CommunityNews:Westport Police add electric vehicles

Jul. 28—Weather permitting, flights will take place between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on July 27 and July 28.

Helicopters will be flown over Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Greenwich, Milford, Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, Trumbull, Weston, Westport and Wilton.

It will be a blue helicopter with silver stripe and a tail #N1431W or a blue and white helicopter with the tail #N411DD.

Playhouse nears fundraising deadline

The Westport Country Playhouse recently announced $1.8 million has been raised so far as it nears the $2 million goal ending July 31.

More than 300 donors have participated in the "Save Your Playhouse" campaign, which aims to transform the theater into a center for a wide array of performances that appeal to a broader audience while continuing to produce high-quality theater.

For highlights of the campaign and to donate, visit westportplayhouse.org/support/save-your-playhouse/. Naming opportunities are available, including engraved paving stones in the Playhouse courtyard and seat plates in the theater. For naming inquiries, contact development@westportplayhouse.org.

For Westport Country Playhouse information and tickets, visit westportplayhouse.org or call the box office at 203-227-4177, toll-free at 1-888-927-7529.

Petitions for RTM candidates available

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Westport community organizations offer help during CT heatwave

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Judge: Widow of former Weston inn owner is squatting on property

Residents interested in running for the Representative Town Meeting can pick up a petition at the Town Clerk's office.

Petitioners must gather 25 signatures from residents in their district to be on the ballot Nov. 7. The completed petitions must be returned to the Town Clerk by Sept. 12.

Members of the 36-member RTM are elected on a nonpartisan basis, with four delegates from each of the town's nine voting districts. Members are elected for two-year terms.

RTM members vote on town appropriation requests of more than $20,000, approve town ordinances, approve the town budget, serve on two or more committees and review certain decisions of town boards and commissions.

For further information about this and other election matters, contact Town Clerk Jeffrey Dunkerton at 203-341-1105 or jdunkerton@westportct.gov.

Westport police get more electric vehicles

The town is moving toward a greener and more cost-effective future by adding more electric vehicles. The Police Department added two new EVs to its fleet, including an all-terrain utility vehicle and an electric motorcycle, and is expecting its third Tesla patrol car this summer. In addition to these new vehicles, the department has already incorporated seven plug-in vehicles, including two Tesla patrol cars (Model 3 and Model Y), a Toyota Prius Prime Plug-in Hybrid, a Honda Clarity PHEV, a BMW i3 Battery Electric Vehicle and a Ford Interceptor conventional hybrid patrol car.

The department's new all-terrain utility vehicle is powered by six 12-volt batteries lasting eight to 12 hours. Although it looks like a golf cart, the vehicle can drive across terrains (including sand) and includes a winch for heavy-duty applications. The vehicle might be seen at Compo Beach or Winslow Park, which is used frequently when policing Westport parks.

The Zero electric motorcycle, which replaced a retired Harley Davidson, will be used for parking and traffic enforcement. It contains a 17.3 kWh battery and is rated for a range of 183 miles in the city and 85 miles on the highway, which Police Chief Foti Koskinas confirmed has been achieved during the bike's first few weeks.

In 2019, the Westport Police Dept. purchased its first electric patrol vehicle, a Tesla Model 3, for $52,000. At the time, the conventional gasoline-powered Ford Explorer ICE was $37,000. A study has showed it made up the difference in the first year.

In addition to the reduced acquisition costs, Tesla vehicles also are expected to provide a longer service life. The original amortization schedule was projected based on a six-year service life, compared to the expected four-year service life of the Ford Explorers. The Teslas have held up well, with maintenance costs aligned with the forecast, town officials said. The department is hopeful that actual service life will reach eight years.

Westport Country Playhouse names incoming artistic director

Westport Country Playhouse's board of trustees announced director, playwright and actor Mark Shanahan has been named incoming artistic director for the 2024-25 season. He will officially assume the artistic director position in March 2024. Shanahan is curator of the Playhouse's Script in Hand playreading series.

Shanahan will succeed artistic director Mark Lamos, who will retire in January after 15 seasons. Lamos' final directing work, a new adaptation of the classic thriller, "Dial M for Murder," is on stage through July 30.

Shanahan is a New York-based theatre artist whose work has been seen on and Off-Broadway, internationally, and at numerous regional stages across the country. He arrived at the playhouse nearly 20 years ago as an actor. He has also written and directed.

With his appointment, Shanahan brings a vision for the Playhouse's new trajectory, building on the historic theater's vital connection to the community, as well as promoting quality entertainment, growth and sustainability going forward.

Shanahan is also the creator and curator of Westport Country Playhouse Radio Theater, in partnership with WSHU Public Radio, and served as director of scripts commissioned for the series.

He participates each year as the writer/director of the annual gala for The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, a summer camp founded by Paul Newman to serve seriously ill children and their families.

He earned his bachelor's degree at Brown University and master's degree at Fordham University.

Interim fire chief announced

First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker announced she has hired Mark Amatrudo as the interim fire chief for the Westport Fire Department effective July 24.

This appointment follows the retirement of former Chief Michael Kronick on May 15. Deputy Chief Nicholas Marsan, recently named the Emergency Management Director for Westport, will continue in that role and in his role as the deputy chief.

Amatrudo entered the volunteer fire service in the early 1970s and is a third generation chief fire officer, having served as a career and volunteer assistant chief, deputy chief and/or acting chief for almost 25 years. He served as Westport's interim deputy fire chief from 2005 to 2007. During that period, a number of new training, safety and risk management programs were created, financial/budgeting controls were implemented and the department's first ever strategic plan was created.

In addition to being an EMT, Amatrudo holds the highest possible level of fire service certifications in various areas, including fire officer, fire service instructor, safety officer and he has completed the Federal Emergency Management Agency Professional Development Series. He also served as a Connecticut Fire Academy Instructor for almost 30 years, where he was chief instructor for various programs, and then spearheaded the effort to develop chief fire officer certification programs which he served as the primary instructor for. He also developed a course for the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program and spent a number of years as a contract Adjunct Instructor at the National Fire Academy campus in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

He is well recognized at national and international fire service conferences, having developed and instructed many conference seminars, and was invited to be a speaker at the Asia-Pacific Fire Service Conference in Australia during 2017. He is also a part-time undergraduate and graduate level adjunct faculty member for the Fire Science and Emergency Management Programs at the University of New Haven, where he teaches courses in strategic planning, emergency management, the National Incident Management System and incident scene management.

Throughout his fire service career, Amatrudo has received numerous high-profile awards, including the FEMA National Outstanding Citizen Corps Council Award, Connecticut Emergency Manager of the Year, Connecticut Fire Instructor of the Year, Connecticut Exchange Club Hero Award and Holmatro Rescue Award.

He also serves as a consultant for fire departments and was a member of the Governor's Homeland Security Advisory Council and as the co-chair of the Connecticut Citizen Corps Council, which oversees the State's 74 Community Emergency Response Teams and 23 Medical Reserve Corps units.

Westport opens cooling shelters

The Westport Office of Emergency Management is advising residents, particularly those who are most vulnerable, to take precautions ahead of the extreme temperatures that are forecast to impact the state through 8 a.m. on July 30.

Anyone in need of a place to get out of the heat is encouraged to visit their nearest cooling center.

The Center for Senior Activities, at 21 Imperial Ave., is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

MoCa Westport, at 19 Newtown Turnpike, is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m Monday through Friday.

The Westport Library, at 20 Jesup Road, is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Westport Weston Family YMCA, at 14 Allen Raymond Lane, is open 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Westport Museum for History and Culture, at 25 Avery Place, is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.