News

‘Doppio’ Italian Restaurant Opens on Main Street

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The owners of an established Italian restaurant in Greenwich on Monday opened a new location in town. Doppio is located at 62 Main St. The word means “double” in Italian, a reference to Joseph Barresi, owner of the restaurant, and his brother, Louis Barresi, who is executive chef. “We have a lot of nice New Canaan families that go to our Greenwich location frequently, so when this spot became available, we were very excited to take the opportunity and do our thing,” Joseph Barresi said. “The town welcomed us with open arms,” he said.

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State Plans To Install More Centerline ‘Rumble Strips’ in New Canaan; Public Hearing Tuesday

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The Connecticut Department of Transportation is planning to install more “rumble strips” on roads in New Canaan. A remote public hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday for the the rumble strips planned for Route 123/Smith Ridge Road from North Wilton Road to the town line, and Route 124/Oenoke Ridge from Country Club Road to Luke’s Woods Road, according to Director of Public Works Tiger Mann. The state Department of Transportation notified the town in March of its intention, saying in a letter that “[c]enterline rumble strips are a cost-effective, proven safety countermeasure that substantially reduce the risks of head-on, sideswipe opposite direction and roadway departure crashes.” “The grooves produce sound and vibration inside the vehicle intended to alert distracted or drowsy drivers that they have unintentionally crossed the centerline,” according to the letter from Matthew Blume, division chief of traffic engineering in ConnDOT’s Bureau of Engineering and Construction. The centerline rumble strips are being installed because the roads have been repaved, Mann said. 

The hearing has been scheduled because “the town requested it in response to the DOT’s proposed installation of rumble strips,” Mann said.  

“On Route 124, the houses are closer to the road than they are on Rte.

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Dog Bites Child on Hillcrest Avenue

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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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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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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.