February Newsletter 2024
Walking on frozen Lake Champlain, Westport, 2014. Photo by Catherine Seidenberg
Remember the days when we could trek across Lake Champlain in the winter? Just as the weather has changed drastically since the photo above was taken, so Westport itself has changed dramatically, and continues to evolve in new and exciting ways! We are truly living in a moment of electric positivity and transformation. Let's Go, Westport! Read on.
Westport-Wadhams Community Alliance is now Officially a Nonprofit Organization
After much effort on the behalf of many steadfast people, the Alliance is now officially a 501c3 organization! As a refresher, our mission is:
To nurture collaborations among public and private entities and support economic growth, cultural vitality, and environmental sustainability in the Westport-Wadhams community.
Because the Westport-Wadhams Community Alliance, Inc. is organized as a non-profit (501c3), this broadens our abilities to apply for private foundation grants (not available to us as a Chamber organization) that will underwrite community improvement projects, events, and more. We intend to actively pursue these avenues in 2024.
The Alliance is committed to serve and support all segments of the community, including businesses, the Town administration, non-profits, service organizations, and individuals. Collaboration and inclusivity are key values and are the driving forces behind our efforts.
We are no longer a membership organization, but now accept donations that will go towards funding community projects such as Independence Day celebrations and fireworks, the holiday festival, winter wednesday gatherings, and many more community and business initiatives.
We heartily welcome new ideas and volunteers for any of our town activities!
Flowers Plus! Forges Ahead in 2024!
Flowers Plus! is proud to be partnering with Cornell University's Landscape Architecture Studio class taught by Mitch Glass. Mitch is bringing 9 of his students to Westport Feb 15-18 to study the Westport Train Station/Depot Theater in order to determine possible landscaping scenarios. With the newly paved parking lot and the completion of Amtrak's platform renovation project, the Depot is ready for its turn in the spotlight! The students will also be studying several other sites as potential garden spots to complement the future Westport Lilac Festival in 2027 or 2028. FP! would especially like to thank Camp Dudley for generously providing historic accommodations for the students while they’re here in Westport.
Keep an eye out this summer for project announcements, and come join in or just give an encouraging shout out to this group that is consistently and creatively working to make Westport beautiful and safe for residents and visitors alike.
Gratitude Gala a Huge Success
Photo by Jen Williams
The Gratitude Gathering and Potluck on January 18th at the Heritage House was a fun evening for all, and highlighted so many of our town residents who are sharing their talents to make Westport a great place to live. Many thanks also to Jen Williams for being such a positive driving force for change!
There is a proposal well underway to merge the Mountain View and Lakeview School campuses, to a new location in Lewis. THURSDAY February 1st is the final opportunity for community members to ask questions and learn more about the Capital Improvement Project. This will be the last forum and presentation before the vote on February 15.
Visit the link below for more information.
Safe Roads and Arts Task Force Create Reasons to Slow Down
The Safe Roads and Arts Task Force is making headway into the problem of overly fast traffic through our town center! Thanks to Safe Roads Task Force Chair, Ann Mason, and the team's boundless energy and organizational skills, they are reviving past efforts on pedestrian safety while also adding to the beauty of the town. As a whole, the newly formed Safe Roads Task Force is driven by volunteer powerhouses in their own right: Jen Williams, Mike Crimens, Astrid Masle, Rose Chancler (known for the music she brings to our community through Piano by Nature), and Chris Maron, our resident CATS land conservation and community trails visionary, who are all tirelessly slowing down tires.
Currently the Task Force is getting quotes on locally built chairs, sourcing artists and securing key chair placements in town. Volunteer artists and any suggestions are welcomed!
Wouldn't it be nice to know that we, our children, dogs, cats, and resident deer are safe moving about town and crossing the road? And, how about having a low-decibel conversation outside at JAMBS in the morning? Dreamy.
To contribute, and participate in the Westport Chair project, explore the links below. Thank you!
Westport Historical Society is Reborn
Historic Postcard courtesy of the Westport Heritage House
Phil Mero, the Westport Town Historian, is getting people fired up to resurrect the Westport Historical Society, which has been dormant since 2011. The first meeting was held on Monday January 8th at JAMBS wine and beer bar, with 16 people present and engaged! The next meeting will be held on Monday, February 12th, 6:30PM at the Heritage House. Join in if you would like to be a part of this exciting revival and reimagining of our community's past, and how it has created our present day.
