“This earmark had wings,” called out an excited Rives Potts at the ceremony to celebrate Congressman Courtney’s $500,000 federal earmark to dredge Westbrook Harbor. The recent ceremony was held at Pilots Point Marina in Westbrook. Potts, the Vice President and General Manager of the marina, will directly benefit from the new dredging of Westbrook harbor.

The Pilots Point Marina has a public, gas dock right in the harbor, and the deeper the harbor is dredged, the greater the number of deep draft vessels can be served by the marina’s gas dock.

In addition to helping a local marina, Town of Westbrook First Selectman Noel Bishop, who chaired the Courtney gathering, saw many other economic development benefits to the Town of Westbrook, when it has a deeper harbor.  The money spent by boat-arriving visitors will help the town “in many, many ways,” Bishop said. He mentioned specifically restaurants, food markets and other local businesses.

An interesting sidelight to the earmark that Courtney ultimately directed to Westbrook is that originally these earmark monies had been directed to new projects in neighboring Old Saybrook. However, with the agreement of Old Saybrook First Selectman Carl Fortuna, who attend the Courtney event, the monies were “reprogrammed,” so that they could be spent on dredging Westbrook’s Harbor instead.

Many Old Saybrook boat owners moor their vessels in Westbrook Harbor, so the argument can easily be made that dredging Westbrook Harbor means helping Old Saybrook boaters as well as those of Westbrook.

As for the timetable of dredging Westbrook Harbor, dredging will not actually begin until October of this year. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will have overall supervision of the project, and the Corps’ dredger boat, “Currituck,” will be used.  The performance of the actual work will be done by a local Westbrook contractor, Patchogue River Dredging.

According to a number of persons at the ceremony, Westbrook Harbor was last dredged in the early nineties.

$1.1 in state grants for dredging from State Senator Daley 

Although the recent celebration of the Courtney- sponsored $500,000 federal earmark was certainly appropriate, Westbrook State Senator Eileen Daily has already arranged a total of $1,100,000 in Connecticut state funds for dredging Westbrook Harbor.

These state funds were appropriated in two separate implements by the Senator, one for $350,000, and the second for $750,000. Considering the magnitude of these amounts, the Senator must be considered the leader in getting the monies necessary for dredging Westbrook Harbor.

In the Connecticut state legislature Daily holds the powerful position of Chair of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee. From this position, especially in the finance area, she can wield considerable power in the choice of funding state projects, as she certain has appeared to have done in the case of dredging Westbrook Harbor.

As for the Courtney earmark Daily said, “Congressman Courtney’s federal grant will serve a very useful purpose in the Westbrook Harbor dredging project.” However, when the history of dredging of Westbrook Harbor is written, most likely Daily’s name will be mentioned as the project’s leading fund raiser.

Getting a federal earmark entails a lot of effort

In his remarks at the ceremony Congressman Courtney noted that the official name of the federal earmark program is the “Restore America’s Prominence Act,” and its grants are called “RAPA grants.” Courtney confirmed that getting these grants is an extremely competitive process among the nation’s Members of Congress.

Ed O’Donnell, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s representative at the event said, “Without the dogged help of Congressman Courtney, this money would have gone elsewhere.” A number of others at the Courtney event characterized the Congressman as being. “a dogged sponsor, absolutely unrelenting” in his efforts to obtain the earmark grant.

Chester Airport in a sense is already up in the sky. The airport is located at the top of a 415 foot prominence, towering over the surrounding landscape below.  The airport’s street address is 59 Winthrop Road in Chester, and it is located a few miles west of Exit 6, off Route 9.

Chester Airport of course provides routine aviation services for the takeoffs and landings of general aviation aircraft. The airport has a single 2700 foot long runway and has personnel on duty to greet incoming aircraft during normal daylight business hours.

Also, like many general aviation airports, Chester Airport offers air taxi service for traveling business persons and vacationers. Frequent destinations are to New York and Boston, and to vacation spots such as Nantucket, Bar Harbor, and even the Caribbean.

These chartered, general aviation flights are provided by Chester Charter, Inc., which can be reached at 860-526-4321, or at www.chester-charter.com.  Still handling these routine airport services is only one of the services that Chester Airport provides to the area’s aviation community.

