On April 3, Westport’s Parks & Recreation Commission adopted a regulation restricting access to non-school personnel and guests, on schools and adjacent property, between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m.
The Board of Selectwomen approved the regulation on April 10.
The Westport Community Gardens, near Long Lots Elementary School, is among the sites impacted by the new rule.
Toni Simonetti — a 23-year town resident, and longtime Gardens member — has petitioned the Westport Representative Town Meeting to reject the regulation, or modify it to restore prior hours of operation for the Community Gardens. (Gardeners were previously restricted from 8-9 a.m. and 3-4 p.m. only, when school was in session.)
The RTM has not published the agenda for its May meeting yet. Simonetti’s petition has 24 signatures.
Simonetti hopes members will examine these points:
— The Westport Community Gardens are “non-school grounds, but rather public town land adjacent to a school but a great distance from the school building and outdoor play area.”
— The garden is fenced and locked. No other part of the property, encompassing the entire perimeter, has a security barrier. Bauer Place is “within a few feet of the school’s’ playground.”
— Only Garden members can unlock the gate. The combination is changed each season.
The Westport Community Gardens gate. (Photo/Peter J. Swift)
— “Members and registered guests, restricted to town residents and employees, are screened by the garden’s Steering Committee; names and addresses are submitted to the town of Westport for sex offender status. Those approved must carry a hand pass while in the garden when school is in session. The town
knows exactly who the gardeners are and where they live. This is a significant security measure that far exceeds any other public space in Westport — including the unrestrained and unrestricted access that Compo provides anyone from anywhere to approach the hundreds of children (and staff) at Camp Compo.”
— There have been no “untoward incidents” in the Gardens’ 20 years at the Hyde Lane location.
— Gardeners can actually serve as “a valuable early notification adjunct for school resource officers and local law enforcement.”
— “Resources are better spent securing the grounds at more exposed school sites such as Greens Farms, Saugatuck and Kings Highway Elementary Schools.”
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Standing room only crowds got up-close (and very personal) insights into the music world of the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s yesterday, at the Westport Library.
The 4th day of Verso Fest featured conversations with record producer Tony Visconti, and Doors drummer John Densmore.
Chatting with WFUV’s Paul Cavalconte, Visconti offered behind-the-scenes insights into his Grammy Award-winning work with David Bowie, Marc Bolan, Paul McCartney and many more.
Tony Visconti (left) and Paul Cavalconte, on the Library stage.
Topics of Densmore’s conversation with CNN’s Alisyn Camarota included “Light My Fire,” Jim Morrison’s brilliance and self-destructiveness, and the rift among the surviving members over licensing music rights to advertisers (the drummer was opposed).
He also noted how difficult it was to explain “The End” to his parents.
Densmore — who accompanied himself on an African drum and other percussion instruments — spoke fondly of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band, and gave a shout-out to the ’60s.
John Densmore and Alisyn Camerota.
The decade, he said, “planted the seeds for so much good, like civil rights and women’s rights. But seeds can take 100 years to grow. Stop dissing the ’60s — and get out your watering can.”
Among other events yesterday: an all-day record fair.
“Record riot” sales at VersoFest. (All photos/Dan Woog)
Vinyl and CD sales continue today — the finale of VersoFest ’24.
On the schedule:
Connecticut, WPLR, and the Birth of Buckingham/Nicks Era Fleetwood Mac (11 a.m.)
Mind Your Business: Legal Workshop with Marcus Thomas (Sunday, April 7, 11 a.m.)
Video Game Composing with Tom Salta (Sunday, April 7, 12:30 p.m.)
Glam to Punk — A Fashion Roundtable: Alice Cooper, Bowie, Blondie and Beyond, with Cindy Dunaway and Tish & Snooky (Manic Panic); special guest Dennis Dunaway, moderated by Christine Ohlman (1 p.m.)
Unlock the Secrets of Radio Airplay for Emerging Artists with Peter Gray (Sunday, April 7, 2 p.m.)
51 Years of “Wild Style,” the 1st Hip Hop Motion Picture (3 p.m.)
Exhibit: Thinking Inside the Box, multi-media art installation (all day)
Diamond Dogs at 50, David Bowie Exhibit by Paul Brenton with designer Mark Ravitz (all day)
The first quarter of 2024 is in the real estate books.
As shared by our friends at KMS Team at Compass, the number of Westport sales (46) is down 13%, compared to the same quarter in 2023.
However, the total volume of single family home sales — $113,835,000 — is down only 1% over the first quarter last year.
The median sales price, meanwhile — $1,850,00 is up 14% year over year.
Inventory remains scarce, contributing to the reduced number of sales.
Homes for sale over $3 million have been on the market considerably longer (52 days) than those in the $1.4 to $2 million range (18 days).
