Since graduating from Greens Farms Academy in 2003, Sefra Alexandra has been on a mission: preparing people around the globe to survive.
Jesse Levin and Sefra Alexandra.
She and her twin brother Jesse Levin have brought “readiness skills” to the veteran, disaster response and entrepreneurial communities.
As part of their efforts, their company Tactivate outfitted customers with gear, and offered advice and training for every conceivable emergency, at a Bedford Square pop-up shop.
Their Norwalk-based Readiness Collective invites residents to train and learn alongside medics, veterans and first responders, in a “fun club-like environment.”
But Sefra cares about the environment too.
As the lead “boatanist” — not “botanist” — of the Boatanical Expedition, she coordinates The Ecotype Project. They grow seed crops of Connecticut’s native pollinator plants, bringing them to nursery growers and homeowners to produce plants that restore native pollinator habitat.
In 2021 they paddled in outrigger canoes down the Connecticut River to Long Island Sound. Along the way they removed invasive species, and spread “the seeds of ecological resilience.”
Of course, rivers are not the only places under threat.
Cockenoe Island is rife with “mile-a-minute.” The vine smothers other herbaceous plants, shrubs, even trees, by growing over them, almost as quickly as the name implies. (Click here to learn more.)
Mile-a-minute is a very invasive species.
On Friday, April 26, the Boatanical Expedition invites residents to paddle to Cockenoe Island, where they’ll remove mile-a-minute.
The date is significant: It’s the 247th anniversary of the Battle of Compo Hill. On that day in 1777 local Minute Men fought Redcoats, on their way back from burning the patriots’ Danbury arsenal.
British ships were anchored off Compo Beach, not far from Cockenoe.
Sefra calls the upcoming event “The Minute WoMan Mile to Fight Off Mile-a-Minute.”
It’s a clunky name, but it includes all the main ideas: Minute Men. Mile-a-Minute. Cockenoe Island, a mile off shore. And women are more than welcome.
RSVP to theboatanists@gmail.com, to reserve a spot. Bring a canoe, paddleboard or kayak, plus a life jacket, canteen, gardening gloves and vine removing tools.
Sefra — and the planet — thank you.
(From the Revolutionary War in 1777 to Cockenoe Island in 2024, “06880” is where Westport meets the world — every day. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Westport Police offer this update on the vessel that sank near Cockenoe Island on Sunday:
Just before noon yesterday, they located the boat near buoy #2. The search for 2 missing boaters continued all day — even as the WPD was dealing with a major incident involving 2 stolen vehicles, and the arrests of 9 suspects.
At 4:30 p.m., the Westport Police Marine Division was notified of a body in the water approximately 3 miles northeast of the sunken boat. A Bridgeport Fire boat was first on scene, and recovered the body from the Sound.
At Bridgeport Harbor they were met by Westport Police, Connecticut Medical Examiner’s Office, and the family of the victim. He is 38-year-old Juan Gabriel Valle Pineda of Spring Valley, New York.
His body was taken to the office of the chief medical examiner for an autopsy. Westport Police extend their sympathies to this family, and hope to recover the second missing person. That search was suspended last night, at 9 p.m.
It’s been a while since the weeping cherry blossom trees in front of Sakura were in the news.
No news is good news.
After being slated for destruction during the Post Road renovation project, it appears they’ve been saved.
Sakura blossoms (Photo/Bob Mitchell)
Andrew Colabella — the Representative Town Meeting member whose initial involvement helped draw attention to the plight of the beloved cherry blossoms — passes along word from Joseph Sorcinelli, construction project engineer for the state Department of Transportation.
The trees may still be pruned, for utility clearance. There is also a concern involving the planned sidewalk elevation, and the pine tree on the property just west of the Sakura driveway.
But it does appear that — as noted during discussions in March, with town officials, the property owner and restaurant owner, Earthplace, Connecticut DOT and Eversource — the icons will remain.
That’s good news indeed.
And next spring, the only weeping will be the trees’.
The long-anticipated traffic-opalypse — resulting from the “bridge slide” replacement on I-95 over Saugatuck Avenue — did not take place until Sunday afternoon.
Here’s what it looked like at dusk:
(Photo/Ward French)
The new span sat lonely and still unopened. Meanwhile, southbound drivers sat.
Meanwhile, kudos to all who made the “slide” happen.
AI Engineers (who probably named their firm long before ChatGPT was a thing) posted this on LinkedIn:
“Major milestone on I-95 [sic] in Norwalk, CT! This past weekend, our talented team oversaw the first successful Accelerated Bridge Slide for the project. As the prime consultant, AI Engineers is not only committed to the safety and efficiency of the construction, but we’re also keen on sharing our knowledge. Our engineers have crafted an animation to demonstrate this innovative slide in action.
“Balancing the bustling traffic of I-95 in Norwalk, minimizing the impact to neighboring communities in Norwalk and Westport, and adhering to precise schedules – notably the season-specific bridge slide – demands careful planning and flexibility.
“Proud to be at the forefront of innovation, ensuring better and safer roads for everyone!
Stew Leonard’s 32nd annual Hanukkah menorah lighting celebration is set for Thursday, December 7 (5 p.m.).
Rabbi Yehoshua Hecht of Beth Israel Chabad will light an 18-foot menorah. Everyone is invited to enjoy live music, holiday songs and pre-packaged kosher refreshments. Hot potato latkes, dreidels and chocolate gelt will be distributed to all.