The “Discovery flights” at Chester Airport

The airport is also the jumping off place for aerial sightseeing tours of the beautiful Connecticut River valley, courtesy of Chester Charter. To get you started in the air, the company offers a ½ hour “Discovery flight.” The cost of this introductory flight is about what you would pay for a dinner for two at a local Chester restaurant.

Chester Charter also offers more extensive air passenger rides for one to four passengers. Cessna aircraft are used for these flights, and the cost comes to about $150 per passenger on a four passenger flight.  The taking of aerial photography is a favorite on these flights.

Then, if you want to bring out the Red Baron in you,* there is the unique option of flying in the open cockpit of a Boeing  Stearman, a vintage, 1941 biplane.  This exhilarating flying experience is priced accordingly, and we shall leave it at that.  The “de rigueur” outfit for a flight in the Stearman are goggles and a leather hat that covers the ears.

Taking up water-filled balloons to drop on the ground below, from the open cockpit of the Stearman, is not allowed, as tempting as that may be.

Learn to fly at Chester Charter flight school

Beyond the thrills of airplane rides and aerial sightseeing, Chester Airport also offers serious flight training courses at the Chester Charter Flight School.  Chester Charter partner, Jean Dow, is at the airport to help would-be pilots started in learning to fly.

Flight training at the flight school includes a ground school with eleven hours of instruction. Chester Carter uses Jappesen products for its ground school, and miscellaneous materials, such as charts and directories are provided to flight school students as well.

Chester Charter flight school is also a Cessna flight training center, and it uses Cessna 152’s and Cessna 172’s aircraft.

The amount of instructional flying time in the air, required to become an FAA certified pilot, varies immensely. Although the minimum air time required by the FAA is as low as 40 hours (20 in flight hours with an instructor and 20 in flight hours solo), this is the bare minimum required. Also, it is rarely appropriate for student flyers.

In fact, the national average for the completion of FAA flight training is 72.8 hours in the air, well above the 40 hour FAA minimum.

As for the cost of tuition at the flight school it is more affordable than some might think.  By the time you are certified as a pilot, it is certainly much, much less than a single year of college tuition costs these days. And you have learned to fly!

Maintaining your aircraft at Chester Airport

In addition to teaching students to fly at the Chester Airport, there is an extensive aircraft maintenance facility at the airport called the Chester Charter Airplane Factory. The Factory is essentially an aircraft maintenance and service facility, which is accessible both to aircraft permanently based at the Chester Airport, as well as transient aircraft.

The Factory also hosts Stellar Aironics, which services and repairs aircraft radar and ground positioning systems.

Renting hangar space for aircraft

The Chester Airport also rents hangar space on a long term basis, as well as short term space for transient aircraft. There is interior space in the long line of hangars down the airport’s single runway, as well as “tie down” spaces in the open air on the tarmac.  The average in-hangar rental for a two-seated aircraft is $250 a month, according to James A. Olson, the Airport Manager.

Olson also holds the title of Corporate Vice President of Aviation of Whelen Engineering Company, Inc. He says that, “Since the airport’s rejuvenation, after the Whelen family bought the airport 20 years ago, the place has been thriving.” “Presently, 100 plus airplanes are based here,” he notes, adding that “there is a long waiting list for an open spot in one of the airport’s hangars.”

As for the size of aircraft that can land and take off at Chester Airport, the airport’s helicopter pad is big enough to accommodate large helicopters. Also, it can handle the take offs and landings of large, multi-engine aircraft as well. However, Chester Airport, obviously, cannot accommodate modern day, jumbo jets.

The typical pilots who fly the planes at Chester Airport

Airport Manager Olson has some unique insights into the pilots who fly out of Chester Airport. “Generally, they fly smaller planes,” he says, “predominately on weekends.” Also, favored destinations of the weekend flyers are smaller airports that have a good restaurant nearby.

“They know where the good restaurants are,” Olson says in admiration.   Once they have landed and eaten at their restaurants of choice, the pilots fly back home to Chester. Computing the cost of this one day flight plan can be as much as $200, or more, mainly because of the high cost of aviation fuel to make the trip. The lunch itself is a minor expense.

