Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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The town received a notice of intent to sue from a New Canaan man injured when his Vespa presumably skidded out on Lambert Road one morning in June. At about 7:04 a.m. on June 12 (a Tuesday), he sustained “permanent injuries” including an ankle fracture and knee sprain, due to “deposits of gravel and/or sand and/or a slippery oil like substance upon Lambert Road which was open to traffic and concerning which no warnings or cautions were posted,” according to a notice filed Aug. 2 by attorney James Hyland, a partner in Hamden-based Mulvey, Oliver, Gould & Crotta. The man was traveling at or below the speed limit, the notice said. ***

The Planning & Zoning Commission on Tuesday voted 8-1 to approve Grace Farms for 12 events at the Lukes Wood Road organization to be auctioned off as fundraising items during its annual benefit in October.

Business

Embody Opens Second New Canaan Location Inside Oxygen Fitness

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More than one year after opening its New Canaan store on Forest Street, Embody Fitness Gourmet is launching a second “satellite” location inside a hugely popular boutique wellness and fitness facility across town. At the new location at Oxygen Fitness on Pine Street, Embody will sell its signature protein shakes and juices, as well as a “good selection” of gourmet salads and snacks, according to founder and owner Gillen Bryan. “We know Oxygen has a great reputation and certainly a lot of the members and instructors had already come to us, so when we talked to [Oxygen Fitness owners] David and Sara [Koch] about taking over to provide a great offering at Oxygen, it wasn’t really a tough decision,” Bryan said. The public will be able to access the Oxygen Fitness store directly inside the Pine Street facility’s main doors, with a soft opening this week and a Grand Opening later in the month, he said. Sara Koch said the introduction of Embody at Oxygen’s expanding “fitness campus” was designed to bring more options to members and others.

Around Town

New Canaan Chamber of Commerce Adds Eight Directors

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The New Canaan Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the addition of eight new members to its Board of Directors as well the creation of a new, dedicated board composed of past chamber presidents that will help oversee the organization’s charitable foundation. Nimble, engaged and innovative, the new chamber directors form an exciting group of business and organization leaders in town, according to Tucker Murphy, executive director of the chamber. “Our mission is ‘connecting community with commerce,’ and we kept those four words very much top of mind in putting together this board,” Murphy said. “Our new directors not only represent successful local businesses stories—they’re also deeply involved in our town. Beyond participating in chamber events such as the Sidewalk Sales, Holiday Stroll and Taste of the Town, they actively fundraise for community agencies, volunteer with service organizations and connect with each other for their mutual benefit.”

The newly appointed directors each have started serving a 3-year term, and they are:

David E. Hoyle Esq.—Hawthorne, Ackerly & Dorrance
Lisa Oldham—New Canaan Library
Mamoune Tazi—Le Boudoir
Anna Simons—New Canaan Pediatric Dentistry
Michael Dinan—NewCanaanite.com
Ben & Elaine Young—New Canaan Dance Academy
Sara Koch—Oxygen Fitness
Kinsey Ferguson—Vineyard Vines

Helping to acclimate them are three current directors who now form a new executive committee for the chamber: Steve Risbridger of Reynolds & Rowella is president, Tom Stadler of the Town of New Canaan First Selectman’s Office is treasurer and HamletHub’s Rachel Lampen is secretary.

Animal 411

New Take on Existing Rule Bans Dogs Outright from Town Hall

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A new interpretation of an existing local ordinance is raising hackles among some residents long accustomed to entering Town Hall with their canine pets in tow. In years past, during this the licensing season for dogs, the animals were allowed to enter the Town Clerk’s office with their owners when renewing a license or getting a new one. But with the reopening of Town Hall following a major renovation and addition, New Canaan is enforcing more strictly a rule that’s been on the books for 12 years—a disappointment to Town Clerk Claudia Weber. “It has been a time-honored tradition to come to the Town Clerk’s office every year with your dogs to get your dog license, and we give out biscuits,” Weber said. “When I first became Town Clerk [in 1998], I started something called the ‘Make Your Beagle Legal,’ and people would come in and I try to make that a mandated event, something that was fun and it gave government kind of a warm and friendly face.”

Yet section 6.8.D of the Town Code now is being strictly enforced, as several ‘No Dogs Allowed’ signs at 77 Main St.