Government

Town Voids Ticket Issued to Local Woman for Parking in Town Hall Lot

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The New Canaanite 2024 Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. In what was deemed a misread of the situation, town officials this month voided a ticket issued to a local woman for parking in the Town Hall lot. Members of the Parking Commission during their July 10 meeting voted 3-0 to void a ticket that had been issued to Marnie Miller for parking in the lot behind the municipal building while appearing to have no Town Hall business. During her appeal hearing, held at Town Hall and via videoconference, Miller said she had come to register her dogs at Town Hall but stopped in Greenology for a drink beforehand. During that small timeframe, she had been issued the ticket, with the officer believing she was using the lot for other business. 

“I came to register my dogs and it was hot so I popped across the street,” Miller said.

Government

Commission Discusses Proposed Striping, Disabled Space on Morse Court

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The New Canaanite 2024 Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. Members of the appointed body that oversees municipal parking lots in New Canaan are asking town officials to carefully balance the number of disabled spaces needed downtown with sorely needed 15-minute spaces. Parking Manager Stacey Miltenberg told members of the Parking Commission during their July 10 meeting that disabled spots would be delineated along with the 15-minute parking spaces along the northern edge of Morse Court, as part of a new striping plan for the lot. (Currently, the parallel-parking 15-minute spaces are not lined out.)

Commissioner Nancy Bemis noted that the block of parking may be more useful if left unpainted — for example, because smaller cars wouldn’t take up a full space — and also raised a question about a plan to add a disabled space to the row. “My concern is that by adding the handicapped spot, is it going to lead to any confusion?” Bemis said at the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference.

Around Town

‘A Real Treasure’: Jim & Dede Bartlett Center for New Canaan History Opens at NCM&HS

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The New Canaanite 2024 Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. New Canaan has long been an epicenter of rich history and culture. It’s apparent in the buildings downtown, library, schools, parks and local organizations. It’s also apparent in the people, some of whom have left indelible marks on the town. 

Recently, the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society opened a permanent exhibit to highlight just that: the people and ideas that have left a profound legacy on New Canaan. The “Jim and Dede Bartlett Center for New Canaan History” is “the cornerstone of a $2 million dollar ‘Campus Reimagined’ project,” said Nancy Geary, executive director of the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society.

Government

Police Commission Discusses Traffic Woes at Gerdes, Conrad

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The New Canaanite 2024 Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. Traffic engineers say the motor vehicle backup and speeding problems that New Canaanites are seeing in the “South of the Y” neighborhood during commuter hours are due to two main issues. The town has been grappling with backed-up vehicles on Gerdes Road, and a related problem of speeding on Conrad Road, for more than one year. In the morning, especially, southbound Merritt Parkway commuters are skirting traffic between exits 38 and 37 as directed by navigation apps such as Waze and Google Maps. Drivers either queue up for the Gerdes Road/South Avenue light to re-enter the Merritt at exit 37, or else swing out wider to Conrad and Whiffle Tree Roads, officials have said.

Business

‘Spicing Up’ New Canaan: Grand Opening of Spice and Tea Exchange Set for Friday

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The New Canaanite 2024 Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. A melting pot of countries, exotic flavors and aromatic spices exists here, in our very own backyard. Enter the Spice and Tea Exchange, nestled downtown in the middle of Main Street. 

Pulling open the front doors invites a journey for the senses: displays abundant with clear glass jars housing colorful contents; a strong aroma of fragrant spices wafting through the air; and a soft bubbling noise emanating from the tea dispensers in the back, which contain the week’s newest selections. The Spice & Tea Exchange is a franchise that has been in business for about 16 years, growing out of a mom-and-pop store, said store owner Pam Robinson. “This is the 92nd store to open,” Robinson said.