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Dog Bites Child on Hillcrest Avenue

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[The NewCanaanite.com Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates.]
New Canaan Police cited and fined a local woman this month after her dog was accused of running off-property and biting a boy. At around 8:15 a.m. on July 3 (a Thursday), an officer met with a New Canaan man after his son had been bit by a “one year old, black, male Labrador Retriever mix type dog”, according to an incident report written by Animal Control Officer Sean Godejohn and obtained by NewCanaanite.com through a public records request. The boy’s father told Officer Nicole Vartuli that the incident occurred on Hillcrest Avenue, “when a dog came off the property and bit his son, leaving a scratch on his left arm,” the report said. According to the report, the dog’s owner told Vartuli and Godejohn that her dog left her property and jumped on the victim, but doesn’t believe the animal bit him. The dog, “Beau,” has been “vaccinated for rabies with New Canaan Veterinary Hospital until July 25,” Godejohn’s report said.

Board of Selectmen

Town Approves Contract for Lapham Center Flooring Upgrade

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[The NewCanaanite.com Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates.]

Municipal officials last week approved a contract for carpet removal and vinyl flooring installation in a heavily used town building. The Lapham Center in Waveny has “had issues with their carpet, so they want to replace it with vinyl flooring,” according to Superintendent of Buildings William Oestmann. 

The project will include replacing the carpet on the first floor and the coffee area with vinyls, and replacing the flooring in the kitchen, Oestmann told members of the Board of Selectmen during their July 8 meeting, held in Town Hall and via videoconference. According to Oestmann, Berlin-based M. Frank Higgins & Co. offered $49,922 with a 10% contingency for $54,914 for the flooring and kitchen construction. First Selectman Dionna Carlson and Selectmen Steve Karl and Amy Murphy Carroll voted 3-0 in favor of the contract with 

“It’s a tricky project because the Lapham Center is an old building, and underneath the carpet on the first floor is a little unknown,” he said.

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‘He’s Done a Great Job’: Local Eagle Scout Creates U.S. Flag ‘Drop Box’ at Firehouse

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[The NewCanaanite.com Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates.]

A New Canaan High School class of 2026 student recently completed a project to honor and respect the U.S. flag. James Bakal for his Eagle Scout project created a box that residents can use to ensure that the flags are disposed of properly. “It means that the town has a place where the flags can go, showing the local residents that they can do the proper thing in the world by retiring them,” Bakal said. 

The tricolor drop-off box is located in front of New Canaan Fire Department headquarters on Main Street. “This project means so much to me,” said Bakal, whose grandfather served in World War II and who has two cousins in the military who have been deployed to Afghanistan in the past. “It means that the town has a place where the flags can go, and 10,15 years down the line, there will be a place in New Canaan for it to still happen.”

It’s a project that Vietnam War veteran Mike McGlinn, commander of VFW Post 653 in New Canaan, has been trying to get in town for “several years,” he said. 

“I went to the Post Office twice to try and get an old mailbox and paint it, but that didn’t work,” McGlinn said.

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Town Approves $25,000 for Traffic ‘Flaggers’

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[The NewCanaanite.com Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates.]

Municipal officials last week approved a contract for flagging services on local roads, including for the Putnam Road sidewalk replacement. The Putnam Road work, which has about two weeks left, has “alternating one-way traffic,” according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. 

“We use the flaggers to direct the motorists,” Mann told members of the Board of Selectmen during their July 8 meeting, held in Town Hall and via videoconference. “Since we have one lane closed, we’ve got to be able to get them through the work zone safely.”

First Selectman Dionna Carlson and Selectmen Steve Karl and Amy Murphy Carroll voted 3-0 in favor of a $25,000 contract with All State Flagging LLC. Mann said the town has a contract already with a different company, Precise Traffic Control, “but they are currently working on the paving projects and there’s just not enough flaggers to go around for Precise to utilize.”

The flaggers are there to prevent people from using the sidewalks, but to get drivers through the work zone without risk, Mann said. They also warn motorists on the Putnam curve where they can’t see ahead, he said.

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Town Seeks Help Funding ‘Back to School’ Gift Card Program

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[The NewCanaanite.com Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates.]

Town officials say they’re planning to help qualified families with the high cost of back-to-school shopping. 

As it does each summer, the New Canaan Human Services Department is hoping to provide families in need with Walmart and Target gift cards, though more fundraising is needed to hit the agency’s goal, Youth and Family Services Coordinator Jacqueline D’Louhy said. 

“We’re just asking for Walmart or Target cards because they have everything that someone could get,” D’Louhy said. “At the elementary schools, they have kits you need to purchase which can cost a lot. With this extra money, the families could purchase a pair of sneakers or any additional school supplies for their kids.”

In all, the municipal department is planning to give out 75 cards of $100 value each, she said. Any small amount of money would be helpful, she said. 

“We don’t expect someone to donate $100, that is a lot of money,” D’Louhy said. “But if people could give money in increments of $25, that would be great.”

As of this week, less than $200 has been raised toward the $7,500 goal.