Firefly Sanctuary

NCLT: ‘Firefly Sanctuary’ Closed for Restoration in 2026; Alternative Tour Set for July 1 at Waveny

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A hugely popular spot to watch fireflies during the height of their summer season will be closed this year for habitat and trail restoration purposes. The trail to the New Canaan Land Trust’s firefly sanctuary, located off of Sleepy Hollow Road, “needs some work due to water erosion on it,” according to Robin Bates-Mason, the nonprofit organization’s executive director. 

She continued: “There’s something called ‘water bars’ which are on trails and they direct water away. We’ll put them in diagonally and it’ll take the water off the trail before it can really build momentum and wash out the trail.”

The trees in the sanctuary also pose a risk for the public, Bates-Mason said. 

“We found that there were some trees in the meadow that needed to be addressed, making it not safe to have people up there at the moment,” she said. “One tree had a big limb come down that snagged on another tree, and it’s hanging over a walkway. We need to take down those trees before we’d be comfortable with anyone in the meadow.”

The time off also will give interns a chance to clean up and restore the meadow itself. 

“We’ll have our interns coming in this summer, and we’re going to be working getting some of the invasive plants out of the meadow,” Bates-Mason said.

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.