The 2021 menorah lighting at Stew Leonard’s
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David Berkman sold out his first “Jazz at the Post” shows.
This Thursday (October 26, 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; dinner at 7 p.m.; VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399; $15 cover charge), he’s back for more.
He’s joined by Dayna Stephens, an exciting saxophonist and one of Greg Wall’s favorites. (“The Jazz Rabbi” — who will play too — is no slouch on sax himself.)
Rounding out the quintet are bassist Marty Kenney and drummer Curtis Nowosad.
Reservations are strongly encouraged: JazzatthePost@gmail.com.
Lynn Flint’s special 1-day estate show, to benefit Bridgeport artists in need of help with rent, food, fuel and materials, is this Thursday (October 26, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., 1 Belaire Drive on Saugatuck Avenue near the Norwalk border).
A few of the many items available at the estate sale to benefit Bridgeport artists.
And finally … in honor of the good news from Sakura (story above):
(Let “06880” be the first to wish you a Happy Hanukkah! And let us remind you for the umpteenth time: Westport’s hyper-local blog relies on reader support. Please click here to help. Thank you!)
“The slide” — the simultaneously high-tech and low-tech effort to replace the aging I-95 Saugatuck Avenue bridge with a new one, constructed alongside it — began Friday afternoon.
Dire warnings of gridlock aside, traffic flowed smoothly through Westport Friday night. And all day Saturday. And Sunday morning.
Anyone who expected a long journey on the Post Road, or through Saugatuck, zipped right along.
Until yesterday afternoon.
Suddenly, things were as bad as we’ve ever seen. The Post Road was jammed for miles, and drivers were not playing nice. Running red lights, blocking side streets, pulling into oncoming traffic — if there was a way to be a jerk, they found it.
Meanwhile, Waze and similar apps were routing drivers through parts of Westport that seldom see traffic, like Gorham Avenue and Hermit Lane. Hermit Lane!
The bizarre thing is: “The slide” was completed far earlier than expected. By mid-afternoon yesterday, the new bridge was in place.
The state Department of Transportation send out this message:
So yeah, we survived “the slide.”
Now we just have to do it all over again, 2 weeks from now.
The other side of the bridge is not going to move itself. (Hat tip: Susan Iseman)
Michael Beebe reports from the Westport Community Gardens:
“Despite the soggy weather and the pall cast by the Long Lots School Building Committee recommendation, our final workday of the 2023 gardening season was Saturday,
“24 volunteers cleaned up the garden grounds, and made them ready for winter. We are all hopeful that come spring, we will be readying our plots for planting our seedlings, as we have for 20 years.
Erin and Steve Loranger, getting the Community Garden ready for winter.
“In many ways it was business as usual. But between loads of wood chips, there
was a lot of discussion of the town’s decision to destroy the hard work of this hearty community.
“We even had a couple of visitors: a Long Lots parent and her kindergarten daughter. They wanted to learn more about the garden, in light of the controversy. The mom seemed concerned that the controversy about the garden was holding up construction of the school.
“I pointed out that the actual debate is about sports fields vs the garden. In fact, the LLSBC had an option which left the garden right where it was — proving that the garden itself is not an obstacle to a timely start. They just chose a different option.”
Michael sent photos of “a cheerful crew doing what we have always done: getting fresh air, working together as a community, and keeping the gardens beautiful.”
Volunteering at the Community Gardens work day (from left):Andrew Giangrave, Julie O’Grady, Teresa Roth, Franco Fellah, Patty Duecy, Pipa Ader.
Just after 4 p.m. yesterday, Westport Police were alerted to a boating incident, with missing people.
Sometime after 9:30 a.m., a small fishing boat anchored on the south side of Cockenoe Island sank, in choppy waters.
There were 5 people on the small vessel; all ended up in Long Island Sound. The Westport Police Marine Unit rescued 3. Assisted by the US Coast Guard Marine and Air Units, Norwalk and Fairfield Police Marine Divisions, and Suffolk County Air Unit, they searched for the other 2.
The 2 missing men are from Spring Valley and Suffern, New York. A significant language barrier hampered ability to identify the missing men. Police are working with translators during the investigation.
Any boaters near Cockenoe Island between 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. yesterday are asked to call the Westport Police Department: 203-341-6000.
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This marks the 50th anniversary of the release of “The Exorcist.”
It’s hard to remember now, but reaction to the film was vehement. Much of it centered around Regan, the girl who was possessed (and whose head swiveled completely around, and who spewed green vomit and did unspeakable things with a crucifix).
Come to think of it, maybe that reaction wasn’t so unpredictable.
Regan was played by Linda Blair. A 14-year-old Staples High School student who had been working as a model and actress since she was 6, she was chosen from 600 others for the role.
Blair earned a Golden Globe Award, was nominated for an Oscar — and received death threats for her “blasphemy.” (She also dated Rick Springfield who, age 25, was 10 years older.)
All of that background is because yesterday’s New York Times included a 50-year retrospective of “The Exorcist.” Three critics assess the film’s impact, then and now. Click here to read. (Hat tip: Fred Cantor)
“06880” often celebrates Westport’s rich history. We honor homeowners who preserve the past, while enhancing their neighborhoods by giving new life to old properties.
Which is why our first-ever “Historic Homes of 06880” house tour is so special. On Sunday, November 5 (2 to 5 p.m.), you’ll have a chance to check out 4 of our town’s oldest, most interesting homes.
