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James Bairaktaris 12/13/22 James Bairaktaris 12/13/22

Westport Museum Announces New Garden Space for Summer 2023

In Summer 2023, a new green space will be coming to downtown Westport. Visitors will be able to enjoy lovely grounds, meet friends and simply take a break at Westport Museum’s Revitalized grounds and gardens. Work will begin in December 2022.

The site design was inspired by an archival plan developed by Silvia Erskine Associates in the early 2000’s. Lyonsplain Architecture, Growing Solutions and Fairfield County Engineering advanced the design to further enhance and complement the property and to ensure the walkway system is accessible to all. Growing Solutions’ selection of plantings is deer resistant, incorporates plenty of CT-native and historically significant species, and is attractive throughout the seasons.

The plan includes winding paths through native flower beds and shrubbery that welcomes pollinators. Walkways will be fashioned from the original, antique bluestone pavers that were originally on the property but were removed in 2017 and replaced by engraved and plain bricks. The bricks—purchased by donors as part of a Historical Society fundraiser—will be reset as decorative edging around the new pathways and in other designated areas.

"The garden revitalization is integral to creating a welcoming, beautiful campus anchored by the historic cobblestone barn and the Bradley-Wheeler House," said Przada. "New plantings, walkways, and benches will vibrantly activate the space to create interest and engagement at the far end of the town."

The new garden design is part of a larger project by Lyonsplain Architecture, a woman-owned firm specializing in the cultural design and the restoration and revitalization of historic spaces. Lyonsplain oversaw the heritage restoration of the Museum’s 7-sided Cobblestone Barn, which is the only one of its kind in Connecticut and one of the few in New England. The project included restoration of original windows, replacement lighting, floor and roof replacement, and interior climate conditioning to protect the building from climate-change provoked extremes of heat, cold and moisture that are very different from when the structure was originally built.

"It's been an honor to direct this important mission to save a building that is unique to the town, state, and the region,” said Hanna Przada, owner, and lead architect of Lyonsplain Architecture. The firm’s work includes high-end residential as well as commercial and cultural projects. "Westport Museum has preserved a treasure for generations to come. It's a feather in the community's cap."

While the Museum is private property and not a town entity the organization looks forward to welcoming the public to enjoy the grounds during open hours. The Museum plans to use the barn and revitalized garden space for Museum programs and as an event venue as well. Rentals will be available for weddings, conferences, photo shoots and other special events.

"The Westport Museum for History & Culture engages the public with innovative and exciting approaches to history. The barn and garden revitalization further that public interaction. These projects have been made possible through the efforts of our Executive Director working with our dedicated donors,” said the Museum’s Chairperson, Darcy Hicks. “Our goal is for people of all ages to linger, talk, make art, read, have meetings, or just sit and enjoy a coffee or a lunch break.”

The restoration of the Cobblestone Barn and garden revitalization has been made possible by a generous gift from the Daniel E. Offutt III Charitable Trust. Richard Orenstein, Trustee of the Daniel E. Offutt III Charitable Trust said he was pleased to have delightful open space “smack in the middle of downtown Westport”.

“The Trust is proud to partner with Westport Museum and support its mission of creatively engaging the community in inclusive history and civic discussion,” he said.

There are additional donor opportunities for benches, plantings, and lighting and those interested should contact Jessica DeRosa at jderosa@westporthistory.rog Further plans for the garden improvement project include restoration of the antique iron fence and stone pilasters as well as removal of diseased trees and shrubbery from the grounds.

James Bairaktaris 12/13/22 James Bairaktaris 12/13/22

Staples High School’s December Students of the Month Announced

`(L-R): Benjamin Barger, Zoe Webster, Annabelle Katz, Kensley Laguerre, Andrew Cerrito, Ethen Perry. Contributed photo`

Principal Thomas has announced Staples High School's recipient’s for December Student of the Month:

Benjamin Barger- Gr.9,

Ethen Perry - Gr.10,

Andrew Cerrito- Gr.11,

Annabelle Katz - Gr.9,

Zoe Webster – Gr.12,

Kensley Laguerre – Gr.10,

Mia Vindiola - Gr.12.

The Students of the Month award program recognizes students who help make Staples High School a welcoming place for their peers and teachers alike. They are the “glue” of the Staples community: the type of kind, cheerful, hard-working, trustworthy students that keep the high school together, making it the special place that it is.

