December RTM Meeting: Wieser, Karpf Re-elected as Moderators; Funding Approved for Long Lots Study
December 6th, 2022 Agenda & Results
Westport’s Representative Town Meeting met in the Town Hall Auditorium for a session beginning at 7:30 and adjourning at just after 9:30 in the evening.
1. To take such action as the meeting may determine, to elect a Moderator of the Representative Town Meeting. Jeff Wieser was elected by 28 members with Sal Liccione abstaining.
2. To take such action as the meeting may determine, to elect a Deputy Moderator of the Representative Town Meeting. Lauren Karpf was elected unanimously.
3. To take such action as the meeting may determine, upon the recommendation of the Board of Finance and a request by the Board of Education for $216,056.00 from the Westport’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, to enhance social needs of students at all five Elementary Schools. Unanimously approved by all present RTM members.
4. To take such action as the meeting may determine, upon the recommendation of the Board of Finance and a request by the Director of Public Works, to approve an appropriation of $482,000.00 along with bond and note authorization to the Municipal Improvement Fund Account for an Engineer Assessment, Design Consultant, Project and Construction Managers for the feasibility study for the Long Lots Elementary School Project. Unanimously approved by all present RTM members.
5. To take such action as the meeting may determine, upon the recommendation of the Board of Finance and a request by the Director of Public Works, to approve an appropriation of $385,000.00 to the Capital and Non-Recurring Account for the replacement of the existing sidewalks leading to Greens Farms School along Morning Side Drive South, Hillandale Road and Center Street. A STEAP Grant was awarded to the Town in the amount of $250,000.00. Approved by 28 members with Dick Lowenstein abstaining.
6. To take such action as the meeting may determine, upon the recommendation of the Board of Finance and a request by the Director of Public Works, to approve an appropriation of $350,000.00 along with bond and note authorization to the Municipal Improvement Fund Account for the maintenance and replacement of sidewalks in the existing network program. This project is for sidewalks leading to Bedford Middle School, Coleytown Middle School, and sections along Riverside Avenue. Approved by 28 members with Dick Lowenstein abstaining.
7. To take such action as the meeting may determine, upon the recommendation of the Board of Finance and a request by the Director of Public Works, to approve an appropriation of $550,000.00 along with bond and note authorization to the Sewer Reserve Fund Account for the purchase of a Freightliner 114SD Van-con Jet Truck to be assigned to the Sewage Collection System Division. Unanimously approved by all present RTM members.
Gary Miller Stuart, 82, Died; Local Volunteer, “enjoyed being a grandfather”
Gary Miller Stuart of Westport, Connecticut died on November 27, 2022, at the age of 82 due to complications related to Alzheimer’s.
Gary was born on May 8, 1940, to H.W. and Ruth Stuart in Normal, Illinois. After graduating as valedictorian of the class of 1958 at Normal Community High School, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1962. Following M.I.T., he earned his Master’s degree in economics from Harvard. He then joined the renowned training program at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan as a financial analyst.
He and his wife Sylvia lived in New Canaan, Connecticut, where they raised four boys. Gary had a successful career in corporate finance serving in various financial and operational roles at Ford, the General Foods Company and Union Pacific Corporation, where he was the Chief Financial Officer when he retired in 1999.
Following his retirement, he traveled, became an avid cyclist, volunteered at the Saugatuck Congregational Church and the Westport Public Library, took a serious interest in genealogy and enjoyed being a grandfather.
He is survived by his wife Sylvia (Rowayton, CT), his four sons David (Peggy) (Fairfield, CT), Peter (Lona) (Derby, VT), Paul (Lesley) (Southlake, TX) and Michael (Vanessa) (Madrid, Spain) and his eight grandchildren Maggie, Emma, Sam, Abigail, Vicki, Nicholas, Celeste and Sofia. The family requests that memorial contributions go to the Saugatuck Congregational Church in Westport, Connecticut or the Westport Public Library.
Morning Weather Report
Today
Rain, mainly after 10am. High near 57. Calm wind becoming southeast 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Tonight
Rain. Steady temperature around 52. Southeast wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Tomorrow
Rain, mainly before 1pm. High near 58. Southeast wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tomorrow Night
A 30 percent chance of showers before 1am. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 43. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph after midnight.
Painter Jarvis Wilcox Announced as Book Shop’s December Exhibitor of the Month
The Westport Book Shop is pleased to welcome artist Jarvis Wilcox as guest exhibitor for the month of December at the Book Shop’s Drew Friedman Art Place.
