Werner Liepolt lives in the Bridge Street Historic District.
He has watched with interest as the District has become part of the discussion around the future of the Cribari Bridge. He writes:
Myth 1: “Historic district status means nothing can be changed.”
Fact: National Register listing does not stop projects. It simply requires that federally involved projects evaluate impacts on historic character and consider alternatives before decisions are finalized.
Myth 2: “This is just one neighborhood trying to protect itself.”
Fact: Federal law requires special review when a project may affect a recognized historic district. The issue isn’t favoritism — it’s whether required federal review standards are being followed properly.
Myth 3: “Historic protections only apply to buildings, not traffic.”
Fact: Under federal review (NEPA and Section 106), agencies must consider indirect effects — including traffic patterns, noise, vibration, and setting — if they could affect a historic district’s character.
Historic District: The 1886 Orlando Allen House, at 24 Bridge Street.
Myth 4: “The bridge is old, so replacement is inevitable.”
Fact: Federal law requires agencies to evaluate a reasonable range of alternatives, including rehabilitation, before deciding on replacement — especially for historic resources.
Fact: Safety improvements can absolutely happen. The requirement is simply that agencies evaluate options carefully and transparently before selecting an approach.
Myth 6: “If traffic is a problem everywhere, the historic district shouldn’t matter.”
Fact: Many areas face traffic concerns, but federally recognized historic districts trigger specific legal review requirements that don’t apply in the same way elsewhere.
18 Bridge Street
Myth 7: “This is about stopping progress.”
Fact: The goal is not to stop change, but to ensure that decisions are made with full information and proper public process, as required under federal law.
Myth 8: “Bridge Street National District is no different than other neighborhoods.”
Fact: It has been recognized nationally, and what happens fall under federal regulations.
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But 3 years earlier — on April 12, 1961 — another iconic activist spoke at the same synagogue.
During Black History Month, we recall James Baldwin’s lecture. This information comes from a story on the writer’s Connecticut decade (1954-63) by Andrew Lopez, a research support Librarian at Connecticut College. He writes:
The public lecture on the “Negro mood” was organized by Marjorie Koster Beinfield and other members of the synagogue’s social action committee.
James Baldwin, in his Connecticut days.
Marjorie and her husband, Malcolm Beinfield, were involved in many causes promoting equal rights and social justice in the early 1960s.
Their daughter, Harriet Beinfield, was 14 years old at the time and remembers Baldwin’s talk, and asking him how he tolerated white people.
She recalls with admiration his generosity in responding to her.
Malcolm Beinfield, a longtime Westport physician and surgeon, had done his medical residency at Harlem Hospital in the 1940s – the same hospital where Baldwin was born on August 2, 1924.
Lopez also notes that Baldwin wrote much of his historic essays “The Fire Next Time” at the home of his agent, Robert Park Mills, in Norwalk.
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The Beinfield family, not long before James Baldwin’s Westport visit.
MoCA\CT is much more than an art museum and education center.
There’s a strong music component too. The Newtown Turnpike institutions hosts everything from solo performers to the Heida Hermanns International piano and voice competitions.
Art and music are on display in a big way at their next show. “Art, Jazz + the Blues” opens Thursday (February 26, 6 p.m.).
A collaboration with the Westport Public Art Collections combines forceful visual art with pulsating African American musical traditions.
The centerpiece is legendary Westport artist (and folk musician) Eric von Schmidt’s “Giants of the Blues” series. His monumental portraits of blues and jazz artists — hanging most recently in the Staples High School auditorium lobby — will be shown alongside works by Romare Bearden, Faith Ringgold, Sam Gilliam, Robert Rauschenberg, Jack Whitten and others.
The opening reception features live music by Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and WPKN host Mark Naftalin — the Paul Butterfield Blues Band’s original keyboard player. Click here for reception tickets.
To set the tone, curators Anne Boberski and Ive Covaci have created intriguing playlists inspired by legends like John Lee Hooker, Bessie Smith, Muddy Waters and more. Click to listen, on Spotify (Art, Jazz + the Blues) and YouTube (“Giants of the Blues” and “Art, Jazz + the Blues“).
“Blues Piano Players” — one of the 7 works by Eric von Schmidt that make up “Birth of the Blues.”
After a national search, the Pequot Library has a new executive director.
The Southport institution found him right next door, in Westport.
Peter Van Heerden takes the helm on February 26. He has spent much of his professional career in the area.
A 16-year resident, he served as executive director of the Westport Arts Center from 2011 to 2015, then filled the same role at Fairfield University’s Quick Center for nearly 10 years. Since 2024, he has been CEO of Activate: Arts 7 Culture.
