News

‘The Community Is Very Concerned’: South Avenue Repaving To Start in September

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A long-running construction project in New Canaan is now expected to stretch into the 2026-27 school year, officials said Tuesday, raising traffic concerns for the town. The water company, Aquarion, four years ago began installing a 36-inch water main in New Canaan, leading to road closures and detours on the eastern side of town. The final stretch of that project will see construction crews install the pipe on South Avenue—a state road, Route 124—from Harrison Avenue to Farm Road, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. Typically, a construction company would allow some time between when the pipe is installed and the road is patched, and a full milling and repaving of the same road, Mann told the Board of Selectmen during its meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. (Usually, road projects are completed in two stages, where crews wait a season to a year before repaving in order to allow the road to settle, Mann said.)

Yet the company now said it plans to install the pipe this summer and immediately repave starting in September, he said.

Around Town

Local Nonprofit ‘Filling in the Blanks’ To Host Sixth Annual Gala on Sept. 27

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A local nonprofit organization serving children in need is set to host its major annual gala next month. On Sept. 27, Filling in the Blanks will host its Sixth Annual Plates with Purpose Gala at the Italian Center in Stamford. The purpose of the gala is to raise funds to continue the organization’s mission of fighting child hunger in local communities. “The gala is our largest fundraising event of the year, and it brings in a significant amount of money that goes straight to providing the weekend meals to the children,” FITB Special Events Coordinator Jennifer Moran said.

Government

Town Upholds $80 Ticket Issued for Obstructing Crosswalk

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

Officials last week upheld an $80 ticket issued to a Norwalk man for parking on a New Canaan crosswalk. Mark DelGuidice told members of the Parking Commission during an appeal hearing  that he was issued the ticket (at 12:49 p.m. on June 9, a Monday) after dropping off a Grubhub order and couldn’t find space for parking. 

 “I was waiting for the car in front of me to leave so I could move up in that spot, but I couldn’t wait any longer so I grabbed the order, ran inside as fast as I could, and when I came back I had a ticket,” he said during the Parking Commission’s Aug. 6 meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. During the hearing, Commission Secretary Kevin Karl questioned whether there were “no other spots in town.”

“Did you drive around or only check for spots that were available on the roads?” he asked. DelGuidice said every town parking space, including the disabled spots, had been taken.

News

‘Doppio’ Italian Restaurant Opens on Main Street

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

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.

Footer Featured Widget

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

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

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.