Warm Weather Preview

Today's warm temperatures in the upper 60s sent Westporters to Compo Beach for a preview of summer good times. (CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE) Stephen Rubin for WestportNow.com

Construction Accident Causes Natural Gas Leak at Staples

A construction accident involving a natural gas line at Staples High School today forced evacuation of the school while workers shut down the line and repaired the leak. There were no injuries and the school was reopened after about two hours, according to the Westport Fire Department.

When the moon hits your eye …

By Fran
WestportNow Consumer Correspondent
fran@westportnow.com

Maybe it’s just suburban legend, but it’s been said that Westport has the highest per capita pizza consumption of any town in Connecticut. And that surely must have something to do with our town’s high ranking in SAT scores.
Planet Pizza is one of Westport’s newest pizza places. Contributed photo

Here’s what it will cost a Westporter to order up a pizza:

Price of a large cheese pizza (prices do not include tax or delivery):
(Plain /One topping)
Four Brothers Pizza $9.95 / 10.70
Angelina’s Trattoria $10/ 11.35
San Remo Westport $10/ 12.15
John’s Best Pizza $10.50 / 12.25
Dominos Pizza $11.12/ $12.72
Elvira’s Market $11.40 /13
Pizza Thyme $11.66 / 14.66
Planet Pizza $12.95 / 13.70
Westport Pizzeria $12.95/ $14.50
Bertucci’s Brick Oven $12.99/ 15.99

Something different, but call it pizza nevertheless:
Vine Mediterranean Grille & Pizza $7.95 for a 12-inch; $1 more for a vegetable topping, $1.50 for meat topping.

Want your pizza delivered?
There’s no charge for delivery at San Remo, Domino’s, and Four Brothers Pizza (with a $10 minimum). Angelina’s Trattoria and Westport Pizzeria charge $1 for delivery, and Planet Pizza $1.50.

But there’s no delivery from Bertucci’s Brick Oven, Elvira’s Market, John’s Best Pizza, Pizza Thyme, or Vine Mediterranean Grille & Pizza.

Westport Religious School Teacher Recalls Holocaust

A teacher at Westport’s Temple Israel religious school recalled for a Hartford audience today how as a 4-year-old Hungarian Jewish girl she lived on the streets and in ramshackle homes, posing as a Protestant to escape the Nazis.

Agnes Vertes, who now lives in Weston, ultimately survived the Holocaust along with her sister and her parents. She has dedicated herself to producing independent documentary films based on the horrific events she experienced as a young child.

Today the 63-year-old was the keynote speaker at the 26th Annual Statewide Holocaust Commemoration at the state Capitol. Holocaust survivors and their families from around the state attended the solemn ceremony, held at the Senate chamber.

This year's theme, "Days of Remembrance," was in memory of the hundreds of thousands of Hungarian Jews who were deported 60 years ago during the final stages of World War II.

Vertes recalled how 450,000 Hungarian Jews were deported during the first three months of the German occupation of Hungary, only to be sent to their deaths in the Auschwitz gas chambers, according to an AP report.

For Vertes, her family numbered 270 people in January 1944. By May 1945, that number had dropped to 70.

"That is typical of the devastation in Hungary," she said. "It was only by sheer luck that I wasn't gassed in Auschwitz."

Vertes and her immediate family were able to survive by fleeing to populated Budapest and splitting up. Vertes and her 2-year-old sister lived for a time with some sympathetic Christians, posing as young Protestant girls - even learning Protestant prayers.

They later lived on the streets, sleeping in bombed out homes with no food and eating snow to survive, she said.

At one point, the two girls lived in a children's home infested with lice. Both contracted tuberculosis and were close to death before being reunited with their parents.

"I survived, but 1.5 million Jewish children were not so lucky," Vertes said. "I often wonder, why me?"

Vertes, who moved to the United States in 1957, has produced two documentaries.

Her most recent film, "Passport to Life," chonicles the efforts by sympathetic foreign diplomats who helped rescue tens of thousands of Jews.

It premiered on March 31 at the Hungarian embassy in Washington for the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Holocaust in Hungary.

Both Gov. John G. Rowland and Senate President Pro Tem Kevin Sullivan, D-West Hartford, who presided at the event, said such commemorations are important to make sure no one, including young people, forget the atrocities of the Holocaust.

State Superior Court Judge Implicated by Jailed Westport Man Put on Probation

A former state Superior Court judge was put on probation today and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine for making a false statement to FBI agents about his financial dealings with a convicted felon from Westport.

