At the end of 2005, the Westport Weston Family Y Board of Directors approved all building and site specifications for the proposed Family Y facility at the organization's Mahackeno property.

The vote on December 19 was the culmination of efforts by the Directors, Trustees, Staff, consultants and numerous volunteers who have worked tirelessly on a project that will result in a building which meets updated and improved safety and code requirements, allows for delivery of expanded services to children, teens, tweens, adults and seniors through Childcare, Camp and School Age, Aquatics, Fitness, and Sports and Recreation programming as well as membership-oriented activities.

Family Y Board member Sam Gault whose family, along with members of the Tauck and Mitchell families, are co-chairs of the Imagine the Possibilities capital campaign, notes that this vote has cleared the way for the Family Y to proceed with full design development of the proposed building.

Architect Kevin Smith of Robert A. M. Stern Architects, who is also a Westport resident, has already prepared the initial schematic for a building and site plan which provides ample space for programs and services the Family Y offers - from Fitness and Childcare to meeting rooms and babysitting - plus expanded activities such as hiking and canoeing.

Nestled in the northeast corner of the 32-acre Mahackeno property, the building is sited to leverage the naturally sloping terrain to maximum effect - only one story of the planned two-story building will be visible from the Merritt Parkway or Sunny Lane and the building will not be visible from Rice's Lane. As well, the building design matches key elements of the surrounding environment, drawing from the traditions of American camp architecture and using a material palette composed of native field stone and rough-hewn timbre.

A fifth-generation Westporter, Mr. Gault knows the Family Y is an integral part of the larger community but allows that "being a good neighbor is of critical importance, which is why we've devoted a great deal of care and concern to the development of this project - from positioning the proposed building to reduce or limit its view from neighboring homes and adjacent roadways, to the engagement of paid professional consultants to study and plan for impacts related to the environment, sanitary requirements and traffic."

Project Manager Cory Attra, PE, adds "the project is now subject to reviews and approvals by various regulatory boards and commissions including the Connecticut Departments of Transportation and Environmental Protection, the Conservation Commission, Flood and Erosion Control Board, Architectural Review Board, Planning and Zoning." As with any permitting process for a project of this scope, it is likely to be a lengthy one but Mr. Attra notes that the Board's vote "indicates the Directors' commitment to the project and willingness to work toward and support a positive outcome."

Observes Jim Hardin, Associate Executive Director, "the Board has devoted a great deal of time and energy to this initiative as have numerous other volunteers. Everyone associated with the Westport Weston Family Y is working to create a facility to benefit a lot of people and that fact speaks volumes."

Contact us at: 203.226.8981 memberline@westporty.org