Animal 411

NCPD Animal Control, Wildlife In Crisis Rescue Orphaned Baby Raccoon

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When a barking dog alerted Patrice LaSusa to three baby raccoons stranded at the base of a tree at her daughter’s Colonial Road house last Tuesday morning, one of the first things she noticed about the young mammals was that “they were scared to death.”

LaSusa phoned the Animal Control section of the New Canaan Police Department and Officer Allyson Halm rushed over, determining quickly that the wildlife had been orphaned. It is possible that the mother raccoon had been taken out with the garbage—an unfortunate and common occurrence, according to Halm. Two of the young raccoons ran off before Halm could rescue them, leaving just one to be saved and brought to a nonprofit organization in Weston that’s dedicated to wildlife preservation and land conservation. The incident, which captures much of what Animal Control officers do in New Canaan, also is prompting Halm to put out a call for volunteers to help transport the needy animals to Wildlife in Crisis. “It’s all I do, all day,” Halm said of New Canaan’s wildlife activity.

Around Town

Safety Hazard To Be Fixed at New Canaan Firehouse

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The Board of Selectmen last week approved the preparation of construction documents to eliminate what officials call a major safety hazard at the firehouse. The designs will be created by Architectural Preservation Studio, a New York City-based firm with an office in New Canaan, and will arrange for a fall protection system for the current hose drying tower for $3,800, which is within the department’s budget, officials said at the June 14 selectmen meeting. The hose drying tower is a shaft that reaches nearly 2.5 stories in the back of the firehouse on Main Street. When the hoses are used, a firefighter must be at the top of the shaft making sure that they are in line, and there is no solid protection there, according to First Selectman Rob Mallozzi (a volunteer firefighter from 2004 to 2009 who also had served as secretary of New Canaan Fire Company No.1). _______________________________________________

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Government

‘It’s Going to Impact the Quality of Our Lives’: Concerns About Locust Avenue Parking Deck Plans Linger

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The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday approved funds for preliminary, pre-construction work on a proposed new Locust Avenue parking deck, conditioned on two things: that a widely anticipated traffic study turns up no safety concerns and that there’s input from police, fire and EMTs on the plan. The architectural and engineering services, from a Rocky Hill-based firm, come to a total of $52,226, under a contract approved during the selectmen’s regular meeting. “We are not going to go ahead with this until we get our traffic study and involve our police and fire department,” First Selectman Rob Mallozzi said during the meeting, held Tuesday at Town Hall. An initial traffic study conducted several years ago flagged no reasons to delay or reject the project, however, people felt that the study wasn’t complete, according to Mike Pastore, director of the Department of Public Works. A second traffic consultant was hired, and the report should be analyzed within the next few days, he said.

Around Town

New Canaan Family Fourth: ‘Up To Everybody’ To Support This Year’s Fireworks at Waveny

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The Family Fourth of July celebration at Waveny, one of New Canaan’s most cherished annual traditions, needs the assistance of the community in order to continue to be great each year, according to the volunteers who oversee it. Contrary to popular belief, the picnic and fireworks show is “funded entirely by the donations for passes,” according to Steve Benko, who sits on the Family Fourth Committee. “Whether you drive your car to the park or you walk in, we encourage everybody to buy a pass because it supports the fireworks,” Benko said. The fireworks themselves, as well as entertainment and logistical teams, are paid for out of a standalone fund, and the event is run by a volunteer committee. This year, food trucks also will sell food at the Family Fourth.

News

Historic Ferris Hill Home To Be Rented, Back on Market in ‘Several Years’

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Now that the property has been safely transferred, volunteers spent several hours Tuesday afternoon cleaning up a historic farmhouse on Ferris Hill Road in order to make it rentable in the next couple of months. Tom Nissley, who holds title to the property with his wife, Emily, said his long-term goal is to sell the 1735-built house at 8 Ferris Hill Road, though it could be “several years” before it’s ready to go on the market again. “Somebody who loves history is going to have to buy the house,” Nissley said. “My theory is that everything sells. There is always a buyer for things, and there are a lot of people who are interested in history.”

That’s a major reason why the historic farmhouse still stands.