Town Clerk: Office Open Saturday for Absentee Ballots
Press ReleaseTown Clerk Jeffrey Dunkerton announced today that the Town Clerk’s office will be open on SATURDAY, November 5, 2022 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon to issue ABSENTEE BALLOTS for the STATE ELECTION of November 8, 2022. Absentee ballots will continue to be available through Monday, NOVEMBER 7th until 4:30 p.m. All Absentee Ballots must be returned to the Town Clerk's office no later than 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, NOVEMBER 8th, when the polls officially close. The Town Clerk’s office is located at 110 Myrtle Avenue, Room 105, Westport, CT.
Trick or Treat Tradition Continues along the Shoreline
Ghouls, goblins, ghosts, and skeletons made their way up the walkway of the Girden-Barkan home on the corner of Soundview Drive to wish the party-goers a happy halloween, pick their favorite candies, and continue on their way to the next home along the shoreline. Residents in the Compo neighborhood remarked at how many trick-or-treaters had come through their candy bowls in just a few short hours, with most houses running out of stock while most kids made their ways home by the 8 o’clock hour. WestportLocal.com photo
Halloween Trick-or-Treaters Hit the Beach Neighborhood
(L-R) Hunter Pallai, Ean Frankle, Trey Calabro, Max Yeater, and Macklin Reilly took a quick break to pose for a picture after hitting up the homes along Soundview Drive tonight as thousands converged on the Compo Beach neighborhood for Halloween. The group was also spotted by our photographers last year sporting similar smiles and poses as a tradition for friends continues. WestportLocal.com photo
Planning and Zoning Commission to Meet Wednesday to discuss The Hamlet at Saugatuck
Planning and Zoning Director Mary Young announced a public hearing of the Westport Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled for a Special Meeting on November 2, 2022, at 7:00pm in the auditorium at Town Hall, 110 Myrtle Avenue.
Mary Young, Planning and Zoning Director stated:
“The public hearings will continue on November 2, 2022, for Text Amendment #819 and Map Amendment #820, both submitted by Attorney Eric Bernheim of FLB Law, on behalf of Roan Ventures, LLC, both last revised on 10/25/22, to create a new zoning district, General Business District Saugatuck Marina, and to rezone eleven (11) properties in Saugatuck to the new district. The November 2, 2022, public hearings represent the third public hearings on the two applications.
The Special Meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission will be held in place of the regular meeting originally scheduled on November 7, 2022, that will be cancelled, as the auditorium will be in use the next day for the general election. The Special Meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission on Wednesday, November 2, 2022, will be in-person at Town Hall to provide another forum for public participation as the two prior public hearings were held remotely using Zoom.”
This meeting will be live streamed on www.westportct.gov on the “Watch Town Meetings page.” The meeting agenda is available at www.westportct.gov on the “Meeting List and Calendar” web page. Public testimony may be during the Public Hearing by appearing at the meeting. Written comments may be received prior to the meeting if sent to PandZ@westportct.gov by 12:00pm on the day of the meeting if intended to be distributed on the same day to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Written comments received after 12:00pm on the day of the meeting will be entered into the record but will not be distributed until the next business day. Meeting materials submitted are available at www.westportct.gov, at “P&Z Pending Applications & Recent Approvals”.
Talking Transportation: Tidbits from Plains, Trains, Buses, and Buildings
Transportation Tidbits
It’s time to clean out my in-box of a bunch of transportation news items…
CT BUS RIDERSHIP HITS NEW RECORDS:
Congratulations to Greater Bridgeport Transit for hitting a new record for ridership, higher even than pre-COVID: almost a half-million trips were taken in September.
Of course, this surge in ridership coincides with free bus fares since April when the “gas tax holiday” went into effect. What happens December 1st when that holiday is over remains to be seen.
GBT’s other achievement is better productivity: they’re carrying more passengers per bus per hour than ever before. While this may be tied to faster boardings (because of no fare collection), it’s also a reflection of “right-sizing” routes, moving the buses where the passengers are: more buses = more service attracting more riders. Surprisingly, the on time performance (OTP) has remained consistent despite more road traffic on the bus routes.
