The house at the corner of Lyndale Park and Weston Road was decorated so beautifully, for every holiday.
Christmas, Halloween — whatever the occasion, it stood out as a place of celebration.
And because the house is located on such a well-traveled, main road — just a few yards from Merritt Parkway Exit 42 — every Westporter knew it.
Now we know it for another reason.
Thursday’s tragedy stunned Westporters. We grieved for a young girl, her life cut unspeakably short. We felt the anguish of her mother, who for unfathomable reasons believed there was only one way out of her pain. We despaired for other family members, who will forever be haunted by what happened that day.
We thought of friends and classmates of the mother and girls in that house. They suffer now too, as collateral damage.
1 Lyndale Park is off Weston Road, near Merritt Parkway northbound Exit 42.
We’ll continue to drive by the house on the corner of Lyndale Park and Weston Road. The police, yellow tape and TV crews will soon be gone.
Yet it will never be decorated for the holidays again. Now, we will know it for another, much more solemn reason.
Each time we pass, we should think about the people who lived there.
And we should remember that — no matter how beautiful the decorations may look, or how bright the lights shine — we never know what goes on behind closed doors.
Westport Planning & Zoning Commission chair Danielle Dobin says that — despite the implication in today’s “06880” story that the P&Z is considering a change in flood zone regulations — the pre-application hearing resulted in a resounding “no.”
Piers and pilings will continue to be the only options for homeowners living near the water.
On Thursday, 2 local design professionals presented a potential amendment to the current flood regulations. The changes would have permitted filling properties to FEMA-mandated elevations, in lieu of raising residential dwellings on piers or pilings.
P&Z staff and commissioners expressed concerns about the effect of foundations and basements on subsurface draining, and neighboring properties on lower grades.
They also addressed the impact of future sea level rise, and the departure from best practices that support raising flood-prone structures over raising the grade of flood-prone lots.
Staff and commissions noted that fill in flood zones is specifically discouraged by FEMA regulations.
Current zoning regulations regarding fill and basements in flood zones will not change, Dobin emphasized.
Posted onJune 19, 2021|Comments Off on Flood Zone Change: Full Basements Instead Of Piers And Pilings?
It’s not easy living in a flood zone. Superstorm Sandy made the risks real. Since then, dozens of Westporters living near the water have raised their homes, using piers or pilings.
That may no longer be the only option.
Gloria Gouveia reports: At last Thursday’s Planning & Zoning Commission meeting, 2 local design professionals presented a potential amendment to Westport’s flood zone requirements.
The pre-application process gives applicants the opportunity to explore ideas with the P&Z in a brief, informal, non-binding discussion, saving the time and expense of a formal application.
Citing a desire to provide full basements for homes in some Special Flood Hazard Zones, the proposal would permit filling properties to FEMA-mandated elevations in lieu of raising residential dwellings on piers or pilings.
A home being raised on Compo Cove.
The applicants testified that the benefits associated with raising the height of the land and the use of flood-proofing, versus elevating the structure, included: more (basement) floor area: egress at grade: enhanced flood protection and improved esthetics.
Typically, residential construction in SFHZs requires elevating and supporting structures with piers or pilings that are less of an impediment to flood waters than traditional foundations.
P&Z staff and several commissioners expressed concerns about the effect of foundations and basements on subservice drainage, and neighboring properties at lower grades.
Other issues addressed by staff members included the impact of future sea level rise, and the departure from best practices which support raising flood prone structures over raising the grade of flood prone lots.
Current zoning regulations prohibit the use and/or placement of fill for any purpose in Special Hazard Flood Zones.
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Baseball is big in Westport. Our Little League team reached the national championship. Staples has won state titles. All around town, are diamonds are forever filled.
Fast-pitch softball may not get as much publicity. But it’s thriving too.
There is a dedicated softball community, and a decorated history as well.
Last, night, Steve Axthelm — one of its driving forces for more than 2 decades — was honored.
The site was appropriate: Meyer Field. It’s named for Bill Meyer — the father of Westport softball — and Axthelm has picked up where Meyer left off.
Axthelm — who is also a member of Westport’s Parks & Recreation Commission — has spent more than 20 years as head of Westport Softball. He was honored at a ceremony before the Little League Majors championship game, complete with a sign that will hang next to the many championship banners won under his leadership.
Steve Axthelm, at last night’s ceremony. He’s joined by Staples High School varsity softball players (from left) Sophia Alfero, Grace Alfero, Ally Schwartz and Ava Vincini.
Axthelm was introduced to competitive softball like many Westport dads: through his children. But unlike many parent volunteers, he did not stop when his kids’ playing days were over. He continued to lead the program, advocatint for funding and access on behalf of Westport’s youth softball players.