Daniel Brennan Jr., 61, was accused of borrowing money from Westporter William A. Trudeau Jr., a former client of his law practice, and writing a fraudulent invoice to help him disguise his finances from federal authorities.

In a negotiated plea agreement, Brennan, now living in Madison but formerly of Trumbull, admitted in January to accepting a $10,000 loan from Trudeau, but said he refused a loan for $52,500. (See WestportNow Jan. 5, 2004)

Brennan could have faced prison time, but prosecutors did not oppose probation, citing Brennan's failing health and his resignation from the bench and the bar. Brennan suffers from heart ailments and lupus and walks with a cane.

Eight people were set to speak on Brennan's behalf and more than 50 wrote letters. But U.S. District Court Judge Robert N. Chatigny told Brennan's friends that their testimony was not needed, according to an AP report.

He said he feared Brennan would not survive even a short term in jail and that he considered home confinement but Brennan is already confined to his home.

"It would almost be silly of me to think that sentence had any meaning," he said.

Chatigny said that because Brennan was motivated by money, a fine was appropriate.

According to the indictment, Brennan told Trudeau he "had bad guy money due" and was being pressured to repay.

Brennan had originally told FBI agents that he had never received a loan from Trudeau, and he denied ever seeing Trudeau with more than $10,000 in cash at any time in the past five or six years.

He originally pleaded innocent to the charges of lying to federal agents but changed his plea during a hearing in U.S. District Court in Hartford. Shortly afterward, he resigned from the bench and the bar.

In February 2001, Trudeau pleaded guilty to charges of failure to account for and pay over employee taxes and interstate wire fraud.

The case against Brennan included information that FBI agents gathered when they videotaped a May 2001 meeting between him and Trudeau at Trudeau's Pritchard Lane home in Westport. (See WestportNow Sept. 19, 2003).

Brennan's lawyers said the former judge was virtually broke and would likely be unable to pay the fine..

Trudeau, 40, was sentenced to 22 months in prison last July 15 and ordered to pay $458,000 in restitution in connection with federal charges involving failure to pay taxes and other acts of criminal fraud.

Trudeau was operator of Newtown Oil Co. in Newtown which went bankrupt last year and left 1,400 customers in the Danbury area without fuel oil after they had made prepayments to the company.

Brennan was Trudeau’s lawyer in February 1999 when Trudeau pleaded guilty on several state charges of forgery, larceny, writing bad checks and failure to pay wages, according to the federal indictment.

One month later, Gov. John G. Rowland appointed Brennan a judge.

Trudeau has not been charged in connection with the indictment against Brennan. Much of the lengthy investigation of Brennan occurred while Trudeau was awaiting sentencing.

Brennan could have been sentenced up to five years in prison and fined $250,000.

Community Correspondent Report: Gardeners Organize

(Editor's Note: With the report below, WestportNow launches its new "community correspondent" program in which we encourage Westport residents to submit news reports to WestportNow. The views expressed or implied, if any, are the sole responsibility of the contributing correspondent.)

By Juliet Balian
WestportNow Community Correspondent

More than 20 Westporters met Thursday night with Community Garden organizers Tor Spore and Cris Singer to sign up for the long-promised community garden plots.
It's not Westport 's Community Garden…but one day ours could be like this. Contributed photo

Meeting at the Westport Public Library, the attendees approved the group’s mission statement and rules and regulations for gardening at the community plots when and if they become available.

The Westport Community gardens were displaced four years ago from the Wakeman Farm and since then have been waiting for a new place to plant their roots.

Westport First Selectwoman Diane G. Farrell, an advocate for the gardens, has promised on numerous occasions to find the gardens a home.

And finally, the dream seems to be nearing reality. Part of the town-acquired Jaeger property adjoining Long Lots Elementary School is slated for community gardens -- that is if the Parks and Rec Department does not use the land for playing fields.

Gardeners, like other town constituents, are fighting for fair access to public lands and resources.

Residents seeking passive use of public lands, like gardening or walking with their dog, ask for very little in comparison to those engaging in inactive uses of public lands like golfers, or soccer players.

Tax dollars from passive land users support the golfers, boaters, and skaters, but when it comes to getting a small share of parks’ resources, there is a battle.