Just come out and watch the planes

Airport Manager Olson without reservation says, “Visitors are always welcome at the airport.” “It is good to see people satisfying their aviation curiosity,” he says with a smile. As for his own flying experience Olson says, “I started flying, when I was 13 years old.”

Chester Airport is indeed a wonderful place to visit on a clear, clear sunny day, even if you have absolutely no intention of flying anywhere. Just go out and lean on the sparkling white fence, next to the runway, and watch the aircraft take off and land.

People frequently speak of “the wonder of flight.” Evidence of that wonder is in our midst at Chester Airport.

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­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­*The “Red Baron” was the German ace, Manfred von Richthofen, who had 80 confirmed kills in World War 1. The Red Baron himself was killed near the end of the war.

Middlesex Hospital is moving, full speed ahead, to move the present Shoreline Emergency Clinic in Essex to a new location just off I-95 in Westbrook. The move could take place as early as October 2013, according to the hospital’s Senior Vice President, Henry Evert.

Evert said of the present Essex facility, “We are totally out of space.” The new Westbrook location will be on Flat Rock Place, just down from the Tanger Outlets. It will be on the left hand side of the road, when approaching the shopping mall.  Presently, the site is just woods.

According to Evert a “purchase and sales” agreement has already been signed for the new 40,000 square foot site, which is double the size of the present Essex facility. The hospital’ senior vice president also said that Westbrook town authorities view the new development “very favorably,” and that there will be a meeting about the project at a Westbrook Planning and Zoning Commission on February 28.

Evert has also spoken before the Westbrook Chamber of Commerce about the new medical facility coming to Westbrook. He declined to say what the hospital paid for its new property, other than to say it was “a lot of money.”

Evert said that the new emergency clinic, off I-95 at Exit 65, “would provide better access to medical care for the shoreline communities.” He said that a picture of the new facility is not yet available. “We are still working on it,” he said.

He added that “as the population has grown in surrounding towns over the last 40 years, it made more sense to relocate the facility off I-95 to improve access to healthcare services for a rapidly increasing number of people in the shoreline area.”

The eagles must have known we were coming! Soaring in the sky high above the decks of Project Oceanology’s 65 foot research vessel, was a solitary bald eagle, circling slowly, already in view. So began, on a recent Friday afternoon, another Connecticut River Museum “Eagle Watch Boat Tour,” pulling away from the museum’s Essex docks on the Connecticut River.

Soon after departure the passengers on board began to spot even more eagles. Some were in pairs and others were single eagles drifting lazily in the sky above. Later in the tour, there would be a final triumphal sighting on Nott Island of a female bald eagle, peeking out of her nest, patiently waiting for her eggs to hatch into baby eaglets.

This afternoon was made for eagle watching, with an unclouded sky, and unseasonably warm temperatures. However, once the vessel got underway, and out into the middle of the river, it was pretty chilly, notwithstanding the warmth on the land.

39 paying passengers were on board for the tour, designed to spend an hour and a half in search of bald eagles. Even at a ticket cost of forty dollars per person, all those on board truly got their monies worth.

At the microphone the museum’s Naturalist and Educator Bill Yule was at first apologetic that there might be too few eagles to see during the tour. It had been such a warm winter, so perhaps the eagles might not have needed to fly south to find ice free, fishing waters. However, he had no need to apologize. There were plenty of bald eagles to be seen in the sky on this bright, bright day.

Bill Yule, master spotter of the eagles               

Bill Yule is the “Eagle Watch Boat Tour,” Master of Ceremonies. At times he is assisted by Project Oceanology’s Chris Dodge and Allyce Irwin, but Yule handles most of the speaking chores himself.

Early on in the trip, Yule set out an eagle spotting system to help the passengers on board find the eagles in the sky. If an eagle were spotted dead ahead, off the bow of the boat, Yule would call this location “twelve o’clock.” If an eagle was spotted dead astern, it would be “six o’clock.”

Similarly, if an eagle was spotted mid ships at the right side of the vessel, it would be “three o’clock,” and mid ships on the left side of the ship, it would be “nine o’clock.” It was a simple system, but throughout the voyage, it helped guide the on-board eagle watchers to find their visual prey.