Right now, 35 homes for sale are listed for $3 million or more. Eight homes are in the $2 to $2.99 million range; 8 are between $1,4 and $1.99 million. Just 4 are listed for under $1.4 million.
The lowest priced home for sale is at 18 Roseville Road ($660,000). The most expensive home is 50 Compo Mill Cove. The asking price $13,500,000.
The Compo Beach Playground Renovation Committee presents their proposed plan to the Parks & Recreation Commission this Thursday (April 11, 7:30 p.m., Town Hall auditorium).
The meeting will be livestreamed on www.westportct.gov, and broadcast on Optimum Channel 79.
Click on or hover over the image below, to see the latest plan.
Westporter Randy Herbertson sits on the advisory board for Voces8 Foundation, a UK-based global chamber music organization. Their 2 ensembles, Voces8 and Apollo5, had over 50 million views on YouTube alonelast year.
Their US-based all-women’s group, Lyyra, is currently touring.
Voces 8’s mission is to use music to support STEAM learning, to students worldwide. They’ve set up “music hubs” in select American cities. They visit several times a year for workshops with students, culminating in performances with the students and ensemble. They always include underserved schools, and those with well-developed programs.
The goal is to establish a music hub in Fairfield County, based at the Westport Library. Donors will underwrite it.
Herbertson is helping plan a program with Staples, Greenwich and Wilton High Schools.
With a combined choir of over 80 young singers, Voces8 and Lyyra did an initial workshop last month at the Library.
Next up: a full performance (April 23, 7 p.m., Trefz Forum). Click here for tickets.
Herbertson is hosting a reception at his 56 Church Lane studio on Saturday, April 20 (5:30 p.m.). Anyone interested in attending to meet founder Paul Smith and Lyyra should email randy@thevisualbrand.com.
The next day (April 21, 5 p.m.) Lyyra performs at Christ & Holy Trinity Church. Click here for tickets.
We’re not sure of the connection between tomorrow’s eclipse, and the importance of buying art.
But this intriguing sign can be seen outside Westport River Gallery, on Riverside Avenue at Post Road West:
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Ellen Wentworth snapped today’s “Westport … Naturally” shot in her Highland Road yard.
In the words of the old song, he was only passin’ through.
(Photo/Ellen Wentworth)
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And finally … John Densmore’s conversation yesterday at VersoFest ranged from the monster success of “Light My Fire” …
… and the jazz influences of “Touch Me” …
… to the awkward moment when he had to explain “The End” to his parents.
Densmore also said he really liked José Feliciano’s completely different version of “Light My Fire” — probably without knowing that the international superstar lives just a couple of miles away, in Weston.
(Want to light “06880”‘s fire? Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Toni Simonetti — a Westport resident for 23 years — is a transplant from Detroit, by way of New York City. She and her husband Jeff Neville live near downtown with their goldendoodle Max.
She loves spending time with town elders, playing bridge, and gardening. That last passion led her to Town Hall Monday night, for the Parks & Recreation Commission meeting about Long Lots Elementary School and the future of the Westport Community Gardens.
She writes:
Westport has about 27,000 residents, and 52% are over the age of 45 years. A quarter of our town’s population is over the age of 60, while children ages 5-15 account for about 13% of the town’s residents.
Yet some fuzzy math used by the town declared that there are 11,000 “participants” who use the town’s athletic fields.
Fuzzy math notwithstanding, you cannot deny the town’s demographic. We have a lot of “old people.”
So what, you say?
Alfred Gwilliam has gardened at Plot 29 in the Westport Community Gardens for as many years as I can remember. I walk past him every time I go to the garden; mine is just a few plots down. He is always there, tending flowers, gooseberries and blackberries.
Irmgard and Alfred Gwilliam, at the Community Gardens. (Photo/Toni Simonetti)
Earlier this year, he said it was becoming difficult to tend the entire 10’ x 40’ plot. He is, after all, 90 years old, and he had just had a pacemaker implanted.
But he was not willing to give up gardening, so he worked the plot as best he could. As one of the garden co-chairs of membership, I suggested he reduce his plot size by half, which might make it more manageable.
“I can do that?” he asked. “I don’t want to give it up, but I didn’t know I could keep just half.”
One quick phone call to my partner in membership, Laura Riguzzi, and it was settled.
On Monday evening, October 30, Alfred and his wife of 58 years, Irmgard, found their way to Westport Town Hall. They were there to support the gardens, and to hear if the Parks & Recreation Commission would really vote to destroy them.
As the meeting swelled with this baseball dad, that soccer mom, other young mothers and fathers of school age children, and town staff describing the difficulty they have scheduling all those games, the Gwilliams took it in.
