The Old Mill parking lot has been reopened to all Westporters with a beach sticker.
When it was closed due to COVID-19, however, some folks wondered why Old Mill residents (and 2 guests) got to park there, and they — the non-residents — did not.
Well, because they have nowhere else to park.
That was not a problem in 1913. As this photo shows, no one parked anywhere.
(Photo courtesy of Paul Ehrismann)
But where did they keep their horses?
Last week’s announcement that public parking at Old Mill Beach is reopened was straightforward. Parking is once again available for vehicles with beach emblems or hang tags, on a space available basis.
But the Parks & Recreation Department news underscored long-running tensions between residents of Old Mill and Compo Cove, and residents in other parts of town.
Parking at the small beach opposite Joey’s by the Shore has always been limited. There are 35 residences by the beach or over the twin wooden bridges (accessible only by foot). There are 13 garages in back (they’re private property, each deeded to a home). A few properties do have room for parked cars. After re-paving a year ago, the lot was striped for 64 spaces.
The parking lot in April 2019, after paving and re-striping. (Photo/Matt Murray)
Parks & Rec placards identify vehicles that belong to residents. Those allow residents to park overnight there.
Old Mill and Compo Cove owners and renters have also been allowed to purchase 4 passes: 2 for themselves (1 per car, license plate-specific), and 2 for guests. The cost is $330, and they do no guarantee parking spaces.
During the COVID shutdown — designed to minimize crowds on the sand — Old Mill residents bristled at charges that they had a “private beach” paid for by Westporters’ taxes.
Old Mill Beach, early July (Photo/Diana Griffin Coyne)
“We pay for the schools and other services we may not use,” Matt Murray says. “I’ve been here 32 years, and never had a child in the school system. It’s part of funding the town.”
(Old Mill residents have their own complaint. This spring and summer has seen a steep rise in the number of tweens and teens jumping from the wooden bridge into Mill Pond. Some ride bikes there; others dropped off by parents. Residents say the youngsters have been loud and disrespectful, and have vandalized cars in the lot. Parks & Rec has now assigned an employee to the area. But that’s another story.)
A time-honored ritual, in 2019. The parking garage — part of some owners’ property deeds — is in the background.
For years, Old Mill was Westport’s forgotten beach. Once upon a time, there was a lifeguard. Then it eroded so badly that swimming became almost impossible. The Mill Pond behind it was in bad shape too.
But Old Mill is back. People swim, go crabbing and fishing, use skim boards and boogie boards, and walk out (and party) on the mud flats. The Mill Pond is healthy again too.
Old Mill in June (Photo/Les Dinkin)
The popularity of Joey’s by the Shore/Elvira’s Coffee Bar — particularly now that the Compo concession stand is not open — has added to the allure of Old Mill Beach.
With Compo operating at half capacity (meaning occasional closures on great-weather weekends), plus some Westporters’ hesitancy to hang out at still-crowded Compo — along with the fact that more people (including kids) than ever have stayed home this summer — Old Mill has never been more attractive.
Old Mill Beach (Photo/Dan Woog)
For a couple of weeks, a social media firestorm pitted Westporters demanding more access to the Old Mill parking lot against residents defending their right to park there.
Parks & Rec’s recent decision to reopen Old Mill Beach — under the regular, first-come-first-served parking rules — has quieted the tempest.
For now — let’s hope — everyone can play nice in the sandbox.
Starting today, the Old Mill Beach parking lot is fully re-opened.
That means a reversion to previous rules: Parking is available for vehicles with beach emblems or hang tags, on a space available basis.
As in the past, Parks and Recreation Department staff will strictly enforce all parking regulations.
Greens Farms Academy has announced plans for in-person, on-campus instruction, 5 days a week, beginning September 1.
The private school on Beachside Avenue has spent the summer making numerous preparations — everything from changing physical spaces and furniture, to mandating one-way building pathways, to delivering lunch to assigned spaces.
One more change; There will be no formal uniform at GFA this year.
Meanwhile, the fall sports season will look different this year. The Fairchester Athletic Association has canceled all regular season games and tournaments. The league cited “differing return-to- school plans and academic models” for its member schools, in light of COVID-19, as the reason.
However, GFA says, the league’s announcement does not preclude the school from scheduling interscholastic opportunities between and among like schools, if able.
The Senior Center is sponsoring 3 interesting events this month.
