Chris Wilson

Committee Approves Contract to Analyze Three Locations for Affordable Housing Viability

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The Affordable Housing Committee last Monday approved a contract with an architecture firm to assess the viability of three sites for potential affordable housing. Committee Chair Chris Wilson said the contract is to “try and get a sense of the size and scope which works in New Canaan for these types of developments.” 

“This contract won’t answer all of our questions and will probably raise a number that we will have to address later, but it’s a good first step,” Wilson said at the Committee’s regular meeting, held via videoconference. The Committee unanimously approved the contract with Hartford-based Amenta Emma, although it was unclear which members were present to vote. The contract will go before the Board of Selectmen on Aug. 19, officials said.

Government

Town Upholds Two $30 Tickets for Parking in Town Hall Lot

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Officials this month upheld two $30 tickets issued to a Norwalk woman for parking at Town Hall for more than one hour without a reason for being there. Karen Gallagher, a former New Canaan resident of 30 years, told members of the Parking Commission at an appeal hearing that she was “unaware that the Town Hall lot was ticketed during the summer.”

“I’ve parked [in the Town Hall lot] multiple times in the past and have never gotten a ticket,” Gallagher told the Commission at its regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “Now, this one time, I get two tickets.”

Parking Manager Stacy Miltenberg outlined the reasoning for each of the tickets given on June 17. “The first ticket was for not being in Town Hall,” she said. “There is clear signage that says Town Hall Parking Only throughout the lot.”

Miltenberg added: “The second ticket was given because there is a one hour time period for the lot, which she went over.”

Commission Secretary Kevin Karl and member John Clarke voted 2-0 to uphold the two tickets.

Government

Selectmen Approve Maintenance Contract for Town Energy Source

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Town officials on Tuesday approved a maintenance contract for the town’s four Combined Heat and Power (CHP) units. A reason for the approval is that “when the units are running, they save [the town] money,” according to Department of Public Works Senior Engineer Joe Zagarenski. “They also take power off the grid. They’re greener and work towards the town’s clean energy goals,” Zagarenski told the Board of Selectmen at their regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. CHP systems generate electricity and capture the heat that would otherwise be wasted to provide useful thermal energy, such as steam or hot water, according to the CHP Alliance.

News

Paid Parking on Elm Street on Track for End of August

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The previously purchased parking machines—part of a plan to transition Elm Street and sections of South Avenue to a pay-for-parking system—should be installed by the end of August, officials say. The Parking Commission received an update on the new paid parking initiative at its Aug. 6 meeting. Parking Manager Stacy Miltenberg told the Commission that “the machines are scheduled to arrive in late August” and “the hope is to have them installed by the end of the month.”

“Right now, we are working on preparing the concrete bases so everything will be ready for installation when the machines arrive,” Miltenberg told the Commission at its regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “We are also working on updating the signage on the streets and lots.

News

South Avenue To Reopen in Late August

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The water company’s installation of a main pipe on South Avenue, a project that has closed the major road this summer, is expected to wrap up before school starts later this month, officials say. The Board of Selectmen received an update on the South Avenue road closure at its Tuesday meeting. “They’re going to be off the day before the first day of school,” Public Works Director Tiger Mann told the selectmen at their regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. New Canaan Public Schools are scheduled to open Aug. 26.