TRAIN RIDERSHIP STAGNANT:
After seeing a small increase in ridership after Labor Day, Metro-North ridership has again plateaued. The busiest weekdays (Tuesday thru Thursday) see an average of 71% of pre-COVID passenger loads. But weekends now exceed pre-epidemic numbers, even though the actual number of passengers is only half to two-thirds of the busiest weekdays… and all at off-peak fares.
Lower ridership means lower fare revenue and an uncertain future for the region’s mass transit after MTA and CDOT burn through Federal bailout money next year.
MIDTOWN OFFICES HALF-EMPTY:
The work-from-home phenomenon is still taking its toll on Manhattan real estate with only half of office workers back at their desks in midtown. Worsening the long term outlook, a lot of older offices can’t be rented, reducing the value of NYC real estate by $400+ billion.
AMTRAK RIDERSHIP STRONG:
Expanded service on Amtrak in New England has found a new audience. Trains to the Berkshires, Vermont and into the Connecticut river valley are often sold out. But with the high demand comes higher prices.
UNCLOGGING OUR PORTS:
After a horrendous summer of backlogs at LA and Long Beach (CA) harbors, with cargo-laden container ships from Asia waiting weeks to offload, business is back to usual. Not because the port streamlined its logistics, but more because shippers diverted their cargos to other US and Canadian ports, including the East Coast.
Lightening the load further were the Chinese COVID shutdowns and US merchants discovering they had ordered far too much merchandise for the upcoming holiday season, even before the recession impacted shopping.
AIR TRAVEL GETS CROWDED:
You thought the summer was bad for the US airlines? Just wait ‘til Thanksgiving and Christmas. Flights are still full and fares are not budging. That’s good news for the airlines but maybe not their passengers.
WIDER SEATS:
Finally, a small piece of good news: low cost carrier Spirit Airlines is adding new, wider seats to their soon-to-be-delivered A320 aircraft. Not much wider… just a half-inch… and achieved by making the seats thinner. The middle seat will be the widest, by an inch.
Happy travels!
About Jim Cameron:
Jim Cameron has been a commuter advocate for over 30 years, with a special focus on the Metro North railroad. He spent nearly two decades on the Connecticut Metro North Commuter Council, and most recently founded The Commuter Action Group. Jim Cameron’s Talking Transportation was a popular column on the former WestportNow.com prior to its cessation, and joins The Westport Local Press and several other online community organizations. A resident of Darien - he serves on its Representative Town Meeting and is Program Director of the town government TV station, DarienTV79. He can be reached at CommuterActionGroup@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter: @CTRailCommuters
Staples Record-Setting Offense Overwhelms Norwalk
The Staples Wreckers defeated the Norwalk Bears 56-7 at Staples High School Friday night before a large crowd at home.
Junior quarterback Caleb Smith was outstanding after passing for 274 yards and 4 touchdowns, including connecting twice with senior James Hillhouse, and again with sophomore Shane Sandrew, and again with senior Leo Sequenzia while also rushing for two more. Tyler Clark set the Staples record for receptions and receiving yardage in a single season. This is particularly noteworthy as there are three games remaining in the season, which makes it likely Clark will break his own record by season's end and establish one that will be difficult to top going forward. Sophomore Anthony Armentano carried the ball 9 times for 44 yards and another Staples TD.
The Bears lost their starting quarterback early in the first quarter when, while scrambling for a touchdown, he was injured and was taken from the field. The aggressive Wreckers defense was just too much from that point on, forcing 6 turnovers including 2 interceptions by senior cornerback Will Holleman.
The Wreckers are 6-1 on the season and will face Westhill of Stamford at home this Friday.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery
Morning Weather Report
Today
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight
Showers likely, mainly after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Tomorrow
Showers likely, mainly before 8am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 67. Calm wind becoming southwest around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Tomorrow Night
Patchy fog between 11pm and 2am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 52. Light northwest wind.
