Bobby Thompson

‘We Are Very Community Based’: NCHS Grad, Wife Take Over Family’s ‘Key Holder’ Business

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New Canaan native Ron Bentley was on a golf course with his uncle at the family’s regular outing in Vermont three years ago when he began to consider taking over the family business. His uncle, Bobby Thompson, had launched Key Holder Services Inc, an alarm response and vacation house check service, in 1990, and his aunt, Sue Thompson, had been an owner. “I started talking to him about selling the business to me, and I just said, ‘Please give me first opportunity to keep it in the family,’ ” Bentley told NewCanaanite.com on a recent morning. Today, Ron Bentley and his wife, Kelly, are about one year into ownership and operation of a business that sees them connect with area residents in a personal way to ensure their homes are safe and secure—already a priority for Ron Bentley as a longtime New Canaan police officer. “It was a risk but I think it’s a good risk,” Ron Bentley said of the decision to acquire the business from his uncle.

Around Town

‘We Need to Give Back’: Local Teen’s Project to Honor New Canaan Veterans

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A New Canaan teen is working on an Eagle Scout project to honor local veterans. Jack Goetz, a rising New Canaan High School junior, said he plans to hang 35 banners featuring veterans from lampposts in the downtown for three weeks around Veteran’s Day in November. 

A Boy Scout for around five years, Goetz is seeking to earn the rank of Eagle Scout, and is required to complete a service-related project. 

“This was a project I chose because it’s a visual way to represent all that the veterans have done for our country,” Goetz said. “I think they don’t get enough credit—we don’t see it on a daily basis, how much they’ve served and I think we need to give back.” His project, titled “New Canaan Honors Our Veterans,” also has personal relevance. Goetz said that many of his family members have served in the military. 

“It’s an important issue to me,” he said.

News

55-Year-Old Man Charged with Disorderly Conduct and Threatening

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Police on Thursday afternoon arrested a 55-year-old New Canaan man on charges of disorderly conduct and second-degree threatening. At about 3:10 p.m. on July 18, police responded to a complaint of a domestic dispute between the man and the other occupant of an Old Stamford Road home, according to a police report. Police determined that the man was in violation of the charges and transported him to headquarters. 

It isn’t clear how the dispute started, or what threats were made or how. The police report withheld all further information, as the matter was domestic in nature. 

Under state law, a person is guilty of second-degree threatening when “by physical threat, such person intentionally places or attempts to place another person in fear of imminent serious physical injury,” or “threatens to commit any crime of violence with the intent to terrorize another person.”

The man was released on bail of $5,000 for the threatening charge and police scheduled him to appear in Superior Court in Norwalk the following day. 

His next appearance in Norwalk is set for Aug. 14, according to Connecticut Judicial Branch records.

Around Town

‘At Home with Other Girls’: Local Nonprofit Organization LiveGirl Marks Five Years

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Lola Duhov, 11, has participated in workshops and camps hosted by a New Canaan nonprofit organization for more than one year. The Stamford resident, a Scofield Magnet Middle School student, said that prior to getting involved with LiveGirl, she had been “a very not self-appreciative person and I’d always put myself down and thought I was never good enough.”

“So my mom signed me up for [LiveGirl] and I became so connected with it and in sync with everyone and it just made me feel like a better person, and I’ve learned to accept myself more and become a much more positive person,” Duhov said Wednesday from outside the New Canaan High School cafeteria, filled with laughing girls, all cheering and working together at a leadership workshop. Duhov is one of dozens of area girls who have benefitted from LiveGirl since New Canaan’s Sheri West founded the organization five years ago. Pronounced ‘Liv Girl’ with a short ‘i’—it’s named after West’s daughter Olivia—the organization’s goal “is to build confident leaders,” according to West. “Everything we do is to build self-esteem and social and emotional intelligence, which are the building blocks of a confident leader,” West said.

Around Town

Glass House Seeks Permission To Modify Hours, Notification Requirements, Parking

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A Ponus Ridge historic site and architectural tourist attraction is seeking modest changes to its operating permit, according to papers filed with the town. The Philip Johnson Glass House is requesting permission to increase its hours of operation and to change when town approval is required for certain events, according to an application to modify an existing Special Permit, filed June 26 with Planning & Zoning. The current Special Permit authorizes the use of National Trust for Historic Preservation site as a “limited public access museum,” according to the application. The 49-acre site, which includes 14 buildings designed by the famed architect, opened to the public in 2007. 

An application, filed by attorney Ted O’Hanlan of Robinson + Cole, seeks to extend the public tour season by two weeks at both the beginning and end—meaning it would begin April 16 and end Dec. 15.