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12/31/2019 01:00 PMJanuary
State funding for the Lynn Road Bridge project is in place; the job is to be announced in late January.
Proposals from engineering firms are due on Jan. 14 in response to a Request for Qualifications to renovate Kirtland Landing.
Westbrook Dance Academy students perform on Jan. 27 during halftime at the UConn women’s basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford before a crowd of more than 12,000.
February
“Mind master” Bruce James brings his comedy hypnotist to Westbrook High School (WHS) on Feb. 1 to benefit Project Graduation.
The Preserve Management Committee’s public online survey goes live through March 1.
The girls’ basketball squad qualifies for the Shoreline Conference Tournament and the Class S State Tournament.
The Board of Selectmen (BOS) approves at its Feb. 21 meeting up to $9,000 to hire a consultant to review a proposed two-way radio infrastructure project.
March
Brian Curtis, P.E. of Nathan Jacobson & Assoc. tells the Water Pollution Control Commission at its March meeting that he will submit design plans for the pilot septic system project to the state’s Department of Public Health and Department of Energy & Environmental Protection.
The BOS votes to hire a full-time constable to replace a state trooper who has been reassigned.
At a public meeting on March 11, residents vote in favor of allowing the owner of a contaminated site at 88 Pond Meadow Road to pay $65,161.53 of the $134,918 owed to the town in exchange for lifting the property lien.
The Westbrook Local Prevention Council holds a Narcan training at the library to train citizens to administer opioid overdose medication.
Residents approve the installation of pickle ball courts at the former Magna Lane tennis courts site at a March Town Meeting.
April
Governor Ned Lamont meets with First Selectman Noel Bishop, other town officials, and a selection of Westbrook business leaders at Water’s Edge.
At its April 9 meeting, the BOS decides to take advantage of low interest rates and approves refunding bonds with the aim of saving more than $300,000 over the next eight years.
Attended by around 50 people, the April 22 town budget hearing forwards the combined town budget of $30,660,362, an increase of 1.8 percent, to a May 7 Town Meeting vote.
The two-way radio ad hoc committee holds its first meeting on April 26.
May
New zoning regulations go into effect on May 1; a public meeting on May 28 allows residents to weigh in on new zoning maps.
At the annual budget meeting on May 7 the town’s $30,660,362 proposed budget passes handily.
The town’s new marine patrol boat is christened at Pilot’s Point.
WHS is nominated for 17 Halo Awards, Connecticut’s high school theater awards. Senior Ben Schreck wins the prestigious Artistic Director’s Award.
Westbrook’s Farmers’ Market opens on May 24.
June
On June 1, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Currituck, a special-purpose dredge, arrives in Westbrook Harbor to clear the channel.
A raunchy WHS prank in the early hours of June 4 results in suspensions and the banning of two seniors from graduation exercises.
The town’s 17th annual Family Day is held on June 8 on the Town Green.
WHS’s 59th commencement ceremony takes place on June 17.
Westbrook holds a dedication ceremony for the new firefighter training and storage facility behind the firehouse on Pond Meadow Road.
The baseball team qualifies for the Class S State Tournament.
The Westbrook Foundation awards nearly $145,000 in scholarships to graduating WHS seniors and to other residents pursuing post-secondary education.
July
About 25 residents attend the July 9 BOS meeting to address concerns pertaining to July 4 celebrations at West Beach and parking concerns.
At their caucus, Republicans unanimously approve a slate topped by First Selectman Noel Bishop and Selectman John Hall.
Democrats unanimously nominate a full slate of candidates at their caucus, including Hiram Fuchs for first selectman and George Pytlik, Jr., for selectman.
WHS’s first career/college readiness coordinator, Leslie Carson, starts her job.
A renovated beach-front home at 209 Salt Island Road, offered by owners Heidi and Wyatt Teubert for $1,024,000, is featured on the HGTV program Beach Hunters on July 28.
August
On Aug. 1, the BOS unanimously awards a contract to New England Radio Consultants principal Paul Zito to review the proposed two-way radio infrastructure plan.