Contact philmero@westelcom.com for more information, or just show up on February 12th!
Business Profile: Lee's Hardware is Becoming a Bookstore, Children's Space, and More!
Oh Boy! Westport will soon have a bookstore and children's activity space, with room to grow and expand with Amy and Adam Robertson's creative vision and boundless energy.
-Tell me a bit about yourselves: where did you move here from? In summer 2022, my husband, Adam, our two young daughters, Grace and Cleo, and I moved here from Atlanta, where I was born and raised. I'm a writer and, for most of my career, taught English and writing in high schools and colleges. Here in Westport, I've been consulting on the educational programs for John Brown Lives! Adam is from Auburn, NY, and grew up skiing and camping in the High Peaks with his family and the Scouts, and he is a publisher and web designer.
-Why did you choose Westport? The pandemic reshaped our thoughts about how (and where) we wanted to raise our kids, and we began to dream about living somewhere beautiful, somewhere quieter, with really good local farms. Our thoughts started coalescing around New York State (Hudson Valley? Finger Lakes? Adirondacks?). We'd gotten married in Lake Placid in 2016, and I thought it was gorgeous, but a bit too remote, and Adam said I'd be too cold in the winter. Then Adam read The Dirty Life, which is how we learned about the Champlain Valley region, and we took a trip up here in the dead of winter to be sure I could handle it. I remember trudging around in the snow on a -20 degree day in January of 2022—so cold the pipes in our Airbnb had frozen, and we all had to curl up together to stay warm—and thinking, "It's worth it."
-What attracted you about this particular building? My sister-in-law sent me a link to it way back when we were still long-distance house-hunting, and I felt drawn to it immediately, and then more or less forgot about it. We were thrilled when we learned that it was still for sale a year later, after we'd sold our house in Atlanta. Our imaginations were sparked by the historic feel, the handsome shelves that just seemed perfect for a bookstore, and the big bay windows in the front.
-what are your dreams, visions and inspirations for your new space? Every time we walk through the door, the space speaks to us, and we feel energized about our ideas and plans. It's an amazing building and we are so grateful to the people who have run it before us, and honored that we get to steward it for this community now. Adam and I both love hospitality, hosting, gathering people together, and it's important to us that we are actually filling a need in the area. And as parents who often drive quite a ways for children's activities, we want to design with young people in mind, and offer a warm place to spend winter afternoons. The basic concepts we've been circling around are a bookstore and child-centered community space. That might mean parents co-working while the kids play, or it might be look more like after-school activities and classes, camps, and school's out programs, potentially a co-op model. We had a little get-together to commemorate MLK Jr day and it was heartening proof of concept.
-What is your experience so far with doing business, and living in, Westport? I've loved the relationships I've cultivated through John Brown Lives! and being part of a local nonprofit doing such powerful and important work. Adam has really appreciated being able to start building a local clientele, which is refreshing after working mostly virtually for clients all over the country. And as for living here, we couldn't be happier. That's still being reinforced for us every day, whether through the natural beauty of the area, or through some interaction with the people we meet.I knew I'd found real community when I got two texts from other moms telling me how my daughter was settling in on her first day of summer camp at BVCS [the youth council summer program!]
We are still in discernment mode, and we really want to hear from people about what they feel would best serve the community. You can send us a note at snowfortbooks.com, or drop by anytime the lights are on and say hi!
Westport extends a very warm welcome to you!
Federated Church to Host Valentine's Breakfast and Superbowl Sub Sunday
Check out our Town Calendar and Services Board
Our comprehensive calendar of regional events is now live on our website. Click HERE to browse the listings. We are always updating the calendar, so if you have events you would like to be included, please send a message to Catherine at gowestportny@gmail.com with a clear description of the event: date, time, location, cost, contact person, phone, email, website, etc, and any jpeg or png image file if applicable. Thank you!
We also now have a SERVICES board on our website, so whether you are looking for a new roof, trash removal, or a wedding photographer, we have a good list of services available. This is also in process, and will be constantly growing. Check it out HERE.
Do You Browse Social Media for Events and Information? Follow our Pages!
Photo courtesy of CATS
For the most up-to-date scoop on what's happening in our town, follow our Facebook Pages: What's Happening in Westport, the Westport-Wadhams Community Alliance Facebook Page, the Westport-Wadhams Flowers Plus! Page, and our Instagram Page.