By Thane Grauel

WESTPORT — The public offered ideas Wednesday on how the town could use $8.4 million in federal COVID-19 relief funding.

The Board of Selectmen held a public hearing in the Town Hall auditorium, and town department heads outlined the current plan for the funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. 

Citizens offered additional ideas, including mitigating flooding along Deadman Brook and purchasing a new ambulance for the Westport Volunteer EMS.

The federal government has already allocated $4.2 million to Westport under the act, and the same amount is expected in May 2022.

ARPA funding requests from department heads include:

• Money to bring the Town Hall handicapped-access ramp into compliance with current standards.
• Renovation of the Westport-Weston Health District headquarters.
• Police Department technology improvements.
• Upgrades to parks and parking areas, including boardwalk extensions on the Saugatuck River and reconstruction of a jetty at Burying Hill Beach.
• Affordable housing initiatives.
• Tree trimming.
• Installation of bus shelters along the Post Road.

Pleas for flooding relief

Several members of the public spoke about problems posed by flooding of Deadman Brook.

The aftermath of Tropical Storm Ida dumped about seven inches of rain on Westport, Public Works Director Peter Ratkiewich said. Six inches came down in just four hours overnight Sept. 1 into the next day.

That turned many roads around town into ponds. Deadman Brook rose far over its banks and turned Violet Lane and Myrtle Avenue into a fast-moving river. The water flooded Sconset Square, Post Road East and Bay Street before falling back into the brook and heading to the Saugatuck River.

Ratkiewich talked about an extensive study of the problem, and said that even if retention basins were built upstream on properties not affected by the flooding, and culverts and channels were replaced under Myrtle Avenue, Sconset Square and Post Road East, the problem wouldn’t be fixed.

“No matter what they built there, it’s not going to be effective,” Ratkiewich said.

Jennifer Johnson of Tamarack Road said her house is high and dry, but that many neighbors live on Deadman Brook. She acknowledged there isn’t enough funding in the package of pandemic relief money to fix the problem.

“But we do have funding, I think, that could be well spent by beginning to take some steps to start seeing what we can do for a project that will take a long time,” she said. “But we have to start. We can’t just say that it’s too big …”

“There needs to be some kind of relief for the property owners along the brook, who are inundated more regularly and more severely,” said Gloria Gouveia of Kings Highway North. “Something needs to be done for these people.” 

“There were so many great ideas here … but it’s hard for us to be worried about beautifying boardwalks and parks when our property is getting flooded and we’re not sure what our house is going to be worth,” said Scott Williams of Evergreen Avenue. 

“If it’s really true we can’t fix the issue, maybe there are some other mitigation strategies you can offer the residents,” he said.

Morley Boyd of Violet Lane said he agreed with Ratkiewich about the stream study, and how spending a lot of money wouldn’t fix the problem. He told the board that in the aftermath of Ida he had 17 inches of fast-moving water around his house, and that he lost his driveway.

“What my neighbors and I have come to as a conclusion is that we need to harden our properties,” he said. “And that’s what we’ve been doing. There’s a number of strategies.”

Each speaker addressing the flooding was applauded by the crowd.

D’Onofrio: Delay decision on health district project

Louis D’Onofrio, former clinic director for the Westport-Weston Health District (recently renamed the Aspetuck Health District), suggested the selectmen hold off on funding the $2 million renovation of district headquarters on Bayberry Lane until a forensic audit of its finances is conducted.

D’Onofrio, a selectman candidate on the Libertarian line in the Nov. 2 election, left his health district post amid sharp disagreements with Westport Director of Health Mark Cooper. Last month, he filed a lawsuit alleging unsafe working conditions and possible mismanagement of funds at the district.

New ambulance sought

Michael Burns, president of the Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Service, said he was speaking as a resident, and suggested the selectmen earmark some money to the EMS agency.

“I’d like to suggest that we take $200,000, from a pool of $8.4 million, and give it to Westport EMS for a new ambulance,” he said. “I have it on good authority that our fleet of three ambulances is suffering, and it’s been breaking down a lot in the last year, due not only to wear, but age.”

The ARPA money coming to Westport is part of $350 billion being disbursed nationwide to local, state, territorial and tribal governments.

“Where we really need to be looking is at resiliency,” Selectwoman Melissa Kane said near the end of the meeting. 

The selectmen will further discuss plans to spend the relief money, and the Board of Finance is scheduled to review spending priorities at its Oct. 6 meeting.