The go-at-your-own-pace tour includes:
29 North Avenue, the fascinating tiny 1700s home that Annette Norton has lovingly restored
39 Cross Highway, the handsome remodeled house at the corner of Weston Road that recently won a preservation award
190 Cross Highway, the intriguing barn/artists’ studio that the British passed on their way to burn the Danbury arsenal, and
6 Old Hill Road, the 1707 home that was lovingly restored after a 2-year renovation project.
Homeowners, members of “06880”‘s board of directors, and our friends from KMS Team at Compass will point out cool aspects of each home. We’ll answer questions. You’ll get a brochure explaining the 4 houses too.
Tickets are $60 each, $100 for 2. Proceeds help fund “06880”‘s work — which, as always, chronicles Westport’s past, present and future.
Click here for tickets. It’s our “Donate” page. Please note “Historic Homes of ‘06880’” with your order.
A large crowd enjoyed Neil Gaiman’s StoryFest lecture on Friday.
It also doubled as the fall 2023 Malloy Lecture in the Arts. The twice-annual event was endowed by Susan Malloy.
But who was she?
Before Gaiman spoke, Ann Sheffer — Malloy’s niece — gave some insights into the woman who devoted her life the arts, libraries, and Westport (and who would have been 100 years this coming February 28):
Ann said:
“Susan was my mother’s younger sister. They, their brother and their parents started coming to Westport in the early 1930s. In 1935 they bought a 1790 house on Cross Highway.
“My parents moved to Westport in the early 1950s, and Susan and family moved here in the early ’60s. They were all deeply enmeshed in the political, educational and cultural life of our community.
“Susan studied at the Art Students League after college. In Westport she a studio in her house, and painted every day – between carpooling, PTA meetings, and working to create the Westport Schools Permanent Art Collection and Arts Center, among other Westport institutions. She also created birdhouses for the Project Return auction.
“In our family, a common theme was a love of libraries. My grandfather, an immigrant who dropped out of school after 8th grade, loved books, bought libraries at estate sales and gave them away. He endowed libraries, including this one, through his Tudor Foundation.
“The Malloy Lecture represents the convergence of all of Susan’s interests and talents.”
The Staples High School boys soccer team is enjoying a banner year. They head into this week’s FCIAC playoffs, and next month’s state tournament, as the #2 team in Connecticut.
To keep their program on top — and pay for things like assistant coaches, field maintenance and more — they’re running an online auction.
Items include a ski house, cooking classes, boat trips, Broadway tickets and more.
Click here to see all the items, and bid. The auction ends next Sunday (October 29, 10 p.m.).
The 2023 Staples boys varsity, JV and freshman teams. (Photo/Mark Sikorski)
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Today’s “Westport … Naturally” image — of last of the fall” dahlias — comes courtesy of Peter J. Swift (and the Westport Community Gardens).
Spotted lanternflies are a highly invasive species.
And they thrive on another invasive pest: trees of heaven.
Infestations have been reported around Westport, including Winslow and Grace Salmon Parks.
The Connecticut Agricultural Experimental Station says:
The spotted lanternfly Lycorma delicatula, (SLF) was first found in North America in Pennsylvania in late 2014. It is an exotic, invasive sap-feeding planthopper that has the potential to severely impact Connecticut’s agricultural crops, particularly apples, grapes, and hops, and ornamental trees. Spotted lanternfly adults feed on more than 70 species of plants. Its preferred host tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima) is highly invasive and is abundant along highways, in urban areas, and along the edges of agricultural and industrial areas, where the spotted lanternfly could easily become established.
Approximately half of Connecticut’s trees are threatened by spotted lanternfly invasion according to data from Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). As spotted lanternfly nymphs and adults feed on the sap from trees and vines, the entire plant can become weakened because it cannot conduct photosynthesis as effectively. The excretions from these leaf-hopping insects encourage the growth of black sooty mold, thereby reducing photosynthesis. Agricultural crops will have reduced yields due to SLF feeding on fruit and generally weakening plants, if not completely destroying them.
To learn more about the pest, click here. Sightings (including, if possible, photos) should be reported to state environmental authorities, using this form. (Hat tip: Tracy Porosoff)
Speaking of nature: Paul Rohan writes, “The other morning on my morning walk on Hillspoint Road ner Valley Road, I spotted 2 young deer eating grass at the edge of the road.
“I then saw a coyote run up Lookout Lane and enter Hillspoint to approach the deer. As he was halfway across the road he spotted me. He did an about face, ran back down the lane, and quickly disappeared in the underbrush.
“Over the years I have seen a few coyotes in the area, but only before daybreak. This was around 8 a.m. Please alert readers with small dogs or other pets who might be in the area in the early morning to be aware of this coyote situation.”
If it’s late summer/early fall, it must be time for the Slice of Saugatuck.
The 11th annual event — a fun food/merchant experience in Westport’s most walkable neighborhood — is set for Saturday, September 9 (2 to 5 p.m.).
This year, over 40 businesses will participate in the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce-sponsored event.
Over 2 dozen venues will offer tastes from their menus. Live music will play at 7 locations, with favorite bands like Otis & the Hurricanes, Silver Steel, Mill River Band, the Howling Barncats, Elana Zarabi and Accidental Breakdown.
Bouncy houses are back. New this year: a face painter for the kids.
