News

Waveny Soon to Debut New Fitness Area, New Playground Planned for Next Summer

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The New Canaanite 2024 Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. The construction of a widely anticipated addition to one of New Canaan’s most popular parks is underway. 

Earlier this year, town officials approved a $100,000 contract for the installation of a new fitness area in Waveny Park. 

The new fitness equipment, dubbed ‘The Gladiator’ by its manufacturer, is geared for people ages 13 and up, according to Ryan Restivo, assistant superintendent of the New Canaan Parks Department. 

It will have 12 stations including a larger component called “Thrive 250.” 

According to Restivo, the Thrive 250 has special QR code signs which, when using a phone to scan, provide a link to fitness instructions and workout plans. 

“There’s some step-by-step online workouts, so that’s a really cool feature,” Restivo said. 

The fitness area is to be resurfaced with a material called ‘Poured-in-Place Surfacing’ which Restivo said “is the best ADA compliant surfacing.” 

The Poured-in-Place Surfacing is what was used in the hugely successful and popular Mead Park Playground, he said. (Restivo is working with a committee that includes Monica Capela, who co-founded the Friends of Mead Park Playground with Allyson Mahoney, as well as Lauren Connolly Nussbaum and Hilary Ormond.)

“It’s like a spongy material and it comes in all different colors,” Restivo said of the surface. “The color that we chose was a tan and black and it blends in well with the site.” 

This type of surfacing has many advantages, Restivo said. 

“It’s the number one accessible surface, it’s safe and durable, it’s shock absorbent for fall protection, and it’s low maintenance and aesthetically pleasing, he said. This new material replaces the woodchips used in the old fitness area. 

The Parks Department has already received the new fitness equipment but due to minor issues on the part of the manufacturers, the installation has been slightly delayed. 

“One of the posts had a manufacturer issue,” Restivo said.

Alekhya Pulavarthy

‘Drive Test’ Results: Major Gaps in Mobile Coverage Across Town

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The New Canaanite 2024 Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. Much of New Canaan has poor cellular service and many parts have none at all, according to a widely anticipated “drive test” or “road test” conducted this summer by a Seattle-based company. During the July 16 meeting of the Utilities Commission, representatives from Ookla provided substantial data regarding mobile coverage – or rather, the lack thereof –  throughout New Canaan.  

“Poor to dreadful” is how one commissioner described the town’s mobile coverage during the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. Ookla presented multiple graphs illustrating gaps in service. Alekhya Pulavarthy, senior product manager at Ookla, presented a chart to officials showing a period of time where about 30% of calls placed by T-Mobile users in New Canaan failed.

Hardesty & Hanover

Officials Weigh Possible Third Stop Sign at 106-Carter Street Intersection

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The New Canaanite 2024 Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. Motorists are speeding along a busy stretch of Route 106 in New Canaan and officials now are looking at possibly adding a stop sign to an already complicated intersection. During the July 17 meeting of the Police Commission, a representative of New-Haven-based Hardesty & Hanover presented officials with various ideas to remedy the skewed intersection of Carter Street, state Route 106 or Silvermine Road, and Canoe Hill Road. After hearing numerous proposals for possible solutions, Police Chief John DiFederico questioned why the traffic consultant had not considered placing a single stop sign in the westbound direction of the intersection – creating a three-way stop. Veronica Prezioso of Hardesty & Hanover said she thought this was a “good point” and that she would have to further “look into it.” 

She told town officials at the meeting—held at Town Hall and via videoconference— that the addition of the third stop sign could be a viable solution but added that it would invite more signage earlier on, likely with blinking lights to indicate to drivers that there would be a stop. 

DiFederico noted that it was a much cheaper solution and could be implemented much quicker. 

Director of Public Works Tiger Mann said that officials had already looked into a four-way stop at the intersection and even the installation of a traffic light, but those ideas were vetoed earlier on.

New Canaan Police Deparmtent

Arrest Warrant: Local Man Harassed by Ex

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Police last week arrested a 34-year-old New Canaan woman by warrant and charged her with second-degree harassment. The woman, who is the ex-girlfriend of the victim, has repeatedly harassed the victim through social media platforms, emails, texts, and calls, court documents show. 

Early this June, the victim said his ex-fiancee and mother to their children notified him that his ex-girlfriend had commented under a photo of him on Facebook. The comment said, “Wondering if his ex-wife posted this – he’s a cocky jerk and i am vindictive/scheming a final vengeance! He’s also a rat.” The comment was dated two weeks before the date the victim was made aware of it, court documents show. 

Police confirmed that the account and profile picture from which the comment came matched that of the ex-girlfriend and that further investigation of the profile showed more pictures of her and descriptions of her educational history which matched the ex-girlfriend’s known education, according to a police affidavit. The following day, police responded to the front desk of NCPD to speak to the victim regarding harassment, according to the arrest warrant application filed by New Canaan Police and signed in July by the prosecuting attorney and state Superior Court Judge Robert.

Business

‘A Great Addition to Our Town’: Connecticut Breast Imaging Center Opens on Vitti Street

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The New Canaanite 2024 Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. A new location for breast imaging opened in town last month. 

Connecticut Breast Imaging – which has several locations across the state – has expanded into New Canaan with a new location on Vitti Street. 

The new imaging center opened on June 2 and one week later, held an open house fundraiser for a nonprofit organization that seeks to improve survival rates and quality of life for those impacted by breast cancer through better prevention, early detection, treatment and cure. “Our June 9 Open House Fundraiser was a huge success,” said Shawn Barto, administrative manager of Breast Imaging Services. “We were able to donate $2,500 to the Breast Cancer Alliance.”

The new center provides services such as mammography, breast ultrasound and breast biopsies. 

“We also offer same day appointments as well as same day reads by our highly regarded breast imagers,” Barto said. 

The center is “a great addition to our town,” Executive Director of the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce, Laura Budd said. 

“We were very lucky that the ownership group decided to expand into New Canaan,” she said. Before the new center opened, many residents were forced to travel far distances for checkups, officials say.