The future of community gardens in Westport is unclear despite the years of waiting and the promises made. If you have an interest in community gardening or other passive uses of public lands, please contact Cris Singer at 2227-7747 jcsinger@worldnet.att.net.

Daybreak Nurseries Case May End Back in Court

Conditions imposed by Westport's Zoning Board of Appeals are likely to return the case involving Daybreak Nurseries and its use of its land back in court, a Town Hall source said today.

The ZBA decided at its meeting this week to impose additional conditions beyond a settlement reached by the town and the business following legal action begun by the town. (See WestportNow Jan. 15, 2004)

Details of those conditions have yet to be published, but the source said they are likely to result in Daybreak returning to court.

Lawrence P. Weisman, an attorney representing Daybreak, was not available for comment today but has said his clients reserved the right to take further legal action.

The town has contended that Daybreak is using a residential area for business purposes, including use of noisy equipment that has prompted repeated complaints from neighbors.

Farrell, RTM Members to Host Meeting on Mill Pond

Westport First Selectwoman Diane G. Farrell and members of the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) will hold a public meeting April 27 to discuss the future of the Sherwood Mill Pond.

Farrell said in a news release that she and RTM members from District 4 invite members of the pubic to attend the 7 p.m. meeting in Room 201 of Town Hall.

Discussion will include the establishment of an advisory committee to study long-term issues relative to the Mill Pond, similar to the Cockenoe Island Steering Committee, Farrell said.

The proposed advisory committee would make recommendations relative to the initiation of educational programs on the Mill Pond, and the formation of a “Friends of the Mill Pond” organization as a funding source, she said.

“This is a pivotal point in the future of the Mill Pond," Farrell said. "With the town’s purchase of the Allen’s Lobster and Clam House property and the demolition of the restaurant building, Westport now has the opportunity to ensure the preservation and enjoyment of the property and the Mill Pond.

"I encourage all residents to attend and participate in this process."

Friday, April 16, 2004

9:30 a.m. - Town Hall Room 201 - Commission for Senior Services

House Approves $25 Million in Bonds for New Haven Rail Cars

The state House of Representatives today approved a bill that authorizes $25 million in bonding for purchasing new rail cars for Metro-North's New Haven Line. The proposal now goes to the Senate.

House Speaker Moira Lyons and Gov. John G. Rowland announced a $60 million plan in March to upgrade the aging line. Along with the $25 million in bonding, it includes $35 million in funding that was previously planned for new cars.

The money would be used to immediately purchase 20 cars, adding 2,000 seats to the line's inventory.

Many cars in the New Haven Line fleet were sidelined this winter because of snowstorms, cold weather and age. During the week of Jan. 19, 140 of the 343 cars on the New Haven line were unavailable.

Even the Swans and Geese Welcomed the Sunshine

Even the swans and Canadian geese on the Saugatuck River near Westport’s downtown probably welcomed today’s sunshine after days of torrential rains. (CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE) Emily Laux Roche for WestportNow.com

Heller Resigns from Reval Group

Garson Heller, a member of the Board of Assessment Appeals, announced his resignation today from Westport's Revaluation Working Group which is reviewing the postponed 2003 property assessment.

In a letter to First Selectwoman Diane G. Farrell dated Wednesday and distributed at today's second meeting of the now nine-member panel, Heller said, "In order to avoid the appearance of conflict, I am resigning from the Revaluation Working Group effective immediately."

Heller, who was at the meeting, said he had been asked by Finance Director Don Miklus, chair of the working group, to act "in an advisory manner which I am happy to do."

The longtime member of the Board of Assessment Appeals said he planned to attend committee meetings but would not participate when the group evaluates the assessment model used to determine values.

At today's two-hour session, the group was told that state legislation would be necessary to use the 2003 data gathered by J. F. Ryan Associates.

Selectman Carl Leaman, a member of the panel, said state representatives were being asked to pursue such legislation.

Cole Layer Trumbull, the firm hired to clear up the backlog of about 1,700 building permits still to be added to the Grand List, will be asked to help evaluate the data already collected, according to Miklus.

While the cost of the firm's additional work is not known, it may be covered by a $150,000 appropriation already approved by the town's funding bodies, which would have to approve the use of the funds for this purpose, he said.

During the meeting, the group named two subcommittees – one to look into the revaluation model used in the assessments and the other to monitor and report on clearing up the building permit backlog.

Milford Assessor William Gaffney was present and explained to members how his town handles its property assessments in house. He suggested Westport might want to consider doing the same.

