Westport Patch: Latest Articles

With Power Restored, Town Crews Haul Away Roadside Storm Debris

2010-03-19T19:56:23-04:00

Last power outage locations are reenergized.

By Harold F. Cobin

7:54pm

"I haven't been in my office in three days," remarked First Selectman Gordon F. Joseloff as he exited Fire Department Headquarters shortly after noon Friday headed for Town Hall.

Joseloff has been spending his days with other town officials in the building's Emergency Operations Center overseeing the cleanup from last Saturday's storm.

"There are about 20 customers left (in Westport) without power," said Joseloff, "and they're not happy about it." There were two Westport customers without power as a 5 p.m. Friday, according to Connecticut Light & Power.

He said many of CL&P's crews had left Westport for Greenwich, where a much higher number of customers remained without power. (2,963 or 10.6 percent of its Greenwich customers as of 6 p.m. Friday, CL&P said.)

By 7 p.m., all power was restored to Westport residents.

Joseloff noted that CL&P tree crews would work on private property when it was necessary to cut away limbs resting on or threatening to fall on a service line attached to a residence.

Storm debris cleanup on private property is the responsibility of the owner.

Public Works crews spent the day picking up and carting away tree debris they only had time to push to the curb previously.

"We have all of the roads open," said Public Works director Stephen Edwards in his Town Hall office Friday afternoon.

The scheduled closing of Kings Highway North from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday to cut down the remains of a broken tree was canceled when two crews from Lewis Tree Service of W. Henrietta, N.Y., managed to cut away enough of the tree from power lines so CL&P crews didn't need to block the road with bucket trucks.

The larger tree segments public works crews are collecting are taken to Sherwood Island State Park. Edwards said that next week a state contractor with a "drum" grinder will cut them into large chips. In turn, he said, the town will reduce them into small chips that will be sold to residents for gardens.

Tree debris collected by residents should be taken to the town's yard waste site at 180 Bayberry La. (A press release from the town Friday morning mistakenly gave the address as 80 Bayberry La.)

The waste site will be kept open to 3 p.m. this Saturday and next. The fee for residents to dump yard waste will be waived through Sat., March 27. Commercial haulers will still be charged a fee.

Residents are urged to report property damage to the town. A report form is available at www.westportct.gov, or from the Building Dept. on the second floor of fire headquarters at 515 Post Road East, (203) 341-5025.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell's office will submit damage reports from the region to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for possible reimbursement from the federal government for expenses and losses.

RTC to Host Republican Candidates for Governor

2010-03-18T15:00:59-04:00

The forum is open to the public.

By Liz Mitchell

2:00pm

The Westport Republican Town Committee is hosting a forum Monday to introduce voters to the Republican candidates for Governor of Connecticut.

The event, which includes a panel discussion and questions from the audience, will be held from 7 to 9:30 p.m. in the Westport Town Hall Auditorium. Voters will have the opportunity to meet the candidates and hear their views on the economy, taxes, government spending and the state's budget, among other issues.

"It is important we know where the candidates for governor stand on these tough issues so we can send the right person to Hartford to lead our state forward," said Westport RTC Chairman Bob Zappi, citing the economy and taxes as key issues in the election.

The participating candidates include:

Lt. Governor Michael "Mike" Fedele
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Tom Foley
Mayor of Danbury, Mark Boughton
Former U.S. Congressman Lawrence J. DeNardis
Businessman R. Nelson "Oz" Griebel
Mayor of Newington, Jeff Wright
Chester, CT First Selectman Tom Marsh

The RTC welcomes and encourages all residents to participate in town government and believes "an informed, committed, and involved citizenry are necessary for our community's proper functioning," according to a news release.

Telemachus Clay Continues Tonight

2010-03-19T19:57:19-04:00

The play was postponed last weekend due to the storm.

By Liz Mitchell

10:00am

Four years ago, Staples High School student Jahari Dodd left his home in Los Angeles to attend school in Westport as a scholar of the local program A Better Chance.