In his spare time, Van Heerden has been an assistant coach for Staples’ girls water polo and boys swim teams.
He is married to Renee Plato, CEO of Westport-based MD Solar Sciences. Their 2 sons attend Fairfield University; their daughter is at Coleytown Middle School.
Speaking of libraries: Eiren Caffall — author of “All the Water in the World,” this year’s WestportREADS selection — gave the keynote address for the annual Westport program yesterday.
She was in conversation with Catherine Shen, host of CT Public’s “Where We Live.”
Eiren Caffall (right) and Catherine Shen. (Photo/Susan Garment)
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During Prohibition, Westport had a thriving speakeasy culture.
On March 13 (7:30 p.m.), it’s back.
The Suzuki Music School hosts a Connecticut Guitar Festival fundraiser — the “Speakeasy Jazz Club” — with guest artists Vinny Raniolo and Adrien Chevalier, plus “charity” gambling (craps, roulette, blackjack, and Texas hold ’em).
Tickets are $45; they include music, food and drink, and “gambling to give” chips. Click here to purchase.(Hat tip: Sal Liccione)
Dozens of students take German 1, 2 and 3 Honors, 2 and 3A and Advanced Placement, and study through the University of Connecticut Early College Experience.
Twice, Staples teams won the UConn ECE German Quiz Bowl.
What can they do with their language skills?
Staples German teacher Liuba Ulianova reports that on Tuesday, there was a hearing in Hartford about the establishment of an official German Trade Commission in Connecticut.
With 220 German companies in Connecticut — including Deutsche Bank in Greenwich and Boehringer Ingelheim in Ridgefield — and nearly 900 in New England, the initiative could open significant opportunities for our students, particularly for internships and future employment.
Importantly, she notes, students do not need to be fully fluent. Cultural awareness and foundational language skills are highly valued.
Danke schön!
In 2024, Staples students celebrated German Day at the University of Connecticut.
My law partners and I have been reviewing the trial court decision carefully. We continue to disagree with the trial court’s analysis. The trial court sustained the appeal by the neighbors, thus voiding the text changes, and specifically ordered OMG to cease any activities inconsistent with the lawful preexisting use, including the sale of alcohol.
At this point I need to confer with the Planning & Zoning Commission, First Selectman Christie, and counsel for OMG to review our options. I will have more information in a few days. To answer your question regarding the other 2 properties (Gruel Britannia and The Country Store on Wilton Road), yes, they are also directly impacted by the court decision.
Bloom added:
Appeals in land use cases are not automatic. A party desiring to appeal a trial court decision must file a Petition for Certification to the Appellate Court, which is a request to the Appellate Court to take the case on appeal.
The petition must state the grounds. It is then discretionary with the Appellate Court. Any party has 20 days from the trial court decision to file a petition.
As part of its ongoing study of the Cribari Bridge rehabilitation/replacement project, the state Department of Transportation has released a detailed Environmental Assessment and Evaluation.
The 160-page document offers details of the current bridge, including history, traffic, functional issues, and controversy over its future.
The bulk of the report covers “environment and environmental consequences,” spanning property acquisition, socioeconomics, traffic, public safety, visual and aesthetics, cultural resources, water quality, navigable waters, wetlands, floodplains and coastal resources.
Five alternatives are mentioned throughout:
No build
Conservation
Rehabilitation
Replacement on-alignment
Replacement off-alignment.
DOT consistently offers “replacement on-alignment” — the same alignment as the existing structure — as its preferred alternative.
Cribari Bridge, as shown in DOT Environmental report …
… and an aerial view, from the same document.
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First: Representative Town Meeting members from Districts 1, 4 and 9 will hold a public discussion about the bridge next Tuesday (February 24, 7 p.m.; click here for Zoom link).
The session was organized by District 1 rep Matthew Mandell. He says: “Since the original Project Advisory Committee — a formal group of residents and town staff that worked directly with the state Department of Transportation — essentially disbanded years ago, there has been no venue for organized resident thought. or for discussion and collaboration with the DOT. The goal is to find a mutual path forward and solution that works for the residents, town and state.”
Members from other districts are welcome too. (Districts 1, 4 and 9 are closest to the span. Don’t know which district you’re in? Click here for a map.)
Second: The state DOT has opened a 60-day public comment period about the bridge, including its potential renovation or replacement.
PS: Don’t forget the DOT’s March 19 public hearing (6 p.m., Town Hall).
The session will “provide the community with an opportunity to learn about the proposed project, and allow a place to provide feedback concerning the proposed improvements.”
Werner Liepolt’s painting of the Cribari Bridge.
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One glimmer of spring: Registration is open for the Minute Man Race.