“We need more soccer fields. We need the baseball field. We have children. They need sports. The children need the fields. The children need a school. The children need our help. This is a family town, and we are all about the children.”
Other gardeners were there too, giving their usual raft of reasons why the town is making misguided decisions to bury the gardens. The usual cadre of abutting neighbors were there again, still worried about water, lights, noise and traffic in their quiet neighborhood.
Some speakers at the Parks & Recreation Commission meeting talked about issues with nearby Muddy Brook. (Photo/Peter J. Swift0
The matter was being pushed through the artifice of a public meeting, with an appointed body that has no authority whatsoever on building a school or approving land use requests.
German-born Irmgard is not a public speaker. She was there “because I love the garden.” She told me of the difficult year she has had with caregiving her beloved sister who has dementia, and worrying about Alfred and his health issues. Her daughter succumbed to cancer recently.
“With all of this on my plate, the garden is where I go to find peace and beauty … ever since I was a child in Bavaria. I wasn’t there to speak,” she told me later.
“I knew the decision had already been made, but I couldn’t help it.
“I saw this beautiful young woman, talking about her 3 sons and how they need the field. How much they needed it,” she said.
“It was too much for me. I need the garden. My husband needs the garden. The weight of it all — I had to say something.”
She raised her hand to speak, then made her way to the podium. Immaculately dressed and coifed with bright pink lipstick, she silenced the room with her smile.
Her well-spoken English was flavored with a German accent; her voice, delicate and fragile.
“Thank you for an interesting and incredible meeting. It is amazing. It is my first time here. I have lived here 53 years and raised 2 children here,” she began.
“It is amazing what is being said. What I have to say is just a footnote.
“But no one knows the pleasure, the mental health that I get from the garden. When I am ‘out of it’ I go to the garden, and I am a new person.
The Westport Community Gardens are a sanctuary for many. (Photo/Karen Mather)
“We are talking tonight about the children, and yes, yes, the children need everything.
“But who is talking for us; who is talking for us and for our garden?” She repeated the word children several times, with some trepidation.
“These are big, big issues. My husband, he is born an Englishman, American now, and he is very ill. He goes to the garden every day. It makes him live. So, who is talking about us; who is talking about the old people and the pleasure we get from the garden?”
I was literally in tears.
The chair of the committee thanked her for her comments. Shortly thereafter he read his prepared statement about how this is a town for children.
Tears welled up again. I got up and left the meeting.
On my way out, as the chair droned on about how great the Parks & Rec facilities are, I rushed passed Jen Tooker. She sat in the dark, in the back of the auditorium, as is her habit.
She glanced at me. I glanced back. I hoped she was listening.
Two longstanding local traditions — the Sunrise Rotary Great Duck Race, and Westport Downtown Association Sidewalk Sale — take place this weekend.
There’s also a third. And this one has an even longer history: over 60 years.
jUNe Day will be celebrated all over town on Saturday (June 24). United Nations diplomats, staff members and their families will spend the day here, having fun and enjoying special activities.
At 10:30 a.m. on Jesup Green — as part of the Great Duck Race celebration — UN Under-Secretary General General Christian Saunders will deliver a message from Secretary General António Guterres.
Options for our guests include Earthplace, Wakeman Town Farm, Compo Beach, tennis and golf at Longshore, and a soccer match (UN vs. Westport Knights, 11:30 a.m., PJ Romano Field).
UN visitors can also enjoy the Duck Race and Sidewalk Sales. Nearby, they’ll see flags from many UN member countries flying on the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge.
That’s an apt sight. Steinkraus Cohen was one of the founders of jUNe Day, more than 6 decades ago. She was a longtime member of the United Nations Association of Southwestern Connecticut too, which sponsors the annual event in cooperation with the town of Westport.
For questions or more information, call Bill Hass: 203-454-7685 or 203-434-6609.
Westport’s Parks & Recreation Commission voted unanimously last night to ban tobacco and cannabis smoking at all beaches, and certain parts of recreational facilities, like playgrounds, pools, fields and athletic courts.
The regulation — which includes a 25-foot buffer — does not include the golf course, or passive recreation areas like Winslow or other town parks.
Speaking of the law: Westport Police made 2 custodial arrests between June 14 and 21.
One was for disorderly conduct, following a domestic violence incident.
The other was for issuing a bad check, worth $12,945.50, to a local business.
