By Kerri Williams

WESTPORT — It’s back to the drawing board, and possibly the Board of Finance, for town officials hoping to relocate a maintenance building at Longshore Club Park. 

Two members of the Representative Town Meeting have withdrawn their petition for the legislative body to overturn the Planning and Zoning Commission decision giving a thumbs down to an “8-24” municipal land-use report to replace the deteriorating building and construct a new one in the brush dump within the park.

Andrew Colabella, District 4, and Jimmy Izzo, District 3, sent a letter to the full RTM on Monday saying that they are withdrawing their petition, which was scheduled to go before the body at a special meeting Tuesday night. To have successfully overturned the P&Z decision, the body needed to muster two-thirds — or 24 — votes of its membership.

“After further consideration, we believe this matter should be returned to the Board of Finance with a request for the necessary funding to properly address the maintenance building at Longshore and its location concerns,” the letter reads.

Last month, the P&Z voted 4-3 to issue the negative 8-24 report on the request to relocate the maintenance building at Longshore. That project is planned as the first part of the $40 million Longshore Capital Improvement Plan.

The P&Z vote came after the majority said they had insufficient information about the new building, noting the Board of Finance refused to pay $222,000 for schematic designs. The finance panel, however, had refused to approve the money without zoning approval of a plan to move the building.

In their vote, the number one P&Z concern raised about the project was the location of the building Longshore.  

P&Z Chair Paul Lebowitz said he and other members asked town officials to “try harder” to come up with alternative locations.

But Public Works Director Pete Ratkiewich has called the Longshore site a “no brainer.” Of 121 town-owned properties, the Longshore brush dump is the only suitable one for such a facility, he said. The new building would be approximately 8,000 to 10,000 square feet.

Two committees of the RTM had a split vote on overturning the P&Z decision following a lengthy meeting last week to discuss the petition. Members of the Parks and Recreation Committee of the RTM voted 5-1 in favor of overturning the decision, while those on the Planning and Zoning Committee voted to uphold the P&Z decision by a 4-2 vote.

One thing all the members seemed to agree on is that the existing maintenance shed at Longshore needs to be replaced. Some have described the building as “dilapidated.”

Colabella remembered working at the building for several years when he was younger. “It was bad then and is worse now,” he said.

Those who voted against the petition said that by endorsing it, the RTM would effectively be deciding that the facility should be at Longshore and taking on the role of town planners. 

“People didn’t elect the RTM to do P&Z functions,” said Wendy Batteau, District 8, a member of the P&Z Committee.

During last week’s meeting, one RTM member suggested that the two members withdraw the petition then. Jennifer Johnson, District 9, also on the P&Z Committee, said, “We could use our time better” than with another six-hour meeting. “We could spend our time collaborating.”

But neither of the petitioners was ready that night to pull back.

“This is not a waste of time,” Colabella said during the meeting. “I can’t think of another place in town where we can put this … I know what I’m talking about, and I’m sure of it.”

Kerri Williams is a freelance writer who has worked in journalism for years, including as a reporter for the Norwalk Hour and managing editor of the Norwalk Citizen-News.