Beer Gardens (with wine) on Bridge Square and Railroad Place will be complemented by restaurants offering specialty drinks. Many venues will continued the festivities with happy hour offerings after the Slice ends.
The price is again $15 for adults, $5 for children under 13, free for age 5 and under. Tickets are sold on-site only, beginning at 1:50 p.m.
Slice of Saugatuck is one of the best events on the local calendar. It’s also a great cause. Over the years, the Chamber has donated more than $44,000 to the Gillespie Center’s food pantry .
For more information — including a map of participants — click here.
Lining up for samples, on Railroad Place
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Mike Ronemus and a few friends have been thinking about it for, oh, only 25 years or so.
On Monday, they finally did it: They swam from Compo Beach to Cokenoe Island.
And back.
They began at 6 a.m. A kayak, stand-up paddleboard and 2 boats escorted them through the channel.
It took between 1 1/2 and 1 3/4 hours to cover the 2 1/2 miles.
Congratulations to Mike, and fellow adventure swimmers Tom Bottini, Chris Coffin, Kevin Huelster, Bruce Koffsky, Andy Ludel, Mary Money, Ric Nadel, Leila Shields, Clay Tebbits.
Of course there’s lobster at the Friends of Sherwood Island State Park’s annual Shorefest celebration.
But there’s also salmon and steak (with catering by Westfair Fish & Chips). Plus music by Westport Jenny Ong’s classical trio. And as always, a chance to party with fellow park-lovers.
This year’s event is September 8 (6 to 9 p.m., main pavilion). A silent auction includes tours of Prospect Gardens and Aspetuck brew lab, a fishing charter with Westport captain Blake Smith, and gift certificates to local restaurants.
Proceeds help fund 140 feet of new dunes, with 3,600 American beach grass plants; invasive species eradication; an owl habitat restoration project; fall and spring tree plantings; the Nature Center intern program, and speakers on raptors, horseshoe crabs, turtles and insects.
The Tennis Channel is listed on the NASDAQ. For the past 12 years, they’ve celebrated the start the US Open by ringing the morning bell.
Yesterday morning, the ringers included Cayne Mandell. The 2017 Staples High School and 2021 Syracuse University sports management graduate is an ad sales marketing coordinator for TC.
The NASDAQ bell was not his only perk. He’ll be in the Tennis Channel corporate suite during the event too.
Allan Friedman has led bike trips for a decade — ever since his first Backroads journey to Tuscany in 2013. He then biked through California and Canada, and now leads urban tours in areas like New York, New Haven and Washington.
On September 12 (Saugatuck Congregational Church; 6:15 p.m. dinner; 7:30 p.m. presentation), he’s the Appalachian Mountain Club’s dinner guest speaker. His topic: ”Adventures Abound — Ride and Explore!”
The cost is $10 for members, $15 for non-members (payable at the door). Bring a dessert to share. For more information, email easasso7@icloud.com.
Allan Friedman
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Eagle-eyed photographer Steve Halstead snapped today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo — at the same moment his subject looked, equally intently, for a fish.
And finally … Bob Mummert, the drummer on Roy Orbison’s last tour, died Saturday.
Known for his appearance on the “You Got It” music video, he was also a drummer for the Grand Ole Opry, and a session musician who toured with many famous artists and bands.
(From school security to spotted lanternflies, “06880” is your connection between Westport and the world. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
The leaf blower ordinance. Wheels2U. Affordable housing.
If you follow those stories, you may know that the RTM has a hand in them. But what is “the RTM”? Who are these people, and what do they do?
Velma Heller knows. For 20 years, she was one of them. And for much of that time, she was its leader (“moderator”).
As Westport gears up for local elections this fall, Velma gives “06880” the DL on the RTM.
As a retired member of Westport’s RTM, would like to share some of the reasons you might be interested in becoming part of this unique experience in town government.
Velma Heller
For me, getting involved in our legislative body was exhilarating, an opportunity to learn and grow as I also formed lasting relationships with my colleagues.
I, like so many before me, became a link in the lineage of town legislators that helped to shape the town we call home.
Westport’s Representative Town Meeting (RTM) became the legislative body of the town in 1949, replacing the historic New England Town Meeting with a non-partisan representative form of government. It was designed to provide effective self- rule for a growing population.
The town was divided into 6 RTM districts. Each member represented 250 electors, and serving for 2 years. Over time the number of districts and representatives per district was modified to accommodate population changes. Today there are 9 districts. with 4 members per district.
To manage its many responsibilities, the RTM formed committees that study issues in depth, then report back to the full body for debate.
Westport citizens developed a form of government that represented the unique character and history of the town. It continues to this date. All Westporters are part of the tradition. What began as a new practice has become a time-honored institution of governance for our town.
Since its inception almost 75 years ago, Westport’s electors have assembled an extraordinary body of dedicated citizens to represent them: farmers, merchants, business people, corporate executives, writers, artists, architects, journalists, engineers, lawyers, educators, stay-at-home moms and dads, doctors, dentists, retirees. People from all walks of life resolve issues facing the town.
In the early years and beyond, local legislators focused on making our town a viable, comfortable community. They created town roads and drainage, and budgeted for school buildings — addressing the challenges of expansion, changing demographics and economic factors.
Over the years they directed attention and debate to funding land acquisition for town purposes such as commuter parking lots, Longshore, Cockenoe Island (to prevent a nuclear power plant off our shore), the Baron’s North property, (Winslow Park) as open space and the Baron’s South property, now the site of the Senior Center.
