Comments

|

E-mail

|

Print

It’s a sure sign of spring in Westport: Registration for the town Parks & Recreation Department’s spring and summer programs.

And it gets under way this Monday at 9 a.m. — online only.

Those who want to sign up the old-fangled way in person, via fax or, gasp, by “snail” mail have to wait until the following Monday, March 18, at the department’s office, 260 Compo Road South, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

But by then, officials warn, many slots may have already been claimed.

Here’s the online link to get started.

Comments

|

E-mail

|

Print

Periodic closures of the Bridge Street bridge are expected throughout Friday as repairs continue to the Saugatuck area span.

Officials say there will be four periods of 15 to 20 minutes, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., when traffic will be detoured to allow for the work.

The contractor, Cianbro Construction Co., will be making repairs to the mechanical and electrical components of the bridge.

Signs will be posted about the detours, officials say.

Comments

|

E-mail

|

Print

Work is scheduled to begin in early March on what officials are calling the “long-awaited rehabilitation” of the North Avenue bridge over the Aspetuck River.

Demolition and reconstruction of the span will require closing the bridge to traffic for a period of approximately six months, through the summer and into early fall, officials said. Detours will be posted on both sides of the bridge.

The project involves the removal of the 56-year-old concrete bridge deck and steel superstructure, and the replacement with a pre-cast concrete box beams and a new concrete bridge deck,” Public Works Director Stephen Edwards said in a statement. “The existing bridge abutments will remain in place, and scour protection will be added underneath the river bed.”

The Board of Selectmen awarded a contract for the project to NJR Construction of Terryville.

The contractor plans to bring equipment to the site on March 11 and begin demolition on March 18, according to Edwards.

Comments

|

E-mail

|

Print

A public information meeting on plans to upgrade the intersection of Bayberry Lane and Easton Road (Route 136) will take place Wednesday, Feb. 27.

The session will be at 7 p.m. in Room 201 of Town Hall.

“There will be a brief presentation of a study of the intersection commissioned by the Southwestern Regional Planning Agency and conducted by Milone and MacBroom Inc.,” Public Works Director Stephen Edwards said in a statement.  “There will be opportunity after the presentation for any interested parties to ask questions and/or voice concerns regarding the proposal.”

Copies of the study are available for review in the Department of Public Works office, Room 210 of Town Hall, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Comments

|

E-mail

|

Print

Thursday is Valentine’s Day, and the Westport Public Library is helping to celebrate the occasion in “classic” style: Shakespeare … on LOVE!

From the sonnets to the mystical attractions of “The Tempest” to — inevitably — the star-crossed “Romeo and Juliet,” the Bard’s examinations and celebrations of love are timeless.

Join Emily Bryan, a Shakespearean scholar and eduction director of Shakespeare on the Sound, as she leads a discussion of some of the many great depictions of love — and, no doubt, loves lost — in the playwright’s memorable works.

It gets under way at noon, a lovely Valentine’s lunch break, in the library’s McManus Room. Check HERE for details.

Comments

|

E-mail

|

Print

Fire Chief Andrew Kingsbury, Westport’s emergency management director, reminds residents the deadline to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for Superstorm Sandy disaster assistance is Tuesday, Feb. 12.

Even property owners who have insurance, have registered with another agency or have filed a flood insurance claim are still eligible to apply for help from FEMA.

Registration can be done online at any time at: www.DisasterAssistance.gov or with a smartphone at m.fema.gov. Signups as well as checking the status of an application or obtaining general guidance receive is possible by called the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362. Again, the deadline is Tuesday, Feb. 12.

Westporters who may have questions about elevating their home to floodplain standards should first register with FEMA, and then contact the town’s Office of Emergency Management at 203-341-5024.

Comments

|

E-mail

|

Print

Get an “enhanced” opportunity to improve career skills when the CTWorks Career Coach rolls back into Westport on Thursday, Feb. 7.

The coach, which has been upgraded, will be at Town Hall from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Job-skills training on Thursday will include a beginner’s class in Excel 2007 from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by an intermediate class in Excel 2007 from 1 to 3 p.m.

The Career Coach is a mobile training aboard a bus equipped with 10 wireless computer labs offering free computer classes to residents around the region.

People interested in registering should contact the Westport Department of Human Services at 203-341-1050, or via e-mail at humansrv@westportct.gov.

For more details about the CTWorks Career Coach, go HERE.

Comments

|

E-mail

|

Print

What’s a nine-letter word for a puzzle made up of interlocking words?

What is the two-digit numeral that’s twice the sum of the number most widely considered lucky No. ___ ?

What is the six-letter word for an event that occurs once every year?

What is a seven-letter word for a competition?

What town in southwestern Connecticut, to the west of Fairfield and the east of Norwalk, that among other enviable assets is known to have one of the finest and busiest public libraries in the state?

The solution?

The 14th annual Crossword Puzzle Contest at the Westport Public Library. The event takes place Saturday, starting at 1 p.m., with Will Shortz, the crossword puzzle editor for the New York Times, supplying unpublished Times crosswords for the puzzlers.

Registration is required to enter. Sign up HERE.