It seems fitting that, in his senior year, he is now directing the latest Staples Players studio production of "Telemachus Clay" — a tale of a young man's journey to find his purpose in life. Due to Saturday's severe storm, the play was postponed last weekend. It is back on stage at 6 p.m. today at Toquet Hall.

The 1964 play tells the story of Telemachus who leaves his East Coast home to try and make it big in Hollywood. During his travels, he meets new people, and leaves old acquaintances behind. The show reflects love, loss, regret and hope with a universal message that as people journey into the future, they must accept the changes they face are for the better.

Dodd said he can relate to the play's main character for just as Telemachus left home for California to become a TV writer, Dodd left California to better his own future here in Westport, thanks to ABC. The local program selects "motivated students of color from educationally disadvantaged areas who demonstrate potential for academic excellence and leadership in life," according to the program's Web site.

While it was difficult for Dodd to leave his mom in California, a woman he also calls his best friend, he said Westport has given him grand opportunities.

"Both my parents traveled overseas and they always gave me a world view to learn languages and be socially conscious," Dodd said. "My mom in particular always wanted me to know there's so much more to the world than my own address. ...When I heard about ABC, I was longing for something different and now I feel I can move on."

Much like Telemachus, Dodd said he's felt the same emotions that are evident throughout the play — homesickness, grief, regret, hope and love.

"Since day one, I had this affinity for the play," Dodd said. "Tel is the ever man in the sense that he is trying to find himself."

Dodd said any audience member can relate to that.

"I want (the audience) to know that wanting something different for your life is OK," he said. "Whatever point they are in their life, the journey that brought them there is valid. The journey is crucial to our existence.

"It's a strangely spiritual and moving show," Dodd continued. "It's very emotional and I hope the audience will go there with us."

Assistant Director Matt Greenberg, a junior, agrees the play has universal appeal.

"It's a show about finding yourself and really knowing who you are and who you want to be," he said, adding that it's especially important for high school students to see because many teenagers "try so hard to be someone they're not."

As for Dodd, who measures 6-foot-5-inches tall, many people ask him why he hasn't pursued basketball as a hobby. But true to himself, Dodd says, "I'm much better doing pirouettes than shooting free throws."

Theater and other live art forms, such as ballet and modern dance, is where he feels at home. While he only intends on continuing theater and dance as hobbies, he's hoping to continue his journey at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., to major in child psychology.

Before leaving for the next chapter, though, Dodd saw Telemachus Clay as one way to give back to Staples Players — his home away from home.

"I wanted to give back to Players because I feel I've gained so many friends here," he said. "This is my contribution, I feel."

UPDATED CL&P Power Count: 25 To Go

2010-03-19T08:00:25-04:00

Nearly all customers have power restored.

By Liz Mitchell

8:00am

At 7 a.m. Friday, 25 Westport customers remain without power. That's about .2 percent of the local customer base and a major improvement from Thursday's outages.

About 1,000 Westporters had no power as of Thursday morning, as a result of Saturday's storm that left nearly 7,000 customers in the dark.

Connecticut Light & Power Co. officials said Thursday that the utility projects a full restoration by Friday.

Many residents and officials have been frustrated with the restoration progress. Today, Governor M. Jodi Rell called top managers of CL&P to express her continued frustration with the pace of the recovery from Saturday's severe storm, which caused nearly 100,000 customers to lose power across the state, 7,000 of whom were Westporters.

Some residents frustrated with the restoration progress reported seeing cleanup crews in the evenings between 6 and 9 p.m. but then see them leave without finishing the job and not return after 9 p.m.

In a phone interview Wednesday morning, Connecticut Light & Power spokesman Jeff Tilghman said 10 night crews work in Westport. During the day, that jumps to about 57. All crews work 16-hour shifts, he said. They break for dinner between 9 and 10 p.m. and then the night crews take over.

By early Thursday evening – five days after the storm – more than 7,700 CL&P customers remained without power across the state. Westport made significant progress today, starting the day with more than 1,000 customers without power and now reporting 373 without it.

