By Gretchen Webster

WESTPORT — The question of crossing private property to access public beachfront emerged as a factor during the Representative Town Meeting’s discussion of a multi-million-dollar project to replace a walkway and tidal gates at Sherwood Mill Pond.

A gate that prevents the general public from entering a private neighborhood at Old Mill Beach — now locked but previously open — should be opened again, several RTM said during the body’s Tuesday deliberations on the $5.6 million appropriation to replace the 30-year-old structures.

“Some people have the code to open the gate and some people don’t,” said Jennifer Johnson, a District 9 RTM member. “We should be able to have access,” she said proposing the project to rebuild the walkway and tidal gates include a stairway or other means of access to the beach for everyone and not just residents of the private Compo Mill Cove homeowners’ association beyond the gate.

“I have a problem with it,” agreed Karen Kramer, a District 5 representative. “We used to be able to walk down there. If we are going to pay for it we deserve to have the right to walk down there,” she said. If the homeowners’ group doesn’t want to allow accessibility beyond the walkway onto their property, “they should have to pay for it themselves,” she said of the project.

At stake was a $5,580,000  appropriation from the town’s American Rescue Plan Act funding to help pay for the project that will be lost if the money is not used by Dec. 31, town Finance Director Gray Conrad told the RTM.

Although there are other town projects that have been on a “To Do” list using ARPA funds, those plans were not ready in time to make the deadline, Conrad explained. They include a new roof for a barn at Wakeman Town Farm, improvements to the Baron’s South property and a study of potentially building affordable housing on West Parish Road on land donated by the state.

“We want to make sure we’ve accounted for all the funds and that we’ve made commitments to spend that money,” he said. If that isn’t done, the money is returned to the state.

Although most RTM members speaking on the appropriation agreed the tidal gate and walkway project needs to be done, there was disagreement over whether including beach access should be incorporated into the project. 

But after Public Works Director Peter Ratkiewich said that it was too late to make the change since contracts were drawn up and permits issued, Johnson, who had proposed an amendment that would have included a beach access stairway, withdrew the proposal.

The appropriation was then approved unanimously by the RTM.

Freelance writer Gretchen Webster, a Fairfield County journalist for many years, was editor of the Fairfield Minuteman and has taught journalism at New York and Southern Connecticut State universities.