The 47th annual Women’s League of Westport event — including a 10K run, 5K4un/walk, and Kids’ Fun Run (1/2K and 1K dash) — is April 26, at Compo Beach. It’s one of the biggest community events of the year.
All proceeds benefit the League’s grants program, supporting non-profits across Fairfield County.
And just in time for Love Your Pet Day (tomorrow!):
Sweet P Bakery and Team Woofgang & Co. — 2 local non-profits that empower adults with disabilities through job training and employment — are partnering on a “People + Pups Colossal Cookie Box.”
The limited-edition includes 6 great Sweet P Colossal Cookies, plus a bag of Woofgang’s Pupper Nutter Dog Treats.
The result: delicious joy for people and pups, while supporting the shared mission of creating meaningful jobs for adults with disabilities.
But wait! There’s more!
$5 from every People + Pups Box sold will be donated to Westport Animal Shelter Advocates (WASA), another wonderful Westport non-profit.
Wakeman Town Farm’s special Neurodiverse Farmer program begins next month.
Designed for all abilities, it offers a hands-on, sensory-rich experience that encourages exploration, creativity, and learning in a natural setting.
WTF provides a safe, welcoming environment where youngsters connect with animals, garden, and explore the outdoors at their own pace.
The staff is trained to support neurodiverse learners. Activities accommodate a variety of sensory, social and communication styles, encouraging inclusion and self-confidence for children who enjoy feeding animals, planting seeds or observing nature.
There’s much more happening at Wakeman Town Farm too, of course.
For a full list of activities, for all ages — including spring cooking for homeschool kids, summer camps, a spring floral workshop, a Mediterranean family-style dinner, and lamb “cuddle sessions” — click here.
Every Connecticut town is allotted a limited number of “package store” — aka liquor store — licenses.
The number is determined by a town’s population in the last federal census.
Balducci’s package store was attached to the grocery store. But they’re leaving the space occupied by both. They’re selling their package store license.
A new owner needs to find commercially zoned property in Westport to relocate the license to.
A package store occupies around 3,500 square feet. There are a number of vacant commercial properties of that size along the Post Road and downtown. The license must be relocated in Westport; it cannot be moved to another town.
Interested in buying Balducci’s package store license? Contact attorney Jerry Farrell, Jr., by phone (203-774-5002) or email jerry@ctliquorlaw.com.
Want to buy a liquor store license?
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April is Autism Awareness Month.
So be aware: On April 29 (6 p.m., Westport Library), NeuroMind hosts a screening of “Go On” — the award-winning movie by autistic filmmaker, golfer and actor Landon Ashworth.
Afterward, he’ll join NeuroMind co-founders Chelsea Elkind and Lauren Rosenblum for a talkback.
Norwalk-based YL Trapped youth organization — it stands for Young Ladies Taking Responsibility and Portraying Proper Educational Decisions — mentors girls ages 11 to 18.
Participants (referred through school and court systems) build strength, knowledge and self confidence, while forming strong connections within the community.
Founder and CEO Dr. Julia Moore described the program Tuesday’s Westport Rotary Club meeting. Members were impressed — particularly at the news that 90% of the young women go on to college.
TAP Strength founder Dr. EJ Zebro and Dr. Bena Kallick, founder of the Institute for Habits of Mind, have been working together, “integrating a holistic approach to a moving mind.”
Now they’ve contributed a chapter — “Enhancing Mind-Body Awareness” — to the new book Leading with Efficacy. In it, they explain their theoretical framework, and offer examples of how it is “efficacious — in fact, effortless — effort.
The other was a 36-year-old man, charged with operating a motor vehicle under suspension, failure to obey a stop sign, and 2 counts of failure to appear. He was arrested when an office conducted stop sign enforcement on Kings Highway North, at Ludlow Road. He was released after posting a $10,000 bond.
Westport Police also issued these citations:
Texting while driving: 12 citations
Traveling unreasonably fast: 5
Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 3
Failure to obey traffic control signals: 3
Operating a motor vehicle under suspension: 2
Failure to renew registration: 2
Operating a motor vehicle without a license: 2
Operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance: 2
Speeding: 1
Distracted driving: 1
Failure to display lights: 1
Failure to obey stop sign: 1
Operating a motor vehicle without tint inspection: 1
Improper use of markers: 1
If it’s dark, put your lights on!
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Speaking of the Westport Police Department: They and the Rowan Center make a great team. They collaborate often.
This week, the Stamford-based sexual assault resource agency presented local officers with an appreciation basket.
All of us in Westport appreciate both institutions!
Representative from the Westport Police and Rowan Center — with an appreciation basket.
