NEWS

Neighbors Wary of Plans for Mahackeno

By Will Rowlands wrowlands@bcnnew.com
Printed in the Westport News

Mahackeno is located near Merritt Parkway Exit 41, off Route 33. Residents from Rice's Lane, Sunny Lane, River Lane, Twin Falls Lane and Route 33 (Wilton Road) were in attendance.

The neighbors met for about 15 minutes before hearing a presentation by the YMCA, according to those present. Three representatives from the Y were in attendance: Rosemary Halstead, president of the YMCA Board of Directors; Ted Davis, chairman of the Mahackeno project Steering Committee; and Iain Bruce, second vice president of the YMCA Board of Directors. The YMCA heard that the neighbors were meeting and offered to send representatives.

According to Lawrence Untermeyer, one of the neighbors, the basic tone of the Y's presentation was that nothing was really happening yet, as the Y was still evaluating what is feasible at Mahackeno. [See related op-ed on page A12].

Halstead said she was pleased to attend and meet with the neighbors. She said a "positive dialogue" was initiated and noted that it is the YMCA's desire to keep the lines of communications open. The neighbors formed an ad hoc committee charged with monitoring the situation on an ongoing basis.

McGinley said the Y pledged to keep the neighbors informed and promised to get back to them with the results of the traffic study. She said the neighbors are concerned with the effects of development on a residential area and noted that the traffic is already rather heavy on Route 33 at certain times of the day.

McGinley also observed that the neighbors are not unsympathetic to the Y's plight and are frustrated that the Y's downtown options appear to have been exhausted. First Selectwoman Diane Goss Farrell could not be reached for comment.

The YMCA's aging facility in downtown Westport is overcrowded and restricts what the Y can offer its members, according to members of the board. As a result, the Y has been looking at its options for years. One solution, relocating the Y to the Baron's South property, never got off the ground and a senior center was subsequently built on the site.

The YMCA's downtown facility has been cobbled together from five buildings over the course of the past 80 years. The Bedford Building was built in 1923 on the site of the old Westport Hotel. The Brophy Pool was added in 1927. Locker rooms were added in 1964. The Weeks Pavilion, which includes the Stauffer Pool, was built in 1978. Finally, the municipal firehouse was purchased and converted to a fitness center in 1985. The resulting facility is a confusing maze of hallways and stairs.

Even with aging and cramped facilities, the YMCA's membership is on the increase, exacerbating some of its problems. The YMCA's executive director, Richard Foot, attributes the rising membership to its various programs and a quality staff.

The Y has investigated 37 locations in Westport, Weston, Norwalk and Fairfield without identifying any suitable sites. The cost of renovating or rebuilding the existing downtown site is considered prohibitive and the resulting facility would still limit what programs the Y can offer, YMCA officials have noted. Additionally, such a project would entail a two-year shutdown of the YMCA. A split Y, with some facilities downtown and some at Mahackeno, has been deemed impractical and too costly from an operational perspective.

Foot has characterized the Y's Mahackeno plans as "preliminary and conceptual," pointing out that there are no architects involved at this point. The Y has engaged a private firm to do traffic studies, a steering committee has been formed and a preliminary environmental study involving soil testing at the site has begun. The Y is about to retain professional fund-raising counsel preparatory to a feasibility study, which will ultimately lead to a capital campaign.

The YMCA surveyed its members about a year ago. Foot said the results of the survey clearly showed that its members feel the Y must do something and it must do it without further delay.