory. But Jamie Walsh captured this robin at rest, preserving its color and beauty for “Westport … Naturally” readers.

(Photo/Jamie Walsh)

=======================================================

And finally … Hargus “Pig” Robbins died last week, at 84.

You may not have heard of him — I sure hadn’t — but he was a noted Nashville session pianist. He was also blind, having lost his sight at age 3 in a knife accident.

Beginning in 1959, Pig worked with George Jones, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Conway Twitty, Kenny Rogers and Tammy Wynette. He also played on Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde, and with Neil Young, Shania Twain, John Hartford, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings and Ween.

Click here for a full obituary. (Hat tip: Michael Taylor)

1 Comment

Posted in Arts, Children, Entertainment, Environment, Sports, Transportation, Westport Country Playhouse

Tagged , , , ,

P&Z To Address Downtown, Baron’s South Regs

Posted on February 3, 2022 | 5 comments

Two important parts of Westport — downtown and Baron’s South — are on the Planning & Zoning Commission’s agenda next week.

The virtual meeting on Monday (February 7, 7 p.m.) includes text amendments to eliminate the prohibition on retail above the 1st floor on Main Street and environs; another to remove the prohibition limiting tenant size to 10,000 square feet in the same area, and an amendment to permit certain non-team activities in the open space nearby.

Proponents say removing the ban on 2nd floor retail would attract mom-and-pop-type shops, thanks to lower rents. A change allowing larger stores would eliminate the current practice of some tenants having separate entrances and branding for what are essentially the same stores.

The Architectural Review Board and Historic District Commission would retain oversight over the looks of downtown properties.

Retail is not permitted above the first floor on Main Street — though certain properties (like the Gap) are grandfathered in.

 

The Baron’s South proposal addresses current regulations, which prohibit organized non-team activities like guided walks, hikes and yoga classes in the meadow outside the Senior Center. Both the Senior Center and Parks & Recreation have indicated support for the text amendment, which would still prohibit organized team sports.

A prohibition against new structures — for example, pickleball courts — would also remain.

Guided hikes are currently prohibited on Baron’s South. (Photo/Judy James)

At the meeting, the P& will also consider proposals to opt out of 2 state provisions. One would enable the town of Westport to maintain its own requirements for accessory dwelling units. The other would allow the town to retain current regulations for the number of parking units required for multi-family dwellings.

If the P&Z chooses to opt out of those less strict state requirements, the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) must also agree by a super-majority vote.

Full details are available here. Monday’s meeting will be livestreamed at www.westportct.gov. To submit comments, click here.

5 Comments

Posted in Downtown, Environment, Local business, Local politics

Tagged , ,