The Westport Building Department is processing an application to demolish the house at 3 Nappa Drive. It is located off of Valley Road, which is near Hillspoint and Greens Farms roads. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

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Parking permit and daily fees may increase this summer at Westport’s two train stations—Saugatuck and Green’s Farms.

Police officials are studying the fees in comparison to those at surrounding train stations and plan to bring a proposal to the Board of Selectmen this summer.

Deputy Police Chief David Heinmiller told a Board of Finance meeting Monday night that there is a three- to four-year waiting list for a parking permit, and it had been stagnant because of the construction project at the Saugatuck station.

With construction complete and the post office moving its operations, new permits are now being issued, he said.

No one was hurt and there was no major damage after a kitchen fire in a Yankee Hill Road home Monday night.

Westport firefighters responded to the scene at just before 8 p.m., and a police officer arriving earlier to the scene was able to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher.

According to a Fire Department press release, a pot of heated oil flared up on the stove when a lid was removed.

The homeowner attempted to move the pot outside, according to the release, but she dropped it on the floor.

Westport Country Playhouse invites students to participate in an “Exploring Language” writing contest as part of the March production of “On the Verge (or The Geography of Yearning).”

The contest is open to middle and high school students attending schools in Fairfield County.  Participants are asked to choose a word—or make up a word of their own—define and explain its origin, and use the word in a story about exploration that is 400 words or less.

Students may accompany their essays with a drawing or collage no larger than 8 ½” x 11”.

All essay entries, and optional artwork, must be postmarked by Friday, March 3, and sent to:  “Exploring Language” Writing Contest, Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, Westport, CT 06880.

A group of seagulls landed on a patch of ice that was floating Monday along the Saugatuck River in Westport.  (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Larry Untermeyer for WestportNow.com

6:30 p.m. – Town Hall Room 309/307 – Board of Finance Budget Workshop
7:30 p.m. – Town Hall Room 201 – Architectural Review Board
7:30 p.m. – Town Hall Auditorium – Zoning Board of Appeals

Fairfield University President Jeffrey von Arx. Contributed photoFairfield University President Jeffrey von Arx will be guest speaker at the Westport Rotary Club meeting on Tuesday at 12:15 p.m. at the Inn at Longshore.

Von Arx became Fairfield University president in July 2004 and is the eighth Jesuit to hold the position since the institution’s founding in 1942.

He was appointed to the Fairfield University board in 2002 and continues to serve as a trustee as president.

Guests are welcome to attend luncheons, which cost $20.  For information, call Westport Rotary Club President Peter Powell at (203) 226-3426.

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The Westport Board of Finance tonight began its discussions of the proposed 2006-07 selectman’s budget, which carries a 4.9 percent increase over the current budget.
The Westport Board of Finance tonight began the first of two nights of budget worskhops on First Selectman Gordon Joseloff’s proposed 2006-07 budget. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Ron Malone for WestportNow.com

First Selectman Gordon Joseloff’s budget proposal is $53.7 million, which is a $2.5 million increase.

Combined with the Board of Education budget, the proposal is $151.2 million, which is a 4.9 percent increase.

Joseloff said his proposal includes a number of improvements to the town’s technology system—including new people in the Information Technology Department—and a new paid staff person at EMS.