As spring turned to summer this weekend, New Canaan saw one of its best—or at least most consistent, at long last—weeks of weather roll through town.
New Canaan’s Alex Hutchins will be an intern with NewCanaanite.com this summer. Credit: Michael Dinan
A sunny and warm day saw thousands gather at Dunning Field for the New Canaan High School Class of 2014 graduation ceremony Tuesday, just as the NCHS highly touted (and hugely popular) internship program for seniors wound down and we at NewCanaanite.com welcomed our own summer intern, NCHS junior Alex Hutchins, to the publication.
Here’s the Week in Review.
Town Talker
A shovel is finally in the ground as the widely discussed retail-and-residential complex at 21 Forest St. is expected to start taking shape over the next several months, and completed in about one year.
Demolition on the former Forest Street Deli building and its neighbor, the old Farmer’s Table building (FT has moved across the street) wrapped up last week. The construction project at 21 Forest will see essentially all of the spaces for cars parked in the left-hand side of this photo become a single traffic lane from July 7 to 18, and then for the duration of the construction project itself (call it one year), the three spaces on the right-hand side in front of the buildings will be out of commission (though they’ll be five, not three, when the new mixed residential-and-retail complex is up). Credit: Michael Dinan
In order for the project to move forward, a storm drain must go in (in the short term), and in the long term, large vehicles must be able to get into and out of the construction site itself, which is a tight spot in the sense that the capital project will go right up to the sidewalk (where Forest Street Deli once stood).
Among other things, the project will limit parking on what is already one of the downtown’s narrowest and often clogged streets. Ten spaces will be lost between July 7 and 18, and then three more will be lost for the balance of the 12-month period while construction is happening (though where those three had been, five will eventually exist).
Business and property owners in the area came out to voice concerns about communication and the plans themselves at a Police Commission meeting last week.
An old postcard of the wading pool (Contributed).
“0684-Old”
For this installment of our local history series, Terry delved into the history of the colonnade at Mead Park. Turns out that much of what we associate with Mead Park—the pond, baseball fields, sidewalks, tennis courts as we know them and colonnade—came about largely as a result of WPA funding.
The colonnade itself once was the site of a popular wading pool for children. Here’s the full story, including a description of the pool.
360Fitness at 45 Grove St. is closing June 21, officials say. Credit: Michael Dinan
Business
The one major business story for this week is the closing over the weekend of longtime and popular gym 360 Fitness. Plans are underway to renovate the space there on Grove Street and we have a peek at the building permit application.
Coming Up
- Pop Up Park & World Cup 2014: We heard from the organizers of this weekend’s Pop Up Park—a World Cup 2014-themed festival—and also from New Canaan’s highest elected official: It’s going to be a blast. Ghana’s draw on Saturday with Germany means the United States controls its own destiny: A win at 6 p.m. Sunday versus Portugal means the U.S. squad advances. Three big screen TVs will be the centerpiece of the Pop Up Park for the match, and be sure to plan for the whole family to stick around for “Air Bud: World Pup” directly afterward.
- New Canaan Sewing Group Reception at Goldenberry: Come by Goldenberry on Cherry Street from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday (June 26) for a look at the New Canaan Sewing Group’s handcrafted items (many one-of-a-kind) such as hand knit infant and children’s sweaters as well as “New Canaan themed” dishes and wine accessories, kitchen linens, doll’s clothing, purses, and more. Refreshments will be served and the public is invited to stop by to see the current selection and to learn more about the NCSG.
- Family Fourth Celebration: It’s never too early to think about one of New Canaan’s cherished traditions—the fireworks at Waveny (entry and parking passes for New Canaan residents are available here). This year’s fireworks will be held right on July 4 (a Friday), with Waveny opening at 5 p.m. for festivities, and the fireworks starting around 9 p.m. Get your tickets now and get to Waveny bang on time to enjoy the shade of the great maple by the patio, listen to the New Canaan Town Band and enjoy food and ice cream.
- Library’s Annual Meeting: Mark your calendars now for the annual meeting of New Canaan Library, to be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Adrian Lamb Room. Organizers say: “The annual membership meeting offers a unique forum in which to hear about the Library’s operation, as well as an opportunity for the Library to recognize and thank donors for their contributions. The By-Laws of The New Canaan Library, Inc. recognize members as those individuals who have made a contribution of time, money, or property to the Library during the preceding year; all members are therefore encouraged to attend. The annual meeting is also open to the public.”
Elm Street, New Canaan. Credit: Terry Dinan
Land Use
The chairman of New Canaan’s Planning & Zoning Commission warned that “there are some real threats” to properties in town that are being targeted by developers seeking to leverage a loophole afforded by a widely criticized state law. New Canaan is seeking relief from the loophole by doubling the number of affordable units opposite Mill Pond—and this week the preliminary work for that project took a major step forward.
We also learned about new construction being planned for Clapboard Hill Road, Bennington Place, Country Club Road and Carter Street.
Animal 411
Animal Control’s activity typically spikes with the warmer weather and this spring/summer has been no exception.
A common snapping turtle. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
We heard about a leashed dog that lunged as a passerby and bit that individual on the shoulder (as its owner just walked away), and we also got some wildlife warnings.
First, it’s snapping turtle egg-laying season, which means we can expect to see the reptiles crossing our roads toward and then away from their nests—be on the lookout.
And police suspect coyotes in what turned out to be fatal attacks on a young turkey and fawn.
Public Safety
Finally, we heard from New Canaan’s police chief about the “traffic safety epidemic” of distracted driving—including a pledge that readers may sign and submit to stop doing it and encourage others to stop. Police also
Police also reported minor drug citations, car break-ins at the Talmadge Hill Train Station parking lots and thousands of dollars worth of jewelry stolen from private homes.