John Ross Preston, 75, Died; Former Westporter
John Ross Preston, beloved brother, father, and grandfather died on October 5, 2022, at the age of 75.
John was born in Benton Harbor, Michigan, on January 17, 1947, along with his twin sister, Susan, to Thomas and Harriet Preston. His father was a World War II veteran who participated in the D-Day landings on the beaches of Normandy. John and his five siblings spent their childhood in St. Joseph, Michigan, where John grew up playing tennis, swimming on the swim team and sailing on the lake.
He attended the University of Michigan, where he met his future wife, Janet Huang, at a party. They married in Ann Arbor in 1970.
John left Michigan for a period to attend the Department of Defense's Language Institute, where he studied Spanish. After a posting in Panama, John and Janet drove north, across Central America and Mexico, and back through the United States.
After John graduated from Michigan in 1973 with a BA in History, he and Janet moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he attended Harvard Business School, earning his MBA in 1975.
They spent their early married years in New York City, and as a young family, moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico, before settling in Westport, Connecticut, where they lived for nearly two decades, raising three children and building a vibrant community of lasting friendships. They returned each summer to St. Joseph, Michigan, where John grew up.
Professionally, John had an accomplished career in corporate finance. He spent 21 years at The Seagram Company in New York, culminating in his role as Senior Vice President and Treasurer. In 2004, John and Janet relocated to Miami where he spent 14 years at Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits as Vice President of Finance and Administration. He was deeply respected by his colleagues who valued his strong moral compass, dry wit and his commitment to mentorship as much as his skills in strategic, operational and financial planning. Many of John's coworkers would become dear and lifelong friends.
In 2016, after 46 years of marriage, Janet passed away, losing a long and heartbreaking battle with dementia.
In 2020, John moved to Portland, Oregon, in close proximity to his son and daughter-in-law and just a block from his older daughter and her family. He enjoyed family dinners most nights and attended nearly all of his granddaughters' games and activities. During the pandemic, John's other daughter and her family came to live with him. For almost a year, all of John's children and grandchildren lived within a few miles of each other and spent time together daily.
John was an avid golfer and voracious reader. He loved Shakespeare, the classics, American and British history, the history of war – particularly the Civil War and the Revolutionary War – and any biography of Abraham Lincoln. He maintained a lifelong love of speaking Spanish. A true autodidact, he never stopped learning.
In recent years, John and his family returned to summering in Michigan where he made a practice of taking his five granddaughters for ice cream every day.
He loved the holidays, especially Christmas, when he always read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to his children, and eventually his grandchildren. He had a sweet tooth, cultivated by his wife Janet's extraordinary baking, and nourished by his daughters and granddaughters, who followed in her footsteps.
He moved to Wilmette, Illinois, shortly before his passing, where he found an apartment overlooking Lake Michigan – the lake he grew up on.
John is survived by his three children, Regan, Lilly, and Wells; their spouses, Jordan, Nik, and Chrissy; his five granddaughters, Maylin, Marlowe, Daphne, Oona, and June; and three of his siblings, Susan Root, Thomas Preston, and Sarah Linthicum.
A memorial for John will be held on December 3, 2022 in Wilmette, Illinois. Details available here: https://johnr preston.wixsite.com/memo rial
Published by the Miami Herald on Oct. 30, 2022.
Autumn along Riverside
A Fall scene of the Saugatuck River between the I-95 and Cribari Memorial bridges. WestportLocal.com photo
Staples Family Goes All Out for Breast Cancer Awareness Month with "Pink Out" Night
The Staples High School Varsity Cheerleaders lead the Pink Out effort for breast cancer awareness at the Staples-Norwalk game on Friday night.
There was pink everywhere - from the stands to the field - with many Wreckers joining the effort with pink tape, socks , gloves, towels and who knows what else. The cheerleaders, known for giving 100% at every game, took it up a notch joining with future cheerleaders for a brilliant half-time show that had the crowd roaring their approval. The girls even ordered T-shirts with a bright pink "S" especially for this event. Breast cancer awareness month began on October 1st and ends on October 31st.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery
