Government

Change Versus Experience: Kenin Challenges Williams In RTC Debate

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GOP Board of Selectman candidate Christa Kenin promised change while incumbent Selectman Nick Williams emphasized his experience during the first of two Republican Town Committee debates held at Town Hall on Tuesday. A former corporate attorney who has been a member of the Town Council for two years, Kenin is seeking a Republican seat on the Board of Selectmen in the upcoming local election—but first seeks to win the party nod in upcoming caucus on July 18. Williams, a 28-year resident, is a three-term incumbent on the board who has previously served as chairman of the Board of Education and has been a volunteer with various town groups. He seeks a fourth term. During her opening remarks, Kenin expressed dissatisfaction with the pace of progress in town and blamed the current administration.

Government

Election 2017: Republican Candidates for First Selectman Debate Cell Service, Outback

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Candidates seeking New Canaan Republicans’ endorsement at the July 18 caucus on Tuesday night debated a wide variety of issues facing the town—from how to improve cellular coverage to what to do with the former Outback Teen Center building and how to open the lines of communication within municipal government—during a lively Republican Town Committee-sponsored debate. Incumbent First Selectman Rob Mallozzi, who has announced his intention to run for a fourth term, is being challenged by Cristina A. Ross, a 26-year resident and Town Council member who works as a professional architect, and who previously spent 10 years on the Parks and Recreation Commission, and Kevin Moynihan, a 36-year resident and retired former attorney for Merrill Lynch who also currently serves on the Town Council. The candidates fielded a wide variety of questions from New Canaanite Editor Michael Dinan and New Canaan Advertiser Editor Greg Reilly, who served as co-moderators for the event. Billed as a “debate,” the 2.5-hour session—50 minutes of which was dedicated to the first selectman candidates—featured politically charged if limited direct interaction among those seeking the town’s highest elected office (the video will be available here very soon). On the topic of how to improve cell service in town, Ross said the communication between the town and the residents with regard to infrastructure—including cell towers—must be improved.

Government

Commission Seeks Feedback On Cell Tower Proposal

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New Canaan residents are invited to public hearing to be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Town Hall to share their views on a proposal from the Utilities Commission to install 110-foot tall cellular towers at Irwin Park and West School. For the past several years the Utilities Commission, under the direction of the Board of Selectmen, has been studying various approaches to improving wireless coverage in town. The northern sections of New Canaan, in particular the northwest quadrant, suffer from serious wireless coverage gaps—some as large as 10 square miles—due to the town’s unique topography. Not only is this an inconvenience for residents, it also presents a serious public safety risk, as the town’s police, fire and EMS services all rely on cellular technology for emergency communications. During Thursday’s Town Council meeting, Police Chief Leon Krolikowski said “there have been incidents in the past where people have tried to make 911 calls from the north section of town and have not been able to get through.” He said a few months ago, a tradesman who was working in the northwest corner of town seriously injured his leg and almost bled to death because he was unable to reach 911 using his cell phone. “There have also been incidents of motor vehicle accidents where people couldn’t get through,” Krolikowski told the council members, adding that people who have been in accidents have sometimes had to “drive toward town until they get a signal.”

Wendy Dixon Fog, captain of New Canaan EMS, added that emergency medical technicians rely on the cellular network to get data and information about patients while they are on scene or in transit.

Government

Town Council Approves New Canaan High School Track Replacement, Fields Projects

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The New Canaan Town Council on Thursday unanimously approved funding for the track replacement project at New Canaan High School, along with the “Water Tower Turf One” and “Water Tower Turf Two” projects and the Mead Park baseball fields project. Each of the projects will require bonding; the actual bonding resolutions will be drafted and voted up or down by the council at a later date. Remarkably, local families and youth sports organizations including the New Canaan Athletic Foundation (NCAF) raised more than $2.3 million in private donations that will be used to off-set the cost of three of the five projects. The high school track replacement project will require an appropriation of $1.75 million which will be fully funded through the issuance of bonds. This involves resurfacing the track and expanding it from six to eight lanes.

Government

Town Selects Homeland Towers To Proactively Address Wireless Dead Spots

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The Town of New Canaan has selected Homeland Towers to draw up plans for bringing in more cellular coverage in town. The company, as its main service, “performs a full assessment of the state of wireless communications in any municipality through the measurement of existing wireless coverage, and performs an in-depth qualification process to identify objectively good candidates for the placement of wireless communications facilities,” according to its website. Part of the purpose in doing that is to help towns get better “control and leverage over siting issues,” which is exactly what New Canaan wants. The firm is one of five that responded to a Request For Proposal (RFP) from the town which was sent out in March. In an update to the Board of Selectmen last Tuesday, Tom Tesluk, chairman of the all-volunteer Utilities Commission, said two of the firms that replied were disqualified right up front.