Tag Archives: Public Site & Building Commission

Roundup: Town Meetings, Cava, Book Club …

Posted on February 2, 2024 | 4 comments

Interesting upcoming agenda items of note:

On Monday (February 5, 12:30 p.m., Town Hall auditorium), the Board of Selectwomen meet to consider just one item: a request by Parks & Recreation Department director Jen Fava to approve a 1-year lease extension between the town and Longshore Sailing School.

The original request, for 10 years, was scuttled by the Board of Finance last month.

The meeting will be livestreamed here, and broadcast on Optimum channel 79.

Next Thursday (February 8, 5 p.m., Zoom), the Public Site & Building Commission has a full plate.

They’ll talk about the Staples High School re-roofing project; Gillespie Center renovations; the Westport Police Athletic League renovation/construction projects, Longshore renovations, and “other business.”

The Longshore Sailing School is up for a one-year lease renewal.

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There were plenty of smiling faces yesterday at Cava.

The build-your-own Mediterranean bowls-and-pitas fast casual dining place next to Westport Hardware/across from Fresh Market invited residents to a “Community Day” celebration.

Meals were free — and donations to Food Rescue US were matched by the chain, which now has over 300 locations in 24 states.

Cava is open today. There’s no longer a free lunch (or dinner). But the lines are sure to be long anyway.

The crowd at Cava last night. (Photo/Laney Lloyd)

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The Westport Book Shop asks: “Do you enjoy talking about books and comparing notes with fellow bibliophiles? Do you wish you were in a book club, but don’t have time to read a whole book before each meeting? Can’t commit to meet every single month, but want to participate occasionally?”

If so, their new Short Story Book Club is for you.

They’ll meet at the Westport Book Shop across from Jesup Green on the fourth Thursday of every month (6 to 7:30 p.m.), beginning February 22.

Books include classics and contemporary short stories. Come to one session, some, or all — it’s up to you!

The first session covers “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Published in 1892, it is an important early work of American feminist literature, examining attitudes toward women’s mental and physical health in the 19th century.

Space is limited; pre-registration is requested by phone (203-349-5141) or email (bookshop@westportbooksaleventures.org).

Copies of stories are available to borrow through the Westport Library’s digital collection. A limited number of physical copies may be borrowed at the Library too.

Other Book Club dates are March 28 and April 25. To suggest a story, email bookshop@westportbooksaleventures.org.

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When Westporters gorge themselves at Super Bowl parties next weekend, they may not think about people who are hungry.

But the Westport Police Department, Westport Police Benevolent Association, (PBA) and Westport Sunrise Rotary know there are many people in need.

On Saturday,, February 10 (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.), those groups will sponsor a food drive at Stop & Shop.

All donations will support Homes with Hope’s food pantry at the Gillespie Center, and Westport Human Services’ food pantry.

Police officers and volunteers will accept non-perishable food items, and cash donations. Suggested items include applesauce, breakfast bars, boxed macaroni and cheese, canned vegetables, canned fruit, canned meat and tuna, canned soup and stew, cup of noodles soup and ramen noodles, cereal, gluten-free foods (pasta, soups, cereals), granola. protein bars, hamburger or tuna helper, hearty soups, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, oatmeal, pancake mix and syrup, pasta and sauce, peanut butter and jelly, rice, and any miscellaneous snacks.

Glass jars are prohibited.

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As antisemitism rises, Dora Horn speaks.

The author of the best-seller “People Love Dead Jews” will discuss the need for collective action on February 28 (7:30 p.m., Chabad Lubavitch of Westport).

Click here for tickets, and more information.

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Sherwood Island — the oldest state park in Connecticut — is a popular spot in summer.

And the winter.

Friends of Sherwood Island announce two upcoming, free events.

A February 11 nature walk (11 a.m., main pavilion) with park ranger Melanie Kikta and master wildlife conservationist Ginny Apple will look for dens and nests of mammals and birds that start families this month.

The naturalists will point out where foxes, coyotes, deer and bobcats have been sighted, and look for nests of bald eagles and other birds of prey.

On March 10 (10 a.m., main pavilion), there’s a nature photography walk.

Click here for more information on both events.

Sherwood Island may look quiet in winter. But there’s plenty going on. You just need to know where to look. (Photo/Neal Radding)

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Last night, Gilbertie’s hosted a spirits tasting event. It featured herbal cocktails from Fifth Estate, made locally and sold at the garden center.

