Around Town

10 Reasons To Attend Tonight’s ‘Forum on Public Buildings’

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New Canaan has wrestled for years with questions about how best to use the buildings it owns—inquiries that have evolved, in some cases, to whether or not the town should sell or even raze specific assets. With the revaluation (and diminished Grand List) bringing a renewed focus on municipal spending, town officials during this budget season and in the months that follow will make decisions that determine whether the New Canaan will continue to own some of its public buildings and, if so, how they’ll be used. In cases such as the former Outback Teen Center, those discussions are already well underway. 

A follow-up to an event held last Spring, the “Forum on Public Buildings Part II”—to be held 7 to 9 p.m. (6:30 p.m. coffee) Wednesday at Town Hall—includes a diverse panel and an opportunity for attendees to share their opinions and questions. 

Here are 10 reasons to go:

Money: New Canaan’s use and ownership of the buildings under discussion goes a long way to determining maintenance costs, as well as revenues related to rentals, for years to come. Availability: The Forum will not be televised. [THIS HAS CHANGED—we heard today that Channel 79 has agreed to record the Public Forum and it will be available for viewing later on the Channel 79 website.]
Panel: Panelists for this Forum represent a good cross-section of the community.

Around Town

Public Buildings InfoSheet: Former ‘Outback’ Teen Center

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Editor’s Note: The following is published in advance of the “Forum on Public Buildings Part II,” to be held 7 to 9 p.m. (6:30 p.m. coffee) on Wednesday, Jan. 9 at Town Hall. Questions for panelists can be submitted here. Built: 2001
Square footage: 4,925
Current uses: Vacant
Committee recommendations: Renovate the building to house a new “alternative” New Canaan High School. Relevant articles: See links below.

Around Town

Public Buildings InfoSheet: Vine Cottage

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Editor’s Note: The following is published in advance of the “Forum on Public Buildings Part II,” to be held 7 to 9 p.m. (6:30 p.m. coffee) on Wednesday, Jan. 9 at Town Hall. Questions for panelists can be submitted here. Built: ca. 1860
Square footage: 2,334
Current uses: Occupied by the New Canaan Department of Human Services
Town Building Evaluation & Use Committee recommendations: Defer a decision on renovation until the future home of the Board of Ed is determined.

Around Town

Public Buildings InfoSheet: Irwin House

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Editor’s Note: The following is published in advance of the “Forum on Public Buildings Part II,” to be held 7 to 9 p.m. (6:30 p.m. coffee) on Wednesday, Jan. 9 at Town Hall. Questions for panelists can be submitted here. Built: 1963
Square Footage: 7,963
Current Uses: Provided swing space offices for the town. No long-term use has been decided.

Around Town

Public Buildings InfoSheet: New Canaan Police Department (Original NCHS)

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[Editor’s Note: The following is published in advance of the “Forum on Public Buildings Part II,” to be held 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 9 at Town Hall. Questions for panelists can be submitted here.]

Built: 1926, opened 1927
Square footage: 27,000
Current uses: Headquarters of the New Canaan Police Department, New Canaan Parking Bureau
Committee recommendations: Fund the architectural and engineering needed for renovations. Use ground and first floors for NCPD and upper floor for municipal offices and swing space. Relevant articles: First Selectman: Town, Covia $1.5 Million Apart on Price of Building (November 2018), ‘We Have To Figure Out an Answer’: Need To Expand Covia Building Complicates First Selectman’s Proposal for Combined Board of Ed-NCPD Home (November 2018), First Selectman: Police Building Ultimately Could Be Sold, Converted Into Senior Housing (July 2018), First Selectman: New Canaan ‘Very Interested’ in Acquiring Downtown Building for Combined Police, Board of Ed Headquarters (July 2018)

Submitted by Mimi Findlay:

Description

The current Police Station (the original New Canaan High School) is a 2-story structure of red brick and cut stone In the Georgian/Colonial Revival Style, designed in1926 by John Nobel Pierson and Son, Architects, Perth Amboy, NJ.