WESTPORT — The Representative Town Meeting will have several meetings and a couple of field trips in the coming weeks as it works its way through several weighty issues.
Moderator Jeff Wieser emailed members Monday night with an update. Not everything was certain just yet.
Monday, April 29: At 5:30 p.m., the RTM will have a site visit to Jesup Green during which Public Works will have a demonstration showing the boundaries of the green that would be paved over for parking, and where green space would be replaced closer to the river.
Wednesday, May 1: At 4:30 p.m., another Jesup Green field trip.
Monday, May 6: The RTM will review the town budget, railroad parking budget, sewer fund and Wakeman Town Farm funding, Wieser said. Some appropriations already approved by the Board of Finance, including the funding for a new span over Deadman Brook, will be reviewed.
Tuesday, May 7: The RTM will review the Board of Education budget, then discuss a requested $630,000 from American Rescue Plan Act funds to resign Jesup Green and the Imperial Avenue lot. Wieser said the RTM will also discuss a petition sent by Lawrence Weisman, and signed by more than 20 town voters, asking the body to review the Downtown Plan Implementation Committee’s plans for Parker Harding Plaza and Jesup Green. The petition was received by the Town Clerk’s Office and it appears 25 signatures were verified.
Among the items the RTM will discuss in June, Wieser said in his email, is another petition, asking that the Westport Community Gardens be exempted from a recent regulation barring most people from school grounds during school hours.
“The May meetings will be busy,” Wieser wrote to members. “Last year we were able to move through the Town and Budget meetings fairly speedily and I hope this year will be similar.”
Tuesday May 7th.
This is the day the rtm take up budget talks.
Wednesday May 8th, the rtm were supposed to keep that day on hold.
Why would the incredibly acrimonious and important issue on the vandalism of jesup green be tagged onto what I presume will be a thoughtful and possibly long agenda, .
Are we seeing here a deliberate attempt by the moderator to try and avoid public input on this important matter, so near and dear to most residents hearts.
One has to ask oneself what the motive is here ?
The budget deliberation I presume is taken seriously.
As it should be.
Why would the already slated day of May 8th be changed and added to an already full agenda ?
I suggest the moderator move to reinstate the meeting on the appropriation forward to the day it was designated as the 8th of May.
If not willing to do this I would request a full explanation as to why the change of date ?
There is no reason to hold both the budget meeting and the jeep green/ imperial appropriation on the same day.
I cant imagine how anyone thought Jesup was on the table.
It does