The town’s highest elected official said Tuesday night that the water company’s plans to run a 36-inch main through New Canaan will start this year.
The pipe is “designed to take water from the Bridgeport system all the way to Stamford and Greenwich, and we, New Canaan, get no benefit,” according to First Selectman Kevin Moyinhan.
“It was supposed to be a 2023 project,” Moynihan told members of the Board of Finance at their regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference.
“So that is something we didn’t anticipate,” he said. “This is a big project.”
Moynihan spoke during a general update for the finance board on capital projects.
Plans for the water main installation first surfaced at public meetings in 2019. Last year, public works officials described the project as a three-year transmission line expansion that would see a line come into New Canaan from Wilton and run in front of East School in 2022.
Asked about the project, Public Works Director Tiger Mann said the state is not allowing Aquarion to work in Wilton after Oct. 1 and so the company asked to come and do stretches of the New Canaan installation this year, rather than starting in 2024. Plans now call for Lakeview Avenue to start about Oct. 1 and finish by winter, for work in the cemetery to get done during the winter and then in early spring to work on Harrison Avenue, with plans to install the main on South Avenue from Harrison to Waveny in late-2023 or early-2024, Mann said.
Finance board member Amy Murphy Carroll asked at the meeting whether the work would involve cutting up recently repaved roads. Moynihan said no, the town has postponed work on both Lakeview and Harrison “knowing it’s coming.”
I cant envision a straight path through the cemetery without exhumation. How will this occur? What will the path be?
It would be great if they could add a sidewalk from Lakeview to Main (West of Millport Ave.) so that the walkway continues up the hill from Avalon, Canaan Parish, etc. It would be much safer for those walking to Town. Maybe that is something NC CAN benefit from this.
From the DPW: “The proposed stretch of Lakeview Avenue impacted by the transmission line (Rte 123 to Millport) currently has sidewalks. However, new sidewalks are proposed on Lakeview Avenue from Millport Avenue to Main Street. They received a positive 8-24 review from P & Z and the BOS approved a contract with Cabezas DeAngelis for survey and design work of the new sidewalks. Construction is tentatively scheduled for Spring 2023.”
I think the pipeline will come down Lakeview and take a left turn just before the bridge and go through the field where all the construction vehicles are now parked. No exhumations necessary. But think of the traffic nightmare as the pipeline proceeds down South Avenue and through the Farm Road intersection!
Do any sections along the route lack hydrants? If so, how about asking/requiring that they be installed.
From the DPW: “The terms of Aquarion’s diversion permit prohibit new domestic water service connections to the 36” transmission main. We are adding a few fire hydrants along the pipeline route. The locations were selected for use in filling, draining, flushing the main not necessarily considering location for fire protection but can be used after construction is complete. On Lakeview for example we are proposing a hydrant before the main turns into the cemetery property because it is a low point in this segment.”
The board of directors of the New Canaan Cemetery (Lakeview) is made up of talented people who have demonstrated in countless ways their commitment to a better New Canaan. They fully understand their sacred duty to keep the cemetery one of the most beautiful in New England while ensuring its endowment will sustain it in perpetuity. Careful consideration was given to Aquarian’s request for an easement through Cemetery property. After months of investigations and negotiations an easement was granted to Aquarian for a sum that significantly enhanced our endowment while ensuring the path would have limited disruption with no exhumations. Our community minded board has in the past aided various organizations, (including the Library and Canaan Parish), by allowing temporary use of our field while keeping the current and future needs of the cemetery paramount.
Is the easement that Lakeview Cemetery granted to Aquarian a permanent sale or a lease?
When will it stop? Give us a break. They just finish Main street and now we have to go through more damaging conditions to property and automobiles. And we as a town get no benefit for allowing this?
I am so tired of the town being taken advantage of by realtors builders and anyone that has a selfish motive including companies like the eversource project and now the water company and the library that was not needed.
A historical perspective on major water products is in order here. For those of us who have lived in town a while, Aquarion installed a 36 inch water main through New Canaan around the year 2000. The route ran down Rt 106 from Wilton, in front of East School, down Lakeview, down Millport Av, down S. Main St and up Farm Road past the High School before continuing down Rt 106 again. it created an unholy mess in down for a couple of years. Aquarion has a very poor track record of keeping the roads passable while they construct. We need not look any further than the installation of of new water main under S. Main Street last year, where they took 8 months to reconnect 20 houses to the system. I predict lots of collateral damage to residents automobile as they drive newly rutted and chopped up roads. And the damage Eversource laying the gas mains has not been repaired as promised. The Town needs to extract promises from Aquarion about how the project will be managed with money damages for poor performance. tra
A trip to Wilton on Route 106 may be instructive as to Eversource’s contractor’s housekeeping standards. Protective silt fencing was installed adjacent to a watercourse and then immediately buried by stockpiles of gravel. The roadway resembles a moonscape where non-adjacent holes were dug and then poorly patched. And this is on a state road. When ordered to stop work on October 1st, will they repave before moving their hell-on-wheels operation to Lakeview Ave?
Another dig that will tear up the roads in NC. I’ve already gone through 3 suspension repairs on 2 vehicles because of our torn up roads. Even the Park St fix did not go north of Elm St which has such bad patches. I now choose my route with the least amount of damage. That is not how one should have to drive for over 3 years. While I appreciate getting natural gas to our town, this has been a half-assed job by our full-time selectman.
Avinash ftw
from the DPW: “As to the reasons why the recent repaving of Park Street stopped short of the intersection at Elm Street we offer the following: Both Eversource Gas and Aquarion Water needed to tie-in to the intersection at Park and Elm Streets, plus we have a planned fiber-optic line installation from the Town Hall to the new BOE Building slated for later this year which will traverse the intersection. Therefore, it was best not to pave it and then tear it up again. The small piece on Park Street as well as Elm Street from Park to Grove is slated for re-paving this season once all the gas services are installed. We thank you for your patience and cooperation.”
I’ll look forward for further details on this project, is the whole of Lakeview Ave going to be undergoing construction or just the part adjacent to the cemetery?
I don’t know any other town with as many noisy and disruptive projects going on with many streets in rough shape. Some have been repaved and are in much better shape. We have the largest housing project the town has ever had for the last 2-3 years. In the past many such projects would be done without having people trying to navigate construction sites, now the trend seems to be to economize with all the stress on people. The town library has been undergoing constant construction for the last year which is still only partly done. Additionally we have numerous private construction projects and proposals: All during the traumatic, devastating and socially disrupted pandemic of the last 2 1/2 years.
From the DPW: “Eastern Lakeview Avenue (Rte.123 to Millport Ave) will be receiving the new 36” water transmission line in October and November of this year. Western Lakeview Avenue (Millport Ave to Main St) is under design for a new proposed sidewalk that we hope to have under construction next season. We will look to repave Eastern Lakeview Avenue in early Spring next year and Western Lakeview Avenue after the sidewalk in installed. The only change to the schedule is that Aquarion is hopeful they can finish the 8” watermain installation on Harrison Avenue this season rather than early next season which will effectively shorten the schedule for next year’s work. In the past, we did not have projects of this scale, nor the infrastructure projects from our local utilities to this degree. As to the effect to our local roads and sidewalks, we share your frustration however we are reluctant to pave a road solely with Town funds knowing that it will be disturbed within months. We prefer to partner with the utility and share the costs of reconstruction or have them shoulder the burden of the restoration themselves rather than our taxpayers. We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we try to bring these projects to a close.”