And finally … in honor of the upcoming sale of Balducci’s package store license (story above):
(You know what drives us to drink? People who read “06880” every day, yet don’t contribute a dime. Serving up 4-6 stories a day is hard work! Please click here to support our efforts. Thank you all!)
A Superior Court judge yesterday sustained 2 objections to Old Mill Grocery & Deli’s “nonconforming use” of their 107-year-old property on Hillspoint Road.
The sweeping decision could have implications for 2 other businesses in Westport — and for other actions taken by the Planning & Zoning Commission.
Judge Dale Radcliffe’s 21-page ruling involved a pair of text amendments, adopted by the P&Z in 2024.
The first permitted the consumption of alcoholic beverages in a retail food establishment located in a “B” residential zone.
The goal was to “offer more flexibility to … existing establishments to keep afloat.”
Old Mill Grocery & Deli. (Photo/Matt Murray)
Many members of the public advocated for the text amendment, which was proposed by OMG’s owner, the Soundview Empowerment Alliance (SEA). The non-profit — which includes neighbors and other Westporters — bought the building several years ago, to keep it as a market and community hub.
A small group of residents appealed the text amendment. They maintained that it constituted “spot zoning,” and illegally expanded a non-conforming use. They also alleged that the P&Z usurped the powers of the Zoning Board of Appeals, by granting a zoning variance that only the ZBA can give.
While the appeal was pending, the SEA submitted a second text amendment. Changes — involving Old Mill Grocery’s use of a gelato cart and picnic tables — were designed to address objections raised by the plaintiffs.
In addition to Old Mill Grocery & Deli — operated by Romanacci’s — 2 other businesses would be affected: The Country Store on Wilton Road, and what is now Gruel Britannia on Cross Highway (formerly Christie’s Country Store, and The Porch).
Gruel Britannia on Cross Highway may be affected by the Superior Court ruling.
In December 2024, the P&Z passed that text amendment, 5-0.
In his decision, Judge Radcliffe wrote that “the proposed use of certain nonconforming uses in Westport’s residential zones as Retail Food Establishments (RFE) including the sale of alcoholic beverages and outdoor dining would unambiguously constitute an impermissible expansion of the existing nonconforming uses.
“The use of property as nonconforming is permitted only to the extent that it existed at the time of the adoption of the zoning regulations which rendered it nonconforming. Otherwise, it is prohibited.”
He added, “the Text Amendments were drafted with the clear intent of allowing certain nonconforming uses to operate in a fashion which constituted an expansion of the nonconforming use and avoided the necessity of concocting a legally cognizable hardship, a prerequisite to obtaining a valid variance.”
Old Mill Grocery dates back to the early 1900s. In the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s it was operated by Ken Montgomery.
The judge declined to rule on the plaintiffs’ claim of spot zoning, because the P&Z did not decide to change the zoning classification.
However, he concluded, “Both consolidated appeals are SUSTAINED.” SEA and Old Mill Grocery are “ordered to cease and desist from any use … which is inconsistent with the lawful preexisting nonconforming use existing on the property” prior to adoption of the 2 text amendments.
“The sale of alcoholic beverages at 222 Hillspoint Road, which was not authorized prior to the adoption of the challenged Text Amendments, is found to be illegal, and an unlawful expansion of the nonconforming use of the property.”
This is a developing story. “06880” has reached out to SEA for a comment on what this means for the future of Old Mill Grocery & Deli, and to Planning & Zoning Commission chair Paul Lebowitz and town attorney Ira Bloom, on implications for zoning decisions in Westport generally. Bloom said he is reading the decision, and will reply this afternoon.
When Karen Giblin was in her 6th year as Ridgefield’s first selectwoman, she had an emergency hysterectomy.
Removal of her ovaries caused immediate menopause. She was 40 years old.
“I was moderating meetings having hot flashes,” Giblin — now a Westport resident — recalls.
“I had night sweats. I was fatigued and depressed. I felt lost.”
Karen Giblin
Searching for information and support, she found little.
Giblin’s background was in politics. She grew up in Baltimore, where her family was friendly with the famed D’Alessandro family.
After college, she worked for Mayor Thomas D’Alessandro. (His sister Nancy Pelosi moved to San Francisco, and became the first female Speaker of the House.)
Giblin knew little about medicine. But she learned quickly, and for the past 30 years has been a leading menopause educator. Her in-depth program — covering a wide spectrum of health and wellness topics — is used by hospitals across the country.
Her organization is Red Hot Mamas. That’s what her daughter Rachel called her, when Giblin — face red, suffering hot flashes — was in the throes of a hormonal reaction she knew little about.