Police also issued these citations:
Failure to comply with state traffic commission regulations; 8 citations
Traveling unreasonably fast: 3
Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 3
Distracted driving: 2
Operating a motor vehicle while texting: 2
Traveling too fast for conditions: 2
Improper use of markers: 2
Failure to renew registration: 2
Operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance: 2
Failure to obey traffic control signals: 1
Assault, 3rd degree: 1
Operating a motor vehicle without a license: 1
Operating a motor vehicle under suspension: 1
Failure to drive right: 1
Improper turn: 1
Improper use of high beams: 1
Failure to display plates: 1
Littering: 1
Don’t be a litterbug! (Photo/Jerry Kuyper)
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Housing. Transportation. Gun safety.
Those were just a few of the topics Connecticut’s General Assembly voted on in the session that ended just a few days ago. (Oh, yeah: the budget too!)
Three local legislators — State Senator Ceci Maher, and State Representatives Jonathan Steinberg and Dominique Johnson — host a “wrap-up” discussion at the Westport Library next Wednesday (June 28, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Komansky Room).
On the agenda: successes (and failures), plus goals for the future.
Senator Ceci Maher, Representatives Jonathan Steinberg and Dominique Johnson.
It’s one of the most prestigious and elite legal programs around.
For 50 years, the Supreme Court Fellows Program has offered 4 positions a year to mid-career professionals, recent law school graduates and doctoral degree holders. Founded by former Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Berger, it draws over 1,000 applicants.
One of the appointees this year is Viviana Vasiu. A Westport and Brooklyn resident, she will be assigned to the US Sentencing Commission.
A former clerk for 2 US District Court judges, she participated in the Attorney General’s Honors Program at the Department of Justice. She earned a BA summa cum laude, and a JD magna cum laude, from Stetson University, where she served as editor-in-chief of the Law Review.
But there’s more to the story. Viviana came alone to the US at 18, from Romania. She enrolled at a community college in San Diego, and within a year earned a paralegal certificate. She was the Stetson’s first-ever immigrant and English major valedictorian.
Congratulations, attorney Vasiu!
Viviana Vasiu
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The I-95 bridge in Philadelphia will be repaired — and reopened — barely 2 weeks after it collapsed, during a truck fire.
Meanwhile, work on I-95 in Westport — which did not collapse — appears to be on schedule for its completion date of November, 2038.
The Post Road project should be finished a week or two before that.
And finally … 2 takes on the new smoking ban (story above).
You can no longer smoke at the beaches, tennis courts, athletic fields and related recreational facilities …
… but you can still light up on the golf course, Winslow Park and other spots.
(As jUNe Day nears, a reminder: “06880” is where Westport meets the world. Please consider a contribution, to help us continue our work. Just click here. Thank you!)
Two big changes — a portable toilet at Old Mill Beach, and a smoking ban at all beaches and town recreation areas — were on Westport’s Parks & Recreation Commission agenda last night.
No action was taken — though not for lack of interest.
“06880” intern Colin Morgeson reports there was plenty of concern about the proposed port-a-potty. It would be kept away from the 64 parking spots, guard shack, and 39 nearby private properties.
Parks & Recreation director Jen Fava noted, “there kinda isn’t a good location.”
Commission member Chrissy O’Keeffe asked, “What do we want Old Mill to be? To me it’s a beautiful little enclave, not the kind of place you would go for a whole day. That’s something everyone in town knows about Old Mill.”
A vote was postponed, due to the absence of the lead petitioners asking for the toilet.
A portable toilet on Old Mill Beach would be situated away from parking spaces — and homes.
The commission then discussed smoking at town beaches, pools, athletic fields and racquet courts, and where — if at all — the use of tobacco and cannabis should be permitted. A ban would not include the Longshore golf course, passive town parks or parking lots.
Members focused on how surrounding communities have approached the issue. Smoking bans based on proximity to amenities have worked, as opposed to wide bans.
O’Keeffe noted the importance of communication, to minimize confusion.
A vote was postponed to a future date.
There’s a lot of room at Compo Beach. Would a smoking ban work there? (Drone photo/Brandon Malin)
Though the town’s tennis courts are in better condition than in recent years, commissioners also heard concerns about softness at Longshore tennis. Resident Lloyd Clareman recommended increasing the amount of water and calcium chloride.
Parks & Rec operations manager Carmen Roda reported that adjustments have been made in the timing and frequency of watering. Calcium chloride is being worked into the budget.
(There’s always something going on at our beaches — and on “06880.” Please click here to support your hyper-local blog. Thank you!)
A writer and teacher who has lived in Westport for almost 50 years, he recently retired after 4 decades as a Fairfield University professor. His courses focused on local Colonial history.
He’s done quite a bit of, um, digging, The small Greens Farms beach is beloved by many. Like others throughout town, they’ve often wondered about its name.
Burying Hill (top-center), and beach of the same name. (Drone photos/Brandon Malin)
First, some background.
