Sunday may have been the last beautiful beach day of the year.
But there were clouds for dozens of renters of Compo lockers, who were stunned to find that — contrary to an email sent 5 days earlier — their locks had been cut.
And every chair, umbrella, wagon, toy and boogie board was dumped on the ground, ready to be hauled away.
Locker contents, after removal. (Photo/Jason Stiber)
The message from the Parks & Recreation Department had said (including bold letters):
Our policy states that all bathhouse assignees are to clean out their lockers no later than September 30th.
You may use Sunday, October 1st to make sure that your bathhouse has been cleaned out and your lock has been removed. Any locks remaining as of Monday, October 2nd, will be cut off and the contents will be removed and discarded.
Thanking you in advance for your attention in this matter. Have a great day!
Locker renters howled, on social media and “06880.”
Yesterday, Parks & Rec issued this mea culpa:
To All Bathhouse Locker Assignees:
We sincerely apologize for the cutting of the locks and removal of belongings from the Compo Beach bathhouse lockers that occurred over the weekend.
Unfortunately, Guest Services staff were not aware of the email communication which allowed for an extra day to clean out lockers beyond the September 30th policy date and began the task of removal as of October 1.
Any items that were removed and have not yet been retrieved have been placed in a locked storage area at Compo Beach. If you have not retrieved your items, staff will be available to assist you in claiming your belongings from the secured location during the following dates/times:
- Tuesday, October 3, 9am – 7pm
- Wednesday, October 4, 9am – 7pm
- Thursday, October 5, 9am – 7pm
- Friday, October 6, 9am – 7pm
- Saturday, October 7, 9am – 5pm
If none of the dates/times listed above are convenient for you, please email Carmen Roda, Operations Manager at croda@westportct.gov so he can arrange access for you.
Again, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.
In a phone interview, Parks & Rec director Jennifer Fava attributed the mix-up to overzealous employees trying to do the right thing.
Meanwhile, about those lanternflies …
Compo Beach lockers (Photo copyright Larry Untermeyer)
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