As the town entered the 21st century the RTM continued exercising its powers: to approve, reduce or restore appropriations; approve ordinances; approve certain appointments, and overturn certain P&Z text amendments.
Always at top of mind has been the balancing act required to address the wide range of pressing town needs that come before the body.
The RTM has shown an ongoing commitment to funding Westport’s excellent educational system through yearly budgets or building projects: conversions, expansions, renovations, reconstruction or new construction through times of contraction and growth.
Funding the town’s infrastructure, services and amenities continues to be a major focus. The RTM approves money to support administrative requests for running the town and its departments, including Human Services, Police, Fire, Public Works, and Parks & Recreation. Those requests fund the Senior Center; equipment and technology for all departments; sidewalks; a sewage treatment plant; recreational facilities at Longshore; town beaches, and much more.
In 1967, Westport’s RTM approved a plan to buy Cockenoe Island for $200,000. The purchase scuttled a plan to build a nuclear power plant a mile off Compo Beach.
In their legislative role, the RTM continues to approve ordinances reflecting the priorities of the times. These include converting the original Saugatuck Elementary School to a moderate income elderly housing facility, creating a Blight Board and TEAM Westport, a ban on retail plastic bags, a ban on smoking in public buildings, restricting infill on athletic fields, the use of fracking waste in town, and recently restricting the use of gas-powered leaf blowers.
When all is said and done, it’s the people that make a difference by participating, sharing their views and adding insight to the decision-making of the RTM. They reflect the views of the town, resonating passion and pride, offering a voice of reason, building community. Whether serving as elected representatives, as individual members of the public airing their observations at meetings, or running for a seat on the RTM and enhancing the work of study committees, their varied perspectives enrich the discourse. Perhaps you could be one of those who contribute to the process.
In my own experience, together we engaged in hours of discussion and sometimes messy (albeit productive) debate. We built consensus, resolved issues, and at the end of the day (hopefully) agreed to disagree. For me, serving on the RTM in a collaborative, non-partisan environment, and making decisions that impacted the welfare of our town with support from exceptional colleagues was its own reward.
While COVID temporarily changed the venue of meetings to a remote format, once again in-person meetings are held at Town Hall. I encourage you to attend upcoming meetings the first Tuesday of each month. There’s something about “being in the room where it happens.”
I hope you too will be inspired to get involved, to run for a seat representing your district on the RTM. For further information on the RTM, click here. For details on running for the RTM, contact the Town Clerk’s office jdunkerton@westportct.gov or 203-341-1105. Petitions and applications for those planning to run are due in mid-summer.
(“06880” covers the RTM frequently — and all other town bodies. Please consider a contribution to help our work. Click here — and thank you!)
If you’re a Westport homeowner, there’s a 40% chance you live on wetlands, or in a floodplain.
If you’re part of that 40% and have moved here since 2001, you’ve received a letter — and fat informational packet — from Alicia Mozian, telling you what that means, and how to care for your property.
And advising you to call her, before beginning any work on the land.
That’s just one of the proactive approached Mozian has brought to her job as Conservation Department director.
Alicia Mozian
Low-key but intensely passionate, her blandly named office oversees nearly every aspect of Westport’s environment. Shellfishing, Cockenoe Island camping, the Sherwood Mill Pond Preserve, single-use plastics, the plastic bag ban — all are in Mozian’s domain.
But most important may be protecting the town’s wetlands and watercourses.
We have 13 named waterways. We sit at the bottom of several watersheds, which feed into Long Island Sound. Our groundwater table is very high.
“Westport is very wet,” Mozian says simply.
On Saturday, her 2-decade career as Conservation director — and 36 years of service to Westport — come to an end. She’s retiring — kayaking off into the sunset, you might say.
The Westport she leaves is much different than the one the Pennsylvania native found, soon after graduating from Nasson College with a degree in environmental studies.
Westporters are much more aware now of the effects of water on our properties, and our lives. At the same time, larger houses — and the construction they entail — impact things like runoff and silting.
Large homes and tree-cutting affect water tables and runoff.
Mozian has been the right person to manage the interactions between residential and business property owners, builders, neighbors, politicians, environmentalists, and everyone else with a stake in Westport.
Her first job here was in 1986, as an aide to Planning & Zoning director Mel Barr. She moved on to conservation analyst; earned a master’s in resource administration management, and was named assistant zoning planner.
In 2001 she succeeded Fran Pierwola, as only the second Conservation director in our history.
Mozian had already made an important mark. In the 1990s she helped Westporters get a 10% discount on flood insurance — a reward for town-wide flood hazard mitigation that continues today.
Flood insurance is important to homeowners in flood-prone areas like Compo Cove. Westporters are eligible for discounts.
As Conservation director, she spends much of her time talking to people. Mozian answers questions, and educates property owners about upcoming work.
A lot of that entails “managing expectations. People don’t always know what they bought, or design their project to meet the land. They want their land to meet the project, not the other way around. That can lead to problems.”
During Westport’s booming construction decades of the 1950s and ’60s, many wetlands were filled in. The federal Clean Water Act of 1972 slowed that, but the damage was done.
Now those homes are being torn down. Their replacements are larger — and their high basements sink into groundwater. Nothing in the state building code prevents that, Mozian says.
“Where does the water go? In other directions — on other people’s properties,” she says.
