The footbridges over the Sherwood Mill Pond spillway are new again. You can walk from the Old Mill Beach parking lot along the restored path toward Compo Cove, and for the first time in over a year nothing gets in the way. 06880 reported on October 24 that the tide gate renovation was done and that the footbridges and path had been rebuilt and reopened to the public.
Back near the lot, at 222 Hillspoint Road, Old Mill Grocery & Deli is closed, and no new operator has been named.
That gap sums up this corner of Westport in early November. Over the past year the town rebuilt nearly all of the public pieces of the Old Mill and Compo shoreline, and most of them are finished or nearly so. The one piece it doesn't control is the small store that has served as the neighborhood's gathering spot since 1919. Its return now depends on a zoning decision.
The path took longer than planned, and it reopened in one piece
When the Town of Westport announced the Mill Pond work in August 2025, it planned to start shortly after Labor Day and finish by Memorial Day 2026. The project covered repairs to two tide gates and a spillway, a rebuilt wooden pier, four short seawall sections rebuilt from scratch, and repairs to the longer seawall stretches. Ten spaces in the Old Mill lot and 20 in the Soundview lot were set aside for staging.
Memorial Day came and went with the work still underway. The money behind it goes back to the fall of 2024. The Westport Journal reported that October that town officials were asking for $5.58 million to fix tide gates and walkways built in 1988. The RTM approved that amount in November 2024. On November 27, the Board of Selectwomen signed a $4.739 million construction contract with Blakeslee, Arpaia and Chapman, according to the Westport Journal.
The walkway had to stay passable for the whole project. In August 2026, the Westport Journal noted that the path is the only access to their homes for the 19 houses of the Compo Cove Park Association, so crews rebuilt it in sections to keep it open. By then the gates were working and controlling the pond's flow. That explains how slowly the public side moved. The neighbors who live past the footbridges needed a way home every single day of construction.
The town's own schedule hasn't quite caught up with the reopening yet. The Public Works update dated September 30 put the project in its final phase, with the last walkway pieces going in during October and full site restoration targeted by Thanksgiving 2026. The path is open now, but you may still see crews finishing landscaping and cleanup around the edges this month.
Dogs, sidewalks and a seawall all arrive in the same few weeks
The reopened path is the first of several shoreline projects wrapping up within weeks of each other. Here is where each one stands as of the latest town and local reports.
| What | Where | Status | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mill Pond tide gates and footbridges | Old Mill Beach lot to Compo Cove | Path reopened | Site restoration targeted by Thanksgiving 2026 |
| Compo Beach dog season | South of the Pavilion, including South Beach | In effect | October 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027 |
| Compo Road South sidewalks | Post Road East to Bridge Street | About 70% complete as of September 30 | Targeted for November 2026 |
| Compo Ned Dimes Marina seawall | About 800 feet at the marina | Under construction as of September 30 | Targeted for November 2026 |
| PAL Rink at Longshore | Longshore | Being prepared | Late November, "Thanksgiving-ish" |
The dog rules. The Parks & Recreation Department's notice for this season allows dogs at Compo Beach from October 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027. Off leash is allowed only in the designated beach area south of the Pavilion, which includes South Beach. Everywhere else in the park, dogs must be leashed, and they aren't allowed on the Pavilion, the playground or the walkways. Owners have to pick up after their dogs, and breaking the rules carries a $77 fine. The town's standing park rules also say handlers in the off-leash area must stay with their dogs and carry a leash. The town's general Compo Beach page lists the season ending March 30, so it's best to go by the dated notice for this winter.
The sidewalks. The Compo Road South project covers about 6,500 linear feet of new and rebuilt sidewalk from Post Road East to Bridge Street. The town describes it as a link between downtown and the train station on one end and Longshore and Compo Beach on the other. Once it's finished, you can walk from downtown toward the beach on a continuous sidewalk. Until then, expect active work zones along the route.
The seawall. At Compo Ned Dimes Marina, about 800 linear feet of old seawall is being replaced with an armored stone revetment. As of the September 30 update, roughly 1,000 cubic yards of stone, about 2,190 tons, had been placed. An 800-foot concrete curb, six inches high, is planned along the top. The marina's pier, walkway, ramp and electrical upgrades were listed as nearly complete at the same point.
All of these are public projects, paid for and scheduled by the town. The next one isn't.
The corner store runs on a different clock
Old Mill Grocery & Deli has operated as a business since 1919. It started as The Old Mill Store and soon took the name it has carried since. The building is owned by Soundview Empowerment Alliance, a nonprofit formed to preserve the store as a neighborhood institution and to create opportunities for young people with disabilities.
Romanacci ran the store for the last three years and announced in September that it would not renew its lease. As of 06880's October 20 report, no new operator had been named.
The question now sits with the Planning & Zoning Commission. On October 19, the commission held a public hearing on Text Amendment #875. It would create a new Food and Beverage Planned Development District in Westport, allowing outdoor dining within 25 feet of a principal building and the sale of liquor for on-site consumption. A companion map amendment would rezone 222 Hillspoint Road from Residential Zone B into the new district. 06880 reported that the owners hope to sell and serve alcohol there next summer. The commission is set to review the proposal further in November.
This proposal follows an earlier one that didn't hold up. In November 2024 the commission approved changes allowing alcohol sales at the store. A group of neighbors challenged them in court over parking, traffic, noise and pedestrian safety. In February, a Superior Court judge overturned Text Amendments 843 and 846, finding they amounted to spot zoning and improperly expanded a non-conforming commercial use in a residential zone. The new district is written to give the commission stronger oversight of similar businesses in mostly residential neighborhoods, not just this one.
The nonprofit's attorney explained the goal at the hearing, as 06880 reported:
"It makes sense for Westport, and hopefully we'll have longevity instead of change every 2 or 3 years as the operators get worn down."
That's the part a construction contract can't fix. The town could put a timeline on the tide gates, the footbridges, the sidewalks and the seawall, and it could keep the path open for the Compo Cove homes the whole way through. Whether the communal table at the store fills up again depends on a commission vote, a new operator willing to sign a lease, and neighbors who have already gone to court once over how this corner should be used.
What's next on this stretch of shoreline
The next dates on the calendar are a mix of firm and loose. The Compo Road South sidewalks and the marina seawall are both targeted for November. Final restoration at the Mill Pond site is targeted by Thanksgiving. P&Z picks up Text Amendment #875 again this month. Up the road at Longshore, the Westport PAL Rink is being fitted with lights above and below the ice, and 06880 described its opening only as "Thanksgiving-ish." The town lists the rink's season as late November through early March.
Between now and the end of March, the beach south of the Pavilion is open to off-leash dogs, and the path to Compo Cove is open to anyone on foot.
If you own a home near Old Mill or Compo and want to know how this fall's finished projects, and the store question still pending, might fit into your own plans down the road, Sandra Calise Cenatiempo is glad to talk it through. Let's connect, and you can start with a free home valuation.