His efforts resulted in 7 district, 2 divisional, 4 sectional and 4 state championships.
Some of the players from those dominant youth teams led Staples to a successful season this year, advancing to the FCIAC semifinals and the state quarterfinals. They fell to archrivals Fairfield Ludlowe in both tournaments.
Axthelm says, “I’m proud to have run a program dedicated to 2 sometimes conflicting missions: give girls the skills to compete at a high level and prepare them to play at Staples (in a few cases, beyond), while also keep as many girls as possible, regardless of skill level, until they age out.
“Studies have shown that girls involved in youth sports are less likely to engage in risky behavior as they grow up. We designed the program to give every girl the confidence to play and enjoy it.”
“Ax” and his wife are headed south for a warm weather retirement. But every June — as Westport begins another softball title run — he’ll be thinking of the town where for so many years, he made his indelible mark.
Ever since he was a Staples High School track star, Henry Wynne has been called an “Olympic hopeful.”
Now that the Olympics are near — they’re supposed to begin next month in Tokyo — how hopeful is the Class of 2013 grad?
Very. And that’s despite a litany of issues that dogged him as a University of Virginia star, and beyond. Since 2016 Wynne has suffered a knee injury, pneumonia, and surgery on his small intestine.
But Brooks Running signed him to a pro contract. And now — with the Olympic trials underway now through June 27 in Eugene, Oregon — Wynne is giving it his best shot.
Yesterday, Runner’s World magazine profiles one of Westport’s top athletes ever. Click here for the full story.
Henry Wynne (Photo/Will Hoffman for Runner’s World)
Speaking of education: Sure, the Westport Public Schools select a Teacher of the Year. But there’s something special about earning that honor from a different source: the Staples High School football team.
This spring, the Wreckers — used to be cheered for — turned the tables. They gave shout-outs to their favorite educators in a homemade video. At the end, they announced the winner.
Who is this year’s football team Staples Teacher of the Year? Click below to see:
Another Staples tidbit: The Westport Garden Club has earned raves for their #FridayFlowers arrangements. Each week, there’s a different one somewhere in town.
This week’s was unveiled a day earlier. On Thursday evening, Class of 2021 graduates and their families saw this as they drove into Staples from North Avenue:
Two more sings that Westport is getting “back to business.”
The Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce held its first in-person gathering in 20 months yesterday, at Gilbertie’s Herbs & Garden Center. Over 60 people gathered in the garden, in beautiful weather. They shook hands, ate food catered by Calise’s Deli, and — as they did for years before the pandemic — exchanged business cards.
Sal Gilbertie spoke about the 100 years since his grandfather began as a flower grower, then turned to herbs. Today Gilbertie’s is a major micro green seller, in addition to their nursery’s plants and trees.
Sal Gilbertie addresses the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce.
But the Chamber wasn’t the only major Westport organization holding its first live-and-in-person meeting yesterday.
Sunrise Rotary also gathered together, for the first time in over a year. Attendance was solid. Handshakes and hugs were heartfelt.
And for those unable or not yet ready to attend, the event was livestreamed.
Westport Country Playhouse has 4 new trustees. Three are from Westport: Jessica Caldwell, Will Haskell and Margie Jacobson.
Haskell — a state senator whose district includes Westport — has a long theatrical history. As a member of Staples High School’s Class of 2014, he was elected of Players, the drama troupe. One of his first memories of live theater was seeing “Curious George” as a child, at the Playhouse’s old barn.
Caldwell graduated from Columbia University’s MFA film program. She produced independent feature films, while her feature film productions have premiered at Berlinale, SXSW and Tribeca. Her short film work has premiered at Sundance, Telluride, and Tribeca. Caldwell was also the writers’ room assistant and showrunners’ assistant on “Billions.” She is also a Moth storytelling contest GrandSlampion.
Jacobson is a nonprofit leader and attorney with legal experience spanning a variety of diverse settings. She is currently of counsel to a boutique law firm advocating for students’ rights from birth through post-secondary education, and co-founder of Woman’s Compass Forum. Jacobson previously served on the Playhouse board, from 2010 to 2016. She also serves on the boards of the ADL and the Remarkable Theater.
The WCP board of trustees is chaired by Westporter Ania Czekaj-Farber.
The Westport Library has 2 new trustees too.
Anna Alemani is CFO of Pierrepont School. Previously she had a 15-year career in finance. She holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA in Business Administration from Bocconi University in Milan, where she focused her studies on management of museums and cultural institutions.
