Police cited a motorist for passing a stopped school bus in the area of 612 Silvermine Road at 4:35 p.m. Monday.
John Walsh of New Canaan. Contributed
***
New Canaan’s John Walsh, owner of Voiceover Walsh (podcast interview here), is featured in a Diocese of Bridgeport article this month for his work on the audio version of Bishop Frank J. Caggiano’s first Pastoral Exhortation “Let Us Enter the Upper Room with the Lord.”
***
According to the March bill, the town has incurred another $7,363.50 in legal fees related to the proposed God’s Acre platform, bringing the fiscal-year-to-date total to more than $35,000. It’s the single most expensive legal matter listed by the town attorney’s firm in the invoice. The town has also spent $11,726.50 in legal fees on the Memorandum of Understanding with New Canaan Library. That draft MOU is connected the town’s proposed contribution of $10 million toward the library rebuilding project.
***
Officials from Connecticut Audubon visited Bristow Bird Sanctuary Wednesday to place 26 different style bird houses on the property. The project sponsored by the Friends of Bristow Park and the Stuart Higley Foundation to improve bird habitat in the preserve.
***
The Board of Selectmen this month voted 3-0 to hire Massimo DiFederico as an equipment operator for the Highway Department.
***
The New Canaan Museum & Historical Society is installing a series of pathways connecting the one-room Rock School to American sculptor John Roger’s own Rogers Studio, the 1764 Hanford-Silliman House and the Tool Museum and Print Shop. The organization is selling 4-by-8-inch bricks for the outdoor landmark that can be engraved with personalized messages.
***
Congratulations to Eleanor McManus on being named to the Dean’s List and Grace McManus on being named to the High Honor Roll, both for the winter semester at The Frederick Gunn School in Washington, Conn.
***
Motor vehicle violations cited by New Canaan Police declined from 777 to 473 year-over-year through January and February of 2021 compared to 2020. Officials have attributed the decline to fewer motor vehicles on the road amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
***
Mascots from all five of the New Canaan Public Schools gathered at Waveny to pose for this photo promoting the NC Color Drop. Contributed
Here are some events to mark in your calendar:
- Avon Theatre Exhibition on Screen Easter in Art—1 to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 27 (272 Bedford Street, Stamford).
- Palm Sunday Outdoor Worship at the Congregational Church of New Canaan—Sunday, March 28.
- Palm Sunday worship with the United Methodist Church of New Canaan—10 a.m. via Facebook Live.
- NCHS Scholarship Foundation First-Ever NC Color Drop—9:45 to 10:05 a.m. on March 31.
- Open House at The Children’s School—5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, April 9 (118 Scofieldtown Road, Stamford).
***
Police received a report that a motor vehicle was towed from the Walgreens parking lot on Pine Street at 5:39 p.m. Monday.
***
Attorneys representing the New Canaan Planning & Zoning Commission, Grace Farms and direct neighbors of the Lukes Wood Road organization finished filing legal briefs this month in an ongoing civil lawsuit filed last summer. In it, the plaintiff neighbors cite conditions of P&Z’s 2017 Special Permit approval for Grace Farms–including that the gymnasium there shall be used “for Church and Foundation sponsored activities or for other athletic organizations” subject to approval by the Commission. In June 2020, the complaint said, Grace Farms sought approval “for use the court and Grace Farms by various organizations during the summer and fall months of 2020” and use of the gymnasium/court “for a variety of public and private athletic activities for up to 11 hours per day.” P&Z in approving the activity without a public hearing violated the terms of the Special Permit approval, the complaint said. Part of a brief submitted on P&Z’s behalf in the matter by attorney Peter Gelderman of Berchem Moses called the neighbors’ appeal “another in a seemingly unending litany of appeals arising from” the approved Special Permit.
(Top row, L to R) Heather Boulanger, Stephanie Ladd (Bottom Row. L to R) Devin Boulanger and Ellie Whinery. Contributed
***
Planet New Canaan is seeking to raise $7,500 for the purchase of native trees for the town. They will help replace the loss of trees in Waveny. If the organization meets its goal by April 30, Arbor Day, the project will receive a matching grant from Sustainable CT. Here’s a link to donate.
***
Finally, the selectmen on Tuesday approved a $4,000 contract with Adler Tank Rentals for an “Emergency Tank Rental” for the former incinerator building (now the Animal Control shelter) at the Transfer Station. A water main running to the building broke down, officials have said.