Tag Archives: Partrick Road

Roundup: Stolen Bench, Porchables, Partrick …

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This is the lowest of the low. Nathalie Jacob writes:

“Am I the only one that this has happened to?

“Someone took by accident or stole my little Nicole’s bus bench in Old Hill. She was so sad 😢 this morning when she walked down her driveway to find that someone had stolen/taken her little bus bench. It was gifted to us by a neighbor.

“The one cute thing that makes her comfortable and happy before the 🚌 picks her up, was that bench. She is so sad to not have it anymore.

“The bench was in my driveway, more than 10 feet inside of our property.

“Maybe an ‘06880’ reader might know where it is? Have missing benches been a thing around town?”

Nicole Jacob on her bench, before it was borrowed — okay, stolen.

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As Broadway (and off-) return, it welcomes back old faces — and new.

Among the latter: Colin Konstanty.

The Staples High School senior has joined the ensemble cast of Trevor: The Musical.

Colin — who has appeared in many Staples Players shows — says: “I’m so excited to be a part of Trevor: The Musical, and look forward to working with the amazing cast and creative team of the show. To be a part of the reopening of off-Broadway this fall means a lot to me, especially because the musical, even though it’s set in 1981, deals with a lot of the challenges that LGBTQ kids still face today and has an really important message about accepting, being, and loving who you are.”

For more information, click here.

Colin Konstanty

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The Westport Weston Health District — the first in the state — will add Easton to its list of town serves.

Instead of lengthening its name, the organization is shortening it. Starting January 1, it will be called the Aspetuck Health District. The new name honors a nearby river and reservoir.

It’s back to the future, in a way. At its inception in 1965, the original name was the Aspetuck Valley Health District.

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Gifts to museums take many forms: buildings. Exhibits. Endowments.

You don’t often hear, though, of donations like this. An anonymous donor has just guaranteed that admission to MoCA Westport’s gallery is now free. For all visitors. For an entire year.

“This gift supports our belief in the power of art to educate, enrich and build connections between us — a power that should be equally accessible to all in the community,” says executive director Ruth Mannes.

The current exhibition – “Between the Ground and the Sky” — is on view through October 17.

Up soon: a weekend brunch with food trucks and cocktails from Bar MoCA, plus a free drop-in art class for kids.

The MoCA exhibition — now free. (Photo/JC Martin)

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Shred it!

Westport’s 12th annual Shred Day is Saturday, September 25 (9 a.m. to 12 noon). There’s a ne location: the Greens Farms train station.

Residents may shred up to 8 paper bags or 3 boxes (12 inches by 18 inches), per household.  Each car will be charged $5. Proof of Westport residency is required.

Bank statements, canceled checks, credit card statements, tax papers and medical records are among the items Westporters shred.

It’s safe, secure, confidential — and environmentally sound. All material is recycled.

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The Porch @ Christie’s is pretty close to 4 schools: Staples High, Bedford Middle, and Coleytown Middle and Elementary School.

Which makes it perfect for parents who want “PorchAbles.”

The Cross Highway eatery has introduced a new item: school lunches that parents can order ahead to pick up, be delivered, or enjoyed in person at the Porch.

Pickup can be the night before school, or that morning.

There are 5 choices: Turkey, roast beef (both roasted at The Porch) or ham sandwich, with choices of bread (whole grain, white or gluten-free) and cheese (American, Swiss, cheddar or none), pizza pop’ems, or a bagel with cream cheese.

All come with a side of fruit salad, and a Sweet P cookie.

In addition, The Porch now delivers all menu items within a 5-mile radius. Click here for more information.

 

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Sunday’s “Photo Challenge” included — as an aside — a question about the derivation of the street name “Partrick” (off Wilton Road).

Turns out it’s the name of a family from the neighborhood.

Iain Bruce went one step further. He notes: “There are lots of Partricks and Partrics in Christ & Holy Trinity Cemetery. Spelling is irrelevant. People get all intense about names from 100 years ago. They forget that a) standardized orthography is pretty recent; b) moat of their ancestors couldn’t read or write anyway.”

(Photo/Iain Bruce)

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It doesn’t get more classic than “Of Mice and Men.”

The Westport Country Playhouse produced John Steinbeck’s famed play in 2008. Now — but only through September 26 — it’s available as an on-demand livestream.

Click here for more information, and tickets.

“Of Mice and Men”

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Congratulations to Jon Adler!

The 2004 Staples High School graduate won an Emmy Award Sunday in Los Angeles for his role as supervising producer of the CNN original series “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy.”

Jon Adler, and his Emmy.

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Today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo was taken in a dahlia garden. It doesn’t get more gorgeous than this.

(Photo/Steven Rothenberg)

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And finally … on this day in 1741, George Frideric Handel completed his oratorio “Messiah.”