The group will meet again next Thursday.

Westport Property Transfers April 5-9, 2004

Property transfers as reported by the Town Clerk's office for the period April 5-9, 2004:

Vavel Enterperises Inc. to William Dudley and Betty Jo Schleier, 84 Roseville Road, $1,800,000.

Melvin Howard Suc Tr to Fergal and Susan McGillion Moore, 42 Red Coat Road, $1,595,000.

John and Marie Garofalo to Robert C. and Leslie Q. Wheeler Jr., 11 Surf Road, $5,900,000.

RFK Development LLC to Bruce and Celeste Amlicke Trust, 6 Cob Drive, $2,212,500.

Walter Scott Howard to Paul C. and Alicia M. Zec, 27 Burr Farms Road, $930,000.

Roy B. Simpson to Samuel V. and Rebecca B. Howe, 35 Clinton Ave., $1,265,000.

Denise L. Serbes to Barry Downer, 19 Crescent Park Road, $331,500.

Max Properties LLC to Beverly R. Howard Credit Shelter Trust, 123 Regents Park, $725,000.

Estate of Mary Low Armstrong to Antony J. and Stephanie M. Lantier, 9 Keyser Road, $801,250.

Westport Home and Land Co. LLC to Lorenzo B. and Brenda K. Wyatt, Unit 21 36 Terra Nova Circle, $1,352,175.

Arye Shahar to Peter A. and Caren L. Lorraine, 63 Richmondville Ave., $980,000.

Alan E. Mackenzie to Charles G. and Kathleen C. Berg, 74 Compo Mill Cove, $1,600,000.

Farrell Raises $371,500, Shays $249,000 for Congressional Race

Westport Democrat First Selectwoman Diane G. Farrell raised $371,514.62 in the period Jan. 1 to March 31 in her bid to unseat veteran Republican congressman Christopher Shays, a filing showed today.

Meanwhile, Shays raised $249,442.17 in the same period, according to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) Web site.

According to Farrell's filing, the campaign made a $1,500 refund on a contribution, received $14,900 from political parties or political action committees, expended $39,829.16, and had $330,185.46 cash on hand at the close of the reporting period.

Shays received $72,273.23 from political parties or political action committees, expended $80,527.40, and had $365,417.77 cash on hand at the close of the reporting period, according to his filing.

A Farrell campaign press release said of 719 total contributors, 87 percent were from individuals living in the 17 towns and cities of the 4th Congressional District and 91 percent were from Connecticut.

The Way We Were -- 50 Years Ago

A third grade class at Coleytown Elementary School poses for a photographer on Jan. 4, 1954 – the first year the school opened. The photo is from a WestportNow reader. Can you identify the students? (CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

Plenty of Seats Available

The rain on Wednesday kept players off the Wakeman Park fields. (CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE) Emily Laux Roche for WestportNow.com

Thursday, April 15, 2004

10 a.m. - Kings Highway Elementary School - BOE Positive Youth Development Parent Resource Committee
Noon - Toquet Hall - Westrport Arts Center's "Play With Your Food"
7 p.m. - Westport Public Library - Westport Community Gardens meeting
7:30 p.m. - Town Hall Room 102 - RTM Public Works Committee
7:30 p.m. - Town Hall Auditorium - Planning & Zoning Commission

Westport's Sen. Judith Freedman Joins in Passage of "Clean Car" Bill

Westport's state Sen. Judith G. Freedman was among state senators today who voted unanimously in favor of legislation intended to promote cleaner air by requiring that cars meet stricter emissions standards.

The bill would create vehicle regulations like those in California, and require automakers to sell low-emissions vehicles by the 2008 model year.

The Senate passed the bill 36-0. It now goes to the House.

Freedman, a longtime supporter of the so-called “California model” to reduce air pollution, said she is especially proud of the two-year research project undertaken by New Canaan Country School fifth- and sixth-graders to get this legislation passed in Connecticut.

“I began working with the New Canaan Country School students last year when they began studying the anti-pollution program pioneered by California," she said.

"They did an extraordinary amount of research, submitted public hearing testimony, wrote letters, and even came to Hartford yesterday to lobby legislators."

Similar standards to those cited in the Connecticut legislation are also in effect in New York and Massachusetts, and are higher than the minimum federal standard.

Advocates for the bill brought hybrid cars to the Capitol for lawmakers and others to test drive.