Although a few of the passengers needed only the naked eye to enjoy the sight of the eagles, most of the passengers made use of long range cameras, or powerful binoculars, to see the birds. Binoculars, incidentally, were provided at no extra charge to passengers.

DDT and the survival of the eagles

At about midpoint of the boat tour, Yule became very serious. He said that not too many years ago, “the eagles were almost gone from the river.” The reason was that that back in the 1950’s and 1960’s, DDT was widely used as a pesticide, and this pesticide in turn made its way into the waters of the Connecticut River.

The DDT was then ingested by the fish in the river, the very fish that was the staple of the eagle’s diet. DDT’s effect on the eagles turned out to be severe. It made the shells of the eggs of the female eagles too brittle to sheath properly embryonic baby eaglets. Unable to reproduce live birds, the eagle population declined rapidly, even to the point where eagles were put on the nation’s endangered species list.

However, in 1972 DDT was banned, and as a result no longer was DDT in the diet of the fish that the eagles consumed in the river. Able to reproduce again, the eagle population increased along the river; the shells of the mothers now strong enough to hold baby eaglets until their normal birth.

Ultimately, it reached the point where Bill Yule could say the other day, “The eagles have now come back to the river in abundance.”

“It is truly an environmental success story,” he said with a tone of triumph in his voice.

Also a bit of sightseeing on the boat tour

Yule occasionally diverted his attention from eagle spotting to becoming a Connecticut River tour guide.  “We are now passing Selden Island,” he said at one point. “It is the largest island in the State of Connecticut. There are four campsites on the island, and there is an old forge there as well.” He also told the stories of Joshua Rock, the Mount St. John School for Boys and the Gillette Castle.

While the eagle spotting by the passengers was still in full force, Yule mentioned a few eagle statistics. For one, they can fly as high as 12,000 feet in the sky. To reach these heights they take advantage of rising, warm air currents from the land. Also, according to Yule, eagles can fly at up to 50 miles an hour.

Continuing, Yule said that it is only after it reaches the age of four that an eagle’s tail turns white. Also, eagles are not particularly friendly to other birds, and they have been known to take fish out of the mouths of sea gulls.

In addition, eagles mate for life, although if one of the pair dies they quickly find a replacement. Also, a mother eagle sits on her eggs for 35 days before the eggs hatch, and while she is nesting, her mate brings fish for her to eat.

After they are born, the eagle mother will feed her young for several months, and ten weeks after birth the young eagles will learn to fly.  However, eagles are not genetically born to know how to fish, Yule said. It is a skill that they must learn on their own during their first year of life.

Since many young eagles cannot learn to fend for themselves, as many as 50 percent die in their first year of their lives, according to Yule.

The egg-laying season for eagles in the Essex area, this year is from February 2 to 23, Yule said. By June all of the eagles will be gone from our part of the river, having left for cooler waters up north.

                    Eagle watchers were well pleased with the tour

Among the passengers on this “Eagle Watch Boat Tour,” not a single one said they were disappointed with the tour.

Lee Bradley of Newington said, “I thoroughly enjoyed it,” and “the narration was very, very good.” For her part Sandy Clark of Manchester found the trip, “very interesting,” and “it was very good at showing us everything.” Lorraine Trinks of East Hartford simply called the boat tour, “fabulous.”

The Eagle Watch Boat Tours, sail only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and they began the 2012 season on February 3. The Friday boat tours will continue sailing until March 9, and the Saturday and Sunday boat tours, will continue sailing until March 10 and 11, respectively.

As for departure times, the Friday boat tours cast off from the museum’s docks at 1:00 p.m., and the Saturday and Sunday boat tours depart on both days at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

We shall give Bill Yule the final word on the Eagle Watch Boat Tour. As he puts it, “It is better than any other method to get up close and personal with our national symbol, the Bald Eagle.”

 

Joann Hourigan refers to her store, Chaos, as “my therapy,” when she is talking about her truly unique enterprise at 114 Main Street in Deep River. Then, when asked why she named her store “Chaos,” she says, “Because that’s my life.”

In addition to owning Chaos, in real life so to speak, Hourigan is also Executive Director of the Deep River Housing Authority, where she has worked for 19 years. The Authority operates Kirtland Commons, which is a home for 31 elderly and disabled residents. “I love my residents and their families,” she says.  One of the residents is 102 years old.