To further speed the recovery, Rell said she is once again sending Department of Transportation crews to the areas still affected to help with debris clearance. At the governor's request, the state Department of Public Utility Control has also asked United Illuminating Co. (UI) to loan some of its crews to CL&P to assist in restoring power to the remaining customers.

"I spoke today with CL&P President Jeff Butler, and told him that, frankly, it has already taken too long to restore power for everyone," Rell said in a news release. "People are angry and frustrated – and I share their frustration. Families and businesses have been living in limbo for almost a week. This was clearly a major storm, and a proportionately massive response was in order. What I have seen to date does not meet that description.

Rell has asked the Department of Public Utility Control and the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security to look into complaints that utilities were slow to respond to the storm Saturday night and Sunday.

"CL&P officials assured me that all primary distribution lines will be restored by today – and that every crew will be staying on the job until that happens," Rell said. "Jeff Butler also told me that CL&P has installed 500 new utility poles since the storm. And he said that the utility has now placed one of its employees in every town's emergency operations center to make sure there are no more communications breakdowns.

"These are all steps in the right direction," the Governor said. "But the bottom line is getting the number of customers without power down to zero."

Because one major problem seems to be clearing debris, Rell has ordered the Department of Transportation to send trucks and crews into the hardest-hit area on Friday to assist communities with removing trees, tree limbs and other storm debris.

As Power Restores, Westport Returns to Normalcy

2010-03-19T14:33:33-04:00

Patch photographer Carles Reedy captured the Day 5 restoration by utility and phone service crews.

By Liz Mitchell

12:34am

At the start of day Thursday, about 1,000 Westporters were still waiting for the lights to turn on, after five days without power.

By 11 p.m., that number had dwindled to 47 customers after Connecticut Light & Power, AT&T, Northeast Utilities and other crews worked to restore power. By 2 p.m. Friday, 86 residents were still without power, up from the 25 reported outages earlier today.

As more residents saw their homes illuminate, the town began to return to business as usual. Children were back in school, after a three-day break that resulted because of dangerous roads and no power in the school buildings. Parents returned to work and left the hotels they stayed in temporarily for a good night's sleep at home. Even golfers were seen at Longshore Club Park as weather reached near 70 degrees.

Saturday's severe rain and winds downed trees and wires, left nearly 7,000 Westport customers in the dark and was the cause of one fatality in Westport.

The restoration effort began slowly and has been a source of controversy and frustration for many residents, area businesses and government officials.

"It's frustrating and we're doing the best we can," First Selectman Gordon Joseloff said Thursday evening. "We are winding down and looking at how we did, what we did and how we could do better."

Joseloff said he would discuss with Representative Town Meeting moderator Hadley Rose about the RTM Public Protection Committee evaluating the response.

To that end, on a larger level, Governor M. Jodi Rell has asked the Department of Public Utility Control and the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security to look into complaints that CL&P and United Illuminating Co. were slow to respond to the storm Saturday night and Sunday. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has also called for an investigation of the utilities' storm response and said public hearings should be held in the towns directly affected by the storm, such as Westport.

"There must be an immediate investigation of the charge that CL&P, UI and AT&T placed higher priority on minimizing overtime costs than on the quick restoration of power and phone service," he said in a news release Thursday.

As the power restoration and cleanup continues, Joseloff urges all residents to begin tallying the damage.

In order to seek possible federal reimbursement of expenses and losses associated with last weekend's storm, Rell has advised residents and businesses to report storm-related damages as quickly as possible. Joseloff said residents and businesses can record the damage online by filling out a storm damage survey, which must be submitted to state and federal officials by Monday. He also urges they take photos of the damage.

Anyone with questions is asked to call the Building Department at 203-341-5025.

