Gordon Joseloff First Selectman

ere are some excerpts from my prepared remarks before today’s Westport Rotary Club.

I deviated from the text and did not say things exactly this way or in this order. But I stand by the remarks as outlined here.

I’ll also be delivering a similar talk to the Democratic Town Committee on Monday, Feb. 12 at 8 pm. at Town Hall.

We’re in great shape in Westport and we’re getting better all the time. In fact, our problem, if you can call it that, is that Westport continues to be one of the most desirable places to live in the United States.

It’s a problem because with a finite stock of real estate, people continue to bid up the price to settle here. And that makes it difficult for seniors on fixed incomes to remain…difficult for young people who grew up here to return….and difficult for our teachers, police officers, firefighters, and others who work here to live in Westport.

That’s why I am a strong proponent of affordable housing, workforce housing, and senior housing--but done on our terms and in areas acceptable to townspeople.

Yes we’ve been impacted by the recent housing slowdown, but certainly not as much as some places.

Not only do we have some of the best and most scenic recreation facilities…but we have an involved, caring community. The monies raised by the people in this room, and by hundreds of our neighbors, and donated to those in need set us apart from many communities. 

Bridgeport Mayor John Fabrizi, who spoke here not long ago told the Y’s Men last Thursday that of all of Bridgeport’s suburban communities, Westport was the most generous with citizens offering not just money, but their time.

Speaking of money, our 2006 Grand List, certified last week by Assessor Bill Gaffney, increased $84 million over the previous year, a gain of just under 1 percent. Interestingly enough, the only decline in the Grand List was in the automobile category.

It was down by about $2 million with about 300 fewer cars registered in Westport than the year before. Bill is not sure of the reason for this and thinks there may be an error in the Department of Motor Vehicle registration list on which the Grand List is based.

This being the beginning of February, I’m conferring with department heads on their annual budgets.

Of course, some of the larger budgets cover our emergency services, the police and fire departments.

As first selectman, my greatest responsibility and the main concern that keeps me up at night is protecting the health and safety of our residents. It’s an awesome responsibility that I take very seriously. Emergency preparedness of course ranges from the day-to-day routine to pandemic flu and other natural or man-made disasters.

As many of you know, I am a both a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician with Westport EMS.

The good news is that I have learned a lot working alongside our police, firefighters and EMS personnel. They don’t have to spend a whole lot of time explaining things to me.

The bad news is that I have learned a lot working alongside out police, firefighters and EMS personnel and I may know too much.

By that I mean I know the dangers we face, the resources we have at our command and their cost. This is what keeps me up at night.

Larger houses, more development, fewer volunteers, firefighters living far away, all contribute to increased risk to residents and to the safety of firefighters.

We’ve actually been in violation of OSHA rules for some time and it’s time to seek to rectify this. It’s the responsible thing to do and in good conscience I can’t pretend that we can continue to operate the way we do. It’s an unacceptable risk to our residents and the men and women we expect to protect us in times of peril.

That’s why I will endorse a request by Chief Christopher Ackley, a fellow Rotary member, to correct this imbalance with a phased in strengthening of the ranks of our firefighters. I want them to be safe and you as well.

As you know, everything in Westport is a balance. There’s no doubt we’ve got it good but things can always be better. But the price must be right.

Many Westporters while grateful for our beautiful parks and recreation facilities frequently remind me that they can be even better.

In my proposed 2007-08 budget, we will request funding to implement a number of new programs at Parks and Rec that address those with special needs. It is a responsibility I take very seriously.

We have been asked to upgrade the maintenance of our parks and will be requesting a park planner position to help us with planning, landscaping, design, etc. and cut down on the high fees we’ve long paid to outsiders for this.

In our Public Works Department, we’ve put funds in the budget for the tree warden to begin to do an assessment of trees along our town roadways, something that has not been done in years.

Tonight will be the first meeting of a new Green Energy Task Force headed by former selectman Carl Leaman. It will be their job to help raise public awareness of ways to save energy by residents and the town. This could not come at a better time with public concern increasing about global warming.

As part of our green energy efforts, we are installing solar panels on the fire station and I have directed that automobile purchases in the coming year where practicable be hybrid energy vehicles.

As you know, technology is an interest of mine and we are making progress in achieving greater productivity and efficiency through the use of technology. As many of you know, during my campaign for first selectman I spoke of a vision of Westport as a digital town.

One day, when the costs are lower and the benefits more quantifiable, I expect we’ll have Wi-Fi availability throughout Westport. For the moment, I am content to watch other municipalities make the effort. It’s still too expensive and the technology is changing all the time.

In the meantime, we’ve done selected Wi-Fi installations-at Town Hall and the Westport Center for Senior Activities.

We are in the process of piggybacking on the state’s installation of security cameras at the Saugatuck station to put in Wi-Fi there and at the same time bring back images of the cameras for real-time viewing at our police dispatch center.

The cost is relatively low and I think the peace of mind it will afford our residents is well worth it.

Our building inspectors are generating faster turnarounds on projects by using laptops in the field and doing permit approvals via computer on the spot. We have invested heavily in a new GIS -Geographic Information System-that means better, more accurate maps and tracking of utility lines.

Residents will be able to access this information 24/7 from home or office-part of my effort to bring government to you at your convenience.

At Parks and Rec, the system will include online sign ups for programs and users will be able to pay with credit cards.

We will add a full time zoning inspector to provide more timely response to resident complaints of violations. It’s not fair to the homeowner who goes through the often long and tedious permit application process only to be lax in taking no action against those who don’t.

I was talking to Steve Smith, our building inspector, yesterday and he told me as part of our new GIS system homeowners will be able to tell whether there are any outstanding building permits on their property.

When a contractor takes out paper work, gets paid, skips town, and doesn’t get certificate of occupancy, it’s the homeowner who is left to clear up the paperwork and many only find out about it when it’s time to sell the property.

Conservation inspectors will take additional enforcement action. Many Westporters don’t realize they live in flood-prone areas and many homes are built on filled-in wetlands. The problem has become more apparent in the past year with unusually heavy rains.

We will be continuing our Celebrate Westport initiative which this past summer included the very successful Westport Farmers Market at the Westport Country Playhouse. There is a possibility to add a second day of the market at a different location.

As part of Celebrate Westport, there will be a jazz festival at Compo Beach on the weekend after Labor Day. Called “Jazz 06880,” it should be a fun event that will attract a number of people—but not too many.

Finally, let me touch on one of the most important items on my plate—the downtown redevelopment, which includes the library, Levitt Pavilion, all of Jesup Green, parking, and of course the Y situation.

We have contracted with the engineering firm of Weston and Sampson to do a study of Jesup Green and Baron’s South to determine the feasibility of locating housing on Baron’s South as well as a possible public safety complex.

The Jesup Green study will include the possibility of a community facility on the site now occupied by the police station. This possibly could include the Y. But we won’t be sure if there is enough room for a building and required parking until the study is complete.

Then, of course, there’s the matter of timing. By the time we do the study and find a new home for police headquarters, that may be too late for the needs of the Y. If I were the Y—and I have told them this—I would be doing exactly what they are doing by proceeding through the regulatory process.

As I have said before, in the best of all worlds the Y should remain downtown if at all possible.

The fact is that the building they are proposing is a very good design, but there are real issues, including traffic and the adequacy of the proposed septic system.

The uncvility in the debate over the Y is troublesome and has reached alarming levels. It cannot continue.