Winter seems to be slowly slipping away. (Though temperatures will struggle to reach freezing today.)
There’s no snow in the forecast.
But even if we don’t see another flake this season, this is New England. In less than a year, we’ll shovel again.
Well, some Westporters won’t.
That’s the topic of Clarence Hayes’ “Opinion” piece today. The Representative Town Meeting member writes:
Westport is an outlier. Out of 169 municipalities in Connecticut, it is one of the very few (if not the only one) whose Public Works Department has the responsibility to clear residential sidewalks after a snowstorm.
In nearly every other community, this responsibility falls to the adjacent property owners. While Westport’s DPW does its best to keep up, it’s time to acknowledge that this system is unsustainable.
Cross Highway, after a snowfall.
Currently, our town has 26 miles of residential sidewalks. That number will grow, as new sidewalks are added.
The highway crew of 16 workers already puts in grueling 12- to 30-hour shifts clearing and salting roads during storms. After tackling streets, parking lots, and even hauling snow out of downtown, they are then expected to begin the long, labor-intensive task of clearing sidewalks.
Depending on the severity of the storm, it can take up to a week before all sidewalks are passable. If storms come back-to-back, sidewalk clearing may not happen at all.
By that time, snow has often hardened into “snowcrete” — a dense, icy layer that is far more difficult to remove than fresh snow, and creates even more hazardous conditions.
“Snowcrete” on Hillspoint Road, between Hillandale and Prospect Roads. (Photo/Clarence Hayes)
This means that even when sidewalks are cleared, they may still be icy, uneven or impassable in spots. And when storms come in quick succession, sidewalk clearing may have to be delayed or skipped altogether as crews focus on keeping roads safe.
Meanwhile, residents understandably want safe walkways immediately after a storm. Pedestrians, including schoolchildren and commuters, rely on these sidewalks to get around safely. But the reality is that the town simply cannot provide immediate service to sidewalks while prioritizing road safety.
The solution is simple and fair: Update our town ordinances to require property owners to clear sidewalks adjacent to their property, as is standard in most Connecticut towns.
Prior to storms, in addition to salting their driveway and front steps, homeowners would take a few more steps out and cover their sidewalk. This would dramatically ease the burden on our public works crews, while ensuring sidewalks are cleared faster for everyone.
There will, of course, be pushback from some who do not want to take on this responsibility. But Westport is a community that values walkability and safety. If we want our sidewalks to be clear and accessible after a storm, this ordinance change is a necessary step.
It’s time for Westport to adopt a sidewalk snow removal ordinance that aligns with the rest of the state. Doing so will improve safety, support our public works department, and ensure that our growing sidewalk network remains usable all winter long.
(If you’ve got an opinion, “06880” wants to hear it. And if you like reading these stories — and any others — “06880” wants you to support your hyper-local blog. Please click here. And thank you!)
The renowned explorer and science communicator (and Weston resident) has been elected the 46th president of The Explorers Club.
Wiese was executive producer and host of the mult-Emmy Award-winning ABC and PBS program “Born to Explore.”
In 2002 — after a previous election — he was the youngest Explorers Club president in history.
During his tenure he negotiated partnerships with Rolex, Eddie Bauer and later Discovery Networks.
Headquartered in New York, with chapters around the world, the Explorers Club supports scientific expeditions of all disciplines.
Notable club members include Jane Goodall, Walter Cronkite, Theodore Roosevelt, the Apollo 11 crew, and the Mount Everest summit team of Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary.
This weekend (January 25 at 7 p.m., January 26 at 3 p.m., Saugatuck Congregational Church), Triple Threat Academy presents “Alice in Webland.”
The new play “takes a timely, kid-friendly tumble into a whimsical but risky world of web temptations.”
Children growing up in the digital age can relate to the show’s characters, and learn valuable lessons about balancing social media and living in the moment.
The show is written and directed by Georgia Wright. The cast of young actors is overseen by Triple Threat founders Cynthia Gibb and Jill Mann.
Tickets are $5 (free for senior citizens). Click here to purchase, and for more information.
Writer-director Georgia Wright (right), and Triple Threat actors.
Melissa Newman — Westport’s own, and one of the most popular Jazz at the Post regulars — returns to the VFW this Thursday (January 23; shows at 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; dinner from 7 p.m.).
She’s joined by guitarist Tony Lombardozzi, bassist Phil Bowler and drummer Bobby Leonard. Click here for tickets.
Melissa Newman
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Yesterday’s snow is today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature.