The Storm By the Numbers:

Westport Fire Chief Chris Ackley called it the "worst storm in 25 years."
Between midnight and 1 a.m. Saturday, the night of the storm, the Westport Police Department received 884 calls about power outages, car accidents or other calls for service.
The police responded to 202 calls that night and referred others to the fire department or handled the call over the phone.
There were nine car accidents and one fatality on Saturday.
On Sunday, police received 900 phone calls reporting similar problems.
About 100 utility poles had to be replaced
27 homes were damaged by trees falling on them
57 utility crews and nearly 200 workers came to aid in the restoration
7,000 people lost power and 47 are still waiting for the lights to turn on.

Blumenthal Calls for Investigation of Utility Response

2010-03-18T16:34:29-04:00

He urges public hearings on the response effort to be held in all affected towns.

By Liz Mitchell

March 18, 2010

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has formally called for the Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) to investigate whether utility companies adequately responded to the massive storm-related power and phone outages that affected nearly 7,000 Westporters since Saturday.

Blumenthal has also requested information from Connecticut Light & Power, United Illuminating and AT&T about their efforts to restore power and phone service.

As of 4 p.m. Thursday, 550 CL&P Westport customers were without power. The largest outage, affecting 120 people was on Morningside Drive. Other outages are scattered throughout town. The utility projects 100 to 200 people will still be without power tonight and expects full restoration by Friday.

In a formal letter to the DPUC, Blumenthal said:

"Lengthy delays in restoring service sparked understandable anger and anxiety," Blumenthal said. "The question widely asked is what the reasons were — including possible limits on worker hours to save costs, not assure safety. A separate special investigation should give us answers sooner."

Blumenthal said the matter must determine whether health, public safety and service were given priority over company profits. He said a comprehensive review of the utilities' response to the storm should include public hearings in the areas directly affected by the storm.

"This deadly and destructive storm continues to threaten the health and safety of thousands of our residents," Blumenthal said. "In the aftermath of this storm, even as power and phone service is restored, I have received many complaints — from residents, workers and public officials — as to the adequacy and efficacy of the electric and phone companies' response to this emergency.

Governor Rell has also directed the Connecticut Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security to evaluate the adequacy of the distribution companies' response to the storm and assigned the DPUC to participate in that review.

"Any review must include public hearings in the areas directly affected by this storm as well," Blumenthal said.

"Ultimate authority to act belongs to the DPUC, but this investigative effort and possible hearings will help assure transparency and information important to public confidence," he said.

Selectman Requests Public Inquiry to Storm Response

2010-03-18T19:35:20-04:00

Third Selectman Gavin Anderson says there is a need to track the history of the storm's events and subsequent response.

By Liz Mitchell

March 18, 2010

Third Selectman Gavin Anderson has sent a letter to First Selectman Gordon Joseloff requesting a public inquiry on the town, utility and emergency response efforts to Saturday's severe storm.

Joseloff said he hasn't responded to Anderson's letter yet but said he would confer with Representative Town Meeting moderator Hadley Rose about the RTM Public Protection Committee evaluating the response. He said that committee is charged with the oversight of public safety.

The text of Anderson's letter is published below.

Dear Gordon:

Now that the rain, wind and perhaps the urgency, but apparently not the power outages, have settled from last weekend's windstorm, I am formally recommending and requesting a full public inquiry be undertaken by The Town to track the history of events, and Town, CL & P and other emergency service responses to the events that occurred between Friday March 12, and up to the present time.

This is now one full week after the onslaught of at least 65-knot winds and severe (but not unusual) heavy rains, and we know from the press coverage of some of it. I have received a number of calls and requests for an opportunity to voice opinions on this issue.

I recommend most strongly that a Town Commission or Committee of Inquiry be formed immediately by you or we all as Town Selectmen, with specifically established goals and a Report deadline, including recommendations as to what additional emergency steps, and consideration of the longer term issues that need to be faced. This should be framed to prevent reoccurrence of the difficulties suffered by so many residents and businesses during this event. We are after all in a hurricane prone area, and this was close to but nowhere near what we might expect with an even greater and less directionally steady windstorm – not to say sea surges in excess of the only 4 feet plus of this event.