The town thanks and celebrates the Westbrook Foundation on Aug. 8.
Closed since 2016, the state Welcome Center, located just past Exit 65 on Northbound I-95 in Westbrook, re-opens.
The BOS holds a special meeting on Aug. 13 to follow up with West Beach residents’ concerns about beach parking.
The Valley Shore YMCA starts its annual backpack drive to collect school supplies for kids in need.
Westbrook’s 60th annual Drum Corps Muster and Tattoo, with more than 40 fife and drum corps participating, is held on Aug. 23 and 24.
The 2019-’20 school year begins on Aug. 28.
The Westbrook Council of Beaches presents two eagle scout candidates from Troop 38 in Westbrook, Joey Thomas and Eric Franco, with $200 checks to defray the cost of materials for their projects.
The Westbrook Elks Lodge holds its annual family day on the last day of August.
September
The garden club holds its annual Fall Mum Market on Sept. 7 on the Town Green.
The Westbrook Historical Society sponsors a talk at the library titled “Snippets of West Beach” by Gail Colby, author of People and Places of West Beach.
Valley Shore Community Television holds an open house for the public at its studios at the Shops at Water’s Edge.
Writer and volunteer Margaret Buckridge Bock, known as “Bucky,” turns 100 and is honored by the Old Saybrook and Westbrook historical societies on Sept. 22.
Seven members of the Westbrook Honor Guard are presented with Quilts of Valor at Town Hall.
The town invites local business owners to a forum on Sept. 19 to address concerns, opportunities, and resources and services available to them at no charge.
The Westbrook Land Conservation Trust leads a Coastal Clean-up at Town Beach.
The library offers a new five-week coding course for middle-school aged kids.
October
Westbrook-based SARAH, Inc., presents independent documentary The R-Word at The Kate to raise awareness and funds.
Around 60 residents attend a local candidates forum sponsored by the Westbrook Council of Beaches.
Parks & Recreation hires a new youth program coordinator, Westbrook native David Fernandes.
As part of a statewide initiative overseen by Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz, Westbrook honors its Vietnam veterans on Oct. 21 in the WHS auditorium.
A Connecticut Shoreline Cigar Social is held on the waterfront at the Westbrook Elks Lodge on Oct. 27.
The First Congregational Church of Westbrook holds its Harvest Fair on the Town Green.
November
On Nov. 5, voters cast ballots in local elections. Noel Bishop is re-elected as first selectman, John Hall earns another term on the BOS, and Hiram Fuchs gains a seat on the BOS.
The town holds its annual holiday parade and Town Green tree lighting on Dec. 8.
After Director of Public Health Sonia Marino accepts a job in Stamford, the BOS appoints Zach Faiella as acting director while embarking on a search.
Ad Hoc Energy Committee Chair Chris Ehlert announces that the town’s conversion of its streetlights from high-pressure sodium-vapor fixtures to LED bulbs is complete, excepting a few punch list items to be addressed by the contractor.
The Shoreline Women’s Breakfast Club, a networking and philanthropic club for Shoreline businesswomen, holds its inaugural meeting at Julie’s Cup of Joe.
WHS Theatre presents It’s a Wonderful Life! A Radio Play from Nov. 21 to 23.
Middlesex Habitat for Humanity closes on the purchase of a 0.67-acre plot of land at 382 Hammock Road North, where the organization, together with volunteers and the future owners, will build a house.
First Selectman Bishop is contacted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to an anonymous complaint with regard to the town’s two-way radio project.
Ticket sale revenues for the annual Black Friday Concert at The Kate go to the Shoreline Soup Kitchen & Pantries and are matched by the Gowrie Group, an independent insurance company based in Westbrook.
December
The renovated Lynn Road Bridge officially reopens on Dec. 2.
In response to the anonymous complaint filed with the FCC in November, and at the request of the FCC, the town relinquishes two pairs of frequencies at issue in the complaint.
Westbrook hires Zach Faiella as its permanent director of public health. Faiella will start his new position on Dec. 26.