By Gretchen Webster
WESTPORT — With no discussion of beach access, the Board of Selectwomen last week signed a $4.739 million contract for reconstruction of the Old Mill tide gates and walkway.
The issue of beach access arose at November’s Representative Town Meeting, where several members complained that if the town was spending money to repair the deteriorating tide gates and walkway, the beach at the end of the walkway should be accessible to the public as it once was. Currently, a gate is locked at the end of the walkway and open only to private homeowner association’s residents who live beyond the gate.
At the selectwomen’s Nov. 27 meeting, only one person spoke about the issue — Jennifer Johnson, a District 9 RTM member.
“Many, many people in the community remember when people could cross the bridge to the walkway. It’s part of the public trust to be able to access the mean high water line,” she said. “We should see if we could open up the waterfront to the public a little more.”
But the selectwomen had no comment on the issue and, as with the RTM, the project was passed unanimously.
The contract was awarded to Blakeslee, Arpaia and Chapman Inc. of Branford.
There were some questions about funding for the multi-million dollar project, however, which were fielded by Finance Director Gary Conrad.
The overall cost — $5.58 million as approved by the RTM — will absorb any left over American Rescue Plan Act funds granted by the federal government to the town, which expire Dec. 31. The remaining cost of the project, including contingency funding, would be financed with a bond and a note once the ARPA funds are factored in, he said.
Several other town projects, including a study for an affordable housing project on West Parish Road, which had been listed on the town’s capital project forecast to be funded by ARPA money, were unable to meet the Dec. 31 deadline requiring that they be under contract by year’s end or the money would be returned, Conrad explained.
However, those projects will remain part of the town’s capital forecast, but will have to be funded by other sources, he said.
“Nothing has changed on the capital forecast,” said Selectwoman Andrea Moore. Projects unable to take advantage of the town’s ARPA allocation will remain on the list for future funding consideration, she said.
Freelance writer Gretchen Webster, a Fairfield County journalist for many years, was editor of the Fairfield Minuteman and has taught journalism at New York and Southern Connecticut State universities.
It is incredulous to me that while the beach at the end of the pathway is or is supposed to be public, these elitists who live there are happy to benefit from ARPA funding whilst stopping the resident or general public from having access.
What’s more incredible however is that the RTM like a horde of sheep all voted unanimously apparantly based upon having faith the selectmen would put in language to the tune of.. more public access to something that had always been public ! Predictably for any sane thinking person following this group, they did NOTHING
While I expect or have grown to expect this from the rtm 29 who suck !!! I’m shocked that the other 7 followed suite.
I cannot wait to hear an excuse from the selectmen on why they chose to not demand language within their power to make that access available to the public.
No doubt it was a vendetta perhaps against Jennifer Johnson who regularly calls them out on their crap! Yes they do not enjoy this or any such challenges calling into question their competency.
Problem with that is the general public, tax payers are the ones who suffer, the swipe of the pen !
Time to elect someone who listens.
11 months to go and counting.
I’m trying to think of a single good thing done in the past 3 years. Yet I cannot think of one.
That’s a very sad record.
Waiting with baited breath the very urgent decision on elevator( handicapped access to second floor at the inn at Longshore, an absolute no brainer, to all tax payers in this town, with the exception of the “townies” invested in the fund benefiting from this dream lease ending in 2059.
Too cheap to do right by handicapped access. Then give up the lease to parties who will prioritize the handicapped.
They should be shamed ! If only we can get our hands on their names.
All we know is they are local. And it doesn’t take more than half a brain to work out who they are.
Disgusting behavior.
Unfortunately, the useless RTM moderator thinks (or says that he thinks) the FS listens to RTM guidance. When RTM makes some sense of the meeting comment without actually voting for anything substantial, the FS just laughs them off. The moderator is Charlie Brown expecting to kick the football.
I will name one good think that happened on the FS’s watch! The stop sign on Greens Farms road, buy the Greens Farms train station. One single thing. A stop sign.
The RTM 29 along with any convenient abstainers, do her bidding at all times.
She doesn’t listen to ANYONE. They for some incredulous reason clearly listen to her.
Even the jesup green debacle which left a crappy proposal hanging was the rtm cow towing to her !!!!
Yes the night attorney bloom mysteriously disappeared at midnight and was no longer reachable 2 seconds later.
All skullduggery.
I’m really over the wrong thing being and not without a tantrum.
Why did Brian Stern resign !
He just could no longer be bullied by a financially inept administration.
Board of finance and planning and zoning commission are not viewed by her as an elected separate check and balance, they are expected to just sign off on all her plans, like a horde of sheep.
Let’s see what happens with handicapped access at Longshore !
It’s a TOTAL NO BRAINER, let’s watch this sh show play out !
As for the stop sign at greens farms, I agree it’s actually great and stops speeding, BUT, it was done to benefit the school buses not the tax payer drivers.
If we had asked for it we’d have been told to jump off a cliff !
But because the WPD benefit from the revenues from the school buses parking there, though they are NOT supposed to, the stop sign was installed.
Let’s not fool ourselves, it’s good but wasn’t put in for us.
Again ! ELEVATOR !
Let’s see what is required of long shore.
Anyone interested in the black and white check my comments on the journal re: elevator postponing decision.
Who put the gate up in the 1st place some years ago and what/who prompted it? Is the road/path on the island public or privately owned and maintained?
Sone years back the residents out on the Island became uppity. It is technically Sherwood Forest and Island. When I was a kid in the 70’s we could roam free around there, smoking hash and plying spin the bottle and what-not. Now everything is on lockdown. Its like they are trying to send a message, you need money to have fun anymore…