New mural unveiled in Westport

WESTPORT | "Cut the ribbon! Cut the ribbon," cheered Boquet Valley CSD - Lake View Campus students, as Adirondack artist Gwen Vogel cut a long red ribbon in front of her new mural last week. Located on the side of Hamilton Hall on Champlain Avenue is a 10x10 mural, which the graphic designer created within 30 hours on her computer, showcasing people of all ages and backgrounds enjoying the community. Beyond a field of colorful flowers and a powder-blue Adirondack chair, there are children flying kites, a multigenerational family enjoying a pleasant stroll, a person walking their dog, and a bicyclist and vehicle sharing the road, all set against a backdrop of Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains of Vermont. The mural was created as part of the town's "Slow with the Flow" and "Walkable Westport" public awareness campaigns, aimed at encouraging residents to walk more often and improving pedestrian safety by finding ways to slow down traffic. "In town, there have been multiple accidents and near misses. We had to do something about it," said Jen Williams, president-elect of the Westport-Wadhams Community Alliance (WWCA) Board of Directors and co-chair of the Safe Roads - Walkable Westport Task Force, which is spearheading this effort. "That's why we're working hard to ensure that we make pedestrian improvements suitable for all ages." In July 2025, the task force received a $25,000 AARP Community Challenge Grant to enhance signage, implement infrastructure improvements, and incorporate green landscaping and public art. So far, besides the mural, Safe Roads has organized its first National Walking Month, which was filled with community events and a town-wide "bingo" scavenger hunt, encouraging walkers of all ages to get out and embark on a fun adventure throughout Westport. The task force has also brought to life a Chair Trail. In this pedestrian-friendly attraction, individuals can tour eight larger-than-life Westport chairs, painted by local artists and community members, on foot. One of the chairs — the Lakeside Sunflowers Chair by Catherine Seidenberg — is situated in front of the mural at Hamilton House, where soloist, collaborative artist, teacher, and pianist Rose Chancler runs her studio. "Research shows that people slow down when they come into a town that has a lure," said Chancler, who is also part of the committee, during the ribbon-cutting celebration. "And what we're trying to do is really get people to slow down." Jasmine Horn of Vagabond Blooms is currently working on another mural in Wadhams. Besides various art installations and other beautification efforts, such as planting lilac bushes around the community, approximately $10,000 of the grant money has been earmarked for multiple infrastructure elements, including the incorporation of additional signage and the addition of more crosswalks. Currently, the task force is collaborating with the New York State Department of Transportation to implement a crosswalk at the Westport triangle, and the WWCA is partnering with the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism to promote Westport as a destination for visitors. "The reason why I moved back here is because I think Westport is the true definition of 'community,'" shared WWCA President Alyssa Carroll. "It's a gorgeous town with really fantastic people. It's worth seeing." For more information or updates, visit gowestportny.com.

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New mural unveiled in Westport

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