Don Strait, the executive director of the Connecticut Fund for the Environment, praised the vote.

"Senators recognized that passing the Clean Car Bill is probably the single most important step we can take this year to reduce the amount of toxic chemicals being released into the air we breathe," he said.

A Rainy Practice

Today's rain did not stop practice for Westport Little Leaguers at the Compo Road North town fields. (CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE) Emily Laux Roche for WestportNow.com

Martha Stewart's Lawyers Make New Plea for New Trial

Lawyers for Westport's Martha Stewart today made a new plea for a retrial based on additional findings about one of the jurors who convicted her last month in her stock fraud trial.

According to the papers filed in federal court, juror Chappell Hartridge confessed to embezzling from a Little League organization and admitted to a cocaine habit, but disclosed neither on his jury questionnaire.

The papers also said Hartridge's son was convicted of attempted robbery in 2000 -- information Stewart's lawyers said he specifically omitted from his jury form.

Late last month, Stewart's lawyers said that Hartridge had lied in failing to disclose a 1997 arrest on charges of assaulting a woman he had been living with.

The defense has argued that it would have moved to have Hartridge stricken from the jury had they known about any of these facts from his past.

The papers asked U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum, who oversaw Stewart's trial that ended March 5, to grant a second trial or at least a hearing on the Hartridge matter.

Federal prosecutors had no comment today, according to an AP report. But last week, they said the disclosures about Hartridge were not enough to warrant a hearing, much less a new trial.

Stewart was convicted of lying about her sale of a block of biotechnology stock just before it plunged.

She will be sentenced June 17. Legal experts expect her to get 10 to 16 months in prison.

Public Hearing on Noise Set for April 29

First Selectwoman Diane G. Farrell today announced a public hearing will be held Thursday, April 29 on possible changes to the town's noise ordinance.

The 7 p.m. meeting in the Town Hall Auditorium will hear from town officials and citizens on ways to improve a noise ordinance updated by the Representative Town Meeting in October.

That update provided for reduced hours of construction noise. (See WestportNow Oct. 8, 2003).

Eleanor Lowenstein, chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission, will chair the April 29 hearing, Farrell said.

Students Told Staples Teacher Took Own Life

Educators at Staples High School today told students that social studies teacher Richard Mott took his own life Monday with a gun at his home. See update in STORY of April 13, 2004.

Wednesday, April 14, 2004

10:30 a.m. - Town Hall Room 102 - International Hospitality Committee
Noon - Town Hall Room 309/307 - Citizens brown bag luncheon
5 p.m. - Town Hall Room 309/307 - Board of Selectmen
6:45 p.m. - Westport Public Library - RTM Library Museum Arts Committee
7:30 p.m. - Westport Public Library - Library Board
7:30 p.m. - Police Headquarters - RTM Public Protection Committee
8 p.m. - Town Hall Room 309/307 - RTM Finance & Education Committees
9 p.m. - Town Hall Room 309/307 - RTM Education Committee
9 p.m. - Town Hall Room 201 - RTM Finance Committee

Richard Mott, Veteran Staples Social Studies Teacher, Dies

Richard Mott, a longtime social studies teacher at Staples High School, has died unexpectedly at his Monroe home, students at the school were told today.

He was 54 and, according to a biography on the Staples Web site, had taught at the school since 1971.

Joyce Losen, a spokesperson for the school system, confirmed Mott's death but said she had no details.

Update (4/14/2004): In a message Wednesday to parents, Staples principal John Brady said Mott took his own life with a gun at his home Monday afternoon.

"Rich had taught at Staples for more than 30 years, and will be remembered as a wonderful teacher and fine human being," Brady said.

He told parents that educators had "wrestled with how to convey this message to teenagers, sensitive to the way in which students view teachers as role models, and agreed, particularly in the context of our discussions over the last few months about cheating and honesty, that a simple, straightforward message was essential (and some students had seen a report about the incident in the Connecticut Post)."

Brady said after the announcement, students were given the opportunity to share their feelings with teachers and counselors.

A service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at Temple Israel, Brady said, adding that students who wished to attend would be excused from classes.

Mott's courses this year at Staples included American Government and Introduction to Psychology, according to the Web site.

Parents of students were told that the school's crisis team had met with department chairs and that Brady and Elliot Kraut, social studies department chair, had met with Mott's classes to share the news with his students.

Counselors were made available to students throughout the day and would remain available for the rest of the week, according to a school source.