Jarvis is exhibiting seven of his small oil paintings featuring nature, landscapes and still life.
Jarvis studied art history at Yale University and Columbia University; and studied painting with his mentor Arthur Stern. Jarvis painted in upstate New York for a decade, and then in the Hamptons for 25 years. He now resides in Westport, and is a member of the Silvermine Guild of Artists, and the Artists Collective of Westport.
Jarvis Wilcox’s artwork will be on exhibit at the Book Shop through December 31, 2022. All artwork on display is available for purchase — and would make a perfect holiday gift for someone special in your life!
To see more of Jarvis’ work, visit his website: jarviswilcox.com
The Book Shop will be holding a reception for Jarvis on Saturday, December 10th from 5pm to 7pm. All are welcome.
Westport Book Shop, a nonprofit used book store, is downtown Westport’s only source for gently used and antiquarian books, vintage vinyl records, CDs, DVDs and audio books. It is located at 23 Jesup Road, right across Jesup Green from the Westport Library.
The Book Shop’s “Drew Friedman Art Place” is an area of the store dedicated to exhibiting the work of community artists year-round, on a rotating basis. Miggs Burroughs, a Trustee of the Drew Friedman Community Arts Center, and a founding member of The Artists Collective of Westport, is curating these exhibits, which change monthly. The art exhibit is open to the public during the Book Shop’s business hours: Sundays and Mondays from Noon to 5pm, and Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10am to 6pm.
Holiday Lights on Hales Street
A home on Hales Street brought light to a dark community as their Christmas decor signaled the season. WestportLocal.com photo
Sirens: Car Accident Reported on Bayberry Lane at Cross Highway
First responders were dispatched to the area of Bayberry Lane and Cross Highway for the reported multi-vehicle accident just after 11:15 this morning. No information has been released. The area has since been cleared.
Morning Weather Report
Today
Increasing clouds, with a high near 48. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 7 mph in the morning.
Tonight
A 20 percent chance of showers after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36. Light south wind.
Tomorrow
Rain, mainly after 10am. High near 56. South wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tomorrow Night
Rain. Low around 47. Southeast wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
Clear Skies over I-95
Crisp blue skies gave way to the warmth of sunset along the Saugatuck River. Photo by JD Dworkow for WestportLocal.com
UU Players Present “The Laramie Project” to Benefit LGBTQ Community Center
Contributed photoReleaseAfter three riveting performances in November, UU Players will present an encore performance of The Laramie Project on Saturday, December 10, to benefit Triangle Community Center, which serves Fairfield County’s LGBTQ community. For the company’s previous closing performance of Moises Kaufman’s play exploring the reaction to the 1998 murder of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, the actors took the stage just hours after news broke of the shooting at a gay bar in Colorado Springs. The painful reminder of just how timely this play still is combined with the powerful performances that day on The Unitarian Church stage spurred on audience members to encourage the cast to consider reprising their roles in a benefit performance.
Now community members have another opportunity to see this important play, while supporting an organization that does vital work for our LGBTQ neighbors. Triangle Community Center is Fairfield County’s leading provider of programming and resources to nurture growth and connection within the LGBTQ community. TCC is home to more than two dozen free groups that meet weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly at the center. Groups include peer support, recovery, older adult daytime programming, crafts, sober social events, and youth groups.
The Laramie Project, Saturday, December 10, at 7pm, at The Unitarian Church, 10 Lyons Plain Road, Westport, and via Livestream. $20 suggested donation or pay what you can. All proceeds will go to Triangle Community Center. Talkback with the director and cast immediately following the show. For tickets/info, visit: www.uuwestport.org/uuplayers
More about the show: Part of the power of this production is its simplicity. It involves no set, just ten actors in chairs on stage, with their costumes/props near them to aid in bringing to life the 60+ characters in the play—all of whom were real people in Laramie. Without the distraction of a complex set, attention is focused on the words—all of which were actually spoken by the townspeople of Laramie; the script is made up of direct quotes from interviews conducted by the Tectonic Theatre Project with residents of the area in the year after the crime occurred.
While a play about a brutal hate crime may seem too sad to endure, the story is also about Laramie, Wyoming. It would be easy to dismiss this Western town as one populated by redneck, Trump-y red-staters with whom we enlightened Eastern elites have nothing in common. But you will be surprised by the folks you meet there. The Laramie Project offers a glimpse into a community that was rocked by events both within and out of their own control. And, this story is not just Laramie’s story. Our nation is one which struggles to embrace compassion and tolerance, and so, in a very real way, Laramie is every town.