Students of the month are nominated by their teachers, who are asked to think of those students who come to school regularly, are friendly to the staff and to fellow students, and make positive contributions in class as well as the Staples community. In short, these students are all-around good citizens of our school. Students of the Month are not necessarily star athletes, high honor students, or lead performers, and even if they are, this award recognizes the positive attitude they bring to school every day in making Staples High School a genial place in which to learn and teach.

James Bairaktaris 12/13/22 James Bairaktaris 12/13/22

Owenoke Park Home Wins Westport’s Green Building Award

`[Bottom Row L-R] Kristen Butts, (Chair of Green Building Awards), Jennifer Tooker (First Selectwoman), Keith Melnick (Owner), Kate Melnick (Owner), Jack Franzen (Franzen Architects), [Top Row L-R] Stephen Smith (Building Official), Peter Boyd (Chair of Advisory Board, Sustainable Westport), Gately Ross (Co-Director Sustainable Westport), Johanna Martell (Co-Director Sustainable Westport), John Segerson (Segerson Builders), Pam Brennan (Segerson Builders). Photography by Jenaé Weinbrenner.`

Press Release

The Town of Westport and Sustainable Westport announced today that 24 Owenoke Park is the 2022 recipient of The Westport Green Building Award for Achievement in Sustainable Design and Construction.

Team:

Owners: Keith & Kate Melnick

Architect: Jack Franzen
Builder: John & Steve Segerson, Pam Brennan, Segerson Builders
Interior Designer: Chrystal Toth

The Westport Green Building Award for Achievement in Sustainable Design and Construction recognizes residential and commercial projects that make, or have made, significant contributions to sustainability and Westport’s future as a Net Zero Community. This award is a collaboration between the Town of Westport and Sustainable Westport and it acknowledges noteworthy accomplishments that add benefit to the Westport community. 24 Owenoke Park is a stellar example of what is possible with sustainable design and construction in a residential project.

When moving to Westport, CT in 2016, the Melnicks’ goal was to incorporate the sustainable building features they had discovered while living abroad in Switzerland and Australia in their new home. Sustainable aspects of 24 Owenoke Park include an efficient building envelope, use of sustainable building materials, a solar photovoltaic system, and a geothermal heating and cooling system.

The building envelope includes double pane insulated glass with low emittance coating to reflect heat and keep it from penetrating the glass. This reduces heating and cooling demands on the home, as well as the size of the heating and cooling equipment.

The heating and cooling system is an all-electric geothermal heat pump, lessening the home’s reliance on fossil fuels. When heat is required, the heat pump draws heat from the ground; when cooling is required, the heat pump rejects heat back into wells drilled 535’ into the ground. Because the ground temperature is nearly constant year-round, less energy is required to extract and reject heat to the ground than to the air.

A 7.8kW solar array installation of Photovoltaic panels produces clean electricity, powering the home, and allowing it to send electricity back to the electric grid instead of pulling from it. The solar PV panels also power an EV charger for their electric car.

Ultra-High Efficiency Tankless water heaters have also been utilized. Tankless systems provide hot water only when there is a call from a sink or shower, eliminating the need to keep the water heated 24/7.

The interior of the home includes natural finishes and furnishings as well as paint that minimize Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). VOCs are chemicals typically found in building materials and interior furnishings that can cause health problems. The paint also includes cradle-to-cradle (C2C) certification that not only assures the health and safety of the end product, but also sustainable manufacturing practices.

All appliances are Energy Star rated. These appliances meet energy efficiency standards set by the US Environmental Protection Agency or US Department of Energy.

To learn more about what you can do to make your home more sustainable, refer to the Sustainable Westport Green Building Awards Program on Sustainable Westport’s website: sustainablewestport.org, and follow the link to Guidance for Applicants.

ABOUT SUSTAINABLE WESTPORT

Sustainable Westport is a non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire, support and connect Westport residents, organizations and the town in furtherance of the 2017 RTM resolution committing Westport to use best efforts to become a Net Zero community by 2050 or sooner, where the community has reduced its impacts across energy, water and waste so that they are sustainably managed, using approaches that are economically viable, of social benefit and environmentally responsible.

