By John H. Palmer

It’s been a quiet week around Westport (as a journalist and a former EMT, I hate to use that word), and I’m hoping it means that families are enjoying some vacation time and a break from the hullabaloo of the crazy news cycle we’ve had over the last few weeks.

I was pretty wordy last week, and I, too, need a quick breather as we get ready for next week’s public hearing on the Hamlet project. It’s Monday, April 28, at the main auditorium in Town Hall at 6 p.m.

Still, ROAN Ventures, the developers of the project last week published an opinion piece addressing what they call “misinformation” surrounding a petition opposing the project in its current form by the Westport Alliance for Saugatuck. From what we can see, the developers are at least trying to meet concerned residents in the middle, whittling their plan to make changes to mitigate traffic concerns and protect the on-street parking that residents have grown used to. They will present updates at the hearing.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be more debate — that’s what public hearings are there for. So, make sure you get to Town Hall if you want your voice to be heard. There have several delays in these hearings, including that now-infamously hacked Zoom meeting on March 31, and we’re still not sure of what the schedule will be like going forward. I expect Monday night’s hearing to be packed, so it will likely be continued to a later date set by the planners.

I’ll be there in the crowd myself. Feel free to say hello if you spot me and my laptop.

Giving young voices a home

One other thing I’d like to address this week is that you may notice some new names in our bylines that you haven’t seen before. A few weeks back, I posted a piece looking for freelance writers and photographers to join our newsroom, and the response was overwhelming.

Most of the emails I received were from young writers, most of them from Staples High School and many of them who already write for the school’s newspaper, InklingsNews. Others were college students at places like Boston University and Adelphi University, looking for ways to keep writing and reporting through the summer.

This melted my aging, cynical journalist’s heart, because it shows me that despite constant threats against independent journalism these days, there are lots of young people out there eager to make sure good, bi-partisan news will survive.

In fact, it’s inspired me to create a program here at the Journal to find, coach, and support these young scribes and make sure they have a place to let their voice be heard. I’ve mentioned my years teaching K-12 students in Fairfield County, and one of the most rewarding of those years was teaching a unit on feature and news writing to a class of fourth graders in Fairfield. We finished the unit with a small school newspaper, completely reported, written, and photographed by 25 youngsters who could not have been happier with what they created.

You may have noticed a piece last week by Staples junior Jack Robinson, about a new “Tulip Bulb” sculpture unveiled at Grace K. Salmon Park. His hustle on a rainy Sunday produced a piece that showed off some of the lovely artwork that surrounds us every day, and gave him a clip that he can use when he seeks a job someday. I’m happy to be a part of that, and you can expect to see more work from him and from other young local writers in the area.

It’s definitely feeling like springtime around here, so I encourage you to get out and enjoy the sunshine and the natural beauty of the Westport area.

John Palmer is editor of the Westport Journal, and has covered community news in Fairfield County and Massachusetts for over 30 years. He can be contacted at jpalmer@westportjournal.com