I am a 30-year resident of East Briggs Road in Westport, where I raised my two children, and where my husband and I plan to retire. Our home is on a parcel of five lots which, when added together, do not meet the current zoning bylaws. Many of our surrounding neighbors have only one small lot, and most of us have cesspools. We have not been able to drink the water from our well due to nitrate contamination for over 10 years.

Raising two children with two working parents was challenging with only one bathroom. We would dearly love to be able to add a second bathroom. Replacing our cesspool with a denitrifying system would be terribly expensive, and on the eve of our retirement, an expense we cannot afford. If we can tie into a water and sewer system, it will greatly improve both our home environment, provide clean drinking water, and avoid the costs of replacing our cesspool with a septic system. Lastly, it will alleviate the stress we experienced when we heard about the DEP proposals for the South Coast.

I urge residents to vote YES on the ballot question and remind them that improvements to the North End residents will eventually also improve the Westport River, an asset that we all use and treasure.

Gail Rodrigues

Rodrigues is a member of the Westport Bike/Walking Path Committee.