In 1637, a band of Pequots — burned out of their Groton home — were chased by English settlers to a swamp between what is now the Southport Dunkin Donuts and Equinox. (A small memorial commemorates the Great Swamp Fight, the last battle of the Pequot War.)
They were burned and hacked to pieces in what Liftig calls the continent’s “first intentional genocide.” (A leader, John Underhill, is the man for whom Underhill Parkway is named.)
With the area safe for colonists, Thomas Newton, John Green and Henry Gray obtained a land grant to settle the area in 1648. Daniel Frost and Francis Andrews joined them soon. Andrews came from upstate; he, with Thomas Hooker and others, had founded Hartford in 1635.
The group were known as the Bankside Farmers (for Bankside, England, where some of the 5 came from). The area was later named for one of those 5: Greens Farms.*
An early map of Green’s Farms. The Bankside Farmers’ lands ae shown on Long Island Sound, next to “Burial Hill.”
Andrews hired a servant: 12-year-old Simon Couch. A few years later the boy married Andrews’ daughter Mary. He worked as a tailor, ran a horse saloon, and bought Andrews’ widow’s farm. At his death in 1688, age 53, Simon Couch was a wealthy man.
He also bought Forest Point, a “beautiful hill overlooking the sea.” It became a cemetery — perhaps for Andrews, along with Couch himself, his family, and some of their slaves. (It is unclear whether those slaves were Blacks or indigenous people.)
Liftig cites an excerpt from the book “History of Fairfield.” Simon Couch was
buried in land belonging to him at Forest Point, looking out upon the Sound, which he had set apart as a family burial place and which was long known as the Couch Burial Hill.
This spot could be pointed out until within the last few years [date of publication unknown], but now almost every trace of the tombs & graves have been obliterated.
Liftig believes Andrews — one of the founders of Hartford — is also there: buried below where the beach toilets are now located.
Bathrooms and lifeguard offices, at the top of Burying Hill. (Photos/David Squires)
Simon Couch, meanwhile, is listed on Find A Grave as occupying “Plot #1.”
When Green’s Farms Congregational Church established its first cemetery (at the current corner of Greens Farms Road and the Sherwood Island Connector) in the early 1700s, subsequent Couches were buried there. (One stone honors “Thomas Couch lost at sea, taken by French or pirates.”)
The family grew quite wealthy, from the triangle trade. One branch moved to North Carolina. Another Captain Thomas Couch married into the Boone family, and moved to Kentucky.
Liftig has found that the Couches — and Daniel Boone — are related to his daughters Anya and Dorothy.
Liftig himself grew up in Avon, Connecticut. He joined the Peace Corps, met a “pretty Kentucky girl,” and married her. They moved to Westport.
Delving into the history of his town, he was stunned to find that his wife’s ancestors lived here.
He was even more surprised to learn of the Couch connection to Burying Hill Beach. His daughter Dorothy had a summer Parks & Recreation job, working at the front gate.
The entrance to Burying Hill now floods often. (Photo/Sally Fisk)
Parks & Rec administers the beach because in 1893, the town of Westport purchased the property for a picnic area. Ten years later, they added the swale nearby (called “Ye Olde Battleground”) — between the “burial hill” and what later became the Bedford (and later Harvey Weinstein) homes.
The Couches later married into the Bedford and Jesup families, Liftig says.
But when he inquired about the possibility of a plaque memorializing the bodies buried in the hill — including, possibly, a founder of Hartford — he was told there is no proof.
Cars should not drive on Burying Hill. It is a historic burial ground. (Photo/Rusty Ford)
Yet an old Westport Historical Society publication, “Buried in Our Past,” says:
We can surmise that the Couches shared the hill with some of the early settlers — the Greens, Andrews [sic], Frosts and Grays.
In his book “Greens Farms,” George Penfield Jennings, states he remembers seeing many gravestones on the hill, but by the time the State Legislature established the area as a town park in 1893, only one broken marker remained.
Now that marker is gone. Burying Hill has the distinction of being the first park on the Connecticut shoreline recognized by the State.
Neither Parks & Rec, the Westport Historical Commission nor the Westport Museum for History & Culture confirms Liftig’s findings.
But he is convinced: The burials in Burying Hill Beach are real.
And historic.
(Dr. Robert Liftig can be contacted directly: boblif@aol.com)
*Should there an apostrophe, making it Green’s Farms? That’s been a question ever since.
(There’s plenty of history in Westport’s hills and beaches. “06880” unearths it all. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Dr. Jay Walshon is a 38-year resident of Westport. He spends plenty of time at Compo Beach — and, recently, has watched hours of coverage of debates over parking fees. He writes:
Last month, Westport’s Parks & Recreation Commission reduced the non-resident beach emblem price from $775 to $545.
Member Chris O’Keeffe said, “It’s really important we share the history of this.” I agree.