The Town of Westport and Sustainable Westport invites Westport residents to submit an application or a nomination for projects that meet the criteria for a Westport Green Building Award as found on the Sustainable Westport website (sustainablewestport.org). All Westport properties are eligible to receive the Award. Applicants will be considered on a rolling basis and awarded throughout the year.

James Bairaktaris 12/13/22 James Bairaktaris 12/13/22

Morning Weather Report: Cold

Today

Sunny, with a high near 40. Wind chill values between 10 and 20. North wind 6 to 9 mph.

Tonight

Mostly clear, with a low around 23. Wind chill values between 15 and 20. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph.

Tomorrow

Sunny, with a high near 39. Wind chill values between 15 and 25. Northwest wind 9 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Tomorrow Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 24. North wind 5 to 8 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

J.C. Martin 12/12/22 J.C. Martin 12/12/22

Westport Library Blue Sunday Concert Series Finale Spotlights Blues Legend

Famed keyboardist, noted producer and radio host, Westporter Mark Naftalin brought the fourth and final installment of the library's ultra-popular Blue Sunday series to a very appreciative audience, featuring headliner and Blues icon James Montgomery. Naftalin's band bright their usual high energy show once again to the Trefz forum and after a series of great, classic blues songs known nationwide Naftalin brought out the headliner to wild cheers from crowd.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.

Whether you call it a harmonica, blues harp, mouth organ or just plain harp, Montgomery dazzled with his mastery of blues harmonica and had the crowd on it's feet more than once. Later in the show he invited the audience to turn the Trefz forum into a dance floor and many seats quickly emptied as the crowd, already energized from the performances, showed off their dance moves in the library's isles. Naftalin's Blue Sunday Band included guitarists Paul Gabriel and JD Seem, drummer Nick Longo and Paul Opalach on bass, Also later in the show, Montgomery shared the stage with two other great harmonica players, Mark Zaretsky and Manny Foglio.

The show was a perfect fit for the Library's beautiful Trefz Forum which is a versatile, cutting-edge space. The Trefz Forum is a premier tri-state area venue for performances, concerts, film screenings, lectures, and more. It features a concert stage, an 18-foot x 10-foot Digital Projection Radiance LED screen, state-of-the-art sound, theatrical lighting, video and digital projection, and seating for 400+ people (600 standing).

Presented by The Westport Library and Verso Studios, this series is produced by Naftalin, a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame who rose to fame as the keyboardist with the influential Paul Butterfield Blues Band.

Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.

James Bairaktaris 12/12/22 James Bairaktaris 12/12/22

Manna Toast Announces Closing: “we’ve chosen not to invest in scaling the business”

`Manna Toast held a prominent storefront in Bedford Square and included an outdoor eating area (pictured at left). WestportLocal.com photo`

Manna Toast Release:

Thank You
Manna Toast will be closing at the end of this year. To all our customers, partners, local farms and suppliers, and our myriad of supporters—thank you! Each and every one of you has been an integral part of Manna Toast.

We started in 2020, bravely opening during the height of the pandemic, with a mission and purpose. Since then we've served almost 30,000 customers and helped inspire a cultural shift towards plant-based eating. We’ve educated many about the value of supporting local food initiatives and lowering our collective impact on the environment by composting over 15,000 pounds of food waste and consistently investing in compostable and recyclable packaging. To say we're proud of what we accomplished would be an understatement.

In addition, we provided well-paying jobs during one of the most economically challenging times in our history and want to thank our loyal employees that have been with us since the beginning.

We also want to thank the Westport Community and the Town of Westport’s wide range of departments (health, building, P&Z, Fire, Police, Board of Selectman) who supported our new business launch and efforts to help revitalize downtown.

Initially, our operations were designed for rapid growth, with the intention of opening multiple cafes across Fairfield County, but unfortunately in the current labor market, in our segment of the restaurant industry, and due to varying priorities in our personal and business lives, we’ve chosen not to invest in scaling the business. It's our hope that others will go forward and build on the success we’ve had in serving this wonderful community.

Please enjoy your Manna favorites over the next 3 weeks—place a takeout or delivery order, or visit us in the cafe and let us thank you in person and end the year with health and happiness. (click here to order)

Sincerely, the Manna Toast Family

James Bairaktaris 12/12/22 James Bairaktaris 12/12/22

Morning Weather Report

Today

A 20 percent chance of snow before 9am. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 41. Wind chill values between 25 and 35. North wind 7 to 10 mph.