NEWS

RTM Asks Town to Find Y Spot Downtown

By Michael C. Juliano
Printed in the Westport News

The Representative Town Meeting (RTM) approved a sense of the meeting resolution to have the town administration continue to find a downtown location for the Westport Weston Family Y, which may include some sort of property exchange.

Following three hours of discussion and five proposed changes, the resolution, which was approved by a vote of 18-6-1, was modified from having Joseloff appoint a committee to perform the search.

Commenting on the original resolution drafted by RTM member Michael Gilbertie and backed by RTM member Ron Malone, Joseloff said he didn't think he should appoint a committee when he has been looking for a downtown location since his 2004 campaign.

"I want action, not committees," Joseloff said.

He said he has taken action already by having engineering studies performed on Jesup Green and Baron's South as locations for the future Y, and has been in frequent talks with Y officials on possible downtown locations.

Gilbertie's original resolution, which was presented to the RTM in January and returned to committee, proposed swapping seven acres of Camp Mahackeno for the Y's downtown facility on the Post Road.

The final resolution to have Joseloff spearhead the search instead of a committee appointed by him came out of a fifth amendment proposed by Hadley Rose, an RTM member for District 3.

"I'm very reluctant to suggest to the first selectman that he appoint a committee, and he's a little reluctant, too," he said, adding the amendment reflects the changes proposed by the Finance and Long Range Planning Committees. "The whole purpose of this was to take a positive step toward getting something that can work for the Y, that can work for the town. This is what we need to do."

The amendment reads, "Be it resolved that a sense of the meeting resolution to encourage Westport administration to continue to explore a downtown solution for the Westport Weston YMCA which may include but not be limited to an exchange of property or property rights is approved."

Matthew Mandell, an RTM member for District 1, said the final resolution exhibits the RTM's support for Joseloff looking for a downtown location.

"It shows leadership by the RTM," he said.