In the summer of 2017, residents complained about deplorable Compo Beach neglect — uncleanliness, disrepair, litter — plus overcrowding, parking, disorderly conduct and disregard of rules. They ascribed these problems to the increasing number of non-residents at Compo.
Lines of cars waiting to enter Compo. Sure, this was taken the day of the fireworks — but a few years ago, lines like this could be seen on weekends too.
In addition to logistical and operational recommendations, these residents wanted daily and non-resident emblem fees increased, the number issued decreased, visitor revenue captured, and the number of non-paying “drop-offs” addressed.
The Parks & Rec Commission designated a daily parking area, and increased staff, trash collections and weekend and holiday restroom cleaning.
They also considered “relocating the entry booth, daily pass sales, signage, events, traffic, rules and regulations, and police presence and enforcement.”
Lowering the number of beachgoers by decreasing non-resident emblems and daily passes, and increasing fees to offset revenue, became a primary consideration.
To avoid anecdotally based decisions, Parks & Recreation director Jen Fava was tasked to recruit college students to gather objective data. This never occurred.
Representative Town Meeting member Carla Rea asked how much of Compo Beach’s $2 million revenue was budgeted for maintenance. Ms. Fava did not have an answer.
RTMer Sal Liccione asked how many personnel were dedicated to maintaining Compo during summer. She did not have that information available.
Trash pickup was a concern several years ago.
Ms. Fava estimated that grievance rectification would cost $200,000. To recoup revenue, the Parks & Rec Commission raised resident parking emblems by $10 to $50, and Weston by $125 to $375. The number of non-resident emblems was lowered from 600 to 350; daily passes were capped at 100.
Equating it to a “seasonal Vermont ski lift ticket,” Ms. Fava increased non-resident emblems from $490 to $775.
John Suggs warned: “raising prices that could exclude non-Westporters is bad policy.”
Michael Calise declared that $775 “unreasonably punishes non-residents.” Because Compo revenue exceeded $1.5 million, he requested a justifying accounting of revenues and expenses. Ms. Fava could not provide this.
Residents said:
“Hopefully the increased fees and decreased non-residents will result in fewer people at the beach.”
“$775 is steep but the right direction, because it’s still a great deal.”
“This is a town beach; you need to think about the residents before you think about people from out of town.”
Among the Parks & Rec comments:
“Reasonable step to decrease overcrowding; right approach.”
“We need to focus on the property taxpayers here that are paying for the beach.”
“This shouldn’t offend anyone.”
“This is the fairest way to assess them.”
“Non-residents should pay their ‘fair share.'”
“This is going to work out very well.”
It didn’t.
(Photo/Matt Murray)
Ms. Fava’s outrageously insensitive $775 ski-lift equivalency, and targeting non-resident utilization via parking price and quotas, reverberated into the state legislature.
House Bill 6650 — introduced recently — says:
No municipality shall: (1) prohibit nonresidents…from entering or using a…municipal beach…or a municipal facility associated with such beach, unless such prohibition applies to residents of such municipality; or (2) impose on non-residents a fee for such entrance or use, or parking associated with such entrance or use, that is greater than twice the amount of any fee charged to residents for the same purpose.
In other words: If residents pay $60, a town can’t charge non-residents more than $120. Prohibiting non-resident drop-offs would mean prohibiting residents too).
Describing $775 as “unacceptable,”the Parks & Rec Commission reduced it to $545, increased the number to 450, and raised the number of daily passes to 120. Even $545 is still far higher than any other area town.
Ms. Fava explained she was “now looking at things through a little bit of a new lens in terms of where the current climate is … because we went from $490 and skyrocketed to $775, way out of alignment with other waterfront communities … really doesn’t reflect our accessibility goals we want to have to let people come in and use our facilities.”
She defended the 2018-2022 $775 price, declaring “it was a very different climate.”
For decades, beach fees and accessibility barriers have been under the discrimination microscope. The only “climate difference” is HB6650, and the state’s perception of our exclusionary attitude and treatment of non-residents – our third rail.
Compo Beach (Drone photo/Brandon Malin)
We shouldn’t wait for legislative imposition before re-addressing beach access structures. “Over-crowding” and “equitability” warrant clarification. Metrics providing data on cost and problem intensity/frequency should replace anecdotes.
Compo’s revenue and expenses must become transparent.
The Parks & Recreation Department’s “Beach/Pool Operating Analysis 2019-2020” showed revenues of $1,820,995 (pool $15,429), and expenses of $498,720. The result: a $1,322,275 surplus.
Non-resident 2018 revenue was $519,800 (including Weston, it’s over $750,000.
RTM member Chris Tait said, “What we did wasn’t well received in the state. A lot of articles were written about us being outdated and alienating people to not go to our beaches.