“It’s social work,” is what she calls her work at the Commons, and it   gives her a lot of satisfaction to help people in need. At Chaos on the other hand it’s “another story.” “There, I have a chance to create, and that is what I really enjoy.”

Because of her schedule at the Commons, Hourigan frequently leaves running Chaos to Caroline Lemley, a 19 year old U-Conn sophomore. Hourigan calls Lemley, “My main girl.  She runs the place. People love her, and she is awesome at picking things out for customers.”

Regardless of who is in charge at a particular time, don’t think for a minute that the operation of Chaos is in any way “chaotic.” In fact, it is a tightly run and very successful enterprise, one that by offering an apparent jumble of goods, arouses a customer’s curiosity to find just the right thing; and then once found the customer buys it, even though they didn’t know they wanted it in the first place.

The floor space at Chaos is 300 square feet, allowing only a fifteen by twenty foot sales area. If the clutter of items was spread out in a normal manner, the floor space would have to be twice the size.

Above all, Hourigan wants Chaos to be “a fun place to come into.” “There are treasurers everywhere,” she says, “even stuff in birdcages.” “I love it that it is so packed in here,” she continues, “That is part of its charm.”

Looking about carefully cluttered Chaos, one sees practically every kind of feminine accessory known to man. “We are selling scarves, handbags and jewelry, and a lot of custom jewelry,” Hourigan says.

Also, partially open draws at Chaos bulge with cascades of objects, and every open space on tables are piled high with a profusion of necklaces, clasps, pins, bracelets and many other ornaments that intrigue and enhance the feminine taste.

Turnover is very quickly,” says Hourigan. Quick turnover means that even if a customer was in the store just a few days before, when she returns to the store a few days later, she can find new things to buy on her return visit.

The recent Christmas holiday was a boom at Chaos. “Christmas was fabulous,” says Hourigan. Racks of women’s clothing were sold, “and we even ran out of boots,” she says.

Chaos’ reasonable prices also encourage a quick turnover of goods for sale. At Chaos earrings cost $18, necklaces $20, and dresses and tops $28. Some of the necklaces sold at Chaos can be mistaken for heirlooms, according to at least one regular shopper at the store.

Also, when it’s warm enough, Chaos offers a running sequence of appealing sidewalk sales. One item of particular popularity is the “buck bowl.” Everything in the bowl costs a buck, i.e. a dollar, no matter what its original price.

When asked, how she selects the items that go into the “buck bowl,” Hourigan says, “I throw in things that I am tired of, or have only one left.” Fishing in the “buck bowl” is a very popular pastime for shopping anglers.

Store hours at Chaos are: Wednesday thru Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There are some stores in our area, when at times you cannot find what you are looking for. However, most of the time at Chaos, you’ll find it.

The Connecticut River Museum, located at 67 Main Street in downtown Essex, had two choices in the wake of the devastating fire that took place on August 11, 2010, a fire which caused enormous damage to the Museum’s building, as well as to its decking.

One approach would have been to repair the damage, essentially, to the extent that the insurance money would cover the costs, and then hope for the best that other repairs, some very necessary, could be deferred until another day.

The second approach would address every single item that needed to be repaired, and in the process restore the museum not only to the condition of what it was before the fire, but perhaps even improve it from what it was. This full restoration plus choice, obviously, would cost a lot more money than the first, bare bones scenario.

The Board of Trustees of the Connecticut River Museum never blinked. They whole heartedly adopted the second alternative of fully repairing and restoring the Museum. In doing so, the Board chose to address every single item that required repair and the full restoration of the Museum.

Furthermore, in adopting the full restoration plan the Board implicitly accepted the responsibility to raise the necessary money.

Board of Directors Chairman Maureen Wiltsie-O’Grady in a recent interview said, “The Museum had to be restored, because of the love that the community has for the Museum.” She added, “It is just a jewel. The fire made people think what Essex would be like without the Museum.”

These observations by the Chairman underscored the fact that the increased public attention and sympathy that was generated by the fire could be converted into a unique fundraising opportunity to pay for the level of restoration needed to ensure that the Museum would withstand the next 100 years.

