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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.

Government

Selectmen Postpone Funding for ADA Ramp Between Town Hall, Vine Cottage

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

Saying they need more information, municipal officials this week postponed the approval of $250,000 in construction work at the Town Hall campus. After the federal government cited the town for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act—citing dozens of barriers to access at public facilities throughout New Canaan—the municipality and U.S. Department of Justice reached an agreement. 

Part of that agreement calls for the town to improve access between Town Hall and Vine Cottage, where the New Canaan Department of Health is located. 

An additional accessible route needs to be built, Public Works Director Tiger Mann said during Tuesday’s Board of Selectmen meeting, held at The Town Hall and via videoconference. Mann said a site plan from local firm Architectural Preservation Studios would locate the new ramp on part of an existing staircase from the access road through the campus up to Vine Cottage. “The far right side of the staircase will be separated, and that will become a ramp which will turn left towards the parking space,” Mann said. “We’ll remove one slot of the parking lot which will put us in the correct position to then head to the Vine Cottage.”

Installing the ramp will require removing part of the WPA-era retaining wall there, and is estimated to cost $258,583.11, including a 10% contingency, Mann said.

Around Town

Annual ‘Village Fair & Sidewalk Sale’ Set for July 18-19

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

One of New Canaan’s most anticipated events of summer is set to take place this month. The New Canaan Chamber of Commerce’s annual Village Fair & Sidewalk Sale will run July 18 and 19 downtown. Spanning the commercial centers of Elm, Forest and Main Streets, the Sidewalk Sale will feature nearly 100 stands of local businesses and merchandise from all over New Canaan, according to Laura Budd, the Chamber’s executive director. 

“Our Sidewalk Sale is two days long,” Budd said. “Friday, July 18th features our local stores on the sidewalk. Merchants see products in their store that they just want to move along, so this gives them the opportunity to come outside in the summer and make room for all the great new products they want to get for the holidays and rest of the year.”

The stores that will have their stands up on the 18th will be up during their usual store hours, and will not interrupt the flow of traffic, Budd said.  

On Saturday, the full Sidewalk Sale opens and the one-way stretch of Elm and parts of Main and Forest will be made pedestrian-only, for residents to shop, walk around and enjoy food, she said. 

“On Saturday, July 19th, the Sidewalk Sale hours will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., but we start closing down the streets at around 7:30 a.m. because vendors have to come in and set up their booths.” Budd said. 

The New Canaan Sidewalk Sale is so popular because it always has a wide variety of stands, from clothing to The Society of Santas, for visitors to enjoy, Budd said.  

“What makes our Sidewalk Sale unique versus other communities is that it’s both a Village Fair and a Sidewalk Sale,” she said.