No, today is not Christmas. Or Easter.

But who needs an excuse to hear this?

Photo Challenge #350

All over town, open space is vanishing. Part of the Belta and Pabst properties on Bayberry Lane will be developed; so, apparently, will the Kowalsky land on Clapboard Hill.

But a relatively large bit of greenery sits undisturbed on the corner of Partrick and Crawford Roads. It’s been there for decades.

The open space — complete with a bench — was last week’s Photo Challenge. Marilyn Heffers, Alex Wennberg, Cathy Barnett and Derek Fuchs all knew exactly where it was. (Click here to see.)

Which raises a couple of interesting questions: It looks like a militia training ground — was that the original use?

How has it remained undisturbed?

And — only slightly off-topic — where does the odd name “Partrick” come from?

Now here is this week’s Photo Challenge. If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.

(Photo/JC Martin)

Roundup: Blight House, Tiny House, Stiles Market …

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Partrick Road is historic, winding and beautiful. Tucked into Westport’s northwest corner, it’s one of our town’s true gems.

Except for the property that’s sat, unoccupied, for nearly 30 years.

First the home was abandoned. Then it became blighted. After it was removed, the lot became overgrown and unkempt.

The 3-decade saga is nearly over. New owners bought the property. They’re planning to build a nice, single family home.

The weeds and rotted wood will soon be gone. The entire neighborhood’s 3 decades of frustration is at an end.

Meanwhile, the homeowners would love to know more about its history — and previous plans to subdivide the land. If you know anything, click “Comments” below.

The formerly blighted house on Partrick Road.

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Require masks, or not? Take a hard line, or soft? Make customers make a choice, or give them options?

With masks largely optional now — but COVID still real — every business has to decide what’s right for their customers (and employees).

It’s not easy. But Stiles Market seems to have threaded the needle as well as anyone. Their sign says:

(Photo/Bob Weingarten)

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Aspetuck Land Trust is seeking a community engagement coordinator. This is a paid 11-month service position through TerraCorps — the conservation version of AmeriCorps.

The coordinator would inspire and educate homeowners about how to build biodiversity into their home landscapes and yards. This is a key goal of Aspetuck Land Trust’s Green Corridor Initiative: to save the planet, one conserved acre and one homeowner at a time.

Activities include creating hands-on classes at ALT’s innovative model native landscapes, helping organize th annual native plant sale, and implementing a local “native” garden tour to showcase homeowners who have taken steps to create biodiverse yards. Click here for the full job description.

Qualifications include at least a high school diploma or GED (ideally a 4-year degree). The coordinator should want a career in conservation, and be passionate about repairing our natural world. This is a great opportunity for a recent college graduate to gain valuable work experience with a land trust.

For more information, email David Brant: dbrant@aspetucklandtrust.org.

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Several readers sent photos of last night’s gorgeous moonrise. (Tonight’s is the actual full moon. The “Strawberry Moon” — a signal to Native Americans to pick strawberries — will be the last “supermoon” of 2021, Betsy Pollak says.

“06880” readers sent in plenty of great photos. Among them:

(Photo/Dick Wingate)

And this:

(Photo/Alexandra Gay)

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Politicians love photo ops. And free meals.

So the turnout was great yesterday, when Romanacci Cafe celebrated its expansion on Railroad Place.

Romanacci Xpress — which opened 5 years ago — has moved into the old Commuter Coffee location next door. Owners Graziano and Maurizio Ricci created an inviting new restaurant, with full bar and outside seating.

Guests yesterday were treated to a nice feast, including fresh burrata and seasonal zucchini flowers.

Among the dignitaries in the photo below: Selectmen Jim Marpe, Jen Tooker and Melissa Kane; State Senator Will Haskell; State Representative Jonathan Steinberg; Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce executive director Matthew Mandell; members of the Chamber staff; the Ricci brothers, and their staff.

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Staples High School graduate and volunteer firefighter Peter Zarges died peacefully at home last month. He was 74.

After graduating from Staples High School, he joined the US Navy. He served aboard the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk off the coast of Vietnam and North Korea during the Pueblo crisis.

Peter began his 40-year career with the various ATT companies in 1970. He started with Southern New England Telephone, and moved to Southwestern Bell.

His lifelong commitment to the fire service started at Coleytown Volunteer Engine Company #6. He continued with Klein Volunteer Fire Department. Throughout the years he served as lieutenant, captain, district chief and fire marshal. Peter was also an advisor to Exploring Post 31.

Peter is survived by his wife of 49 years, Janet; 2 children, Liz (Kelcey) Trotty and Robert (Corey) Zarges; grandchild Jace Trotty, brother and sister-in-law David and Debbie Zarges and many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Gary Sinise Foundation or Fisher House.

Peter Zarges

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In all the discussions about current politics, it’s easy to forget Newt Gingrich. But we would not be where we are today without the 1990s-era House Speaker.