Claudia Sherwood Servidio captured the seren scene, on Cross Highway.
First Selectman Jim Marpe and 2nd Selectman Jen Tooker helped “Light up Westport” yesterday at Town Hall (photo below).
They were not alone.
Dozens of others bought luminaries to send a message of hope and resilience — and raise money for Filling in the Blanks, the non-profit that provides weekend meals to needy area residents.
The event was sponsored by WestportMoms and Purpose 2 Purchase.
At the end of yesterday’s Roundup item reminding commercial property owners that they are responsible for all snow and ice removal from their sidewalks, I noted that residential homeowners must do the same.
That’s true in Westport, Wisconsin — but not Westport, Connecticut. Homeowners only are off the hook.
Boat purchases have risen during the pandemic. There’s a wait list of more than 1,000 people — and they’re waiting up to 11 years for a slip at a town marina.
And those slip fees will rise in 2022.
Yesterday, the Board of Selectmen approved increases for boats in 4 categories. For examples, owners of boats 22 to 26 feet will pay $1,580, up from $1,505; boat owners of slips 35 to 40 feet will pay $3,099, up from $2,695.
There is no increase for slips less than 21 feet.
Ned Dimes Marina, at Compo Beach (Drone photo/Brandon Malin)
From today through Saturday (February 13), Winged Monkey will donate 15% of all proceeds to CLASP Homes, the great non-profit that supports adults with developmental disabilities.
Can’t make it in, but want to help? Text Valentines to 44-321 to make a donation.
Basso restaurant is also participating. Show a Winged Monkey receipt; they’ll give you a free glass of prosecco.
And more on Winged Monkey: The popular Post Road East shop celebrates its 25th anniversary on March 1. That’s appropriate: March is Women’s History Month.
Winged Monkey has a great history in town. It’s always been woman-owned. Jenny Vogel has now taken over from her mother, who founded the business and ran it all this time.
Here’s to the next 25 years, for one of the coolest — and best named — stores anywhere!
“When Caged Birds Sing” — a human rights teaching exhibition created by Westport artist Ann Weiner — has been acquired by MoCA Westport for its permanent collection. It is thte museum’s first such acquisition.
Weiner’s work features 8 life-size sculptures. They represent women’s rights activists who suffered and survived abuse because of their gender, and continue to advocate for the rights of others at risk.
The exhibition will be on view at MoCA Westport every 3 to 5 years. In between it will be loaned to other museums.
Click here to learn more about “When Caged Birds Sing.”
Ann Weiner, with one element of “When Caged Birds Sing.”
Roberta Seret is a United Nations NGO director and NYU film professor. Now the Westporter adds another title: author.
Her book “Gift of Diamonds” will be published February 23. She’s turned government secrets and stories from Romania into fiction, for a journey of self-discovery.
The history of Bucharest Jews forms the center of the story, which begins in 1960s Transylvania. “Gift of Diamons” reveals hidden secrets of how fascism led to communism — which formed the seeds of modern-day terrorism. Click here for more information.
The winter’s first snow is gone from most sidewalks.
Thank Mother Nature for that. Not your fellow Westporters.
Several days ago — after a few inches fell here — alert “06880” reader Tracy Yost ventured out. She calls her journey on Cross Highway and Main Street “harrowing.” Only 4 homeowners had shoveled their sidewalks.
Cross Highway …
The next day she tried to walk at Compo Beach. Those walkways were not clear either.
This being 2016, Tracy did the natural thing: She posted on Facebook. She described her frustration, and asked what she could do about it.
Reaction was swift. Several people thought that homeowners are required to clear “one shovel width” of their sidewalk. Others noted that in Norwalk and Fairfield, that’s definitely the law.
Tracy followed up with Westport town and officials. Lo and behold: The same 15 guys who plow are responsible for clearing sidewalks. They begin with schools and town buildings, so regular sidewalks are clearly not Priority 1.
… and the new Main Street sidewalk. (Photos/Tracy Yost)
Tracy suggests that homeowners do the right thing anyway, and shovel the walks in front of their homes.
“For some people — the elderly come to mind — walking is the only way to exercise, see people, get food, go to the doctor,” she says.
“For others — like me — it’s a way to walk the dogs, check in on neighbors, use the car less.”
For everyone, of course, safe streets — including clear sidewalks and slow driving — make for a better community.
Or, as Bridgeport mayor Jasper McLevy famously said when asked when his city would begin plowing: “God put the snow there. Let him take it away.”
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