“It didn’t look good, and gave fuel to the fire of people in Hartford who may not like what we do in Westport. What we did didn’t help us as a community. Bringing this back down is a way of acknowledging that, saying we are open to people from out of town. We are not exclusive.”
The manner in which issues were framed in 2017/18 exposed subliminal entanglements of entitlement, elitism and privilege, leading in part to HB6650.
Ms. Fava’s focus remains the false narrative that “things are different now,” the “optics” of being perceived as an elitist, privileged, exclusionary community – and above all, the fear of Hartford.
Instead of targeting non-residents, effective management and rules enforcement are the key objectives. But this requires leadership that doesn’t equate Compo to a Vermont ski resort.
These tone-deaf missteps needlessly blemished our community. It was avoidable.
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This story has been updated, to include a correct rendering of the proposed new golf clubhouse. The previous image did not show the location near the 1st tee.
When the Parks & Recreation Commission meets on Thursday (March 2, 7:30 p.m., Town Hall), they’ll vote on a long-awaited Capital Improvement Plan for Longshore.
A much-derided idea of turning the entrance into a 2-way road has been scrapped.
But many other elements presented earlier — including a new golf clubhouse; pickleball courts; relocation of the maintenance facility to the brush dump; improvements to the platform tennis and tennis area, pool and playground, plus construction of shoreline and pedestrian paths — are in the plan.
Changes will be coming to Longshore.
Parks & Recreation Department staff has approved the recommendation. It’s the culmination of work done by the Stantec consulting firm. Beginning in January 2022, they held meetings with 14 user groups and town departments; conducted a community survey; held 5 open houses; sent out a second survey, and held several public meetings.
Parks & Rec calls the plan “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make improvements to connectivity, pedestrian and vehicular circulation, safety, functionality, support of uses, accessibility, aesthetics, capacity, ease of use, and recreation opportunities for an increasingly diverse population of park enthusiasts.”
Among the specifics:
A new golf clubhouse by the 1st tee will provide:
Restrooms and locker rooms for golfers, and restrooms for other park users
A pro shop
Indoor instruction and club fit
Golfer check-in and payment location
Practice green
Golf cart paddock area
Grill room and patio.
The golf plan includes a clubhouse and golf cart storage (orange), and pedestrian paths (dotted lines).
The current poolsare outdated. The improvement plan will include a zero entry pool and splash pad. The redesign will capture water views currently blocked by mechanical systems.
Playground replacement and redesign will separate it from the Sailing School congestion, and improve safety.
Realigning the platform tennis and tennis areawill move the platform tennis courts closer to parking, add up to 12 parking spaces, and allow for the possible installation of a bubble in the future.
Plans show changes to the racquets are (blue), the relocated playground (pink), and the pool complex.
Relocating the parks maintenance facility to the brush dump will:
Remove an eyesore from a high-use area
Create space for platform tennis
Reduce maintenance vehicular traffic within the park
Add up to 30 parking spaces.
A new traffic circlewill improve vehicular circulation, especially for drivers unfamiliar with Longshore, and improve usability of the Cuttings Lane loop road.
Modifications and changes could be made during the design phase.
The Parks & Rec Department recommends a timeline beginning with the “much-needed” pickleball and platform tennis facilities to be built first.
“While we understand the golf community has been waiting for a longer period of time,” officials say, “the golf operations can continue to function while the other uses do not have facilities available to meet the demand.”
The improvement plan is projected to take 10 years. The projected cost is $47,099,000.
“If you lived in Westport between 1990 and 2010 and had kids, you knew the Driscolls.
“Frank coached football at the youth and high school levels. Pam raised their 3 kids: Tara (Staples High School Class of 1998), Brienne (SHS ’00) and Frisk (’05).
“Pam’s house was open not just to her kids’ close friends, but the entire community. She always treated each guest like they were family.
“Tara, Brienne and Frisk were all stellar athletes. They also volunteered their time coaching and working in the community.
“Tara worked at Staples High School as a teacher (she is now at Stamford High School). Brie mentored dozens of young men and women through some of their toughest times. Frisk coached the Staples swim team to some of their most successful season.
“They’ve given so much to our community. They were, are, and always will be what makes Westport, Westport.
“Like so many others, I would not be who I am without the care and guidance of the entire Driscoll family.
“Now it’s our turn to support them.
“Tara (last name now Karlson) lives in Redding with her husband Scott and children, Brien (11) and Kelly (9).
“In the middle of the night on Valentine’s Day, a fire ripped through their home as they slept. All 4 were hospitalized.
“Brien — the strong-willed fighter of the family, a lover of people and animals — suffered life-threatening injuries. After giving all he had, he died February 15.
