Police Investigate Evicted New Canaan Woman’s Reported Neglect, Abuse of Bird and Dog

A woman while being evicted from her New Canaan apartment for failure to pay rent appears to have kept a bird and dog inside the unit for several days at a time without contacting or arranging for the care of the animals, records show. Police working to ensure the animals’ welfare observed that a cockatiel-type bird appeared to have been left on its own for a full week in mid- to late-July with limited seed and water that had run out while its owner—tenant Juliana Weitz—was away, according to a New Canaan Police Department incident reports obtained by NewCanaanite.com through a Freedom of Information request. According to the property’s owner, a black poodle also had been left on its own in a crate in the bathroom for four days once before, the police reports said. During the investigation, while checking on the welfare of the bird, the head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section spotted the dog through the door of the apartment, wearing a black Velcro-type muzzle that appeared to prevent the animal from taking in water, panting or yawning. Subsequently, the property’s owner told authorities that Weitz left her apartment “for long periods of time, leaving the dog in the apartment and that the dog has begun howling,” according to a report from Officer Allyson Halm, head of Animal Control.

Town To Vote Tuesday on Contract for Elm-to-Irwin Sidewalk; Dog Waste a Persistent Problem at Park

Town officials on Tuesday will vote on whether to approve a $127,748 contract with a Norwalk-based construction company to create a long-discussed new sidewalk that will run from the top of Elm Street to the entrance of Irwin Park. Approved by the Town Council in the fall, the sidewalk will be anchored by crosswalks at either end and run about 5,000 feet along the west side of Weed Street. About six trees fronting the road have been tagged for removal. The Board of Selectmen at its March 21 meeting will vote on a contract between the town’s Department of Public Works and M. Rondano Construction. Meanwhile, parks officials say they’re facing a recurring and persistent problem at Irwin: Dog waste.

Facility, Furniture and Landscaping Improvements Coming to Waveny Pool This Summer

Waveny Pool in the 2017 season will see facility upgrades, new furniture, improved landscaping and schedule adjustments designed to meet the wishes of permit-holders who go there through the summer months, officials said. Town officials are addressing concerns about muggy locker rooms and privacy in bathrooms, and the fees generated by the sale of permits also are funding the purchase of new umbrellas and chairs, according to Sally Campbell, chair of the Parks & Recreation Commission. A committee that helps oversee Waveny Pool has met five times since last season and “we have made extensive list and I think we have made huge progress and it’s just going to be great,” Campbell said during the group’s regular meeting, held March 8 at Lapham Community Center. “The big complaints were that the bathroom doors didn’t close, it was too muggy in the locker room and they felt it should be cleaned more. And Steve [Benko] was able to address all of those, and so I think this year people are going to be able to have a much better experience.

Traditional Japanese ‘Cherry Blossom Festival’ Coming April 30 to Mead Park

Officials last week voted unanimously in favor of allowing an area organization dedicated to building knowledge and mutual understanding between Japanese and Americans to hold a “cherry blossom festival” next month at Mead Park. The Japan Society of Fairfield County’s traditional festival is to be held 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 30 following an 8-0 vote from the Parks & Recreation Commission. New Canaan resident and society board member Jackie Alexander said the cherry blossom festival—or “Sakura Matsuri”—is “a century-old Japanese tradition to celebrate spring when the cherry blossoms bloom.”

“It happens to be [the society’s] 30th anniversary, so we would like to do a Sakura Matsuri at Mead Park to share Japanese culture and open it to the public,” Alexander said at the meeting, held in Lapham Community Center. “It’s a family friendly event, with some music and some crafts.”

To include bonsai flower arranging and perhaps also a karate demonstration, the festival will be held in the colonnade, overlooking Mead Pond. The Japan Society of Fairfield County—founded in 1987 in Greenwich—also will donate a cherry tree to Mead Park, Alexander said, and is seeking a representative from the Consulate General of Japan in New York to attend a dedication ceremony.

Parks Officials Propose 2017 Waveny Pool Rates

Parks officials on Wednesday voted unanimously to recommend a new slate of fees for the popular Waveny Pool for the 2017 season. The proposed rates include modest increases for all types of passes at the self-sustaining facility, except for senior residents, who would pay $20 less. The pool was “very solid financially last summer,” Parks & Recreation Commission Chair Sally Campbell said during the group’s regular meeting at Lapham Community Center. “Our family passes went way up last year, which is why we decided not to raise the fees [by as much], because we thought it was just right,” Campbell said. Here’s a year-over-year breakdown of the new proposed rates.