“You’re supposed to capture runoff from driveways and roofs. But you can’t do a lot about groundwater.”
Above ground, large-scale tree-cutting also affects where water goes.
Fortunately, Mozian says, Westporters are environmentally conscious. Her small office is augmented by a host of volunteers, from the Conservation and Shellfish Commissions to Sustainable Westport and the Sherwood Mill Pond Committee.
Fortunately too, she is not stuck in Town Hall. Mozian says her favorite days are “picking up garbage on Cockenoe Island, or the Mill Pond. That’s when I get instant gratification. I can see I made a difference.”
Alicia Mozian picks up garbage at Sherwood Mill Pond Preserve.
It’s harder to see the effects of educating a variety of constituencies about the environment. Still, Mozian says, “I think I’ve done pretty well, balancing what people want versus what they need. I want their plan to be better when they walk out the office than when they walked in.
“I don’t love all the teardowns. But I’ve learned to work with them, and make them as environmentally sound as possible.”
The low point of her career was the protracted fight with the Westport Weston Family Y over its proposed, and largely untested, Fixed Activated Sludge Treatment (FAST) sewage system at the Mahackeno site.
There are many more highlights. Mozian is proud of her Wetlands Community Leader Award from Washington’s Environmental Law Institute. It was presented for her work improving water quality, through the Sasco Brook Pollution Abatement Committee.
Alicia Mozian, with her Environmental Law Institute award.
She’s also proud that none of the Conservation Commission’s decisions have ever been overturned by a court challenge. She’s been sued by developers, homeowners and neighbors — sometimes more than one group, for the same project.
She has done it all with a staff of just 5.25 people. That quarter employee — the sediment and erosion control inspector — is shared with Planning & Zoning.
“We used to have complaints about sediment from construction sites getting into waterways,” Mozian says. “But not now.”
She does not know of any other community that funds such a position.
Overall, Mozian says, Westport is in “pretty good” environmental shape. It can be measured by metrics — which the Board of Finance demands every year at budget time.
She prefers a different measure: “If you can swim in the water, drink the water and eat shellfish, we’re doing our job.”
Low tide clamming at Compo Beach is part of Alicia Mozian’s portfolio too. (Photo/Ferdinand Jahnel)
Next week, Colin Kelly takes over that job. He’s spent 18 years with the Conservation Department, first as compliance officer and now analyst.
“It’s time for the next generation. He knows things I don’t know,” Mozian praises. “He has good rapport with builders and others. He’ll deal with violations quicker. The department is in very good hands.”
It’s been in great hands for the past 21 years, for sure. Now Alicia Mozian looks forward to seeing her 92-year-old mother more, and her niece’s upcoming baby.
She will visit friends across the country, hike, and go to concerts. (She was a DJ in college.) Perhaps she’ll teach; she’s interested in subjects like citizenship, and helping realtors understand wetlands, aquifers and floodplains.
She will not miss the daily commute from Orange. But Westport will miss Conservation Director Alicia Mozian very, very much.
(“06880” covers all things Westport. Please click here, to support your hyper-local blog.)
The other day, Police Chief Foti Koskinas took CNN’s Alisyn Camerota for a spin.
The footage wound up yesterday on the network’s “Champions for Change” segment.
Foti was cited for his innovative community involvement, including helping the department handle demonstrations calmly and respectfully. He spoke candidly about the state of American policing, noting that he would take a knee with George Floyd protesters in solidarity, prayer and against police brutality — but not against police or the flag.
TEAM Westport chair Harold Bailey praised Foti’s ability to listen. “There was some change in his position” during discussions after the Michael Brown incident, Bailey said — “and change in ours as well.”
The piece will be rebroadcast this Sunday (September 25, 8 p.m.), as part of a CNN special hour-long “Champions of Change.”
Click here to see the segment. Spoiler alert: I’m on camera for a few quick seconds. And I provide the voice-over intro, conclusion and other thoughts.
It was an honor to be included.
Screenshot from CNN: Alisyn Camerota and Chief Foti Koskinas.
This morning, Westport said goodbye to summer with a quick thunderstorm. Andrew Colabella captured this dramatic lightning strike over Cockenoe Island:
The Westport Police Department and Emergency Medical Services mourn the death of Mark Blake. The popular and generous EMS crew chief died Tuesday.
He was hired in May of 1990, and had a long, rewarding career serving Westport. He was a representative for the Southwest EMS Council for over 10 years, and was most recently its president.
Blake was a certified child safety seat instructor, and organized many car safety seat clinics throughout Fairfield County.
Blake also volunteered with Weston’s fire department and emergency medical services, for over 39 years. He was the department’s vice president, and earned the rank of lieutenant.
Westport Police and EMS say: “Those who knew Crew Chief Blake quickly realized that his passion was to help any way he could. Whether organizing a safety clinic, treating a sick patient or helping at the scene of a fire in Weston, he was there. His dedication and passion will most certainly be missed.
Deputy Chief Sam Arciola oversees Westport EMS. He says: “Mark was an incredibly dedicated public servant as well as a widely respected EMT. He never hesitated to put the needs of others above his own.”
First Selectwoman Jen Tooker adds, “I was saddened to hear of the passing of Crew Chief Blake. On behalf of the town, I want to extend my condolences to his friends and family as well as express how appreciative the town is for all his years helping our community.”
One more police item: Local departments were recognized recently, in a ceremony at Beth Israel Chabad in Norwalk.