Please give this matter your urgent consideration.

By way of note: The Maintenance Study Committee discussed yesterday the level of damage to town-owned properties as a result of this storm. I am pleased to report that schools, town buildings, Parks & Rec. facilities all suffered only very minimal damage – a credit to the good building management practices of our Public Works, Schools Administration and Parks & Rec executives; Congratulations to them all for a job well done!

Editor's Notes: Anderson serves as chair of the Maintenance Study Committee.

Architectural Digest Design Show Features Westporter Elise Black

2010-03-18T10:38:12-04:00

Versatile artist will showcase her works in New York, March 18-21.

By Carol King

March 18, 2010

Westport artist Elise Black is showing her work at the ninth annual Architectural Digest Home Design Show in New York City today through Sunday.

For the multimedia artist, the show marks an occasion to bring her creations to a new audience. "There is a natural progression in applying creativity to an industry," she said. "I feel like there is tremendous opportunity in working with designers. The art is like the icing on the cake. Designers are in the process of creating rooms and those who work with designers are in the process of acquiring art."

Black's artwork will be on view in the "MADE" section of the show, which takes place at Pier 94, at 12th Avenue and West 55th Street. The section will feature original, limited-edition and one-of-a-kind objects, decorative arts and furnishings. She is among 130 artists and designers who will have their creations on display.

According to Sophia Weiss, a spokesperson for the show, Black is among a small group of artists who were selected by a jury to participate in the event. "The jury consists of two people from the show, two designers and two people from the design publishing side. We do not disclose their names," she explained. "The MADE exhibit is by invitation-only. However 90 artists, who were not formally invited submitted their work for the section. Of those 90 (artists), 25 were chosen."

"This show encompasses two things that I am passionate about: design and art," Black said. "'I've always been interested in creating things and I love doing site-specific art."

Black is a versatile artist who paints, sculpts and works in mixed-media assemblages. "I love being fluid and I love working in different mediums," she says. "I don't want to put myself into a niche. I use paint as a base with other things attached, like flowers, berries, paper and reflective leather and suede. In my work I use textiles, rugs and felting, and I tend to put resin on lot of my pieces."

As a sculptress, she works in clay, metal and steel. Locally, her painted aluminum pieces decorate the grounds of two public schools. Both inspired by Keith Haring, "Walkway" can be seen at Saugatuck Elementary School and" Tri Play" is installed at Kings Highway Elementary School.

For information, e-mail EliseBlack@hotmail.com

About Elise Black

Black, who has lived in Westport since 1991, was born and raised in New York. From a very early age she gravitated to art and design in all of its many forms. As a teenager she created intricate hand painted eggs depicting species of birds and foliage. This was her first commercial experience as an artist. Her work sold briskly through a handcraft gallery in New York.

She was accepted to the Fashion Institute of Technology where she studied fashion illustration and upon graduation began freelancing for various design companies. This led to positions as a clothing designer for various children's wear manufacturers which were able to utilize her ability as an artist when designing screen prints and textiles used in her own designs.

She later started her own company, Elise Black Design, which provided companies such as Speedo, Rossignol, Mistral, and Olympic Games licensees will full design and merchandising services.

During her years as a designer, she continued to pursue her interest in fine art by studying clay sculpture at night. She was particularly interested in architectural elements as well as figurative subjects and sometimes incorporated both by creating gargoyles from her imagination.

After moving to Westport, she began experimenting with large-scale sculpture, learning the fundamentals of metal fabrication. She also began to paint prolifically and continues to enjoy experimenting with many different materials in her two- and three-dimensional artwork.

She started exhibiting her multi media work once again in galleries and juried shows, and found an enthusiastic audience for her creations. Her work has sold to many private collectors here and abroad and is part of many corporate collections.

She is a past president of the New York Society of Women Artists, and is affiliated with the Society of Connectiut Sculptors and the New Canaan Sculpture Society. She lends her time and talent to various schools and charities and is a board member of Project Return, a residential facility for troubled teen-aged girls in Westport.