Princeton historian and CNN political analyst Julian Zelizer just wrote a new book: Burning Down The House: Newt Gingrich, the Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of the New Republican Party.

On July 7 (7 p.m., Zoom) he’ll discuss Gingrich, American politics and more. The program is sponsored by the Westport Library and League of Women Voters. Bruce McGuirk, leader of the Library’s Pages Through the Ages history discussion group, leads the conversation.

Click here to register. Bookplate signed copies of the new paperback are available here.

Julian Zelizer

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Westport Country Playhouse presents a virtual symposium, in conjunction with the on-demand staging of the new comedy “Tiny House.”

The free Symposium features playwright Michael Gotch an WCP associate artistic director David Kennedy. will be on the Playhouse’s website from June 30 through July 18. They’ll hat about the themes of utopia and apocalypse, political polarization, downsizing, escaping urban life, and fresh starts — plus the challenges of producing a play virtually.

In “Tiny House,” fireworks fly when family, friends, and quirky neighbors come together for a Fourth of July barbecue at the off-the-grid, isolated mountain paradise of a young, urban couple.  “Tiny House” streams on demand from June 29 through July 18. A one-night, in-person screening at the Playhouse is set for Tuesday (June 29, 7 p.m.). Click here for more information.

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Lou Weinberg sends today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo — and details:

“Mason bees pollinate up to 80 times more than honeybees. They are native too — and they don’t sting!”

(Photo/Lou Weinberg)

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And finally … yesterday, “06880” saluted Banff, Canada’s first national park. Today we note the 141st anniversary of the first performance of “O Canada.” One hundred years later, it became the country’s official national anthem.

It certainly is a lot easier to sing than ours.

Developing News: White Barn Preserve Under Attack

As Westporters in 2 corners of town — Post Road East near the Southport border, and Saugatuck by I-95 Exit 17 — battle high-density housing, a 3rd neighborhood is also girding for a fight.

Since early 2003, Cranbury Road residents have worked to protect the former Lucille Lortel White Barn Theater property, on the Westport/Norwalk border. Nearby neighborhoods include Newtown Turnpike, and Partrick and Stonybrook Roads.

The White Barn Theatre.

The White Barn Theatre.

According to RTM member Matthew Mandell, then-Governor Jodi Rell secured 5+ acres of open space of the 15-acre property. The rest was to be taken over by the Connecticut Friends School. They would restore the historic theater and build a low-impact green school, instead of 18 houses that had been proposed.

Recently, the school decided not to go forward with its plans. The property now reverts to the Fieber Group — a New Canaan developer — which has applied for a special permit to build at least 21 homes on 7 acres. The theater would be demolished.

A new group called Save Cranbury – Again says that the proposed “conservation development” will include filling in wetlands elsewhere on the property. This may damage “the very drinking water and wildlife resources the easement was meant to protect.”

The original low-impact plan for the "green school."

The original low-impact plan for the “green school” (pink building near center).

Mandell says that the Fieber Group is using “a specific Norwalk zone where the houses are clustered and the number is determined by the amount of acreage. They are including the open space land in their calculations.”

Mandell adds: “This developer was paid by the state, by you and me, for the land to keep as open with public access. Now they are trying to double dip — on top of destroying 3000+ square feet of wetlands and building houses in the wetland setback.” He calls it “a very unsavory plan.”

Mandell says that Norwalk zoning regulations are not as tight as Westport’s — and the city moves quickly. The first planning meeting is Thursday night at Norwalk City Hall (no public comment allowed).

Mandell’s bottom line: “Over-development and its impacts do not observe town lines.”

Save Cranbury - logo

These Are Not Westport Teardowns Of The Day. But They Should Be.

For years, I’ve wondered about the house that sits at the corner of Wilton Road and Red Coat Road.

Who owns it?  How has it existed in such decrepitude for so long?  What must people think as they come off the nearby Merritt Parkway, and see it as one of their first glimpses of Westport?

But it’s not the only area house in such disrepair.

Half a mile away, on Partrick Road, is this:

There was a bad fire there, a year or two ago.  But why haven’t the owners done anything?  Is there a problem with insurance, building permits, or something else?  Isn’t it dangerous for a burned-out house to sit like that?

And — remarkably — just a few hundred yards up that same beautiful Partrick Road is this:

The word on the street about this one is very interesting.  Apparently there was a bad divorce 20 or so years ago.  The husband didn’t want his wife to have the home — but he didn’t want to live there himself.  So he pays taxes faithfully every year — and does nothing else.

It’s looked like this — abandoned and forlorn — longer than most residents have lived nearby.

How oddly comforting to know that in a town with such a tear-it-down, build-it-back-bigger mentality, at least 3 traditional homes remain standing.

Sort of.