By John Schwing

WESTPORT — When the unstoppable force of town government clashes with an immovable object encroaching in a public right-of-way, the result is predictable …

… The immovable object must move, or be torn down, with a property owner left to fume over town officials’ dug-in rulings.

But at the Board of Selectwomen’s meeting Wednesday, instead of the usually fraught discussion of a Warnock Drive property’s encroachment into the town right-of-way, a waiver was granted quickly without controversy.

The selectwomen’s unanimous approval came after they heard a report from the Engineering Department, which found that since the encroachment — stone pillars flanking the driveway at 17 Warnock Drive — stand five feet from the edge of the paved roadway, there is no problem for either road maintenance or safety. (Selectwoman Candice Savin recused herself on the vote because of a client relationship with the applicant.)

Public Works Director Peter Ratkiewich told the board that although the DPW engineering survey did not recommend granting a waiver for the Warnock encroachment — the department routinely opposes such requests — it also did not oppose the waiver.

Denise Hightower, an owner of the Warnock Drive property, said that when it was purchased in 2015 the encroachment was not disclosed. The problem came to light only recently when the Hightowers proposed building a new house on the site.

The waiver was granted contingent on the owners’ compliance with “conditions and requirements from relevant town departments.”

Other business

• The selectwomen approved a series of requests by individual property owners to connect to sewer mains in different parts of town. They include:

44 Otter Trail, with an assessment of $14,2355.53.

159A Compo Road South, assessed at $1,995.

14 Reimer Road, assessed at $18,357.58.

2 Stony Point Road, with an assessment fee of $12,337 for a new accessory dwelling unit, in addition to the property’s existing assessment of $16,449.86.

• The selectwomen also approved a contract for tree maintenance services with Knapp Tree Inc. of Wilton, which has a lengthy history of working for the town, according to Ratkiewich.

Terms of the contract for Knapp Tree — totaling $1.366 million, the low bid on the pact — can be seen by clicking here.

• The board also approved a contract with Xtreme Golf Management to install a subsurface trench drainage system for greens at Longshore Golf Course.

The contract is for $215,752, according to Parks and Recreation Director Jennifer Fava.

John Schwing, the Westport Journal consulting editor, has held senior editorial and writing posts at southwestern Connecticut media outlets for four decades. Learn more about us here.