Westport Weston Health District board votes to change name
WESTPORT — After months of discussion, the Westport Weston Health District has officially changed its name to the Aspetuck Health District. The change is meant to reflect the fact that Easton formally joined the district in July.
“Obviously with Easton joining we can’t say Westport Weston anymore,” said Mark Cooper, director of health for the district.
The Board of Directors voted on Sept. 13 to rename the district effective Jan. 1. Cooper noted that the change “brings the district back to its roots” in a way as the district was originally called the Aspectuck Valley Health District.
The district was created in 1965 and operated as the Aspetuck Valley Health district until Jan. 1, 1983, when the board changed its name to Westport Weston to make it more clear which communities were served by the district. But this year, Easton officially became part of the district after a townwide vote in April, though the district has been managing the town’s health services since last September.
Not long after Easton joined, the district began contemplating a name change. Aspetuck was an early frontrunner, partly because it was a nod to the district’s former moniker, and partly because it was less clunky than adding “Easton” to the town’s current name, Cooper said. He pointed out that if more towns are added to the district, the name could get unwieldy.
“This makes sense and we support the board’s actions,” Cooper said.
Over the next few months, the district will complete the necessary steps of notifying the state, updating account names, the website and other tasks.