Emotions High as Mahackeno Y Deadline Looms By Anthony Karge WESTPORT, Oct. 17 - Five hours into a Planning and Zoning work session on Tuesday night, the commission was just three votes shy of deciding whether to approve or deny the proposed Westport Weston Family Y at Camp Mahackeno then and there. A three-fourths majority was needed to be able to make the decision but only three out of seven commission members voted to do so. The decision to approve or deny the Y facility may be rendered as soon as Thursday, Oct 23 -- a little more than a week before the commission's Nov. 3 deadline. The commission spent most of the meeting reviewing and fine-tuning the resolution, which contains conditions that it wants the Y to follow and conclusions based on the findings from various testimonies. The document, which was 26 pages in its original draft, is now 41 pages in a more complete form. "This is one quarter of a book right now," said Commission member Bruce Kasanoff. Commissioner David Press initiated the vote whether to approve the resolution toward the end of the session. "What are we going to be doing on this on the 23rd that we can't do tonight?" Press asked. Kasanoff and Secretary Howard Lathrop voted in agreement. Chairman Ron Corwin said he wasn't comfortable voting until the corrections that were discussed during the work sessions are incorporated into the final draft. Prior to the failed vote, the commission went over the interveners' petition, which wasn't in the original draft. The petition, set forward by opponents of the 102,000-square-foot facility, raises concerns about environmental damage that the Y may cause. It is the commission's job to go through each of these complaints and determine whether they have been adequately addressed with proper safeguards. When each proposal was read, commission member Helen Martin Block commented by reading memos and findings that claim the Y will have negative effects on the environment. The first time this happened, Corwin ruled her out of order because "the commission has already made its judgment on these." Corwin said that all of the issues had been settled and told Block that she was inappropriately rearguing each point. "The commission has made its judgment on these," said Corwin. The rest of the commission outvoted Block six to one in favor of moving on to the next part of the petition. "I want my vote recorded," said Block. "I want it part of the record." This cycle of Block speaking up to voice her disapproval of the project, occasionally being ruled out of order, and the commission voting to move on continued for the next half hour. "I am going to leave if you continue to allow Miss Martin Block to just ignore everything you say," Kasanoff said to Corwin. "If you'd like to me to read pages at random, will you rule me out of order and just let me keep doing it?" "I'll tell you what I'm interested in doing," said Corwin. "We are at an end game and I really want to be careful not to do anything or say anything that will somehow cause us not to be able to function effectively." "So we go to the lowest common denominator?" asked Kasanoff. "Excuse me, I'm the lowest common denominator?" asked Block. "I take exception to that. Maybe I'm the highest common denominator." A two minute recess was taken after the exchange. In the final moments of the meeting, Block wanted to change her vote in order to go in favor of making a decision about the Y. Nobody seconded the motion and the meeting was adjourned. The P&Z commission is one of the final hurdles that the Y must overcome in order to relocate from its current downtown location to its Camp Mahackeno property near the Merritt Parkway. Reprinted from the Westport News, October 17, 2008

Emotions High as Mahackeno Y Deadline Looms

By Anthony Karge

WESTPORT, Oct. 17 - Five hours into a Planning and Zoning work session on Tuesday night, the commission was just three votes shy of deciding whether to approve or deny the proposed Westport Weston Family Y at Camp Mahackeno then and there.

A three-fourths majority was needed to be able to make the decision but only three out of seven commission members voted to do so. The decision to approve or deny the Y facility may be rendered as soon as Thursday, Oct 23 -- a little more than a week before the commission's Nov. 3 deadline.

The commission spent most of the meeting reviewing and fine-tuning the resolution, which contains conditions that it wants the Y to follow and conclusions based on the findings from various testimonies. The document, which was 26 pages in its original draft, is now 41 pages in a more complete form.

"This is one quarter of a book right now," said Commission member Bruce Kasanoff.

Commissioner David Press initiated the vote whether to approve the resolution toward the end of the session.

"What are we going to be doing on this on the 23rd that we can't do tonight?" Press asked. Kasanoff and Secretary Howard Lathrop voted in agreement.

Chairman Ron Corwin said he wasn't comfortable voting until the corrections that were discussed during the work sessions are incorporated into the final draft.

Prior to the failed vote, the commission went over the interveners' petition, which wasn't in the original draft. The petition, set forward by opponents of the 102,000-square-foot facility, raises concerns about environmental damage that the Y may cause. It is the commission's job to go through each of these complaints and determine whether they have been adequately addressed with proper safeguards.

When each proposal was read, commission member Helen Martin Block commented by reading memos and findings that claim the Y will have negative effects on the environment.

The first time this happened, Corwin ruled her out of order because "the commission has already made its judgment on these."

Corwin said that all of the issues had been settled and told Block that she was inappropriately rearguing each point.

"The commission has made its judgment on these," said Corwin.

The rest of the commission outvoted Block six to one in favor of moving on to the next part of the petition.

"I want my vote recorded," said Block. "I want it part of the record."

This cycle of Block speaking up to voice her disapproval of the project, occasionally being ruled out of order, and the commission voting to move on continued for the next half hour.

"I am going to leave if you continue to allow Miss Martin Block to just ignore everything you say," Kasanoff said to Corwin. "If you'd like to me to read pages at random, will you rule me out of order and just let me keep doing it?"

"I'll tell you what I'm interested in doing," said Corwin. "We are at an end game and I really want to be careful not to do anything or say anything that will somehow cause us not to be able to function effectively."

"So we go to the lowest common denominator?" asked Kasanoff.

"Excuse me, I'm the lowest common denominator?" asked Block. "I take exception to that. Maybe I'm the highest common denominator."

A two minute recess was taken after the exchange.

In the final moments of the meeting, Block wanted to change her vote in order to go in favor of making a decision about the Y. Nobody seconded the motion and the meeting was adjourned.

The P&Z commission is one of the final hurdles that the Y must overcome in order to relocate from its current downtown location to its Camp Mahackeno property near the Merritt Parkway.

Reprinted from the Westport News, October 17, 2008