With the stars thus aligned, the Museum Board, led by former Chairman Timothy Boyd, and the staff, led by the energetic Executive Director Jerry Roberts, went ahead and successfully raised the funds needed to repair the fire damage, and enhance generally the Museum’s building and grounds.

The fundraising steps included the establishment of the CMT Fire Fund for donations from Museum trustees, members and the public at large, as well as a successful effort to attract new government grants for the Museum’s restoration. Both these steps were in addition to achieving the Museum’s already established fundraising goals for the Annual Fund Appeal, Fall Ball, RIVERFARE and Privateers’ Bash.

These aggressive, and breathtakingly successful, fundraising steps has allowed the Museum, to date, to expend over a half million dollars, $565,500 to be exact, to repair and restore the Museum to a point where it is in even better condition than it was before the fire.

For example, with the funds raised the entire east face of the Museum building, which was destroyed by the fire, has been fully repaired and restored.

Similarly, large portions of the roof and the decking, which were destroyed by the fire, have been restored, as has the third floor gallery, which suffered water damage, and the Museum building, which experienced smoke damage.

Also included in this roster of fully paid for items was the installation of 29 new, energy efficient, museum-quality windows, as well as the installation of 70 new pilings under the decking of the Museum.

A further breakdown of the fully paid for repairs and restoration in the wake of the fire are as follows:

Building restoration and repair

This $300,000 item paid for by insurance monies and private donations, included a smoke and water clean-up; roof and siding repairs; window replacement of four fire destroyed windows and the upgrade of 25 other gallery windows; replacement of the building sign; repair of indoor mural; removal of carpets and restoration of the original wood flooring on the second and third floors.

Decking replacement and repair

This $185,000 item, which was funded from grants, donations and insurance, as well as funds from the Museum’s own historic building maintenance fund, provided money to replace the substructure pilings and decking surrounding the Museum building.

Grant funds for this project included $73,955 from the Connecticut Commission on Cultural and Tourism’s Historic Preservation Office.

Perimeter and Security/Grounds

In this category, $80,000 of private donations funded a new Museum perimeter security project, coupled with a grounds’ renovation plan. This initiative included new lights, a new portal at the entrance of the property, new walkways and the refurbishment of plantings. This project is now in its final stage of completion.

As for the new portal, according to Roberts, it will serve two purposes: 1) to establish a demarcation line between town property and Museum property, so that Museum property can be gated after hours, or whenever necessary, and 2) to provide information about Museum exhibits, programs and events.

The items regarding the perimeter and the security of the Museum property, obviously, go beyond simply repairing the Museum’s fire damages. Also, one of the items in this initiative has been objected to by a few Essex residents.

Specifically, the new portal structure, a few residents charge, takes away from the sense of openness of the Museum’s grounds that existed previously. Museum officials acknowledge that there have been a few objections to the portal structure; however, they assert that the objections are far from general, and that the upsides of the portal far outweigh the downsides, particularly from the standpoint of the Museum’s security.

Also, this very minor ruffle should in no way take away from the monumental achievement of the Museum’s Board and staff, who on their watch brilliantly restored the Connecticut River Museum to a condition that is even better than it was before the fire. In so doing they have preserved this historic asset for the edification and enjoyment of generations to come.