Mott held a B.S. from Southern Connecticut State University and a M.A. from Fairfield University.

Mott is survived by his wife, Sandra L. Schwartz Mott, his daughters Carolyn Martin and Sara Mott of Bridgeport, his brother, John, of Georgia, and several nieces and nephews.

The family requests in lieu of flowers that contributions be made to the Richard C. Mott Memorial Scholarship, c/o Staples High School, 70 North Ave., Westport, CT 06880.

YMCA Mahackeno Plan Meeting Draws Large Crowd

More than 75 persons crowded into a Town Hall meeting room today for the first of what is likely to be many meetings on the Westport/Weston YMCA's controversial plan to move its headquarters from its longtime downtown facility to its Camp Mahackeno summer camp in a residential area.
Rosemary Halstead, president of the Westport/Weston YMCA board of directors, explains the Y's moving plans today as Police Chief Al Fiore and Buildings Dept. head Steve Smith listen. WestportNow.com photo

The one hour and 15 minute session was held by the Code Enforcement Committee made up of town department representatives who will eventually have to make recommendations on any plan presented.

Many attending the meeting were residents in the camp's Wilton Road area. They are opposed to the plan because of traffic and congestion issues they say will overwhelm the already busy neighborhood just off of the Merritt Parkway's exit 41.

The Y contends that it has outgrown its 74,000-square foot building built in 1923 at the corner of Main Street and Post Road East. Y officials said preliminary plans called for a 94,000-square foot facility on the 30-acre Mahackeno site.

"The project honestly is just in the beginning stages," said Ted Davis, chair of a Y steering committee overseeing the Mahackeno project.

A traffic consultant hired by the Y, Michael Galante, told the meeting while plans are still very preliminary, he does intend to begin traffic studies of the area as early as next month.

Katherine Barnard, director of Planning and Zoning who chaired the meeting, said she saw three main issues regarding the plan:

--Whether the town sewer system or a septic system is used.

-- What the impact of increased traffic on the area will be.

-- And whether the use qualifies for a "special permit" under zoning regulations.

Fire Marhall Fred Baker said he was most concerned about emergency vehicle access to the Mahackeno site.

He noted that Mahackeno was in a relatively remote area in the northwest part of town – one of the farthest areas from fire headquarters on Post Road East, the closest fire station.

For this reason, Baker said, he wanted to ensure that any facility built on the site contained the most advanced fire protection systems.

Alicia Mozian, conservation director, urged the Y planners to extensively investigate the potential impact on any wetlands on the property.

Police Chief Al Fiore said parking was a major issue for him. He said there has to been plenty of parking capacity on the site so cars would not be parked on neighboring streets.

Dick Foot, executive director of the Y, said no architect has yet been hired for the facility and that it has not been determined exactly where on the site the building will be situated.

Foot said he anticipated that work would be done on areas adjacent to the Saugatuck River but that nothing was definite at the moment.

Barnard suggested that as soon as an architect is hired, the Y go before the Architectural Review Board "so they can have input very early on."

She reminded Y members that under a new ordinance, the Planning and Zoning Commission had the authority to hire independent experts at an applicant's expense in order to get additional information about a proposal.

When asked if he had a timetable for the project, Foot said in view of not having hired an architect or site planner yet, not having begun a capital campaign, and not having sold the downtown property, "it is difficult and probably inappropriate to put a time frame" on it.

"We will keep you posted," he said.

Michael Stashower, a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission, urged the Y to try to estimate how much parking is required by the present downtown Y building as well as number of trips generated to the building.

"I'd like to see some really good statistics, but I know it's a tough question that is hard to get at," he said.

Eleanor Lowenstein, chair of the P&Z, asked whether the Y had been in touch with state Department of Transportation people. She was told there had been some preliminary contacts and that a detailed traffic study would be made.

Lowenstein said it was important for the Y to be able to say early on what the hours of operation will be for the new facility.

A member of the public asked Barnard to outline steps those opposed to the facility could take to make sure their views are known.

Barnard urged them to attend public hearings and keep abreast of ongoing developments following any formal application.

Mary Young, a planner in the P&Z office, suggested that opponents might want to think of making suggestions about what would make the project more palatable to them instead of merely opposing it.

Norwalk Public Works Officials Question Westport Sewer Plan

Norwalk Public Works officials said they don't understand why Westport needs to connect Saugatuck Shores' sanitary sewers to Norwalk's wastewater treatment plant, according to today's The Advocate of Stamford/Norwalk.

