Government

Town Approves Contract for NCPD Elevator Work

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Town officials last week approved an approximately $14,000 contract for work done as part of the recently completed New Canaan Police Department renovation and addition project. The Board of Selectmen voted 3-0 in favor of the contract with Trumbull-based KONE Elevators during its regular meeting, held Jan. 6 at Town Hall and via videoconference. As part of the project, the building’s elevator was “taken out of service,” according to Joe Zagarenski, senior engineer in the Department of Public Works. “The elevator’s power, telephone and fire alarm connections were disconnected, and then it was treated like a new elevator, so we had to bring in the new services,” Zagarenski said.

Around Town

New Canaan Volunteer Recognition Awards [Q&A]

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New Canaan, a community that stands out for its high level of volunteerism, is preparing to recognize some of the town’s outstanding citizens. Nominations for annual Volunteer Recognition Awards are due Jan. 30 (info and form here). 

This year’s awards will be presented March 4 by the New Canaan Community Foundation. As the nomination deadline nears, we put some questions to Marley Thackray, an NCCF board member who chairs the Volunteer Recognition Awards. Here’s our exchange.

News

Warrant: Man, 61, Violated Protective Order by Emailing Ex

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New Canaan Police last week arrested a 61-year-old New Jersey man by warrant after he emailed a local woman in violation of a full no-contact protective order, court documents show. Authorities became aware of the violation when the victim went to New Canaan Police at about 4:10 p.m. on Dec. 23 to say that she had received an email from an ex-boyfriend, according to an arrest warrant application obtained by NewCanaanite.com. The protective order, issued in May 2024 for 50 years, resulted from “a previous NCPD arrest for harassment via email against” the victim, according to the arrest warrant application, filed by Officer Owen Ochs. The email address, sender and body of the email presented by the victim confirmed the man’s identity, Ochs said in an affidavit that forms part of the application. 

The email’s subject line was “HANDS UP (KNEES DOWN) DON’T SHOOT” and in it, the man asked the victim to marry him, the application said.

Animal 411

PHOTOS: ‘Very Uncommon’ Bald Eagle Sighting in New Canaan

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A bald eagle—national bird and symbol of the United States—appeared high up in a tree overlooking South Avenue across from the New Canaan YMCA last week. The sighting of the bird of prey, at about 9 a.m. on Thursday morning, is “very uncommon,” according to Officer Sean Godejohn, head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section. “New Canaan lacks large rivers and reservoirs like the Housatonic,” Godejohn told NewCanaanite.com when asked about the bird. “But their populations are increasing and they will move more inland to suburban habitats as their populations increase. Eagles are occasionally reported in Fairfield County, especially during winter when migrants from the north bolster the population.”

Several residents noticed and photographed the bald eagle, including from the Y lot, as the bird faced west toward New Canaan Figh School.

Business

‘Resource360’ Opens on Main Street

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A one-stop shop for home improvement has opened in the heart of downtown New Canaan. Located at 99 Main St., Resource360 is the brainchild of town resident Todd Sell, a veteran property renovator who launched the business to assist homeowners with both kitchen and bath retail needs as well as services such as property management and interior design, and professional referrals for suppliers and trades such as painters, electricians and plumbers. “People are starting to come in,” Sell said Thursday from the front retail area at Resource360, featuring concrete countertops and custom cabinetry. “The people that come in really like our mix of products and they’re asking a lot of questions. It’s been a good start.”

Those patronizing the business are often preparing to do home renovations or “beginning the process of looking at countertops and cabinetry and lights and mirrors,” among other building materials, he said.