Meeting Scheduled for Fall I-95 Construction in Westport
The Department of Transportation (Department) will conduct a Virtual Public Information Meeting concerning the upcoming construction project involving Median Reconstruction and Resurfacing of I-95 in Norwalk and Westport on Thursday, June 3 at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will be live streamed via Microsoft Teams Live Event and YouTube Live. A Question and Answer session will immediately follow the presentation. The presentation will be recorded. Instructions on how to access the meeting and how to provide comments or ask questions can be found at the project webpage: https://portal.ct.gov/DOTNorwalkWestport102-295
The live stream of the formal presentation will begin at 7:00 p.m.
The project is identified as State Project No. 102-295.
The project begins in Norwalk at the easterly end of the Yankee Doodle Bridge carrying I-95 over the Norwalk River (Bridge No. 00059) and extends approximately 2.5 miles to the easterly end of the bridge carrying I-95 over the Saugatuck River in Westport (Bridge No. 00064).
The scope of work consists of reconstruction of the center median and right shoulders, along with resurfacing of the highway mainline and ramps at Interchanges 16 and 17. The median will be reconstructed consistent with other stretches of I-95 to provide a 6-foot wide capped concrete barrier section and 12-foot wide left and right shoulders. The horizontal and vertical alignment of I-95 and the ramps will remain unchanged, with the exception of Interchange 16 Northbound On Ramp, which will be extended to provide adequate acceleration length.
In addition, the following bridges will be rehabilitated as follows:
• Bridge No. 00062 (I-95 over Route 33/Saugatuck Avenue) – Total replacement utilizing lateral slide accelerated construction methods. The new superstructure will be constructed adjacent to the existing bridge and “slid” into place.
• Bridge No. 00063 (I-95 over Franklin Street) – Concrete deck repairs, replacement of expansion joints, and installation of new standpipe(s).
• Bridge No. 00064 (I-95 over Saugatuck River) – Concrete deck repairs, replacement of expansion joints, and upgrades to existing standpipe(s).
Other proposed improvements include upgrade/repair of existing drainage structures; replacement of existing highway illumination system and Incident Management System (IMS), guide rail upgrades, construction of a portion of the Yankee Doodle Trail in Norwalk, and reconstruction of the existing commuter parking lot off Hendricks Avenue.
All necessary right-of-way associated with this project has been acquired.
Construction is anticipated to begin in fall 2021. The estimated construction cost for this project is approximately $90 million. This project is anticipated to be undertaken with ninety percent (90%) Federal Funds and ten percent (10%) State funds.
The Public Information Meeting is being held to notify the public and local community of the impending construction activities including anticipated schedule/duration and associated traffic impacts. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions to DOT’s project representatives.
Persons with limited internet access may request that project information be mailed to them by contacting Andy Fesenmeyer by email at Andy.Fesenmeyer@ct.gov or by phone at (860) 594- 3228 (please allow one week for processing and delivery). Persons with limited internet access may also listen to the meeting by calling 1 (888) 455-9761 and entering the Participant Code 4515382 when prompted.
Persons with hearing and/or speech disabilities may dial 711 for Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS). The MS Teams Live Event offers closed-captioning for the hearing impaired and non-English translation options.
A recording of the formal presentation will be posted to YouTube following the event and closed captioning (including non-English translation options) will be available at that time. The recording will also be available in the list of DOT virtual public meetings here: https://portal.ct.gov/dot/general/CTDOT-VPIM-Library Visit the project webpage for options for Apple users.
During the Q&A session and the 14-day comment period that follows the meeting, individuals may leave a question or comment via email (preferred) at DOTProject102-295@ct.gov. Individuals may also leave a voicemail question or comment by calling (860) 944-1111. Please reference the project in your voicemail.
Language assistance may be requested by contacting the Department’s Language Assistance Call Line (860) 594-2109. Requests should be made at least 5 business days prior to the meeting. Language assistance is provided at no cost to the public and efforts will be made to respond to timely requests for assistance.
Westport Police Adds New Member to their Ranks: Officer Stephen Silva
Press ReleaseThe Westport Police Department is pleased to announce that Stephen Silva has joined its ranks. Officer Silva was sworn in during a small ceremony earlier today in front of his family and friends.
Officer Silva started his career in law enforcement in 2016 with the Bridgeport Police Department. During his time in Bridgeport, he worked in the patrol division, served as an acting detective, and was a member of the department’s honor guard. In addition to working full time as a police officer, Officer Silva is pursuing a degree in Emergency Management at Post University.
Public service is clearly something that runs in Officer Silva’s family as one brother is a detective with the Trumbull Police Department and the other is a corrections officer.
Chief Foti Koskinas stated that, “Officer Silva brings a wealth of experience and there is little doubt that he will be a great addition to the department. Please join me in welcoming him to the community.”
Westport Country Playhouse’s 2021 New Works Initiative Season Begins
David Kennedy, Westport Country Playhouse associate artistic director. Contributed photo. Press ReleaseWestport Country Playhouse’s New Works Initiative (NWI) begins its 2021 season with a virtual workshop of ““The Immaculate Perfection of F---ing and Bleeding in the Gender Neutral Bathroom of an Upper-Middle Class High School,” written by Daniel Halpern and directed by Margot Bordelon, on Wednesday and Thursday, May 26 and 27.
The first of four plays in NWI’s 2021 season, “The Immaculate Perfection…” revolves around the final year of high school for a group of students who spend their time smoking, crying, and touching each other in the gender neutral bathroom. After a trans-senior conceives a baby despite being a virgin, the adolescents are made to reassess their priorities, friendships, and what safety means to them.