The report said during a Monday night meeting, they questioned the move as Westport is increasing the capacity of its own sewage treatment facility.

Norwalk Public Works Director Harold Alvord briefed the city's Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) on his correspondence with Westport officials over their proposal to connect upward of 320 households to Norwalk's plant, the newspaper reported.

Alvord told the WPCA that Westport's sewage treatment facility, located off Compo Road just south of the Interstate 95 bridge on the east side of the Saugatuck River, has a capacity of 2.8 million gallons a day.

He said Westport plans an upgrade to accommodate 3.3 million gallons a day, and he was told there is not enough land around the plant to expand any further, the newspaper reported.

Westport First Selectwoman Diane G. Farrell told the newspaper the town's facility can be upgraded only to a certain capacity because of its location.

"It's a land-use issue more than anything else," she said. "So we will never be able to provide 100 percent capacity for every resident in Westport. We can take the Saugatuck Shores effluent. It just means we will not be able to hook up another part of town to sewers."

Westport's plant is bordered by 5 to 7 acres of "totally unused, unguarded, unfenced" state property that appears to provide access to Metro-North Railroad tracks, Alvord said.

He told the Norwalk WPCA he wants to know why Westport would rather hook up Saugatuck Shores to Norwalk than consider building a larger plant using some of the state property.

Farrell said she understood Norwalk's concerns. She said the state land is used to access the train tracks, but she did not address Alvord's question about using it for a larger upgrade, The Advocate said.

YMCA Briefs Town Officials on Mahackeno Move

There was a standing room only crowd on hand at today's Code Enforcement Committee meeting at Town Hall as representatives of the Westport/Weston YMCA discussed preliminary plans with town department heads to move their facility from downtown to the YMCA-owned Camp Mahackeno site in a residential area off of Wilton Road. (CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

Tuesday, April 13, 2004

9 a.m. - Town Hall Room 201/201A - Code Enforcement Committee
11 a.m. - Town Hall Room 201A - Planning & Zoning Fence Committee
Noon - Toquet Hall - Westport Arts Center "Play With Your Food"
5:30 p.m. - Staples High School, Room 516 - School Building Committee Staples Subcommittee
7 p.m. - Town Hall Room 102 - Historic District Commission
7 p.m. - Town Hall Room 201/201A - Zoning Board of Appeals work session
7:30 p.m. - Town Hall Room 201/201A - Zoning Board of Appeals
7:30 p.m. - Town Hall Room 309 - Architectural Review Board
8 p.m. - Town Hall Auditorium - RTM Meeting (live coverage, cable channel 79)
9 p.m. - Town Hall Auditorium - RTM Information Technology Committee

Board of Ed Decides Not to Seek Restoration of $450,000 Budget Cut

The Westport Board of Education, after lengthy discussion, decided tonight to endorse a recommendation of Schools Supt. Elliott Landon and not seek to restore $450,000 cut from its proposed $75.1 million budget.
The Board of Education decided tonight not to seek restoration of $450,000 cut from its proposed $75.1 million budget. WestportNow.com photo

The Board of Finance had cut $1.25 million from the educators' budget last month only to vote later to restore $800,000.

The budget next goes before the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) next month which could restore the deleted amount.

Board members Steve Halstead said he favored asking for $402,000 to be restored and was joined by Mark Mathias in voting for that amount, but the five other members voted against it.

A motion by member Lewis Brey to seek $195,000 in restoration failed when only Linda Merk-Gould joined him in voting for the amount.

After the two restoration amounts were voted down, no other motions were made for any other amount, leaving the board to in effect endorse Landon's recommendation not to seek any restoration.

The resulting proposed budget is $74.7 million, a $4.6 million or 6.6 percent increase over the current budget.

While the board is not endorsing any restoration, it is still possible that an RTM member could nevertheless propose restoration of any amount of up to $450,000 at the body's May 4 budget meeting.

However such a motion would require approval by a super majority of 70 percent of RTM members present and voting that evening in order to pass.

At the outset of their discussion, Landon said while any cut is difficult, he would do his best to mitigate the effects of the $450,000 reduction on a short-term basis.

"I would not feel uncomfortable with the proposed reductions," he said.

But Halstead said while he could give up $48,000 to purchase some trucks, he could not in good conscience not seek to restore the balance of $402,000 cut from the education budget.

