By Thane Grauel
WESTPORT — Representative Town Meeting members Monday afternoon got a firsthand look at what’s at stake for Jesup Green in a potential redo of downtown parking.
More than half of the legislative body’s 36 members attended a field trip to the green — considered by some to be the town commons, sacred ground — and saw spray paint and wooden stakes outlining what would be paved over for terraced parking, and, perhaps, in a future phase, restored between the green and Saugatuck River.
The uphill third of the green and several trees, some of them tall and mature, would be felled or, maybe, relocated. The fate of the trees has been something of a moving target for those watching the proceedings.
All that would be to accommodate the loss of some 40 parking spaces in the plan to update Parker Harding Plaza across the Post Road and bring it into compliance with current engineering/safety standards.
Public Works Director Peter Ratkiewich led the outing, which appeared a tough row to hoe.
He tried to navigate it as a logistical/informational meeting, focusing on what would go where rather than a policy debate. Several times he deflected questions he said were more appropriate for a public hearing.
“One question at a time please,” he said several times.
RTM members had questions about the fate of the trees, and which was news to some, how far the proposed redesign of Jesup Road, also to replace parking spaces, would encroach into the green.
First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker stood on the periphery of the gathering and did not speak.
The issue seems to be the first in years to challenge what some see as a go-along, get-along hive mentality in the RTM.
Several RTM members had puzzled brows, crossed arms and sharp questions.
Some, asked by the Westport Journal, said they have no idea how the vote will go on the administration’s request for $630,000 in federal American Recovery Plan Act funds to design the project. That’s the question before the RTM, which is expected to act as part of a lengthy agenda spread over May 6-8.
Even if that’s approved, funding to actually construct the new parking spaces would still need approval.
“Can you tell us what happens if the RTM votes down the appropriation?” Claudia Shaum, District 5, asked Ratkiewich, standing in the Jesup parking lot.
“Nothing happens,” Ratkiewich replied. “Which is what’s happened for the last 40 years.”
Another RTM field trip to Jesup Green is set for 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 1.
Thane Grauel grew up in Westport and has been a journalist in Fairfield County and beyond for 36 years. Reach him at editor@westportjournal.com. Learn more about us here.
This is the most horrendously inappropriate planning nightmare conceivable. I cant imagine what purpose this serves.
Stay away from our green.
Ebenezer is rolling over in his grave.
I have a list of exacting points to be made about the failing logic represented.
The first being is that we need to put a freeze on the parking committee before any further harm is done. Second, call in the lawyers. Lets get get right to the point.
Highlights….— they want to remove 44 spaces from Parker Harding and make all remaining spaces really small, to plant sea grass in the parking lot. And put the garbage in front of the river.
Destroy our town green.
Here is the tactic, “we are compromising by leaving the cut through.”
Its called the fake compromise technique. You make a crazy offer and then appear resonable by backing off a bit.
This whole thing is ridiculous.
The good news is that our RTM is made up of brilliant citizenship, highly intelligently kind natured and town loving folks.
The concept of downtown being a destination is reliant upon the mix of stores. One needs an anchor. Unfortunately we got rid of the theaters, the ymca, the post office, the pharmacy , kleins…all the things that brought Westporters to our town center have been removed.
Solution… bring in an anchor that will attract westport kids, and parents… its not a block party that does this, its not a fancy restarant, its not a hotel or overpriced sandwiches…
I will say the libary has done a great job being proactive in this regard.
What i am talking about is a retail anchor… well, aside from dredging and installing a dock with antique tall ships at jesup… that would do it.
Piecemeal efforts fly in the face the major vision we need.
For the public works guy to say nothing has been done in 40 years is a disgrace. What town is he from, we should go there and cut down his town green.
Meanwhile southern california is spectacular this season. Looking forward to being home soonish.
This is the First Selectcritter’s modus operandi. I mean, with Long Lots and the Community Gardens and Preserve, it has been, “okay, you can keep the Gardens on that municipal property, but we will destroy them because Jay Keenan says they need it for staging.” So twenty years of work will go to waste for “staging.” But don’t you appreciate our compromise? There’s a special place in Hell for these folks.
Anyone who has a functioning brain cell ,who reads the news or has someone report it to them on tv knows the planet is on life support. Last week Athens was orange as was Cyprus. Tornados leveled homes in Nebraska while 5 residents in Oklahoma perished. Nantucket, where we have a beach house, is sliding into the ocean . The land is so unstable due to erosion, new homes cannot be built. Even the airport is in jeopardy. An earthquake in central New Jersey was felt here.
But Tooker wants to pave paradise to put in a parking lot .
Unless we are all brain dead ,we need to stop this reign of madness. No trees should perish on Jesup Green or the Inn at Longshore. Not on our watch.