"’Immaculate Perfection…’ expresses beautifully the joy, pain, and confusion of youth, of coming to terms with difference in a world that expects you to conform, and of finding your community at that moment in life where you’re just starting to find yourself,” said David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director. “Daniel [playwright] explores the vulnerable teen years with wit, sagacity, and a remarkable tenderness. It’s a work of extraordinary promise, and I’m pleased we can give them this opportunity to develop it.”
The Playhouse’s NWI provides an artistic home to writers and theater makers, offering the resources and support necessary to further the growth of their works. NWI gives playwright and director two days to dive into the world of the play, making any changes and edits that might further the play’s development. On the second day of the workshop, the company rehearses for half a day, and later reads through the play for an audience of invited guests. NWI is presented under strict COVID-19 protocols.
Playwright Daniel Halpern (they/them) is a Canadian-based playwright and theatre artist. They are the co-founder and artistic co-director of the BodyCube Arts Collective, which has had work appear throughout Canada, New York, Germany, and the Netherlands. Some notable recent credits include writing and acting for “An Orchid and Other Such Lilies and Lies” (BodyCube) at the 2019 Toronto and Atlantic Fringe Festivals, and performing in “The Second Woman” (Harbourfront Centre) at the 2019 Brave Festival. They graduated from the University of King's College and Dalhousie University with a combined honors in Theatre Studies and Contemporary Studies, and are currently enrolled in the University of Alberta, pursuing an MA in Drama with a focus on performance-based activism.
Director Margot Bordelon is a New York-based director who specializes in new work. Off-Broadway and New York credits include: “Wives” (Playwrights Horizons); “Something Clean” (Roundabout Underground), “Do You Feel Anger?” (Vineyard), “Eddie and Dave” (Atlantic), “Plot Points in Our Sexual Development” (LCT3), “Too Heavy for Your Pocket” (Roundabout Underground), “The Pen” (Premieres NYC), “A Delicate Ship” (Playwrights Realm), “Still” (Juilliard), “Wilder Gone” (Clubbed Thumb), “The Last Class: A Jazzercize Play” (DODO). Bordelon has directed productions regionally at ACT Seattle, Actors Theatre Louisville, Alliance, American Theater Company, Denver Center, Geffen Playhouse, Marin Theater Company, Steppenwolf, the Wilma, and Yale Rep. She has developed work at Ars Nova, Berkeley Rep, Cherry Lane, The Lark, Ma-Yi, MTC, New Dramatists, NYTW, P73, Portland Center Stage, Primary Stages, The Public, PWC, Rattlestick, Seattle Rep, and Woolly Mammoth. Upcoming: “…what the end will be” (Roundabout). BFA, Cornish College of the Arts; MFA, Yale School of Drama. www.margotbordelon.com
The cast includes John Cariani as Tory, Edmund Donovan as Jack, Jax Jackson as Alex, Marianne Rendón as Minnie, Ben Levi Ross as Cody, Murphy Taylor Smith as Nat, and Jamar Williams as Jacques.
David Woroner is assistant director/dramaturg; Bernita Robinson is stage manager.
Upcoming NWI plays include “Culture Shock” by Gloria Majule in July, about two African students, Zahra from Tanzania and Hawi from Kenya, who start school in an Ivy League institution; and two other new works TBD.
Throughout its 90 years, Westport Country Playhouse has been home to 60 world premiere productions of new plays and musicals, most recently, “Thousand Pines” by Matthew Greene, directed by Austin Pendleton, in 2018.
The New Works Initiative is funded by the New Works Circle, a group of individuals committed to the discovery and development of new theatrical work. Founding members are the late Howard J. Aibel, Stephen Corman, Czekaj Artistic Productions, Sandra and Neil DeFeo, Kate and Bob Devlin, Michele and Marc Flaster, Susan Jacobson and David Moskovitz, Judy and Scott Phares, Barbara and John Samuelson, Barbara and John Streicker, and Johnna G. Torsone and John McKeon.
The Playhouse’s 2021 Season includes two new virtual productions, “Tiny House,” a timely new comedy, written by Michael Gotch, and directed by Mark Lamos, Playhouse artistic director, playing June 29 through July 18; and “Doubt: A Parable,” the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning drama written by John Patrick Shanley and directed by David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director, playing November 2 through November 21. Two HD video productions from the Playhouse archives will stream on-demand, beginning with the musical, “Man of La Mancha” (2018), from August 23 through September 5, and another TBA, from September 13 - 26. Three Script in Hand playreadings will include “The Savannah Disputation” by Evan Smith, from June 15 - 20, and two others TBA, October 19 – 24, and December 14 – 19. The complete schedule is available at westportplayhouse.org.
2021 Season Sponsor is the Eunice and David Bigelow Foundation. 2021 Season Media Sponsors are Moffly Media and WSHU Public Radio.
All play titles, artists, dates, and formats are subject to change.
Due to the global pandemic, the Playhouse campus remains closed since March 2020. As the Playhouse resumes its in-person events, beginning on June 26 with “Cabaret in the Robards,” Covid-19 health and safety protocols, including social distancing and mask- wearing, will be observed.
For information and tickets, visit westportplayhouse.org, call (203) 227-4177, or email boxoffice@westportplayhouse.org. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), and on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse).
Westporter Scores $10K Lottery Win this Week
According to the Connecticut Lottery, a Westporter scored a $10,400 lottery win this week. Purchased at the Super 7 Food Market in Norwalk, Michael Benson won the prize with Keno on Monday, the Connecticut Lottery announced this week.