David Lehman

Selectmen Push Commuter Parking Permit Renewals to Sept. 1

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Officials this week decided to push to September the date for commuter parking permit renewals in hopes that by then train service will be restored to more normal levels. During a regular Board of Selectmen meeting Tuesday, First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said that he hoped that express trains would soon return to pre-COVID frequency. 

As it is, the train schedule no longer includes “the four through trains in the evening, the four through trains in the morning, which effectively cancels commuter service,” Moynihan said at the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. The New York City subways opened up 24 hour service recently, and Moynihan, as he has in the past, said he hoped to pressure Metro-North Railroad to return express trains to the New Canaan branch line. “Commuters are going to want to get on the train,” he said. “A number of our residents are driving to Darien stations to commute instead.”

Moynihan and Selectmen Kathleen Corbet and Nick Williams voted 3-0 to defer the commuter parking permit renewal date to Sept.

New Canaan Police Department

28-Year-Old Norwalk Man Charged with Evading

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Police on Tuesday arrested a 28-year-old Norwalk man connected to a car crash in New Canaan. 

According to officials, the man turned himself into the NCPD headquarters at 6 p.m. on a charge of evading responsibility. The crash occurred at New Norwalk Road and East Avenue on May 21, according to a police report. A grey Ford van fled the scene afterwards, the report said. The arrested man admitted ownership to the van and spoke with investigators at the headquarters, it said. He additionally was cited for motor vehicle violations.

Around Town

‘It’s a Nice Draw’: Weed-Eating Goats Return to Irwin Park

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For the third year in a row, a well-loved park welcomed goats to a cordoned-off area in an effort to eliminate invasive weeds. Five goats, some of which are very young, arrived two weeks ago at Irwin Park, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. Eddie, Caramel, Cookie, and two unnamed goats will be living in the park through the summer, Garden Club member Alice Wyman said. Introduced to the Weed Street park two summers ago thanks to research by the New Canaan Garden Club, goats have “definitely helped to reduce [the weeds],” Mann said. 

Asked about why goats are used to eradicate invasive species, Mann said, “They’ll eat anything. They like poison ivy.”

“Goat herders say it’s like candy,” he added.

Around Town

LiveGirl, Carriage Barn Open ‘She is Rising’ Art Exhibition

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Two nonprofit organizations in New Canaan teamed up to organize an art exhibition celebrating women that opened Thursday. “She Is Rising,” presented by LiveGirl and the Carriage Barn Arts Center, runs through June 5 at the well-known gallery in Waveny Park. Sheri West, LiveGirl’s founder and CEO, said the exhibition reflects her organization’s work to “build confident, inclusive, leaders.”

“We’re working to close the female leadership gap, and we’re working to create a world where women can rise and take on positions of power and leadership,” West said. “She Is Rising” features artists such as Ashley Longshore, TL Duryea, and Michele Voight. The art, ranging from embroidery to paintings, makes “powerful statements,” according to Hilary Wittman, the executive director of the Carriage Barn.

News

Rec Director: ‘Very Strong’ Waveny Pool Pass Sales as Season Opening Nears; 100 Nonresident Passes To Be Sold

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Town officials say they’re seeing increased demand for Waveny Pool passes as the 2021 season’s Memorial Day weekend opening nears. So far, the town has sold 538 family passes, according to Recreation Director Steve Benko. The Recreation Department has also sold 65 individual, 41 nanny and 70 senior citizens passes, he said. “We will sell a lot more,” Benko said. Sales have been “very strong,” he said.