"The longer I've been involved in this, the more important it is for us to be advocates for our educational system," he said.

Brey argued that it was a "dangerous road to go down" to seek restoration from the RTM after having worked closely with the Board of Finance to get it to add $800,000 back to their budget.

"I don’t think we will get restoration at the RTM," said Brey, who has served both on the Board of Finance and the RTM. "It might be more prudent not to seek restoration."

Board chair Sandra Urist said she, too, was concerned about the ramifications of seeking restoration from the RTM after having been through lengthy discussions with the Board of Finance.

Brey said while he was uncomfortable asking for any restoration, he favored asking for $195,000 because that would cover a proposed cut in the teacher reserves that Landon had cited in a memo distributed prior to tonight's meeting.

Brey said he would have no problem arguing in front of RTM members for the amount which he said if not restored could risk increasing class sizes.

Farrell Announces Retirement of Assessor Glenn Werfelman

Westport First Selectwoman Diane G. Farrell announced today that the town's assessor, Glenn M. Werfelman, will retire effective May 1.

Farrell had placed him on a 30-day leave of absence March 4 as she announced the town was seeking a one-year delay in implementing its property assessment. The state subsequently approved the request.

Farrell did not announce a reason for placing Werfelman on leave, but it was on his watch that the backlog of building permits that had not been added to the town's Grand List had grown to about 1,700.

The First Selectwoman said she only found out about the backlog in February. Some permits dated back to 1998.

"We thank Glenn for his many years of service to our community and wish him the very best in his future endeavors,” Farrell said in a statement announcing Werfelman's retirement.

Werfelman, who was known to be under severe strain in the weeks before Farrell announced she was putting him on leave, took over as assessor following the July 1, 1998, retirement of Kenneth C. Carvell.

He had been the deputy assessor and has worked for the town for 18 years.

Farrell has named Kevin Murowsky, the deputy assessor, to be acting assessor.

Monday, April 12, 2004

7 p.m. - Town Hall Room 102 - Board of Assessment Appeals
7:30 p.m. - Town Hall Room 201/201A - Parks & Recreation Commission
7:30 p.m. - Town Hall Auditorium - RTM Health & Human Services Committee
7:30 p.m. - Westport Public Library - Author Eric Burns discusses his book "The Spirits of America: A Social History of Alcohol"
8 p.m. - Staples High School Library - Board of Education

Report: Norwalk Cool to Adding Westport Homes to Sewer Plant

A review of a proposal to connect upwards of 320 Westport households to Norwalk's wastewater treatment plant has left city officials with more questions than answers, according to today’s The Advocate of Stamford/Norwalk.

"We felt the engineering report submitted by the Westport Public Works consultant was not adequate and did not examine many Norwalk issues," Norwalk Mayor Alex Knopp told the newspaper.

"We've sought more information. There will be no recommendation until we receive it."

Knopp and Norwalk Public Works staff last month received a report drafted by engineering firm Dewberry-Goodkind that recommends Westport provide sanitary sewer lines to the Saugatuck Shores peninsula on the Norwalk border.

The plan calls for running sewer lines to Norwalk's South Smith Street plant instead of Westport's sewage treatment facility located off of I-95 and Compo Road South.

Westport officials say the combination of aging septic systems in Saugatuck Shores and the neighborhood's low water table are causing environmental problems that sanitary sewers could solve, the report said.

The Norwalk Water Pollution Control Authority, which oversees the plant, is scheduled to begin discussing the Westport proposal at its meeting Monday night.

Knopp told The Advocate that the city is going to take its time considering the proposal for the very reason that he believes Westport could still hook up Saugatuck Shores to its own plant.

"It's not a matter of such dire necessity that those families would be left with no alternative," Knopp said, adding his major concern "is the impact on the future capacity of the Norwalk wastewater treatment plant."

Norwalk Common Council president and Water Pollution Control Authority member Bruce Kimmel, a Democrat, and council minority leader Douglas Hempstead have several questions about Westport's proposal, the newspaper said.

"Why aren't they using Westport's facilities?" Kimmel asked.

Hempstead said with Norwalk planning to add nearly 2,000 new units of housing in neighborhoods targeted for urban renewal, his concerns are about the plant's capacity.

"If we take Westport's sewage . . . it limits Norwalk's ability to take internally more of our stuff in the future," Hempstead said. "Let Westport take Westport's sewage . . . Why are we even talking about this?"