Next Thursday, August 6 (10 a.m., Zoom meeting), a Westport Weston Health District panel will discuss COVID-19 in Connecticut. Viewers can ask questions too. Click here for the link.
A Caregiver Support Group meets on Wednesdays (August 5 and 19, September 2 and 16, 10 a.m.). Positive Directons’ Terry Giegengack will facilitate the sessions. For more information, call Holly Betts (203-341-5096) or email hbetts@westportct.gov.
Friends of the Westport Center for Senior Activities hosts a free summer concert series in August and September. The stars are local musicians. First up (August 14, 1:30 p.m.): pianist Mathew Graybil, who has played around the world. He’ll feature works by Chopin, Schubert and Brahms. Click here for the Zoom link.
The Senior Center is closed. But programs continue.
At Staples High School, 2004 alum Charlie Stoebe was a soccer and track star (and captain). He graduated from Dartmouth College, and is now working with NBC Sports.
Charlie is multi-talented. In his spare COVID-related time, he created a new party game.
“What Was the Question?” tests how well you know your friends and family. But unlike most getting-to-know-you games, it starts not with a question, but an answer. Players must figure out the question. After each reveal there are fun discussions on the answer the player gave, and the predictions everyone else made.
“What Was the Question?” is now in Kickstarter mode. To help get it to market — and help out a really great Staples grad — click here.
And finally … Danish pianist Bent Fabricius-Bjerre died yesterday at 95. You may know him as Bent Fabric. Or maybe you just know his most famous song:
Clouds near Ned Dimes Marina … (Photo/Michael Tomashefsky)
… and the marina itself … (Photo/Michael Tomashefsky)
… and Old Mill Beach … (Photo/Jim St. Andre)
… and out to Compo Cove … (Photo/Jim St. Andre)
… and colorful Compo (Photo/Larry Untermeyer)
Last night’s full moon, as seen from Old Mill Beach … (Photo/Lauri Weiser)
… and Saugatuck Shores (Photo/Debra Levin)
For the 2nd straight day, rain clouds gathered over Westport this afternoon …
(Photo/Stephanie Mastocciolo)
(Photo/Matt Murray)
(Photo/Katherine Ross)
… and then the rains came …
(Photo/Ellen Wentworth)
… followed by (of course) a (double) rainbow!
(Photo/Seth Goltzer)
(Photo/Chris Tait)
(Photo/Janine Scotti)
(Photo/Jeanine Esposito)
Even I-95 looks great! (Photo/Seth Goltzer)
Posted in Beach, Downtown, Transportation, Weather
Tagged Compo Beach, I-95, Old Mill Beach, Rainbows, Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge, Saugatuck River
COVID has hit MyTeam Triumph hard. The great program pairs children, teens and adults with disabilities (“captains”) with volunteers (“angels”) who help them participate in triathlons and road races. But close physical contact during the crisis is forbidden.
So the Westport chapter has created a new event. On Sunday, July 12, at any time between 4 and 5 p.m. captains are invited to the Charles Street railroad station parking lot across from Mystic Market.
They, their families and caregivers can drive, walk or run through the lot. MyTeam Triumph angels will line both sides, honking and cheering — and remaining socially distant.
There’s a special gift for captains too, at the end.
For more information, click here or email tehrlich@myTeamTriumph-ct.org.
The newest beach beautification project is a joint effort between Parks & Rec, and local residents.
Old Mill neighbors LaVonne and Lynn Kramer (shown with grandson Cooper) and the town teamed up to add flowers at the Old Mill Beach entrance. They’ll maintain them together too.
North Woods graduated from Staples High School in 2015, then from Indiana University 4 years later with an honors degree in history.
That doesn’t always pay the bills. So — with a minor in French, and a longtime passion for the culture — he landed a teaching position with France’s Ministry of Education.
He spent the last 9 months teaching in Le Puy en Veley. While waiting out the pandemic there, he started listening to podcasts.
North loves both history and talking. So he created a podcast: “Mr. Woods’ History 101.”
He’s recorded 12 episodes so far. Topics range from the Tour de France and American flag to Nazi uniforms. The most recent topic: the Statue of Liberty.
Click here to listen.
North Woods
And finally … what goes up must come down. That includes the number of COVID cases, for sure. Wear your mask!
Phase 2 of Connecticut’s reopening plan began yesterday with indoor restaurant dining, fitness facilities, all personal services and many other business sectors allowed to welcome customers again.