Westport was represented by Police Chief Foti Koskinas, Weston by Police Chief Ed Henion. The event included plaques of appreciation, music and brunch.
Among the officials at the Beth Israel Chabad ceremony: Rabbi Yehoshua Hecht (far left), Weston Police Chief Ed Henion (4th from left), Westport Police Chief Foti Koskinas (5th from left) and Westport 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker (6th from left).
The state of Connecticut will help fund replacement sidewalks near Greens Farms Elementary School, and renovations at the Weston Police Department.
The sidewalk project includes $250,000 from the state, and $100,000 in town funds. The police building includes $500,000 in state funds, and $264,926 from Weston.
State grants come from the Small Town Economic Assistance Program.
A sidewalk replacement project is coming soon to Greens Farms Elementary School.
Up Next Teens is a Staples High School student-founded and run organization. They’ve just launched a new project: #FeedFairfield County.
The goal is to raise $25,000. That would supply meals for nearly 10,000 hungry residents.
They asked Wakeman Town Farm for help. The result is a great partnership.
On October 6 (6 p.m.), WTF hosts an intimate chef’s dinner. Marcia Selden caters; Greens Farms Spirits supplies the wine and bubbly — and UpNext Teens will serve.
They’ll also speak to guests about their goals and projects. Click here for tickets, and more information.
Massimo Tabacco — the former owner of Bar Lupa, and other restaurants — has a new venture.
He’s partnered with lifelong Westporter Matthew Balk to open Il Pellicano, at 1460 Post Road in Fairfield.
The Italian restaurant features classic and contemporary dishes, including small plates, steaks, fish and piadina (an unleavened thin bread with delicious fillings).
There’s an extensive cocktail menu too, with experienced mixologists.
Il Pellicano opens tomorrow (Friday, September 23). A roof patio has just been approved, and will be ready soon. Click here for more information.
The Westport Library’s Verso Studios are leading-edge.
So they’re a perfect spot for a new education initiative. The Fairfield County-based LiveGirl non-profit will co-host a 9-week Leadership Lab for high school girls there. Sessions start October 3, and run each Monday through December 14.
Founded in 2014, LiveGirl’s mission is to “prepare the next generation of diverse, brave female leaders with the skills, community, and connections so that all girls may thrive and make a positive impact on the world. LiveGirl’s vision is to contribute to a world free from both gender and racial inequality.”
Utilizing state-of-the-art Verso Studios media facilities, the LiveGirl Leadership Lab will focus on creative arts empowerment, multimedia expression and training. Participants will develop storytelling skills through creative channels like video, music and podcast production.
Longtime Westporter and former Planning & Zoning Commission member Michael Stashower died yesterday. He was 96 years old.
The Cleveland native attended Hobart College as part of the US Navy’s V-12 Officer Training program, then received BA degree and MBA degrees from Cornell University.
After retiring from a long and successful career in corporate finance, Michael continued used his expertise as an overseas volunteer with the International Executive Service Corps, and to help with New York City’s 2012 Olympic bid.
In more than 50 years in Westport, he was actively involved in the community. He was elected twice to the town’s Planning & Zoning Commission. He was a past president of the UJA/Federation of Westport-Wilton-Norwalk, treasurer of Temple Israel, and served on the board of directors of the Council of Jewish Federations and the Jewish Home for the Elderly.
He loved sailing, tennis, and playing clarinet with the Westport Community Band.
Michael is survived by Gloria, his wife of nearly 72 years; their Susan (Paul Milbauer), Debby Missal (Michael) and Jon (Allison), and grandsons Jordan, Scott and Matthew.
A service is set for tomorrow (Friday, September 23, 10 a.m., Temple Israel). Shiva will be observed tomorrow from 1 to 5 p.m. at 321 Lansdowne.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests consideration of a donation to Temple Israel of Westport.
Staples High School Class of 2010 graduate Keith Gelman moved back to Westport with his wife, in June.
The other evening he saw this barred owl, in his front yard. Classmate Stuart Schmerzler snapped this stunning “Westport … Naturally” photo. Follow @schmerzlertakesphotos on Instagram, for more great shots.
There’s something new at the Westport Country Playhouse: hosts for the evening.
And they don’t look like anything you’d expect:
Ashton Muniz, one of the Westport Country Playhouse hosts. (Photo/dan Woog)
Ashton Muñiz(above) and Akiko Akita are proud non-straight, non-white non-men. So why are they welcoming guests (with big smiles and ear plugs) to the current production of “Straight White Men”?
As they explain before the curtain rises, it’s because the audience needs to get out of its comfort zone.
And why are those ear plugs necessary? Well, the music that plays as the audience finds its seats is not what you’d normally hear at the historic, near-100-year-old theater.
The show itself is quite funny and unsettling — sometimes simultaneously. Playwright Young Jean Lee is the first Asian-American woman to have a show on Broadway.
She’s not the type of person you’d expect to write “Straight White Men.” But she — and Ashton and Akiko — are happy to welcome you to it.
“There is a new Optimum store in the Fresh Market plaza. We noticed the sign this week. We have questions about billing, so we decided to pay a visit.
“An incredible, bright and knowledgeable young man named Alex answered all our questions quickly and completely. it was a very different experience from our visit to the Norwalk office.
“Alex said they’ve been in town since December, but the sign just recently went up and nobody knows they are here. I want to let Westport know that Optimum is here, and has a really great guy on board.”