Guests also enjoyed hors d’oeuvres from the Blondinit chef. The Israeli restaurant opens on Church Lane next month.

(Photo and hat tip/Claudia Sherwood Servidio)

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A couple of weeks ago, “06880” ran a photo of the demolition of the unique castle-style home on Edgemarth Hill Road.

Work continues. Here’s the scene yesterday, from Greens Farms Road:

(Photo/Susan Garment)

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Richard Epstein describes today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo:

“’Arnold’s Promise’ witch hazel is the first flower I look for to announce the start of a new year of spring. It blooms in February — snow, ice or unseasonable warmth.”

(Photo/Richard Epstein)

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And finally … Chita Rivera died on Tuesday in New York. She was 91.

The New York Times called her a “fire-and-ice dancer, singer and actress who leapt to stardom in the original Broadway production of ‘West Side Story’ and dazzled audiences for nearly 7 decades as a Puerto Rican lodestar of the American musical theater.” She was the first Latina to earn Kennedy Center honors.

Click here for a full obituary.

(“06880” is your hyper-local blog … and all that jazz. We rely on support from audiences like you. Please click here to help. Thank you!)

4 Comments

Posted in Environment, Library, Local politics, Longshore, Real estate, Restaurants

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[OPINION] Proper Procurement Process Must Be Followed For Long Lots Project

Posted on December 6, 2023 | 15 comments

Yulee Aronson is a licensed professional engineer, with 40 years of construction management and project controls experience, overseeing many high-profile and complex projects. He says, “I have never encountered a construction problem that couldn’t be overcome.”

Yulee Aronson

Locally, Aronson has worked on the reconstruction of Staples High School and the William F. Cribari Bridge, and the chlorination building at the wastewater pollution facility. Other projects include Penn Station access, the reconstruction of La Guardia Airport, and the Baltimore Potomac Tunnel replacement.

As the Board of Finance prepares to debate the Long Lots Elementary School construction project, he writes to them:

The Long Lots School Building Committee has come before you, requesting the next round of funding to commence the design based on the recommendations from the feasibility study. It appears that such a request is prematurely bypassing several important steps.

Per proper procurement protocols, such large appropriation needs to be performed following a competitive RFP process. The contract with Svigals Partner Architects — the firm that completed the feasibility study (Phase I) — notes:

In Phase II (separate contract) the Town will utilize the collective team to prepare the final design documents for the ultimate construction solution. Final Construction documents are expected to be completed by August 30, 2024. In Pase II the A/E team is expected to do the following services. While desirable to keep continuity of the A/E between phases, Phase II will be a separate RFP process.

Has the LLSBC been empowered to sidestep the proper procurement process? And how would the lack of competitive procurement be seen by the state, from whom Westport would be seeking reimbursement?

Considering that Long Lots may become the most expensive single project in Westport’s history, we need to make sure that this next step is performed with proper governance and oversight.

It is also prudent to examine how it all started, and how the scope of the authority of the LLSBC may have expanded beyond its original charter.

It began with the development and issuance of the Building Assessment Report at the end of February 2023. It was followed by the RFP process for Phase I scope, and culminated with the issuance of the contract to Svigals Partner Architects in May.

Long Lots Elementary School is 70 years old. It was designed as a junior high.

The scope of work for Phase I was limited to the conceptual design of the school building and parking.

Sometime in the summer this scope was suddenly expanded without proper authorization to include planning for the athletic facilities, based on the study performed by the Parks and Recs Department. Who placed the School Building Committee in charge of the planning for the Parks Department? A

And how is the school renovation/replacement project now required to satisfy the needs of Parks and Rec, who previously stated that they don’t have the funding to expand their facilities, yet now this expansion is going to take place as a part of the school construction budget?

The School Building Committee extended their reach by deciding to relocate the Westport Community gardens from their existing location to another site, all as a part of the school construction umbrella and budget.

The town of Westport already has a committee that deals with the town-wide design and construction projects, looking at them holistically and not through a narrow lens of a single project. Considering the complexity and the mixed use of the existing site, is the School Building Committee the best group to chart our course forward? Or should we use the resources that we already have, namely the Public Site & Building Committee?

During public hearings, many respected professionals have pointed out that the time and scope limitations of the feasibility study did not allow hired professionals to “dive into details” of various options.

Option “C,” presented as the best plan by the Long Lots School Building Committee.

Here are just 2 examples that come to mind.