“Tara and Scott are now experiencing every parent’s worst nightmare. Kelly lost a best friend and only sibling.
“While they work to recover from this unimaginable tragedy, they will need our help.
“We ask everyone to lift them in thoughts and prayers. We also hope people consider donating to the family’s recovery fund. Please click here for the GoFundMe link.
“For questions, or donations of larger physical items, email KarlsonFamilyFund@gmail.com.”
Westporters and Westonites will pay slightly more for summer-long access to Westport beaches — and residents outside of those towns substantially less — if a decision by the Parks & Recreation Commission is approved by the Board of Selectwomen.
On Wednesday night, the board voted 4-0 to:
Raise the fee for an annual beach sticker for Westport residents from $50 to $60 ($30 for seniors and disabled residents, up from $25).
Raise the fee for Weston residents to $415 from $375 ($220 for Weston seniors, up from $200).
Lower the fee for “non-residents” to $545, from $775. The number of those stickers sold will rise to 450, from the current limit of 350.
Debate over the new fee structure did not include any references to a proposal in the Connecticut General Assembly to limit the fees any municipality can charge for town-owned beach parking to not more than twice the fees charged to residents.
Parks & Rec director Jennifer Fava said this would be the first change to the fee structure in 6 years.
Beach stickers are cheaper for Westporters than non-residents. (Photo/Mark Marcus)
Peter Reid plays 2 important roles: Westport animal control officer, and intake director for Weston’s Wildlife in Crisis.
On Monday — in his WIC role — he freed a buck from climbing netting draped between trees in a Weston back yard.
On Wednesday, wearing his Westport animal control cap, he was called by a Long Lots area resident about a vulture ensnared in soccer netting.
With a vulture clan circled overhead, Reid cut him free and brought him to Wildlife in Crisis. The raptor suffered severe talon abrasions, but will be okay. He is resting with skilled caretakers, and will be released when fully recovered.
These are the most recent incidents demonstrating the hazards that netting-type structures in yards and around town present to wildlife.
Julie Loparo — president of Westport Animal Shelter Advocates, who passed along these stories — says, “residents should be aware of such hazards and, whenever possible, remove them or flatten them when not in use.”
Bruce Salvo died last fall. But there was no obituary for the longtime Westport resident, noted architect and avid Westport Weston Family YMCA member.
Vanessa Costanzo offers this remembrance:
Bruce Salvo was a longtime family friend.
He was so kind to my kids and animals. Bruce often dog sat or cat sat for me. and for friends as well. He always sent pictures to us to let us know how they were.
Bruce spent several holidays with our family. He was always gracious and kind. He valued those close friendships, and went out of his way to help in any way.
A few times a year, Bruce dropped off flowers from his beautiful garden in a bud vase. He was an incredible gardener, and took great pride in his garden (which was absolute perfection).
As an architect, Bruce helped us with work we were doing on our house any time we asked. He would come by, and we would talk at length about the highs and lows of life.
The last time I saw him he was struggling with illness, but he always inspired me by his strength, sensitivity and value of life. I am a better person, and my family and friends are better people for having him in our lives.
Bruce and his life here should be honored now and forever.
Two-way traffic, golf improvements, more waterfront views and access, and pickleball courts are all possibilities for Longshore.
Plans were unveiled Wednesday night, at a Parks & Recreation Commission Zoom meeting.
As first reported by Westport Journal, commissioners heard and saw preliminary “concept” diagrams” from Stantec. The Canadian landscape architect, planning and engineering firm has been hired to develop a 10-year capital improvement plan for the 168-acre town-owned park.
Options include:
Making the current entrance two-way; the exit road would be reserved for pedestrians and bicyclists
New traffic patterns near the first tee
Walking paths — especially along the waterfront near Hendricks Point, site of the current driving range
Additional parking near the driving range
Construction of a new golf clubhouse
Pickleball courts, and a pavilion.
Preliminary ideas for Longshore.
The ideas — still in the discussion phase — are called “light” by both Gary Sorge of Stantec and Jennifer Fava, Parks & Recreation director.
Members of the public can examine diagrams up close, ask questions and offer feedback to the consultants at upcoming Westport Library open houses:
Wednesday, October 26: (10 to 11:30 a.m.; 3 to 4:30 p.m.; 7 to 8:30 p.m.)
Saturday, October 29: (9:30 to 11 a.m.; 1 to 2:30 p.m.).
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Toni Simonetti — a 23-year town resident, and longtime Gardens member — has petitioned the Westport Representative Town Meeting to reject the regulation, or modify it to restore prior hours of operation for the Community Gardens. (Gardeners were previously restricted from 8-9 a.m. and 3-4 p.m. only, when school was in session.)