2nd Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker says that business owners are “empowered to make the decision to open their doors. If they do, the ReOpen Westport team is working diligently to support them through this complicated process. We are taking this seriously. It is our goal to build confidence throughout the entire community during this reopen period.”
For a complete list of Connecticut’s Phase 1 and Phase 2 business sectors and rules, click here. For ReOpen Westport Advisory Team information and FAQs, click here. To contact the ReOpen Westport Advisory Team, email reopenteam@westportct.gov.
While local COVID-19 transmission rates continue to be low, Westport Weston Health District director Mark Cooper says, “following safety protocols like wearing masks, maintaining social distance, and good hygiene practices are all critical. I urge residents to use common sense and to take advantage of testing, especially if experiencing symptoms.”
St. Vincent’s Behavioral Health Center on Long Lots Road is a local testing site option with open time slots. Call 860-972-8100 for an appointment.
2nd selectman Jennifer Tooker
The Westport Museum for History & Culture and TEAM Westport are partnering for a special Juneteenth Zoom program.
Tomorrow (Friday, June 19, 5 p.m.), theater professor and playwright Kyle Bass discusses his play Possessing Harriet. It’s the story of enslaved woman traveling with her captors from the South to upstate New York, who finds refuge in the home of an abolitionist where he meets his young cousin Elizabeth Cady (later Stanton).
Bass will also discuss his play in progress about his ancestors Tim & Lill Bennett. They were slaves in Westport, in a home on Compo Road South.
The event is free, but registration is required. Click here to join.
Kyle Bass (Photo/Brenna Merritt)
Elderly and disabled Westport residents can apply for the Connecticut Renters’ Rebate Program. Qualifications for the program include:
The application deadline for the Renters’ Rebate Program is September 28.
Qualifying Westport residents should call the Human Services Department for an appointment: 203-341-1050.
Carol Alexander took this photo at Old Mill. She writes:
As more people come to enjoy this beautiful neighborhood beach, we need to treat it with respect. Please clean up before you leave!
Playwright/director Tazewell Thompson is familiar to area residents. In 2006 and ’07, he was artistic director at the Westport Country Playhouse.
When his opera “Blue” premiered last summer at the Glimmerglass Festival, New York Times critic Anthony Tommasini called it “one of the most elegant librettos I’ve heard in a long time.”
Thompson wrote about a black family — the father of a police officer — that is torn apart when the son is killed at a protest by another officer.
“Blue” has now been named Best New Opera by the Music Critics Association of North America. The Times calls the honor “sadly timely as the nation is roiled by unrest over police brutality and race relations.” (Click here for Thompson’s story on how he wrote the opera. Hat tip: Nina Sankovitch.)
As an Ivy Film Festival screenplay staff member, Brown University senior Elena Levin reads scripts from undergrad and grad students across the country. Each spring, the staff holds a screenwriting workshop for high schoolers.
Now the Westport resident is bringing the experience to her home town.
Elena offers an “Intro to Screenwriting Workshop” for rising high school sophomores, juniors and seniors (no experience required). It meets outdoors at 4 p.m. every Wednesday in July for 2 hours. By the end of the 5th session, everyone will have written — and workshopped — a script.
Click here for more information. Questions? Email elena_l_levin@brown.edu.
Elana Levin
And finally … Patti Smith has power. She knows that people have it too.
Weekend water scenes in Westport:
Early morning fishing off Compo Beach (Photo/Karen Como)
Cockenoe, with a Gilligan’s Island-type vibe (Photo/David Dellinger)
The view from Grace Salmon Park (Photo/Patricia McMahon)
Late afternoon, Old Mill (Photo/Matt Murray)
Sunset, Compo Beach (Photo/Tomas Curwen)
Norwalk Avenue neighborhood (Photo/Betsy P. Kahn)
Posted in Beach, Pic of the Day
Tagged Cockenoe Island, Compo Beach, Grace Salmon Park, Old Mill Beach
Four beaches, six scenes:
Old Mill sunrise, this morning (Photo/Ted Horowitz)
Another early view of Old Mill (Photo/Roseann Spengler)
Old Mill, from Hillspoint Road (Photo/Patricia McMahon)
Sherwood Island State Park, from Burying Hill (Photo/Nico Eisenberger)
Canal Beach (Photo/Gene Borio)
Compo Beach (Photo/Patti Brill)
Posted in Beach, Pic of the Day
Tagged Canal Beach, Compo Beach, Mobi-Mat, Old Mill Beach, Sherwood Island State Park
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