  • The cost of renovation provided in the report is based on the very conservative replacement and construction phasing assumptions that had to be made, because no time was provided in the process to really study how to renovate an occupied school while keeping costs down. Historically such renovations, once fully designed, planned and constructed, are less expensive than new construction, and generate higher reimbursement rates for the town from the state, resulting in a lower tax burden on the residents.
  • There were also several alternative “new school” solutions presented by various professionals that live in town. These solutions consisted of a new school building of the same size and interior layout/ adjacencies as used in the study, athletic fields of the size and shape used in the study, and the gardens that remain in place with less environmental impact on the neighbors. Such options included i)a more compact layout for the school building in the east-west direction; ii) more compacted parking lot in the same direction, and iii) a split level 3-story school with higher grade educational spaces located on the upper level in compliance with the Ed Specs.

What united these alternative options was the preservation of all of the existing uses on site, while providing more protection to the neighbors from unwanted noise and light pollution, and also allowing more rainwater to be absorbed in place during construction and beyond. In addition, all these proposals were less expensive.

In no way are the above options proposed here the “ultimate solutions.” The conversation about which option is best for the town would be resolved when other qualified design firms would be allowed to compete on cost of design and projected costs of construction for their respective designs, and managed by the properly authorized town committee.

15 Comments

Posted in Education, Environment, Local politics

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[OPINION] Public Site & Building Commission Must Have Role In Long Lots Debate

Posted on November 10, 2023 | 27 comments

The election is over. The Parker Harding renovation is on pause. Time to turn our attention back to Westport’s largest-ever capital project: a new Long Lots Elementary School.

Larry Weisman

Larry Weisman is longtime observer of — and participant in — town affairs. An attorney who defended SNCC workers in the South, as well as a Staples High School graduate who lost his student deferment after protesting the Vietnam War, Weisman moved his practice to Westport in 1979 and concentrated on zoning law.

He has represented the Gault Saugatuck project, Westport Library, Aspetuck Town Trust, Compo Beach playground effort, and many other major projects. Larry writes: 

Lost in the heated debate over the Long Lots school and Westport Community Gardens is the role that could and should have been played by  the Public Site & Building Commission.

The PSBC is comprised of professionals well qualified to evaluate the project in the first instance, as well as to review the recommendation favored by the 1st Selectwoman which would eliminate the Gardens to accommodate a ball field.

Here’s what the Charter has to say on the subject:

Unless otherwise expressly designated by the Representative Town Meeting with the concurrence of the First Selectman, the Public Site and Building Commission shall be designated as the school building committee as that term is defined in the General Statutes.

In the case of the Long Lots School, the 1st Selectwoman, supported by a vote of the RTM (not the RTM with the concurrence of the 1st Selectwoman, as suggested by the Charter), bypassed the PSBC and appointed her own hand- picked school building committee.

It would be fair, it seems to me, to ask why she did that; whether the RTM when it voted was aware of the Charter provision (most members were not); and if they had been, might they have asked why a new committee was necessary; and why has she refused, even after the fact, to grant the PSBC’s request that she refer her committee’s recommendation to it for further review and evaluation. What is she afraid of?

The Long Lots Elementary School project will be Westport’s largest capital expense ever.

In my view this has all of the hallmarks of a process carefully engineered by the 1st Selectwoman to avoid informed dissent and minimize public participation so as to produce a predetermined result.

Unfortunately for the citizens of Westport, these tactics do not necessarily produce either the best or the fairest result, nor one in which the public can have unqualified confidence.

I for one would be much more comfortable with the result, whatever it may be, if the project had been or now would be scrutinized by the PSBC which is, for good reason, designated by the Charter to serve as “the school building committee” unless there is a compelling reason to replace it, which does not seem to be the case in this instance.

I urge the RTM, which failed to take into account the relevant Charter provision when it voted to confirm the 1st Selectwoman’s committee choices, to redeem itself by adopting a Resolution asking, directing, imploring — whatever phrasing is appropriate — the 1st Selectwoman to refer her hand-picked Long Lots School Building Committee’s findings and recommendations to the Public Site & Building Commission for further review and public comment.

I asked Larry what the Public Site & Building Commission itself thought. Chair Joseph Strickland says:

The Public Site & Building Commission is comprised of experienced professionals in construction and development projects, and as such is uniquely qualified to serve as the school building committee as contemplated by the Charter.

I have every confidence that, given the opportunity, we will be able to make constructive suggestions that will benefit the project and the town of Westport. It goes without saying that the more qualified people who look at the project, the better it will be for everyone concerned.

27 Comments

Posted in Education, Local politics

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