Dinner at South Beach (Photo/Lauri Weiser)
Just a few minutes before 6 p.m., this was the scene at Owenoke, from Compo’s South Beach:
But if you turned 180 degrees you saw this, over Cockenoe Island:
(Photos/Dan Woog)
Five minutes later, the Owenoke clouds prevailed. The skies opened up; the wind roared with Isaias-like ferocity.
Five minutes after that, it was all over. The sun came out everywhere.
A severe thunderstorm watch remains in effect though, until 10 p.m.
Hot, humid weather drove hundreds of Westporters to Compo Beach yesterday.
And yes, they were nearly all Westporters. No day passes are being sold.
In an added effort to keep crowds to a COVID-safe number, Parks & Recreation officials closed (and patrolled) the dropoff (aka Uber) area across from the Soundview parking lot …
… and erected barricades along Soundview Drive.
They even put stanchions in front of the pumping station at the Longshore exit, near the Minute Man monument. Savvy folks have been parking there for a while.
Police also ticketed cars parked illegally on side streets.
Meanwhile — very quietly — Parks & Rec has re-opened the very popular playground.
They also returned a few (well distanced) tables to the two pavilions.
Westporters wasted no time going back to their old habit of dumping all their stuff all over the place, then leaving …
… and at South Beach, where Parks & Rec added a few picnic tables and even grills, Westporters quickly returned to the pre-pandemic ritual of completely ignoring the signs saying “Tables Are Not Reservable” — on each table! — and reserving them.
(Photos/Dan Woog)
Some things never change.
Posted in Beach
Tagged Compo Beach, Compo Beach pavilion, Compo Beach playground, Compo Beach South Beach
South Beach sunset …
… and the cannons (Photos/Larry Untermeyer)
Compo Beach, in winter (Photo/Christopher Saxe)
Tonight’s spectacular sunset: Soundview Drive … (Photo/Betsy P. Kahn)
… and South Beach (Photo/Isabelle Taglia, Bedford Middle School 6th grader)
Nearing the end of summer, at South Beach (Photo/Amy Schneider)
South Beach by drone (Photo/@danielrosenkranzphoto)
At first, the long blue mat drew puzzled stares.
Very quickly last year however, the Mobi-Mat — running from the Compo Beach boardwalk to the water, near the brick pavilion — proved spectacularly popular.
People using wheelchairs and walkers — plus parents pushing strollers — loved the non-stick surface. Soon it was used by others who, for whatever reason, had trouble navigating the sand.
One of the Compo Beach Mobi-Mat’s many users. (Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)
It was a smart, simple solution to an age-old problem: providing access to amenities for the many folks with mobility or related issues.
That’s not all that our Parks & Recreation Department has done to make Compo more accessible to all.
The boardwalk was extended 2 years ago, from the pavilion to the cannons. This year another section was added, from the cannons to the end of South Beach.
It’s a safety measure for all. And a godsend for everyone with a mobility issue, who just could not walk on the sand — or in the road — to enjoy the very popular barbecue-and-sunset-watching end of Compo.
The new South Beach boardwalk increases accessibility, adds safety — and does not take away those beloved close-in parking spots.
The addition of picnic tables with cutouts for wheelchairs — in the pavilion next to Joey’s by the Shore — was one more small but important recognition that Westport is a place that tries to welcome everyone, of all physical abilities.
So it’s fitting that next Wednesday (June 26, 5:30 p.m., near the new South Beach bathrooms), the town celebrates Westport’s efforts to improve accessibility everywhere.
Parks and Rec director Jen Fava, Human Services director Elaine Daignault and Westport’s Commission on People with Disabilities will host the event. First Selectman Jim Marpe — an ADA champion — will be there too.
The location is significant. Not only are the new bathrooms handicap accessible — of course! — but they’re located across from 2 barbecue stations with ADA-compliant surfaces. They’re specially marked, for folks with wheelchairs and vehicles that transport them.
Jr’s Deli will provide free hot dogs.
Crumb Together — the bakery that trains and employs adults with disabilities — will be there too.
Everyone — of all abilities — is invited!
Construction is finished. Plumbing is installed. Toilet paper is stocked.
Starting tomorrow, the new bathrooms at Compo Beach’s South Beach are good to “go.”
(Photo/Matt Murray)
Countless folks will sigh with relief, as they relieve themselves just a few steps across the also-new, already-well-used, keep-pedestrians-and-strollers-off-the-road walkway.
See you there!
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome — and appreciated! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to: Dan Woog, 301 Post Road East, Westport, CT 06880. Or use Venmo: @DanWoog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)