Speaking of (relatively) new businesses: More than a year after opening — in the middle of COVID — The Porch @ Christie’s held its official ribbon-cutting yesterday.
It was a quick, informal and friendly ceremony — just like the Cross Highway deli itself. The icing on the cake: free cookies, from the Porch’s partner Sweet P Bakery.
Cutting the Porch ribbon (from left): consultant Mark Moeller..2nd Selectwoman Andrea Moore, owners Bill and Andrea Pecoriello, 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, marketing director Betsy Weissman, Sweet P Bakery head pastry chef Terri Cahn, manager Iby Rivera.
Beach-bound traffic was diverted yesterday afternoon, when a moving truck snagged a low-hangiing wire on Hillspoint Road, after pulling out of Edgewater Commons.
The road was reopened a few hours later.
The cause of the Hillspoint Road closure. (Photo/Andrew Colabella)
“The Great American Tag Sale with Martha Stewart” aired last night.
ABC previewed it: “Martha Stewart, known for turning everyday living into an art form, is ready to part ways with pieces from her vast collection of furniture, art and housewares in this new 1-hour special. Over the years, Martha has amassed an assortment of items that ranges from fine art to knickknacks.
“During the special, she will regale viewers with fond memories of how these beloved items were acquired and offer expert advice on how to execute a successful tag sale. Alongside her team of event planners, Martha will host a series of tag sale events including an exclusive cocktail party for celebrities and neighbors to preview the sale.”
I did not watch the show. In fact, there are 27,298.331 things I would have done before I’d even think of watching it.
But — as someone who remembers when the lifestyle guru/ businesswoman/wrtier/television personality/chef/inmate lived in Westport (and the stories that circulated here) — I wonder how many of of items (both fine art and knicknacks) have a Westport back story. (Hat tip: Betsy Pollak)
How much of Martha Stewart’s tag sale started on Turkey Hill?
Last month, “06880” reported that Great Island — the 60-acre property off the Darien coast with a stable, riding rings, “grand house,” and whiskey and wine cellar with contents dating back to Prohibition, all once owned by the Steinkraus family of Westport — was for sale.
It was called “the largest private island ever to be offered for sale on the East Coast.”
Now, the Wall Street Journal reports, the town of Darien is in negotiations to buy the island for “more than $100 million.”
Granted, Cockenoe is no Great Island. And 1969 money is not the same as 2022.
But we got our island for just $200,000. (Hat tip: Adam Stolpen)
Congratulations to May’s Staples High School Students of the Month: jnior Jordyn Goldshore, sophomores Michael Blishteyn and Kervin Joseph, and freshmen Jonah Bernstein and Davi Da Silva.
Principal Stafford Thomas said they were chosen for helping make their school “a welcoming place for peers and teachers. They are the ‘glue’ of the Staples community: the type of kind, cheerful, hard-working, trustworthy students who keep the high school together, making it the special place it is.”
Staples High School Students of the Month (from left): Michael Blishteyn, Jonah Bernstein, Davi Da Silva, Kervin Joseph. Missing: Jordyn Goldshore.
The seller — United Illuminating, a utility company predecessor of Eversource — would no longer follow through on plans to build a 14-story nuclear power plant on the island, a mile off Compo Beach.
The next day’s Westport News carried a memorable headline: “Cockenoe Island Safe in Sound.” Life magazine called it one of the 10 most important environmental victories in America that year.
Cockenoe Island was saved, in perpetuity.
Exactly 52 years later, a group of area residents — many of whom had not been born when Westporters saved Cockenoe — commemorated the event.
Twelve canoes, kayaks and paddleboards headed out from the Compo Beach kayak launch to the island, and around it. They braved 33-degree weather and 11-knot winds.
After circumnavigating, everyone went ashore. They made a fire and sipped celebratory cider. Two bald eagles greeted the group.
Cockenoe paddlers celebrate.
Organizer Sefra Alexandra cherishes winter paddling. A leader of BOATanical Expeditions, she leads trips to raise awareness of the biodiversity and resilience of our ecoregion. Most take place on the Connecticut River.
But Alexandra — also a member of the Explorers Club — wants to popularize “backyard expeditions.”
“We all have a role to play in stewarding the re-wilding the lands and waters around us,” she says.
BOATanical Expeditions was joined as host by 2 other groups. The Readiness Collective is a social club offering emergency and daily life training. Riprour is an outdoor adventure community that leads excursions throughout Fairfield County, while raising funds for organizations like Aspetuck Land Trust and The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.
Among the paddlers: Jesse Levin, Danielle Roberts, Sefra Alexandra and Rocky Progano.
Though fishin’ replaced fission long ago, Alexandra knows that keeping effluent out of the Sound is an ongoing battle. So she asked paddlers for donations from the Cockenoe paddlers. Funds go to East Norwalk Blue, a free bilge pump-out program run by Norm Bloom of Copps Island Oysters.
Bloom also provided the safety boat for the Cockenoe paddle.
Last week — half a century after its purchase by the town of Westport — Cockenoe Island was once again “safe in Sound.”
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Since its inception almost 75 years ago, Westport’s electors have assembled an extraordinary body of dedicated citizens to represent them: farmers, merchants, business people, corporate executives, writers, artists, architects, journalists, engineers, lawyers, educators, stay-at-home moms and dads, doctors, dentists, retirees. People from all walks of life resolve issues facing the town.