The first meeting, at the Ridgefield Public Library, drew 50 people. They soon moved to larger quarters, in a church.
When Danbury Hospital asked Giblin to present a program, 600 women showed up.
Red Hot Mamas was off and running. Over 250 hospitals have licensed it since.
Topics include many effects of menopause: cardiovascular, osteoporosis, sleep, weight gain, urinary and more.
After leaving the Ridgefield selectwoman’s office, Red Hot Mamas became Giblin’s full-time gig.
She is a member of The Menopause Society, The International Menopause Society, and The Menopause Priority Setting Partnership, a global alliance of researchers, clinicians, and policy and advocacy groups from 41 countries.
Giblin runs the RedHotMamas website, edits a monthly newsletter (“The Menopause Minute”), writes books and publishes research. She has testified before Congress, and appears frequently on TV.
“Six thousand women a day enter menopause,” Giblin notes. “It’s a natural life transition, or it can happen surgically or through chemotherapy. But very few women are prepared for it. It can be mysterious and intimidating.”
Doctors — pressed for time in today’s healthcare environment — have little time to talk to women about the symptoms, moods and brain fog that can accompany menopause. Many lack sufficient training themselves, from medical school or residency.
If women don’t understand it, they may not be compliant with hormone or other therapies, Giblin says.
They may be less able too to make informed decisions about how to protect their long-term health. Osteoporosis, for example, is a common result of declining estrogen.
“Knowledge is power,” Giblin says. “If a woman is crying all the time, sad, with hair loss or hot flashes — that affects her life. We provide education.”
Funding comes from organizations that license the program. Red Hot Mamas supplies the turnkey program; hospitals provide the space and clinicians.
An important part of Red Hot Mamas is its medical advisory board.
Locally, the next chances for education come March 18, April 15 and May 20, at Norwalk Hospital. The topics are osteoporosis, sleeplessness and urinary concerns, respectively. Click here for details.
The programs are free. Spouses and significant others are welcome. “If you’re living with someone who can’t sleep and has mood swings, that affects you too,” Giblin points out. (One section of the website is called “Man Cave.”)
The hospital is next door to Westport, where Giblin moved recently. She and her husband had been in New Jersey for work, after she left Ridgefield politics.
When he retired last year, they wanted to return to Connecticut. Westport seemed like a natural choice.
It has not disappointed.
Giblin has quickly learned to appreciate the “cool blend of culture, nature, coastal charm, strong community spirit, shopping and dining. And it has less of a suburban vibe than other towns.”
Almost as soon as she moved in, Giblin attended the State of the Town meeting at the Library.
She heard about the issues affecting Westport — affordable housing, traffic, the environment — and realized they were not much different from those she grappled with more than 3 decades ago, as Ridgefield’s 1st selectwoman.
Giblin would love to find a way to get involved in local affairs. She has plenty of expertise and experience.
Let’s give a warm Westport welcome to this Red Hot Mama.
(For details on Red Hot Mamas — including the newsletter, questions for medical experts and more — click here.)
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When Staples High School said that the deadline to submit senior baby pictures to the yearbook was the next day, I said to myself, “I have hundreds!”
Then I read the specifications of what and how to submit, and felt lost.
Of course I had plenty of recent ready-to-download-and-send photos of my daughter’s toddler and teenage years. But I remembered that all of our actual baby pictures from 2008 are stored on CD-ROMs.
Remember these?
So I turned to the younger generation: my children. My puzzled and confused high schooler and middle-schooler) asked, “CD what?!” They could not help.
Having recently moved to a new home within Westport, our old desktop computer was still in a box somewhere.
We all use laptops. None has an external CD drive.
The deadline was near. All I had was a CD, and some physical photos in family albums. The instructions specified “no low resolution pictures of a picture.”
I thought the Westport Library must have a CD drive, where I could upload my picture to send to the yearbook.
I drove over with an hour until deadline, and headed to the computers. All I saw were USB ports.
I walked over to the reference department. Michelle Fleisher listened to my problem, then sprang into action.
Help!
She didn’t know if she could help. But she called to find answers.
Within minutes, a man appeared — with an external CD drive. He said I could sign it out, to take home.
Michelle insisted we try it right there, and connected the device. She walked me through each step.
I am not the most technologically savvy person. But I learned something new.
I want to thank Michelle. She not only answered a simple question; she also offered patience, a friendly attitude, and a willingness to assist, teach and guide me.
She went above and beyond. I submitted my child’s baby photo in the correct format, on time — and was even able to store all my images to an updated digital folder, for future use.
Saved from a CD — and submitted on time.
Thank you, Michelle. The Westport Library is lucky to have you!
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