Dave Briggs spent his career in television, as a sports and news reporter/anchor. He has moved from South Dakota and Oklahoma to Boston, where he covered Red Sox World Series championships, Patriots Super Bowl titles and a Celtics NBA crown. He also hosted “Fox & Friends Weekend,” and (for NBC) NHL, NASCAR, NFL and Olympic tennis, before anchoring “Early Start” on CNN. He currently interviews important Connecticut residents for Moffly Media content.
July 4 is the publication date for not one but two Carl Addison Swanson books. The Westporter’s latest works are written “Venezuela Vengeance” and “Brotherly Hate.”
He’s CEO of Bermuda’s CAS Publications, which publishes 14 other writers, and is a contributing editor at HBO. Click here for details.
And finally … Juneteenth has been celebrated — in one form or another — for 155 years.
Today, for the first time, we honor it as a national holiday.
Amen.
This week, immediately after the bill was signed in the House of Representatives and sent to President Biden, the Congressional Black Caucus sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
It’s been called the “Black National Anthem.” But it’s a fitting anthem today for every American, of every color and background.
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Professionally, Bob Levy was a stockbroker. Civically, he’s spent much of his 31 years in Westport involved with STAR Lighting the Way, the non-profit serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
But he’s always admired EMTs. “They’re volunteers. Day and night, they’re out helping people,” Levy says.
During COVID, they still did it. Emergency medical technicians are “very special super-heroes.”
Levy asked his friend Adria Belport — a member of Weston’s EMS — what units most needed. Equipment, she said.
Belport’s husband, Michael Loeb, had helped Levy’s philanthropic efforts in the past. This time, the duo added kindred local spirits, including Don Ehrenberg, Bill Felton, Dr. John Schneider and Milt Wolfson. “I’m so proud to be associated with these guys,” Levy says.
They had lunch, discussed their own good fortunes in life — investment banking, psychotherapy, real estate development, medicine, corporate governance and business — and pledged to help.
Their funds provided a much-needed trailer for Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Service‘s utility task vehicle, used when rescuing people during off-road trauma or medical emergencies.
Bob Levy (left) and Michael Loeb (right) present Michael Burns, Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Service, with a “Giving Back” check.
Weston’s EMS received AEDs (automatic external defibrillators). The portable devices treat people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest.
“Many people are not aware that Westport and Weston EMS are volunteer organizations — not funded by their towns,” Levy says.
His group calls itself Giving Back Fairfield County. It sounds like this is just the start — and it is.
Each year, they’ll raise funds to sustain and improve the quality of life in the area, by giving back to a deserving organization.
“We don’t usually tell people what we’re doing,” he says of his and his friends’ past philanthropy. “But the news is so bad these days, it’s important for people to hear good news.”
Giving Back Fairfield County is good news indeed. To learn more, email info@givingbackfc.org.
Another likened it to Burlington, Vermont. A third said “Italy.”
But all were on Church Lane tonight.
Perfect temperatures and a light breeze brought a big crowd to the blocked-off street.
Restaurants were packed. Music played. Franny’s Farmacy celebrated its 1-year anniversary. Kids played cornhole by Savannah Bee.
It felt like summer in Westport — just better, more appreciated, and more welcoming than ever.
Young kids posed as Staples High School graduate and recording artist Drew Angus played by Spotted Horse … (Photo/Dan Woog)
… and then danced in the street (Photo/Jordan Schur)
Franny’s Farmacy family and friends gathered for the hemp wellness store’s 1 year anniversary celebration. It continues tomorrow, with events from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Photo/Dan Woog)
The adult female who was found deceased in the home at 1 Lyndale Park has been positively identified as 46-year-old Tracy Do. The deceased juvenile also resided at the above address, and is Ms. Do’s daughter.
On June 18, the 2 deceased individuals were brought to the State Medical Examiner’s office in Farmington to be autopsied. The Medical Examiner determined that the 7-year-old had drowned, and ruled her death a homicide.
The Medical Examiner ruled Ms. Do’s death a suicide. The Westport Police Detective Bureau, along with the State Police Western District Major Crimes Unit, continue to investigate the circumstances related to these 2 deaths.
Chief Foti Koskinas said, “this is a horrible tragedy, and the police department is keeping the family as well as the community that was so deeply affected by this in our thoughts and prayers.”
At this time, we are not releasing any further information.
1 Lyndale Park is off Weston Road, near Merritt Parkway northbound Exit 42.
First Selectman Jim Marpe adds:
The community is dealing with an awful tragedy. Since this terrible event is still under investigation, I cannot comment on the details. My prayers and condolences are with the family.
Police, first responders, public school personnel and students have been directly impacted by this devastating event. The entire community shares in their grief and sadness. Westport is a caring community. and I know we will come together to support those who need to begin the healing process.
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