By Gretchen Webster

The spirit of giving and thankfulness was evident in Town Hall on Wednesday at the first meeting of the newly elected Board of Selectmen just before Thanksgiving.

“Our first meeting together … is the day before Thanksgiving and I am certainly thankful to be here serving with Amy [Wistreich] and Don [O’Day].  It is an honor,” said First Selectman Kevin Christie as he opened the meeting. “It is certainly an honor to be serving Westporters and the town of Westport.” 

Christie went on in the spirit of giving, announcing that the Westport Fire Department’s “Share the Warmth” coat drive, where coats and other winter outerwear can be donated until Nov. 30. “I would also suggest going to the Human Services web page on our town website for other giving opportunities this holiday season,” he said.

The Board of Selectmen also approved an $11,000 donation to the Westport Food Fund from Marian E. Bressner (Cura Vita Fund LLC). Calling the donation “a very generous gift,” Human Services Director Elaine Daignault explained that the money in the Food Fund is used to help those dealing with food insecurity in Westport.  “We dip into that fund on a daily, regular basis to help residents whenever they’re in need,” she said.  The fund also helps supplement local food pantries including the Gillespie Center and The Westport Woman’s Club pantries, she said. 

“Thank you so much, especially for your important work at this time of year,” Wistreich said, with Christie and O’Day also thanking Daignault and her staff for the year-round work they do to help those in need. The donation was approved unanimously by the selectmen.

Another item on the selectmen’s agenda concerning a nonprofit organization in town that offers help to those in need, was the re-appointment of Rick Giunta to the Westport-Weston Foundation Distribution Committee for a five-year term.  The foundation gives out post-high school scholarships to students in Westport and Weston who need them, and provides funds to Westport Human Services for a variety of programs including camperships, and holiday wishes. The appointment was postponed to the selectmen’s meeting on Dec. 10.

Contract awarded for Long Lots School Project

In other business, a contract was approved with a company that provides weekly inspections on stormwater discharge and other environmental regulations in accordance with the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the Westport Conservation Commission.  The company, Tectonix Engineering Consultants, Geologists and Land Surveyors Inc. of Glastonbury, were the lowest bidders for the job, Long Lots School building committee member Jay Keenan told the selectmen.

The inspections will be conducted weekly and after rain events, Keenan said. He and the first selectman agreed that since each weekly inspection is charged to the town separately for about $660, according to the contract, the weekly inspections should coincide with rain events as often as possible when wet weather is predicted. The Board of Selectmen approved the contract unanimously.

Town institutes more cybersecurity measures

The selectmen also unanimously approved an agreement with Crowdstrike Inc. for added security to the town’s internet network.

The system will help protect any computers on the town’s network, Albert Vargas, the town’s director of technology told the selectmen. “It protects us from infiltration and ransomware,” which could destroy data on the town’s network, Vargas said. Sal Liccione, a former RTM member asked if the new system would protect emails to RTM members which have been attacked in the past; and Wistreich asked if Zoom meetings could still be infiltrated by outside sources under the new system protections. 

Vargas said it is not possible to totally protect all systems and devices always, but that more security training for town employees to become more vigilant, as well as additional security measures can help to avoid phishing campaigns and other scams.

Gretchen Webster

^{_{Gretchen Webster, a Fairfield County journalist for many years, has reported for the daily Greenwich Time and Norwalk Hour, the weekly Westport News, Fairfield Citizen and Weston Forum. She was editor of the Fairfield Minuteman for ten years. She has won numerous journalism awards over the years, and taught journalism at New York University and Southern Connecticut State University.}}