“I think it is lousy,” said a rushing commuter about the new system of having to pay for parking at the Old Saybrook railroad station. She herself was avoiding paying, by parking for free out on North Main Street. Another rushing commuter was Nancy Johnson of Old Saybrook. “I am sad about it. It’s awful,” she said about paying for parking at the railroad station. “What’s going to happen, when it snows? It’s going to get worse. People are going to get killed. There are no lights in the parking lot,” she pointed out. Carolann McNeish of Old Saybrook also protested the new $5 a day parking fee at the station. “We need to encourage people to take the train,” she said. “This discourages them.” McNeish said that she had called to complain about the new $5 fee for parking at the station. However, she was doubtful that it would do any good. As for her using the free parking area set aside for Shoreline East commuters, she said, “It’s always full.” Even one of the new parking attendants, hired to collect the $5 fees, said, “A lot of people are complaining.” What’s going on here? Well, it all began when David M. Adams, a partner of Saybrook Realty Partners, decided that it was time to charge for parking on the private property that his firm owns next to the railroad station. This property, called, Saybrook Junction, encompasses both the parking spaces at the shopping plaza, as well as those next to the railroad station. To put the new “pay for parking” scheme into effect, Adams hired a large professional firm called LAZ Parking, and LAZ in turn hired two parking attendants to collect $5 a day parking fees from frequently puzzled parkers. One parking attendant is on duty from 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and the second, works from 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Since there is no on site booth for the attendants to sit in, they simply wander around the parking lot trying to get parkers to pay the $5 fee for parking, when appropriate. When the attendants get cold, they sit in their cars to warm up. Not enough free parking spaces for commuters In addition to putting into place a new “pay-to park” parking scheme, an attempt has also been made to provide free parking for train-bound passengers at two of the station’s “park-free” areas. One is an enclosed lot set aside for Shoreline East passengers, which faces North Main Street. On this lot there are 160 free parking spaces. However, the problem is that this Shoreline East lot is frequently full. Also, there is a parking area reserved for Amtrak passengers. This area has 41 free spaces, and on busy days it too can be full. Both of these free parking areas for train riders are well in the back of the Shoreline Junction’s parking spaces, so it is always something of a walk for Shoreline East and Amtrak passengers to get to the station. Furthermore, Shoreline East and Amtrak riders are exempt from paying for parking, only when they are parking in their designated areas. Even if a person has a train ticket in hand, and shows it to the attendant, that is not good enough. They have to pay for parking. The parking spaces closest to the new $6 million railroad station building are those which are reserved exclusively for the patrons of the “Pizza Works, pies and suds” restaurant. These “Pizza Works” parking spaces generally remain empty throughout the day. Bob Kehayias of Pizza Works, while intent on preserving his restaurant’s privileged parking spaces, said in a recent interview that the solution to the parking problem at the railroad station is to build a new, freestanding parking garage, which would provide free parking for all. Also, Kehayias said that at one time Amtrak owned the parking area next to the railroad station, but then sold them to a private owner, which he felt was very shortsighted. As for the present parking situation at Sayrbook Junction, he says, “Some people are upset and confused.” Still, some commuters have taken the new parking charges in stride. “It was a nice perk, while it lasted,” said one, referring to the days when parking at the station was free. When Pat Thompson of Essex on her way to the train was asked, if she was angry about having to pay for parking, she replied, “Not a bit.” To end some of the confusion here is a summary of when “to pay, or not to pay” for parking on Saybrook Junction’s property at the Old Saybrook railroad station.

1. Any person who is doing business with one of Saybrook Junction’s tenants, or who is an employee of one of its tenants, can park for free.
2. Any person parking in the special area reserved for Shoreline East commuter parking can park for free, if of course they can find a space.
3. Any person parking in the special spaces reserved for Amtrak passengers, which are indicated by painted yellow stripes, can park for free, if they can find an empty space.
4. Any person parking in the One Hour Parking row at Saybrook Junction can park for free for one hour.
5. Any person parking outside the Saybrook Junction parking lot, such as along the side of North Main Street, can park for free.
6. Any handicapped person can park for free in handicapped spaces at the Saybrook Junction parking lot at the station. However, the handicapped parking spaces in the Pizza Works restaurant area require eating at the restaurant at the time of their use.
7. Any person that parks in Saybrook Junction’s  parking spaces, which do not fit one of the above “park free” categories, must pay $5 a day for parking. Furthermore, if a person, who is required to pay, wants to park for more than one day, they must pay in advance for the multiple days and display their daily receipts, so they can be seen by the attendants.
8. As a general rule those persons parking in spaces that are bordered by white stripes are required to pay the $5 a day parking fee.

David Adams, the partner-owner of the Saybrook Junction, said in a recent interview that by instituting charges for parking on their parking lot, “We wanted to get the situation under control and to alleviate the pressure.” Asked about what he felt about those people who are not paying for parking, when they should be, he said, “If there is a ten percent slippage, so what.” Even with the slippage it appears that charging for parking on   Saybrook Junction’s property at the railroad station is making money. “It’s profitable,” is the way Adams puts it.