ABOUT THE SHOW

The Architectural Digest Home Design Show offers style solutions for the home, entertainment ideas and shopping all under one roof. Special exhibits, educational seminars presented by The New York Times, cooking demonstrations, an eco-friendly design conference, and complimentary design consultations are included in the price of admission.

Produced by MMPI and co-sponsored by The New York Times, the show covers a broad range of home design categories including furniture and fabrics, kitchen and bath products, carpets and flooring, lighting and more.

Raccoon Makes Jump of Its Life

2010-03-18T02:53:11-04:00

As utility workers disturb his home, the mammal runs for safety.

By Liz Mitchell

March 17, 2010

It was a feat that might have only been dared by Evel Knievel.

A raccoon hiding in a rotted part of a tree that had toppled onto the Mill building on Richmondville Avenue in Westport jumped for his life when a chain saw chopped his home in half, leaving him on a ledge.

Utility crews from Connecticut Light & Power, Northeast Utilities and Tennett Tree Services of Windham were working to remove a large pine tree that fell on top of the building after Saturday's storm that resulted in many downed trees and wires and thousands without power.

To remove the tree, workers had cut the tree in half leaving the trunk hanging in the air by a crane and the tree's top lying on the building's roof.

As a crewman was chopping off branches to make the trunk lighter and easier to lower to the ground, a raccoon ran across the length of the trunk to the far edge closest to the building.

After circling the ledge, looking for a way off the airborne trunk, he went for it — jumping several feet more than three stories off the ground and landing on the rooftop.

"He's a jumper," onlookers said after gasping when they weren't sure if he would make it.

Utility officials don't know what happened to the mammal after that. They expect he found his way into a hole in the building's roof or scampered off the other side of the building to find a new home.

Check the accompanying video of the raccoon's jump and the utility's effort to remove the tree.

500 to be Without Power Tonight; Schools Reopen Thursday

2010-03-17T18:37:14-04:00

100 Westporters might still be without power Thursday evening.

By Liz Mitchell

March 17, 2010

As the cleanup effort continues, nearly all town roads are passable and 57 utility crews are working to restore power as downed trees and wires are cleared from area roadways.

The power was expected to return to all schools by Wednesday evening, according to CL&P officials. Bedford Middle School and Staples High School were still powerless at 4 p.m. Wednesday but that was expected to change soon after.

Superintendent of Westport Public Schools Dr. Elliott Landon announced schools would reopen Thursday.

"All buses will be running on or close to normal schedules," Landon said in a recorded message on the school's snow line (203-341-1766). He urged parents to use caution when bringing children to the bus stop as some areas might still be "impacted by downed tree residue."

Staples High School will administer the last CAPT assessment Thursday, according to Landon's message. Buses will pick-up and bring sophomores to school at the regular starting time and will pick-up all other students two hours and 50 minutes later than normal.

After three days of no school due to the continued emergency response and cleanup effort, Landon's message concluded by saying, "Welcome back, everyone!"

As for town-wide power restoration, CL&P reports 1,792 Westporters — or 15 percent of the local customer base — was without power at 6 p.m.

Though the utility promised 99 percent restoration as of midnight tonight, CL&P expects 500 customers to still be without power at that — or just over 4 percent of the local customer base.

By midnight Thursday evening, the utility expects 100 customers to still be without power, according to First Selectman Gordon Joseloff.

As for the storm response, Joseloff said, "No question, CL&P was very slow off the mark during the initial 24 hours."

Out-of-town crews did not show up until about 4 p.m. Sunday, he said. Part of the problem is the utility has not been keeping employees on standby, due to the added costs

But after a little pushing and speaking to Governor M. Jodi Rell twice on Monday, Joseloff said the state responded to Westport's needs.

Joseloff said the storm's costs are expected to be "hundreds of thousands of dollars." He expects Fairfield County to reach the $2.8 million threshold, which would qualify the state for federal aid.